ing his eyes, he faw the Shield in the hands of the House-maid. "O Woman! Woman! he cry'ð

(and fnatch'd it violently from her) was it to

thy ignorance that this Relick owes its ruin? "where, where is the beautiful Cruft that cover"ed thee fo long? where those Traces of Time, "and Fingers as it were of Antiquity? Where all "those beautiful obfcurities, the caufe of much delightful difputation, where doubt and curiofity went hand in hand, and eternally exercised the fpeculations of the learned? All this the rude "Touch of an ignorant Woman hath done away! "The curious Prominence at the belly of that figure, "which some taking for the Cufpis of a fword, "denominated a Roman Soldier; others account

ing the Infignia Virilia, pronounced to be one "of the Dii Termini; behold the hath cleaned it "in like fhameful fort, and fhewn to be the head "of a Nail. O my Shield! my Shield! well "may I fay with Horace, non bene relicta Par«mula.

The Goffips, not at all inquiring into the caufe of his forrow, only afked if the Child had no hurt? and cry'd, Come, come, all is well; what has "the Woman done but her duty? a tight cleanly "wench I warrant her; what a ftir a man makes "about a Bafon, that an hour ago, before this la"bour was bestowed upon it, a Country Barber "would not have hung at his fhop door." A Ba

fon! (cry'd another) no fuch matter, 'tis no

thing but a paultry old Sconce, with the nozzle "broke off.", The learned Gentlemen, who till now had stood speechlefs, hereupon looking narrowly on the Shield, declared their Affent to this latter opinion; and defired Cornelius to be comforted, affuring him it was a Sconce and no other. But this, instead of comforting, threw the Doctor into fuch a violent Fit of paffion, that he was carried off groaning and speechless to bed; where, being quite spent, he fell into a kind of flumber.

CHA P. IV.

Of the Suction and Nutrition of the Great Scriblerus in his Infancy, and of the firft Rudiments of his Learning.

S foon as Cornelius awaked, he raised him

felf on his elbow, and cafting his eye on Mrs. Scriblerus, fpoke as follows. Wifely was "it faid by Homer, that in the Cellar of Jupiter " are two barrels, the one of good, the other of

evil, which he never beftows on mortals feparately, but conftantly mingles them together. "Thus at the fame time hath Heav'n bleffed me "with the birth of a Son, and afflicted me with "the fcouring of my Shield. Yet let us not re

"pine at his Difpenfations, who gives, and who "takes away; but rather join in prayer, that the "Ruft of Antiquity which he hath been pleased "to take from my Shield, may be added to my "Son; and that fo much of it, as it is my pur

pofe he fhall contract in his Education, may "never be deftroy'd by any Modern Polishing.”

He could no longer bear the fight of the Shield, but ordered it fhould be removed for ever from his eyes. It was not long after purchas'd by Dr. Woodward, who, by the affiftance of Mr. Kemp, incrufted it with a new Ruft, and is the fame whereof a Cut hath been engraved, and exhibited to the great Contentation of the learned.

Cornelius now began to regulate the Suction of his child. Seldom did there país a day without difputes between him and the Mother, or the Nurfe, concerning the nature of Aliment. The poor Woman never dined but he denied her fome difh or other, which he judged prejudicial to her milk. One day fhe had a longing defire to a piece of beef, and as the ftretch'd her hand towards it, the old gentleman drew it away, and spoke to this effect. "Hadft thou read the Ancients, O Nurse, "thou would't prefer the welfare of the Infant "which thou nourisheft, to the indulging of an irregular and voracious Appetite. Beef, it is true, may confer a Robuftnefs on the limbs of my fon, but will hebetate and clog his Intel"lectuals." While he spoke this, the Nurfe

looked upon him with much anger, and now and then caft a wifhful eye upon the Beef---" Paffion "(continued the Doctor, ftill holding the dish) "throws the mind into too violent a fermentation; "it is a kind of Fever of the foul, or, as Horace expreffes it, a Short Madness. Confider, Wo"man, that this days Suction of my son may cause " him to imbibe many ungovernable Paffions, and "in a manner spoil him for the temper of a Phi" lofopher. Romulus by fucking a Wolf, became "of a fierce and favage difpofition; and were I "to breed fome Ottoman Emperor, or Founder "of a Military Commonwealth, perhaps I might "indulge thee in this carnivorous Appetite." What, interrupted the Nurse, Beef spoil the understanding? that's fine indeed---how then could our Parfon preach as he does upon Beef, and Pudding too, if you go to that? Don't tell me of your Ancients, had not you almost killed the poor babe with a dish of Dæmonial black Broth?---" Lace"dæmonian black Broth, thou would'ft fay, (re

plied Cornelius) but I cannot allow the furfeit "to have been occafioned by that diet, fince it was "recommended by the Divine Lycurgus. No, "Nurse, thou must certainly have eaten some "meats of ill digeftion the day before, and that was the real cause of his diforder. Confider, "Woman, the different Temperaments of different Nations: What makes the English Phleg"matick and melancholy, but Beef? what renders

"the Welsh fo hot and cholerick, but Cheese and "Leeks? the French derive their levity from their Soups, Frogs, and Mushrooms: I would not "let my Son dine like an Italian, left like an Ita"lian he should be jealous and revengeful: The "warm and folid diet of Spain may be more be"neficial, as it might indue him with a profund "Gravity, but at the fame time he might fuck in "with their food their intolerable Vice of Pride. "Therefore, Nurse, in fhort, I hold it requifite "to deny you at prefent, not only Beef, but like"wife whatsoever any of thofe Nations eat." During this fpeech, the Nurse remain'd pouting and marking her plate with the knife, nor would fhe touch a bit during the whole dinner. This the old Gentleman obferving, ordered that the Child, to avoid the rifque of imbibing ill humours, should be kept from her breast all that day, and be fed with Butter, mix'd with Honey, according to a Prefcription he had met with fomewhere in Euftathius upon Homer. This indeed gave the Child a great looseness, but he was not concerned at it, in the opinion that whatever harm it might do his body, would be amply recompenced by the improvements of his understanding. But from thenceforth he insisted every day upon a particular Diet to be obferved by the Nurfe; under which having been long uneafy, fhe at laft parted from the family, on his ordering her for dinner the Paps of