the mind, or the manners, can have no pretenfions to fame; and to him, therefore, the chaplet of never-fading laurel is juftly denied. On the contrary, he who has been of fervice to fociety, by the communication of any important difcovery; he who, by his writings, has augmented our knowledge, mended our morals, or refined FOR THE LONDON MAGAZINE. P. ON THE DISADVANTAGES OF KEEPING COMPANY WITH GOOD MEN. MR. EDITOR, S I know that your mind is not a more dangerous character now on A lefs enlarged than your Magazine, carth. I entfrufted this Good Max with I prefume to trouble you with my difatrous ftory. My calamities have been of a kind fo uncommon, and fo unexpected, that I am afraid I fhall be pitied twenty times for once that I fhall be believed. But there is a fpirit of liberality in the world at prefent, and no innovator or fchemer, however fanciful, is rejected without a hearing. And yet I am fufficiently aware that your readers, as well as yourfelf, Sir, will not be a little furprised when I tell them that all the misfortunes of a long and chequered life have proceeded from the best men-My connection with fuch almoft ruined me. Goodnefs, wisdom, learning, yea piety itfelf have contributed to my downfall; the evils flowing from thefe amiable qualities have been fo rapid in their progrefs, that I hesitate not to declare, that all the vices of which devils are faid to be poffeffed could not fo foon have effected my ruin.-But you fhall judge for yourself. What my profeffion is, or my age, or even my fex, although that may appear in the courfe of my letter, I do not think it is material to relate. My fituations in life have been many, and with every change of fituation came a freth calamity, and all, Sir, owing to my unhappy acquaintance with the best of mankind. The first who did me mifchief was a GOOD MAN. What a Good man was in former days it is not for me to deternine, but I muft affirm that there is not a confiderable fum of money, the profits of much industry, and the rewards of much commercial anxiety and fatigue. The Good Man took my money, and gave me receipts for it. Every one faid I was peculiarly fortunate is finding fuch a man to take care of my money-On 'Change, at Lloyd's, every where, he was a Good Man. Within a few months, the Good Man waddled out of the Alley, a lame duck. But he ftill was a Good Man. Waddling was not a fin; it did not amount to bankruptcy; there was no commiflion nor feizure of effects. Yet, when I came to enquire into my truft, I found that I might have received fifteen per cent for my money had not stocks fallen-but as that was the cafe, the Good Man had applied my money to the good purpose of paying his differences, which, however, his goodness never accomplished. Mark the fequel-I was carried to the King's-Bench-and he is now, a Good Man again. Tired of Good Men, I was recommended to a GREAT MAN. In the words GREAT MAN, I thought there was fuch an affemblage of the dignities of human nature, that I could not help flattering myself with hopes of fuccefs. During my attendance on this Great Man, I acquired the arts of adulation and bowing-indeed for a time I never flood ftraight-and a greater stock of patience than falls to the common lot of humanity; but after I had confumed many days and much money in paying 5 СОЦІЙ court to him, he difappointed me at laft, by breaking his promife. And yet he was then, is now, and perhaps evermore will be a Great Man-a Very Great Man, who bears on his fhoulders the cares of weighty empires. 307 impaired by keeping company with the appeared praife-worthy, I conceived an Senfible Man. "Then he would talk; But on my becoming more intimate Good Gods! how he would talk!"with this Senfible Man, I found that fenfe was a greater enemy, if poffible, than goodness, greatness, or honefty After leading me into a thoufand fcrapes, he and I were taken up for an attempt to form a round houfe, in order to refcue a drunken companion. I was fet free after a large fine was exactedbut every one faid it was a pity that my companion fhould have been involved, for he was a Senfible Man. GOOD MEN and GREAT MEN had well nigh ruined me completely, when I happened to hear a man praised for being a SURE MAN-a man that knew what's what-I jumped at the joyfull founds-fuch a man would foon do my business. A Sure Man was just the man I wanted, and I chearfully made my applications to him. He was very particular in his enquiries concerning my fortune, and when he found how much it amounted to in hard cash, he urged me earnestly to embark with him in a grand fcheme that should enrich us Both-aftonif the bulls and bears make the Bank tremble, and the Quaker-brokers curfe- and even get us paragraphed in the papers. Ever unfufpicious and fanguine, I entrufted my little all to him. The fcheme failed-ufed to call him monftrous fenfible-ɔ I loft all I was worth-he did not; as he had hazarded but a part. All my multiplication table. he was, as far as politics go, or the golden hopes vanifhed-we were neither of us enriched--the bulls and bears were not aftonished-the Bank flood firm-the Quaker-brokers did not curfe-and the newfpapers contented themselves with Charles Fox, and the Scotch intereft. But I had loft irrecoverably. Yet, when I offered to borrow a fmall fupply, the author of my distress refused fo much as a fixpence. On my complaining of his ingratitude to fome friends- O! (faid they) we don't wonder at that he is a Sure Man!" and to be fure (excufe the pun, Sir) he ruined me. During my confinement in the King's-Bench, in which delightful habitation my friends generously fupported me, I met with an HONEST FELLOW. Such a man could not fail to recommend himself. Neither Good Men, nor Great Men, nor Sure Men had acted with integrity, but here, thought I, I shall meet with genuine honefty. The Honeft Fellow, within the fpace of two weeks, coft me feveral pounds in dinners and wine, and before the month ended, my constitution was fo much The women ney made me, after this, ambitious of Youth, vivacity, and plenty of mothe acquaintance of a MAN OF SPIRIT. No character appeared fo amiable-But I certainly was born to be deftroyed by the angelic virtues of man. This connection was more pernicious than curfe, fwear, act the bully, give chalany of the former, for I learned to lenges, fight duels, ravish virgins,. cuckold hufbands, and laugh at religion-and yet, when any of my friend's tricks were related, the general voice gave it, that he certainly was a MAN OF SPIRIT! gerous, but more troublesome. It was My next connection was lefs danwith a WELL-MEANING MAN. This than all my good friends put together, man involved me in more difficulties and what was very provoking, I could never refent any thing, because he alLottery Tickets, which all came up ways meant well. He made me buy blanks, and he comforted me, with reminding me that one of the twenty thousands was the next number to one of my blanks, lie made me likeRr 2 wife buy houses. Two of them were burnt, and we found, though too late, that they had not been infured. If fick, he loaded me with medicines, and filled my houfe with nurses, apothecaries, pills, and phyfic vials, until I was almoft poifoned by the ftench, and ruined by the expence. And yet every body faid Mr. was a Well-meaning Man. I once difpatched him on an embafly to my miftrefs, giving him two letters, one for her father, and the other for her dear felf. What does he, Sir, but delivers the father's letter to the daughter, and the daughter's to the father, fo that I was fairly baffled in 'that quarter. Another time, I had a fall from a horfe-I was taken up infenfible. While I lay in this fituation, he poured half a pint of brandy down my throat, with a view to bring me to myfelf, as he called it-the brandy threw me into a fever which had almoit coft me my life-indeed, I believe I fhould have died, but that my e il fars referved me to be tormented by another good and amiable character, A MAN THAT KNOWS THE WORLD. No more deftructive character exifts, good as it may feem. As his knowledge extended only to the bad part of mankind and womankind, you cannot wonder that he foon reduced me to a difagreeable fituation. And yet, when I opened my diflreffes to any person, I was always told that he was a man who knew the world. By LEARNED MEN and MEN OF GENIUS, I have fuffered in many refpects. In their company, I have learned to drink and quibble, to be envious and malignant and from their writings I have imbibed the principles of fcepticifin, and habits of wrangling, and controverting plain facts. Thefe, Mr. Editor, are fome of the great, good, and amiable characters, which have nearly accomplished my deftruction-Goodness robbed me-H y debauched me- and Learning deprived me of my fenfes-How I extricated myfelf from all my difficulties may perhaps be the fubject of a future letter.-In the mean time, I may fay, that having made trial of the good part of mankind and found them the most pernicious, I had the happiness to fall in company with the waft, who have proved the only friends I ever had-If what I have faid, Sir, be correfpondent to the experience of any of your readers, or if any of them can profit by my ftory, your infection of it will be a favour done to them and me, who am, Sir, with refpect, Your moit obedient, BARNABY BEARALL, Turn-again-lane, Oct. 2, 1783. TO THE EDITOR OF THE LONDON MAGAZINE. SIR, CU will not, perhaps, think the following cbfervations unworthy of a place in your Magazine, which, from the elegance of tafte, depth of knowledge, and liberality of fentiment which characterize it, deferves attention and fupport from every fcholar, In Mr. Gray's Metaphyfical Foem, lib. IV. there are the following lines: Refpice & has lacrymas, memori quas ictus amore Fundo; quod poffum, juxta lugere fepulchrum Dum juvat, & muta vana hæc jactare favilla. A critic of the firft eminence objected, in my prefence, to the Latinity and claflical propriety of the epithet mute. I was not offended with the pailage, when I first read it; I refpected the authority, but could not accede to the opinion of the learned objector; and, I believe, that no claffical reader will be difpleafed with an expreffion, which may be fupported by the following paffages from writers, who are equally diftinguished by the delicacy of their tafte, and the purity of their diction: Si quicquam mutis gratum acceptumve fepulchris Accidere a noftro, Calve, dolore poteft. Catull, ad Calv. de Quintilla, Ut te poftremo donarem munere mortis Et mutam nequicquam alloquerer cinerem. Catull. Inferice ad Fratr, tumulum. Taliaque illacrymans mute jace verba faville. Propert. Eing, 1. 10. 2. Et mea cum muto fata querar cinere. Tibull. Eleg. VI. lib. 2. I am, your conftant reader, Phileleutherus Norfolcienfi. ON に ON THE PREDILECTION OF THE PARISIANS, IN FAVOUR OF HE Spectator, in one of his papers, Be himself to a Dutchman, who fat befide very fingular good fortune in this world." At laft he met a funeral proceffion, and afked who it was they were carrying to their laft home with all that folemnity? Ik kan niet verftaan, once more struck upon his tympanum; and, ftarting three paces back, the wondering Parifian exclaimed-" My God! Mr. Kaniferftan! Poor Mr. Kaniferftan! to die fo fuddenly, after having obtained fo magnificent a chateau, fo charming a wife, and the highest prize in the lottery! What a pity! I am certain he must be very loth to die; but indeed I thought his happiness was too great to laff."-So paffed he on to his inn, moralizing and making reflections upon the mutability of human affairs, and the death of Mr. Kaniferftan! The repugnance of the Parifians to learn foreign languages, may, perhaps, originate in the extreme difficulty they have to acquire the pronunciation; for the Parifian pronunciation is not adapted to any one foreign language in the world, and their monotonous accent is always prevalent, let them fpeak in what idiom they will. A Parifian, who by chance was fent conful to Grand Cairo, had applied himfelf very affiduoufly to the study of the Arabic, but without regarding the pronunciation. A grandee of Egypt being come one day to fee him, he having previously prepared himself, paid the Egyptian a very long and elegant compliment in Arabic, and as nearly in the idiom and manner of the people as poffible. When he had finished, the Grandee turned to his interpreter, and bade him "tell Monfieur the Conful, he was exceedingly chagrined, but he did not understand a word of French." In Paris a ftranger can hardly ever hear his name pronounced, fo as to underftand that he himself is the perfon meant; and even Voltaire, in speaking of the founders of the Republic of Switzerland, exclaims, Quel dommage que la difficulté de prononcer des nams fi refputables nuife à leur celebrité! What a pity it is, that the difficulty of pronouncing names fo refpectable fhould impede their celebrity! LIFE OF RICHARD BENTLEY, D. D. LATE REGIUS PROFESSOR OF DIVINITY, AND MASTER OF TRINITY-COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE. Τιμιωτατα μεν και πρωτα τα περι την ψυχήν αγαθα. RICHARD Bentley was born on the twenty-feventh of January, 1662, at Oulton, in the parish of Rothwell, near Wakefield, in Yorkshire. He was defcended from a family of fome confideration, who poffeffed an eftate and feat, at Hepenfall, near Hallifax. His grandfather, James Bentley, died a prifoner in Pomfret-Castle, a victim to his loyalty. He was one of the numerous and unfaccessful followers of King Charles the Firft, and he bore rank as captain in the royal army; and in the courfe of the civil wars he was thrown into prifon, his houfe was plundered, and his eftate was confifcated. His father, Thomas Bentley, was a reputable tradefman, at Wakefield, and married the daughter of Major Richard Willis, of Oulton, who had formerly engaged in the fervice of the unfortunate Charles. PLATO, de Legib. IV. This lady, who poffeffed an excellent understanding, initiated her fon Richard, in his accidence. His father died while he was young, but left him a faithful guardian and firm friend in his grandfather, who placed him at the Grammar fchool in Wakefield, where he was diftinguished for the quickness of his parts, and regularity of behaviour. At a very early age, for he was not yet fifteen, Mr. Bentley was admitted of St. John's College, Cambridge, May 24th, 1676, under the tuition of Mr. Johnfon. On the twenty-fecond of March, 1682, while he was a junior bachelor, he flood candidate for a fellowship. His youth was the only obftacle to his fuccefs. The ftatutes of that college prohibit the election of fellows, who are not old enough to be admitted to prieft's orders. |
