To obey this complalar: Gerdleman. I know no way ffort as examining the various touches of my can bolum, on feveral occurrences in a long life to the evening of which I am arrived, after as many varices inciCents as any body has met with. I have often reflected, that there is a great imilitude in the motions of the tearin wirth and in forrow; and I think the afual occafion of the latter, as well as the former, is fomething which is fadden and unexpected. The mind has not a Lficient time to recolled its force, and immediately gufes into tears before we can utter curfelves by fpeech or complaint. The moft notorious causes of thefe drops from our eyes are pity, forrow, joy, and reconciliation. The Fair Sex, who are made of man and not of earth, have a more delicate humanity than we have; and pity is the most common cause of their tears: For as we are inwardly compofed of an aptitude to every circumstance of life, and every thing that befalls any one perfon ht have happened to any other of human race; felf love, and a sense of the pain we ourselves fhould fuffer in the circumstances of any whom we pity, is the cause of that compaffion. Such à reflection in the breast of a woman, immediately inclines her to tears; but in a man, it makes him think how fuch a one ought to act on that occafion, fuitably to the dignity of his nature. Thus a woman is ever moved for those whom fhe hears lament, and a man for those whom he observes to fuffer in filence. It is a man's own behaviour in the circumftances he is under, which procures him the esteem of others, and not merely the affliction itself which demands our pity; for we never give a man that paffion which he falls into for himself. He that commends himself never purchases our applaufe; nor he who bewails himself, our pity. Going through an alley the other day, I obferved a noify impudent beggar bawl out, that he was wounded in a merchant-man; that he had loft his poor limbs, and fhewed a leg clouted up. All that paffed by made what hafte they could out of his fight and hearing; but a poor fellow at the end of the paffage, with a rufty coat, a melancholy air, and foft voice, defired them to look upon a man not used to beg. The latter received the charity of almoft every one that went by. The ftrings of the heart, which are to be touched to give us compaffion, are not fo played on but by the finest hand. We fee in tragical reprefentations, it is not the pomp of language, nor the magnificence of drefs, in which the paffion is wrought, that touches fenfible Spirits; but fomething of a plain and fimple nature which breaks in upon Qur Souls, by that fympathy which is given us for our mutual good-will and fervice. In the tragedy of Macbeth, where Wilks acts the part of a man whofe family has been murdered in his abfence,. the wildness of his paffion, which is run over in a torrent of calamitous circumftances, does but raife my fpirits, and give the alarm: But when he fkilfully feems to be out of breath, and is brought too low to fay more and upon a fecond reflection cries only, wiping his eyes, "What, both children! Both, both my children gone!' There is no refifting a forrow which feems to have caft about for all the reafons poffible for its confolation, but has no refource. "There is not one left; but both, "both F4 N° 68. both are murdered!" fuch fudden starts from the thread of the discourse, and a plain fentiment expreffe d in an artless way, are the irresistible ftrokes of eloquence and poetry. The fame great mafter, Shakespear, can afford us inftances of all the places where our Souls are acceffible; and ever commands our tears. But it is to be obferved, that he draws them from fome unexpected fource, which feems not wholly of a piece with the difcourfe. Thus, when Brutus and Caffius had a debate in the tragedy of Cafar, and rofe to warm language against each other, infomuch that it had almost come to fomething that might be fatal, until they recollected themfelves: Brutus does more than make an apology for the heat he had been in, by faying, "Porcia is dead”. Here Caffius is all tenderness, and ready to diffolve, when he confiders, that the mind of his friend had been employed on the greatest affliction imaginable, when he had been adding to it by a debate on trifles; which makes him in the anguifh of his heart cry out, " How fcaped 46 I killing when I thus provoked you?" This is an incident which moves the Soul in all its fentiments; and Caffius's heart was at once touched with all the foft pangs of pity, remorfe, and reconciliation. It is faid indeed by Horace, "If you would have me weep, you must first weep yourself." This is not literally true; for it would have been as rightly faid, if we obferve nature, That I fhall certainly weep, if you do not: But what is intended by that expreffion is, That it is not poffible to give paffion, except you fhew that you fuffer yourself. Therefore the true art feems to be, that when you would have the perfon you reprefent pitied, you must shew him at once in the highest grief, and ftruggling to bear it with decency and patience. In this cafe, we figh for him, and give him every groan he fuppreffes. I remember, when I was young enough to follow the fports of the field, I have more than once rode off at the death of a deer, when I have seen the animal in an affiction which appeared human, without the leaft noise, let fall tears when he was reduced to extremity; and I have thought of the forrow I faw him in, when his haunch came to the table. But our tears are not given only to objects of pity, but the mind has recourfe to that relief in all occafions which give us much emotion. Thus, to be apt to fhed tears is a fign of a great as well as little Spirit. I have heard fay, the prefent Pope never paffes through the people, who always kneel in crouds, and afk his benediction, but the tears are feen to flow from his eyes. This must proceed from an imagination, that he is the father of all those people; and that he is touched with fo extenfive a benevolence, that it breaks out into a paffion of tears. You fee friends, who have been long abfent, transported in the fame manner: A thousand little images croud upon them at their meeting, as all the joys and griefs they have known during their feparation; and in one hurry of thought, they conceive how they fhould have participated in thofe occafions; and weep, because their minds are too full to wait the flow expreffion of words.. Hic lacrymis vitam damus, & miferefcimus ultro. Virg. Æn. 2. v. 145. With tears the wretch confirm'd his tale of woe; "There is lately broke loofe from the London pack, a very tall dangerous biter. He is now at the Bath, "and it is feared will make a damnable havock amongst "the game. His manner of biting is new, and he is "called the Top. He fecures one die betwixt his two "fingers: The other is fixed, by the help of a famous 46 wax, invented by an apothecary, fince a gamefter: a "little of which he puts upon his forefinger,. and that "holds the die in the box at his devotion. Great fums "have been lately won by thefe ways; but it is hoped,. "that this hint of his manner of cheating will open the eyes of many. who are every day impofed upon. There is now in the prefs, and will be fuddenly "published, a book entitled, An appendix to the Con"tempt of the Clergy; wherein will be fet forth at "large, that all our diffentions are owing to the laziness. "of perfons in the facred miniftry, and that none of the "present fchifms could have crept into the flock, but by "the negligence of the paftors.. There is a digreffion in this treatife, proving, that the pretences made by "the priesthood, from time to time, that the church was in danger, is only a trick to make the laity paffionate for that, of which they themselves have been negligent. The whole concludes with an exhortation to the Clergy, to the study of eloquence, and practice "of piety, as the only method to fupport the highest of "all honours, that of a Prieft, who lives and acts according to his character." N° 69. Saturday, September 17, 1709. -Quid oportet Nos facere, à vulgo longè latéque remotos ? HOR. Sat. 6. 1. 1. v. 17. But how fhall we, who differ far and wide From the mere vulgar, this great point decide? FRANCIS From my own Apartment, September 16. Tis, as far as it relates to our prefent Being, the Vulgar; but what is intended by the vulgar is not, methinks, enough understood. In me, indeed, that word raifes a quite different idea from what it ufually does in others; but perhaps that proceeds from my being old, and beginning to want the relifh of fuch fatisfactions as are the ordinary entertainment of men. However, fuch as my opinion is in this cafe, I will fpeak it; because it is poffible that turn of thought may be received by others, who may reap as much fatisfaction from it as I do myself. It is to me a very great mean nefs, and fomething much below a philofopher, which is what I mean by a Gentleman, to rank a man among the vulgar for the condition |