Imagens da página
PDF
ePub

This war between the two northern powers at that time was truly barbarous: the innocent peafant and the harmless virgin often shared the fate of the foldier in arms. Marienburgh was taken by affault; and such was the fury of the affailants, that not only the garrifon, but almoft all the inhabitants, men, women, and children, were put to the fword; at length, when the cart nage was pretty well over, Catherina was found hid in

an oven.

She had been hitherto poor, but ftill was free; the was now to conform to her hard fate, and learn what it was to be a flave: in this fituation, however, the be haved with piety and humility; and though misfortunes had abated her vivacity, yet fhe was chearful. The fame of her merit and refignation reached even Prince Menzikoff, the Ruffian General; he defired to fee her, was ftruck with her beauty, bought her from the foldier her master, and placed her under the direction of his own fifter. Here the was treated with all the refpe&t which her merit deserved, while her beauty every day improved with her good fortune.

She had not been long in this fituation, when Peter the Great, paying the Prince a vifit, Catherina happened to come in with fome dry fruits, which the ferved round with peculiar modefty. The mighty monarch saw, and was ftruck with her beauty. He returned the next day, called for the beautiful flave, afked her feveral questions, and found her understanding even more perfect than her perfon.

He had been forced, when young, to marry from mo» tives of intereft, he was now refolved to marry purfuant to his own inclinations. He immediately enquired the history of the fair Livonian, who was not yet eighteen. He traced her through the vale of obfcurity, through all the viciffitudes of her fortune, and found her truly great in them all. The meannefs of her birth was no ob ftruction to his defign; their nuptials were folemnized in private; the prince affuring his courtiers, that virtue alone was the propereft ladder to a throne.

We

We now fee Catherina, from the low mud-walled cottage, emprefs of the greatest kingdom upon earth. The poor folitary wanderer is now furrounded by thoufands, who find happiness in her fmile. She, who formerly wanted a meal, is now capable of diffufing plenty upon whole nations. To her fortune fhe owed a part of this pre-eminence, but to her virtues more.

She ever after retained thofe great qualities which first placed her on a throne; and while the extraordinary prince, her husband, laboured for the reformation of his male fubjects, fhe ftudied in her turn the improvement of her own fex. She altered their dreffes, introduced mixed affemblies, inftituted an order of female knighthood, and, at length, when she had greatly filled all the ftations of emprefs, friend, wife, and mother, bravely died without regret ;-regretted by all.

[merged small][merged small][graphic]

I

On Impudence and Modesty.

Have always been of opinion, that the complaints againft Providence have been ill-grounded, and that the good or bad qualities of men are the causes of their good or bad fortune, more than what is generally ima gined. There are, no doubt, inftances to the contrary, and pretty numerous ones too; but few in comparison of the inftances we have of a right diftribution of prof perity and adverfity; nor indeed could it be otherwife, from the common courfe of human affairs. To be endowed with a benevolent difpofition, and to love others, will almost infallibly procure love and efteem; which is the chief circumftance in life, and facilitates every enterprize and undertaking; Befides the fatisfaction which immediately results from it. The cafe is much the fame with the other virtues. Profperity is naturally, tho' not neceffarily, attached to virtue and merit; and adverfity, in like manner, to vice and folly.

I muft, however, confefs, that this rule admits of an exception with regard to one moral quality; and that Modefty has a natural tendency to conceal a man's ta lents, as Impudence difplays them to the utmost, and has been the only caufe why many have rifen in the world, under all the disadvantages of low birth and little merit. Such indolence and incapacity is there in the generality of mankind, that they are apt to receive a man for whatever he has a mind to put himself off for, and admit his overbearing airs as proofs of that merit which he affumes to himfelf. A decent affurance feems to be the natural attendant of virtue; and few men can diftinguish impudence from it: as, on the other hand, diffidence being the natural result of vice and folly, has drawn difgrace upon modefty, which in outward appearance fo nearly resembles it.

I was lately lamenting to a friend of mine, that popular applaufe should be bestowed with so little judgment, and that so many empty forward coxcombs fhould

rife up to a figure in the world upon which he faid there was nothing furprifing in the cafe. « Popular fame," fays he, "is nothing but breath or air, and air very naturally preffes into a vacuum."

If any thing can give a modest man more affurance, it must be some advantages of fortune which chance procures to him. Riches naturally gain a man a favourable reception in the world, and give merit a double luftre, when a perfon is endowed with it; and fupply its place, in a great measure, when it is abfent. Tis wonderful to obferve what airs of fuperiority fools and knaves, with large poffeffions, give themselves above men of the greatest merit in poverty. Nor do the men of merit make any ftrong oppofition to thefe ufurpa tions; but rather feem to favour them by the modefty of their behaviour. Their good fenfe and experience make them diffident of their judgment, and cause them to examine every thing with the greateft accuracy: as, on the other hand, the delicacy of their fentiments makes them timorous left they commit faults, and lofe, in the practice of the world, that integrity of virtue of which they are fo jealous. To make wildom agree with confidence, is as difficult as to reconcile vice to modefty.

Thefe are the reflections that have occurred to me upon this fubject of Impudence and Modefty; and I hope the reader will not be displeased to fee them wrought into the following allegory:

JUPITER, in the beginning, joined VIRTUE, WISDOM, and CONFIDENCE together; and VICE, FOLLY, and DIFFIDENCE: and in that fociety fet them upon the earth. But though he thought he had matched them with great judgment, and faid, that Confidence was the natural companion of Virtue, and that Vice deserved to be attended with Diffidence; they had not gone far before diffenfion arofe among them. Wifdom, who was the guide of the one company, was always accustomed, before the ventured upon any road, however beaten, to examine it carefully; to enquire whither it led; what dangers,

dangers, difficulties, and hindrances, might poffibly or probably occur in it. In thefe deliberations she ufually confumed fome time; which delay was very displeasing to Confidence, who was always inclined to hurry on, without much forethought or deliberation, in the firft road he met. Wisdom and Virtue were infeparable but Confidence one day, following his impetuous nature, advanced a confiderable way before his guides and companions; and not feeling any want of their company, he never enquired after them, nor ever met with them more. In like manner, the other fociety, tho joined by Jupiter, difagreed and feparated. As Folly faw a very little way before her, she had nothing to determine concerning the goodness of roads, nor could give the preference to one above another; and this want of refolution was increased by Diffidence, who, with her doubts and fcruples, always retarded the journey. This was a great annoyance to Vice, who loved not to hear of difficulties and delays, and was never fatisfied without his full career, in whatever his inclination led him to. Folly, he knew, tho' fhe hearkened to Diffidence, would be easily managed when alone; and therefore, as a vicious horfe throws his rider, he openly beat away this controller of all his pleasures, and proceeded in his journey with Folly, from whom he is infeparable.— Confidence and Diffidence being, after this manner, both thrown loose from their refpective companies, wandered for fome time; till at last chance led them at the fame time to one village. Confidence went directly up to the great houfe, which belonged to WEALTH, the lord of the village; and without ftaying for a porter, intruded himself immediately into the innermoft apartments, where he found Vice and Folly well received before him. He joined the train; recommended himfelf very quickly to his landlord; and entered into fuch familiarity with Vice, that he was enlifted in the fame company along with Folly. They were frequent guests of Wealth, and from that moment infeparable. Diffi dence, in the mean time, not daring to approach the

great

« AnteriorContinuar »