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CHAP. IV.] THE CITIZEN OF THE WORLD.

poets.* He laughed at, even while lie gloried in, the national 1760.
vaunt of superiority to other nations, -which gave fancied .St. 32,
freedom to the prisoner, riches to the beggar, and enlisted on
behalf of church and state fellows who had never profited
by either.t He protested earnestly against the insufficient

* " I marched up without forther ceremony, and was going to enter, when a
" person, who held the gate in his hand, told me I mnst pay first. I was
" surprised at such a demand, and asked the man whether the people of England
" kept a show ? whether the paltry sum he demanded was not a national
" reproach ? whether it was not more to the honour of the country to let their
'' magnificence or their antiquities be openly seen, than thus meanly to tax a
" curiosity which tended to their own honour ? As for your questions,
" replied the gate-keeper, to be sure they may be very right, because I don't
" understand them ;but, as for that there threepence, I iarm it from one—who rents
" it from another—who hires it from a third—who leases it from the guardians of
" the temple ; and we all must live." Citizen of the World. Letter xiii.

•(* Who does not remember the talk that the astonished traveller had to listen to
soon after his arrival, outside a metropolitan jail ? " The conversation was carried
" on between a debtor through the grate of his prison, a porter who had stopped
" to rest his burthen, and a soldier at the window. The subject'was upon a
'' threatened invasion from France, and each seemed extremely anxious to rescue
" his country from the impending danger. ' For my part,' cries the prisoner, ⁽the
" ' greatest of my apprehensions is for our freedom ; if the French should conquer,
" ' what would become of English liberty ? My dear friends, liberty is the English-
" ' man's prerogative; we must preserve that at the expense of our lives; of that
" ' the French shall never deprive us ; it is not to be expected that men who are
'' ' slaves themselves would preserve our freedom should they happen to conquer.'
" ' Ay, slaves,' cries the porter, 'they are all slaves, fit only to carry burthens,
" ' every one of them. Before I would stoop to slavery, may this be my poison,
'' (and he held the goblet in his hand), ' may this be my poison—but I would
" ' sooner list for a soldier.' The soldier, taking the goblet from his friend, with
'' much awe fervently cried out, ' It is not so much our liberties as our religion
" ' that would suffer by such a change ; ay, our religion, my Lids. May the Devil
" ' sink me into flames (such was the solemnity of his adjuration), if the French
" ' should come over, but our religion would be utterly undone.'" Citizen
" of the World. Letter iv. Byrom's Tom the Porter is now forgotten, but
Goldsmith evidently knew the lines :

" The soldier, touch'd a little with surprise,
" To see his friend's indifference, replies,
" ' What you say, Tom, I own is very good ;
" ' But—our religion !' (and he d—d his blood)—
" ' What will become of our religion ?' ' True,'
" Says the jail bird, 'and our freedom too ?
" ' If the Pretender,' rapt he out, 'comes on,
'' ' Our liberties and properties are gone !'"



	CHAP. IV.] THE CITIZEN OF THE WORLD. poets.* He laughed at, even while lie gloried in, the national 1760. vaunt of superiority to other nations, -which gave fancied .St. 32, freedom to the prisoner, riches to the beggar, and enlisted on behalf of church and state fellows who had never profited by either.t He protested earnestly against the insufficient * " I marched up without forther ceremony, and was going to enter, when a " person, who held the gate in his hand, told me I mnst pay first. I was " surprised at such a demand, and asked the man whether the people of England " kept a show ? whether the paltry sum he demanded was not a national " reproach ? whether it was not more to the honour of the country to let their '' magnificence or their antiquities be openly seen, than thus meanly to tax a " curiosity which tended to their own honour ? As for your questions, " replied the gate-keeper, to be sure they may be very right, because I don't " understand them ;but, as for that there threepence, I iarm it from one—who rents " it from another—who hires it from a third—who leases it from the guardians of " the temple ; and we all must live." Citizen of the World. Letter xiii. •(* Who does not remember the talk that the astonished traveller had to listen to soon after his arrival, outside a metropolitan jail ? " The conversation was carried " on between a debtor through the grate of his prison, a porter who had stopped " to rest his burthen, and a soldier at the window. The subject'was upon a '' threatened invasion from France, and each seemed extremely anxious to rescue " his country from the impending danger. ' For my part,' cries the prisoner, ⁽the " ' greatest of my apprehensions is for our freedom ; if the French should conquer, " ' what would become of English liberty ? My dear friends, liberty is the English- " ' man's prerogative; we must preserve that at the expense of our lives; of that " ' the French shall never deprive us ; it is not to be expected that men who are '' ' slaves themselves would preserve our freedom should they happen to conquer.' " ' Ay, slaves,' cries the porter, 'they are all slaves, fit only to carry burthens, " ' every one of them. Before I would stoop to slavery, may this be my poison, '' (and he held the goblet in his hand), ' may this be my poison—but I would " ' sooner list for a soldier.' The soldier, taking the goblet from his friend, with '' much awe fervently cried out, ' It is not so much our liberties as our religion " ' that would suffer by such a change ; ay, our religion, my Lids. May the Devil " ' sink me into flames (such was the solemnity of his adjuration), if the French " ' should come over, but our religion would be utterly undone.'" Citizen " of the World. Letter iv. Byrom's Tom the Porter is now forgotten, but Goldsmith evidently knew the lines : " The soldier, touch'd a little with surprise, " To see his friend's indifference, replies, " ' What you say, Tom, I own is very good ; " ' But—our religion !' (and he d—d his blood)— " ' What will become of our religion ?' ' True,' " Says the jail bird, 'and our freedom too ? " ' If the Pretender,' rapt he out, 'comes on, '' ' Our liberties and properties are gone !'"