on the protection of a noble houfe, and even after this protection was withdrawn, continued to him the fucceffive kindneffes of individuals, who but for thefe talents would have fuffered him to pine in neglect, with the common mass of improvident wretch.. ednefs; and if his mind were inadequate to refift the intoxication of profperity, or to ufe with prudence and gratitude the liberality of those who compaffionated his adverse fortune, it must be eafy to determine whether the poet or the man is to be blamed for his misfortunes-whether, in fhort, the world, or Savage, is entitled to the greatest portion of our cenfure. With refpect to Chatterton But hold my mufe; tread lightly on his bier, And o'er his failings fhed the generous tear. Be mute, enthusiast string. Mourn! Nature, mourn! and fimite thy woeful breast, Remorfelefs Fate has crush'd him in the nest : Mute, mute the fong! extinguish'd is the lay! The promis'd glory fades with dawning day! O kind Oblivion! with thy friendly veil, Spare the sweet notes, but hide the closing tale ! So the mufe may wish: but the clofing tale muft not be hid. The moralift, in order to expose infamous despair, and check, if poffible, the future perpetration of crimes fo injurious to fociety, muft add, that while endeavouring to discover his obfcure the agent of liberal patronage was retreat, the proud and impatient youth, with a phial of arfenic, prevented the approaching dawn of honour and felicity, and terminated his night of mifery by a total and perpetual eclipfe. Inftead, then, of centalents, and expatiating on the wretchfuring mankind for the neglect of fuch edness of his short career, let us recollect, that the irregular paffions, not the fublime genius of Ella's bard, were the efficient caufes of his fatal catastrophe; and let us lament in the words of an ingenious novelift, 'O, at the time when the death difpenfing phial trembled in the hand of the unfortunate Chatterton, had fome kind meffenger, fome heavenfent agent appeared to inform him of the honours and rewards, which the active benevolence of a Fry was preparing for the darling of genius and mifery, what a treasure of literary fame had been preferved to Britain! But Providence ordered it not foand man muft fubmit. Yet fhall not Religion forbid the tear that trembles in the eye of fenfibility, nor refignation renounce the deep-breathed figh of pity * !' But admiration and fympathy have, perhaps, induced me to dwell too long upon this particular inftance, and I fhall, therefore, haften to the other characters. Concerning Otway, a melancholy tradition has been almost universally received, which has been thus poetically alluded to, And Otway, who knew ev'ry ftring of the foul, Could touch ev'ry fenfe, and each paffion Tho' the forrows he fung drew the tears On earth, lo his limbs in despondency The wren, drooping, mourn o'er his languishing head, At the world's bafe neglect, while indignant he fighs, His bread turns to poifon, he fwallows, and dies. But I believe it has now been decided by very good authority, that the circumítance of his choaking himself with a half-penny roll, which long fafting urged him to devour with inconfiderate voracity, is deftitute of any foundation in truth, though undoubtedly he died in great distress: distress, however, which cannot be entirely attributed to the neglect of the world; fince feveral of his performances in the dramatic line met with the popu larity and patronage to which they are fo juftly entitled. In short, though I am far from fuppofing that the profeffion of literature can ftand in competition, in point of emolument and the gratification of afpiring ambition, either with the bar in the prefent, or the facerdotal avocation in former times, yet I am much inclined to believe (without infifting on the contrary infiances of fuccefsful literary adventurers) that, from the first origin of the complaint I am endeavouring to controvert, to its late illuftration in the misfortunes of the diffipated Pillon, the diftreffes and difafters of men of genius have been more frequently attributable to their own mifconduct, than to any other cause, and have scarcely, in any one instance, been the mere confequences of their talents, or the infenfibility or indifference of mankind to their worth and merits. But with refpect to Shenftone and Hammond, the charge is of a more extraordinary nature; and it should feem as if those who are most skilled in the tender arts of foftness and perfuafion, fhould be leaft calculated to fucceed in affecting the tendereft paffions of the female heart; as though fancy, delicacy, and fentiment, were the foes of love, and the fair were averfe to those talents which are best calculated to express the delicious tyranny of their charms, and immortalize the memory of their graces and accomplishments. But here, as in other inftances, we are led into error by the partial statement of facts. Hammond and Shenstone, it is true, were tender and elegant poets, and yet Hammond and Shenftone continue to this hour to melt every feeling and enlightened heart, with the pathetic complaints of * Man of Benevolence. The fact to which this apoftrophe alludes, is well known. The Biographer of Chatterton, after relating his melancholy catastrophe, adds: What mult increase our regret for this hafty and unhappy ftep, is the information that the late Dr. Fry, head of St. John's college in Oxford, went to Bristol, in the latter end of August 1770, in order to fearch into the hiftory of Rowley and Chatterton, and to patronife the latter, if he appeared to deferve affiftance-when, alas! all the intelligence he could procure, was, that Chatterton had, within a few days, destroyed himself. Gregory's Life of Chatterton, their unfuccefsful paffion; and every beauteous eye continues to fhower its pearly forrows over the tender ftrains, that were incompetent to woo the infenfible Phillis, or the inexorable Deha to the arms of their refpective fwains. But they were neither the elegies of Hammond, nor the poetic purfuits of Shentione, that blighted the hopes of their enamoured hearts on the contrary, there is every reafon to believe that thefe would have contributed, in no inconfiderable degree, to their fuccefs, had not other circumstances counterpoifed their influence. Hammond, had not his lovely miftrefs been the ward of an hoftile politician, whose narrow paffions, it is probable to conclude, were defirous of making felicity, as well as honours and emoluments, the exclufive property of a party, might, perhaps, in the arms of his Delia, have rivalled the felicity of his friend and compatriot Lyttelton; for the after conduct and deportment of mifs Dashwood, fufficiently fhew that he was not infenfible to the merits or the paffion of her unhappy lover. Shenftone alfo, as we are informed by Dr. Johnson (though it is true, according to his general practice, he does not condefcend to inform us upon what authority he makes the affertion *) might, by perfeverance, have fecured the fuccefs, and perhaps the felicity of more fortunate lovers. But the Seafons were the firit object of the affections of Shenlone, and engroffed as he was by the cultivation of his elegant little farm, the embellishment of which fwallowed up the whole, not only of the income, but of the capital alfo of his fmall eftate, he feems not to have ventured on pushing his fuit any farther, than might make it the proper fubject of an elegy or a paftoral ballad. Perhaps, alfo, as he was fkilled, fo alfo he delighted in the foothing melancholy of poeti cal murmurs of tendernefs and despair; and I, who have myfelf indulged the mournful pleasure of elegiac complaint, can easily believe that a man of Shenftone's turn of mind, might readily acquiefce in a flight repulfe, which gave him a fair opportunity of wooing the paftoral mufe in cypress fhades. HISTORICAL ANECDOTES of GAMING. GAMING appears to be an univerfal paffion. Some have attempted to deny its univerfality; they have imagined that it is chiefly prevalent in cold climates, where fuch a paffion becomes molt capable of agitating and gratifying the torpid minds of their inhabitants. But, if we lay afide fpeculation, and turn to facts, we are furely warranted in the fuppofition that, as the love of gaming proceeds from ava C. W. rice-that dishonourable paffion which, probably, for fome wife purposes, is fo congenial to the human heart-it is not unjuft to conclude, that it exifts with equal force in human nature and, confequently, the fatal propensity of gaming is to be difcovered, as well among the inhabitants of the frigid and torrid zones, as among those of the milder climates. The favage and the civilized, the illiterate and the learned, are alike captivated with * It must be confeffed, that this fact is stated by the Biographer in rather a curious manner. 'He was never married,' fays the Doctor, (I quote from memory) although he might have had the lady, whoever fhe was, who was the subject of his celebrated paftoral ballad.' I do not mean either to question the authority, or fuggeft the probable credulity of Dr. Johnson, but furely one might have expected to be informed of the manner, in which he came to know that Mr. Shenstone might have obtained a lady as his wife, whofe name and circumstances he profeffes himself not at all acquainted with. But the biographer, confcious, perhaps, of his own veracity, fees generally inclined to confider his mere affirmation as fufficient evidence, the the hope of accumulating wealth without the labours of industry. Mr. Moore has lately given to the public an elaborate work, which profeffedly treats of the three moft important topics which a writer of the prefent day can difcufs-Suicide, gaming, and duelling. He has col lected a variety of inftances of this deftructive paffion being prevalent in all nations; and I shall just notice those which appear most fingular. Dice, and that little pugnacious animal the cock, are the chier intruments employed by the numerous nations of the eaft, to agitate their minds and ruin their fortunes; to which the Chinefe-who are defperate gamefters-add the ufe of cards. When all other property is played away, the Afiatic gambler fcruples not to stake his wife, or his child, on the caft of a die, or courage and ftrength of a martial bird. If still unfuccefsful, the last venture he stakes is, himself! In the island of Ceylon, cockfighting is carried to a great height. The Sumatrans are addicted to the ufe of dice. Aftrong fpirit of play characterizes a Malayan. After having refigned every thing to the good fortune of the winner, he is reduced to a horrid state of defperation; he then loosens a certain lock of hair, which indicates war and destruction to all the raving gamefter meets. He intoxicates himself with opium; and working himself up into a fit of phrenzy, he bites and kills every one who comes in his way. But, as foon as ever this lock is feen flowing, it is lawful to fire at the perfon, and to deftroy him as fast as poffible. think it is this which our failors call, To run a muck.” Thus Dryden writes Thus alfo Pope Satire's my weapon, but I'm too discreet 'To run a Muck, and tit at all I meet." Johnfon could not difcover the derivation of the word Mack. It is not improbable, that the origin of this expreffion, was their employing, on these fatal occafions, a muck, of lance. To discharge their gambling debts, the Siamefe fell their poffeffions, their families, and, at length, themselves. The Chinese play right and day, till they have loft all they are worth; and then they ufually go and hang themselves. Such is the propenfity of the Japanefe for high play, that they were compelled to make a law, that Whoever ventures his money at play, fhall be put to death.' In the newly-difcovered iflands of the Pacific Ocean, they venture even their hatchets, which they hold as invaluable acquifitions, on running matches. We faw a man,' as Cook writes in his laft voyage, beating his breaft and tearing his hair, in the violence of rage, for having loft three hatchets at one of these races, and which he had purchased with nearly half his. property." The ancient nations were not lefs addicted to gaming. In the fame volume are collected numerous infrances among the ancient Perfias, Grecians, and Romans; the Goths the Germans, &c. To notice the modern ones were a melancholy talk: there is hardly a family in Europe who cannot record, from their own domeftic annals, the dreadful preva Flence of this unfortunate paffion. Af fection has felt the keenest lacerations, and genius been irrecoverably loft, by a wanton fport, which doomed to deftruction the hopes of families, and confumed the heart of the gamefter with corrofive ageny. Frontlefs, and fatire-proof, he fcours the streets, And runs an Indian Muck at all he meets.' CURI CURIOUS VARIETIES of TASTE, in FEMALE BEAUTY and DRESS, THE HE ladies in Japan gild their teeth; and those of the Indies paint them red. The black teeth are efteemed the moft beautiful in Gu zurat, and in fome parts of America. In Greenland, the women colour their faces with blue and yellow. How ever fresh the complexion of a Mufcovite may be, fhe would think herfelf very ugly if the was not plaistered over with paint. The Chinese must have their feet as diminutive as thofe of the fhe goats; and, to render them thus, their youth is passed in tortures. In ancient Perfia, an aquiline nofe was often thought worthy of the erown; and, if there was any competition between two princes, the people generally went by this criterion of majesty. In fome countries, the mothers break the noses of their children; and, in others, prefs the head between two boards, that it may be come fquare. The modern Perfians have a strong averfion to red hair: the Turks, on the contrary, are warm admirers of thefe difgufting locks. The Indian beauty is thickly fmeared with bear's fat; and the female Hottentot receives from the hand of her lover, not filks, or wreaths of flowers, but warm guts and reeking tripe, to drefs herself with enviable ornaments. At China, fmall eyes are liked; and the girls are continually plucking their eye-brows, that they may be fmall and long. The Turkish women dip a gold brush in the tincture of a black drug, which they pass over their eye-brows. It is too vifible by day, but looks fhining by night. They tinge their nails with a rofecolour. An ornament for the nofe appears to us perfectly unneceffary. The Peruvians, however, think otherwife; and they hang on it a weighty ring, the thickness of which is proportioned by the rank of their hufbands. The cuftom of boring it, as our ladies do their ears, is very common in feveral nations. Through the perforation are hung various materials; fuch as green cryftal, gold, ftones, a fingle and fometimes a great number of gold rings. This is rather troublesome to them in blowing their noses; and the fact is, fome have informed us, that the Indian ladies never perform this very useful operation. The female head-dress is carried, in fome countries, to fingular extravagance. The Chinese fair carries on her head the figure of a certain bird. This bird is compofed of copper, or of gold, according to the quality of the perfon: the wings, fpread out, fall over the front of the head-drefs, and conceal the temples. The tail, long and open, forms a beautiful tuft of feathers. The beak covers the top of the nofe; the neck is faftened to the body of the artificial animal by a spring, that it may the more freely play, and tremble at the flighteft motion. The extravagance of the Myantfes is far more ridiculous than the above. They carry on their heads a flight board, rather longer than a foot, and about fix inches broad: with this they cover their hair, and feal it with wax. They cannot lie down, nor lean, without keeping the neck very straight; and, the country being very woody, it is not uncommon to find them with their head-dress entangled in the trees. Whenever they comb their hair, they pass an hour by the fire melting the wax; but this combing is only performed once or twice a year. To this curious account, extracted from Duhalde, we must join that of the inhabitants of the Land of Natal. They wear caps, or bonnets, from fix to ten inches high, composed of the fat of oxen. They then gradually anoint the head with a purer grease; which, mixing with the hair, faftens these bonnets for their lives! |