Illustrations of Sterne: With Other Essays and Verses

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^. ^ ^":^^,

-^

l^

1

^ ILLUSTRATIONS

i

i of

1

STERNE:

with

OTHER ESSAYS AND VERSES.

BY

JOHN FERRIAR. M. D,

SECOND SDITION.

VOL. I.

Peace he with the soul qf that charitable and cour*
teous Author, who, for the common benefit of his
felhw^authors, introduced the ingenious way qf
Miscellaneous Writing I

Sbaftbsbubt.

LONDON:

Printed

JOE CADBLL AND DAVIBS j

BY

1. AND J. HADDOCK, HOBSB-MABRBT,

WABBINGTON.

1812.

x-.

TO

GEORGE PHILIPS, ES^.

SEDGLEY,

NBAR

MANCHESTER.

You must forgive me, my dear friend,
for having gratified, without your partici^
potion, a wish which I have long entertam-
ed, to dedicate these volumes to you. This,
indeed, is the only part of the work on
which your judgment has not been consulted.
Within the circle oj our acquaintance, no
account of tfie motives J or this dedication
will be dtmnnded : to the public let me say,
(hat it is a tribute due, on my part, to a
long-tried and perfect friendship, cemented
by the love of letters, and destined, I trust,
never to admit interruption or decay.
I am,
most truly and faithfully your' s,

THE AUTHOR.

^ jftOtLBY-STBBETt
Jm. 10th, 181^.

1

I

1

PREFACE.

Among some adrantages, there are con-
?ti<iera;ble inconveniences experienced, by
that smali> but not unworthy class of
authors, who write their own books.
- If they enjoy some consciousness of
meriting success, they feel more acutely,
when tl^ir works are neglected, or mi&»
understood. By an exclusive attention
to their peculiar objects, they sometimes
lose sight of the current of public taste,
and are astonished to find the fruits of
their labour rejected with disdain, or
*iewed with indifference.

They enter, also, the awful courts of
criticism under great disadvantages. The
author who borrows the pen of a popular
writer, finds himself admitted to the
bench, is graciously received and powec-

viii PREFACE.

fully protected. Mean time, the friend*
less and solitary composer of his own
productions stands trembling at the gate,
or listens to his sentence of condemna*
tion, from a judge who has scarcely
deigned to examine his cause.

Even the mighty talents of BentLEY
sustained a temporary injustice, in the
public estimation, from tliis cause, during
the controversy respecting the Epistles of
Phalaris. Yet in his lime, the field of
literary warfare was more openly con-
tested, than at present. No periodical
depredators, under the disguise of critics,
then infested the highways of knowledge,
to attack the peaceable traveller, and to
exult in the dismay which their assault
might occasion,. But Prejudice, however
vile, rules, the destiny of genius, and her
most unjust decrees have sometimes beei)
reversed, only by late posterity.

It is another disadvantage of original
composition, thftt wlien it succeeds in the
first instance, it create^*, somewhere, a
fitrenupti^ <>p(position. The triumph of a^i

1

Ipreface: MB

author^ like that of a Roman conqueroiv
is celebrated by sarcasms aad libels, as well
as by applause and pomp. Nothing can
be more just than Fontenelle's epigram
on this subject.

Dans la lice ou tu ras courir
Songe un peu combien tu hazardes;
II £siut ayec courage egalemeut offrir^
Et ton front aux lauriers, et ton nez aax nazardes*

"What must be the surprize of a writer^
emerging from his peaceful cabinet to
some degree of reputation, to find that
he has created himself bitter enemies,
$miong persons totally unknown to him,
amply by obtaining tbe applause of
others!

Even the voice of fame seldom reaches
the ear of the solitary, original writer
distinctly ; it is difficult for him to dis«
tinguish the silence of approbation from
that of neglect. But the bustling, cla*
morous cabal sometimes pass off their
interested noise for the acclamations of
the public. What remains, then, for the
author of his own book ? The pleasure

X PREFACE.

of composition; the coofiCioiisnffS' of
some talent ; and the liberty^ of readkig
and prai^ng only the best wrilecs.

l^any curious aneodotes' might be
given, of literary manufactuneos ; £bir a
book generally goes through as faany
hands as a pin, befoce pufalic2^ao« One
of the most successful composifions of
this kind was the Turkish Spy^ which
still retains a considerable degree of jfiopu*
larity. Dunton says, it was a oMpptfar
tion, conducted by Nat. Crmfcbg ndio
was one of that voluminous, and opulent
body of aul^iors, the Loadon boql^lers*
Of the same kind was the Mltc/ian,
Oracle, projected and executed by Duii^
ton himselt^ and some of his aiu^ors;
but much Indebted for its success, ;to Jus
own fluency in writuag had prose^ and
execrable verse. These mingled coxs^
positions generally betray theinselves, ^
the discordant nature of thek materials.
The small sprig of gold, whioh atteacfed
the first notice .of the observer, quipkly

PBEFACE. -si

4aap^n off, and dtsappcMrs m the chinks
jftod crannies af barren rocks.

Bjiit BO ^ere is the original author
more puzzkd/ than in writing his oii^n
preface. This is usually supplied^ like
^be projiogue to a play, hy some obliging
£«|pd. Nor is it discreditable to acknow*-
Icdge this difficutty, siwre even Cervantes
ownfi^ that he had morb trouble in com-
pcmng his prtlace, than his immortal
work itself.* Yet a preface is still re-
qiiired, (iike the obei^nce of the hut
century^ on enfcytng a rootA,) howevor
famiiar may be jtbe ^Ubje^t^ or however
.g^ ,»he 'wwl?.

. 9cMid> then, worthy reader^ a prg-
l^ef ^ thifr fiopiall book. Had it beea
jcqmpos^d by ^^pii]te other h^n^ than niiqf,
it migb^ have possfssed sqpenor qkiofs
to attention; but I could then have

* Porqud te se decir, que aunque me co8t6 algon
trabajo componeria, ninguno tuve por mayor que hacer
esta prefacion que vas leyendo. Muchas veces tom^ la
pluma para-escribilla^ y muchas la dexe por no sabex
lo que f scribiria.

. Prologo del Quixote,

Mn PBEFACX;

derived no satisfaction from public apjMxi-
bation. For I have seen reason to believe^
diat fame, acquired by appropriating the
labours of others, neither improves the
head nor the heart of the usurper.

The preface was formerly a supplication
to the reader, for mercy and favour, sqptie^
what in the style of Bayes's prologue :
of late, it has rather consisted of an ex-
planatidn of the author's claims to respect,
and a declaration of his literary allismces,
under colour of acknowledgements to his
friends. My own opinion has always ,^,,,
been, that it ought to bear some relation ||
to the book which it is designed to intro*
duce; and as nothing can be more mis- if
cellaneous than my volumes, I trust it " ,
will not be thought irrelevant, if the ^ "
preface should partake of their nature, ^r.:^'^--^

y^

•••^

n

CONTENTS.

Illustrations of Sterne .--.----.-•--.-.- 17
Chapter !• ProbableoriginqfStcmes^s ludi^
mrout wriiifigs, — General account qf the nature
of the iudicrous. — Why the sixteenth century
produced, many authors qfthis class •-•.--. (D

' Chapter IL Ludicrous toriters, from whom
Sterne probably took general ideas, or particular
passages — Rabelais — Bsroalde — D^Aubigni-^
Bouchet — Bruscambille — Scarron — Sunft — Oo-
briel John -*---•-.------- .. 40

Chapter IIL Sketches of ludicrous writers,
qf the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries - • . . 75

Chapter IV* Other writers itnitaied by Sterne
'^Burton — BacoB — Bhum-^Montaigne — ^&-
shop Hall " 89

Chapter V. C^ the personages of TVistram
Skaady. Anecdotes qfDr. Slop 129

Chapter VI. Mr. Shandy's hypothesis qf
noses explained — TaliacGtius'^Stories of long
noses— Coincidence between Vigneul-Marville
and Lttvater — Opinions qf Garmann — Riohtn
Beddoes — Segar^s point qf honour concerning
the nose .-•--- 145

ILLUSTRATIONS

of

, STERNE.

VOL. I. ? B

Sterne, for whose sake I plod thro* miry ways

Of antic wit^ and quibbling mazes drear.

Let not thy shade malignant censure fear,

Tho' aught of borrowM mirth nyj search betrays.

Long slept that UMPtfv in Aisi dTancient days,

(Erewhile to Guise, or wanton Valois dear)

Till wakM by thee in Skeleton's joyous pile.

She flung on Tristram her cai)ricious i*ays.

But the quick tear, that chncte ^Ul^ wond'ring ^mile^

In sudden pause, or unexpected story.

Owns thy true mast'ry ; and Le Fevre's woes,

Maria's wanderings, and the Prisoner's throes

Fix thee conspicuous on the shrine of glory.

ILLUSI'RATIONS,

CHAPTER I.

P'^obahle origvn of Sterri^s ludkrous
Uf*i0h%gs\ — General account qf tf^' nature of
tke^Utdicfous.'-^fl^hy the sixteenih ceiitithf
pfoituc^ rridny authors of this cldss.

It sbirietimesliappenK, in literary put*- '
scAfs] a!s in this conduct of life, that pat**
tktilar attachments grow upon ifs by ira-
pterttejrtfbfe degrees, and by a sUccessioii
of atteritibus, trifling in themselvfe^, though
ifrfpoitaht in' their corisequerices, Wheii
r pttbftshttd some dtestiltory r6niafks oit
tRe Writings of Sterne, maiiy yeaite ago;
having told all that I knew, I had no
irtWhtfon to resfunle thfe subject. But after
B2

20 ILLUSTRATIONS

an enquiry has been successfully begun,
facts appear to offer themselves of their
own accord to the investigator. Materials
have encreased on my hands, from a few
casual notes and references, to the size of
a formal treatise ! I trust it will be found,
however, that I have had sufficient dis-
cretion not to bestow all my tediousness
On the pujblic:

When the first vplumes of Tristram
Shandy appeared, they excited almost as
much perplexity as admiration. The
feeling, the wit, and reading which they
displayed were sufficiently relished, but
the wild digressions, the abruptness of the
narratives and discussions, and the per-
petual recurrence to obsolete notions in
philosophy, gave them more the air of a
collection of fragments, than, of a regular^
work. Most of the writers from whom
Sterne drew the general ideas, and many
of the peculiarities of his book, were then
forgotten. Rabelais was the only French
wit of the sixteenth . century, whp was

OF STERNE. , 2i

generally read, and ifrdm his obscurity, it
would have been vain to have expected
any illustration of a modern writer.

Readers are often inclined to regard
with veneration j what they do not under-
stand. They suppose a work to be deep,
in proportion to its darkness, and give
the author credit for recondite learning,
in many passages, where his incapaoity,
or his carelessness, have prevented him
from explaining himself with clearness.
It wa« not the business of Sterne to uti^
deceive those, who considered iiis Tris-
tram afi a work of unfatiiomabje know^
ledge.

He had redd with avidity the ludicrous
writei% who flourished under the last
princes of the race of Valois, and the
first of the Bourbons. They were at once
courtiers, men of wit, and, some of them,
profound scholars. They offered to a
i<iind full of sensibility, and alive to every
impression of curiosity and voluptuous-
iiess, the private . history of an age, in
B 3

p2 ILLUSTRATIONS

^U^ weiy cjasp qf rfif4?^ fee]s ja 4^
^^itore^t;; ^q. wbi(cl}i ;(;^e heroic spirit 9^
chivalry |5)e^qiQd to be tempered \^y Iqt*
tfifh 9#id ibe conUn^ed conflict of poorer-
M a.«d iqtDepM mi^idiB prpduoed ^nemor
^ie fihwgiW, in l^ligipq, ip polUipfo
:»nd pbjllojsopby. I bey ^ewed^ (Jp *
Jtt^n.Qbaerver of th^ pa^iqns, the ^eccfjt
jaoipyefp^ots^ which directed the splendi4
ficenes befaield with astoni^hioent by Ef^
rope. They exhibited ^t^t^smep ^^
h^eroes drowning their country in 1490^
ior ithe faTours q{ 4 ^uietres^ or qv^i^i)^
at a ball ; and veiling under the ^^ fff
patriotism, or religious zeal, the me^f)^
and most criminal motives, Whijp he
was tem})ted to imitate their pvj^dij^^Qf^
the dormant repiUation of it^o^ qF ihi^
authors seemed to invite him tg a ftepr^
treasure of learning, wit, ?ind rif^icu^l?? T9
the faciUty of the^e aqquisijti^ns^. ^p jw^r
bably owe much pf the gaiety of ^^|^f^
His imagination, unt»m§d \>y preyiptf?
labour, and unsatod by 9t )9P^ ^quaii^

wac^ with litemry foily, ^welt with en-
ihuskiatt on th€ grdtesque pictures of
nuinfnets knA ^^ia»ns> dispflayed in his
&rmuii)te au^ors. : It flidy cv^n be sus-
pect]^, Oliat by 4bi$ i«ifluttit^ he was
drawn iskie !(il9»i 4ii^ ««tuitil bias to fhe
paithetio; for in the s6rious paWs of his
w«ks^ he seems to have depended on
bis o*^ft force> aiid to have fowid in hh
own ittind whatever he wished to pro-
duce; but in the kKKcroiis> he is gene-
rally a copyist, krii sometimes folltws
his origiaai so closely, that he forgets the
tjht»ges.irf manners, whieh give an ap-
pf^aranue of txinv&^ct to what was
otice ^c^r«ct ridicti)e< ^

It is more iiec^ssary to preserve a strict
attention to manners, in works of thi^
«ort, becawe the ludictou^, by its nature,
tends to escaggeration. Thte passion of
kug^ ter, the strongest effect dfludicroiii
impressions, seems to be ptodueed by the
intensity, or mone. properly, the excess
of pleasurable ideas: circum pracordia
B 4

2* • ILLUSTRATIONS

luderef is the proper character of this class
of .emotions. Thus^ a certain degree of
fuUiess improves the figure, but if it be
encreased to excessive fatness, it becomes
risible. So in the qualities of the; mind,
modesty is agreeable — extreme bashful**
ness is ridiculous : we are amused with
vivacity, we laugh at levity. If we oh*
serve the conversation of a professed jester^
it will appear that his great secret consists
in exaggeration. This is also the art of
caricaturists : add but a trifl'mg degree of
length or breadth to the features of an
agreeable face, and they becoipe ludi«
crous. In like manner, unbolster Fal^
staffs and his wit wUl affect us less^ the
nearer he approaches to the size of a
reasonable man. .

I n>ay add, that in idiots, and persons
of weak understanding, laughter is a
common expression of surprise or plea*
^urc ; and Yoqng has observed.

That fools sqre ^rer on the laughing side.

OF STESNE. 25

All these remarks prove, that we do not
reason widi &e accuracy which some au«>
thors suppose, concerning the turpitude,
pr incongruity of the ideas presented to
us, before we give way to tnirth. If their
theory were just, a malicious critic might
prove from their effects, thtf incongruity
of their own discussions.

There is little difficulty in accounting
for the number and excellence of the
ludicrous writers, who appeared during
the sixteenth century, and who not only
resemble each other in their manner^ but
employ similar turns of thought, and by
often relating the same anecdotes, shew
that they drew their materials from a
common store.

The Amadis, and other similar ro-
mances, had amused the short intervals
of repose, which the pursuits of love and
arms afforded, pretious to the reign of
Francis I. That prince, equally the pa*
tron of letters gnd pf dissoluteness^ formed

ee iLLUSTBiTiOdrs

»)QQrirt, wfaidhmquirBl. wnrks more it:al-
onahied to iriflasne ithe imagitaatioa: a
Itboxtiot^-BdaMag^upheasaBatAlue tone of
ppbte e0miers8tito,>wfait^ was.tw faiths

]?i«^j 9n»fBqw^: jIhM .it, :n«p«6¥y.' to

mangled so barbarou$ly, Ibat h^.^^^iips to
haT«? ^oaiti^p: tima,: by his, esar.«^qne.
^i%r4^^4!iS^l^ve^aUft0f this miibwli

rWtJW *^ fii^B^K in ti»Q$e tiii9^, if ^

<ij(0l|fgd, ;i»9|ij SRt. l«ft i»is j^ta^p{jr . of ite
^ finw^ity,.ift.»j5»59rl^.4fli^ioj»tftil.tOyX:i|rdiiM^
Mazarine, and d^tined to ti^ jtnfl^i^ifM^
of Tumk. ;xiv^ • " There a^^V was {^ys
Pe^«fi3(e, lo' speaking of fibe; court of
U^ry ipi) a><50urt morp vicious, or soffte
iporrupt^d. Injpiety, atheism, Sow^Jc* f^
n^t bo<rUi}e impwitlei, theibj^cliest
tr«^bi$ry 4|ad per64y» poifsopihg and

As$mA4ion ptx^^i}^ iJ^it $p the hi^CKt

xfi^t, m»y bp ,oox»?i4^red fts formijng the
lint t)et^ee» ^ writers of ,mmaw;e and

jp^JI^ t)0i9^.is>tibrpiy».intp il;he fcrpi of »
burlesque romance ; but, from the want
fif jffiii^f^ls, ,Qr, 4)f taitej, h^ /ouqd np Pther

w^rtvP^ ^f ^^fteniflg hk narrative, than
■^|^piiptrp4p9ti9P«f fcwf5pf)ftery;. Some of
^ succfi^o^s pcrfqrn^rth^ fop* of jcofl-
ypi]^tipn?, chara<pteri5ti(;a%, sju^pfwrted ;
^ ^^bp^ intfpdHcpd moder the icmmte-

.qfjiis vijc^? ^d lw§ 4^gpK» .stUl fi?lfc the

^Ha^i9©*,pf, litfiiatw^. Hf WBtU^tPd a

ffifipting, • M(hi^ , r?v'fts ;^^ tWiee a«weet
in his closet, where a question was de-
bated by the most learned men whom he

^wW fijttacb to the tpwjt* and by spme
iadies, Jwbo.Jiad oi/ltixatBd iptiefs. This
was called the King's Academy, anjJ ad-

28 ILLUSTRATIONS

mission to it was reckoned a particular
mark of favour.* It is remarkable that
this institution took place at the very
time when, according to Perefixe, the
morals of the court were most depraved,
and it may be suspected that the discus-
sions were not always strictly philoso-
phical.

' From this Royal Academy, Bouchet
seems to havef taken the plan of his Sereis,
and it is not improbable that the fashion
extended itself among the courtiers. In
the succeeding century, it seemed to be
revived ip the celebrated conversations at
the Hotel de Rambauillet, in recording
whigh, Scuderi has so completely suc-
ceeded in preserving the verbose polite^*
liess of the time, and in tiring the reader

* Le Roi Taiant fait de son Academie (1575) c'etoit
line assemblee qu'il faisoit deux fois la Semaine en son
cabinet^ pour ouir les plus doctes homines qu'il pouroit,
et mesmes quelques dames qui avOient estodie sor un
probleme toujours propose par celui qi:|i avoit le mieux
fait a la demiere dispute.

ty Auhigne, Histoire UniverseUe. '

OF.STEBNE. . «

to death. Beroalde and D'Aulngn^ pub-
lished their most distinguished satirical ,
pieces^ in the colloquial /orm : they
cannot be termed dialogues, when we
think of Lucian, and when we ccnrader^
that the diffidence of Erasmus prevented
him from assuming that title for his
charming Conversations.

The minds of men, just bursting from
the severe oppression of theological and;
philosophical abuses, were peculiarly itn-
pres3ed with the ludicrous aspect which
the objects of their foraier terror theii
presented. They had seen absurdity in.
its, full vigour, and even in its.tyfs^ny ;^
ai)d they enjoyed the opportunities of;
derision, wh\ch the violence of pardes
afforded them.

Above all, the personal character of.
some of their princes, especially some
females of the race of Valois, chjerished;
this species of writing. Margaret Queen
of Navarre, the accomplished sister of
Francis r. was not only the patroness of

to iLixrstKAVi&m

Hwratry men, hM a M^tt\%m of great tti^tv
fh0 <mglt)al cHiili^n «f her novels is be-'
coffM esitraitiet^r scifirce, and was ren^
dewed itttD "* bmt ktngage,"^ by sdttle
vaodik^r trho^ attest prot^s bk #ant
(tf tsute ^d filling. BM ^vett'thrbugh
tfaid k4«id oi #i^dHsl2tiotiy we di^seertf a>
mind of exquisil* swisib'rtityy highly
cmaiftiBiit^' both' b$^ reading anfd cen-

tter ' p^citteal ©ori^^spondence with llld*'
rot db^s greM heififmr to her wit and ele-
^mce/ while k shews hei* sinfcere res^t
for getntfs, unalloyed by the jealt>iRy^ too^
cJdfiWWGW aftiong authors of h^^ piiMen-

Mmo6 had' con<:luded some V^i'Ses;
which he sent to a lady, as* the foffbif of
a^ wagi^^ with a- wish, tliat*his ci'edifbrs
W0i&ld ateceptthe sam^kind of paynietfti
llfe»g«mt repfifed in the following lines:

Si ceu5c i; q« i devez, comtoiB tbuS* ditei^^
Voiur cogndjrssokmt conune je vous cog^iVdi!b»,
Quitte seriez des debtes que voiis fites,
Le temps passe, tant grandes que petites^

En leur payant un dia a i nj tevtefois

Tel que h votre, qui vautmifittx mill© fpi^,

Que P. argent deu par Yous^ en conscience ;. .. ,

Car estimer bii peut \^ argent au poids«

Mais on ne peut (et j* en KlQnne ma'.YoiSfX

Assez priser. yostte byelle science.

If those, M^tMJ^ \rhoBi' yon^i^ tiel<^'ii^ thhdiU -
£8teein'di Ukotiii^ ?fJ»»^4riohy.ex|ra31ingJf«^li^/^«

Full sgMft tb^ir;.har«b.dli99ftidi^lhein«mU hfcdly ^
And qui); yo« ^{^Jii^Wf detei b«lb'g|le«l aiiftiatolU
One polishM stanza thankful to obtain ;

. Bcir)ver8^,rib^y((fyr'AJ(h«ldini(re(p9kiya«
rTban comu^erce ki^ow^, on ^yj^if^^^x^ 4^|i^A» - j J
Gold may be rated' to its utmost grain,' ^ ^
iu» Wt»>stdk«^ (li^ tkiAk my»}liJ^gwe!it^ Yaffii j^ ^

• Thpjt,ii^eyj^n^Ie;filrt.c«moTfiif^ri^^^ ^.^rl

K) lyl4rbt i$ to be btelicvcrf;^ m- hi*
gdn*'COiii|)liii!i!iefnt?:-' ^': ' ;•''■•' - '' •:>• ' '^

Mes creanciers,. quf de. dizains n* ont cure,

Ofit-leu le vostrc : ct sat ce letar ay dit; *

Sjc^.Mkihe^' 8ive.BonBVQnture»>

La SQBW du roi «L. pour moi fait ce di( : ,

Lors eux cuidans que fusse-en grand credit^

MT idiit' apell!^ -Monsieur A cryi et con * * " ^

Et fsk' a vain* reilre- ^scrit luitaati qp/jor : . :

Car promis-oiHa non ^eulemeat d' attendrej.

Mais d' en'prester,. foi de marchand, encore:

'Bijf' Ay pr^mh, 6A de C\maea%; d' en^prendrtf.

52 ILLUSTRATIONS

My cits, who nor for ode nor stansa care»

Have read your lines, and op^d their rugged hearts ;

I said. Sir Balaam, and Sir Plum, look there.

Thus our king's sister values my good parts :

They, deeming me advancM by courtly arts.

Honoured and worshipped me, with bows profoui^.

And by your f^olden yerses I abound ;

Like ready coin, my credit they restore ;

To lend again my worthy friends are bomid*

I pledged my honest wonl to borrow more*

A coUection of the poems of this cele-
brated lady was published^ under the title
of Les Marguerites de la Marguerite des
Princesses; the Pearls of the Pearl of
I^rincesses; a conceit worthy of the com-
piler^ who was her valet de chambre.

Margaret was suspected of an attach-
ment to the reformed religion, in com-
mon with several of the . wits whom she
patronized, but her brother's affection
sheltered her from persecution. Francis
condemned the opinions of the reformed,
as tending more to the destruction of
monarchies, than to the edification of
souls. Brantome adds, in his manner.

^QF SJERNE., 33

that the great Sultan Saliman wa,s of the
same opinion.* An excellent authority
for the papal reltgioii ! « .

Even the) death lif this princess wags
connected ivith. her loive of kno^v^ledge ;
she contracted a ^mortal: dkeat^i hy. ex*
posing: herself, to the night-air^ in ol[xserv-
ing a comeL-f

Her virtues yvet^ not inherited, by the

^first wife of Henry iv. who bore the same

name and title ; but the second Margaret

* The whole passage is curious. '* Le grand Sultan
Soliman en disoit de fliesme : laquelle (la reform^e)
combien qu 'elle ren versa, plusieurs points de la religion
Chrestienne-et du Psaipey,H ipke la pouvoit aymer; d'
autant, dispit-il> que les refigleux d* icelle n' estoient
que brouillons et seditietix, et ne se pouvoient tenif eu
repos, qu' flsneremuasse&ttou^joun.. .Voil^ pourquoi
le roi Vj;^ff;Di8, sage prince s' il en. fust on<:qi^es, ,en
prevoyant les miseres qui en sont venues en plusieurs
parts de la Cfare^iait^/les haissoit^ et fut un peu rigou-
reux ' d ikire bruslor tife les heretiquesv^ki son temps.
Si ne lais»a-t-il pourtant d favoriser les princes prp-
testants d' Allemagne contre V Empereur. jf^nsi ces
grands rois se gouvernent comme il* leur plaist, •

t' Ib« torn. ii. p. 299« i ;

yoL. I. c

94 ILLVSTRATldNS

seems to h^ve poss^sed, with the s|ttsit
of gallantry, some d^ree of the lone of
letters^ which distiiw^isbed her grand-
father Fvancis i. It is sufficiently c^r,
from many scattered anecdotes in Brati-
^toine^ and other writers iof that time^ that
^Mtmg the brtUiant period of her youth,
her manners were calculated to enoaura^
tfee class of authors which I have -been
-describing ; but it itiu^t be owned, that
^she concluded like many other lively
characters, by shewing as much fervour
in devotion, as she had formerly dis-
]>UKy€d in libertiakm.

Among those fescinating women, who
united the attractions of taste and know-
ledge to (hose of elegance and beauty, it
would be unjust to forget the urffbrtunate
Mary Stuart. Brantome, an eye-wit-
wess «of the early ^part of her dife, informs
us that she was much attached, to litera-
ture, and that she patronized Ronsard
and ©u Bellay, Her dirge on the death
of Francis II. which Brantome has pre-

/OF .9TJBMEE. ■ S5

*

vsetVed^ chntakis v.soaie touches of true
feeiling amidst Us ^coiiQetjte.

The a&ir of ChastELARO, ofwhtdb
the same writer gives irs an account,
shews her affability to men of genius ;
thougI> jt 4^U8t )t)e coiifessed, that she
exhibited ait laM, a degree of pnidery,
perhaps too austere.

Chastqlaria was^ ypungman of family^
and talents, wfeo ^bad estbafked in the
suite of Mary, whe^ she returned from
Francq, >to tafce .possession of a di^u§ting
sovereignty. He paid ^his court to the
queen by xomposing several pieces of
poetry, during the voyage, and one
among the rest, which I have bben
. tempted toimitate fram&antome'sSketdn
of h. " Ei\entfe;autrcs il en >fit unc d'
elle sur un traduction en Italien ; car il
le parioit ict >!' entendoit bien, qui.com^
mence: Che .giova p^ssedkr ciUa e regnU
Kc. Qui est \m sonnet tr^hien fait,
•dont la substance est telle: De qmi sert
passeder tmt de rjoymma^ citez, villes,
c 2

30 ILLUSTRATIONS

provinces ; tommander a tant de peoples ;
se /aire respectevi jotaindre et admirer^ et
voir d' un^thaatn ; et dormir mfve, seulc,
et froide comme glace ? "

What boots it to possess a royal state.
To view fair subject-towns from princefy tow'rs,
With.nkatk and song to sport in frolic bow'ts.
Or watch with prudence o^er a nation's &te»
If the heart throb not to a tender mate ;
If doom'd, when feasts are o'er, and midnight lours.
Still to lie Icsiely in a widovr'd bed.
And wapte in cbiU regret ^he secret. hours ?
Happier the lowly maid, by fondness led
To meet the transports of some humble swain.
Than she, the object. of lier peof^e's care,
Eever'd by all, who finds no heart to share>
And pines, too great for love, in splendid pain:

Mary sought relief from the tiresome
uniformity of i\^ voyage, in attending
t^o the productions of the young French-
man ; she even deigned to reply to them,
and anqus^ herself frequently with his
coTl versatibti ; This dangero us femiliari ty
overpowered the heart of poor Chastelard;
He conceived a hopeless and unconquei^-
^ble pa3sion> and found himself, almost

OF STERNE, \ 37

q{ the same moment, obliged to quit the-
presence of :ife object, and to return to
his nalivecountry. ? i

Sooa afterwards, the civil wars began
m EraBcev; and Ghaateterdj who was a
protectant, . eageiily sougl)t,a pretence: fpr.
ije-vifiitiftg Soojtkind, , in his avejfsipn to-
take arms against the royal party. Mary
recciv'ed. him witli goodness,, but.she soon
repented her <jond€^cension» : Wis passioft
noilppger knew any boitnda,; arftd tie waa
fpujid . Qiie^eVemAgt rby "het* women, .c<)n-^
ceialed. uilden her- bed, just Jbefore she
retired tc) ;>re8h . She ' consulted e^uftlly
h^ dignity and heciii^turaj joniidne^s^ . by
pardQuing thi&iKillIyi jcif .youtfiftjl frenzy,
and commanding thc.affeir. tp h^ sup-
pressed. . But Gha^tejftoil w^a^'MoQirigibie :
be repeated )bi&-o^w0e, iand the; qxiecn
cklivered him npjto.hwc^P.urts of justice,
by iwiiich:;be "^m^; feenteo^ed. tQ^.be bcr
headed., .. > ' .i . .

: flis'Coadiict,. at;the time of bis death,
wa5;r^mafitii:j.,d^ jhe extreme; He would
c 3

99 ILLUSTRATIOKS

accept no spiritual aissistance, but lead^
with great devotion, Ronsafd's Hymn oa
Death. He then turned 'towards^ the
Queen's apartments, afnd exclaimed^ Fare^
well the fairest, and moH cruel prmeess m
thew&rld; after which he sahi^itted W
(he stroke of justice, with the cowage oi^
a Rinaldo or an OVmdo.

The ancient heroines of romance were
content with banishing a ppesumptwnis^
lover frow their presencer* Perbapd the
extravagance of Chastdard^s feeling was(
such, that he miigbt have cofi^tdeyed exUd
from Scotland as the sieverest of panish^
ments. Mary certaioty exercised lre#
dispensing power with more )ei»tty, on
some other occasions.

The establishment of at bujfFoon, or
king's jester, which operated so forcibly
on Sterne's imagitiatioii, as to make fat»
adopt the name of Yopiek, luvnisfaed art
additional motive for the exertions of
ludicrous writers, in that age^ To jest
was the ambitioii of th6 best aotnpany ;

QV STERNE* $9

and when the progress of civilization is
duly weighed, between the period to
which I haye confined my observations,
and the time of Charles ll. of this country,
it. will appear that the xoXue set upon
sheer wit, as it was then called, was
hardly less inconsistent with strict judg-*
90tent» than was> the a»&rsim€iat of the
^p and beUs with the gcave discus^ia^
oi the furred doctors, q^ ksffne^ ladies
9€ die old Itsench court

C4

40 ILLUSTKAtlOKS

CHAPTER II.

. J J. •

LudicrouB miners t from whom Sterne
probably took genernl ideast or particular
passage}^. ^bttaiS'^Beroalde — UAuMgnd
— Bouchet — Bruscambitie^Scarr&n — Stv^t
— Gabriel John.

gK)ME of my readers may probably
find themselves introduced, in this chap-
ter, to some very strange acquaintances^
and may experience a sensation like that
which accompanies the first entrance into
a gallery of ancient portraits ; where the
buff and old iron, the black scull-caps,
wide ruffs and farthingales, however
richly bedecked, conceal, for a while,
the expression and the charms of the best-
features. With a little patience, it will

OF &TERNE. 41

appear that wit, like beauty, can break
thl-ough the ipost unpi^mising disguise.

From Rabelais, Sterne seems to have^
caught the design of writing a general
satire on the abuse of speculative opinions.
The dreams of Rabelais's commentators
have indeed discovered a very different
intention in hh book, but we have his
own authority for rejecting their surmises
as groundless. In the dedication of part
of his work to Cardinal Chaistillon, he
mentions the political aUusions imputed
to him, and disclaims, thetn expressly.
He declares, that he wrote for the recre-
ation of persons languishing in sickn^s,
or under the. pressure of grief ^nd anxiety;
and thai his joyous prescription had suc-
ceeded with many patients. Qtt€j»/2«fa/r*
gens, langmreux, maiadei, ou autremeni
fachex et desokz,^ avoieht a la lecture if>
icelies: Ir&mpe leu7' ennui, temps JQpeusement
pitsiS,et refUe'*dUegresse^t insolation nou'
velle. And he adds, seulement avois egard
£t intention pai^ eseritd&nner £e peu de soul?-

40 ILLUSTRATIONS

agement que pouvois is affiigez et malades
absens. The r^iigious disputes, whidbt
then agitated Europe, were subjects of
ijidicule too tesnpting to be withstood^
especially as Rabelais was protected by
the Cha^tillon family; this^ with his
9huse of the xnonks» excited such a da-
mour against hiin» that Francis I. felt a
curiosity to hear his book read, and a&
our author informs w, found nothing
imprpper in it*

The birth and edueation of PmtagnuH
^idently g^^ nse to those of Msrtinus
ScribleruSf and both were fresh in Sterne's
]:nemory, when he composed the first
chapters of Tristra:m Shandy.
. It m^ast be acknowledged, that .^e
«p^)li€atiQn of .the satire is more cli^r in
Rab^ms, than itk \m knitatai».. R^bel^
attacked bddly the schc^tic mode of
education, in t^at part of his wock; and
shew^ the supexiority Oif a. natural nue*

* Etn* ^vBii'miUPei passagg auleuB sugftct.

OF ST£SKE« ' 4»

d]od of instcuction^ moM ddcommodatei
to tbe feelmgs and capacitMs* of the
young. ButSterm^ and. the autiiQf&of
Scrtblerui^ appear to ridicule t^ foHy o€
some krdivkiual ; for no fniblic course of
^ucation ha^ej^r bfsen pro^osedn siimlsic
to tibat tvhich they- exhibit . .

Perhaps, it was Sterne's p^rpose^ \m
deride the methods of shortemixg the
buisiness of education^ whieb sevecal io*
genious men have aimiaed tbemseWe^ by
coAtrivmg. The LMUon art^ whifBkMm
oxtee much ceiebrated^ was bwleequadl
by Sw^fty in his Projidct. of a litefary
.TuriUng , Madun^^ in the . Voy^ to
Lafkuta^ . De» Gartea km deiined IMXf'n
plati tor be^ l/r)9 d9?< $^ prating C9fwu$l^
md without judgmtM, timc^rning thmg^
of which xve are ig^prwit:* s^ a£t ^
generally practised in our times, that its
author i& no more tbioi^bt of tbaa the

^ A«t tvUii^ ad4^ks4v ^ «ii3Mt jtM^kni ds iis qpni
tiiMeimi» gavtien^ttttL Bwckar« liiMr, Qt^n^ IfW/m
I. ii. p. 205.

44 ILLUSTRATIONS

inventor of the compass. Lully's seems
to have beeii similar to the fortune-tellings
sdiemes which we see on the ladies' fens,
that enable any person to give an answer
to any question, without onderstsmdiog
either owe or the other. Erasmus touched
briefly on this subject, in his Ars Notoria;
where he has exposed, in a few words,
the folly of desiring to gain knowledge,
without an adequate exertion of the &-"
culties. Providence, as he says finely,
has decreed, that those common acgtiishims;
money, gems, plate, noble mansiMM, and
dominion, should be sometimes bestowed on
the tudolerd andunuorlhy; but thoife thing$\
fBohith constitute our trueriifies, ' andMbich
are pr&perfy mr own, must be procured by
iBfUr'own labour.^ Thok who^ seldom
kn^ the want of power on^othe^ occa-

'- * AUqui sic "▼Isum- fi^ superis/ Opes istais ^^arc^
aurniDj gemmas> argentuiq^ palatia> regnum, nonnun-
qnam: ]a#gkiniiic;^igafHr»« ^ j|i^m^f^tibu9; »ed ^ae
veraB suiiliopiis,49e4ippri^ itfi^ae snot^ yAluerant piaoari
laboribus. , t

OF OTERNE. I*

sions, have felt it on this; DIONY8IUS
and Fredsrick both experiencod, tha)
there is no royal road to the genuine
honours of literature. / i. , \

If Sterne had been . sufficiency va<;«
quainted with the philosophic^^ systems
of his time, he might have converted the
Lulltan arty into an excellent burlesijue
of the Leibnitzian . doctrine of pre-esta"
hlhhed harmony y then warmly disou^iedi
and -now com^etely forgotten. He seeiy^
to have avoided with care every contro-
versial subject, which could involve him
in difficulties. 1 observe in the sneer at
WaterAandidi knowledge^ among the criti*
cisms of Yoriek's sermons, a slight glance
at a celebrated theological dispute : but,
Jike his own monk, he had looked down
at the prebendary's vest, and the hectic
passed away in a joaoment*

. * Dr. Brown's Estimate is referred to in another
passage, so oscurely, that modern readers can hardly
recognize it. . *

«« iixicrgnbATHiNs

It <vv!OuUI be tedious to ^point xnd evenf
paralld fassag^, i>etireea:SteniQ» Bad im
author M/liose book is in:<eveiy one^ hands*
One of the conversaticms in Trirtram
l%&ndy> k hofcrmiteA losnnfdetely horn
(be Fisfnobm^fi.

'^ Now iWnbrose Paraeusjcoirnneodmy
fattter, 4iiait tiie irue and d9icifint cause
of whfft had iQTi^atigcA m mmdi the atten**
timi of 'the wofldy lan^ <upon which
^Fignitz and Scroderus kad if^astod ;s0
much learning and fine ipart&-^was Jteir
flier this nor tbat-r-rjbijrt that the length
and goodness of the nose, was owing
issmply to the softness and ilaocidity of
the nurse^s breast-«*^as the ^flatness and
shortness of fmisne noses was, to the
firmness and elastic repulsion of the same
tM'gan of nutrition in the heal and Evcly
— which, though liappy for the wonoan,
was the undoing of the child, inasmuch
as bis 'nose was so snubbed, so rubbed,
so rebated, and so refrigerated ther^l^,
;3is never to arrive ad n^ensuram suam

OF fiTEftflfJL m

legiiimam; — but ikat m case of the
ISaccidity and ^softness of the nurse or
.mother's breast^^by sinking itktoit, quoth
Parffius, ;as into so much butter^ the nose
was "comforte^, nourished, &c/'*

^' the causes of short and long

noses. There is no ciause bi*t one,'^ replied
any unde Toby, — why one niiii)'s nose
•i$ looger tl^n another'^ibut because that
Grod pleases to have it )se^ TJatit ^is Gran-
goxisier's solutioi%> sa^ my F^tber.^ — 'Tjs
be, continued .my AincJe Toby, Jooking
up, and not rQgardiflg.my lsather*« inte?-
tfuj^jtion, who f»ake« us all^ and frames
and puts us together, in such forms and
rproportions, and for sue!) ond^, as \s
agreeable to bis infinite wisdom /'"f
. " Bourquoy, ditOgrgantu^, est ce que
ifllpre JeAn li si beau nez ? Par ce (repon-
dit Grangoosier) qu* ainsi Dieu Y i voulu,
lequeLnous fait en tdle forme, & telle Jfin,

* Tristram Shandy, voL iii. chap, xxxviii.
t Tristram Shandy, vol. iii. chap, xli^

m ILLUSTRATIONS

seion son divin arbitre, que fait un potier
ses vaisseaux. Par ce (dit Ponocraf^sr)
qu' il fut des premiers & la foire des nez.
II print de plus beaux & des plus'grandi.
Trut avant (dit le moine) selon ia vraye
Philosophie Monastique, c' est, pai' ce
que ma Nourrice avoit les tetins molets,,
en r aUaictant, raon nez y enfrondroit
comme en beurre, et la s* eslevoit el
croissoit comme la paste dedans la mets.
Les dure tetins des Nourrices font les
enfans camus. Mais gay, gay, ad for-
mam nasi cognoscitur ad te levavi/'*

Sterne even condescended to adopt
some of those lively extravagancies, which
(as Rabelais declares that he v^^rote " eii
mangeant & buvant") would tempt us
to believe that the Gallic wit, like Dr.
King, sometimes " Drank till he could
not speak, and then he writ/'

'^ Bon jour ! good morrow !— so

you have got your cloak on betimes ! but

^ Lit. i, chap. ;xli.

OF STERNE. 49

't is a cold morning, and . you judge the
iiiatter rightly— 't is better to be well
mounted than go o' foot — ^and obstruc-
tions in the glands are dangerous — And
how goes it with thy concubine — thy
wife — and thy little ones o* both sides ?
and when did you hear from the old
gendeman and lady, &cc.* *

" Gens de bien/' says Rabelais, " Dieu
vous sauve et gard. ' Ou estes vous ? jc ne
peux vous voir. Attendez que je chausse
mes lunettes. Ha, ha, bien & beau s'^n
va Quaresme, je vous voy. Et doncques?
Vous avez eu bonne yinee, i ce que V on

m' i dit. Vous, vos femmes, enfans,

parens et families estes en sant^ desiree.
Cela va bien, cela est bon, cela me
plaist— *' &c.

Beroalde, Sieur de Verville, a
canon of the cathedral of Tours, con-
sidered his reputation as a wit, more than
as a clergyman, in his Mayen de Parvenir,

* Tristram Sbandy> toL riii» chap. iii.
Vol. I. D

M ILLUSTRATIONS

publfsbed m 1509; a book dUgustiog
by its gnoBsness, but eJttremely cwk>u%
irom the striking pictures which it*(9ffers^
of the maniKrs and knowledge <>i the
age. From faim, I «U9pect, Sterne took
Mr^ Shandy's repartee tp Ohadiah- . .
. ^' My lather had a Jittle iavourite mam^
which he had consigned over to a most
dbeautifur Arabian hors^j:ia<ortler to have
^ ipaid xmi of W for his aw» riding : h^
MfQs sanguine in ajli hi9 projects ; so taUced
about his p^d every day with as absokite
B security, as if it bad been reared, brok^
dbridled and saddled at hisdoor re^^iy fqr
^nounting. By some neglect or. either io
Obadiah, Jt so fell out, that my father's
expectatioas wete answered with nothing
better than a mule, and as .ugly a b^K^
of ihetkitod as wer iwas .prpdiiQedir

'< My motftiei* and: my imcle Toby
»c>xpeGied ^my lathei- would be the deai&
•of Obadiafe; jStnd that there never wwld
be an end of the disastcr.T—See here !
you rafecail, crited itty father, "pomting to

OF iSiaSKNE. : 61

tbcomule, - what you have donei*— It was
trrtrl, Baid Oijadiahr^— How do I know
^diat ? replied my father/'*

Un petit garden de Paris apeHa uil
waliie, fils de putain^ qm s' en prit^ pleurei:;
«t le vibtJdire k sa racre, qui lui dit: que
tte l4At as-tu dit iqu' ilaVoit me»ti? £t
•qu^B savods-je, dit il.*^

Tbi^ Mayen de Parvenir has all the
abruptness, and quickness of transkian^
wiiich St^ne was so fond of assummgi
Tlier^ is also some gaimaim, though not
so much as in Rabelais. I own it is
|yo86ible, that Sterne may have found this
ttrrn in some other book, for Beroalde
has burnished subjects of pillage to a great
number of atithon;« .(fe mentions a cu*-
rious badge xxf ;party, whidb I tbink
Sterne would have noticed, if he had
been -acquainted With the book. ** Je
me souvi^ws qu' aux seconds troubles

* Tristrim Shandy, vol. v. chap. iii.
t Moyen de Parvenir, tom» !• p. 69.

52 ILLUSTRATIONS

nous,€tions en garnison k la Cluariii.
Etant en garde s'il passoit un hornine
avec une braguette, nous V apellions
Papiste^ et la lui coupions; c' etoit
xnal fait, d' autant que sous tel signe
y ^ de grandes mysteres quelquefois
caches. — ^Je m* en repentis, et m' en
allai k Cosne, ou nous nous fimes sol*
dats derechef/ et nous mismes es bandes
catholiques. II nous avint une autre
cause de remords de conscience ; c' est
que Voyant ces ^braguet^s, les disions
Huguenots." ♦

The detection of imitations is certainly,
in many cases, decided by taste, more
than by reasoning; the investigation is
slow, but the conviction is rapid.

The skilful miner thus each cranny tries.
Where wrapt in dusky rocks the crystal lies.
Slow on the varying surface tracks his spoil*
Oil' leaves, and oh renews his patient toil ;
Till to his watchful eye the secret line
Betrays the rich recesses of the mine ;
Then the rude portals to his stroke give way;
Th* imprisonM glories glitter on the day.

* Moyen de Panrenir, torn. i. p* 59.

OF STERNE. 53

It is sufiicientiy evident, from the works
of Sterne's EMgenius* that he, at Jeast,
was deeply read in Beroalde, who wanted
nothing but decency to render him an
universal favourite. ^

Theodore Agrippa D'Aubign6 is well
known by his historical works, in which*
valuable and interesting as they are, he
has not always been able to conceal his
satirical disposition. In his Baron de
Fcsneste, with all the extravagance of the
Gascon, we are so constantly recalled to
right and severe reason by the other
characters, diat it almost produces the
full effect of genuine history on pur
minds. We discover, in every page, the
caustic moralist, the uncorrupted and in-
dignant courtier, unable to conceal the

* John Hall Ste^eason, Esq- of Skelton Castle.

f This doubt is now completely removed, by a
copy of the Moyen de Parvenir, which I received from
Mr, Heber. The blank leaf contains Stane's Auto-
graph, jL. Sterne, a Paris, 8 livre$; and the book, as
Mr. Heber observed, bears evident marks of its having
been frequently turned over. '
D 3

54 ILLDSTEATIONS

foibles of a mDoarcfa, whom he lolred
^nd sarved but too faithfully/ and im#
patient of those who acquired th^ hxom
of Henry, by ebewing more indulg^ice
to his weaknesses. This book inay b§r
considered, in some measure^ as a sup-
plraoent to bis general history, for il
contains much secret sinecdc^, as wellag
the most curious particulars respecting
manners. ^

Perhaps the story oi Pautrot, ani t&e
lady de NoailU^ in this book, suggested
to Sterne the scene with the PiedmontesQ
lady, in his Sentimental Journey/ .

There is stronger rrason to believe that
Sterne took the hint of beginning some
ef his sermons, in a startling and unusual
manner, from this source. D'Aubigp4
who seems to have been a man of deep
religious impressions, has exposed, with
equal keenness, the extravagancies of the
monks, and of the ministers. • He men,*
tions one of the latter> who began a ser-?
m6n thus : Par la v^iu d^ Dieu, pat la

CMP SXESNi£. 55

fn^dt Dim; par h chair de Dieu, par le
sang 4» D^; afid sidded after a long
pause, mus sommes saiwez^ et delivrez de C
enf^r. fSevf^ral Instances in the same taste,
biit not feo well awthenticated, may be
found in *hie Pasfie Temps dgriable. . .

I must here vindicate Steme from a)
charge of^pkgiarismv which has Jbeen
made from inattention to dates. It has
been* said, that he bcwrowed much* from:
rfie history of Friap Geiiund ; and. many
parallel passages have b^en cited (as they
well might) to pmve tjhie assertion. The
tiM*h^ is, that the history qf Fciar Gerund,
OompQsed' by Fathei; Isbiy to ridicura
^^ cibsui^ities of the itinerant Spanish
preachersi was p^ibiished in Spain, the
Tory sjme year in which the two first
▼olumes of Tristram Shandy appeared* It
iras translated into English^ several years
afterwards, by a clergyman, wbo thought ,
proper to imitate, in his translalioo, the
style of Tristram Shandy, theri extcemcly
popialan- If any plagiarisms exist, there-
D 4

56 ILLUSTRATIONS

fore, they are chargeable on the translaton

The original of Friar Gerund appeared
in 1758; the translation in 1772.

As a specimen of D'Aubign6's style,
which unites the severe and the ludicrous,
I shall quote the following strokes on a
controversial point.

" Your devotions/' says the Baron,
speaking of the reformed, " are invisible,
and your church is invisible." — " Why
do you not finish,'* retorts his opponent,
" by reproaching us, like savages, that
our God is invisible ? '' — " But we would
have every thing visible," cries the Baron.
C est pourguoi, replies the other, entre
les reliques de S. Front on trouva dans une
petite phiok un estemument du S. Esprit.

D'Aubign6 was so fond of writing epi-
grams, that he could not abstain from
them, even in his history. He had no
great genious for poetry, but his epigrams
are generally acute, tliough better turned
in the thought than the expression.

One of them, which is introduced in

OF STERNE. 57

the Baron de FoeneM^, is written for a
man of distinction,* whose wife,. finding
his mistress very ill drcst, thought fit to
clothe her anew. Lars, says the Baron
in his jargon, lou mansur boiant cette vra^
bene, en dit ce petit mout.

Oui> ma femme^ il est tout certain
Que c' est vain9re la jaloasie^
£t aa trait de grand courtobie
D*avoir revestu ma putin.
Si je veux^ comme la merveille
. Et r excellence des maris^
Rendre i vos ribaux la pareille^
Cela ne se peut qu' d Paris.

I own, my life, beyond all doubt,
•Your merit great, your conduct ^ge.
Since spuming jealous qualms and rage.
You *ve deckM my girl so smartly out.
If I, attentiye to your Wants,
Our mutual confidence to crown.
Should do as much for your gallants,
'T would empty half the shops in town.

This, and many other passages in the
writers of those times, shew that the dis-

* Mr. de Sottrdis.

S» ILtUSTRATrONS

solute eonckct of thegay^jii^les m-lKaiic^
\a not of modem' d«e. The turn &£ A^
line9 I have just quoted^ i&in the taste ol
Voltaird or Bernk - In feci, the great
cdrru^ion of manners took place, in the
time of Francis. I. who sacrificed t^ the
ostentation, and the future elegance. of
the court, every principle leading to true
happiness.

Another epigram of D'Aqbigni^'s was
founded on a repartee of Henrys IV* in
his youth.

Sylvia her gambling^jajgijhOT.Jchicles,
With many a sharp and pithy sentence ;
The graceless youth her care defies.
Yet seem» to promise her repentance t
" When you> dearatint^ relmquish man,
Expect me-ta abandon gaming/*
The prudent matron shakes her fan ; '

« <io, rogue, I find you 're past reclaiming.

The same thought has been turned by
§onae of the modern French epigram-
matists.

The question respecting the sincerity
of Henry's cony^^sion seoms pretty clearly

OF OTEKNE* d»

decided in the Baron de Fcenest^, in the
chapter on Nuns, book iv. chapter xii.

Sterne has generally concealed the
sources of his curious trains of investiga^
tion, and uncommon opinions, but in
0»e instance he ventured to break through
his irestraint, by mentioning Bouchefs
Evening Conferences, among the treasures
of Mr. Shandy's library. This book is
now become ^ extremely scarce, that
for a long period, it had escaped all my
emquirie^ and the most persevering exer-^
tions of my friends. Some of the mc^
purious collectors of books, among whom
I need X)Bly mention the late excellent
Dr. Farmer, informed me that they had
never seen it. I owed to the indefi^tigablq
kindness of Thomas Thompson,. Esq#
M- P. the satisfaction of perusing an odd
volume of this work* I have great reason
to belie Ve that it was in the Sicelton
library some yearns ago, where I suspect
Sterne found most of the authors of this
class ; for Mr. Hall's poetry shews that
hie knew and read them muck

60 ILLUSTRATIONS

The Screws of Bouchet consist of a set
of regular conversations, held, as the title
implies, in the evening, generally during
supper, and may be regarded as tran-
scripts of the petiis soupers of that age.
A subject of discussion is proposed each
evening, generally by the host, and it is
treated characteristically, with a mixture
of great knowledge and light humour.
Every conversation concludes with a jest.
The chief characters, supported through
the whole volume which I had first seen,
are, a man of learning, such as the times
afforded ; a soldier, very fond of talking
over his past dangers ; a physician, who
is sometimes found deficient in his philo*
sophy; and a droll, who winds up all
with his raillery. The conversations are
not, indeed, connected by any narrative,
but I entertain little doubt, that from
the perusal of this work, Sterne conceived
the first precise idea of his Tristaram, as
far as any thing can be called precise, in
a desultory book, apparently written with
great rapidity. The most ludicrous and

OF STERNE. 01

extravagant parts of the book seem to
have dwelt upon Sterne's mind, and he
appears to have frequently recurred to
them from memory. In the twenty-
ninth Sered, for example, there is a long
a:nd very able discussion of the causes of
colour in negroes ; and Bouchet has an-
ticipated most of the objections which
are made to the supposition, that the
darkness of their complexion is produced
by the lieat of their climate. In the course
of the Serei, it is asked,' why negroes
are flat-^osed, and this question brings
into play the subject of noses, so often
introduced in Tristram Shandy.

I extract the following passages as spe^
cimens of Bouchet's manner : the reader
. may not be displeased to. acquire some
idea of a book so uncothmon.

Je me troiivay un jour d la table d* tm
grand Seigneur, ou nous.etions bien empes^
che% a rendre la rdison, pourquay en JE^-
pagne anfaisoit les pains plus grands qu' en
Prance ou Italie^ Les tms disoient que d

n ILLUSTRATIONS

e$t(nt a cause que le grand pmn se tient pba
frais que le petite tt qu' il ne se dessekhk
pas si iostj esiant V Espagne fort chaude^
JLcs autres soustenoient que les Espagmls
maient leurs fours plus grands que les autra
peuples, parcequ' Us disent que le pain ea ^
meilleur cuii enicn grand four qal en ua
petit, le pain cuH en un petit four ne adsaal
pas esgallement^ comme en un grand, et ks
fom-s d\ Espagne estant grande, ce n' est
pas de merveilles s' Us font ks pains grands^
et aussi qu* aV einfomer on ftict les pains
cornus. Le tiers d&oit, que 4amt plus is
pam estoit grand, iant phis on le trouooii
savour eux et meilleur^ ayant pltu 4k vertu
^ facuUi assemhlee, comme k vin ^est plus
fort SC mnlkwr en une pippe q^ en un bus^
sard* Hue k grand pam, adjomtoit4l, soit
meilleur que k petit, cela ce pent prower de
ce qu' ily avoit desfestes, qm se nommoient
Megalartia, ^d eame de la graw^tur dxs
pains, dont k pain'estok estkn6 mr^ous &s
aatres, K aussi hon que cduy dela vHkd^
Erems, si mm crayonsaupc^ Arehestmte^

, OF. STERNE-- • Ci

four Icquel pain Merciare prenqit bien la
peine de de^cendre dn ciel^ et en venir /aire
provision pour bes diekx^ Et aussi guan^
k pain -est petite il se brusle par la crouste^
K' d^meure mal cuit au dedans^ par t ohr
stack de lacrousteMtde : et si la p(iste craht
ft levigvmtx piai\d U y en d^ beaucqup, quf
quand il vH y end gueres, comme on dit que
la paste se leve mimx durant dapleine Ltune
qu\ en im autre temps^ Lors un lourdaut
qui servoit a la^ table, nous voyant en si
^and debat, se m mocquer de nous, de ce
qv! estions epipesc/iea en si peu de chase, K
now va di^e^ t^^ ^ Espagnols faisoieni
leurs pains plus grands qiC aiiieurSf parce
qvH ils y mHtoiml pj^ de paste.^

Another of has ^j^akers tells the foir
Jawing stocy. .

Ce mqitrequijestok de nas Serecs, nous
c^t$,rq^\n^Jo^^ifldfmanda dvn siqi mes^
t(ty^, (OfnPfP il. )Sf pprioit depuis deux ou
imisjouts que, ^aftmpie e§toit rmric, lesquel

* Serees, torn, iii. p. 204, This edition was pub-
lished at Paris, 16<fi^ ^

6i ILLUSTRATIONS

lui respondit, fluandje revins de V entarer
mtnt de ma femme^ rrC essuyant les yeur,
et travaillant h plorer, chacun me disoit^
compere^ ne te sonde, je sfay bien ton
fait, je te donneray bien une autre femnie.
Helas ! me disoit-il, on ne me disoit point
ainsi, quand f eu perdu t une de mes
vachesJ*

At length I was favoured with a copy
of Bouchet, by Col. Stanley, who had
a duplicate in his noble library.

There was more reason to have repre-
sented the acquisition of this book as
matter of triumph, than the purchase of
Bmscombille.

Mr, Shandy has the good fortune, we
are told, to get Bruscambille's Prologtie
on Noses almost for nothing — ^that is, for
three half-crowns. ** There are not tbreq
Bruscambilles in Christendonj — ^said the
stall-man, except what are chained up in
the libraries of the curious. My father

* Screws, p. 216.

OF STERNE. »5

flung down the money as quick as light-
ning — took Bruscambille into his bosom
-~hyed bcmie from Piccadilly to Cole-
man-stJrert with it, as he would have hyed
home Willi ^ treasure, without taking his
hand once off from Brdscambille all the
way."* This is excellently calculated
to excite the appetite of literaiy epicures,
but the book in question is not sujfHciently
entertaining to gratify much expectation.
It consists of occaisional prologues, in
prose, a species of amusement much in
vogue during the reign of Louis XUI.
Tabaiun, .who seems to have been con-
temporary with Bruscambille, but more
a merry andrew than a comedian, pub-
lish^ bis dialogues with his master, and
his prdWgues, about the same time.f

* Tristram Shaiidy, vol. iii. chap. xxxv.

f Tabarui is mentioned in the Description of the
Winter in Paris, by Boisrobert, an officer of Cardinal
Riehlieu.

Tout divertissement nous manque :
Tabarin ne va plus en banque.
Tabarin is said to have been the Vaiet of Mondor.
See De Bure.

Vol, I. E

66 ILLUSTRATIONS

Tfaey botli stole largel}r from the A^^iyen
it Prnverdr^ as tlie editor of that hodc
has observed. The origuiai oo^: o£ the
Pense^s Facetkuses de JBmscmubiile was
published in KS2S, mine wasijprintBdiAt
Cologne^ fSk 1741.

There is Ctde merit iiv this mas9 of
Imffoanery ; dae oaly ong^aHty consists
in its galimatias ; however^ is the book
is not easily to be procured^ I dialL insert
the Prologue on NoMa among the not€i^
that no future collector nmy sigh for
Bru^cambiUe.^

The fake taste of ScanmtifhumMhf hail
occasioned a general neglect of hKt- works;
it was by mereaccvdent thut I discovo^d
the origin of ^ very interestisig cKtene in
the Sentimental Joom^ey, m- tvkiag »p
the Raman Comique. It is the chapter
of the Dwarf, which every reader of
Sterne must immediately recollect, but
I shall transcribe that, part which is di-
rectly taken from Scarron.

* See note V.

OF STEHNE, 67

. ''A poOT defenceless being of this
order [a dwarf}, had got thrust somehow
or other into this luckless place [the par-
terre] — th6 night was hot, and he was
surroi&nded by beings two feet and a half
hig/her than himself. The dwarf suffered
inexpressibly on all sides ; but the thing
which incommoded him most, was a tall
eorpulent German, near seven feet high,
who stood between him and all possibility
of his seeing either the stage or the actors.
The poor dwarf did all he could to get
a peep at what was going forwards, by
seeking for some little opening betwixt
the German's arm and his body, trying
first one side and then the other ; but the
G>ermail stood square in the most unac-
eomzsrodating posture that can be ima-
gined— ^^be dwjurf might as well have
been placed at the bottom of the deep^t
draw-well in Paris ; so he civilly reached
up his hand to the German's sleeve,
arwd told bim his ciistress. — ^The German
t^imed im head back, looked down upon
E 2

68 ILLUSTRATIONS

him, as Goliah did upon David — ^and
unfeelingly resumed his posture."

Such was the distress of Scarron's dis-
astrous hero, Ragotin. " II vint tard d
la corned ie, & pour la punition de ses
pechez, il se pla9a derriere un gentil-
homme h large eschine, et convert d*
une grosse casaque qui grossissott beau-
coup sa figure. II etoit d' une taille si
haute au dessus des plus grandes, qu'
encore qu' il fut assis, Ragotin qui n*
etoit separ6 de lui que d' un rang de
sieges, crut qu* il etoit debout, et lui cria
incessament qu' il assit comme les autres,
ne pouvant croire qu' un homnie assis
ne dust pas avoir sa tete au niveau de
toutes celles de la compagnie. Ce gen-
tilhomme qui se nommoit la Bagueno-
diere, ignora longtemps que Ragotin par-
lat d lui. Enfin Ragotin V apella Mr. d
la plume verte, et comme veritablement
U en avoit une bien toufFue, bien sale, et
peu fine, il tourna la teste, et vit le petit
impatient qui lui dit assez rudement qu*

OF STERNE. 69

il s* assit. La Baguenodiere en fut si peu
6mu, qu' il se retourna vers le theatre,
comme si de rien n' eut et6. Ragotin
lui recria encore qu' il s* assit. Il toiirna
encore la tete devers lui ; le regarda, et
sle retourna vers le theatre, Ragotin re^
cria, Baguenodiere tourna la tete pour la
troisieme fois; regarda sen homme, et
pour la troisieme fois se retourna vers le
theatre. Tant que dura la comedie,
Ragotin, lui cria de meme force qu* il
assit, et la Baguenodiere le regarda tou-
jours d' un meme flegme, capable de
faire enrager tout le genre humain/'*

For the me^n and disgusting turn
which this story receives in the Roman
Comigue, Sterne has substituted a rich and
beautiful qhain of incidents which takes
the strongest hold on our feelings. He
has in no instance of his imitations shewed
a truer tastp : the character of Scarron's
manner^ indeed, is that it always dis-
appoints expectation.

• * 'Roman Cbiniqne, torn. ii. chap. xviL
E 3

70 ILLUSTRATIOWS

That Sterne frcquenlly bad in view

the Tale of a Tub; in composing Tristram

Siai>dy, cannot be doubted : Swift'& DU^*

sertaJtion on Elan probably contributed

tawaids Sterne'^ dtgressioas on Noses,

whiob shall be considered heicaiter. i

do not know that it has been Observed,

that in this pleasant and acute satire.

Swift has formed his manner i/«ry much

upon that of John Eachard. The

style of Swift is much ^superior in corwct-

ness of taste, but the turn of peasantry is

very similar, and has little m connnoii

with other writers, Eacband wsjs a writer

of great oelebi-ity in Swift's early <fays,

wfe«i he composed his Tale of a Tub^ a

work produced in the vigour of his fency,

and the first heat of his literary attain--

ments.

I shall not presume to d^ermine whe-
ther Sterne made any use of a whimsical
book, apparently published about the
year 17*8, (for it has no dat^) tmdertbe
title of, Jn Essay tm(fr4^ tH Thfory of

OT STERN£« 71

ike InteUigiUe Wmid^ hy Cabriel John.
It is a pretty close copy of the Talc of a
Tub ih macMiiel*; fidme appearances of
imitatioa asmy, tfabrelfore^ be^ supposed, to
FBsult froiu 4he common reference of
bodi wx'itos to Swift. If Sterne can be
fiUppoiSed to bme taken any thing from
tbis ho<ik^ k must be the faint of his
tkiMbted pages* The author of QsAxHd
-Jobii has covered almosi the whole of
lft9 lfi9d page wiih 'dashes, thus ^ ■■■
,„^^ — ■ M >. . anrf be obsertres in a (tomer ;
T?m (nab$r xmy wdi mnderstands, ibat a
gwt sixedble hktus disc&ixrs a very great
^gemtte^ tkere being i» mt in the wmid
nwnidtd^ and €9ng&peentfy nam r^^
4ban what h dispiayed in those elatorale
imgi54, tfm }$aoe nA*tr a syibMe written m
tliem. The only subject of doubt respect-
i^ tli^ dbarge^ imitatuM io tiiib case is,
that Steroe fiiay be aUowied to have pos-
•sossei^ suiletent genica to exle:Qd one of
^SMrift^sAii^'Over^a^ wbbfe ledf^ witliout
4Am ai^ <if >i^r aoMHif^^tnous wrilen

E 4f

72 ILLUSTRATIONS

The essay in question was profiessedly
composed to satirize Norris's Theory: of
the Ideal World; but Hobbes (whose'
reveries still. retained the much injured
name of philosophy), Bentley, and Wot-r
ton, the objects of Swift's satire,, were
made equal victims of our author's ridi^
cule. The book contains several poems
which have no apparent connection with
the general design, excepting some pard^
dies of Dr. Bentley's peculiar system i^
emendation. It must . be owned, that
the author had. warned the. reader, witfi
uncommon candour, in the, tide pag^^
that he should introduce other strange
things, not insufferably clever, norfUriomly
to the purpose; the worst that can be said
of him therefpre, is, that he has kept his
word. • • ■ V ;., . ; r .x. ^v^

Another old English hook wits pointed
out, in the Monthly magazine, ^a few
years ago, as a source ©f imitation for
Tristrani Shandy. I proiBWKfti;i(v by tfee
kind assistance of .CobjBuelruSlanl^y,^ 2if,ix

'! -J

. OF STERNE, 7%

ebnsidembk price, and was. happy to
dispose ©f it wry soon after, to a collec-
tor^ who fell in love with thei frontis-
precel . »

« The Xiife of a Satyhcal Puppy^
called Ninl,". is a small octavo volume,
of 1 18 'pages, *' by T, M^ printed by and
for Humphrey Mosley, at the Prince's
Arms, in St. Paul's Church-Yard, 1657."
It is dedicated to Greorge Duke of Buck-
ingham, and presents to him Nim, and
Bung his man, " both born to attend
his lordship's mirth/' It appears to me
a very lame attempt at personal satire,
the object of which cannot now be dis^
covered. The book is extremely rare.
Nothing can be more unlike the style of
Tristram Shandy, than the contents of
this work, and I acquit Sterne com-
pletely from the charge of having copied
it.

The frontispiece represents Nim and
his man, in the dress of the times. The
figure of Bung serves to explain a phrase

T4 ILLOSmtATIOKS

in Sinkespeace's Twelfth Nig^t; he is
ftws^gartered. Tke trunk-breecbes do
not reach quite to the knee, aboi« and
below which, the garter is applied qoft^
nUy, till it dieaf^ars in the boot

** Why/' says our poet, ** may not
ioBigination tiace the noble dint of Alex^
ander, till he find it fitopping a bung-f
hoteP^ These masters oi: ridicole may
be tracked to a state of sinnhir d^;rada*^
lioii, tiiroi^ the works of estimable
wiitCEs, to miserable farces, and at length
to the je8t4xioks, where the dre^s oi
d^Seient authors are so effechtaUy inter*
mingled, ^tthe brightest wit is con-
founded with the vilest abstiit]ity4

.:. •)..; ,;. ,

'7 i . " ■".'''

OP aTERNE. f§

CHAPTER III.

§het€he$ <^ ludicr9u$ tfiriter$, of the sk^
teenfh an4 seventeenth cmturish

X HE spring has not been more eete*
brated by poefs, than the evening by the
authors of fekcetious books. Perhaps the
jovial Deipnosophists of Athemeus inlfiu-
enoed Bouchet, and sonxe of the more
learned writers of this kind^ who repre-
sent their discussions as taking place after
stippiBr. In the Moyen de Parvenir, the
company are supposed to be constantly
at table, and to form a sort of Eoerlasting
dub*

I. The Serees, or Evenings, of Gtric-
lAUME BoOCrtfir; have gone through
tferee editions; Ac first at P&riisr, in three

10 ILLUSTRATIONS

volumes, duodecimo, 1608; the other
of Rouen, in the same form ; the date,
1615 ; the third, which is inferior to
these, at Lyons, in 1614, in three
volumes, octavo, bound together. They
are all extremely rare, in this country.

That Sterne had seen this book in the
Skelton Library, I have strong reason
to believe; he must have been much
gratified with its grotesque wit, and its
laboured discussions of trifles ; but I can-
not perceive that he has made much use
of it. The art of transplanting teeth,
which has been considered as a recent
invention, is mentioned by Bouchet, in
his twenty-seventh Sere6. " J'ai vu aussi
une jeune Dame^ qui se fit arracher une
dent, ou parce qu'elle estoit gate6, ou'
mal situc6, puis s'en fit remetire, une
autre, quelle fit arracher a une sienne
Damoiselle, laquelle reprit, et servit com-
ing les autres,"

11. The Apj-esrPiners, or 4fierit0om,
01 the Count I)'Ari?te^. jought perhaps to

OF STERNE. 77

have preceded Bouchet. This was one
of the league-libels against Henry IV,
and contains, like many other political
satires, more venom than wit. My copy
of it was published in 1614, at Paris.

III. The Epidorpides, or After Sup^
per-times, of Caspar Ens, is a collection
of apophthegms, and serious •stories, in-
termixed with some ludicrous matter.
The copy in my possession was published
at Cologne, 1624, in duodecimo. The
introduction contains an uncommon dis-
play of learning, respecting the suppers
of the Romans: their furniture, their
dishes, their mode of decubitus at table,
and particularly their diffei-ent kinds of
bread, are discussed with the diligence
of an Apicius : the author must certainly
have ' talked with some old Roman
ghost/

IV. The Escraignes Dijonnoises, or
Booths of Dijon, by Tabourot, wfere pub-
lished at Paris, in 1595. They contain

7S ILLUSTRATIONS

night-dialogues, among the young people
of the lower class^ in Dijon^ who were
accustomed to erect booths, in differeiU
quarters of that city, during the seventy
of winter, in which the women assem-
bled to knit or spin ; and where they
were attended by the young men, who
vied with them in telling stories* It does
not appear that Sterne was acquainted
with tbis^ author, but I find tl^at Swiit
has poached deeply in his BiGARRURES.
Tlie Art of Punmng was in great part
extracted {torn this whimsical production
ef Tabourot, which contains an extra-
ordinary number of puns and clenches^
The Rebm de Picardie seem to have
chiefly attracted Swift's attention : they
combine both the powers of engravings
and description^ to produce a conceit.
Such is the instance referred to by Swift.
An abbot is represented lying prone,
witia a liUy growing out of his body:
m French, this must be read ;

Abbe mort en pre ; an cul lis :

0F STTERNS. t*

in Latio ;

Hake morten pree ocolv.
Tabourot asserts, that be copied this
rebus from the gate of a monasteiy.
Such was the wit of the sixteenth ceo-
tury^

I have a beautiful edition of the Bl^
garrures, in two volumes, duodecimo,
printed at Paris, in 1585. The Apoph-
ihcgmes du Sieur Gaukurd, contained in
this book, have laid the foundation of
some of our jest-books. It seems to have
escaped the notice of the ingenious
author of an Essay on Irish Bulls, that
most of the stories, commonly quoted
as such, are either of Greek, or French
origin. The Ajt/« of Hierocles contain
many of those blunderi^ which are reck^
oned standard Irish jokes; and in the
ridiculous mistakes of the Sieur Gaulard,
w recorded by Tabourot, many others
may be found. The defender of Ireland
may therefore triumphantly send back
these aliens, which have been so unjustly

^Q ILLUSTRATIONS

quartered on her country, to their native
soil of Athens, Paris, and Dijon.*

V. A . more sober compilation ap-
peared in 1585, under thb title ' of Les
Neuf Matinees du Sieigdeurde CholieresI
It consists of conversations between* la
convalescent and his friends, on various

* It is remarkable, thatSmft, who piqued himself
on his accuracy, and who could not bear to be thought
an Irishman, has published a huH, iii his first Drapier's
Letter. ** Therefore I do most earnestly exhort you, m
men, as christians, as parents, and as lovers of your
country, to read this paper with the utmost attention^
or get it read to you by others:" this is ^n ex]smpli6ca«-
tion of the old story in the jest. bqeks, where a templar
leaves a note in the key-hole, directing the finder, if
he cannot read it, to carry it to the stationer at the
gate, who will read it for him.

But the most extraordinary, of all blui\dersi and one
undoubtedly of Irish production, is a fact mentioned
by Ralph, in his history of Ehgland. During ■ Kiti|f
William's campaigns in Ireland, 4a party of the i^tiyos,
in King James's interest, undertook to fortify a pass
against the English army. They were, of course,
employed for some time on this desi]g;n ; btit when the
work was completed; it was found, says Ra1ph| that
" they had turned the palisades the wrouff way," so
that they iiad secured the'pass in favour of the enemy,
and against themselves.

OF STEBNE. 81

subject^ some of them sufficiently ludi-
crous.

VI. The Pense^ Facetieuses de Brus-
cambille have become known by Sterne's
notice of them. I dp not know why he
should select this vulgar^ gross and
stupid publication, as a specimen of
Mr. Shandy's library. It contains Kttle
more, than the usual low jokes respecting
noses ; and is indeed quite unworthy of
perusal. Thfi same observations apply

to

Vil. The Questions Tabariniques^
which are mere ' Japk-pudding-jokes.*

VIII. The Contes et Discours d
Eutrapel, by NoEl du Fail, are much
in the style of Bouchet, but with less
reading. His pictures of ancient rural
mannei's, in France, before the vices of
the court began to aftbct the provinces,-
are extremely curious and interesting.

Vol. I.

r

98 ILLUSrSATIONS

CHAPTER IV.
Other wtittrs dnitatedby Sterm—SurldH

•

OTERNE was no fiucnd to gravity,
for which he bad very good reasons ; it.
was a qudUty which excited his disgust,
even in author^ who lived in times that
exacted an appearance of it. Like the
manager in the Farce,* he sometimes
'* took the best part of their tragedy to
put it into, his own comedy." Previous
to the Reformation, great latitude in
mantiers was assumed by the clergy;
Bandello, who published three volumes

♦ The Critic.

OF steirHe. ti

of fates, in Whifch he often laid aside
decortnflj was a bishop ; and perhaps
sbriie of Stertie*s friends expected him to
become ohe also, without considering
the iseVerity of conduct requited in pro-
testerit p/elatefe. His friend Hall has ruii
the piftlkl tb my hafidjj.

Why may'at Bandello have a rap ?
Why ihay^nt I imitate Bandello ?
Therti never wad a ^elate's cap
Bestowed u|H>n H droller fellow.
Like Tristram in mirth delighting ;
Like TftrSTRAM a pleasant writer ;
Like hfis, I ho^e that TtttdTkAk'a writing
Will bfeil9^arded With d mitre,*

Sterne has contrived to give a ludicrous
turn to those passages which he took
from fetJRTON's Anatomy of Melancholy,
a book^ once the favourite of the learned
and the witty, and a source of surrep-
titious learning to jthany others besides
our author.*f I had often wondered at

^ Za<Jh^r/8 Tale.
t Sfe'e note IL
F2

84 ILLUSTRATIONS

the pains bestowed by Sterne in ridi-
cuKng opinions not fashionable in his
time, and had thought it singular, that
he should produce the portrait of his
sophist, Mr. Shandy, with all the stains
and mouldiness of the last century about
him. I am now convinced that most of
the singularities of that character were
drawn from the perusal of Burton.

The strange title of Tristram Shandy
and the assumption of the name of
Yorick, were probably suggested by a
passage in Burton's preface, where he
apologizes for styling himself Demacritus
junior^ and for his title-page

'* If the title and inscription offend
your gravity, were it a sufficient justifi-
cation to accuse others, I could produce
many sober treatises, even sermons them-
selves^ which in their fronts carry more
fantastical names. Howsoever it is a kind
of policy in these days, to prefix a fan-
tastical title to a book which is to be
sold : for as larks come down to a day-

OF STERNE. 85

net, many vain readers will tariy and
stand gazing, like silly passengers, at an
antic picture in a painter's shop, that wiH
not look at a judicious piece/' The hint
respecting sermons was not lost upon
Sterne.

The Anatomy of Melancholy, though,
written on a regular plan, consists chiefly
of quotations: the author has honestly
termed it a cento. He collects, under
every division, the opinions of a multi-
tude of writers, without regard to chro-
nological order, and has too often the
modesty to decline the interposition of
his own sentiments. Indeed the bulk bf
his materials generally overwhelms him.
In the course of his folio, he has con-
trived to treat a great variety of topics,
that seem very loosely connected with
the general subject, and, like BayJe,.
wh^ii he starts a favourite train of qiiota-
tii)ns, he does not scruple to . let the
digression outrun the principal question.
Thus from the doctrines of religion to
F3

$0 ILLUST^T|QNS

miiitaiy discipUne, frpin ii:>lan4 n^vigar
tioif to the morality of d^ncing^^hopl^ii
every thing is discussed and determined,

In his introdqqtory address to thp r^r
der^ where he indulge^ himself in an
Utopian sketch of a perfect government
(with due homage previously paid tq the
character of Jan^es i.), we fttnl thQ origin -
Qf Mr. Shandy's potio^^ op this subject,
The passages a^e too lopg (o be tra^-r
scribed.

The quaintness of tf^ztiy pf his divb
sions seqnis to have givpn §|prpe the hint
pf hi; ludicrous titles to several cbapt^i^i
?ind the ftfifele effect pf Bwrton'? gravfi
fndeavpurs tp prov^ ipdispwteWfi <ac^
by weighty quotatipps, be b^P happily
^ught, and sometipies wplj bwrlesquwi.
The archness which B^rtpp displays Pfi-i
casiopally, and hi^ indulgence pf playCul
digressipns frapi the ji^ps^ serious discii^
sions, often give his style ap air of
familiar conversation, potwithstapding tbp
labprious cqUegtiops whipfe ?upply bip

.text He w!9s qajpable iirf wiiting excels
l»it ppetiy^ <9iit he $ee<iis to have ^ultL-
T^d tbb tal&tit tp9 UtUev The English
verses prefixed to hl$ bpokj which possee^
beautiful ii^^gery^ ^iwl great sweetness
of versification ha^e been frequently
puhliehedf His Laiio ei^ac vcnes, adi-
dressed to bis book, ^w aveiy agreeable
turn for raillery,

, When the force of the ^ub^t opens
bis own yeln of proWi we discover valut
able sense and IniUiant expnssskm. Such
18 bis accoypjt of the. fii^t feelings of me^
iancholy pt^rsoMf written^ probably^ inm
hb own eKperienee. ^^ Most pl^easant it
is, at fir^t^ to mob as are melaneholy
given, to lie in bfed whole days* ancf
keep tbeiivchai»ber#; to walk jilorie in
sovaq aolitfury grove, betwixt wood mid
irater, by a brpok.Mde» tg mqditate.upqn
some delightsome and plfiasant subject^
which shall affect them ipost; atn§irili$
mcottifir, and tmntis graiismnus error : ^^
most inii;pmpavaUe.deligbt^ it is so to
F 4*

^8 ILLUSTRATIONS

melancholize and build casttds tti the air,
to go smiling to themsebes; acting an
infinite variety of parts, which thtoy sup-
pose, and strongly imagine they repre^
sent, or that they see acted br done,****
So delightsome these toys are at first,
they could spend whole days and nigh<$
without sleep, even whole ^ears alone
in such contemplations and fanta^cai
meditations, which are like untd dreams,
and they will hardly be drawti'^from
them, or willingly interrupted ; so plea-
rant their vain conceits are, that they
hinder their ordinary tasks and necessayy
busiziess^ tbey cannot address themselves
to them, or almost to anyv study or emi-
ployment. These fantastical and be*
witching thoughts so covertly, eo feel-
ingly, SO- urgently, ^o ccHitinually srt
upon, creep in, insinuate, possess, over»
come, distract, and detain them; they
cannot, I say> i go about ' their more ne-
cessary business, stave efF or extiicate
themselves^ but are ever musing, .melan-

OF STEHNE. 69

cholizing, artd carried along, as he (they
say) that is led round about a heath with
a Puck in the night, they run earnestly
on in this labyrinth of anxious and soli-
citous melaneholy meditations, and can-
not well or willingly refrain, or easily
^cave ofij winding and unwinding tbein-
sePves, as so many clocks, and still j^eas-
ing their humours, until at last the scene
-is turned upon a suddien, by some bad
otgect, and they, being now habituated
4o such vain meditations and solitary
places, can endure no company, can
nnninate of nothing but harsh and dis-
tasteful subjects. Fear, sorrow, suspicion,
ntbrusticus pudar, discontent, cares, and
weariness of life surprise them in a mo*
ment, and theiy can think of nothing
else, continually suspecting. No sooner
are their eyes open, but this infernal
plague or melancholy seizeth on them,
and terrifies their souls, representing some
dismal object to their minds, which npw
by no means, no labour, no persuasions

fiQ ILLUSTRATICW^S

they can avoid: heret' later i kthcih
arundo.''* This paiss^ge diould be care^
fully read by young per$on$ of fine taste
and de^cate ^entlnients^ for it oontaim a
just account of the first inroads of n^elaft-
choly on susceptible imaginations* No-
thing is more seductive, or inore ha^
zardous to minds of this cast, than that
kind of mental lul^ury, which is genfS-
rally called castle-^mUdrng. It appears a
happy privilege to possess the directi<»
of an ideal world, into which we can
withdraw at pleasure, when di^usted
with the gross material scenes befoi?e us,
Jlut in. this fairy 4g.nd Jurk temhte pbm^
tbms, ready to seisje tho^ inoautioHSi wawr
derer, in moments iQf dejection and W^stkr
pess, and to deprive him for ^v?f of ^jvs?
and liberty, v ...

Burton has introduced a ^^at part fif '
these ideas into his poetical abstract of
ihelancholy.

* Anatomy of Melanclioly, p. 52, 5S. My copy
li the eighth edition, 1676. The first edition wae
published in 1617.

OF ;BTE|lNf:, 9.1

Wl^en I fo mijsing iUi alone^
Thinking of divere things fore-known.
When I build castles in ihe ftir«
V<^ 9f sqrrow, void of ft^fgr.
Pleasing myself with phantoms sweet,
Methinks the time runs very fleet.

All my joys to this are folly*

N^^qglit SQ s^veet as iQelaocboly.

When 1 go walking all alone,
Sacogn^ing wb^t | haye ill dpne«
My thoughts on me (h<^n tyranize, .
Fear and sorrow me surprise ;
Whether I t^rry piiW or go«
^ethinl^ the tipae ri^ns v^ry slo\v ;

All my grie& to this are jolly,

Nought so ftad as melancholy.

Wheii to nayself j( act and ^mil^,
With pleasing thoughto the time beguile.
By a brook-^ide, or wood so green,
UnMrd, uq^ppg^t for, w^i upsia^,
A thousand pleasures do nie bless.
And crown my soul with happiness.
All xAy. joys beside are folly, *
l^oqe so sweet as |n«lanol^i)|, jSKp^*

• The resemblance between these verses, and Mil-
t^n^i AlkgTQ anfl Penscroto, h^ been noticed by Mu
Warjon, Ooe line in the forn^ey,

T^hf CynQsnn of nelghl^ottrinf eyes^

was probably suggested by the followhig passage hk
Burton ; •' She is his Cynosure, Gi^eruf, an4 Vesperj^
his momittg ^n^ evening $tar'- p. 3 JO.

92 ILLUSTRATIONS

The first four chapters of Tristram
Shandy^ are founded on some passages
in Burton, which I shall transcribe.
Sterne's improvements I shall leave to
the reader's recollection.

" Filii ex senibus nati raro sunt firmi
temperamentij &c. Nam spiritus cere-
bri si tum mal6 afiiciantur, tales procre-
ant, & quales fuerint afiectus, tales fili-
orum, ex triscibus tri^tes, ex jucundis
jucundi nascuntur. [Cardan.] " If she
(the mother) be over-dull, heavy, angry,
.peevish, discontented^ and melancholy,
not only at the time of conception, but
even all the while she carries the child
in her womb (saith Femelius) her son
will be so likewise, and worse, as Lem-

nius adds, ^c. So many ways

are we plagued and punished for our
father's defaults ; * insomuch that as Fer-
nelius truly saith, it is the greatest part
of our felicity to be well-born, and it
were happy for human kind,-!* if only

f This idea runs through Tristram Shandy,
f See Tristram Sbandyj vol. viii, chap. 53.

OF STERNE. »5

sueh parenrts as arc sound of body and
mind should be suffered to marry.
Quanto Id. diligentius in procreandts
liberis observandum."* I cannot telp
thinkings that the first chapter or two of
the Memoirs of Scriblerus whetted Sterne's
invention, in thi^ as well as in other
instances of Mr. Shandy's peculiarities; ..
The forced introduction of the sneer at
the term non-naturals,-!- used in medicine^

♦ Anat. of Melanch p. 37. edit. 1676.

Quanto id diligentius in liberis procreandis caveiw
dum, sayeth Cardan. Tris. Shandy, vol. vi. eh. S^.
Among a number of pamphlets, which appeared after
the first two volumes of Tristram, one is entitled ' The
Clock-maker's Outcry against the Author of the Life
and Opinions of Tristram Shandy*^' He complaint
that the concluding part of Sterne's first chapter, had
rendered it indelicate to mention the winding up of
clocks; but he has not treated the idea . happily. I
strongly suspect* that Sterne took the incident allude
to, from the ' Description of a Country Life/ in the
supplementary volume to Tom Bro\^Ti*s works.

t Tris. Shandy, vol. i. chap. 23. — ** Why the most
natural actions of a man's life should be called his non-*
naturals, is another question." See Burton, p. 59.
The solution might be easily given, if it were worth
repeating. Dr Burton, of York, jiublished a book on
this sul^ecty which is here alluded to.

U ILLUStRATlO*.S

leads us bock to Burton, who hasi iilsi§ted
largely and repeittedly, on the abiri6 of
tbt functi6tis so denominated.

It fe very singular, that in the infro-^
duction to the Fragment oil Whiskers,
which contains an evident copy, Sterncf
should take occasion to abuse plagiarists.
** Shall we fdr ever make n6w books,
as apothecaries make new mixtures, by
pouring only out of one re^i iiito am>-
ther? Are we for ever to be twisting
and untwisting the same rope ? for ever
in the sanie track — ^for ever at the same
pace ? . And it is more singular that all
this declamation should be taken, word
for word, from Burton's introduction.

** ^s Apotfiecaries, we make new mixtures
every day^ pwr out of me vessel into mo^
iher; and as those old HomaHs robbed all
the cities of the worlds to set out their bad-
sited Rome, we skim off the cream of other
men*s wits, pick the choice /lowers of thehr
tilled gardens, to set out our omi sterile
plots.*** Again, " FTe weave t/ie same

* BQrton> p. 4.

timb um^ iiMxt ilm ^sMk topi agkh^ imA

^^^ Who made ^m, with powers wfe^ch
dkrt him fi^otn eatih to heavon m ^ iho*
mmt — ^that,gt^«, ihdt trtost eiccfeltettt,
and mow: ftoWe^reatitre of the wofld-^
thi^ miracle of n^mn?, ^ ^oro^ter in his
hodk «^ ^^*s^ called hiit]^-^he Sheeinah
of the pititf^ prte»nce, as Chrysostom —
the image of God, as Moses — ^dhtfe ray of
Dlvitiity, as Pfato— the mairvel of nA'ar-
r^i a^ Anstot}e--40 go sti^akiog oh at
thi^ piftftil^ piittptftg^ P^tty feggJttg rite rf

Who Would strsfjett this heroic straitt
to be a plagiarism ? yet such it is un-*
doufetedlyj and from the very first para-
g^kph of 6k6 Ahatomy of Melancholy, \
\Metfti sdys Burton, the most excettent
OAd liOblb tiretiheri df the world, tlk^ prin*
djifdl Atii ihigkhf tbork of God, wonder of
rtetdni, as Zordastes caUs him ; mdack
fUnunt imhicutum; the marvel of marveh,

t Tristram Shandy, yol. v. chap*i.
t Pastel.

95 ILLUSTRATIONS

as Plato; the abriigment and epitome*^
the world, as Pliny ; microcosmtis, a tittle
world, a model of the world, sovereign lord
of the earth, viceroy oj the world, sole
commander andgovertwr of all the creatures
in it *♦♦**, created of God's own image,
to that immortal and incorporeal substance^
with all the faculties and powers belongbig
ta it, was at first pure, divine, perfect,
h^ffpy, Xc.

** One denier, cried the order of mercy
— one single denier, in behalf of a thou*
sand patient captives, whose eyes look
towards heaven and you for their re-
demption.

^\ — T-The Lady Baussiere rode on. .

^* Pity the unhappy, s?Lid ^ devout,
venerable, hoary«headed man, meekly
holding up a box, begirt with iron, in
his withered hands — 1 begibr the upfor-
tunate — good, my lady, 't is for a prispi;!
—for an hospital— 'tis for a^i old, man —
a poor man undone by shipwreck, by
suretyship, by fire — I call Gbd. and all
his angels to witness — 't is to clothe the

OF STERNE. »7

tiaked — to feed the hungry — 't is to com-
fott the sick and the broken-hearted.

*• — ^ — The Lady Baussiere rode on.

•' A decayed kinsman bowed himself
to the gro\ind.

" - — - The Lady Baussiere rode on.

^ He ran begging bare-headed on one
side of her palfrey, conjuring her by the
former bohds of friendship, alliance, con-
sanguinity, &c.^ — cousin, aunt, sister, mo-
ther — for virtue's sake, for your own, for
mine, for Christ's sake, remember me^ —
pity me.

•' The Lady Baussiere rode on/' *

The citation of the original passage
from Burton will confirm all I bavd said
of his style.

'* A poor decayed kinsman of his sets
tq)on him by the way m all his Jollity^ and
runs lagging bare-headed by him, conjuring
him by those former bonds of friendship,
alRance, consanguinity, S(c. uncle, cousin^
krother, father, shew some pity for

* Trifltciifn Shandy^ vol. y. chap. i.

Vol. L q

98 ILLtfSTRATIONS

Christ's sake, pity a sick man, an old maa^
iCc. he cares not, ride on : pretend sickness,
inevitable loss of limbs, plead suretyship, or
shipwreck, fixes^ common calamities^ shew

thy wants and imperfections ^ swear,

protest, take God and. all his angels to mt^
ness, qiuere peregrinum, thou art a c$tmter^
feit crank, a cheater, he is not touched with
it, pauper vhique jacet, ride on, he takes
no notice of it. Put up a suppHcalim, to
him in the name of a thousand orphans, an
hospital, a spittle, a prison as he goes by,

they cry out to him for aid : ride on

<Shcw him a decayed lutven, a bridge, a
school, a fortification, SCc. or some public
work ; ride on. Good your worship, your
honour, for God's sake, your country's
sake : ride on."*

, This curious copy is followed up in
Tristram Shandy, by a chapter, and that
a long one, written almost entirely from
Burton, It is the consolation of Mr,
Shandy, on the death of brother Bobby^

^ Anat. of Melanch. p. 2(S9,

OP STERNE* 09

^ When Agrip[Haa.\vas told of her son's
death, Tacitus informs Cis, that, not being
able to moderate the violence of her pas*
sions, slie abruptly broke off her work.""
This quotation did not come to St€rne
from Tacitus. '^ Mexentius would not live

qfttr his son^ And Pompey's wife cried

out a the news (f het husband's death,
Turpe mori past te, Xc.-r^s Tacitus of
AgrippinOf not aide to moderate her pen-
sions. So when she heard her son was $Udn,
she abruptly broke off her work, changed
countenance and colour, tore her hair, and
fell a roaring downright. ^^ *

« T is either Plato," says Sterne, '' or
Plutarch, or Seneca, or Xenophon^ or.
Epictetus, or Tbeophrastus, or Lucian —
or some one, perhaps of later date — either
Cardan, or Budaeus, or Petrarcln or Stella
—or possibly it may be some divine
or father of tbe church, St, Austin, or
St- Cyprian, or Bernard, who affirm$^
that it is an irresistible and natural pas>

* Anat. of Melanch« p*^13«
G 2

100 ILLVSTRATIOIfS

sMt, to weep £6r the loes of our friends
or olnidreti'^^-atid Seneca, (I 'm positive)
tdk ite somewhere^ that such griefs em*
cuafe lhd»»elves best by that particiritr
diitvnel. And accordingly^ we find tbAU
DaVid wept ibr iiis son Absaloni^— Adrian
for his AntihouB*! — Niobe for herdnifc-N
dt^n^^aiid that. Apk)IkKlorus and Critc^
both &h^d tears for Socrates before hk'
dcafh/*— This b weH ralHed, as^ the fot
lowiftg passage will evince; but Storne^
should haire coi^ideired how n»uch be
Owed to poor old Biirtoo^

" Death and departwn 4(f friends are
things generalliji grievms ; Omnium qtut m
vitti humana c^ntfngimt^ luctus atque mors
sant acerbissimUj [Cardam de Consol. lib*
2.] the mast Mskre and bkter accidents
thif tan ftdppen to a man ^ (his iife, in
aiemum valedicere, t^ part fw ever^ t&^
fbtsake the xoarld and All our friends^ *t »
ullimam tertibilktm, the tost and the greatest

^ The time has been, when this conjunction with the
King of Israel would htive smelt a litfl^ of the.&ggot.

terror^ most irksome and trtmJblesame unto
7ds, Xe^'-^Nity »any gmttm^ spirits, and
grave staid meri athenmse, are w tender in
dkiSf that at ttie Ims «f a dear friend they
wUl cry 0(^9 roar^ and tear tktir hair,
lamtMing some months after, hoxding O
honej as those Irish wanien and Greeks at
their graves' tommit many wtdecent ae-
aiom/' Kc.^^ AH this is corrpbomted by
quptamns 6*omOrtdw6» Catuttos, Virgil,
Lucan, and Tacitvis* I take them in the
^order assigned diem by .Burtdn, For. he
says, wit^ g^eat probability of nim^dlC
^batibeconunooly wrote as fast as possible,
and poured out bis quotations just as they
itappened to ocour to his memory. But
te proceed with Mr« 9hiaindy's consolar
tion.

*' T i» an inevitable «haiioe*-«<^the first
statute in Magna Chart»*^it is ajn eveV-
lasting -act of Parliament^ My dear brotlicr
— all must die/'-f*

t Tristram fibatidy, voLv. chap. 3.
G 3

102 ILLUSTRAMONS

" 'Tis an ineoitabk chance, ^thf first
ttatute in Magna Ckarta, an evertasting
act of Parliament, ail must dk.* "

•' When Tally was ber^t of his dear
daughteir Tultia, at fipet he 4aid it to his
heart — ^he listened to the voice of nature^
and modulated his own unto it» ifc--^
But as soon as he began to look into the
stDfes of philosophy^ aad conskierhow
many Excellent things might he said upon
the occasion-*— ndbody upon earth can
conceive, s&ys the grrat orator, how joy-
ful, how happy it made me/'-f-

** Tuliy was muck grieved fm^ his daugh^
tcr TuUiMs death at first, untU suck time
that he hadcof^rmed his mind with som£
philosophical precepts,: then he began to tri^-
umph oi)€r fortune and grief and for her
reception into heaven to be much mote joyed
than before he was troubled for her hss.^'X

Sterne is ujicbaritable here tp poor
Cicero, — i

* Anat« of Melandi. p. 245*
t Sterne. | Btiftoii« ^

*6F STERNE. 103

•- ' ** Kingdoms and provinces, and towns
and cities, have they not their periods ?
WhCTe is Troy, and Mycene, and Thel)es,
and Delos, and Persepolis, and Agrigen-
turn. — — What is become, brother Toby,
of Nineveh and Babylon, of Cyzicum and
Mytilcne ; the fairest tov^^ns that iever the
sun rose upon, are now no more."*

^"^Kingdoms, provinces, cities, and towns,*'
says Burton, " have their pmods, and are
t<msumed. In those flourishing times of -
Trotf^ Mycene was the fairest city in Greece,
- — ^rlntt it, alasi and that Assyrian Niniw
are quite overthrown. The like jate hath
that Egyptian and Baotiaji Thebes, Dclos;
the common council^house of Greece^ and
Bahybm, the ^eatest city that ever the
sun shone on, hath now nothing but walls
and i-ubbish left.''-- — And where i> Troy
Itself noto, Persepolis, Carthage, Cizicum,
Sparta, Argos, and all those Grecian ci-
ties f Syracuse and Agrigentum, (he fair-
est towns in Sicily^ which had sometimes

* Sterne.
G 4

104 ILLUSTRATION*

seven hundred thousand inhabitants, are naw
decayed.''

Let us follow Sterne again. ** Return*^
ing out of Asia> when I sailed from
iEgina towards Megara, I began to view
the country round about* i£gina was
behind me, Megara was before^ Pyrs^us
on the right hand, Corinth on the left.
What flourishing towns now prostrate on
the earth ! Alas'! alas ! said I to myself,
that a man should disturb his soul for the
loss of a child, when so much as this lies
awfully buried in his presence* Re-
member, said I to myself again — ^remem-
ber that thou art but a man/'

This is, with som? slight variations^
Burton's translation of ServiusV letter^
Sterne alters just enough,' to shew that
he had not attended to the original. Bur*
ton's version follows.

'* Returning out of Asia, when I sidled
from Mgina towards Megara, I began to
view tfie countiy round about* JEgina was
behind me, Megara before, Pynseus on the

OF 8TBENS. \^ \ 505

right hand, Cmrah m the left; tma^J^
fishing towns heret^Jbre, now prostrate and
ovemoh^lnied before mine eyes ? Aias, wh^
itte we 7rien so Ttmck disquieted with the
departure of a friend^ whose life is much
shorter? when so many goodb/ cities lie buried
before us. Remember , O Sennus thou art
a man ; and tvith that I was much cmfirmed^
and corrected myself**

** My son is dead/* sayfi? Mr. Shandy^
'* so much the better,* 't is a shame in
«uch a tempest, \(i have but one anchor/'

/, btit he was my most deitf and loving

^/riend, quoth Burton, my sole friend-^

Thou marst be ashamed, I ktywith Seneca,

to confess it, in suck a tempest as this^ to

have bid one anchor.

'* But, continues Mr. Shawdy, ** he i%
gone for ever fronLus ! be it so. He ie
got from under the hands of his barber
before he was bald. He is but risen fronn,
a feast before he was surfeited— from a
banquet betbre be had got druken. The

^ This » an aukward member of the aeiitftiic«»

IM ILLUSTRATIONS

Thrackins vrept when a child was born,
tod feasted and made merry when a man
went out of the world, and with reason*
Is it not better not to hunger at all, than
to eat ? not to thirst, than to take physic
to cure it ? Is it not better to be freed
from cares and agues, love and melan-
choly, and the other hot and cold fits of
life,* than, like a galled traveller, who
comes weaty to his inn, to be bound to
begin his journey afresh ?"

I shall follow Burton's collections as
they stand in Jbis own order. f- " Tlwu
dost him great injury to desire his longer
l^. Wilt thou have him crazed and sickly
still. Hie a tired traveller that comes weary

to his tmi, begin his journey afresh ? ^

He is now gone to eternity ^as if he had

risen, saith Plutarch, from the midst qf a

* This appr^tches to one of Shakespeare's happy
expressions :

Duncan is in his grave :

After lif^sfiijul fever he sleeps. wbU*

f Sterne has commpnly reversed the arrangement,
Irhich produces a strong ^ect in the comparison.

^fisast 6€f0nsfiex&asdrtmk,--—*Is it no^jtmck
better not to hunger at'diy than to eat: v0t
to tfdrst, than :to drink to satisfy thirst; not
to be cold^ than to t put on ththts to drive
away cold? Ymihad wore need rejoice tiutt
I ant freed from diseases, agues, Kc. The
Thraeians wept still token a child was bom,
feasted and made mirtk when any man was
buried: and so should we rather be, glad for
such as/ die xvell, that: tftey are, so iioppify
feed from the miseries of th&s Ufi.^.

Again—" Consider, brother Toby, —
when we are, ^eath is not, and wh6n
death isr we are not/-— ^So Burton trans-
lato a passage in Senega: Wfien we, are,
death is not ; but when death is, then we are
not.X The original words are^ quum tios
smmis, mors non adest; cum vero mors
adust, turn iws nonsumus.

* This is a mere translation from Lacian*. v$fi

nevBHi : «« mou^ h hi to iA li^nv, vohi nioo^Gv th

vuh, MM TO yA vtim^ fir foftn, xtfi rl fAti fty&fy rm

-afiwixivni itfV<fM l-'-^Btxrtoxi h^ quoted bb author

fairly-.

t Anat. of Mel, p. 216. J p, Qiy

)M ILLUnHATIONS

'A For Biis reason, canittnued my father,
*t is -worthy to recollect, how little alterar
tioD in great nien the approaches of deadt
have made. Vespasian died in a jest
Galba with a sentence— *Septimios Severus
io a dispatch ; Tifaertus in dissimulation*
and C«sar Augustus in a compliment/'
This conclusion of m remarkable a chap-
tec is copied^ omitting some quotatibns,
'almost verbatim, firom Lord Varukm's
Essay on death.

Sterne has taken two other passages

from this short essay: "There is no

-terror, brother Toby, in its lo0ks,^ but

.what it borrows from groaxis and convul-

sk)ns — ^and the blowing of hoses, and

the wiping away of tears with the bo^

toms of curtains in a dying man's room/*

Thus Bacon — Groans and convulsiimi, mid

discoloured face, and friends weeping, and

htacks, and obsequies, and the like, shew

^ death t^nible^ Again, Corporal Trim, in

. Jais harangue, " in hot pursuit, the w^ound

itself which brings, him is not fek/'-—

Bacon says, I£e tfiat dies in an earnest pur-

suit, is like €m that is wounded in h^ hhod,
who for the time sc4trce feels the hurt. -

Among these losltaQces of remai'k^Jb^
deaths^ I am surprised that tl;^ curious.
stor)r of Cardinal . Bentivoglio did not
occur to Sterne. When , the, CSardinal
entered the conclave, jMiter Ae death q^
Urban yill, he vi^as ur^artqjiatdy lodgjied
in the chamber ne^ ip ooe who $Iept
and snored quantum f^Urat^ says Erytb-
raeus^ all night long* . Poor Bentivoglio^
worn down to a shadow by his literary
pursuit^ and his disi^ppointoientSi . and
already but ,too wakeful,, passed eleven
nights without sleep, by the snoring of
his neighbour; when symptoms of fever
appearing, he was removed to a more
quiet room, in which he soon finished
his days,*

We must have rec^oiirse . to Burton
again, for pan of the Tristra-P^ia.
" O blessed health! cried my father,
making an exclaiuatioa^ as he turned
over the leaves to the next chapter, —

• JaiK J^ic. Erythr». Pinacothec* alter, p. 37.

no ILLdStSAtlOi/S

thou art above all gold and treasure; 'tis
thou who enhrgcst the soul, — and openest
all its powers to receive instruction, and
to relish virtue, — He that has thee, has
little more to wish fot- ; and he that is so
wretched as to want thee,— wants every
thing with thee.'' * '

O blessed health ! says Burton, thou art
above all gold and treasure; [Eccleslast.]
the poor marCs riches, the rich maris bliss,
without thee there can be no happiness 'f

O beata sanitas, te presente amcenum
Yer floret gratiis, absque te nemo beatus.

But I should, in order, have noticed
first an exclamation at the end of chap-
ter IX. in the spirit of which no body
could expect Sterne to be original. |;

* Chap, xxxiii. vol. v.

t Page 10*. Ibid* page 276;

I It hM indeed |)een exprQ3S)ed> with singular Wfirmtli
and beauty, by Aristophanes :

fxi ^Oovei TM^iv vsat<ri.

^otinte^vi^ti firipioctif ,-

nam TOi^ fxihoii sTrayQu.

1E«* 1.900.

OF STERNE.'^ fit

" Now I lore you for this— and 't is 4Ktt
delicious mixture witfatn you, which
makes y(Hi, dear creatufres, what you ar^
i-^and he who hates you for it-~all I eart
say of the matter is, That ^e has a pumpi
kin for his head, orapippiti for his heart;
*— and whenever he is diss^ct^d 't will hft
found so/ •-—Burton's quotation fe : Sat
vim rum sensk amoris, mU lapis est^ aik
bellua: which he translates thus : Ife ft
7wt a man^ a blocks a very stone ^ out Numen^f
out Nebuchadnezzar, he fiath a gourd f(k
his head, a pippin for his heart, that hath
not felt the power of it.

In chap, xxxvi. vol. VI. Sterne has
picked out a few quotations from Burton's
Essay on Love-Melancholy,* which af^
ford nothing very remarkable, except
Sterne's boldness in quoting quotations.

By help of another extract -f- from Bur-
ton, Sterne makes a great figure as i
curious reader : *' I hate to make niy&i

♦ See Burton, p. 310. & seq. ^ ^

t Trist Shandy, vol. vii. 9http. xili.^'

fl^ ILLUSTRATIONS

l«»[ie$ of nothing ;— :*t is the cold cautious^
Dess of one of thwe Uttle aouls from which
L^ssius (I'lh^r ;Kii^. de moriUis divtnis*
(i^. zxiy.) hii9:(Pikde his estimate^ wherein
h^ setteth forth, That one Dutch mile,
i^ubicaUy Aiultiplied, Will allow room
enqugh, and to spare, for eight hundred
thousand niillions, which he suppcisea to
be as great a number of souls (cpunting
from the £ill of Adam) as can possibly

be damn'd to the end of the world.

I am much more at a loss to know what
^ould be in Franciscus Ribera's head,
who pretends that no less a sp^ce than
one of two hupd^ed Italian miles, multi-
plied into itself, will be sufficient to hold
the like number'-4)e certainly must liave
gone upon some of tl>e old Roman
souV Ace.

The succeeding raillery sa very wfell,
but unfair with respect to the mathe*
matical theologist, as the original passage
will prove, " Franciscus Ribera, in cap.
14. Apocali/ps. will fiave hell a material

OF STERNE. . U3

nnd local fire in the centre efthe earth, two
hundred Italian nutes in diameter, as he
defines it out of those words, Exivit sanguis
de terra — per Stadia ndUe sexcenta, SCc.
But Lessius, lib. xUi. de moribus divinis,
cap. 24. will have this local hell far less,
one Dutch mile in diameter, all filled with
fire and brimstone; because,, as he there,
demonstrates, that space cubically multiplied
will wake a spliere able to hold eight hundred
thousand millions of damned bodies, (allow-
ing each body six foot square) which will
abundantly sufficed' [I believe the damned, ,
upon I^ius's scheme, would be less
crpuded, than the victims of the African
slave-trade have often been, on the middle
passage.] *' Cum certum sit, inguit, facta
subductione, vjon futuros centies nulle milli-'
ones damnandorum.*' *

Lucian, in his Nea/omantia, allows
only a foot to each of the shades ; but
the opponents of some late acts of the

' * Anat. of Melanch. p. 150.

Vol, I. H

*Sm

Hi ILLUSTRATIONS

legislature must not pride tl>emselves in
his |>atronage. He supposed the tenants
of his more raerciful hell to be only
skeletons^ or the shadows, ^htch had
accompanied the patifral bodies of men
upon earth,*

Again, at the end of the same chapter
in Tristram Shandy ; " but where am I ?
and into what a delicious riot of things
dm I rushing ? I — I who must be cut
short in the midst of my days," &c.
Burton concludes his chapter **on Miids*,

. Nuns', and Widows* Melancholy,** in
the same manner. " But where am I ?
into what sublet have I rushed? What
have I to do?'' '\' SCc.

The preface to Tristram, which is

. whimsically placed near the end of the
third volume, contains another of Bur-
ton's sallies. ** Lay hold of me, — ^I am
giddy — I am stone-blind — I *m dying-—
I am gcme — Help ! help ! help P* —

« A'jrainB; yap arfxiw; a>Xii^oi^ ytmvm oftoiot^ taw orew
ypyvfjivsofASvuv.*** exetmo J* bit* o^hXpi^ OfjieiifpQi^ flrc
t Page 124,

.JBU

Oir STEtKE. 115

Burton, in bis DigressioM of Ah, stops
k'knself in a metaphysical ramble^ in the
same manner. But, hogti I amnmv gme
quite out of sight : I am almost giddy with

It was observed to me by Mr. Isaac
Read, that Sterne had made use of the
notes tp Blount's Translation of PkHos^
tratiis. The most striking resemblances
are contained in Blount's Observations
on Death, in which he has copied nearly
the u'hole of Lord Verulam's Essay on
that subject. Blount also declared war
against gravity of manners, and there
are aiany eccentricities scattered through
hi^ annotations (which are almost as
bulky as the explanatory notes to our
ir^od^n poems) lihat Sterne had turned
to his own account, though it is difficult
to traca them distinctly.

I shall just observe by the way, that a
pretty passage in the Story of the King of
Bohemia and his seven castles ; — " MO-
DESTY scarce touches with a finger what
H2

116 ILLUSTRATIONS

LiBERAUTY ofFefs her witb both her
hands open" — alludes to a picture of
Guido'89 the design of which it descdfoea.
tolerably well.

Retoumons a nos nwutans, as Rabelais.

Would say ; in matters of painting, it is

dangerous for a man to trust his own

.eyes, till he has taken his degree of

Connoisseur.

It confirms me strongly in the belief
that the character of Mr. !%andy is a
personification of the authoi-ship of Buih
t&ni; when I find such a passage as the
following in Sterne. *' There is a Phi-
lippic in verse on some body's eye or
other, that for two or three nights toge-
ther had put him by his rest; which,
in his first transport of resentment again^
it, he begins tlius :

'* A devil *t is—and mischief such doth work.
As never yet did Pagan, Jew, or Turk/^

This choice couplet is quoted by Bur-
ton* from some bad poet, now unkpown,

* Pag653I.

OF STERNE. 117

t f whose name he only gives the initials.

'* Hilarion the hermit, in speaking of
his' abstinence, his watchings, flagella-
tions, and other instrumental parts of his
religion,— ^would say — ^though with more
facetiousness than became an hermit —
That they were the means l^e used, to
make his ass (meaning his body) leave
off kicking."*

'' By this means Hilarion made his ass,
as he called his awn body, leave kicking (so
Jlierome relates pf him in his life) when the
Devil tempted him to any foul offence.**^

«< I wish, Yorick^ said my father, you
had read Plato; for there you would
have learnt that there are two Loves — —
of these loves, according to Ficinus's
comment upon Velasius, the one is ra*
tioinal — the other is natural — ^the first
ancient — without mother — where Venus
has nothing to do : the second, begotten
of Jupiter and Dione — '*\

* Tris, Shandy, vol, yiii. chap. xfxi.
t Burton, p. S33.

♦ Tris. Shandy, vol. viii. chap, xxxiii.

H 3

118 ILLUSTEATIONS

'* One Venus is €mcient^ wthmit m mmkir,
and descended from heaveny wham we call
caleaioL The younger begotten ^f Jupiter
<md Dhne^ xvhom c^mmoTify we call Venus.
Ficmusj in his c&mment upoft this place,
cap. 8, following Plato, called these two
loves, two devils, or good and had angeis
according to us, wlOck are still kovering
about our souJs.-f

Mr« Sihandy; observCB, on his son's
Circumcision, that the trine aiid eoUife
aspecris have jumped awry* This is taken
froni Burton4 ^Many other smAll pla-
giarisms might be uotioed, but I shall
confine, my observations to those of more
consequence*

The fragiaent respecting the Afcde-
ntans^ in the Sentimental Journey, is
taken from Burton's chapter of Artificial
Aiiuremjmts. || At Abdera in Thrace, (says
Burton) Andromeda, one of Eoixipides^ tm-

* Velasias is quoted through Sill the preceding
passages in Burton.

t Page 260.

X Page 263. Obfccts <fLove'

n Page 301,

OF STKRNE. 119

gedks h€mg played, the spectators were so
much moved wkh the object, and those
pathetical speeches of Perseus, among the
rest, O Cxipid, prince of gods and vien, Kc\
that every manMmost, a good while after,
spake pure lambH^s, and rax^d still on Per--
setis's speech, O Cupid, prince of gods and
men. .As car^men, boys, and prentices,
when a new song is published with us, go
singing tlnot new tune still in the stivets,
they coniinuaUy acted that tragical part (f
Perseus, and in every man's mouth wasy
O Ciqnd, in every street, O Cupid, in every
house almost, O Cupid, prince of gods and
7n£n ; * promuncing still, like stage-players,
O Cufid. They were so possessed all zuith
that raptwref and thought of that pathetical
love-^eech, they could not, a long time after,
Sorget, or drive it oitt of their minds, but,
O Cupid, prince of gods and men, was ever
in their mouth. Why Sterne should have
called this a fragment, I cannot imagine;
unless, as Burton forgot to quote his
author^ Sterne was not aware that tlie
H 4

120 IHUSTRATIONS

Story was taken from the introduction to
Lucian'8 Essay on the Method of Writing
History,

Burton has spoiled this passage by an
unfaithful translation. Sterne has worked
it up to a beautiful picture, but very
different from the ori^al in Lucian,
with which, I am persuaded, he was
unacquainted.

That part of Mr. Shandy's letter to
Uncle Toby, which consists of obsolete
medical practices, is taken from one of
Burton's chapters on the cure of Love-
Melancholy.*

Gordonius's prescription of a severe
beating for the cure of love, seems to
have entertained Sterne greatly. This
remedy was once a favourite with phy-
sicians, in the cure of many diseases:
there was then good reason for giving
Birch a place in the dispensatories. To
say nothing of Luther's practice in the

* Anatomy of Melancholy, p. 333, to 335.

OF STERNE. \tX

case of his maid-servant^ which I shall
have occasion to mention afterwards, we
find in the Appendix to Wep£er's Historiit
apoplecticorum, an account of a soldier,
who prevented an attack of the apoplexy,
by flogging himself, till blood ran freely
from his back and nostrils. Oribasius,
one of th» virtuosi of that time, wrote to
reccwnmend whipping in fevers. Dr.
Musgrave quotes a German physician,
who cure4 two of his patients qf dysen-
tery, by drubbing them as much as was
sufficient.*

The practice of these terrible doctors
among unfortunate lunatics, is too noto-
rious. One of them directs the applica-
tion for love-melancholy in this elegant
manner, in his book ; sijuvenis est, jiagcU
letur ejus cuius cum verberibus,^ et si rum
sistit, ponatur in fundo turris cupi poM et
aqua, iXc.

Campanella tells a curious story of an
Italian prince, an excellent musician,

* Ofthe qualities of the nerveSj, p, 1^8%
f Meib(»Dlu8« p. 5j et seq.

12i ILLUSTRATIONS

qui ttlvum deponere nan poterat, nisi verbe^
ratus a servo ad id adscito.^ I omit many
other prescriptions of the same kiad.
These instances are sufficient to establidi
the predilection of the faculty for this
practice^*^ which Butler has so highly
celebrated for its moral tendency :

Whipping that 's virtue's governess,
Tut'ress of arts and sciences ;
That Blends tbe grots mistakes of nature.
And puts new life into dull matter ;
That lays foundation for renown.
And edl the hoaoors of the gewn.^

Peter 1. of Russia seems to have
adopted . this philosophy, for we are
assured that he was accustomed to cane
his ministers and courtiers, for high mis-
demeanors, with his own imperial hands.

* Idem?

f I observe that the practice of whipping* in medi-
cine, was revived, in North America, by Dr. Seaman^
who applied a horse-whip to a patient whoixad taken
an over-dose of opium- The method succeeded.

Medical Repository, New York, vol. iii. p. 150.
1799. ^ ■

X Hudibras^ part ii. canto i.

OF STERNE. ISft

Sterne has xnade frequent references to

Montaigne : the best commentary on the

fifth cftapternrfTristmm Shandy, vol, viic.

is Montaigne's essay on the subject of that

chapter.

Charges of Plagiarism in his Sermons
have been brought against Starne, which
I have not been anxious to investigate,
as in that species of composition, the
principal matter must consist of repeti*
tkms. But it has long been my oplnioa,
that the manner, the style, and the seieo-
tion of subjects for those Sermons, were
derived from the excellent Conteniplgtianx
of Bidhop tiall. There is a delicacy of
thought, and tenderness of expression io
the good Bishop's compositions, fn3m the
transfusion of which Sterne looked for
immortality.

Let us compare that singular Sermon,
entiried THE Levite and his Concu-
bine, with part qIl the Bishop's Contemn*
plation of the LevITE'S CONCUBINE. I
shall foUpw Sterne's order.

Ifi^ ILLUSTRATIONS

" ~- Then shame and grief go with
her^ and wherever she,seek$ a shelter,
may the hand of justice shut the door
against her."*

" What husband would not have said — She
is gone, let shame mid grief go with Iter ;
J sJudl find one no less pkasing^ and more
faithful.^

'* Our annotators tell us, that in Jewish
{gconomcAs, these (concubines) differed
little from the wife, except in some out-
ward ceremonies and stipulations, but
agreed with her in all the true essences
of marriage. ":|:

The law of God, says the Bishop, allmved
the Levite a wife ; human connivance a con-
cubine ; neither did the Jewish concubine
differ from a wife, but in some outward
CQmpliments ,- both might challenge all the
true essence of marriage.

* Sterne, Sermon xviii.

+ Bp. Hall's Works, p. 1017.

1 Sterne loc. citat.

OF STEBNE. tt$

I shall omit the greater part of the
Levite's $olioquy, in Sterne, and only
take the last sentences.

** Mercy well becomes the heart of all
thy creatures, but most of thy servant, a
I^vite^ who offers up so many daily
siacrifices to thee, for the transgressions
of thy people."

. — " But to little purpose," he would
add, " have I served at thy altar, where
my business was to sue for mercy, had
I not leartfd to. practise it."

Mercy, says Bisliop Hall, becomes well
the heart of any man, but most of a Lemte.
He that Imd helped to offer so many sacri-
fices to God for the multitude of evay
Israelite's sins, saw horn proportionable it
was, that ifuftt should not hold one sin un-*
pardonabU. He had served at the altar to
no purpose, if he (whose trade xikts to sue for
mercy ) had not at all learned to practise it.

It were needless to pursue the parallel.

Sterne's twelfth Sermon, on the For-
giveness of Injuries, is merely a dilated

K»r ILLVSTHATKMfS. .

commentaiy on the beautlfui conclusion
of the drntemplatkn * of Joseph/

The sixteenth Sennon contains a more*
striking imitation. ^ There is no small
degnee of malicious craft in fixing upon
a season to give a mark of enmity aiuf
ilUwill ;— a word, a look, which, at one
time, would make no impftessipm,^ — 9X
mother time, wounds the^ bedrt; and
like a shaft flying with the win4, piercer
deep, which with its own natural force,
would scarce have reached the ol]gect
aimed at."

This is little varied from the original :
There is m small cmelfy in the picking aut
of a time for mischief; that word would
scarce gall at one season^ which at anoiker
kilkth. The same shaft Jlyi^ with ike
wind pierces deep, which against it, ^cm
hardly Jind strength to stick uprightJ^

In Sterne's fifth Sermon, the Contempyh
iion of ' Elijah with the Sareptafn, > is

« Hall'c^ Shimei Oirskig.

OF STBRNE. I2T

closely folknvcd. Witness this passage
out of others : ^ The prophet follows the
cali of his God :-— the same hand which
brought him to the gate of the city, had
led also the poor widow out of her doors^
oppressed with sorrow."*

The prophet follows the caH of his God;
the same hand that brought him ta the gate
of Sarepta, led also this poor widow out of
her doars.^

The succeeding passages which corres-
pond, are too long for insertion.

Sterne has acknowledged his acquaint-
ance with this book, by the disingenuity
of two ludicrous quotations in Tristram
Shandy.:|;

The use which Sterne made of Burton
and Hall, and his great familiarity with
their works, had considerable influence
on his style ; it was rendered, by assimi-
lation with their's, more easy, more
natural, and more expressive. Every

* Sterne*

t Bishop Hall, p. lS2if.

X Vol. i. chap. xxii. and vol, vii. chap, xiiu

128 ILLUSTRATIONS

writer of taste and feeling must indeed
be invigorated, by drinking at the " well
of English undefiled;" but like the
Fountain of Youth, celebrated in the old
romances, its waters generally elude the
utmost efforts of those who strive to ap-
propriate them.

-4^

OFSTBRNfi. 129

CHAPTER V.

Of the personages of Tristram Shandy.
Anecdotes of Doctor Slop.

X HERE are some peculiarities in the
principal characters of Tristram Shandy,
which render it probable that Sterne
copied theni from real life. My en-
quiries at York have thrown no light on
this subject, excepting what regards the
personage of Doctor Slop. From some
publications which accidentally fell into
my hands, I had fomied a conjecture,
which Dr. Belcomb assures me is sup-
ported by tradition, that under this title,
Sterne meant to satirize Dr. JOHK BURTON,
of York.

Dr. Burton's treatise on midwifery,
which was published in 1751, agrees in

Vol.1. ' I

ISO ILLUSTRATIONS

many respects with the work ascribed to
Dr. Slop. It is distinguished by that
zeal for the horrible mechanism of the
arty which was carried to an excess at
that period : the /«re tete, the then newly
invented forceps, and other instruments
of torture and misery, appear in his
sculptures; and the whole composition
is calculated to produce, in unprofessional
readers, mingled sensations of ridicule and
disgust.

The squabble between Dr. Burton and
Dr. Smellie is clearly referred to, in
Tristram Shandy, vol. ii. p. 119. Smellie,
who was an ignorant man, mbtook the
liead^-piece of a print, in a collection of
obstetrical works, for the name of an
author, and quoted^ Uthopadus Senonemis
with much gravity.

* •* The seventeenth avthor, collected* as you tell
"ud, by Spachhu, is Lithopadm Senonensis, which
.*' instead of being an author, b only the drawing <rf a
«' petrified child* when taken from its mother* after
^' she was opened ; and this is evident from the title*
*' Idihopadii Senoncntis Icon, which* with the expla*
*' nation* is contained in one single page only/'

Burtim's Letter to Smellie^ p. 21.

OF STERNE. 131

Dr. Burton wrote a treatise, also, on
the Non-Naturals, which provoked a
sneer from Sterne.*

Neither of these works would afford
extracts capable of interesting, even me-
dical readers, at the present time. But
I am in possession of two pamphlets,
relating to this autlior, which place his
character in a different point of view,
and which, perhaps, had some share in
Exciting the severity of Sterne.

By the first of these, which was pub-
lished at York, in 1749, by Dr. Burton
himself, it appears that he had been a
zealous Jacobite; and that, in 1745, he
was committed to the castle of York, on
suspicion of high treason. Dr. Sterne,
then Archdeacon of Cleveland, was one
of the miagistrates who committed him,

* Tris. Shandy> vol. i. chap. 23. — '* Why the most
natural actions of a man^s life should be called his non-
naturals^ is another question/' See Barton, page 39*
The solution might be easily given, if it were worth
repeating. Dr. Burton of York published a ^book on
this subject, which is here alluded to.

15

isa ILLUSTRATIONS

of whom he speaks with stngular asperky,
though his own conduct appears to have
been very suspicious.

It aeenis» from his crnn account,, that
when the rebel army was advancing^
towards Lancashif^ in 17 45, Dn Button
was seen with a party of them at Homby^
'He accounts for this, by asserting thait he
was with them as a prisoner; but as. he
had left York, apparently Uf throw him^
self in their way, and as he returned'
unmolegted, it cannot be surprizing that,
in such a fearful and ^mxiou&time, he
^ould ber thrown into confinement.
Dr. Burtbn, however, imputes his arrest
to animosities, excited by his activity, in
a contested election for the county, . and
labours to persuade (he reader, that Brit-
ish liberty was endangered by hw deten-
tion. Perhaps a specimen of tfr. Slop's
style may not be unacceptable.

'* On December the 3d, Dr. Sterne
^ published a paragraph in one of the
'* newspapers, which was reprinted in
*'the London Evening Post, and is as

pF 8TEBNE. 1S3

^^ loUbwis, rid. on Saturday last Dr. Bur-
'f ton Vv committed to York castle by
'^ the Recorder and Dr. Sterne, as Justices
^* for the Wes^ Riding of this county.
<^ It appearii^ from his own confession
" that he went to Hornby, knowing the
^' Riebels were there, and upfon a ^up-
^^ position tihat the Duke of Perth wbs
*' there, wrote » letter to him which
'^ being^pened by Lo«d Elcho he was
** sent for up by two Highlanders to the
^ Gastle, and as he says carried along
^^ with them as a pri^ner to Lancaster,
^' where be conversed with Lord George
^ Murray and a person called his royal
^* highness Prince Charles. There was
^ the greatest satisfaction expressed at his
^ commitment from the highest to the
f* lowest person in the city, that has been
^ known here upon atiy occasion/' In
^ ray remarks- upon this paragraph I
^ shall cohsiiler it under three articles,

" First, as to my being committed for
^ matters of hi^ trieafson, as mentioned
13

13 1 ILLUSTRATIONS

" on the back of the warrant of detainer.

" Secondly, as to confessing I had
'' been with the Rebels ; and

" Thirdly, as to the great rejoicings
''among all degrees of people of all
*' parties.

" First, that I was not committed for
" high treason, I need bring no other
" proof than the commitment itself
" wherein it was only said " I was a
-'suspicious person to his Majesty*s
"government" Dr. Sterne also wrote
'' several letters to his acquaintance,
" wherein he said I was committed for
" high treason, I can mention some to
" whom they were wrote, and others to
" whom they were shown. Dj. Sterne
'^ also told a gentleman who was at his
" home, .that had I a thousand lives, he

'* (S ^n) had as much treason there

" (pointing to a table whereon lay a
" heap of papers) as would take them
"all.

" There are two ways to come at the

€4

OF STERNE. 135

*' truth in treasonable practices, the one
*' is by positive proof, (which in case of
^* high treason is absolutely required), or

by the party accused own confession.

Now it is evident neither of these ap-
** peared against me, notwithstanding
''one of the* most malicious and strict
'* scrutinies that party rage could suggest.

" S n here brings a heavy charge

** upon himself, for had he such proofs
*' of my being guilty of high treason (as

" he declared to Mn B d) why did

'* he not produce them ? and any one
** who has proof of another's being
"guilty of high treason, and conceals
'* it, fyis under the heavy penalty of
'* mis-prision of treason, sO that he is
*' under that dilemma of being guilty of
*' spreading the greatest falsehood, or of
'^ mis-prision of treason.

*' I shall now proceed to the second

'* article, and shew how he has mis-

'* represented things by asserting that I

** confessed I had heeii with the Re-

14

U« ILLUSTRATIONS

" bels. S ^Q wouid intimate to the

'* world that I had confessed I had been
*^ with the JS^ebels to join aid apd aasiot
.*' tbetDj Fll appeal to every man's own
" breast, whether he would not absolutely

*• take it in that light from S -*5 maa^

** ner of exjM'essing himself,

'^ I must observe to this upright man,
*' that in every confession (for so he was
<^ pleased to call the aocouot of what
" befel me ds above) the sense and mean^
^^ ing ^ the wbple must be taken toge-
" ther« It is not our business to pick
"put a part of a sentence, or a few
'• words^ ftnd japply them to what pur-
" ppse we please) for by that method I
/' could bring words to prove from the

" New Testament that J>n S n ought

" to be hanged here and damned bere^
" after. As D. S— i — ^n had undertook
^' to tell a part as truth, he should have
'* told the truth and notbmg j^ut jlhe
^' truth, he should have tpld Uie le^aUty
^' pf my call into that mei^bourWod

'^ mhere I wa^ ^kfi» priaoQor, 90d ^
*' necessity of my* goic^ . the^» ^^p« and
<^ thejfi be. would not have been to bl^me^
*' I come now to the ccHiclusion of this
^' ever memorable i^^grapk i;(^bere S— n
<' $ays that on this occmon, meaning
fVmy eommitmenty there was the gr^oest
t" re[pi(?ings by all degrees of pepple, of
*^ all p^utrfs ever koown iq>Qfi i^y poqa-
^f sipn.

, '* JJere again S— ^ — a has mi^-repre*
*^ rented the trmh as wa^ evident to all
^' the inhabitants of the city of York, and
f^ neighbourhood, o&y, his owa printer's
<* jovm^yman, or servant, whose. bread
f^ depended uppn S » ? ^ n , was 30 con-
f' scious to himself, that every person
^ who were then acquainted with me
^^ must know that part of the paragraph
<* to be false^ and therefore be^^d leave

>^ to omit it, but S n ordered hm tQ

f^ print it as he had wiptc it,

*' How I became then sp popular is
t'^pn^rer 69t another pen to sbcw ^an

118 ILLUSTRATIONS

^' mine, but that these very persecutors
'• knev^ it is evident, for when it would
'^ serve their turn to distress me in any.
'^ ^ape, then my popularity was always
^' urged as an argument against me, and
*^ as such was made use of in the very
" best opportunity they had of shewing
''their tender regard for me, I mean
** when went I to London. This argu-
•' ment was then pushed as a reason for
^ the necessity of having a guard of sol-
*' diers along with me to London, and
^' for putting me into irons, though at
V that very time I had the gout in both
''feet, both knees, and in my right
"hand, unable to move without the
" assistance of two persons, but of this
" mcwre in its proper place. Had D;

" S ^n said that he and his partizans

" were exceedingly rejoiced, I dare say
" he would have been credited for once
" in his life, without bringing vouchers
^* to prove it.
" His being author of this paragraph

OF STERNE. IM

'^ as well as of that of the nth of the
" same month, and that on the 7th of
" January following ill became him,
'* considering him in any light or capa^
'* city, and even in point of prudence
*' and policy too,"

As the person treated with so much
roughness was Sterne's Uncle, it may be
naturally supposed, that Dr. Burton's
invectives would make an unfavourable
impression on his relations, and might
give rise to the caricature of Dr. Slop.
Why the Doctor's Jacobitical principles
were not satirized, may be readily ex-
plained from Sterne's short Memoirs of
himself. He says, that his Uncle was a
violent party-man, and that after living
together on the most friendly terms, he
quarrelled with our author, because he
detested party-violence, and refused to
write political paragraphs for his Uncle
in the York paper. The sanguinary,
and boundless resentments of that period
were wholly unsuited to the delicacy of

Mf ILl.^«TRATIONS

th^ )Mtl»OT^i feelings. He has therefore
impqfced u> other political distincUon to
Dr. Slop, than the very pardonable one
arising froni being a Catholic.

Dr. Burton was discharged, .5;^thout
being brought to trial, after a confine-
ment of some weeks, in the house of a
messenger, in London.

After this tragedy, I must introduce
the Doctor in a &rce. lo^ the year
nS^, he had an affray with one of the
aldermen of York, at an entertainment
\n the Mansipnrhouse, and was turped
put of the room with very significant
ix^arks of disapprobation. My knowledge
of this affair is entirely deriwd from the
alderman's pamphlet, which is eatUled,
f' An Account of what passed between
f* Mr. Gecwrge Thompson, of York, and
^' Dr. John Burton of that City, Physi*
'* cian and Man^Midwife, at Mr. Sheriff
'' Jubbs* Entertainment, and Hie Coiji*
*' sequences thereon.'* It is dated, 1769.
J^e $cii€9ie w^ occasipncd by Dr. £Uu^

OF STERNB. 14t

ton's re&sal to drink one of the loyat
toasts of. the day.

Whoever creates himself polidcal ene-
mies^ must expect to see his faults and
imperfections displayed in the strongest
lig^t. Mr. Thompson^ accordingly, en-
ters into his anjkagonisfs private history. '

" Then as to the Doctor's modesty,
^ there is no passing; by one instance of
** it, where he telk you (page 14) that
<< be qualified himself to act, towards
^< redressing the heavy coihplaints, which
^< there had been of the hardships and
** practices of some persons in the com-*
-^ mission of die landftax. What notable
*' redressments this great patriot*^ersonage
" made he does not indeed specify, but
*^ however he might settle the national
" concerns under his administration, of
" whether he neglected his private for
** the public affairs, there is no saying,
^* but he himself broke for upwards of
*' five thousand pounds, and paid ten
<^ shillings in the pound, so that having

m ILLUSTRATIONS

'^ nothing left but his wife's fortune,
'* which they could not touch, his boast-
** ed qualification for acting in the com-
** mission, must not have had a very
*' deep bottom, whether his ccnnposition
" preceded or followed his taking it up:
'' nor should I in truth have touched, at
*' any rate, upon his circumstances, but
*• to justify my suspicion of his having
^^ had the law«cbarges of his most ini-
*' quitous cause, or rather causelessness,
" against me, defrayed by the subscrip-
" tion of his party, which I hope for
*' his own sake is true. Nay, I have
" the charity to. wish him success in the-
^ subscription he has been for some time
'* soliciting, for his ECCLESIASTICAL His-
'* TORY of Yorkshire, in two volumes
'• in folio, not only as it may be of a
^' pecuniary importance to himself, but
"as the work itself may be an useful
'• repertorium hereafter, in case of. the
" coming in of a Roman Catholic power
*^ to resume the Church and Abbey lands

OF STERNE. 14S

** out of the hands of. the present poases-
'' Wis, not forgetting to make them .ac«
'^ countable for wastes and dilapidations/'
Tfhe particular details of the personal
contest would be iminteresting, as no
pugilistic skill was displayed on either
side. Mr. Thompson subsequently com*
plained that his loyalty was ili-rewarded»
and that,

<* His thankless country left him to its laws.'*

There is a passage in a prose essay,
by Mr. Hall Stevenson, which seems
to imply that the characters of Uncle
Toby, and the Widow Wadman, had
ifeal prototypes: it is contained in the
*' Sentimental Dialogue between Two
Souls," which may be seen in the last
edition of Mr. H. Stevenson's works. I
beg to be excused from quoting the
anecdote, to which I refer. If my
conjecture betjust, the public will not
have much reason to regret their igno-
rance of the parties.

It is impossible to quit this subject.

144 ILLUSTKATI0K3

without remarking, once more^^ what
a waste of talents it occasioned by tem-
porary satire^ We know hardly any
thing of Sterne's objects ; those of Rabe«
kus are merely matters of conjecture;
die authors satirized by Boileau are only
known by his censures ; and the heroes
of the Dunciad are indebted to Pope for
their preservation. Flecknoe's poemsj^
which I have, had in my hands, would
not now obtain a single reader> but for
Dryden's immortal satire. Ayellaneda's
second part of -Don Quixote has beea
embalmed by the criticisms of Cervantes.
Why ?vill men of genius condescend to
record their resentment against blocks
heads? Why cannot they say to an
opponent,

Ignotus pereas, miser, necesseestF-f

* See Dr. Warton's notes on the DunciacL

t Iq a copy of verses> addressed to Dr. Burtoiit oOi
occasion of his pamphlet against Dr« Sterne, I find the
folIo>^ing lines :

WIietlM-r in physic thou onee more engagp.
And with new tliefts staff thy Uon^natur^l page.
Or on new subjects meditate new books.
To plague the town, and i^Iad the pastry-oooJos

OF STERNE. lis

tlowe'er employed « in these, or nobler schemes^
Of politics, or thy late golden dreuns
Of reTolatioos in the state and laws.
And re-instatement of the good old cause.
Oh lend thine ears ! (those ears so justly doe
To Ketches hands, and worn on Tick l^ you.
While in few words, this plain advide I give.
With some amendment seem at least to U^e,
£*er thou lash others^ Jest some sneering Elf

Justly retort, " Dear • cure thyself.

<< ShouId*st thou, proud, restless, insotettfand bold)

** Flagrant for ev'ry crime thy book has loM,

" Whose factious schemes no laws but fear rettnin,

'* Of liberty and laws infringed complain $

" 8hoQld*st thon of yilert arta Ihy loea accuse.

*< And on surmise in blackest terms abuse,

*' Who hackoey'd in thy party's darkest scenes,

*' To g»in thy ends, ne*er spar'd the vilest mctnt?

'* Shduld*st thou usurp a patriot's sacred najDe*

^ And for thy country's liberty declaim,

" Who ev'ry help thy fear would Id thee, give

" To foreign foes thy country to enslave.

** Be dutnb thou, wretch, and let thy actioot lye

** Forgot, and like thy works for ever die ! »*

Vol. I.

lia ILLUSTRATIONS

CHAPTER Vr.

Mr. Shaudjf's hfpotfUsis of noses ex-
plained — TaUacothis — Stories of long noses
— Coincidence between Vignfiul-MarvUk and
Laoater^^Opinkms ofGamumi^'^Iiiobm-^^
Beddoes'-rSegar's point of honour concern-
ing the nose.

JdY the laJt)Qiur5 of those who cultivate
the philosophy of the East, we learn,
that there exists an order of sages,* who
reckon it the perfection of wisdom, to
pass their lives in silendy contemplating
the point of the nose. The philosophy

* The Yogeys. See Sketches relating to the- History
of the Hindoos.

Tho* the priesthood of Fo on the ynlgtLt impose
Bj squinting whole fem at the end o£ their uose*

Cambridge.

OF STEENE. 14?

af noses has not remained unnoticed in
Europe, but it has. never been generally
pursued, either from an apprehension of
the obliquity which it occasions in the
Indian students, or because the science
does not lead to the same degree of
power and consequence among us, as
in Asia.

The doctrine of noses was too com-
mon in Sterne's favourite writers, to be
overlooked by him ; but there is a cause
of perplexity in his allusions, which
must be explained to an English reader.

Some languages, particularly the La-
tin, the French, and Italian, abound in
figurative expressions respecting the un-
derstanding and matuiers, which refer
to .the nose. We have few expressions
parallel to these in English ; and every
attempt to engraft such topics of raillery
upon our language is necessarily attended
with obscurity.

The Greeks, delicate to excess in
whatever regarded the proportions of the
K2

1^8 ILLUSTRATIONS

body, attached great ridicule to noses
of immoderate length. The Anthology
contains several epigrams on this subject,
which Pope might have quoted as ex-
amples of hyperbole. Such is the epigram
on Proclus ;

His vast proboscis Proclas never blows ;
His hand too small to grasp bis salient nose.
If« when he sneezes, Proclus should refrain
To cry, ' Jove bless me/ think him not pro&ne;
For his own sneeze in time he cannot hear.
So distant either nostril from his ear.

Another epigmm, written in the same
taste, demands respect, because it was
the production of the £mperor Trajan :

Turn your nose to the sun, and gape wide for a trial ;
Your neighbours will find you van excellent dial.

A very different sentiment prevailed
among the Hebrews, respecting large
noses; they were considered as indicating

* Anthologia> torn. i. p. 412.

OF STERNE. 149

prudence and long-suffering. — ^I must
here transcribe from Camerarius: Atque
hoc quidem epithcton infer cater a Deus sibi
arrogatf qui Mosen alloquens, [Exod. 34.]
proprietatibus decern hanc adjicit, >dki^k id
est, MAGNO NASO, ui £[ispamca editio
CampluiensiSf et recentior jintverpiensis, ad
verbum exprimtmt, et aliis quoque Bibluh
rum locis Deus ita vacatur, quod omnes
interpretes exponunt patientem, ut contra d
brevi naso Hebrai prompium ad iram vel
iracundum interpretantur.^

As the nose furnishes the principal
expression of derision in the countenance,
several wqrds and phrases in the Greek
and Latin languages bear a reference to
it, in denoting raillery or contempt. But
it is sometimes assumed as the type of
judgment and acuteness. Ipse denique
Nasus, says Erasmus, in proverbium abiit,
pro judicio. Horat. Non quia nullus illis
nasus erat.'f

* Horas Subcisivae, torn, i, p. 253. In p. 249^1
Nasus Domini is memtioned as a figure for Anger,
t Adagia, p. 348.

K3

150 ILLUSTRATIONS

Another phrase is not very refined in
its origin; though it denotes aputeness
and even polish :

Emuncte iiaris duros compoaere vemis.*

Martial has an epigram which cannot
be translated into English, (though some*
what applicable to this book), on account
of his adherence to this figure ;

Nasutus sis usque licet^ sis denique nasus^
Quantum noluerit ferre rogatus Atlas,
£t possis ipsum tu deridere Lodnum^
Non potes in nugas dicere plura meas^
Ipse ego quam dixi ;■ ■ f

And in another place he employs a
strong figure, equally intractable in Eng-
lish, to denote the early critical abilities
of the Roman youth :

St pueri nasum rhinocerotis iiabent4

In the French and Italian -languages,
such allusions are very common. I take

♦ Horat

t Epigrammat. lib. xiii. epijfr. 2.

X Lib* i. epigr. 4*

OF £rr£BN£. I5h

the following remarks from the NasHt
of Aretkre, a writer wbonl Burton has
Quoted layi^ly (from the Lbtin transla-
tion of Barthius) in some of the chapters
on Love-Melancholy, where he seems to
have unbended himself so cofnpletelyi
The frequent references to this authori
in a book which seems to have been
.perpetually in Sterne's hands^ would
probably induce him to read the orr^
ginal.

The author of th6 Nmea^ after magni-
faring hk correspondent's nose^ says^ '' in
somma egli i (|uel naso, che sendo vera-
menfie Re de' nasi^ v' ha degnamente
fatto Re de gli huomini^ come vdi sete :
&c tanto maggior Rci qUanto tgli 6 mag-
gior naso, & piu magnificOj & piu onni*
potente de gli altri. Laqual cosa pro-
cedendo per via di ragione si puo per
diversi modi provare : ma prlmamente le
proveremo per 1' autoritd de' Persi, i quali
dopo la morte di Giro, (che secondo si
scrive si trovo un bel pezzo di naso) giu«
K 4

152 ILLUSTRATIONS

dicarono che nessuno huotno potesse esser

ne belle, ne degno di regnare, che non si

trovasse cosi hasuto, come fu egli. Nel

libro de Re trovo una postilla del Mazza*

gattone^ con un tratto del Zucca, che

Nabuccodenasor hebbe quel Regno, &

quel nome, perche hebbe gran bocca,

& gran naso. Sopra che si fonda T oppe*

nione d' un mio compagno, quale €, che

Cablo v. sia hoggi si grande Impera^

dore, perche si trova si gran bocca : ^

che Frakcesco Re di Francia sia si gran

Re, perche ha si gran naso : & che si

non fosse, che '1 naso del Re contrasta

con la bocca deir Imperadore; & la

bocca deir Imperadore col jiaso del Re,

ciasc uno d' es^i (merc6 di quella bocca,

o di quel naso) sarebbe Signor di tutto il

mondo : Dove per il pari, o poco diffe-

rente contrapeso, di pari o poco difFe-

rentimente contendono dell^ somma dell*

Imperio, Et dicemi che '1 Re non per

Sltro fu prigione sotto Pavla, se non ,

perche in quel tempo la Maesta del sua:

OF STEENE. 155

naso, si trovava impaniata di certi pias-
trelli,* per un certo male del suo paese,
et che la bocca dell* Imperadore era
Sana, et senza impedimento. Nel pas-
saglo poi di sua Maesta Ces. in Provenza,
che *l naso del Re era sano, et la bocca
deir Imperadore per carestia di vetto-
vaglia si trovo mal pasciuta, ognun sa
come la bisogna andasse. Maper tornare
al naso, io voglio dire alia Maesta V, un
gran segreto, che tutti i pedant,i lo cer-
<?ano, et non T hanno ancor trovato ;
cbe Ovidio Nasone non fu per altro
confinatp, se non perch6 Augusto dub-
bito che quel gup gran naso non li togli^
esse r Imperio; et mandoUo in esiglio
tra quelle nevi et quei ghiacci della
Mpscpyia, perche li si seccasse il naso
di freddo. L' Aquila perche credete voi
che sia Regina de gli uccegli, se non
perche si truova quel naso cosi grifagno ?
y Elefante perche 6 egli piu ingenioso

* Piccioli empTastri-

154 ILLUSTRATIONS

de glL fthrl animali^ ee non perche ha
quel grugno cosi lungo i II Rinocerote
per qual cagione 6 tanto temuto da vitiosi
se non perche Y ha cosi duro ? In somma
un naso straordinapio porta sempre seca
straordinarla maggioranza : et non senza
ragione. Percio che io ho trovato^ che
Unaso 6 la sede della Maesti & dell'
honore delP huomo : et per conseguenza
chi maggior T ha, piu hdnorato debbe
essere. Donde si dice, Tu mi dai del
naso, id est, tu me tocchi neir hdttore/**
" In a word, it is such, that being
truly the king of noses, it has justly rett»
dered you the king of men; and 8d
much a greater king, as it is the gr^af^tj
the most magnificent, and most powerful
of n'oses, which may be proved Itt two
different ways ; but particularly by the
authority of the Persians, who after the
death of Cyrus (a prince, according to
jiuthors, excellently provided with a nosejf

* Page 532, S, 4» I quote from Ihe scarce Elzeyiir
edition.

OF STERNE. 155

esteemed no man beautiful, nor worthy
to reign, unless he had a nose of like
size. In the book of Kings is a note by
Mazzagattone,* with a jest by Zucca,*f^
that Nabuccodenasor had his kingdom
-and his name from his great m6uth and
his large nose. Upon which a friend
of mine has founded an opinion, that
Charles V. is at present so great an
emperor, because he has so large a:
mouth ; and that Francis king of France
is so great a king, because he has so
large a nose ; and that if it had not
happened that the king's nose counter-
acted the emperor's mouth, and the
emperor's mouth the king's nose, one of
them (by virtue of the mouth or the nose),
would have been master of the whole
world : whence it follows, that balancing
each other, they contend for the sove-
reignty with nearly equal fortune. And
he tells me, that the king was taken

* Scarecrow.

t Gourd ; he bad " a gourd for bis head/* I sup-
pose.

156 ILLUSTRATIONS

prisoner at Pavia^ only because at that
time the majesty of his nose was de-
graded, by some outward applications
on account of the country-disease, while
the emperor's mouth was healthy and
unimpaired. In the emperor*s inva-
sion of Provence, the king's nose
being healed, and the emperor's mouth
being injured by want of provi-
sions, every one knows how the affair
terminated. But ta return to noses in
general, I will tell your majesty a great
secret, which all the pedants liave tried
without success to discover: that Ovid
(Naso), was banished for no other reason,
than that Augustus feared that his great
nose might carry off the empire from
him : and he sent Ovid into exile among
the snows and ice of Russia, that his
nose might be shrivelled with cold.
Why, think you, is the eagle the queen
of birds, but because of her prominent
beak ? Why is the elepaht the wisest of
animals, but because he has so long a

OF STERNE. 157

trunk ? Why is the rhinoceros so much
dreaded by the vitious^* but because his
horn is so hard ? In fine, an extraordi-
nary nose always carries with it extra-
ordinary gieatness ; and not without rea-
son. For I have found that the nose is
the seat of majesty and honour in man ;
and consequently whoever has it largest
ought to be most honoured." ' The next
passages relate to Italian proverbs taken
from this figure, which hardly admit
translation, or to a view of the subject
from which I totally abstain.

An account follows of the expression
of the passions depending on the nose,
and of the different kinds of noses :
every thing that might have been ex-
pected from Sterne*s Slawkenbergius, the
idea of which was perhaps inspired by
this very treatise. " Beato voi, says the
author in another place,-f- che vi portate '

* In translating an author full of extrayagant and
far-fetched conceits, of the IGth century i the meaning
sometimes nnayoidably escapes us,
t Page 540.

Iif8 ILLUSTRATIONS

in faccia la meraviglia, & la c<msolatioiie
di chiunque vi mira. Ognuno strabilia ek^
\o vede : ognuno $tupisce che lo sente :
a tutti da riso ; a tutti desiderio. Tutti i
Poeti ne cantano : tutti i prosatori ne scrl-^
vono i tutti coloro che ban no faTella ne

ragio nano : Qui dopo

che voi sete partito s' 6 fatto piu fracasso
di questo vostro naso, che della gita del
Papa a Nizza, et del passagio che prepara
ilgranTurco; tanto che mi par. diven*
tato la tromba della fama, che da ognuno
6 sonata^ et da ognuno 6 sentita/' I
confess that all these circumstances, of
the " wonder which he carries in his
face; of the astonishment and interest
with which every one regards him; of
the employment which his appearance
furnishes to all tlie w;;iters and talkers ;
oi the noise which is occasioned by his
wonderful nos&after his departure, which
overpowers the reports of the residence
of the Pope at Nice, or the invasion
meditated by the grand Turk ; and of
its resemblance to the trumpet of fame.

OP STERNE. 159

which is sQunded and feU by every one;
tibiese^ with many other allusions and in-
cidents in this authoff ];eDpiind me of the
stranger at the gates of Strs^burgh, in
Slawkenbergius'a tale, Sterne has shewed,
on many occasions, how well he could
improve upon slight hint$.

In the third volume of Bouchet,
the subject of noses is briefly men-
tioned; the passage follows:— Ceste cha-
Imir fait aussi, adjousta-il encores, que
les Mores sent fort camus, et diriez qu' on
leur a coupe le nez sur le billot ; cela
proeedant de la grande chaleur, qui nc
permet pas que les.os et les cartilages
croissent beaucoup, comme vcnans d* une
matiere inutile et vacante: les petits
enfans le confirment bien, lesquels estans
chauds, sont camus, ayans en leur jcu-
ncsse le nez fort court. Et si faut noter
que les Mores, et tous ceux qui sont
camus, sont coleres : & qu' au contraire,
les grands nez sont plus patiens & pru-
dents, et qu' en la Bible quand on dit

16b iLLUStRATIONS

que quelqu* un k grand nez, les inter**
prctes toument patient : ce qui demonstre
qu' en la physionomie y k quelque divi-
nation de complexion.*

There is a writer who deserved a
higher place in Mr. Shandy's library,
than any of those whom Sterne has
ventured to mention; and he was the
more entitled to notice, because his fame
lias been unjustly and uQaccountably
eclipsed. I allude to Gaspar Tagliacozzi,
or, according to the pedantic fashion of
the times, Taliacotius, a professor at
Bologna, who outstripped his contempo-
raries too far, to gain tlie honour and the
confidence due to his discoveries. He
had indeed the misfortune of being too
learned for his time, in D' Alembert's
phrase ; trap instruit pour son siecle. The
Iji-st part of his book De Curtorum^ Chi-
rurgia, however, was sufficiently accom-
modated to the prevailing taste. It con-
tains several chapters on the dignity of

* Bouchet^ torn. iii. p. 110, 11.

the face and its different features ; the
fifth and sixth chapteis are bestowed upon
^the nose^ and contain philosophy ^enough
to have satiated Mr. Shandy himself.
'. Therie is a v^ryxuiious speculation ijff
the chapter on the Dignity of the Face>
medically considered, which the learned
reader will not be displeased. to see, and
^w^ich» I hope, he will keep to himself.
^' Agam saltern id, ut perspecto situ
membrorum genitalium, quanta ratio ha-
bita fuerit exceUentias £iciei atque nobi*^
ittatis, quodque membra hseq jostissimo
architeoti consilio, non.exiguo interstitio
imer se dirempta sin t, exacte cognoscamus.
Nam cum cerebri sit propago qusedam
fiicies, ad quam sensuum omnium organa
defleotant, .quo. in loco animoe virtus
diivinas suasTiresriixeffat, quid inconveni-^
eiitiiis fuissety ic prbtopla^ indignius^
^uam membra ilia pecuina et abjecta,
cum partibus adeo nobilibus et divinis
(CODfuodere? Hoc enim dominum esset
cum mfl!i|pipio^$Qdem loco ponere. Nam-
VOL. I. L

M2 ILioSTRATIONS

HfMt nrania sensuum turbaret talis conslar
lutio, mentis aoiem obtunderet, Ik ratt-
on'ts imperiiam evertereU Innata tmm
hominibus cupiditis, ie? 1 etiam de oausa
instigata, ac indcnnila bestia muhoties in
rectorem suum insiliret, & hafaeais exr
ousBiSt de sede sua eom dejicercL Ncm
dicam quantum obfutucum sit deeofi h
venufitati. qMantaque loci fiient iiuqiiJ4{a%
& laboris diqiendium, si aaMtno membra
itta eo locari debuissenL Quare ea piooHl
fainc abnspta, natwa sapiens diacreviti
flc £siciem alta in sede ic consfucua ool*
locain, membra vero genitsdia, instar vih
pecus in sti^D^ula, locum vilem^ & dcfpKSr
sum 4etrudi jiiissit/'*

In the fifth chapter^ wiiiph tr^^^of
the dignk^r of <noses^ we meet .irkh a
laboured desciiptioa ȣ the defimmtgr
resulting from die mtitilatiea of tbk

J

. "^ It is ^xtri^ix^ly q^ipu^ that the .(ai^ous M^{^'
■de Bouri^on ha^ actually suppbited^tlie noses orth«
-first Pair, befofe their tramgre^An, t)>1itkt^M^46M*
irtltttted in ttie,CK|i<MiDiirhn«k l^iiM^lIm^
quently described. See ^ayle.

OF STERNE. 1^3

important leature. When the nose is cut
off, we are told^ *' that the gulphs and
recesses of the inward parts are disclosed;
vast vacuities open, and caverns dark as the
cave of TrQphomus; to the dismay and
terror of the beholders.^

*' There is besides/' says Taliacotius,
^'something august and regal in the nose,
either' because it is the sign of corporeal
beauty and mental perfection, or because
it denotes some peculiar aptness and wis-
dom in governing. So the Persians ad*
mire an aquiline ndse in their king : so
in die Old Testament, those who had
too small, or too large, or a distorted
nose, were excluded from the priesthood,
and the sacrifices. Such is the dignity
attributed to the nose, that those who are
deprived of it are not admitted to the
functions of government:'* which he

* Eteniin narium apice abscisso, panduntur sinus
& partlum intemarum recessus, Tasti patent hiatus^ &
caVernae, instar antri Trophonii obscuree; horrendnm
certe & abooiUandiUi^ aspicientibuis spectaculum,

Idb. in chofh a.
L2

104 ILLUSTRATIONS

confirms by historical examples, from the
dismal narratives of Josephus. '* The
nose, therefore, is of such estimation,*'
he concludes, " that upon the beauty
and configuration thereof depend the
highest ecclesiastical dignities, the noblest
governments, and the most extensive
kingdoms.* Besides, the nose chiefly
distinguishes one individual from ano-
ther ; wherefore iEneas could hardly re-
cognize Deiphobus, when he encounter-
ed him in the shades without his nose,**
which he had lost, like many of Talia-
cotius's friends, by means of his Helen ;
as Cassandra complains in Seneca ;

. mcertoB geris

Deiphobe vultus, conjugis munus noyae.

He then shews, that the threat of
cutting off the noses and ears of sinners

* Nasus ergo tantae est estimationis^ ut ex ejus
decore, ornatuque, summa Sacerdotia^ amplissima im-
perial et regna latissiaia pendere yideantur.

Bid.

OF STERNE. IC5

is used in scripture, to denote the utmost
degree of desolation and infamy, and he
touches slightly on the doctrine of the
Pjrthagoreans respecting the nose; that
nature has expressed in the formation of
this feature, the Monade and the Dj/ade,
by connecting the two nostrils by a com-
mon bridge ; an observation from which
those pompous triflers draw fantastical
ideas of the power of certain numbers.
We are next told, that the Egyptians
used the nose as a hieroglyphic to signify
a wise man; after which follow the Latin
phrases, which depend on this figure.
The chapter is concluded by the physi-
ognomonic doctrine of the nose, on
which Mr. Lavater has left nothing
unsaid.

The obscurity under which Taliacotius's
brilliant discoveries on'the union of living
parts have remained, is not more remark-
able than its cause : it was occasioned by
the jest of a Dutchman. The con-
^ temptible story which Butler has versi-
L 3

166 ILLUSTBATIONS

fied^ in his well known lines, was forged
by Van Helmont; and obtained such
currency through Europe, that even the
testimony of Ambrose Pare in favour of
Tatiacotius was disregarded.*

The real process employed by this
great man, in supplying deficient oi^
mutilated parts, consisted in taking the
additional substance from the patient's
own Bxm. That his attempts were suc-
cessful, we have ample testimony in the
writings of Par6 and other surgeoni^
though his method seems not to have
been adopted by any of them. I shaili
try to give the reader a general idea of
this curious operation, with the view of
rescuing the memory df a man of genius
from the most galling of evils, the suc^
' cessful misrepreseutations of stupid ma*
lignity.

* So completely unfounded is Van Helmont's story,
that Taliacotias (lib. i. chap, xviii.) ha$ considered the
question &rmally» whether the supplementary part
ought to be taken from the patient himself, or from
another person, ^d.has decided for the former.

WIki^ t|bie mutilation o£ liie nose was
tp l» ret»iri^. the artist fixed osi a b^^
xtent portion oil skin q6 tib^ inside of tibe
ann» aJiouti hal£ WA^y^ between tlie shouK
dec aod the elbowv Thi& waa pinched
up, with, a pair o£ blunti £eMreepa^ and
separated: on three; aidc^ from the othef
intagiiinents^ and from thie: muaelies hc^
neal^t so as to foitiiiatfco&long slip^ xtr
mainif^g connected at one ei)d to the
cest of tbf3' 8kii(if , which Talu^cotW calb
ibQTWt of the dipi. The edges^ of the
iiasal: stimip wem aflei*wafdt paiTd;Wi^
ai^alpdi and the edgf of the new $Iip
wasaQtached. to themrbyisutwres:;^ the
arm being bound up to. the £ace and
hmAh. by' a cturious apparatus, which
my ^utbw has dbibprately described/
Xho: parts were now eufteied to lunb^,
hi the: course, of a fortnight the adhesion

'*' This part of the operation was delayed^ till the
fitet infltoikiQtttorj^ syxnptojDS in tii6 Urm; occasioiied by
tb^ e»pUio»<of the sUp^ had subsided. If ^b^ fi^^eriui^
should eTer be revif^, this cruel and unnecessary in*
terruption woiaU cerUiniy tit ayoided;^
L4

\6n ILLUSTRATIONS

became so strong/ that the engrafted part
would bear the experiment of being
pulled a^ flipped. *' Licebii tunc ex*
periri rem, et traducem jam infixum
non leviter concutere, qui cum validiori
nexu cum naribus conjunctus ^t» omnem
motus tunc violentiam egregie sustinet./'^
It was then time to separate the new part
from its attachment to the arm, which
was performed by dividing the root of
the slip. Nothing'then remained but to
cut the point of the nose into proper
form, for which Taliacotius has given
9 mathematical rule^ and to keep the
artificial nostrils open, by means of tent^
till the cure was completed.
• If we attentively consider this methbd
of retrieving a deplorable misfortune,
wbidi was a frequent consequence of
the gallantries of that time, it must be
ajlqwed that the artist who invented, and
who singly practised it, possessed uni-
'common professional merit. But when

* TftliaiM.' Kb. ii. cap. xiii. ' *

'OF STERNE. 169

M^ reflect, that the display of facts, pre-
cisely similar, respecting the power of
union in living parts, has conferred high
celebrity on one of the most eminent
physiologists of our own times, our re-
spect for the author of the sixteenth cen-
tury advances to admiration.* I have
• too high an opinion of the genius of the
late Mr. Hunter, to suppose that he
was indebted to Taliacotius for his obser-
vations on this subject ; I believe they
were reall/ discoveries to him ; but there
can be no doubt that he was anticipated
by the Italian author. It is a disagree-
able proof of the neglect of medical
literature, that facts, so important to the
theory and practice of the art, were so
long obscured by silly and unpardonable
prejudice.

If the general reader can tolerate my
{seal in the cause of neglected merit, I
jwould venture to observe, that Talia-
cotius came surprisingly near the present

* Taliacotius published his book in 1597.

no ILZ.UST8ATI0N8

th«9ry of the manncs in which tiie mym
of kring parts 10 effieetenk Had ^e ttm
doctrine of (he ciicuiattpo o£ the Uo^d
been discovered in kis time^ he would
have been deficient in nothing* • Vk
only guide, embarrassed as he was wUh
ancient errors which he wflu^ forced tQ
respect, was the vegetable process of.
engrafting.. Thi& analogy led hh» 90
iar> that he supposed the veins o| dw
newly united p^rts to coal€sc€v by nwr
lual elongatiooi. The arteries Wece t^i9
cupppsed to contain no blood. Hcsay^*
^ £>icendum itaquetstpcofecto vol npvam
irasonim fitobolem denuo Begenerari^ Vol
eonservati^ iis, quae cum bracbia intia^
teret [tradux], aderant^ cutis ductibus.et
eorum. oris, cum iis, quaa ia ourtis: imnt^
canaliculis commissis rursus coalesc^rei
Tel si neque hoc fiat, vasa ilia in curtis
fexi^entia, hos novai*um partium ducjti»
«Kcitare» et agendi vim tribuere/' After
Gonsidbring, with great solidity of rea80i>

OF STERNE. 171

ing, the suppoditbn that new vessels Were
generated betwe^ the adherent paits (an
idea which Mt. Hunter supported, to
prove the life of the blood)> he concludes
in tJhese words ; '> Itaque tamen ea, quae
isunt in traduce vasa, quam ib stipiie
narium, conservata hactenus coire, et
osculis adjunctis invioem coal€scere> si
quid ratio valet (nam hie oculr caecutiuiit)
pdtdculdtibio affifmabimus.'' * The phy«(-
siological reader only can appreeiate the
i^ofound sagacity o£ this conclusioti, in
a writer who Kved' long before the dis*-
coVery of the true course of the bloodi
If rFaliacotius had exchanged |)la<}es with
Harvey, he would ^probably have ihadi^
better use of that improvement, which
Harvey contented himself with holding
out to admiration,

O fountain Arethuse^ and thou hoaour'd flood.
Smooth-sliding Miticius^ crowBM with rocal reedis.
That strain I heard was of a higher mood;
But aow my oat proceec|s»t

♦ Id. ib.
t Lycidas,

172 ILLUSTRATIONS

Several inconveniences attended the
artificial noses engrafted by our author,
which he has specified^ and which could
only be known from actual experience.
It was necessary to make the neiy parts
considerably larger than the original
nose,* b^ecause in the course of a year
or two, they became shrivelled with cold,
and at the end of that time were even
smaller than the ancient organs. The
first severe frost after the operation was
apt to discolour' the nose, or even to
turn it black, and sometimes to make it
fall off: it was therefore to be preserved
like a Russian's nose, in a cover. Haw-*
ever, it was thought a less evil, to wear
a nose rather too large and too long, for
a few years, than to have no nose at alL-f-
Another grievance was, that- the new
nose being taken from a part which is
covered with longer down than the ^in

* Lib. i. cap. xxiv* In quo restituas nares ex cu-
tanea propagine, a naturalibus ante resectis diiTerant*
t Ibid.

OF STERNE. 17S

of the face, was apt to become very
hairy, and even to require shaving.*
The new nostrils were also liable to be
contracted in their diameter by length
of time, and when they were neglecledf
to be shut up entirely. But in return,
the new nose possessed a more acute
sense, both of touch and smelling, than
its predecessor.*!- The reader must per-
ceive what a resource was denied . to
Mr. Shandy, after the demolition of his
son's nose, by Steme*^ want of acquaint*
ance with our author. To enddw Tris-
tram with a much larger and more
sagacious nose, so careful a parent would
have been tempted to amputate the litde
that Dr. Slop had spared.

Dr. Garmann has. written a chapter on
the sjntipathy of artificial noses,:^ in his

r ...

* Non raro praeterea contingit^ ut in novis naribus
pili expullulent aiqae in earn longitudinem eloxurient^
at noyaculaxn aliquando adhiberi necesse est. Idem,
Ibid.

t Idem, Ibid.

i De Nasi insititii sympathia.

IT4 ILLW8TRAT10NS

cttrious book De Miracdis Morttianim ;
ke has 8latedj( in this, the famous instance
of Cyrus's tiase very strongly. <* Nasum
aduncum prominentemqiue ae^imabant
JRetsCt quod Cyrus TALI nasq armatds
mgmvx capetserif ^ He denies Talia*
eotiiis's dftim to the invention of this
dperatmo^ and mentions a remarkable
fVMsage in tibe ktterb of am earlier writer^
annkmncing the disooveiy of his friend^
who had lost his oiose, and jaaformiilg
him that he nay now be fitted with as
laige a* nose as he .didoses. ^^ De hoc
isto Cabtmus m BterU j&d Orpianam muti*
lum: Mraaca Sicubts, ingenk nir tgr^ifft^i
didicit naies inserere, 4^*^^^ ^ ^ hraehid
reficit, vel de servis jmiituatus inipln§it«
Hsec Kvbu vidi^ccrevi ad te msnhttk, Jilhil
eodstimdns oariiis esse poss^. |Quod si
veneris^ scito, te domum cum grandi
(quaiiivis riasp rediturum e^se.-f* Whether
the practice was known in Bologna before

♦ Page S2.

t De Miraculis Ifortttomm, p. 84«

7aUaco(iiis^ we hive oo accurate toeani
Df detennming : we certainly have «p
earlier treatise on it than his.. I^icet^f
9«y%, that foe^often saw TAllmotim (^pe-
vate, during hh residence at Bologna 9S
a studelit 1£ otbier surgeons bad yen*
tuf ed xM the aam& attempt . i

La cittA de la Salcicria fina ♦ -

would have been as much celebrated for
ijls fabrication of noses, as for Its sausages.
Fienus, a Lovain-Professor, and author
of a well-known book on the P^wer of
the Imagination, has given a very satis-
factory account of the operation for the
i^titution of the nose, in his surgical
tracts. He says, that he had frequently
seen Taliacotius perform it, and that he
had examined nsiany no$es which the
artist had e^igrafted j among other dis-
advantageSp he found that the artificial
nose was apt to ;be too pliable, and to
hang dovftx like a turkey's. Fienus

116 ILLUSTRATIONS

thought it necessary that the new nose
should be H^pt in a case, during at least
two years.

If the reader wishes to consult ,any
other authorities, concerning the reality
of this operation, he will find a long list
in that chapter q( Dr. Garmann to which
I have already referred.

It is said that a similar practice is
known in Asia (where the point of the
nose is an object of so much importance),
and th^t the. new part is supplied from
the patient's own forehead.

But the chief merit of the discovery
was undoubtedly due to Taliacotius, who
requires, according to the ceremonies of
his time, a compliment at part'mg. ,

Brave mind/ wiiich dursl, like Dibi^ede, engage:
To check the Paphian Queen's most, deadly rage/
The trifler's wpnder, and the witling's jest, '
Base tools of envy, long thy fame sup]fre&t ;
Tho' pagsdt Jove display 'd no art^soidgh.
In Pelpp's sboi^lder, o^ the S$um£p's thigh ;
Tho' even the boast o<^ Alchemy less bold.
To change imperfect .ore to, perfect gold :
Thy nobler thoughts* approdch'd creative skill,
Life, sense, and motion waiting on thy will.

OF STERNE. 177

The French writers, especially those
of the sixteenth ceiitury, used the figures
d^ived from the nose very liberally.
Eire cmnusy signifies with them to appear
surprised and abashed. Vigneui-Marville
mentions a curious anecdote on this sub-
ject, which accords very closely with a
.passage in Sterne,

" Les n6s camus deplaisent, et sont de
mauvaise augure, Le Conn^table Anne
de Montmorency 6toit camus; et on
1* appelloit 4 la cour^ le camus de Mont-
morency, Le Due de Guise, fils de
celui qui fut Xvth h, Blois, 6toit aussi
camys ;. et j' ai connu un gentilhomme
qui ayant une v6n^ration singuli^re pour
t:e8 deux maieons de Gtlise et de Mont-
morency, ne se pouvoit consoler de ce
qu' il s' y etoit trouv6 deux camus, comme
si ce defaut en diminuoit le lustre.*'*

^' He, (Mr. Shandy) would often dc-

clare> in speaking hi« thoughts upon the

.1'. ..

* Tom. i. p. UO,

Vol. I. M '

171 ILLUSTRATIONS

subject^ that he did not conceive bow
the greatest family in England could
stand it out against an uninterrupted
succession of six or seven short noses."^
This is a curious coincidence ; I pretend
b> call it ho more,-^But it must be
added, that Marville's Miscellanies appear
to have been much read, about the time
when Stem? wrote.

I am inclined to doubt whether Skerae
bad read, this author, because I find
much philosophy concerning nos^ io
his second volume, which might bav^
been accommodated to Tristramu He
observes, that every face, however ugly
it may appear, possesses such a degree
of symmetry, that the alteration of aiiy
feature would render it more deformed*
" f For instance, if it were J^ttemptcd to

* Trig. Shandy » vol. iii. chap, xxxiii,
t Par exemple, si 1' on. pr^tendoit akonger le nez
d^un camas> je dis qu'oa ne feiroit rieo qui i^aille ; fmU
ce^ue ce ntz etant alongCj il ne feroit plus simetm
avec les autres parties dii visage^ qui etant d'une cer<i'
laine grandeur* et aiant de certaines e1evati<»i8, ou d^

OP SWRNEi tu

>ogrtien . <he : noee of a %H^osed man,
I should oxpi^ no improvement of his
appearance; becjaitfp thie nose being
length^e^, ^ould nO longbr correspond
with thfe other pftrt$ of the face, \vhidi
being ctf a given size, and haying their
given elevations and depre$$k)es, require

<;ertains ^nfonc^oiensi <le.»iandent que le nez leur sqit^
proportionne. Ainsi selon des certaines regies tr^s
. parties en eHeam^iHeB, uii camos d6it kxtt caihus; et
mIob ces ri^^lescVt un ti^age regulier qui dey]en(koit
un monstre si on lui faisoit le nez aquilin. Je dis bien
plus, qu '1 est quelquefois aussi necessaire qu'un hoitime
n' ait' point de mx» qt'il est necessaiie dans Pord^e
Tescanj, par ei^^mpJe» qu€» ie cluipiteau de sa cobn-
n' ait point de volute- C est un bel orhement que 1^
Volute dans V ordre lonique ou dans le Coridthien, tnais
^ seroit un monstre et un inregalante dans V ordre
Toecan, Ui? petit |iez» 4es petits yeux, une grande
ibouche qui nous choquent d* ordinaire, appartiennent
h un ordre de beaute, qui peut bien n' ^tre pas de notre
gdusl; mm que nous n^ dcvons pas condatnn^r, p^rce
qu^^n effet c'cst un otdre qui a ses reyles, qu' il ne
nous appartient pas de contredire, ********
Qu6 >es Fran9oi8 m^prisent les nez camus t»t les
pvtits yew,' et ^e \m Cliinpis les estiment, c<^s sont
d^s biaarr^ries et des extravijgances de V esprit huroain,
&Q. Vigneul-Marville Melangesl'Hislofre et de Lilte-'
ra^e, Km^.ii. p, *64, 1S5. • - .. ^ ,.;»

M 2

180 ILLUSTRATIONS

a nose proportioneci to ' them. Thus^
according to certain rules, complete in
themselves a flat-nosed man ought to
be ^at-nosed, and, acoonding to those
rules, he has a regular face, which would
become monstrous, if an aquiline nose
were clapped upon it. I go farther, and
I advance, that it is sometimes as neces*
sary that a man should be without nose,
as that in the Tuscan order, the capital
of the column should have no volute.
The volute is a beautiful ornament in
the Ionic or Corinthian order, but in the
Tuscan it would be a monster, and an
irregularity. A short nose, small eyes,
and a wide mouth, which commonly
disgust us, belong to an order of beauty,
which we may not admire, but which
we ought not to condemn, because in
effect it is an order which has its rules,
that we have no business to contradict.

** Let the French despise fiat m^es and
little eyes, and the Chinese esteem them ;
these are tb^ caprices and extravagancies

OF STEBNS. is I

of the imagination* But upon our priu'-
ciples^ it appears^ that there may be as^
♦many different orders of beauty as of
architecture."

This niode of reasoning would have
been veiy useful to Uncld Toby. He
might have proved, that there ought to
be dat noseis as well as flat bastions.
• We iheet with this peculiar phrase-
ology again, in a passage in the Memoirs
of La Porte»^ In nsenttoning a conversa-
tion with Anne of Au^ria respecting the
views which he suspected Mademoiselle
de Montpensier to entertain of a nfarriage
with Louis XIV- he sjays, '* Je. dis tout
cela k la Reine, qui se mocqiia de moi,
me disant ; ce n' est pour son nez, quoit
qu' il soit bien grand."*

Sterne's curious dilemma, by which a
v6ry large nose must fall off from the
man, or the man must fall off from fais
nose, was anticipated by Tabarlnj in

* Memoirs de la Porte, p. 27^.
MS

182 ILLUSTRATIONS

whoae dialogues ttiom. is sakl qn. the
subjiect of noses than I care tq r^^t..
«' O qu'il fe Jferoit beau voir si« la
Montagne de Mohtmartre, avec un Hez.
cle dix lieue? de long^ car oti y void de
fort lobg. U lui'faudroit des fojarches
pour soustenid^ soo nca.*' *

The French liate lampooned lo«g o^ses
aifloot^t as: ihucb as the Greeks. Granger,
in ihePedmU Jauf^ i&^id to. have a iio$e
'WhiGhtoalwsQr& made ito appeatUnc^ a
<)^uarter of an hour before its ownei ;
** cet autentiiqiie iiez arrive partout ub
quart d' heiie& devaiit sMi ciiaitre/' . And
even D' Abeanbert, ivho. uxnted more good
sense and good taste m his critical works
than any other Fitench writer^, has pub*
lished some curh>u$ detailfi; by d'Olivet
CQhdei*ning} tl^ nose of vtiie Abb6 Geaest,
wbidii was the adinlratittn of the courti^fs^

awl the. 6ub|eGt of. royal, wit.

'' .White ttie Abb^ Genesi was at Ropaeu

*' Qci€i^l6n3 Tabtffaiqtes.

OF STERNE. 185

be often dined with Cardinal d*Estr6es,
who was fond of poets^ and who had
himself written well in his youth. One
day, when his Eminence had a great
deal of company, there was a person at
table, who, having a very large nose,
gave occasion to a man of humour,*
one of the guests, to vent a number of
witticisms, good or bad, <m this mon-
strous nose^ of which he pretended to be
afraid. The Abb6 Genest arrived, who
merely looked in, and attempted to steal
off, that he might not disturb the party :
but the Cardinal recalled him, and de-
sired him to take his seat; Then the
bei humor6 having considered this second
apparition of a great nose, affected a
greater degree of terror, and exclaimed
to the Cardinal ; Emineniissimo, per un,
sipuo soffrire^ ma per dm no;-f- and

* Un hel humore,

t May it plMse your emiiisncet I could bear one,
tiut it is impossible to endure tyro.

M4

184 ILLUSTRATIONS

throwing down his napkin^ be disap-
peared with all speed/'*

We readt also, of Despointis, a Pari*
sian counsellor^ whose nose was so im-
moderately long, that it attracted the
notice of passengers in the street, who
would turn and gaze at it, to the hazard
of their lives. The shadow of this nose
happened one day to fall on a very little
counsellor, named Coqueley, a^d eclipsed ^
him so totally, that the judge could not
perceive him whei> it was his turn to
plead. Coqueley remonstrated, like Ra-
gotin, but with as little effect; Despointis
would not yield his place. The little
iiero, exasi)erated beyond all patience,
seized the point of his antagonist's nose^
and turning it aside, according to the
laws of the lever, said, you may stay
where you are, but I am determined
that your nose shall make room for
me."t

* Hiftoire des Membres de rAcademie Fran^oUe,
torn* iii. p. 454-.

t L' Heureux Chanoine. Paris, 1707.

OF ISTERNE. Ui

I have La Rhwmachie or the Battle of
Noses, a French poem, as long as Brus-
cambille's Prologue, but k contains no-
thing worthy of attention. . - '.?

In the beginning of the last cenfiiryi;
a small treatise, entitled Lb NfiZ, wa$
published at Cologne. The dedication
is dated, 1717/ I much doubt whether
Sterne ev,er saw this book. It i^ a bui^
lesqvie essay, merely int^ded to sfetew. the
author's reading ^d wit.' He has not
omitted the famous repartee of Guy Patin,
which deserves a place here; " Mr. Patin
^* plaida un jour au Parlement de Paris,
'* pour la. faculty de medicine, contre
'* Mr. Renaudot, Docteur de Montpel-
'' lier, qui pretendoit pratiquer a Paris
'* comme s*il eut et6 aggreg^ au corps
'• des Medecins de cette Capitale. Mr.
*' Patin eut toute Tavantage, mais il con-
'* sola sa partie en sortant de TAudience :
^* Monsieur, lui dit-il, vous avez gagn6
" en perdant: comment, done repondit
** Mr. Renaudot ? Cest, r6pliqiia Mr.
*' Patin, que Vous eti6z camus quand

]g« ILLUSTRATIONS

^* vous etes entr6 au Palais^ et que vous
" en sortez avec un pied de Nez."

There i« little novelty itn this jeu
d' esprit, and the concluding chapter is
written in a very had taste.*
:. Great attention was paid to the form
of the nose among the Roman Catholic
clergy ; some of the disquafifieatiow for
priest's orders were, little noses, > because
they implied i^;iioraace; great aose^
because the owner was supposed to be
puffed up with pride (as I^ w^ might,
according to the doctrines of which I
have given a view) and wry-noses^ be*
cause they implied a perverseness of
understanding.'f'

The passage quoted above from Vig-.
neul-Marville coincides with the ofnnions
of Mr. Lavater, who has shewed himself
a zealous champion for die consequence

* Entitled^ SaiUmens Jbr le$ tcartt iei qml^um
Auteurs, qui te stmt oubliezjusqua vauloir etre les Pane-
gyrisies du visage sansyeux et sans Net,

t Man of Sin, p. 76.

OF STERNE. 1S7

of the nose, and for homogeneitf of fea-
tures

This very mgenkiust but too fanciful
writer, has formed an indication of. genius
which I believe is entirely his own^, from
t)^ degree of the returning angle which:
is formed by the junction of the noee
with the upper lip. I doubt the justness
of such arbitiary marks.

Mj". Lavater has been puzzled^ I ob«
serve, to^exptain the expression of anxiety
in Ijocke's portrait. . It was certainly
independent of that great man's character.
He was subject to fits of a^hma, and
contracted the appearance of distressful
stcuggles from his sufferings in that dis-
ease. A medical .observer would pro-
nounce Locke to have been asthmatic,
froflt th^ first view of his busts and prints,
i belieye^ indeed, that alnxost every dis-
ease is characterised by a peculiar exr
pression of the countenance, and that
medical physiognomy might be culti-
ritted with the highest benefit to man-

18B ILLUSTRATIONS

kind. Unfortunately, to treat of this art
with success, an author must not only
be an excellent phy^ian, but a good
painter.

' I shall close my view of foreign writers
dn the philosophy of noses, with Riolan,
who, as a Frenchman and an anatomist,
felt a double interest in the discussion^
" The nose," he infornis us, " is the-
index of genius and understanding." He
then repeats the story of the Persians,
and adds from Plato, that it was the duty
of the eunuchs, who attended the youths
of the royal family, to form their iiosess
elegantly, by keeping tubes in thein
nostrils. He adds, ^* In lege Mosaica
Levitic. cap. xxi. qui naso pravo erant
prasditi, judicati fuere indigni sacerdotio,
proinde Vemisino poetae in arte poetica^
vita displiceret, si deformem obtinuiseet
nasum : '

Non magis esse velim, quam pravo viverie naso,** &c.%

* Anthropographia^ p. 213. It is needless ito iob->
serve^ how much Kiolan has mistaken the sense of
Horace^ in this passage.

OF STEENfe. Iftb

I Uav« observed/ thit our language is
father deficient in allusions to this organ,
especially respecting its varieties, either
of length or curtailment. Dunton, inv
deed, says, that judge Jeffreys had a
nose fit for the great service of destroying
schismatics^ '^ for he told the grand jury
at Taunton, that he could smell a Pres-
byterian forty miles/'* And Dr. John-
'son called sagacity the nose of the mind.-f-
But a later attempt has been made, to
detect this figure in the very rudiments
of our language, by the ingenious Dr.
Beddoes. " We have,'* says he, " a
femarkable class of mnm-substantives, as
they are called by the grammarian;
though according to the metaphysician,
they cannot stand by themselves, but are
supported by substances. The weirds I
mean are good-ness, great-ness, and their
fellows* We have similar words ending
in head. ' Onh^, in oM English, is

r ' -' ' ' , " . , '

♦ Panegyric on Jeffreys,
t Bofw^'s Uh «f Jobpmi, ^h iii. p. 509.

190 ILLUSTRATIONS

nnky (one hfdd)^ It wUl hot# I pre-
sume, be denkd, that bead (capui) 10
here used in cpmposition. Now, in tlie
other ca8e» I suspect^ that it i$ pact of
the head which is used ; the no$e, mess,
nez, French. Soth words have h(5ea
indifferently employed to marjk the poiots
of land that are . or haPve been ooni^ciir
0U8. Will not. thb geographic ^analo^y
be admitted a$ a strong confirmation of
my opinion ? If ness be any. part of the
body, what part else can we imagine it
to be^ whether we regard ^ound or situ«-
ation ? There exists aa etymological as
truly as a moral sense; and thosie wliQ
have acquired the former^ wlllr feel by
Ik)w very natural a trj^nsitioi) twQ ancfc
eminent^ members of ^ the ; body nati^ralt
|is the hea^ and noae, came to df^npte
Jlb^tract qualities,"*

.^hat a^lazQrof Ught (to usp the
feivottriie.Qio^gn tji?op<s)d<J. these <ibsei>
vations throw on Mr. Shandy's hypo-

-t i\6)nihly Magassliie, ^fe* July, I'TWi' -

^

OF ST£RN£. 191

thesis : and how triumphantly would he
have opened to Uncle Toby the mystery
of littleness (little nose), and of meanness
(mean nose), of rashness (rash nosejf
whence we talk of a man's thrusting his
nose into matters which do not concern
him; and of many other knotty and
perplexing terms and phrases ! All this
might be done with a tolerable portion
of leisure and application ; for I suspect
that the etymological sense is very similar
to the sense required for playing at whist,
driving four in hand, or adjusting with
philosophical precision the angle of inci-"
dence of a tennis-ball.

It is easy to account for the mystery
in which Sterne has involved this subject,
from the .preceding extracts. He had
obtained a glimpse of the physiognomic
doctrines respecting the nose, but he was
ignorant of the gjeneral systems which
had prevailed concei^nin^ the art itself.
He does not appear to have beeaac*^
quainted even with the work of Baptista

192 ILLUSTRATIONS

Porta.. To have completed Mr. Shandy'j
character, he ought to have been a pro-
fessed physiognomist. Slawkeubergius's
treatise would then have taken fonn and
substance^ and Sterne would have written
one of the most interesting and amusing
books that ever appeared.

Perhaps no man possessed so many
requisites for producing a good work on
physiognomy. His observation of cha^
racters was sagacious minutely accurate,
and unwearied. His feeling was ever
just, versatile as life itself, and was con-
veyed, to the reader with full effect,
because without' affectation. ". But his
imagination was ill-regulated, and it had
a constant tendency to form combinations,
on this particular subject, which his taste
alone, to say nothing of other motives,
should. have led him to reject. .

J. shall conclude this chapter, with a
curious question, relatmg to. the dignity
of the noso. /. The common point af
bon^ur is sufficiently known. Segar,. ia

/.

OF STERNE. 193

his Honour Militarie SC Civil, p. 127,
puts this case respecting duels ; '* Two
gentlemen being in fight, the one putteth
out the eye of his enemie, and hee in
requitall of that hurt cutteth off his nose :
the question is, who is by those hurts
most dishonoured ? It may seem at the
first sight, that losse of an eye is greatest,
being a member placed above, and that
without the sight a man prooveth unfit
for all worldly actions : yet for so much
as the want of a nose is commonly
accomptcd the greatest deformitie, and
a punishment due for infamous offences,
it may be reasonably inferred, that the
losse of that feature, should bring with
it most dishonour. Besides that, seeing
man is made according to the image of
God, we account that the face being
made more deformed by die losse of the
nose than of one eye, therefore the great-
est honour of the combat is due unto him
who taketh the nose of the enemie."

End op the First Volume.

ILLUSTRATIONS

' of

STERNE:

with

OTHER ESSAYS AND" VERSES.

BY

John ferriar, m.j>.

4SC0NB EDITION.

VOL. 11.

Peace be with the soul qf that charitable and cout'
ieous Author, who, for the common benefit of hu
felhW'authors, introduced the ingenious way qf
MisceUaneous Writing !

Shaftesbury,

LONDON:

Printed
FOR CADELL AND^ DAVIES ;

BY

J. AND J, HADDOCK, HORSE-M ARRET,
WARRINGTON.

1812.

CONTENTS,

Chapter VII. Uncle Tohjf's hohhy-hane—

Amours^-Story qf Sorlisi ----------- 9

Chapter VIII. Mr. Shandy's hypothesis qf

Christian names — Miscellaneous Illustrations - - - SO

Additional Notes ------------- 57

Of certain Varieties qfMan -------- 05

Menippean Essay on English Hisiorians " - « 99

On the origin of the Modem Art of Portifi^

cation •------,-.-.- 129

The Puppet'Shew : a Didactic Poem : partly

translated from Addison's Machinae Gesticalantes 147

Qf Genius 161

Dialogue in the Shades ....... 133

The Bibliomania, an Epistle ---»---- 199

A Northern Prospect ------------ 217

ILLUSTRATIONS

of

STERNE, 8Cc.

ILLUSTRATIONS,

&c.

CHAPTER VII.

Uncle Toby's hobby-horse — Amours —
Story of Sorlisu

or Augustine has said very justly, in
his Confessions, that the trifling of adults
is called business : magorum nuga negotia
vocantur: The present tunes are peculi*
arly indulgent in this respect. What
the last age denominated follies, or
hobby-horses, we style collections: Uncle
Toby's library would liave required no *
apology, among the hunters of old ballads,
'^and church-wardens' bills of our day.

Vol. II. B

10 ILLUSTRATIONS

I am sensible that a much better defence
might be made for him : it would bei
easy to prove the utility of his studies,
and to she>^, tiot oily -thfit: Hie fate of
empires has sometimes depended on the
construction of the retired flank of a
bastion, but that without some portion of
his knowledge, it is impossible to under-
stand completely ^me q£! the most in-
teresting passages in modern history.
But I am aware that this " sweet foun-
tain of knowledge/' as Sterne names it,
is relished by few: it is *^ caviar'^ to the
generality of readers. They will probably
feel more unterest in the curious coin-
cidence between the story of Widow
Wadmai»» and one which made a great
nioise in Germaiiy^ a litt}e after the mid-^
die oF the last century- The origin of
the lady V distress was nearly the samwv'
but 'her conduct was yerydiflferent from
that cf. Sterne's heroine, and did^the htgh^
est honour to her. puiiityi.. ; Themusadven-
ture of the genUemaa happened oiAy

OF STERNE. U

thirty-six years before the siege of N amur *
by King WiUiam, where Sterne laid the
scene of Uncle Toby's wound. The
distresses of this pair, who may be almost
termed the Abelard and Helois-e of Ger-
many (saving that they prosecuted their
affections with the strictest virtue, en tout

* I am in possession of a very curious account of
the siege of Namur> published under the immediate
direction of King WiUiam iii* in 1695. It is a thin
folio* of sixty-one pages^ with very beautiful plans*
engraved by order of the king. If the late Lord Orford
had seen this work, he would perhaps have given William
a place among the Royal authors. Much personal
pique entered into the contests between that hero, and
Louis XIV. J consider this book as a proof of it.
When Louis took Namur, he published a splendid
account of the siege, in folio. The work which I am
describing was William^s retort, and it concludes with
a triumphanty though dignified enumeration of the in-
creased difficulties, under which the fortress was reco-
vered from the French arms. One of the plans repre-
sents the movements of tJie covering, aud observing
armiesj and bears for its device, the conceit of Kons
tearing cocks in pieces, which Sir John Vanbrugh was
blamed for adopting, afterwards, at Blenheim. It is
difficult to say, whether the inventor or imitator of such
a Rebus had the worse taste. Vanbrugh has shewed
that he was capable of much better things.

B 2

12 ILLUSTRATIONS

bien et en tout fionneurj deserve to be
more generally known. Their history-
has been confined to an obscure book»^
and^has never yet found its way into our
language: I shall therefore venture to
make a sketch of it.

My readers may perhaps recollect, that
Charles x. of Sweden invaded Denmark,
in 1659; that after passing the Sound,
and taking the casde of Cronenburg, he
laid siege to Copenhagen ; where he lost
-so much time in preparing for a general
assault, that the inhabitants, aided by
the gallant exertions of the Dutch canno-
neers, recovered sufficient spijits to re-
pulse him; and that the Swedes, after
raising the siege, were attacked and
defeated in the Isle of Flihnen, where
the remaining part of their army was
obliged to surrender at discretion.

In the battle of Fuhnen, which cost

* Valentini's Novellas Medico-legales ; under the
title of Copjugiu9i Eunuchi, An entertaining selection
might be made from this book.

OF STERNE. 13

the Swedes upwards of two thousand
men, besides several general officers,
Bartholomew de Sorlisi, a young noble-
man in Charles's service, had the mis-
fortune to receive a musket shot of the
most cruel nature. He was speedily
cured, and was enabled, by the fidelity
of his surgeon, to conceal tlie conse-
quences of his wound. Disgusted by
this accident with the army, he retired
to an e^ate which he had purchased in
Pomerania, where he endeavoured to
bury his melancholy in the occupations
of a country-life. But in the course of
time, the desire of society returned, and
having frequent occasions to consult an
old nobleman in the neighbourhood,
respecting the management of bis estate,
he insensibly contracted an intimacy
with the family, which consisted of his
friend's wife and daughtier. Dorothea
Elizabedi Lichtwer, then a beautiful girl
of sixteen, inspired Sorlisi with so ardent
a passion, that he attempted every me-
B 3

H ILLUSTRATIONS

thod to engage her affections, without
allowing himself to consider the injustice
of his pretensions. His assiduities were
crowned with success ; he found his atr
tachment repaid, and soon gained such
an interest in his mistress'^s heart, that he
demanded her in marriage. As he had
become a favourite with the whole fa-
mily, his proposals were readily acr
cepted ; and if he could have suppressed
his secret consciousness, happiness and
joy would have appeared to court him.

Unfortqnateljf, his alliance was dis^
agreeable to some of the lady's relations,
for three excellent reasons : he was a
stranger, a rpman catholic, and his fa?
mily had, been but recently ennobled by
Christina. These disqualifications, how-
ever, might have been surmounted,
^specially as Sorlisi, about this time,
became known to the Elector of Saxony,
who appointed him one of his cham-
berlains; but an unexpected piece of
treachery put hiin into the hands of his
gnemies.

OE STERNE. iJk

S(H*lisi happened to consult the phy«-
sician usually employed in the Lichtwei-
&mily» and in the confidence which
naturally arises between medical men
and their patient^ had disclosed to him
ibc secret which preyed upon his mind.
The officious doctor^ forgetting not only
bis inaugural oatb^ but the obligations
of honour and gratitude/ betrayed his
patient's confidence to the discontented
part of the family, and furnished them
with a tale capable X)f overwhelming the
object of their hatred; especially as about
this time, death deprived the lovers of a.
powerful friend in Mr. Lichtwer. Many
men would have shrunk from the ob-
loquy which was now let loose again*
Sorlisi, but he fiiced the storm gallantly ;
and by exposing his life in some duels
at the onaet, obtained an exemption from
any farther private insults.

But the greatest trial of his firmness
was yet belilnd : it was impossible longer
to conceal the cause of all his vexations
B 4

10 ILLUSTRATIONS

from his intended bride, and it became
necessary for him to explain his real
situation. What a painful confession for
Sorlisi, desperately enamoured, and yet
touched with the nicest feelings of ho*
nour ! What reproaches might he not
expect from his mistress, when she di9-
covered her affections to be fixed on a
shadow ; the fervent expectations of love
and youth deceived ; with the prospect
of infamy and scorn clinging to her
future connection. Could an inexperi-
enced girl conquer such alarming ob-
stacles to his pursuit ? Sorlisi determined
to try. How he managed this delicate
communication ; with what preparatives
and softenings he introduced his melan-
choly narrative ; and with what emotion
he appealed to the generoaty of the fair
one, and the compassion of the matron,
we iare left to imagine. Madame de
Lichtwer seemed inclined to give up the
match ; but the amiable Dorothea de-
clared that no misfortune could affect

OF STERNE. 17

her attachment, and that she was deter-
mined to pass her life with Sorlisi, under
every disadvantage. So exalted a strain
of tenderness could not fail to produce
acquiescence and respect in the heart of
a mother, and the lovers were soon after
betrothed, in presence of Madame de
Lichtwer and a select party of friends.

To complete their marriage became a
xndtter of difficuly, for several theologists
had taken the alarm, and murmured so
loudly against the proposed scandal, that
in consequence of the machinations of
their enemies, it was evident that every
clergyman would be deterred from so-
leninizing the nuptials.

In this urgency, it was again neces-
sary for Sorlisi to undergo the mortifica-
tion of repeating his unhappy case. He
drew it up in August, 1666, for the
opinion of the Ecclesiastical Consistory
at Leipsic, using the feigned names of
Titius and Lucretia, and giving the best
turn to the matter that it would bear.

IS ILLUSTRATIONS

The Consistory, availing itself of a very
considerate distinction,* gave a favour-
able answer; though they acknowledged,
that the impossibility of having o£&pring
was the only one out of eighteen reasons,
which Luther admitted as a sufficient
plea for divorce.

All that was now wanting, was a
mandate from the Elector, to authorize
the completion of the marriage.; but as
be thought proper to. consult several
theologists on the subject, nothing was
decided till the succeeding year, when
the mandate was granted, which im-»
posed, at the same time, a discretionary
fine upon Sorlisi, by way of quieting the
tender consciences of those who opposed
the match, for the honour of the Lu-^
theran church.

The marriage ceremony was therefore,

* Ut taceamus, in hac persona virili non quidem
^Icm impotentiam et inhabilitatem observari quae gene-
rationis actum, ut scholastic! loquuntur, sed generationis
Rectum tantum impedlit. Conjug. Eunuchir p* 109>

OF STERNE. 19

at length, privately performed at SofM*s
country-house.

Here the malice of their enemies
might have been expected to rest : but
they returned to the attack with fresh
fury, resolute to dissolve the union, or
to embitter the lives of this persecuted
pair. Their chaste attachment was to
be subjected to the coarse discussions,
and abominable constructions of dull
theologists, animated by party-zeal, and
totally incapable of estimating the senti-
ments of a respectable woman; their
names were to be coupled with scorn
and reproach ; and every effort of Teu-
tonic eloquence was to be employed, to
persuade them that they ought to find
no satisfaction in living together.

The Supreme Ecclesiastical Consistory,
which had hitherto taken no cognizance
of the affair, now interposed, and de-
manded that the parties should be sepa-r
rated, to do away the great scandal
which their uniQn gave to the godly.

26 ILLUSTRATIONS

To take off the force of this formidable
interference, Sorlisi had recourse to that
method by which the papal bulls have
been so often tamed. He offered to
enlarge his fine to the extent of building
a churchy and providing a stipend for a
preacher. The Consistory could not in-
stantly retract, but this proposal certainly
procured time for digesting conciliatory
measures. In the mean time, as Ma«-
dame de Sorlid protested that she would
rather die than forsake her husband, her
ghostly directors thought it very edifying
to punish her contumacy, by refusing
her the sacrament.

In a matter of so much consequence
to the Protestant religion, as the union
of two persons, who preferred each
other's happiness to the scruples of their
reverences, it was necessary to consult
grave examples. That of our Henry vilT.
seems to have occurred to all parties, it
was therefore agreed to collect the opi-
nions of the different theological faculties

OF STERNE. Si

in Germany, of the Lutheran persuasion.
My fair readers must excuse me from
detailing the whole distinctions of those
learned bodies; for it seems, that to
counteract the practice of vice, they had
thought it necessary **to be completely
masters of every vice in speculation.

The faculty of Hasse-Giessen professed
great concern for the young lady, and
apprehended that her husband could not
fail to torment her inexpressibly ; quofmg
the fatnous passage from St. Basil, ** instar
bovis cui cornua sunt abscissa, imaginem
impetus facere, incredibilem vesaniam
spirando/' After much other reasoning
pn her unhappy situation, they con-
cluded, that as the matrimonial cere-
mony had been profaned by this union,
it was necessary to dissolve it immedi-
ately.

I apprehend, that tlie communication
of the case must have operated in some
very sudden and extraordinary manner
on tho faculty of Strasburg, so much

M ILLUSTRATIONS

agitation and wonder do they exfMress otl
coming at the knowledge of such a
scandal, which they say, ** cannol be
tolerated, . or approved, or defended."
While they wislied to weep tears of blood
over the indiscretion of those who had
permitted tliis union (always saving bis
Electoral Highness) they could not avoid
testifying the greatest horror against the
lady's desire to live with her husband :
it was, they said, a moral sin.

So extreme was the agony and per-
turbation of the Strasburg doctors, that
I could not help suspecting their consul-
tation had been held in the most dan-
gerous i>art of a hot autumn; but, on
referring to the date, I find it took place
in November, 1667,

Finally, • they exclaimed that if the
young couple persisted in their refusal
to separate, they ought to be banished
from a land of piety; and that severe
puni'vhments should be inflicted on Ma*
dame dc Liclitvver, and those relations

OF STERNE. ^

who had encouraged so damnabfe a
connection. - •

The matter worked more gently with*
the faculty of Jena. They taade some*
allowances'fdr the fstrength of attachment
, which the parties displayed, and appeared
to iexperieiice^soHie faint touches of hu-
manity. They thought, however, that
as the^only excusable motive which
could induce SorliVi to marry at all must
be the desire of society, he would have
acted more properly, if he had taken
unto himself some quiet old woman to
manage his family. Arid- for divers other
reasons, which they reckoned very solid,
it was their opinion that a separation
should take place.

The faculty of Kaenigsberg, proceed-
ing on the principle, volenti npn Jit injuria,
thought that great regard should be had
to the contentment expressed by the lady,
although they were not quite satished
with the affair. They put a very subtle
case, in which they imagined that even

24 ILLUSTRATIONS

the Pope must -pennit an union of thi»
kind : " se..si maritus quidam a barbaris
castratur et abbinc mulieri suae cohabitare
et carnaliter, ut ante, se miscere voluerit«"
And upon the wh(^e they concluded,
that tlie marriage should be deemed valid,
and the parties re-admitted to all religious
privileges.

I am most pleased with the decision
of the feculty of Gripswald : tliey opined>
tliat as the lady had got into the scrape
with her eyes open, they might suffer
her to take the consequences without
danger to their own souls ; and that as
she had been encouraged by her mother
and several friends in l>er attachment to
Sorlisi, it did not quite amount to a
mortal transgression.

While these huge bodies of divinity
thundered forth their decrees, a shoal of
small writere skirmished on both sides.
The noise of the contest occupied the
attention of all Dresden,

One Dr. Bulaeus, on the part of the

' / OF: STtBRNE. i &

Bodia, .proved in: fomi^ that there was
HQthiog so very ^andaloos and alarmti^
as had hetn representee), in their mai>
riagew > He sfaetored^ wilii great modest^}
that 1 exc^ing'^ the^' crtrtam ^ prospect of
sterility^ they baki no . pe^iar qause of
dissatis£sictiaii^ 'and thAt other matches,
equally, objaciionable in- that' respect,
wese often; concluded' between persons
i^tmy- unequal ages, -He also shrewdly
obsenred, that^ no sn^all scandal had beai
given, by. the singular discussions in
which . ' their ^ reverences^ ;bad itid u]ged ;
discusstQn& whioh he cimsidered' as snafes
for their consciences, arid not highly
edifyipgiotbe public^
, . An ieKamination of this paper imme*
4iatiily:appeared, by an anonymous wri*
tfdr, who r6iharked acutely ent)ugh, that
the consent x)fU)e; parties could not ren-.
der a compact legal, which was illegal
if)!. it9 nature; he proceeded: to shew
^yUogisticaUy, that the lady had been
Uitld^ .respecting certain circumstancesi ^
Vol. II. : c

w lULuarrsATiONs

^y the rank and fortune oi SmrlUU aai
tfa#t Ibis nifttcib wa&. oertainly boMigiiC
about by theiOeTil UbaselEi-rfTo stieng^
qn bis aq;um€»itt h^adda thei cutfous
story quoted by Dr. WartQn^ ii^ hk ISju&y
on PQpe^ ne&peftlog the complAints^ oi
ii BMjtrun against tlifit bai^ritin <if a
oertain. IJtaJtua iduke; aiddii)g> by w^
q( infer^noe, . ^f limx asn^ uxbrb-^-pkifi
^re4e(M^uuv qvtatn na^rft Mafia* .»elD-
pertie i^t o^^g^li^l q\^ ^iiftmt »ra hi^
pink" dp ftdc^, tbfit it wouM be.hsrs}|
and uncivil. t;p.pce|!^tl^£incitr& of :a. saw
glfU to this^ »Q»i»k[iQU$ .sentviQeiit& of asi
bost o( bearded, eiviliansu .. :

Another cxamioei: .cfme fortb^ wlio
o^^ghfc b« $ia^peot)edK £roin. his inanher,
to hav^ U^Wngml.t© the Jkaabj' oi :^a^
\i^tg' H^ ^ecbmcii d>at >Madaiiie ^
Spfi^si lived ffki, statu peceamitimo^v wds»»
4^a et. f^auiaahili ; " and gs^ve the most
odiiqus mil to the. pture attachment sbb
had maiaafesbad, , wk^^tvbe helfe
thdt, this furious. tke^logisjB Mashed that

4a trsttm. ^

thte iAvttgi instead of l^ing inaftied^
llad httn cudgelted out of theit mutual
tfffec^Mf? He auf^rtod tbis extrava-
gsftce b;f tiM example of Luther, wiio
Mems to hate been fond of using tbe
i^gtrnMlum ba(mliMUin wifth his friends.
tnkwtll known tfaat he once compeltod
a difipuCadt to come into hi^ opinion,
tiy the dextratts application of a good
cudgel; and theexarainear says, he took
tbe same nsietbod with his maid-flervaot,
Hfrho had been sxMy enough to fall m
l^ve, asld whom he thrashed into a
severer way of thinking.

It wouid bavc^ been easy to have
replied, that Lirtlier shewed a Ktde lAore
complaisance for the tender passion,
when he sanctioned the biganny of the
Bleetor, his patron ; but the retort would
liave been ill received at the court of
Dresden* This terrible doctor, however,
fiferaH]^ ^ItoA out for eksbs ; 'i ad bacu-
him, ad bOeiidum qoo^ prurkum extin-

.^^uieer''

ca

28 ILLUSTRATIONS

A milder adversary, moved by the
lai^eness of the ime which Sorlisi bad
engaged to pay, doubted whether the
parties, upon acknowledging the encnr-
mity of their offence, might not be
suffered to live together as brother iuid
sister, a concession which the unfortu--
nate pair seem to have been at length
willing to make. But upon setting aside
the con^deration. of the money, and
regarding the scandal and danger likely
to accrue to the protestant churcjb, from
such an indulgence, he reluctantly de-
cided in the negative.

After wearying the reader with this
tedious detail^ he will be glad^ for moie
reasoiK than one, to learn^ that in May,
1668, the Consistory of Leipsic declared
that the marriage ought to be tokcated,
and the parties to be freed from any
i farther vexation or prosecution on that
account. At the same time, the Elector,
to prevent the growth, of scandal, ordered
that this case should not be considered

OF STERNE* 29

as a precedent, and that no future .in*
duJgence of the same kind should be
permitted.

C 3

30 lU^USTftATIOtfg

CHAPTER VIII,

Mr. Shandy's hypothesis of Christian
names — Miscellaneous illustrations — Cori'^
elusion.

1 Think it is D*Aubign6 who mentions
a fact, wrought up by Sterne into a
chapter, that the States of Switzerland
proposed the name of Abednego to be
given to one of the children of Henry lU
of France. Sterne transferred the story,
with his usual carelessness, to Francis I,
Burton certainly should have added to
the happiness of being well-^born, that
of being well-^named ; and this super-
stition has been so common among the
learned^ that I . wonder how it escaped
him.

OP SXEBKZ^ :: fl

ifi tbs!g(Maaltb«ory Kspeedng Cbtb-
MnnaiMs, lam persikided that Sterne
iad i& view Moiitaigti«'fr flsKty ifci AToiM*
/'daaqjue liatiafl/' dfys Montaigne, *< k
qoA^ocB bonn. q\fv te prennetu, je tva
s^i coaujo/eat, ^en asaiovdRe p&rt; et v
pouE^.Jeaa, Otiitiauttte) B^<Mst." Mr.
ttandf has. pasted a s»niJat- aoa^ianth
ijott 6iv-«Miie :£ngltth na<ne6, to whioU
Tulgar prejudices are attached^ I teai
mrpnsid tftat St^me skould have with-
bcM a/stoiy "Vtiil^ Mon^tgiieha«tofd»
In support of -diis fancy. He mettttoiu
sif^g imih wh^ w^ fetilaVn^ ffoai
i»««ry- dkisc^titfr €btir«e of life, by dis'
covvrin^' ^r ^rito mme of ft pros^ifttite
ttfboOi b# werit 4o tisif, ^^ Ma>ry. His
HiMrMMtiori wa» s(»^^ ^leetnp^y, that a
efaapel liiilas built oh the sftot irhere ht«
btfOBtf had jstdod^ «Md dn the sai«i^ ptfuni
was. aftf fward^erevted tlie diUK;h ol'our
hMly.of Poictiers. " CetU» ci^riJetioft/*
says he, ** voyelle et auriculaire, devo-
tieuse, ttnrdroit aTaBhe;" il <H^ai hideed
a palpable hit,

C 4

52 ILLVSTHATIORS

^ A gentleraxiu my tidgfabpui!/^ ^(v
ceeds the tenerableG^coo,! ''preferrinff
tbe inaunets of old times :tdbiirs> ^d not
ibrgot to boafiC of /the ptoad: and'^lnaE^
nUicent names of the ancient itobiikyt
$uch sis Don Grumedan, Don Qitedragan^
Don Agesilan; or to say tlilit.on hearing
them pronounced^ he felt that they musC
be a different kind ot' people freni Peter;
Criles and Jacob. • ' :i '

. Another passage contain^ I^suspeet^ a
^tfolie of satire- against Hie Hnguenots^
where he pomplim^ts them on tfa^
Subduing die old pamesof Qhadesi Looisi^
and Frsincisy and peopling the world witb
I4ethusalenis, Ezekielsjr atnd Malachis. \
\ It is carious enoiigh, that St. Pinter
g l^tfi writer, should -adopt,* andtseM
largely pf this hypothesis^ without jre<»
ferring either tp Mpntaigne or to Sterne;^
•. Pij^nier MfrQiP a whole ehapfcer, in
Jlii^. Mecficrfhfs air la. Fnmce, on thQ

OF STBHNfe $$

f&ft^vm atteifdant. on psirttcijflap 'immUs}
aM0med to the FreHCb moiiarctw { »boi
Mcifhoff, who treats graVdiy of the fdta*
lity :of Ghristfeiri^ Kaniiesi goes' milcfi fe^
tber, "^kd adtef't^ that Ibe evU^ infldaicd
of the i^iginal name itiay be dorrected
bya^umingai^othen *' Ndtarunt non-^
tlulli in^ugtc^-um ^ tiOttitntim imi^Bitimiiei
fortunamhoiixintriii lfibefa<^ari» ^rufn im^
mutiaiov^ qvxffueimmutfiril^ This would
have been a ^od <|kiotatidn for Mr,
Iftkandy, at the. Visitation, 'i '..
. : ; On one ocGasiofi^ Sterne has pfeskd a
came i0tOTthi3 service to whidi he had
QO right, .ff But wb6>tbe' duoe hafii,|[ot
bid down here; beside .her? quoth Aryf
latber^.tpoiLnting with his cane to a large
tomb— ^as he walked on^^r^iU is=^ OptaT,
sir,, absjvered the sacristan^Aixl pro-
ptriy is St* Optait placed J ; said my
fiaither: and what b St^ Optatf & .^toiy ?
C0ntintied: he, St.. Optat, replied. 'thi;

^a^mt^ii ffSXk s^ bi»bop«^ I. tbougjilA ^i
by hewren! cried my fatlH^, intjenrupttpr
uig1iiai-HSt. Opjtai I bow pbiHiM St Optet
&U ? '* f Uohickily . for, dl . this good
raiUcryj 4^:8»if9t'9 naijM was <)ptfit^i
lirliieh i$ quite a difiereM d&iib ublass
the world should \f^ d\s§^sitd . to admtC
the Sincerity of the ^mh effhc^fm^. If
St^iie had kK>k^i MiloiuSasqiiifir^ he
might hjtT« fotiR^kypther.in^MnsB^
mX^ « St< :Opport|tin<v St Prekeaktat, and
several others^ Match tavel too uifonni
i»p thttt the fifst ^pe who allBred his
lititie tyas Ospuceus } he chdnged ik to
Se^gtus^ from \iA dislike of the fiinner;
bwb ili^dced all these cimt^tm mcr ^
Dtoge&e^aaid oo . aaol^er sobjoct,, ^lyisdi

In ifas^ prescM sittte 6i Jk^mvledge^ it
would be uiipatdoiial^ tf^itiak a tetsuatki
with which jsdl airthar Kke Stuffier wotltd
foake binnelf vlsiy ni^rry^r It- r0lit<^ to

the pd^aag^^ xmwhkk Mr. SkmiyUm^
thtntm^ of Ti^iSTftAM with moh iadig^
nity, and demands of his supposed adv^K
gary, ** Whether he had ever remem-
bered, — rwhet^iet'he had ever read^^ — or
whether he iuad.ever lizard tell of a man,
called Tristram, performing any thing
gfeot or woilH. i^ccwding?— No,~*he
wouidsayv^-^TitiSTaAJf K~The thing b
impossiblel '.' A Jihideht of iht^ ^^hikuv^
able black'letter eruditioo wouM h*ve
tmmiphed, mproclflflQbingtbr.Kdot^ied
Sb Trbtnim,^ Knigbt of the Rotifidr«aUe»
and one of the niost faimoysi.Kiiil^tiFi
^mmt nptm records $ternp anight Jtmve

TfongcTOlt, ct^usCandina nfemolcgk;•'
9^ ipd^eed rtif 7 pleasant . 'h^w, -has.' ji<y

■. I have ,su few. obs?ryationa toy aJd^
which are quite unconri^t^d with each,
other. Sterne truly resembled Shake^

3» ILLVSTHATIONS

qieare*^ iKron^ in tbeoctentof his depr^-
dations from other-wrkers^'forthe supply,
of Tristram: :

His eye begot occaaicm for bis wit :
For e?*ry object tbat tbe oiie did catch*
t The dther tuni'd to a mirth-meving jest.

Burton furnished the grand magazine,
but many other books^ which fell inci:^
deintally into hisi hands^ ivere laid under
contribution.

' lam sorry to deprive Sterne of the
following pretty figure but justice must
be d<»»/to every one.

' '^ Ih \8hort, my father-^-^adTanced
so very slowly with his work,; and I
began to live and get forward at such a
rate^ that if w event had not happened
~&c, 'I verily believe I had put by my
fat})6r, and left him drawing a sun-dial,
for no better pui-pose than. to be buried
linder grptind.***

• v' n ' '

* Tris. ShsHidy;.ii>9l. It* chap. 16,

OF STESiNE. ^

Donne concki^es bis poem entided
The Will, with this very thought :

And at! your grace(^ tio -more use isfaall Ktve
Tkan.a Ban-«<ii{il in a grave. .

I must also notice a remarkable pla^
giarism, th the character of Ybrick;
vol. i. chapter xii. ** When/ to gratify
*^ a private appetite, it is once resolved
'* upon, that an innocent and an help*
" less creature shall be sacrificed, *tis ati
*' easy matter to pick up sticks enoW
** from any thicket Whcre^it has strayed,
•' to make a lire to offer it up with,*^
This is taken, almost vei'batim, ironi
the Baconiana.

I have said that Sterne took the hint
of his marbled pages either from Swifr,
or the author bf Gabriel John, ^ttu^iSr
fuit Hie, There is no great merit in hfe
mourning pages for Yorick, which are
little superior, in point of invention, to
the black bonders of a hawker's elegy,
yet even here an original genius hafs
anticipated him.

58 ILLVSniATIONS

Every one knows tlie bbek pAges in
Tristram ShaiWIy ; that of prior date is'fo
be found in Dr. Fluiid'g Utiimque cosmi
Historia,* and is emUematfo ^ the
chaos. Fludd ivas a man of extensive
erudition, and consideraUe oliservationy
Imt his. fancyt naturally vigorous; was
fermented and depraved, by astrological
and cabbalistic researches. It will s^ed
jl, proof of his strange fancies, and at thc;^
ssune time do away all suspicion of Steme
in this inslano^ to quote the ludicrous
coincidence mentioned by Morhoff, her
jUvwn himself and this author. ** Cog^*
tandi modum in nobis et speculationos
iU^ cadonum^ nairific^ qyodam in loco,
^i4&licet in libro de myUica cerebri anor
fpme £f luddiiis] ob oculos poait. Solent
.ah .ffn^tpfnieis UJic delLneari genitalia
iD^»bbrd^;Utidusque sexus^ quod processusr
quidain et sinta,s, cum in modum figurati
.sMUt;. Hie; Jluddius invenit, non quod
puerl in f^baj, iUic. dicit gen^raii coglt^

fr Page 26.

Ibnes; quod mihi mirten vkam esti' c^m
egd aliquaodo joculafe carmen de enfe
ivtioms scnbereih^ <et, lerenle ifei genio
€unnnis» jooi gratia- finKtssem, illio- ge->
seiari enkifb rationisy. pUMtea cam ffK»di
in istud Fiijddii, : quod nfc soknlibndd
quidem, oogitaVAram, in-venisae me/ eerio
lueQ asseri a Fluddio."*

I am not aoquairited wilh the Ibiinda*^
tion «f tlie. curious passages respecting
ibe pofiBibiUty of baptizing infftr^s- m
t«<^a,f but I find that Mauriceau adiretto
to the circumstaDce, m his attack oii the
Cesarean operaticm- : « it n' y a pas d'oc-
casions ou on ne puisse bien donner le
Bapt^e k T eafaot, duraht qu' il est
encore au ventre de la niere, estant facile
de porter dc I'eau nette par le moyen
du canon d' une seringue jus^ues sur
quelque paitle de son corps"— He th^
obviates a difficulty utJthiought olf by
Stisme'f doctois; which pefsuades toe-

• Morhoffi Prfyhift. Philw* lib. ii. p. i, cap. l*v
t Tristhun Biuiniy, Tol.i. «hap, xx.

^ lUiWSTRikTaWS

that,l))i8 p9S3agexQf Maiiiiceau ,h^d not
occiirc^d to himrrr-,^* et il seroitinutiki
d'olleguer i|ue: I* eau n' y p6ut pas etce
cop4uit^>.:^: cau$e;que V enfant estMeo*>
vdiQjpi6 de £QS tiiern)>nine8,> qui: eu..enw
-^c^ij^t; car .ne s9ait-on |fiis qu' on ks
j^Ht roogLpre tr^ ais<^ment»;en;cas qu' ellqs
ne le fussent pa^, apres quot on. peut
toucher eflfectivement son corps.." * i

This writer lias also memioned the^
mischievQus effect of strong pressure*
applied to the heads of very young chit»
dren; which is ooni^cted with another
theory that Sterne- has. diverted himself
n^vith.. I have rv>t met with the oitginal
of it^ in my reading, but will give i.
passage from Bulwcr's Anthropowtetemor-
phosis, a.nalp^ou^itp: j^auriccan's;^ ; :o

:.h

^ Mapric. Jtfaladres des Femines Grosses, p^ 347,
(edk; SmtB: 4to. lafel.)' ' ' *

' t Itcnew a gentlethan wbtt had divers sons, 'arid the •
I9>^)viyes HDd nurses Wich1i«&db^iid^ add strokingshad
so altered the natural mould of their heads, that they
prpved children of a ypjcy. .weak; oad^rstftndingiL His
Jast son only, upon adTice gif en hina^ ha4 «« restraint

OF STERNE. 41*

^ There is one j^i^sage in the seventh
volume, which the circumstances of
Stone-s death render pathetic. A be-
liever in the doctrine of pre-sentiment
would think it a prop to his theory. It
i9 as ^riking as Swift's digression on
xdadness, in the Tale of a Tub.

''Was I in a conditioii to stipulate
wUh De^h ■ ■ ! slKmld certainly declare
against submitting to it before my friends;
and therefore I never seriously tiiink
upon the mode and manner of this great
catastrophe, whicb genmlly takes up
and torments my thoughts as much as^
the catastrophe itself^ but I constantly
draw the curtain across it with this wish,
that the Disposer of all things may so
order it, that it happen not to me in my
own house— but rather in some decent

ioposed upbn the natural growth of his head, but wa^
left free from the coercive power of headbands and
other artificial violence, whose head, althoiigh it were
bigger, yet he had more wit and understanding than
tb«aiiaU.

Artificial Cha^igeling,. p, 42. .

Vol. II. B

4i? ILLUSTRATICmS

inn ^Al home, — I know it, — ^&t a>n-

oern of my friends, and the last sernice^
of wiping my hrows attd sitioothiiig^ my
pillow, will so crucify my soul, that t
shall die of a distemper which my pby-
stcian is not aware of: but in an inn^
the few cold offices I wanted, woidd be
purchased widb a few guineas^ and paid
me with an iradisenrbed but putictudi
attention.*' It i& knowi:i thafe Sterne died
in hired lod^ngs, . and I hare been told,,
that his attendants robbed hitaeven ot
his gdki ^ev&lMiltoits^ while he was
expiriiig.

Yet a paragraph in Burnet's History of
his own Times ha^been pointed out,^ m a^
periodical work,* from wb|ch both the
sentlmeoite and expressions of Sterne,. in»
this passage, were cectainly taken. Tlu»
appears to me one of the most curious
detections of hrs imitations; but 1 shaft
|iot be surprised if many oth;ers„ equally

* Gentleman's Magazine, for June, 179S^ uadH^
the signaiw^ of R. F*

OF STEBNE. 43

unexpected, sbould be noticed hereaftefi
The extract from Burnet foUowis :

** He [Archbisbop Leighton] used
ofbsn to say, tliat if he were to choose a
piace to die in, it should be an inn ; k
looking like a pilgrin^'s going home^
to whom this world was all as an inn, and
who was weary of the noise smd confusion
in It. He added, that the officious ten«
derness and care of friends was an entan-^
glement to a dying man ; and that the
unconcerned attendance of those that
could be procured in such a place. Would
give less disturbance/' *

The real source of this thought, how-
ever,, is in the Cato of Cicero : •* Ex vita
ista dificedo, tanqiiaim faospitio, non tan«
quam eii doma: commorandi enim na**
tura diversorium nobis dedit, Aon habi*
tandilooum/'

$tei:n«tha8 amused bimself with a pane«
gyric on the literary benefits of shaving :
'* I maintaid it, the conceits of a rough*

* Vol. ii. p. 259, Svo.
D 2

4* ILLUSTRATIONS

bearded man are seven years more terse
and juyeniie tor one single operation;
and if they did not run a risk of being
shaved quite away, might be carried up,
by continualshavings, to the very highest
pitch of sublimity." ♦ It is an honour
to think like great men ; upon this occa-
sion, I must introduce Sterne to no less
a personage than the Macedonian hero.
Before one of Alexander's battles, Par-
menio presented himself, to give an
account of his arrangements, and to
enquire whether any thing remained to
be done : nothing, said Alexander, but
tliat the men should shave. Shave!
cried Parmienio: yes, replied the Prince;
dp you not consider what a handle a
long beard affords: to the enemy ?-^

Peter L of Russia gave the- clearest
proof that he reckoned the custom of
shaving essential to the progress of civil"^-

* Tristram Shandy, vol* ix. cha^p. 13.
t Barbat. de Barbigeuio^ in Dornarias's Amphi*
theatrum Sapientiae-

OF STERNE. 45

zation: it is pity that Sterne did not
quote this convincing historical example.
Horace, too, seems to have thought that
his philosopher would have reasoned
better without his beard :

Dite, Damasippe, Deaeque

^ Verum ob consilium doneat tonsore f

t Memoires particuliers relatif a Thistoire de France,
Tome 5 ieme.

Memoires de Piare de Fentn, p. 453.
II « sjen Tint done jusques a Sens ou il in it le siege
tout autour, et leur fit si^nifier qu'ils rendissent la
ville an Roy Charles: mais ils n'en voalurent rien
fiiire. Dedtms (Pstoit de la part du Daupbin h Seigneur
de Boutonvilliers d tout environ trois cens combatant
lA fut le roy Charles, le roy Henri, & le Due de
Bourgongne sept jours ayant ^u'ils voulussent parle-
menter : mais quand ils vir^t qu'il y avoit si graude
puissance, & quails n' auroient aucune secoors, ils vou*
lurent trouver leur Traite ; partant le roy Henri envoya
Cornuaille parler aKeux- Quand. le dit Cornuaille (qm
bien apper^eut qu'ils etoient en danger) fut venu- asse^
prcs de la- porte pour parl$jr a eux, il vint d lui ua
gentil-homme qui avoit grande barbo, mais quand
Corntiaillerle vid, ii lui dit, qu*zl ne parieroii point d
luis'il n' avoit sa barbe mieux faite, Sf que ce »* eioit
point la guise 4* couslume des Anglois. Celn fit qu'aussitot
icelui alia faire sa barbe, puis revtnt vers le dit Cor-
miiille: et Ii parlerent tant que le Traite fut faitr *

D 3

4a ILLUSTBATIONS

The plan of the Sentimental Journey
seems to have been taken from the little
French pieces, which have had wdi
celebrity; the Voyage of Chapelle and
Bachaumont, and the Voyage QiYon\sjxi%i
the merit of which ccmsists in tnaktng
trifles considerable. The only material
di£ference between Sterne's pleasant fragr
ment and these, consists in the want <^
verse. The French sentimental tours are
enlivened by rhymes of great variety,
and Sterne would perhaps have imitate4
them in this respect, if he could have
written poetry.

There is one French writer, whon^
Steme seems to have imitated; it is
Marivaux, whose style, according to
P'Alembert, is much more popular xxx
England than in his own country. From
him and Crebillon, I think, Steme learnt
to practise what Quintilian had made ^
precept : Minus est TOTtJM dicere quam
OMNIA, With genius enough for the
attempt, one has frequently failed in

i3F STEBNE. H

produ^g pleasure by the length of his
digiesnonsy and the other by afFecting aa
excessive refinement and ambiguity in
his language* Le$ bom Arrmns du deck
de Louis XIV. says Voltaire, ont m de la
f^ctt aujourd' hui en cherche de contor^
MiBUs. Our own writers are not free from
this error ; aud it would not be unwor-
thy thsir consideration, that a sentence^
which is so mueh refined as to admit of
several different senses, may perha^is havc(
BO direct claim to any sense.* Stetme
has seldom indulged these lapses, for
which he wast probably indebted to the
buoyant force of Burtort's finh Old-
English sinews.

^ M af^ard puts this very tlreH :

Moa ami* ehaase bkn Icdia
Cette noire rhetonqae.
Tes ouTrages ooi bWoiii
jy un devia /qui )«i efffiliqaie.
Si ton esprit vsut cacb^
Les beili^ chowf qii'il penMii
Di-Boi, qd prut t' eKip^iriier
Pe te serrir do siienfift ?

D4

4S ILLUSTRATIONS

Whoever will take die trouble of com-*
paring Sterne's Dialogue with his own
feelings, in the Sentimental Journey,*
to tliat of Jacob with his Avarice and his
Honour, in the first part of the Paysaa
Parvenu, will perceive a near resena-
blance. It would be criiel to insert the
French declamation. A shorter passage
from the same work will shew that tba
Shandean manner is very similar to that
of Mariyaux.

Le Dinecteur avoit laiss^ parler V aine^
sans r interrompre, & semb|olt nteme un
pen piqu6 de V obstination de T autre.

Prenant pourtant un air tranquille et
benin : ma chere Demoiselle, ecoutcz
moi, dit il k cette cadette; vous savez
avec quelle affection particuliere je vous
donne mes conaeils k toutes deux.

* Compaure also the first ConTersation with Me,
Freval, in the Paysan Parventi, with a scene in the
Sentimental Journey. Bayie, too, famished Sterne
with* some hints, which Mr* Jackson of Exeter has
noticed, in his Four j4ges* J he preceding part of this
book was printed^ before I isaw Mr. Jackson's work.

OF STERNSi 49

Ces derniers parole a toates ienx,
furent partag(6es^ de £29011 que la Cadette
len avoit pour le moins les trois quarts &
tlemi pour elle, et ce ne fut meme que
-par reflection subite, qu 'il en donna le
reste k V ain6e.*

The admirable story of Uncle Toby
and the Fly,-f* which Sterne applied to
the comparatively mild Reviewers of his
day, contains a strange coincidenc6 with
a passage in the Entreiiens of Balzac.

** Go-go, poor devil," quoth he—
*^ get thee gone''-— why sjiould I hurt
5' thee ? This world is surely wide enough,
** to hold Iwth thee and me."

" JTavez vous point oui parler/* sayS
Balzac, * '* de ce Moucheron qui entra
** dans Toeil du Roi Jacques d' Angleterre,
** un jour qu* il etoit a la Chasse. Aus-
*^ sitot r impatience prit le Roi, il des^
'< cendit de Cheval en jurant, (ce qui
^'lui etoit assez ordinaire) il s'appella

* Paysan Parv^u, parti«2[ne» *

t Tristram Shandy, vol. iii* chap, ir.

#0 ILLU8TXATI0NS

^ nidhatreux^ il api^ella insolent le Mou-^
^« cberon, et lul adi^essant sa pande,
^^ TriifJutnt animal, iui dit41, n'est ct paa
^ assex de trois grands Royaumes que je te
^ laisse pour te jnvmenerp sans qu'U failJk
*^ que tu te viennes loger dam mes yeux f *
Sterne is, perhaps, $he only writer who
has ^M>ken with due praise of the ^a^
sure to be derived from fish^nds ; for
the Ardibishop, Dubraviust . who pdb*
lished a quarto Tolume, de Pisciiits, has
taken tlie matter so oompletdy for
granted, that he has not once adverted
to it. ^* There is something. Sir,'' sajrs
Sterne, '* in fish-ponck-^but what it is
^* I leave to systenvibuilders and fish-pond
^Vdj^gsans faetwixt 'ana to find oiit>^l»it
^ theve is aonietbingt under the first
f^ dssorderiy transport of hunaours, so
<^ unaccountably becalming In an orderly
^* and 4 sober walk towards one 6i th^n,
^ that I have often wondered that neithet

* Memoirts Ai LitteMlm^ pit Sa^kc^e/tom. i-

€€

OF STEHNE. 51

Pythagoi-as^ nor Plato, nor Skildn; nor
Lycurgus, nor Mahomet, nor arty of
*^ your noted law-givers, ever gave any
" order about them/**

The following verses, taken from
Carew*$ Survey of Cornwall, as publbhed
by Lord Dunstanville, though not very
poetical, may be, to some readers, aa
agreeable commentary on this passage.

I wait not at tbe lawyer's gate,
Ne shouMer clim^rs 4owa ihe stain,
I vaunt jiot manhood by debates, »^

1 envy not the miser's fears>

But mean in state, and calm in sprite,

Jdy fisbful pond is my delight

Where equal distant island views.
His forced banks, and otter's cag^
Where salt and fresh the pool renews, *
As spring and droqgltt mcfeme or «w«g^
Where hoat presents his iifsnice pceal;^
And net becomes the fishes nest.

Where sucking millet, swallowing basse.
Side-walking crab, wir-mouthed flouk^
And slip-fist eel, as evenings pass.
For safe bsdt at due place do look,

3old to approach, quick to espy^

Greedy to catch, r^y to fly*

» Tristram Shandy, vol. ir. chap, xti^ •

S2 ILLUSTRATIONS

In hett the tcp» jn cold the deep.
In spring the month the mids in neap,
. With changeless change by shoals thy keep.
Fat, fruitfal, ready, but not cheap.

Thus mean in stste and calm* in sprite

My fisbfol pond is my delight.

t have thus put the reader in possession
of every observation respecting this agree-
able author,* which it would be important
or proper to communicate. If his opi<*
nion of Sterne*s learning and originality
be lessened by the perusal, he must, at
least, admire the dexterity and the good
taste with which he has incorporated in
his work so many passages, written with
very different views by their respective
authors. It was evidently Sterne's pur-
pose to make a pleasant, saleable book,
coute que coute; and after taking his
general plan from some of the older

* I have seen some anecdotes of Sterne, in the

European Magazine, in which Madame de L

mentioned in the Sentimental J6urney, was ssud to be
Madame de Lamberti, and the Count de B^-* — , the
Count de Bretueil; upon what authority I do not
know. .^ »^

OF STEHNE. i4

French writers, and from Burton, he
made prize of all the good thoughts th^t
came in his way.

Voltaire has compared th« merits of
Rabelais and Sterne, as satirists of the
abuse of learning^, and, t think, has done
neither of them justice. This great dis-
tinction is obvious J that Rabelais derided
absurdities then existing in full force,
and intermingled much sterling sense
with the grossest parts of his book ;
Sterne, on the contrary, laughs at many
exploded opinions, and forsaken foo-
leries, and contrives to degrade some of
his most solemn passages by a vicious
levity/. Rabelais flew a higher pitch,
too, than Sterne. Great part of the
voyage to the Pays de Lanternois,* which
so severely stigmatizes the vices of the
Romish clergy of that nge, was per-

* I do not recollect to have geen it observed by
Rabelais's Commenta^rs* that this nam^^ as well a^
the plan of the Satire, is imitated from Luciano Tni%
History^ Lucian's towQ is called liychnopolis.

M ILLUiSTSATIOKS

formed in more hazard of fir^ than
water.

The follies of the learned may aa juttly
be corrected^ as the vices of hypocit(es ;
but fQr the foi-mer, ridicule is a sufficient
punishment* Ridicule k even more
eficctual to this purpose^ as well as more
agreeable than scurrility^ which ia gen^
rally preferred, notwithstanding^ by the
learned themselves in their contest;, be^
cause anger seizes the readiest weapons ;

Jwnque laces ^ Sana fdlaat ; icifor arma ministittt :

. And where a little extraordinary power
has accidentally been lodged in the hands
6f disputants, they have not scrupled to
employ the most cogent methods of
convincing their adversaries. Dioiiysius
the younger sent those critics who dis-'
liked his verses, (o work in the quarries;*
and there was a pleasant tyrant, men-
tioned by Horace, who obliged his defi-
cient debtors to hear him read his own
compositions, amaras kktorias, by way,

* Plutarch.

OF STBSNB. it

of commutation. I say nothing of tlM
'* holy faith of pike and gu©/' nor of
the strong cudgel wk& which Lather
terminated a theologioil dispute, as t
deBire to avo^d religious controversy. But
it is impossible^ on this subject, to forget
the onoe^celehrated Deiiipster, the last
of tl)e formidable sect of Hoplomachists^
wIk) fought every day, at his school m
Paris, either w'^ swwd <^ fist, in defence
oP his doctrines in omni scibili.* The
imprisonment of Galileo, and the ex^
ample of Jordano Bruno, burnt alive for
asserting the plurality of v^rorldsy-f* among
other disgraceful instances, shew that
laughter is the best crisis of an ardent
disputation.

The talents for so delicate an office as
that of a literaiy censor, are too great
and numerous to be often assembled in

* Jati. Nic, Erythrse. Pinacothec.

f Brucker. His. Critic. Philosoph. torn. v. p. 2S>
29* The famous Scioppius published » shocking letter
of exultation on thb execution.

da ILLUSTRATIONS

wie {>ferspn« .Rabelais wanted decency^
Sterne, learning, :aad Voltaire fidelity.-
Lucian alone .supported the character
properly^ in tlidte pieces which appear
16 be justly asciibed to him. As the
narrowness of party yet infests philo-
sophy, a writer with his qualifications
would still do good seryice in the causfe
<^ truth. For wit and good sense united,
as vin him they eminently were, . can
attack nothing successfully which ought
not to be demolished.

^ ^' ' \ • .. Mi: t . ,

h ••

.:;';r;'*'"',;:^otiiitt<)*rAi notes ■

ILLUSTRATIONS OF STERNE;

Note 1. page 10.

ThefollowiBg extract fh)|XK:tlie Pieca ImeremanUi
a peu canuues, p. 190, may serve in place of a whole
history. •'•"'■'-'■'

** liy^^ tin fait as^ez curieux, tr^s-sur et pefot conno,
au suj^et ^u collier d^ I' ordrc du S, E^prU : la divotion
s* aflioit ciatrefois a?6c le phis grand d^bordemoU det
moeurs, et^ia mode n^ en est pas absolttment passee.

Le motif public de Henri iii. en instituant ^ 0rdre
du Saint'Etprit, fat la defense de la catholicite, par
line association de' seigneure^ \{ui ambitionneroient d'y
cMrerf/.' .

.< JLeijijoetji' secret fut d'en faire hommage d sa MBur
Mai^gi^ite de Yalois, qu' il aimoit plus que fratemel-
Wdnent . . ^ ^ .

Le S< £sp/it ^t l^j^ymbole de Vamour les omement
'd« collier etoient les. l^onogrammes de Marguerite #t

VOL. II. 1

58 ADDITIONAL NOTES.

de Henri, s^pares alternativement par im autre Mono-
gramme sy mbolique, compose d' an f phi et d' un i deiia
joints ensemble; ^, auquel on faisoit signifier fidelta
pourjidelta en Italien, eXfidcUti en Fran90]9* Henri iv.
instruit de^^f^rMftepe, ffj^'WVSf^^f^ff P^i^ ^l^^^^i^*
tion au chdpitre du 7 Jatmer i5!P7> it ranpla9a par
deux trophees d'armes, le f et le Monogramme de
Marguerite. J' en ai vir^l^'^reuTes non suspectes/'

Duclos* wfia was the collector of the^ curious anec-
dotes, is ^^'U^'^^AkM^i i iB(A fte-^tlOfL^if this fact
appears from other proof. In Sbgae's Honor Militarie
4* Civil, published in. 1Q02|^ is a full-length portrait of
Henry iv. in the habit of the order, and the mysterious
symbols appear most distinctly* not only on the collar^
but embroidered, of a very large size, round the robe.

Eachard's works are now in the haifds ottew persbn|.
!»•«> 4ka4^ c»is^ 9*f^Mw p^'^k^ Qr<}un^^fLit^^^
in the.fl«|ti«^.,<«^(tij4^^jiS^^' a<^

. Thfi Iwench translatoi:^ of Tristram Shandy; mbo
Vpiy ?it9t1^in^ of lBurt6h, i'ohfesSfeS hitittetf %irttefeely
puzzled with tlie fragmetttoA Whiskefs.'^ ** ^f^»il0mbnf
il^ PJ^fn, ^laircir fe ,ch^pitr€ par des recherche 4iii^-
Ipriqiiesi^ if* seQ,' -fhiit 'de s^^^ que

Mlktn ' kebours Jt ta Po^ii'si^i6fiSf'tiih^ifyHtpi^^

ABMTiaNAL NOTES. 59

/ft^npf, et n&fdmmeHi darn hs vtemoires de Marguerire de
Vaim, cwnme mdftr^sses de Henri IV, Huant au Guiot,
Maronetie, BattareHe, fyc, S^c. k hasdrd les lui a effevtes
tftitnr la ncmireuit lute des temdins entendue au prods
tk CHrdrd 8f la Cadfefer

ft wouM have diverted Sterne extremely, to have
seen a Frenchman seeking to illustrate his lucubtations,
by kisiorical researches.

Ample notice is taken of La Fosseuse^ in the Memoirs
of the Queen of Navarre, written by herself; a book,
which, independaat pf the elegance of its style, is
recommended by many curious anecdotes, and a dis-
play of talents worthy of better direction.

Weiiind Kebours, as well as La Fosseuse, also men-
tioned in the Cof^fessions de Sancy* and as much infor-
mation respecting thenu as could b^ wisbe4» is added
in L' Etoile's notes.

Rebours is mentioned by Brantome. The source of
the other names pointed out by the translator is su(&*
ciently probable*

Note IV. page 82.

I have mentioned; in another work, the practice
onee general on the continent, of destroying dying
persons, by violently puTHng away the pillows from
beneath their heads. There is a treatise on this subject
preserved by Valentini, written with a degree of pomp
and affectation, which equally defies a serious perusal,
and the power of burlesque. The author first disputes
concerning the definition of a pillow ; and after a great
deal of erudition, gives the following : Est aliquid sup^
po9ithm capiti noetro stUfkvandi gratia adinventum. la

E2

CO ADDITIONAL NOTES.

the next sectioii comes the etymology, le«t the reader
ftboald sUli be oncertain coDceraing the meaning of the
word pilUw. Here puhinar is very natonilljf deduced
from poUda, a foot-ball, and it follows, like a chain,
Xhaxpohda comes from bulkw, a root. We may a^ly
the French epigram of De Cailly to this sort of deri.
vation :

Alfana vient d' Equta, sans doule ;
Mais il faut avouer aussi,
Qa' en venant de la jusqn* ici
II a bien change snr la route.

As if all this precision were not sufficient, another
definition follows, of the component matiet of a pillow.

Hoc est puhinar, seu iectus capitis brevior, hoc est
omne id quod ad ejus elevatioiiem et erectionem adHibetur,
sive ex plumis vcl stramentis constet, aut alia commodd
pro persona ac loci conditiane materia. The author
concludes with this severe commination against these
pillow -jerkers: quoddum iia contra conscientiam rectam,
Deique ac legtim voluntatemt agant, se privent animi
tranquillitate^ simufque peccatis exponant gravissimis,
unde Dcum scclcrutn. horum vindicem separum habeant
nictuendum. Id ergo nejiaff cavenda hoc solicite onmi-
bus est cervicularwn subductio, ut per se illicita et in-
justa, tfc.

Note r. .

Bruscambille's Prologue on Noses,

Or Messieurs, puisque nous sommes sur la matiere
des nez, ne laiisons pas un beau champs sans le cultiver :

ADDITIONAL NOTES. 01

le proTerbe si commun eh France de dire voUi qui n'a
pas de nea noas y serrira beaiicoup ; c' est one maniere
de parler commune i tout le monde, & dout oase seit
£requeniment ; jevousprends vous m&mes a temoinsr.
Messieurs^ n' est-il pas vrai que quand on veut mepriser
quelque cliose on se sert OFdiDairement de ce proverbe ;
.si par example un homrae comme moi qui ne suis pas
des.plus habiles en tout genre, hazarde parmi ie public
quelque oeuvre ou discours impar^it comme celui que
j' ai presentement en bouche, ne dira-t-^on pas en le
meprlsant. voili qui n' a point de nez*

On en pourra dire aut^t d^ un peintre, d' un orfevre,
de V auteur d' un pitoyable Hvre, & generalement de
ttoute sorte de choses qui ne seroit pas dans le go^ des
Messieurs qui se qualifient du nez fin ; de maniere qo' A
leur sentiment tout ce qui n' a point de nez est mepris-
able & ne merite pas de voir le jour. £t c' est la
jraispn pourquoi 1' on cache ordinairement lecul comme
extant un visage qui n' a point de nez ; Sl au cohtrairc
ia &oe est toujours decouverte a cause qu^ il y a dans le
.milieu un. nez; un homme sans nez est r^ette de»
femmes* Le phisionomiste Albeit le grand, aussi bied
que le S9avant Trismegiste^. disent que les' femmes
^timent les grands nez nobies & de bonne^race; Le^
mediocres de ctrotentement & les pedts deJoon appetit.
jSouveiit les grands arbres plantez en bonne terre fructi*
£ent noblement.; . . t

SgaVez-Yous^ Messieurs^ pourquoi le sexe femioin

a' est pas si biea pourvi de nez que If masculiu'?

L' on tient & Ton assure que c^est i caose du pea

^ d' etat que la curieuse Pandore fit de F Ordonnance 'd^

Jupiter^ lequel lui ayant bailie la b^^t^ od ^oiertt

E 3

OS ADDITIONAL NOTES.

ftafenneB tons les malheott Si infeitniiesy avec d^nse
expreflBe 4e V ouvrir, cette miaermble curiecrse iHt it ftit
tentec, qae Jupiter n' dkl pM pli(l6t le eol loqrtKI»
^it' elle e6t ie nez dedam : jc voit ^ir vdus rieE de
-celte expression^ Messieurs* ne voos imaginez pas que
je f ettUe dire que Pandore cAt nus ie ties dans fte ««l
de Jupiter, aossitot qu' il s' en liit aU^, c«lile<expre8siea
eqatvoqne tembe snr ia boete fatale dans laquellesa
cariosite la porta & y mettre ion nee^. «' e8t«sU<tir«j 4 j
fegarder contre la defense de lupiter. De qtwi oette
divinitd etant indtgoee, permit que ks malheors, 4i»>
.graces & iofcNrtunes renferaasB dans <oette boetet se
repandissent impitoyablement sor laterre: et ym\k on
ecbantillon de V obligation que noas arms aox femmea
i^xH yeulent fourrer leur nez par toot.

Je n' entrepread point de faire ici enie aduple ^descrip*
4ion des difiereos nez arec les preprietes aingulieres q<«i
kur sont annexees, j' en dirois peat 4tre Irop des grands
aez au prejudice ^es nez m^diocres> des p^tits oess,
dies nez cornus, des nez plats & -aulies 4»^ kmte seite
d' espece, je me contente dedire que les gmnds nez out
beaucoup. d' a.vaQtage sar les petitsfMMir ks odeurs dont
ftis sont 1' organe nature), d' aotantque par -kur capaeitl6
pkis etendne iU peuvent recevoir plosde ya^urs odori*
fiireotes Sc que ctiles qui montent de ^bas. en kaat kur
peuTesnt moina echapperqo'aux petits nex: '<m un |not»
Messieurs, si c' est quel que chose de beau> de boar ^
kiiftble> 4- avantageux en toot genre d'avetr da nez»
tl. Ie datt ^e encore plus d' avoir du grand mtzx xm
bommequi a du nez sent toato» choses, celui qui n' Ck
pioint de nez ne se seni pas soi-tn^me; . k Hez ^iscernd
i^ seateurs corameJ' aeil ks oonkui»^ ¥ s^vi^ugk |»«it

ADDITIONAL NOTES. 6S

' juger des senteursj & les vents du Pais-Bas qui souflent
a la sourdine dans ses chausses sont d^couvertes par
1^ experience de son nez. Je finis. Messieurs, en yous
disant que si j' ayois un pied de nez dayanUge, je feroi« "
un discours qui auroit plus de nez ; & je crains que
quelque oiedisant ne yienne ici critiquer sur ce mien
verbiage & ne publie i mon deshonneur & au votre,
que vous ^tes des idiots de vous laiser ainsi mener par-
le nez.

E 4

•r 'T

:..,...: ^OP. CERTAIN,...

VARIETIES OFiyiAN,

described by Authors.

— ft, ■ .i ■■ who reads

Incessantly, and io hi^ f8adln|lf Vings not
A spirit and judgment equal or superior,
(And DviksA ll9 briB|3k M^bat 9efd ba cll^lltre seek ? )
Uncertain and unsettled still remains.
Beep vers'd in books .and shallow in himself*

Milton.

I J .

OF CERTAIN VARIETIES OF

'.•: MAN. •->. . //.

:•!

JLn tRe variolic fortunes of ophiiom,
it . may be observed, that whenateoet
happens to be tefuted, a^r having
gained for a tinw implicit beiiet^ every
one begihs to woodcr that it should \\mh
acquired any credit. Thi^ is the prepress
of wbiit has been called philosof^ical
troth, than which uotliing is more absof
lute during its r^ign, and nothibg but
life more transitcury in iti d uratijDsl. . There
is this great dt£ference betweeD the extinc-
tion of opbioDs and that, pf meai^ that
the former lose theii; characters wiDb their
cixistonce, while the latter gtoerally
encrease their estimation by >dyifDg; foir

lacessiechr, lod %» hii NMliDg^ Wings nol

A JC!^« antf vvd^HKnt equal or snpehor,

(Aad «^M W brmfs w^«l m«I ke cfedirbtre seek^}

VacTTLui Md sBsmkd snii rfMiini,

IVvp i«n*i a books and shaUov k himself

MlLTOir

r
r
r

MAS.

1f

lit inav be oWmi thai ^\m

fbjpptiis to te Ttiul«i itttf Ir^
I gained for a imic ii ti

to iraodii iti-ii :m

ca iny crtdu. The »* k isoh^

.nd to
These
in and
thing
>rce of
arleties

e-
ublished

our first
otding to
disent qu'
*^ 7 son wan-
^liiit donn6
rps d' Adam,
diminuoit la
qu' aiiisi il prit
uer, mais U ne
pour en produirc

^

CS OF CERTAIN

excepting an epitaph on the Pineal gla?id,
which was written after physiologists had
degraded it from the seat of the soul, I
recollect no example of gratitude to a
decayed theory.

Every age cherishes its favourite errore,
which serve to divert the succeeding
generation. We ridicule our predecessors
for their belief in the fiery sphere of
Aristorie, or the vortices of Descattes,
without reflecting, .that some of our pre-
sent opinions may afford equal subject
of derision to posterity. Why does, the
histoiy of opinions contain such a list of
errors and falsehoods, i but because men
have so long mistaken their coi^jectures
coficeniing facts, for facts themBelves ^
iMuch of this evil has cejlainly pfco-
iceeded.fromiundueidefiefence to autho*-
rities; .Authors' have believed a^itibns
witliout enquiry; and might well be
expected to assign ridiculous causes,
when they engaged to accomit for events
iliat ncve#»exiitecJ. ^.

VARIETISS: OFj JIAN. «

I have been led into this train of re-
flection> by trying to discoyer. ibe(;tniie
foundations, ..on which the existence of
sc»ne moiistroua variefies of our species
has been supposed. Every philosophiipal
reader is acquainted witii the theory of
Lord Monboddo on this >(S!;ibjeqf> ofi
which Mn Tooke has be&towed such
masterly satire, that we may justly apply
to the author bi the ^imHrspoivray what
Milton has said of Tassb, in his Mansus,
though in a different sepse :

aeternis inscripsit nomina chartis.

I expected to have found the clue to
this romance of philosophy, in Linnasus'jt
Sysfema Natura, because he has menr
tioned, under the genus, Hamo^ th^
varieties of the Homo Troglodytes^ or
pygmy, and the Homo CauduttiSp the
man with a tail (Lord Monboddo's pa-
triarch); but the greater number of
authorities has occurred to me in casual
reading.

Homer 18 the iifst author wlio Ki«fkk)ns
tike pygmled/ and i» c'liei'^ Ihe Hhiiii of
iheopiniots fey art writem^n'this^siA^ti
The Trojans, say^ he, tAmei on tc biiitd
Wkh ^h^utd ;aQd acclamatiomj like fhn^
noise of the* crimes, when tfiey fly scream^
Ihg over the ocean, beafmg rfau^^iter
and death to the pygmies ? »

K^ayyi ratyi vitoncuy kit* 'XlxsavoTo poim?^

Aristotle delivers their history as at>
indubitable truth. '' It is not fabuldus,
but certain, that a diminutive race of
men; and it is said' of horses, existef^;
fivin^ ?n caverns, whence they take the
name- 6^ Troglodytes. They figlit with
Cranes.'* +

But it was not entmgh with the older

• *lliad, r. ' ''
t Hbtor. Animal, lib. viii. cap. xn»

three spans, or to oblige men '

. (Caudaniin longos sinuatim oucere Cracius:

Kiir tbift^«|jecies^^<^ more

&0ta^ie sbii^<liai^We.if<x be ibimd m
^tho Tisto^iOii »f S(/ Attth^ny^' These
iedi^%tM11ti^t«d 'fes^ljo^ I^gan and
<%lrl§ilkti' a^ithafily; ^^ndrii£iifny thing
iC(>^ tte^to^Jp^^^^ nttere^force:of

^&p^ted-ass6r^> ttifl^'tadDstmus vatrieticl^

SojBj]^^.. <?Crt||p 1 Rabbis have published
extoM^gasifc/id^QbrtJ^^ respecting our first
jKirents;* «m obis ' sobjecl^ accordiai|; to
Bajfl^* ,''*Qii^4^e»-uns d' eux dis6nt qu*
Eve fut form^e de la queue de son mari.
iy pretfeftdfetft qjiftsr Dieu, ^iant donn6
^*'ab(4^^^ ^q«i^iie ,sm corps d' Adam,
s* aper9ut e^dii 4(}a^€llle diminuoit k
beaut6 de cct ouvrage, et qu' ainsi il prit
la resolution de la couper, mais il ne
laissa pas de s'en servir pour en produirc

Pliny exerted surprising industry' in
accumulating authdrttie* for human mon-
sters ; \ many of these were supposed to
exbt asnon|;..!t)i9jpof:t]}em^0^ipnfiy^;^
as the Arimaapi, y^hf^ h^ Qfi^y qxie ey^
w>dfemplpy«d;lfafeaB5felv^in Sluing gpld
from Xht\ Grypbotts^,^ ^\q^ , QqmpOMft^
animals iwhijchj'. the, /^jtiQitnlf: i»ftf||ralM!!fiP
havoidFcssed up for. W. \]^il|QnjemplpyP
4tii$ fabler iivjai.-^j mf^^> .^d^^i^ng
Satan's Jabwiaup flight, tbflOBgb)^^^! cfe?9Sy

As wnen a .Gryphbh'thfough the wilderneis' * '

* Puis^«8«the Arjdnii^iiis^.wl^abyste^th f ,.-,^^|
Ijad from ly? wakeful custody purl^a'^ , , j
The guarded gold. ^ ' 'Paryix^'st. b. tr^^SV*

'yi&i\e 'of .the.iautkoriiies ^m«d fgi^ tl^^
^tory' i§ji Hiirodotow, twfep: e:¥pre^y',§a5^
. tliat he does nof Ibeliwe it 4^> « . .^ .^.. , ;

• * Bayle^ J)iction. Crif. Art. Eve.

VARIETIES OF MAN. 7 J

Anothpr race of the Scythiaqs were
born with feet turned behiod the leg,
^' aversis post crufa plantis/- and were
(of course) wonderfully sWift. Othiei^s
bad heads resembling those of dogs, with
long ears, and wfere armed with talons ;.
Ctesias says, they. Were in number one
bundred and twenty thousapd. This is
" profoXind and' solid lying." In other
nations, , the people were .nienocolpus,
that is, having ohiy one leg,* or sola*
podods, hiiying feet so large as to shelter
the wholp body, in a supine posture;
. these Were' the first- parasols : In majori
sestu hiimi jkcentes resujpini, umbra se
pedum protegurit. Near these, accord-
ing to Pliny, lived the pygmies, but
they must'be confessed to lo6k extremely
small befeide such astonishing neighbours.
Yet they had still better company ; for
westward of the pygniiies lived a nation
without necks, and with eyes in thfeir

* See modem authorities for this story, in the Orig.
and Prog» of Lang, yoh i. b. ii. €• iji.

Vol. II. F

74 OF CERTAIN

$boul4ers; and near them, the Astomores,
Whp have no mouths, and are nourished
by thjp snien oF fr6its aiid flowei^.

J This IS the substance of a chapter
which ibas ornapi^erited the pages of niahy
]^ naturalist and cosniographer, wuh
figures so ingeniously horrible, as atmo^
to beget a lieljef of their reality. By the
apparent difficulty of feigning^ them.

It niust jbe owned, in vindication of
Pliny, thdt He asserts none of these wbn-
<iers without authority, and that many
of them are mentioned simply as facts
advanced by former writers. Several of
his"relation§ are taken from tlio^ of the
Greeks, said to have been employed bV
Alexander ih embassies to the easfern
princes, Pliny's attention h^s preiserycJd
the folly of ft ese men, which <:Quld have
vveJl b^en sparedi to our days,

Poraponms Mem* says, the pygmies
inhabited pait of Egypt, and fought

^h tfeie ^franfes to jine^ferVfe iheir cdrtt.
Sdliiius aiso assess thdr«ci$teilce.*

dtmbo remarks, on tSns subject,* ffiat
most of the 'writers on India, ^fore his
^^e, 'were egtegious tiars,

Atiliis GieiKos, however, asserts 'the
texfetence of pygmies,^ and Eustathliis,
ih th6 notes on '6ionysius.

^lian is qnoted assnppbi^tng the same
*opinioh, and even as describing the Pyg-
tofean fortn of government. Whoevet
takes the trouble of reading iElian's
iicc6unt,J will perceive that he relates
the Whole as ah idle stbrjr; but tins is
tfite iiieihod of making quotations, to
which literary adepts generally think
themselves entitled.

^rom these pure fountains a croud of
later authors have dntwrft the belief of
t^ygmite; St. Atigustltie comes firsts by
light;!! ^s 'an as^rter of the pygmies;,

* Cap. XV.

f Lib. iv. c- is.

i Hist Anim. lib- xv. c. xix»

)| De Ciyitat. Dei. lib. xvi* c. viii.

F2

U OF CERTAIN

MajoluSy Anionius Itane, Jovius (de
rebus Moscovitarum) Odeiicus (de re-
bus Indicis) Caspar SchottuSy in his Col-
lection of wonderi, Joannes Euseblus
Nierembergensis, Caspar Bartholine^ in
an express dissertation^ Weinrichius, Li-
cetus, and Cassanio. I do not pretend
to have consulted all these respectable
authors (who are nothing less than C&r-
rissinii) on this subject, but I find them
quoted by many others, with whom it
^ would be easy to swell the list.

Writers differ greatly in their accounts
of the seat of the Pygmies, being chiefly
solicitous to jremove them sufficiently far
from themselves, according to a just
^ remark of iEneas Sylvius, semper hngnu
miracula fugere. The prophet Ezekiel
speaks of. Tyije as being garrisoned by
Pygmies.* Hox;stius supposes, the sense
of this. p4$s4ge to be, that the centinek,
4>n the lofty towers of that city, appeared,

♦ Chap, 27, Our trarisbti6n tails . them Gamfna^
dims.

VARIETIES OF MAN. 77

to a Spectator on the ground, of a very
diminutive size.

It is less surprising that St. Augustine
jshould credit the reality of Pygmies^ be-
cause he had been an eye-witness of
greater wonders: he asserts, in one of
his sermons, [ad fratres in eremo] that
he had preached to a nation without
heads, and with eyes in their breasts.
This may indeed be considered, by those
who explain away every thing, as a
figurative expression ; but we must not
pretend to understand St. Augustine bet-
ter than the learned bishop Majolus,
who quotes this- passage in his Dies
Caniculares, as a certain proof of the
monstrous varieties. Besides, it would be
uncharitable tp reject a fact of so much
consequence, in the decision of that
curious question. An monstrq salutis aternd
cepacia f which the learned bishop ^af-
firms, because of St, Augustine's mission
to the Acephali:*

♦ to the modem editions of St. Atigustio^^s mfM,
f his pa«»ge k retrenched-

F3

7t or CEETACK

• The fproe of party l^u extended^
even to these fictions^ apparentjiy remptg
enough from* either clyil, or religious
divisions. Thus, the Mmnckus, Marwusp
JEpiscopui Marinuss SC Vituh-Mmachus^
in Ambrosini's edition of the frightJ^i^,
fplio of Aldrovandus de Monstris^ seetQ
to have been engendered in the extce-s
mity of hatred ^^in$t rdligious orders.

It is to be regrettq^s that among hi»
other treasures, Pala&pbatus h^ opiitted
to place a derivation of thp l^eljif^f ii*
fygmies : possibly because the word 4^4
not admit of a pun.

There is no proof, unless this fable be
supposed a proof, that the ancieijts, were
acquainted with those varietie;^ ^hict^
are really inferior to the usual standard
pf human size; was this opinion ^a
approach to the hypothesis of the Sfiok
(^Beings* Such it seems to, have beer^
in the hands of Paracelsus^ who suppose4
the Pygmies to be different in they- ori^
from men, and to consist of the Cuaro
NimAiamka.

VAM^ETISa OF ^AN. 7?

Scaljjgfi^ if blamed by Al^rpyandus, in
his T^'eatise de i^o^strU^* and by Bulw^r,
in his Artificial Ckdngding^\ for denying
the existence of Pygmies, because they
cannpt be fou^^^ ip l^tjbiopia or'i^'rabia,
where Piiny and Mela hud placed them :
this circutastance, both the modems
think of' jip yf^y]^i\\^^ni^
velarU. They missed one strong argu-
nient, that is, Pomponius Mela'^ asser-
$ipn, tl^at the Pygipiqs wpre extirps^ted
^ tl^pi^ w^rs wit^ the cf anes. p^ tl^^s

Addison W ?mm

fully, in his War of the Pygmies and
Cranes; in the introduction tq which,
he has raised up a new and beauti^I
landscape of jW?U|ns of &/?ig§\ean^
empire :

Nunc 81 q.aj8 4«]:| $iy^.^| 9J^ f^a yiato;^

Ebciguis vif|ef« ^ ^^^t;!^ 9!&l^. ^^iS^^^
Pffiolgja tjsaet Y^pf Wj)ujif Tislsip'if
Begna, et secaro crepitat Grus iiiyj>r9{)^ dUo.

* page 40.
t P^e 4&9.

F 4

80 . OF CERTIAN

He has even furnished, from this story,
a highly poetical origin of the fairies :

Elyftii Tallesiianc. ttgrniqe lustrat inani,
£t veteram Heroiiin ^liscetur grandibus umbria
Plebs parra : ant si quid fidet mereatur anilis
Fabula, Pastores per noctis opaca pnaillas
Sflepe Tideiit Umbra^y Pygmseos corpor9 cassos*
pum secura Graam, et veteres oblita laborer
Lstitise penitus yacat, indulgetqoe choreis,
Angivtosqiie terit calles, Tiridesque per orbes
Turba le^ia aalit^ et lemHiym po^nomine gaudet**

Unless we can resolve to adopt Mela's
accotint of the matter, however, I believe
Scaliger's objection must remata in full

^ Perhapi we owel^is elegant passage to the follow^
Qig lines in Paradise Lost, where the fallen spirits i^
. Paademonium contract their size to gain room, and
ThFong numberless, like that Pygmean race
Beyond the Indian Mount, or faery eWes,
Whose midnight revels by a forest side
Or fountain, some belated peasant sees.
Or dreams he sees, while orer-'head the tnooR
Sits arbitress, and nearer to the earth
Wheels her pale course, they on their mirth and

dance . "

Intent, with jocund music charm his ear ;
At once, with joy an4 fear jbis heart rebounds.

JBoo* i. «vr. 780»

VARIETIES OF MAN- n

force, against the existence of Linnaus's
Troglodyte ; for pygmies arc not found
Jn the habitations which he assigns them,
namely, the confines of Ethiopia, the
caves of Java, Amboyna, and Ternate,
or in Malacca. The Albinos, on whose
peculiarities he appears to found his defi-
nition, were never proved to exist as a
nation ; ♦ on the contrary, wherfever the
history of an Albino could be traced, it
was found to have been born in ordinary
society. It is true Linnceus attempts to
distinguish between his Troglodyte arid
rnan, by ascribing to the former the
Membrana Ntctkans, but anatomists in
general know very well, that man pos-
sesses that membrane also, though with«
out the power of expansion « ' *

Besides, Linnoeus's Troglodytes are
placed at a very great distance from the
supposed seit of the Albinos, which is
^id by the best authorities in this case to
be near the isthmus of Darien. Whether^

* Wafer's single testimony is not sufficient proof*

92 OF CEBT^IN

theo^ the Pygmeai;! histQiy be denvec^

from the frequent sypip^jtrance of dwar^

in society, or whether, like the Short

Club in the Guardian, it be ^e ioren-^

tion of ambitious little, men, w^ must

send back

■ t he smaU in&n^ry
Warr'd on by cranes

to the poetical quaver, for sound ^eog^
phy and na^ifal histx>ry disclaim thex3^.

Linno^us adijaits^ with Jf^t\^fx mqre
hesitation, his variefy of the ^orno Gm^
4at^s : he is uncertain wh^er he o^gbrt
to be ran)ied w^th men ojp aj)e$, ar^ i^
deterred from placing him am.oi?g thp
latter, chiefly bf qjwse hf ligh.fe tfi 0.^^
%> ^d fft?st$ his l?|pjffi^. ff Hm9
Caudatus, hiiB^tflS 'V^% m^k ^^FP"
^ci, ilpjbft? iMftusi ifleflqje yJr^iR ad
fepmlflis aut ^mm m^^ l^4f n^t. m

garnfflmqw «set, jjHamyis ^ prj^^a fpf^y
ttss^omaiip pec^ln^^ Qfthi^feji^

^Sliiabk to qqn^vkojmi by^ others h^Yft
9(9qiHir<B4 t?> ro0 aik d'#a;ent times, whiclj,
I ^m flpw gQing to iQcntipn,

?il^W#jsW ift ^bP |S9^^,ciept wthprUy
ff>f< ttie ^t$^QC^of tai^ii with t^ils.^ He
is Djoye ft^qH/BOtJy qupted t9 tl^ip ^mn

tjft^.very pi^rson wko saw SMch a racft
ipt tb# lii3uV>K. S»t^<ia<l^ at which hi^
tmfih&i,. w heang driven, westward while
he was sailing for Italy. The inhaj9»tantB»

e^p ^\:imm» iMre db4 and have tails
9Qjii muph kiis th^ ^oee of hones.

Hioy introdijipes asaoi\g his ^thei wqik
dersy loetii wHh hainy tails, of wpn(|er^|
9iyiftiies8» l»}t I ^liiik witiiDut^iay ai^lhoii.
i:ityt 7b)S is ^U the teatkoooy afibsekd
hy. aQtiquity of. the. Qaudatory tsariety,
^oks6 the faUepf ilihe Fauns be: feckoDecl.
s»ine tsaaficnoatioiv. Moden;^ tinges faaye
produced more advocates for it. After

• A^ lib. ». j». ♦?,,

S4 OF CERTAIN

the natives of Europe began to pene-
trate into the east, authorities multiplied.
Marco Paolo, who had the fate to be
disbelieved in every credible assertion,
was believed, when he reported that he
saw in the kingdom of Lambri men with
tails of the length of a span.* Peter
Martyr describes a nation in India, who
have hard, immoveable, crooked tails^
of a span long, resembling those of ^ cro-
codiles; so inconveniently appended,
adds he, that they are obliged to use
perforated seats.

Majolus, Androvandus, and Bulwer,
quote a story from Major, and Joannes
Neirembergensis, of a generation pro-
duced with tails, in Kent, ' or Dorset-
shire, as a punishment of some disrespect
shewed to the missionary, St. Augustine,
soon after his landing. Bulwer was
infomied,*}- that in his time, there was
a family in Kent, whose descendants

♦ Lib- iii« c xviii»

t Arttf. Chinj. p. 410*

VA»n?TIBS OF MAN. 8i

were tailed ; *' insomuch/' says he, *' that
you may know any one to be rightly
descended <^ that fomily» by having a
tail." He adds, as a more probable
account, that the inhabitants of Stroud^
Dear Rochester, incurred the curse of
tails, by cutting off the tail of Archbishop
Becket's horse. '^ Insooiuch.as.you may
know a man of Stroud by his long taile.
And to make it a little more credible,
that the rump-bone, ^mpqg brutish and
strong-docked nations, doth often sprout
cut with such w excrescence, or beastly
emanation, I ao^ (informed by an honest
young man of tCap^ain Morris's company,
in Lieutenant G^eral Ireton's regiment,
that atCashelin the. county of.Tipperary,
in the province of Munster, in P^rrick
Patrick churcht seated on a hill qr rock,
stormed by the Lord Inchiquih, and
where there were near seven hundred
put to ther sword, v^d none saypd but
the majar'^ wife ^nd his son ; thefc were
found among, t^heislain of the Iri^h, whci^

tli«y wt»e 9tri)>ped, &wm ihik Had vtitis
hear a quattefr of '& yiird long. Vfe^
relator, k£»^ vetyH^ffUkm if the'trmk^
this story, istfter eAqiitry, wtis ensured ytf"
the certaihty theneof, by Jbti^ ^dtdf^,
ittai testified Up6n their oaflis they xd^tk
eye-witnesses, 'being jireseirt at'thc'ilfctiofe.
It is Imported ft'feo'that in Spain thet^ is
such another ts&lbd niition."

The story btflie miracle of •191. 'Augili^
tihe seetns to have gained currency ih
early times, ais tve lesLta. from a 'pJKisagte
m Fuller's Worthies, ** When there btfp.
i>efted in Palestine a diffidence beWv^kt
Robert, brother ^'f Saint Le\*fe king df
France, and our- William Longipee, •Eari
df Salisbiiry, Heatfe hOw the 'Frenchman
hisUlted (*urriati6tt. MmkeUfiPam,'A, 1>.
iQ50,'^. 1&0. 'O^'itm^riiJti cattdiitdrikTh
iRinnidoloisttas! ^ukm-beatUs, quam fnttti^
aus pi^jesehs 'foret ^xcircitds, si a ibtiiHi
jWlrgar6tur tttaukaiis. **^0 the'cowiiHli.
IWress of these feartlil inigtails i''ho\k
^appie,' hoWcfeane'W6ul^' this pilr ictMk

VAMETlfiSf OF itf AN. S7

be, were it but purged 'from iailes an4

1 might add ftie testimony of Sir John

Maundevyle, of fabulous riiemory, were

there not Teasoh to Tear, that in the con-

""ceptions ojf unpHilosophical readers, he

would disgrace so mudi good company.

There Is less necessity for employing any

doubtful evidence, beciusfe'ihe celebrated

Dr. Harvey is my next witness. He

Introduces a story of a tailed nation, in

his fourth fexercitation Se Generation^

Animalium, chiefly, it wdiild seem, for

the sake of the fact, for it has very littlfe

connection with his subject. "ChinirgUs

quidam,*' saith'the learned doctor, ^* vlr

probus, rhihiqiie familiai^rs, ex India

Oriental! redux, bona fide mihi iiarravit*

*in IhsiijIaB iorne® locis a mare remdti-

orious '& niontosis, na|^i hod ie genus

T^ommum caudatum*(u^^ aliti Acdi-

diise apud Pausahiuth*Wimu§^ e qiiibiis

i^ii'ji X /:.'* .». c*i I Ik^^ •ki '*t i ill Juki »/, ; i* / . . . « >

aegre captam. virginem, (sif nt enim syivi-

• Full^'a Worthicg. Kent.

«8 OF CERTAIN

colas) ipse vidit, cum cauda carnosa^
crassa, spithamcB longitudlng, intra du-
nes jeflexa, quse anum & pudenda 9pe-
riebat.'* Slight hints are sufficient for
men of genius ; and we may perceive
by the inference we arie about to add,
With how much reason nature is jealous
of discovering her mysteries, since Df.
Harvey having gotten a tail of a span
long into his hands, immediately fathoms
the final cause of the structure with it;
'" U'sque adeo velar! ea loca voluit natura.**.
This great authority proved a seasonable
support to the caudatory system, at a
time when anatomists were much divided
concerning it. Among somq it made
such progress, that Caspar Hoffman did
not scruple* to call the Os Cdccygis, the
mark of a tail - iii untailed animals';
^\cauda^ in non<qudatis nota/' But Rid-
lan, that pompo!u& dectaimer" oh the
dignity of the human fr^me, sharply
reprehended lIofFman for this irreverend
expression^ which shocked his delicacy

Varieties of man. %o

^vet^f, a^d. moreover toached him in
a teud^r part; 1 mean, his hypothesis
of the final cause otT the sedentary pos-
ture* " Homo enim ad sedendi com-
xnoditatem/'' says he, " solus nates habet,
Mt corowpd^ sedere possit ad meditandum
et philosophandum. Sedens enim anima
(ex Aristot. .7* Phys,) prudentior est/'

Diem^rbroeck, an eminent writer on
the plague^ and aut^ior of a System of
Anajtomy, in quarto, says, he saw a
child newly born (in 1638), which had
a tail a foot and half in )ength, resem*
b)if)g a mpflkey's. T1)Q mother told him,
tbfftt^she J>ad been frightened by a mon-
key at aji e^rly period of gestation,

Aldrqvandus gives a figure of a mon-
strpus foetus with a tail j Caspar Schottus
(ill 1662)j introduce^ a .tailed man into
bb Choice GoUection of Prodigies; what
a happy time h^d literary men, when
philosophical books were made up of
fuoh diverting extravagancies !

In ' that volume of the . Miscellanea

» ■ ■ . •

Vol. II. ' G

#0 OF CERTAIN

Curiosa, published in 1OT9, Dr. Michael
Frederic Lochncr related a case of a Ptaer
caudatus, which came "oridef his owtl
inspection. The story, which rhust Idsfc
by rei^etition, out of the doeiot^s 0tm
qnaint Latin, is briefly tfiis. Dr. iidi^ynier
was consulted for theson of a respecti|bl6
family, about eight yedi*s^of age* -Wbeii
^particulars of his disease Vrete ten-
quired into, the pare^flftSi instead 4if atii
iswering, shook their heads attd WepK
The doctor Wa$ confounded, tiM reebl*
lecting, he saysj the Titulus |juriscdnsu^
torius de rentre inspiciehdo; he beg&h to
unbutton his patient's w^stcoa^^ htft tliie
patient stopped him, by givitig^ hint to
undei-stand tliat the complitht Uy dse-
where : on exploring thieii the peccitttfe
pueritia? bifolium talendarrunl (a* 'he
facetiously phrases it after Batteiis)-, fi^
fomid a tail reflected birftwfeen thti blit-»
tocks, of the length of a xhah*s twiddle
^ger, and thickhess of the thumb, - ^Inhfe
parents were de$inJtts of ampu£ationi but

VARIltlBS OF MAN. gi

the doctor persuaded them that no in*
can venienoe would attend this ornament,
and thus, says he, they retired peaceably
with their Ascaniotus caudatus. He adds,
that Dn David 2olUcofer observed a
similar case at Basil, abd the celebrated
Blancard another in Holland.

In another volume of the Miscellanea
Curiosa, to which I cannot immediately
refer^ a learned physician describes a
puer caudatus, whom he examined care^^
fully, in consequence of hearing him
derided by his play*fellows, on the sub-
ject ^ this unlucky appendage^

I must regret my inability to consult
the Collection de 1' Academic Royale de
Sciences,^ for a paper on Men with
Tailsj published under the promising
name ^f Otto Helbigius. I find a quo-
tation from an author of this name, in
Dr. Lochner's note, asserting the ocist-
ence of Homines Caudati in the island of
fwmosa*

* This is a separate work from the Meoioirs.
g2

(2 OF CERTAIN

Here the matter appears to have rested,
till the year 1771,^ when Dn Guindant
published his Variatlonsdf la Nature dans
PEspece Humaine, in which he took
occasion to assert the existence of naen
with tails, and even to corroborate the
opinion with new examples. One of
these occurred at Orleans, in 1718, where
the subject, ashamed of his tail, submitted
to an operation for its removal, which
cost him his life. There can be no doubt
of this fact, because it was taken from the
Mercure for the month of September in
that year. Doctor Guindant mentions
two other instances, at Aix in Provence,
one of a girl named Martine, the other
of a Procureur named Berard, but he does
not specify the length of their tails.
And in his extreme zeal for the caudatory
«iystem, he asserts, that a man's courage
is not diminished by such an appendage ;
as a proof of which, he mentions the
Sieur de Cruvellier of La Ciotat, who,
though he had a tail, distinguished him*-

VARIETIES OF MAN. 9%

self greatly in some actions against the
Turks. It is rather surprising, that the
ingenious doctor did not consider tlie
extraordinary necessity of courage, in a
man who has a tail, as that peculiarity
must expose him to many affronts.

Dr. Guindant ^dds, but I fear from
report, that the southern part of the
island of Formosa, the Molucca and
Pliilippine islands, contain whole races
of men with tails, and that, in the burn-
ing desarts of Borneo, the greatest part
of the inhabitants are tailed.

An experimental philosopher of the
highest reputation, furnishes another au-
thority.

" Travellers make mention of a nation
with tails, in the islands of Nicobar, Java,
Manilla, Formosa, and others. Koping
relates, that when the ship on which he
was aboard anchored near Nicobar, a
number of blackish yellow people, hav-
ing cat's tails* came on board. They
wanted iron in exchange for their parrots^
G 3

04 OF CERTAIK

but as nobody would trade with them,
they wrung their birds' heads of» and
eat them raw. Bontius saw from ihe
mountains, in the island Bomeo^^ a
nation whose tails were only a few iiicfaeB
long, and in all probability only an
elongation of the Os Coccygis. Ploloiiiy
adready had made mention of a people
}iaving tails," &c. &c,-f*

The latest evidence of sudi conforma^
tion (in the case of the sctioo^-masler of
Inverness^ ) is an honourable and learned
writer, whq has erected a most stupetidr
ous hypothesis on this unequal founda-f
tion of a span. What would Boiieau^s
Ass say to all this evidence ? -

O ! que si V ^ne alors, a bon droit misantrope^
PouToit trouver la t(hk qo'l exit au terns d*&cipeg
De tons cotez, ducteur^ voiant 1«8 ^omMes fblix^

* In viewiog a savage clotbed mth the^ skin of a
quadruped, a traveller* mtent on wonders^ might mis-i
take the tail of his ptey for a nataral app^d^ge«

f Bergman's Physical Bescript^ of the Earth.

♦ Orig, and t*rog, of Lang. W. i. b. ii. e. iii.

VARI?T;]pSl OF MAN. 9b

Qu* i{ diroit de bon coeur^ sans en etre jaloux.
Content de ses diaidons, et secouant sa fete,
. Sla in, U9U. ptas que jiqii^ PivMnme n'est ^u'uoe
bete!

Tbera aw few ^ngcr procjkfs of the
ixn^tUUy ^f single pb^eFvations, than this
aSlur <^ the Hamii)^ Caudati. The only
solhi foimdatioii of any of these stories^
if aa ^ddenUl ^mtg^tUm of the os coc*^
cyg^. Vfhiclit we C4ii «MUy conceive to
lwi9PAli» 4s tl^at boiiie consists of four
pi«H^ 3 retiufi4»ie»3ei Ui other parts of
tjt^e body ar^ 99 fr^qi^ent, in ^noustrous
^aafii^ that w^ fidonot wonder to find^a
jpint (H:fmom&y added t9 this part^
Th^s it is, titat a few instances of dwarfs
a|9 muHlpli^ % writers into nations ;
^W9X imtmce^ of aocidc^ii^l nt^Ucanfpr-
ms^QV^ «f p4«te prwdMC^ other ns^ionsi—
ifi hook^ .

Men havejE:0fiipUi|«c4^r many year^
md we compiftm at peesent, of j^t of
iitf^t^^; 3«t i^ai^p^is, t^ iii bwfcs of
go4>dchamcteriwe%find; morp £»0t$ tba(a
ran (faededited; Do :W6 Aotiwant good
G 4

96 OF CERTAIN

observei-s rather than new facts ? Aad
is not the indiscriminate, collection of
facts an encreasing evil? It is certain
that in consulting author^ on the subjects
they profess to examine; we are. com-
monly as much disappointed as Mr,^
Shandy, when he applies to Rubeniusr
for the ancient construction of a pair of
breeches. Chemistry is perhaps improv-
ing under the lashioniable method/ be^'
cause the principid experiments ale fre-
quently repeated^ and becauise its ejects-
being permanent, fbtuier errors have
many chanoes oif being discovered ; but
in other branches of knowledge, - the
number of fects, oti the whole^ 'ovef^
balances their credibility. K^ is unfdrtu-^
nnte, that since die meiiiis of piiblkatitfft
have been so much facilitated, every
man thihks himfeelf etjtitlfed'ttf' observe
and lo publish* How many collections
of pretended facts are j^^ly offerod^Uof
medical men, in which it' is happy fo|?
mankind if the « autlior'si weakness be

VARIETIES OF MAN. 9T

suflSciently evident, to destroy, at first
sight, the credit of his observations !
Writers who publish merely for the sake
of reputation, may be solid enough for
those who read for the sole purpose of
talking, but every man who is in quest
of real knowledge must lament, that so
few books are written with a design to
instruct, and so very many only to sur-
prise or amuse.

%r

MENIPPEAN ESSAY
on

ENGLISH HISTORIANS.

T9 on iv/Mfirtfrnf,

Iliad: ix.

The IbUoirfng aiMy ooiuifti of prott and Terse intermisedy a
ynHiee not very common at pietent, which may thertfore nqohe
•out esqplanaUon. Among the French writers, this mode has been
■mch used in lAany celebrated productions ; in this country, the
cseellence of Cowley*s mixed pieires has served rather to deter, than
to invit^mitation. I recollect only two esr^ys written on this plan,
the Poliie Fhihtophery and the Etioif on Delicaty, the first by
Mr, Forrest, and the Jatter by Dr. Lancaster ; but the poetry of
those gentlemen differed so little from their prose, that the transition
produced no remarkable effect. It seems favourable to an author's
exertions, that he should be obliged to proceed no farther in verse,
than his 'jpoelical impoke^detepnines him ; and th^t upo» a change
of subject, or a total deficiency of poetical ideas, lie should be per-
mitted to betalce himself to prose. The best poets are unequal, and
are obliged to admit occasionally weak or insipid venes, for the pur-
pose of connecting the better parts of their work. But it must be
allowed, that many laborious productions would have been much
improved, if only the happier passages had appeared in the poetical
form, and the remainder had been printed as plain prose. Mucb
fktigue would thus have been spared to the author, and much disgust
to the reader. It must be owned that there is something iroponng
in the appearance of verse; as a noted critic lately mistook the
nonsense-verses in Pope*s Miscellanies for a serious love poem i but
my proposal is intended for the relief of a class of writers very dtf-
inent trom pope*

MENIPPEAN ESSAY ON ENGLISH
HISTORIANS.,

OiNCE English writers have disca*
vered the secret of uniting elegance and
interest with the narration of facts, histcv
rical compositions have multiplied greatly
in the language. The avidity with
which they are perused was indeed to
be expected, at a time when the iove of
reading proceeds to a degree of dissipa-
tion. In these productions, the reader
feels his understanding improved, and
his taste gratified at the same time; and
for the sake of those who can only be
allured by the dainties of knawledge,
some historians have condescended to
adopt the style of novellists, and to relieve
the asperities of negociation and war, by
tender dialogue and luscious description*

102 MSNIPPEAN ESSAY ON

If some writers, envious of the treasuresr

they mean to impart, have sullenly in«*

volved themselves in Latin, they are

however not more difficult than those

who present us with ^enigmatical Eng^

Fish.

It was very late, before the class of

historians became a respectable depart^

ment of our litemture» The natural

feserve and cokkiess of our countryaien

seems even to have influenced their pub*

Uoaticms, and to have made diem sendbJe

€if the difficulty of telling the gravest

story to the world. Meanwhiie, tradi*

tion, corrupted by poetry, and oth^

seductive causes, offered our own history

to the reader, in a state more proper to

oercise his critical powers, than to fur*

nish him with either agreeable or useful

information.

'Brom b)irdb> insptr'd by noead, or C:e1ficbe«r>
Bunt fiiFtk tke bloody fead^ or vmBti dfear.
Till each attendant iM^ay^ipe aqiieak'd for fear

:.i

* At ibf- welKsfaarpe&'d tliuia}>» jBrom sbon&ilD^booo
The trebles pqueak for foar, the bases roar.

MacFlccknoi

!6NgU8H UlStdttHANS. Ids

They saitg hoW ^ Mttc Ootil* cM)tr6ifPdtBe figh^
Or MMiii IrtT^d with nM»re than secokid«4ighl.
Sown Tim^'ft long st^ectm th^ dyitig mtriic floiit»»
And cheats t%' implitifeiit'iiar tiMi iMfctti notet.

Of Highland'>«j^i<is dretitti/ ^hd Dhfid-ldr^ ;
Or on the seeming steep^ and shadowy plain,
Himtthe .9ibs*c?|rtle, ^ Pheii&nan Aneit

Next dpleful ballads troird th' immortal th^mtt , .
Sang to the dar« or yvhistlM tp the team : ^
Tho'-WiclEM iA4t9, from agts to ajge, ¥efasm
The homely dit^tiea of the hflfctnaiMuse^
liong toil, the sport of moanUin-air aiid«Lwinds4|
These P— -y comments, and these Edwards l>ind8.
Kow fro«liiS'stdr6'4adi tefltdessViv^ dtilws
Thyme's tai|i)ih'<d floilrei% |»luBl peioi^ and Mily

saws.
Till onr bright shelres, in j^lded pride, display
The trash our notar fathers^ threMr'aW#f«

Oar ^arVy history shii|ii the judging ^yfi»
'In convents bred, the urchin learned to lie ;
White phantoms wave their palms in ^Idenmeafls^
And the pale scbeol-boy treriibles as he reads.

The later chsoniclerB, witk lfuite.il:ill.
Darkling and dall^ drew round th' historic milU

.♦ FingaU , .

f Glass.castle.] Vitrified forts in Scotland ; and the
aelebrated sfaip*t^mples in ^eland.

I Sung 4to the'#keel>' aftd mng^mto ihe^pailik

Hall'i Vir^dcmi
n rapidisfcidibflave^i Viao.

iO^ H^fimW^ |ES94Y ON

In wild, conAuioii sticny'd, fW^ i^ %^ • « . /
Of shews and battles^ du^l^j bali8» aad treats 3 /;,
Here tbe rich arms victorious Edward Ifore, < .

Tber^ the round oph^ wbicb griBat.£Hj(a«wore :
Andqaaiutdevi(^ just^.aii44Hn^ix^9«i^» . .
And gay c^arjsoiBf, and dainty d^^ ... 1 . ^

The ftiost striking (kfebt in the vpresdiit
figure of history, is not meagreriess, but
inflation, which distorts her features, aiid
confounds"^' her- |Nroportions. Like tMe
Roman^^; wli6 'thought it • increa^sed His
dignity: ,tQ we^r. robes too long for his
body,' iandfihoes too larjge for hb feet,
some of our .wri|l;ers in this style have
endeavoured to. adapt Kuge words, aod
immeasui^ble periods to every trifflinjf
occurrence. . . , -

Such tumid lines a ftdlinf age- betray.

As bloated Ihnbs bespeak the hearths deoayr^ .

.'■<»• ... . .'. oP • -.i- '.', . - • . . ■"•* '

Some critics, fond of discovering ana-
logies in science and art, have compared
history with architecture: in fhis,country,

the progress of taste in both .has some

. »• , •».'«'»*,

? RiR. Ejiitoli . . r

MUGUSB HWTOaiANS. 105

degree of correspandence. The dark
t^ihs, and wild historical ballads^ ni^yv
be compared to the caves and summer %
bowers of our remote ancestors. In the
monkish histories, the religious gloom. of
the monastery perpetually overshadows
us. And indeed, the similarity of old
histories to Gctfhic edifices is so impres-
sive, that we often meet M^ith the thought.
Two beautiful passages immediately siig«r
gest theniselves. Mr. Hayley, in his.
Essay on History, says of Lord Claren-
don :

Yet shall his laboiirs long adorn our k\e, - ^

Like the proud glories of some Gothia pile : .
They, tho' coostructed by a bigot's hand, ,
Nor nicely finish*d, nor correctly plann'd,f
With solemn majesty, and pious gloom, - ' ' » '
An awful influence o'er the mind assume ; ^\:. ^ '
And from the alien eyes of ey Vy sect
Attract obserfanoe, and commsuid respect..

Strada, in the second part of his
Muretus, offers us nearly the same image

' ' •. > »

* This appears to me a harsh censure of the playful
elegance, and complex regularity of Gothic architec-
ture.

Vol. II. H

lOtf MENIPPEAN ESSAT O^

on the same subject :— ^' tit nonnullas
fleditim sacmrum rudes attrits^ ac Vetustate
propemodum corrupue religtosius inter*
dutn coluntur/ quam cfasb rAvtgm&oo
sunt opere atque ekganti; mt ilia in«
cirriosa sermonis sliractura seepenumero
majofem babet veneiationem ac fidtem/'
To putmie the figure the works of
oor hrtstorians, who wrote before the
reign of James i. may be compared
to the old baronial castles?^ strong and
dreary, full 6f dark and circuitous pa»«
sages, but interesting by the vtty melan^^^
choly which they inspire. lo these
compositionst theglimmeriiygsentimfents^
obscure explanations, and the inartificial
combination of incidents, remind us of
Gray's

And pass^tges which lead to nothing*^

As. the study of the Greek and Lathi
writers prevailed among us, a mixed

• Long, Story,

ENGLISH HISTORIANS. 107

style waa introduced, similar to that
which we condemn in buildings of the
seventeenth century; where we perceive
an unsuccessful attempt to combine an«
cient elegance with modern rudeness.
Where an ornament, beautiful in itself,
is ofien misplaced, so as to appear ridi-
culous; the artist, for example, trans-
ferring those decorations which would
hav^ graced the nobler parts of the
edifice, to add to the enormity of an
over-grown chimney.

At length the aera of elegant simplicity
arrived, when our writers and artists
became convinced, that the easiest me-
thod of excelling, consisted in a close
imitation of the models of antiquity.
We have seen good taste carried nearly
to its point of perfection ; and as great
eivCTtions seep;^ tp exhaust the moral, as
well as the physical world, we have
perhaps witn^sed the first symptoms jof
its di^cay. Robertson was simple and
correct; Hume was more Ioft}% uniform,
H 2

108 MENIP^EAN ESSAY ON

and approached the point of Attic ele-
gance. But other authors have thought
it necessary, to cover their marble with
gold and azure ; in their avidity of beau-
ties, they have amassed the most incon-
gruous figures, and have blended them
in one glare of barbarous magnificence.*
An excess of polish and refinement^
among other inconveniences, tempts the
historian to suppress or vary the strong,
original expressions, which trying occa-
sions extort from nien of genius. Yet
these, infinitely superior to phrases which
have cooled in the critical balance, al-
ways form the brightest ornaments of a
well-composed history. They transport
our imagination to ^e scene, domesti-
cate us with eminent men, and afford us
a kind of temporary existence in other
ages* Few of our writers, excepting

* Such vrriters oblige job to recollect Oaintilian't
observation respecting figures; "sicat ornant oratio-
nem opportune p06itae> ita insptissimas esse com
immodicd petunior.'^

ENGLISH HISTORIANS. 109

Uipyd, have attended sufficiently to the
j>reservation of these flashes of sentiment
and intelligence. A single word some-
times conveys as much information of
character and principles, as a whole
dissertation. An old French historian,
for example, in describing the punish-
ment of some peasants, defeated in an
insurrection, by an officer of the Empe-
ror's, in 1525^ displays the ferocious
intolerance of that time by one epithet.
** II punit grievemment les prisonniers,
signamment les meurtriers du Comte
d* Helfestein, et entre autres un^ sur
lequel il pratiqua une GENTIU-E inven-
tion. Le criminel fut contraint amasser
un tas de bois, autour d' un posteau,
fich6 au milieu d' une grande place,
auquel puis apres on le lie, d' une chesne
portant un peu outre Je bois. Ainsi
quand Y executcur eut allum6 le feu de
toutes parts, le malheureux couroit autour
^e rotissant peu a peu luy mesme/'*

* Layal* Hist, des Guerres Ciyiles, p. 24.
H S

1 10 MENIPPEAN ESSAY ON

Wlien a prevalent taste for a certaih
smoothness and splendor of style is esta-
blished, the value of sUch a decoraftf^
is easily over-rated. And writers, capa-
ble of doing good service by a laboViods
union of facts, are compelled to waste
their exertions, in imitating those favou-
rite turns of expression, which they can
never incorporate witli their own diction,
by the strongest mechanical efforts. It
gives pain to a good-natur<^d reader, to
see his author engaged in such unavaiU
Ing struggles ; for some persons can no
more acquire a good style, than a grace-
ful manlier, and in both instances, the
affectation of unattainable graces only
adds distortion to clownishness.

Vain such a boast of polished style;
We seem to hear the rasping file

As thro' the laboured Ikies we drudge j
If sullen nature grace deny.
Not Vestris can the fault supply.

Nor win to praise the sneering judge.

Indeed, if an elegant writer adopt a fa-
vourite class of metaphors, it is pursued

to »^tfrinioatik>ii by his iffiitator^* >t
one tirne^ v^l occiu:re»pes were like a
race ; afierwaids they were liJc^ a battle;
lately, i^€y have .rescixiblad a §lDap, M
preseot^ hghjt wi darkness are the fa^
¥our4te sources of figures. Every sul^ect
is lusninms, or shaded; and every author,
pr^lid to €.%hi\nt hb lanthorn at noon like
JDic^eoesi is eager to '^ hold his ^thing
candle ito the sun/' *

When an historian merely transJales
in patch-work, like KnoUes (whom Dr.
Johnson has unfortunately dragged into
notice, by injudicious praise), he is easily
misled by the formal track of those grare
authors, who treat all parts of their sub-
ject in the same mannen When the
story thus comes unexpectedly to a. full
^p^ a very ludicrous surprise often fd-
lows the mosf tragical history. To avoid
the offence of particular application, 1
shall try the effect of abstracting such a
passage from Laval, whom I have just

^ YooDg's Lore of Faoui.
H 4

m MENIPPEAN ESSAY ON

quoted. It relates to the siege of Polders,
by the French Protestants, in 1569.

^' On the 24th of August, the festivatl
of St^ Bartholomew, the besiegers began,
early in the morning, to batter in breach,
with twenty-two pieces of cannon ; and
fired all day without intermission, so
briskly that the whole city shook. They
seemed determined to overturn every
thing, by so furious an attack, for they
had never raged in such a manner before ;
and it was said, that this was their last
effort, if we could resist which, there
would be nothing more to apprehend.
They were so diligent, that they fired
near eight hundred cannon shot that day;
so that several officers declared, that con-
sidering the number of their guns, it was
impossible to keep up a more terrible
discharge.

- " The garrison expected the assault,
'about two or three o*clock in the after-
noon, when it was supposed that the
breach would be practicable; and in

ENGLrSH HISTORIANS. lis

fact, about half an hour past one, it was
so large, thaf for more than aa hundred
paces, aman on horseback, in complete
armour, might have entered it without
difficulty. About that time, tberefiarfc,
the enemy drew up in order4Df battle, oti
the rising ground of the suburb, covered
in front by a wall, which extends from
-St. Cyprian to the said suburb. They

were all in white surcoat^ and we

could see their officers fl3Hng from rank
to rank, haranguing and encouraging
them. They seemed to threaten, at the
same time, the Pr6 Y Abbesse and Pont
Joubert, which, notwithstanding the in-
undation, they expected to force : they
had also on this side another division of
their troops, who were in full expectation
of supping in the town, and called to our

people to get ready for them, In

the mean time, they fired from all their
batteries, especially on those places which
they designed to attack.

" The poor townspeople, though quite

114 MEmmUkNJBWAYON

unacciffitomed to such thunder, wereia-

fdefotigable in carrying hfids, fa^iii^

faaireh, and jaihtx tbii^ Ho qo^er the

. breach. Every one did his diiCy« ^iti^wt

.being terrified by ^eeii^ bis .oeigbJbQvr

.£iU. .A ^ng^e bullet woukl.^arry^

ifour or five good soidiefi; and ^^eventl

i poor people, workmen^ aqd otbfis, wpfe

icilled while they were bu^y in repsiiii^g

the breach ; while die nobility who were

,|H-e6ent weie covered with ^e blppd ^f

the dain^ yet kept (i^eir postt to ^-

courage the men. It is a certain £swit,

'that several persons were kill^ bdween

the legs of the Sieurs du Lude and de

Ruffec, so that their clothes were dyi^d

in blood, yet they did not quit the

breach, but shewed thenaselves on the

top of it, to evince their alacrity to

encounter the enemy. -*-- When they

saw what countenance the en^y kept,

'the alarm4>ell was rung, to give notice

of the assault, and the Srs. de Guise and

4u Lude, having oid^ired eveiy ^one to

E^6tfsh liilstoarAKs. us

his ^^cst, took, 'ipesjpectitdy, thte. charge
of the biraches, atie of that h( Pr6
I' Abbesse, and the ^*^ho^e of that- face ;
the otVier, of that which was nt^e^bat
Hlay/ btffwfeen ^t- RadcgontJe 'ktiA St,
Sulpice; both very large, isttid* ^difficult
to be defended.

The Italians being jirelpared^ to -go^ *a
the breadh, arid haratigued by%ne df
their leaders, swore xm ^the crucifix to
die sooner than^to Tail/ln tht^ir* diity.
And before they tbbktfieir|)o»t, 'Tailing
on their knees, 1h ^the chtirfch - of St.
^Radegondc, they deHfbted' tbemsHves to
God with such eafti\?^lhess, that Irtie'^by-
^standers could iiotr^ftiln from tears. - -- -.

" In tlie riiean time, ' the principal
ladies of Poitiers r6tir6d into the castle,
and betobk^ themselves" to their prayers
with gr^t'' fervency. A strong body of
horis^ p'jltrciled the streets, to prevcht dis-
orders, and do^pel tlie people to assist
in the defenc^. Every thing thus pre-
pared, ^^r. de Girise and' his brother.

116 MENIPPEAN ESSAY ON

with a good troop of brave men« guarded
all the breaches of Pr6 1' Abbesse and
Pont Joubert (where the town was open
to an assault), and at the grand breach,
newly made, was the Count du Lude,
who defended the centre, with the Sieur
de Ruffec and other gentlemen on h\$
right. The Sieur de Montpezac, with
some gentlemen of his dependance, was
stationed on the left.

" The enemy, who, from the rising
grounds, saw almost every thing that
passed in the town, perceiving the firm
countenance which the garrison shewed,

DID NOT COME TO THE ASSAULT/'

However ridiculous this lame and
impotent conclusion may appear, it is
yet more inconvenient, that historians,
fond of a figurative style, are extremely
averse to deliver any fact, in a manner
intelligible to readers less instructed than
themselves. They often notice an im-
portant event, as a possible case, and
tempt the reader, from the plain road

ENGLISH HISTORIANS. I IV

of narration, into pleasing and sportful
£elds of digression, where he is some-
dmes arrested by a display of the ** non-
vulgaris eru^itio," and sometimes by ex-
hibitions not very suitable to the dignity
of history.

Let us suppose an author of this class
to describe some event, which be desiresr
to rescue from obscurity, such as the
taking of Cashel in Ireland, during
Cromweirs usurpation; a fact equally
illustrious with many, which the in-
dustry of modern historians has deigned
to illuminate.

^* A numerous body of natives, dis-
trusting the mercy of the victors, had
fortified themselves on* the steep and
difficult hill of Cashel, in (he county of
Tlpperary. A royal residence, converted
by the piety of its monarch into a mag-
nificent cathedral, and once dignified by
the priestly functions of the Prince of
Munster, ofiered at once the means of
defence, and the motives of resistance*

1 js M£NI WBA^: ESSAY ON

A generous eneimy would have respected
the attachments of patriotism and rdU
gion ; but Iretcm had learmed to despise
the impression of episcopal grandeur.

*' On the northern side of the choir^
was elerated one of those lofty, conical,
towers^ which have exercised the gjeiuus
of antiquaries. resp(9ctifig their origin and
destination^ The q^ost probable opinfon
assigns them t^ the sect of ^tyliu^*
anchorites, who to withdr,9.w their ajU^a*
tion mpre completely fron^ su,14u#ary.
objectfii, mounted the aspiring sU|a;imit of
a tower or pillar, and consumed thfi
revolving years of a monotoxius' existence,
in gazing intently op th^ heavenly bg^jlies*
Spmccf the ^ciq;it phUosQpjipdc^ sf^:t^
feceived theii; <3^nominntion? fifo^f^ l^k
plac^ qf ii;istrM9tiw : U»ese holy fix^iy

^ «« Ht.. Ca^mpbell, in his Philosophical Surrey of
thfe South of iFelandy supposed these tovrers to have

beenrbflfirili^ fefso^osf l»cfww4 WU ^ WI-WPo* W
9)0St Qf rtnQ^ yif^^h b9. }\^d 3^n. P«|< hoc, ergo^rfOr
ter hoc, I fear« is bad logic. The best view or one* of
thee^ I6#era/ is i« the ¥trtiioli'i»aiiisMiii/ platomxhr.!^

EN6USH historians; lld^

condesdending, in this instancy to fbUo^
a faeathen example, took the name of
pillar-climberst from the seat of their
c^&ntemplations.

'^ Simeon, a^shepherd of Syria, founded
this seet in the eighth century* Perhaps,
as superstition is strongly imitative, the
austerities of Simeon drew their origin
from^ the mysterious, exercises, annually
pevfo^rmed in Syria, on elevations appa*
rendy very different in their oiiginal
design. From the traditional honours^
of the colossal symbols, dedicated by
Bacchus to Juno, in the sacred city,*

* ** See tbe treatise Dk^i tik Sv^h; dc«f inserted
among Lucian's pieces. In the description of the
temple of Hierap^olis, ^e author, whoerer he wa«,
treats at ^ome length of these singnlar anti<|mtie8«

uafxa liTjfeO^n £cn tmt rxvrfoitiAa tmoth '<mrsr^dnnrai>

TOTSAE ♦AAAOTJ AIONTZOX
HFHPi MHTHPi ANEeHKA.

Other nionnments^ of a similar kind> erected in Um
same temple, to Bacchus; contained the vtyf^nmrm , or,
iqi the &miliar language of the antiqnidriiii (ftr I caonol

1^ MENIWEAN; BSSAY ON

an imagination, inflamed! biy $oiitude and
a burning sky, woiild pant after the.
pure and privil^ed region of watcfa^
seclusion. But even in Syria, it became
necessary to islielter the candidate for
acetic honours, in his permanent rest-:
dence, when the places of the inanimate
Neurospasta were sup[^ied by the vigour
of living saints. The majestic embleoi .
was therefore excavated, and a winding
staircase facilitated the access of the
votary. . Perhaps an arched roof com-
pleted the figure, and the hermit, ele-
vated on the mystical summit, enjoyed
the visionary raptures of his proximity

suspect Lucian of writing such a cold catalogue of
abstfrdities) 'Ofiifas puHpn; vt (u>m mToinf/tevusj (Aiya^a
atigia %x<mat^. He adds, that one of the colossal ^a»jn
was yeariy ascended, by a man who remained on the
smnmit for scVen days. The reader who wishes to
know how sucli^ a monum^nt^ three hnndred cubits
high, according fcp <jbe wiginaU or even tbipty,^by the
correction of criticism, could be ascended without the
«u) of slaps, or any security for the feet» mayconsulr
^«it^iii»'s Qn^jcellemt edition of (.uclMa^ torn., iii.. p*'475, .
vhf»p^5;wiQ«i^y,jyiUlm»»lply|fi«rfife -

BNOUSH mSTORIANfir. 121

to superior intelligences* Such an edifice*
in the hour of danger^ could only senre
to .desccy the approach of an enemy,
marked by (he. progress of terror and
d€s<>l»^oii. On minds rendered fierce
and sanguinary, by the habit of deciding
theological differences with the point of
the;3word, the religion of antiquity could
not operate; and if the regiment of
Inchiquin was destined to * the attack, it
was ' probably designed to weaken the
imputation of cruelty, which an fisiglish
comitlander would have incurred by the
refusal of quarter/'*

Ou« passion for oriental history, and
the pccuKar character of the specimens
with which we have been favoured, must
remind the most careless observer of the
distorted railing, shapeless pavilions, and
gilded dragons, which the love of what
was called Chinese architecture poured

* " In the extermination of the garrison, insult was
added to outrage: the victors pretended, that among
the slain, seveml homines caudati were di^covwed/'

Vol. II, I

\22 MENIFPSANi BSSMT ON

into CHir fields und gacdeni^ 2i^fewyesun
ago. Indeed, the alttuctidn of noTdt;r,
however hideous, ioas; pcooebded so. far^
that in reading some; late' productions^
one cannot avoid thinking bf the iSudHiaA
Prmce, \vho surrounded bis vilia^ vrith
statues of monsters, onty remark^Ue by
the extremeness of the^ disitanoe. from
trudi and probability.. ' ; : .

Butt tired of tliis: extravagance, w^
now tegin to recdl the -Gothic kibonrs of
our ancestors ihto our pleasure-grolinds ;
we OFown. the;. artificial mound with the
shivered donjon, and*wind the ivy round
the urifinishbd pinnacles of the mimic
abbey. While good taste is contented
with simply restoring the traces of ancient
grandeur, caprice disfigures whatever it
attempts to embellish, and prdfeifs ab-^
surdity of invention to correct imitation.
So it has fared with those who have
revived select portions of English history,
mingled with a certaiij degree bf senti-
ment and fiction. In some of these

EHreUSH HISTORIANS. 125

attempts, the small chasms of private
history are so dextrously supplied, and
the bare line of general narration is so
happily ornamented, that we readily give
up our fancy to a delusion, which in-
structs while it imposes on us. In the
inferior productions of this kind, all
intricacy and distress revert to the com-
mon peace-breaker of novels, love. All
state-mysteries and revolutions are im-
puted to some sighing damsel in her ruff
and farthingale :

Some whiskered peer, with song and sonnet big ;
Some tender Damon, in his lion- wig;

and the author, presuming on his reader's
inadvertence, does not scruple to bestow
youth, and the hearts of young ladies on
a paralytic senator, or to represent a
beauty as Inexperienced and frail in her
grand climacteric. An anachronism of
thirty or forty years, however injurious
to ancient characters, is easily over-
looked :

12

124 MENIPPEAN EgSAT ON

Tbus harshly Maro treats the Tyrian dame :
Tho' seT'ring time protects her spotless fame r
Sale from the pious chters impated lust.
Scarce e^n their sketetons could mingle dust
Ye beauteous maids, who fire the modem lay^
With merit humble, and with virtue gay,
Tho* with such sacred heat your charms allure.
That ev'ry melting thought but runs more pure^
(As, on Helvetian hills, the virgin-snow
Takes its fine polish from the solar glow)
Yield your soft pity to the injur'd shade.
Whom Virgil's arms, disdaining time, invade.
No guiding angel taught her to descry*
Thro' fabled dreams, the ruler of the sky ;
No hope yet fanned the soul's immortal flamc^
Her hell was censure* her religion fame.
Of these short hopes, ye poets, what abuse ;
Penelope is chaste,* and Dido loose !

It must be owned, however, that in
the passion for restoring ancient beauties,,
some deception has taken place. If an
aulhor,-|- professing to vindicate the cha*
i-acter of an unfortunate princess, has
thought proper to falsify the features of

* Traditbn has made very free with the character
of this lady, notwithstanding the praises bestowed on it
by Homer. In some parts of Greece, altarsi were raised
to her, as the patroness df promiscuous intercourse.

t Dr. Stuart, itii his UisU of Scotland.

ENGLISH HISTORIANS. 125

a medal yet in existence,* what credit
shall we give to iiis account of circum-
stances which he could only know by
conjecture ? Some of the champions in
this cause have, displayed great abilities,
and great charity ; ^nd nobody, 1 ima-
gine, could be more surprised by the
result of their enquiries, than the un-
happy subject' of them.

Coald she from cold oblivion peep.

And see her modern portrait shine>

So pure, so holy, so divine.
Hound which 'cv'n wits and scholars weep;
The nymph, who on the mountain's steep

Once more adorned poor Parnley's brow f
Would rouse her from her tedious sleep.

With many a hymn, and many a vow;
And drawing from her bosom deep

Those tales 'boift which historians vary.
Beg,' while her humble sinews bow.

Protection from the new St. Mary.

* See the profile of Queen Mary, in that work,
where the features are very different from the pinched
cheeks and turned up nose of the celebrated medal,
from which it is said to be taken. It is a curious fact,
that the portrait alluded to, is copied from a profile of
Jhilia Gonzaga.

f A tradition, from which a hill, in the neighbour*
hood of Linlithgow, takes the denomination of Cocie
k Roy*

13

120 MKNIPPEAN ESSAY ON

By the uncertainty of historical truths
and by the appearance of success, which
in certain periods, attends the worst men,
and the most wicked designs, some have
been induced to prefer romantic to real
history, as the more favourable to virtue*
But fiction is always more feeble than
truth; for the most difficult task of ima*
gination, is the invention of incidents;
and those who wish to improve by
experience, cannot be too accurate in
determining the real connection of the
facts, from which they are to conclude.
A fable may illustrate a moral apoph-
thegm, but can add no force to a poli-
tical maxim.

Some eminent philosophers, on the
contiary, attaching too much importance
to mathematical demonstration, have
wished to confine the knowledge of
history to certain undeniable facts, and
would deprive us of some of its most
engaging passages, to prevent the possi^
bility of deception. But the essence of

history, or indeed of ahy i^udy, requl-
Hug Inucb labour, te always ^pt to eva**
poratcf \k th* irioment of enjoyniertt.
It" 19 iiearly impioisibltef to transmit th^
result of our Ownf lab6lii*s^^.i«to ihrt vtA^i
of others, who have not qualified them-
selves for their reception by the neces-
sary degree of previous research. Or,
if they are understood, they can only
furnish the reader with an author's opi-
nions, of which he knows not the foun-
dation, and that can never become active
sources of knowledge, like those which
he might obtain by his own exertions.
After all, how small is the class of
reaTders, who study history, with the
expectation of acquiring virtue or expe-
rience ! To those who are destitute of
the habits and discipline of literature,
history is little better than a splendid
pantomime, wherc some of ^e spectators
are delighted with the dexterity and bold-
ness of the hero, others with the magni-
ficence of the scenes, ^nd the astonishing
I 4

148 MBNIPPEAN ESSAY 9t€.

changes of the machinery; from such
an entertainment^ the majority carry
away, perhaps, as many moral impres-
inons, as they would receive from the
study of Thucydides or Davila,

ON THE ORIGIN
of

THE MODERN ART

of

FORTIFICATION.

i ^

ON THE ORIGIN OF THE MODERN
ART OF FORTIFICATION.

IT is generally agreed, among mili-
tary writers, that the method of fortifying
places with bastions was introduced into
Italy, about the beginning of the six-
teenth century. But the author of this
great change in the art of war has never
been accurately traced. I have l^een
induced, by Folard's reflections on this
subject,* to make some enquiry into it,
the result of which will perhaps surprize
the reader.

The first bastions which were seen in
Europe, were constructed by the Turks,
for the defence of Otranto, in Apulia,

* Hist, de Polybe^ toni. Hi* p. 2. & Seq.

1S2 ON THE ORIGIN OF THE

whick they occupied, from (lie time o^
their invasion, in 1480, to a late period
in the succeeding year.* They de-
fended this place against the whole power
of Italy, and only capitulated in conse-
quence of the death of Mahomet IL
After tlieir departure, the Italians werq
surprized to find works of a new appear-
ance; and Guillet-f says, that their gene*
ral, Trivulzio, recommended an imita-
tion of them to the Christian engineers.
I have unfortunately mislaid a reference
to an Italian writer, who corroborates
the fact.

To the Turks,, then, we owe this im-
provement ; and it becomes a matter of
curiosity, to enquire by what means they
were led to its adoption.

It had occurred to me, many years
ago, that Tacitus had described the walls
of Jerusalem, as constructed in some
degree, on the modern principle of a

* Folardf Moratory Annal. torn, zxiik p. 1688.
t Vie de Mahomet ii. Liv, ii. p. 371.

MODERN ART OF FORTIFICATION. 133

flanking defence; but finding that Folard
ridiculed the idea, I had given it up,
till some observations in the Memoirs of
Prince Eugene, lately published, and an
examination of a passage, mis-quoted by
Folard, renewed my first opinion.

' Qui croiraif, says the prince, ' que
■^ j'ai appris quelque chose des Turcs, et

* que les Tiircs aient appris quelque chose

* des Romains ? Cela leui est rest6, je

* crois, des colonies, comme les formes

* etriisques des Yase^, des cruches q6on
' trouve chez chaque paysan/ This is
said, on the subject of field-intrench-
ments, w:hich he had learned from the
Turks to raise to the height of twenty
feet. The passage in Tacitus, to which
I have alluded, runs as follows.

^' Duos coUes in immensum editos
** daudebant muri per artem obliqui^
«' aut introrsus sinuati, ut latera oppug-
'* nantium ad ictus palescerent. Extrema
*^ rupis abrupta, et turres, ubi mons ju-'
*' visset, in sexaginta pedes, inter devexa

184 ON THE ORIGIN OT THE

** in centenos vicenosque attollebantur :
^' mira specie, ac pit>cul intucBtibus pa^
*^ res. Alia intus masnia^ regiae circum-
^* jecta, conspicuoque fastigio turris, Arv
«'' tonia in honorem M. Antonii ab Herode
« appellata/'*

The only words in this, passage, which
can <admit of any dispute, are, ** obliqui,
aut intorsus sinuati,'" which Folard trans-
lates, by " salient & re-entering angles,"
and which he discredits, because, he says,
Joseplius has given a different account
of the works. But it is clear, that Jose-
phus, after mentioning the othef walls,
describes the three towers, erected by
Herod, on the old wall, in a manner
corresponding to that of Tacitus; only
that he omits to notice the cunratures of
the works. I shall quote a part of his
account, the whole being too long for
insertion.

^ Now as to these three towers, the
«• height .was prodigious, and yet the

* 1 acit, Histoh lib. ▼•

MODBSK Ait!r<}P;Foipnenc!MrK>N. 13$

•f* ^{rface they < were toSs^ itpoii^ made it
^^ seem ihi»cfa inorethari it ^as. Fx>r the
^^ ejd w^ they stood . upo^ was itself
*' erected upon a very High piece of
f < ground ; and . these turrets again were
^^.advanced upon the top of.a mountainii
^^that was yet thirty cubits higher than
*^ the ancient wall* Neither were they
^iess admirable for the materials they
^^ wem niade of, dian for the steudtuce*
^ The stones were, neither common^ nor
** of a weight to be removed with hands:
^' but of >wj^ marble' cut into iAocki of
^'' twenty cubits long, ten in bi^adth, and
** five cdlMts deep: and :so artificially put
^ together, that there were no joints to
^* be fieen^ butevery distinct tower looked
•* like one entire piece^***

ViUalpandus, who followed Josephus
chiefly, has also omitted to notice the
flanks.

But Tacitui^:lived at the time of dbe
siege of Jerusaleni; hp probably had

* Josephyd, translated ]|^y I' Estrange* BookrL
chap, vi

1S6 ON TBE OHIGIN <JP TH8 -

conversed wjth officers who served uhder
Titus; and he has describied tfieiworks
with more appearance ofinUitary know-
ledge than Josepfausy who* vi^as*only
anxious to boast the magnilicence of tbehr
structure. There is certainly' no contra*
diction between them.

Ammianus Marcellmus furnishes a moSt
curious passage, which, if we. may de-
pend on it, shews that flanking d^ences
had existed, long before this^ celebrated
siege.

In speaking of the campa%n of Sapor;
king.of P^sia^ in Mesopotamia^ he* adds;
*' ViRTAM' adoriri disposuit, munimen^
^^ turn valde vehistum, ut Bedificat^ffl a
'* Macedone. credatur Alexandfo, in 4x-i
" tremo quidem Mesopotamia^ situm, sed
*' muris velut Siniio^is ciKumd^t^m^ et
'" Comuiis, insfruqtioneque varia :inac-»
•'cessum."*

I strongly suspect that- Folard had

' .♦ Lft), xx.*c,'vi. ^' \ -' '
The instructio varifim^y hayejbeen analagons^Jhe

intricate IRateways of tb€ East, ' ' ' '

MODERN ART OF FORTIFICATION, 137

never examined this passage; because
he reniarks on it, that the historian must
have been mistaken; for, although the
town was old, the walls were not. On
the contrary^ the pointed expressions of
Ammianus lead us to suppose, that the
genius of Alexander had anticipated this
principle of defence^ by many centuries.
All this positiyeness, on the part of Folard,
arose from a misapprehension, owing to
his ignorance of the ancient languages,
and his proneness to accommodate every
thing to the recent state of fortification.
He could understand nothing but redents,
by the words ' sinuosi, and comuti,' but
I conceive that they convey a different
meaning.

In CORONELU's ISOLARIO, and in his
description of the More a, we see con-
cave flanks, which form %gments of
considerable circles in the curtins, instead
of straight lines ; and these I apprehend
to resemble the sinuosities mentioned
both by Tacitus, and Ammianus. That

Vol. II. K . •

I9t ON THB ORIGIN OF "raE

they were copied from more ancieiit
buildings^ which no longer exist, is
highly probable. I refer the reader par«
ticulariy to the views of Lepanto and
Cerigo in Coronelli, fer examples of thi^
construction* The expression, ^ comn*
tus^ used by Ammianus^ is particularly
descriptive of this kind of work ; though
it has been applied, by modern Latin
writers on military afiisursy to the horo^
work^

By attending to the curious work of
Procopius, Utft KturpmrnPf wc are enaW^d
to ascertain the date of several deviations
from the ancient mode of fortification,
and of approaches to the modem methods
When the emperor Justinian adapted a
defeivsive system, on th e eastern frontier,
by the construction or r^ir of fortresses,
arid hy fortified lines, he be^owed par^
ticular attention on the re^edification of
Dara, ip Mesopotamia* As the place
was threatened by the Barbarians, he
diifst not open it, by demolishing the

/i^

MODERN ART OF FORTIFICATION. 13Q

aAcidnt walls ; he tbarefore surrounded
them with an outer, lower, wall, or
vaumur, which ip more inoderp time^
occupied the Berme, and became the
FausseJii-aye*^ At the bottom of each
/o£ the towers, he constructed a square
work; and thus gave origin, at once,
to bastioned towers, and to the square
bastion ; of the latter, vestiges appear to
have existed,, even in the seventeenth
century. -f* He introduced, also, th^
round-turrets in the middle of the towers,
of which Conway casrie affords exam-
ples.

He constructed, on the level ground,
where the enemy might easily approach,
to the southward, an advanced ditch, in
form of a half'-mopn, in front of the
vaumur, and resting on the wall at its
extremities* This ditch was lined par-
tially by a lower wall, and was, in fact,

* p. 30, 31. cap. i. lib. ii.

f See Lotich* de Rebus Germanick, T« 1. Vii^w of
Saxenhau«eQ.

K 2

140 ON THE ORIGIN OF THE

an out-work, resembling very much the
Fer-a-cheval/ only perhaps of a larger
size. I shall quote ProcoiMUs's Words,
as Mr. Gibbons has only mentioned it

generally. Taf^ ^ t96uxm /mimoX^ t^r rt urn
iMoig oiavdK cxoi^tfy im fumpa MOTOfHai^ mtnpotf cunig
TV wpomxl^iMafn .ri mga^ hn^i¥y Sidnof /agf iiapMii
Bftar?ai^mfiumgf affariv Tt TrcBrriiraffa rtk; sroM/iW Mrror-
9iaaiuwff h funpa ii airriii iHi erro( Tporuxt^iM Bifuvo^
irgpov^ u in eperuTii h voD^opiiia fpoupwai VrnpiStot th ti
vtfi0o7^ MM ^rpoTstxfo'fAaTOi ri mpn afpovrinia'amgy hrep
ril T&xotfs vpo0iPknTai»

In fortifying Martyropolis^ in Meso-
potamia, Justinian terrassed the space
between the old and new walls ; this was
another advance in the art.*

At what precise time the improvement
was made, of presenting an angle of the
square tower to the country, instead of
the face, I am not able to point out.
It seems to have been first suggested, by
the superior chance which it afforded,
of eluding the impression of the battering
ram. In Ca$sa's views of the walls of

• p. 55.

MODERN ART OF FORTIFICATION. Ul

Pola, this construction appears^ in the
ancient foundations, as well as in the
modern superstructure.* This, with the
talus given to the wall, were the iname-
diate fore-runners of the Bastion.

It appears then, that, -from the time
of Justinian, Mesopotamia became the
school of the arts of attack and defence
relating to sieges. The places, originally
fortified against the Persians, fell subse-
quendy into the hands of the Turks, who
made their progress chiefly by sieges ;
and in the course of their long and
sanguinary struggles, after the introduc-
tion of artillery, the invention of the
bastion seems to have arisen, from the
mcxlels of flanking fortification, of which
they had become possessed. During the
re^n of Mahomet ii, the Turks were in
the full tide of their military glory.
They threatened, at that time, the con-
quest of Germany and Italy, as well as

* Mr* Morier observed this construction in the towers
of Khor^ in Persia.

K 3

142 ON THB ORIGIN OF TItt

of tlie Greek Islands ; nor was the dan«
ger of the continent aveitbdy till the battle
of Lepanto.

The personal character of Mahomet li.
favoured improTements in the arts of at>-
tack and defence, in a remarkable degree.
He may lye considered, in this re^ct,
as the fore-runner of Louis xiv. Guillet
ascribes to him the invention of mortars,*
In arranging the siege of Constlntinople^
he exhausted the military science of his
age.f- Guillet even assert^ that cross*
batteries were employed by the Turks
on that occasion, but he ascribes the
suggestion of the practice to an Hun*
garian4

Barletus has hinted geneirally,){ that
Scanderbeg, the distinguished adversary
of Mahomet, endeavoured to fortify his
places against the recent invendbn of

* T. i. p. 16.

t P- 1*5-
J P. 168.
H Lib. 7.

MODEBN ART OF FORTIFICATION.^ U3

artillery ; but here we find the undoubted
origin of the talus in military works.
'* Ad Portam ipsam urbis turrim ingen-
'* tem solidiasimam construxere, nqn tor
" mm prarecta fades murorum rcUcta,
'* ne opportuna injuria esset, sed veluti
*• JACENS, utfacilius eluderet ictus machi^
/^ narum.'' ♦

This passage, relating to the fortifica-
tions of Croye, which has been over-
looked by GuiUet, furnishes a most curi-
ous epoch in the improvement of military
science. Barletus adds, " nos a fornw
** pedis Scarpam vulgari magis proprio
" vocabulp eum appellamus." From
these expressions, we may not only infer
.that this advanced work was the original
half-moon of engineers, but we also
deduce from hence the term scarp,
which still subsists, to denote the slope
pf the ditch. The date of this improve-
ment is 1465.

* D© Vita ct gestis Scanderbegi, l.vii. p. 122.
K 4

lU ON THE ORIGIN OF THE

It 18 unnecessary to add, that Croye
vvas afterwards taken by the Turks, in
1477. During this interval of twelve
years^ it is not improbable that other
alterations had been made in the works,
and that the Turkish engineers might
have found in Croye the models of their
constructions at Otranto. Whatever ad-
ditions tliey may have made, it appears
certainly from the detail of Barletus, that
the first great effort towards the modern
art of fortification originated in the genius
of the Christian hero, whose history de»
serves to be more accurately known.

But their rapid degeneracy in military
knowledge deprived the Turks of the be-
nefit of their own inventions. The people
who first constructed bastions, and who
first opened trenches before towns, were
proved, two hundred years afterwards,
by the siege of Vienna, in 168S, to
have sunk into the depth of stupid bar*
barity. Embarrassed by their own num-
bers, and encamped without precaution.

MODERlff ART OF FORTIFICATION. 1«

they fled before a handful of light ca-
valry.

The Polygonal bastions^ of. Rhodes, as
they appear in the plans of Dapper, and
the Due de Choiseul, present an anfop-
tunate attempt to modernize the Roman
towers, of the same form. I believe very
few instances of a similar construction
are to be found, excepting the lines of
Prccop, The slope of the summit of
the parapet, seems, from the account of
the accurate Sandys, to have been first
practised in the works of the Valetta,
after the deliverance of Malta from the
Turks. " The walls on the inside," says
he, " are not above six foot high, un-
imbattald, and shelving on the outside/'
♦To have noticed this construction, after
having seen the principal cities of Italy,
would have been trifling, if the method
had not then been new.

In Antella's plan of the Valetta,.
published in 1600, we find casemates in

* p. 233.

.146 ON THE ORIGIN OF kc.

the flanks of the basttiona: the Turks
were now stimulating their enemies tp
excel them. The effects of retired flanks
were long and dreadfully felt by tbem^
6ome years afterwards, during the siege
of Candia, by the celebrated defence
6f the bastions of St. Andrea, and
F^nigra.

THE PUPPfiTrSHEW:

A BIDACTflkPOEM :
Partly trttidated firom Addison's Machmtt Qatkubmta,

Written in 1788.

THE. ARGUMENT.

Exordium — Mary Andrew — The Booih — 'Entrance <^
the PuppetS'^PUNCH'^Reveliings—Simile'^ABattk
—AMERICAN WAR— PIETY IN PATTENS^
OMBRES CHINOISES^^A Similt^PATAGONIAN
THEATRE— SERIOUS BALLETS— A Vision— Pki^
losopl^ qf Puppet'Sheics — The Marquis de Casaux-^
Poets are Puppets — Conclusion.

THE PUPPET-SHEW.

X HE Wondrous pageants of ah humble train,
A tiny race> and nation void of brain*
I sing. No heav'niy spark inflam'd their hearts ;
Their firamer guiltless of Promethean arts.

Where the hoarse diruro> and motley droll invite
The gaping mob« with foretaste of delight.
Where jests are dealt to please the long-ear'd crew.
As old as Miller's, and as C — t— 7*s new.

Admiranda cano ievium spectacola.remm^
Exiguam gentem, et vacuum sine mente popelium;
Quern, non surreptis cash de fomice flammb<,
Innocua melior febricaverat arte Prometheusu

Compita qua risu fervent, glomeratque tumultttm
Histrio, delectatque inhiantem scommate turbam, '

150 THE PUPPET-SHEW.

Led by the lo?e of sights, or love of fun.
To pit and gallery the audience run.
Not equal benches hold the staring rows.
Bat peerage-like, the fees their worth disclose.
At length, the figur'd curtain rolls away ;
Full on the narrow stage the tapers play.
Where crossing wires deceive the carious eye.
That else too plain the homely fraud would spy.
And now the actors croud, in squea&ing droves.
By painted domes, and Lilliputian groves ;
'Mid scanty scenes, like us they sport or jar, ,^
In narrow pasm foifms th.' embattled war ;
Our pomps, our cares conlracled to a if^an.
The little mimics play gigantic man.

Qaotquot laetitise studio aut novitate tenentur,
Undique congressi pennissa«edilia complent.
Nee confosus honos ; nummo subsellia cedunt
•Diverso, et varii ad pretium stat copia scamni.
Tandem ubi' subtrahitur velamen, lamina passim
Angusto* penetjnnt aditus, qua plm^ima visuQi
Fila secapt, ne com vacuo datur ore feneatrau
Pervia fraos pateat : mox sticidula turba panate^
Ingreditur pictos, et msenia sqaalida fuco.
Hie humiles inter scenas, angustaque claustra,
Qttioqmd agunt homines, cwoicarsa^ bella, triumplmii.

'THE PUI*ET^9»BWI i5i

Bat o^er the rest see Ftmchiaelio rise.
Of hoarter ftocent) and tfemendoas-tfUBe!
An ample clasp his jerkin's round cbnfine^
His well-taugbt 6y« with t i^id «i«tioa- shines ; .. .
Far-stretch'd before his j«Miiig paunch appears; . • , i
His lofly back e^erwbelitis his hunibled «an t
Not with more tifrf or lo eaoh tweepiiig gown > ^

Thro' country-dancefs plodft the lah-ring^ clown, « '
Than the sma^II heroes, thro' the parted sheet* *
See his broad paunch precede hfsidistanc'd feet*
Proud of hte bulk, and " ht^ge Vwo-fianded sway/'
He reigns, the tytam oFthe (iup^^play*
Gibes his poor wooden slaves iniVanton fit»
*' And shakes th^ clumsy bench wHh" antic " wiu"

Ludit in exigno plebecula parva theatro.

Sed p.raeter reliquos incedit Homuncio rauca
Voce strepens, mi^r subnectit fibula vestem,
£t referunt vivos. erranUa lumina motus^
In ventrem tumet iramodicum ; pone eminet ingens
A tergo gibbus ; Pygmteum territ^U; agmen
Major, et immaneikB miratur tnrba gigantem.
Hie magna fretus mole, imparibi^sque lacertis
Confisus, graciUjactatqon?ttiayulgo,
£t crebro solvit, lepidum caput, ora cachiono*

ISa THE PCPPET^HEW.

When courtly lords and shining domes are seen
Round beauteous Griaild' or St. George's Queen,
His saucy bnigh:di8tdrbs the solemn place.
And the room echoes to his pert grimace.
Or wilder sdll> his lawless, flame invades
The modest beantks of the. vamish'd maids ;
The Yamisk'd maids with .disapproving hiss^
And coy valuctance, shun tim saucy kiss.

But uodisturbM.thje meaper forms advance^
And ply Ih^it .little, limbs in busy dance*

And oft with gUu'nng paste and timel gay.
The wooden F|M:e their birth^day robes display ;
In marshaird order trip the ladies bright.
And lordlings sparUo on the vulgar sight.
While the small people, joming in the press.
Revive the dream of Pygmy-happiness :

Quanqu^m res agitur solenni seria pompa,
Spemit sollicitam intractabilis ille tumultum^
£t risu importunus adest^ atque omnia turbat*
Nee rafe invadit molles, pictam^ue protervo
Ore petit Nympham, invitoque dat oscula lignv^

Sed comitum vulgus diTersiis membra iatigant
Ludis^ et vario lascivit mobile saltu.

SflBpe etiam gemmis ratila^ et ^ectabilis auro,
Lignea gens prodit^ nitidisqne superbit in ostris.

THB puppjsnr-sHEw. m

As if the warlike dwasfe/^ ndiaxM froin tokh.
In knightly gka*ies rich^ and leathered .spoils^
Had qiiench'd in geiitle^eaai^. and soothing strains.
The airy terrors of the hostile cranes*. .

So when -the: stars these. middle station keep J
The sportive Faries o'«r the greensward sweep ;
In merry roupd they print the narrow ring»
And wave the. yielding grass with nimble i^pringy
Whenpe kinjdly jai^s the (fUd soil bedew.
And thpiKich^oircilfe. shoots frith darker hTie. <

But sudden clouds th^ happy sctoe o'eccast^
WarSf horrid wars resound their dreadiiil blast.

Nanij qiioties festani celebrat sub imagine lucem',
Ordine composito Nympharum incedit honestum
Agmen, et exigui proceres, parvique Quirites.
Pygmaeos credas positis mitescere bellis,
Jamque infensa Gruum temnentes praelia, tutos
Indulgere jocis« tenerisque yacare choreis.
Tales, cum medio labuntur sidera cselo*
Parvi subsilinnt Lemureis, populusque pusillus
FestiTOs, rediens sua per vestigia, gyros
Ducit^ et angustum crebro pede pulsitat orbem*
Mane paterft gressus ; hinc succos terra feraces
Concipit, in muliam pubentia gramina surgunt
liuxuriem,'' tenerisque virescit circulus herbts.
VOL. H. L

154 THfi vowBt-mwm.

Tiieir hasty atviB the woodkH^

And desp'rato oonbat inlemipU; tiieir eH»

So short oar pleMOKs: Ihnsowr bliatwitkstDodC' .

So dash'd with care is cr'vy mortrfigocidt

Now (root to fipant the dusliBg lifMS appoMTy
Kaise the thin swords orpowttfaetaper sptar;
With martial port tbejr meditate the bloMt^
And le?eird-musketft^ threat' tbe^anng^a
Hark! the siaart craekem q>tt their itry lireatli^
Hi8s,.boanoe» and thunder in the field* of deartk
Thro' ethy avch the mingled barsis resound;
Thick-fidting warnors strew ch' anhappy >§seaad

Sometimes the sad detail of civil rage
Lifts to sublimer aim the pygtny-tage.
From Bunker's Hill now flaming rosin darts.
Now dreadful Howe appals the Yankey-heart»;
Here Burgoyn^j forc'd to yield, forbid to fly^
A well- dissembled Puppet ! ^eems to sigh.

At non tranq^uillas nulij^.abdi^nwbijit IqceSe.
Saepe gravi sui^nt bella» horrid^ b^la. ttu^It^. .
Arma ciet truculenita, C)C^hpi:s^. pl|^u<jL^que,i|ai[^te|ii.
Dirumpum pvgnae ^ usque adep ii^ioce^ T^^bpta^
Omnibus, et mist^ c^stigymt .puidja c^ie,,
Jam gladii, ti^buliq/ie i^g«tq.sulplV(H».fiBtij.,

THB PUPJMBT-SHEW. 155

A tittle Calp^ AQot» vmistiess fires^
On Bara^voU'S gfbbftt Aii<ird-0 form «X|ik)ea:
Or RQ4ti99's4tfiui»for 4«i»d8^tb« Q^iUC' foe
Thro' caiiT«« biHawa» to thv depths below»

Inventive Foote pi oduc'd* his wk to skreen,
Socratic puppets^ and th' amblguoiift scena ;
Hence chastenM love and bumble faith impiM
The patteo^A beauty^ ^md the g^'rous 'Scpiire.
Great lord ef ir«^y 1 ha sw^y'itim age»
The peeriesift Plato of tho puppet* stage*

NeK^ meagre France, who eoold afford no more
Substantial foraas tg^ gmce a rival shore.
Sarcastic, tangb^ >>)^ ^yt ^ce to fiit
Her Eastern sbstde^ with emp^ sounds of wit*
Lo ! half-conceal'dithe deiiia'roDs puppet plays.
Beneath the artful veii'a indulg^n^blaze ;.
In flippant French tb^ restless Sgurm jar.
And foreigfi sounds perphx the list^oiDg tar.
Bat soon tb* iiiiperfeot fbrAis disgjMst the eye.

Protensaeque hastae, fulgentiaque arma, minaeque
Telorum ingentes subeunt ; daqt claustra fragorem
Horrendiun^ rgptoe ^tridente bitumine chartae
Confu99s redduot crepitus, et sibila miscent*
Sternitur onine solum pereuntibus ; undique csesse
Apparent tnrmae, civilis crimina belli.
L2

166 THE PUPPET-SHEW.

Darkling they come* and unregretted fly r

So when the wandVing chief the ghosts surrey'd.

That '* squeak and gibber'' in th' infernal shade.

His wonder past, he viewM with careless ease

Forme impotent alike to hart or please*

Then high the gen'rons emulation ran^

Th' ennobled poppet tow'ring into man*

Fair in the Strand the pleasing ftage was found.

With lovely art, and -happy graces crqfWn'd.

There Shakespeare's wit in wooden gestures shone*

There J — ^p— n's, blest> to please the eye alone !

With rapid step a nobler band succeeds.
The Fantoccijii, known by deathless deeds;
Scarce man himself thtar promptness can surpass
To trim the taper, or present the glass.

Behold Noverre the mimic art restore !
Medea rav^s and Phaedra weeps no more.
Here sense and shew decide their long dispute.
For man tums^ puppet, and the stage is mute.
Ungraceful Hamlets, aukward Romeo's ily :
Let -Mot HER Goose* more worthy themes supply.

* This passage might very well have been written
at the time when the poem is dated ; for the entertain-
ment oF Selima and Azor was taken from the story
of Beauty and the Beast, in Mother » Goose's Tales.
The stage is now farther indebted to that learned
author.

THE PUPPET-SHEW. 157

On the vast stage, o'er many an acre ^read.
Be lowing herd^ and numerous squadrons led ;
W.hile Blub Beard fierce the fatal key demands.
Or Puss IN Boots acquires the Ocrb's fands;
Or fair Hbd RiDiMG-HooDy in luckless hour,
A helpless victim falls to fraud and.powV.

Proceed, grqat days I till poetry expire.
Till Congreve pall us, and till Shakespeare tire ^
Till ev^ry tongue its useless art let fall.
And moping Silence roost in Ruius' hall ;
Till nimble preachers foot the moral dance.
Till capering envoys check the pow'r of France,
And full St* Stephen's see, with mute surprise.
The Opposition sink, and Premier rise.

But oh ! what God inspires my boding mind
To paint the glimmering prospect yet behind i
I see in gestu?e ev'ry wish exprest.
Each art, each science quit the lightenM breast ;
No wand'ring eyes the distant heav'ns explore.
On two legs t'ott'ring, man descends to four.
Then, great Monboddo, proves thy system true ;
Again in caves shall herd the naked crew ;
Again the happy savages shall trail
(A long-lost gift !) the graceful length of tail :
In that blest moment, by indulgent heaven.
Thy wish, Rousseau* and Swift's revenge are givdn.

Now, whence the puppet*^ various ftitictions came
The muse shall teach, and make insructiofi fame.

L 3

156 THE P.UPPET.8HEW.

The workmen firai tbe luiobVui^ logii iafeim.
And chip and itortitfe iato huaiaii Aarm ;
Next skiing the Umbs, and olaip the jomU iritli art>
Add piece to piece, and answ^riog part to part ; -
Then wheeling fwlliet join^ and flowiag cocdB,
Who«e secret inflneBce gaides tbe woeden lodls.
And now the nice machiDe compteted etaads.
And bean the OfsJiM firint of viarter^hands ;
Seemi in its new creation taf^oioe,
Th' imparted motiwis and the ^aAed voice ;
At justljr tvxamg to ,the raling ^Mrings
As votes to ministers^ or hearts to kuigi>

Nunc tamen undo genos ducat, qosi de^^tra hi*
tentes
Sappeditet Tire3» quern poscat turb^ moTeatepB^^
Expediao^. Trancos opifex et iiM^He ^gavm
Cogit in hnmanas species^ ait rol^re nat^ua^
Progeniem telo eflSHrn^* nexuque tf^oaci
Crura ligat pe^il^us, )^ua|er^qji|e ;^9ommo4at wool^,
Et membris auembra aptat, et ^rtuji^^s 'vmit 9r^s-
Tqnc habiles addit trochleas^ qui.bi^ ^te pusillum
Vers^t onus, molique manu ^i^ulatus inerjbi
•Sufficit occultos motu3^ rocemque mi^if tr^

THE PUPPET-SHEW. 159

Hence^ Icam'd Casaux,* thy earnest thoughts
began
To trace the jointed frame of polish'd man.
In some low booth, that on the rampart lies*
To catch in heedless throngs Parisian flies.
Where the wise Hebrew shone in tinsel-light.
Or Europe's princes charm'd thy tender sight,
Thy soul divinM, for such the will of fate.
The shifting puppet-shew of powV and state.

Poets themselves in puppet-motions sport.
And steal sweet voices from th' Aonian court ;
Transporting sounds ! that pass, with struggling paii^
Our narrow organs in « ruder strain.
See, classic Addison with ease combines
Virgilian accents in his sportive lines :
But mine, weak offspring of a languid age.
Love the low roof, and haunt the humble stage —
Congenial themes the mimic muse requires.
And on mean altars lights her scanty fires.

His structa auxiliis jam machina tota peritos
Ostendit sulcos, duri et vestigia ferri :
Hinc salit, atque agili se sublevat incita motu,
Vocesque emittit tenues, et non sua verba.

* Author of the Mcchanwn of Society.
L4

OF GENIUS.

Edg'd with poplar pale.
The parting Genius is with sighing sent*

MlLTOM.

OF GENIUS.

It is useful to observe the effect of
our early reading, in perpetuating false
impressions even among those who boast
a& emancipation from all prejudices of
education. Hume's classical knowledge
•was too strong for his scepticism ; for in
one of his essays he supposes it probable,
that such a scheme as that of the anpient
mythology may have been carried into
effect, at some period, in some part of
the solar system. Catnoens makes the
Virgin Mary intercede with Jupiter,
when the Portuguese are in danger, and
seems as much attached to one religion
as to the other, Vossius, of whom
Charles ll. used to say, that he believed
every thing but the Bible, was another

164 OF GENIUS.

instance of the ease with which men
suffer the grossest impostures to gain
upon them, when they are unhappily
recommended by elegance and wit* I
am apt to imagine* that the extrava-
gancies of the ancient poets, engraved
on our minds by the rod, and too par-
tially entertained by our. relish of the
more sober beauties of tliose authors^
have sometimes deceived us in - our estif
mate of human faculties and have sup-
ported, unperceived, somefliing of lite-
rary superstition and metaphysical mys-
ticism, even to the present time. When
we speak of a man who has made any
considerable discovery in science of art,
who has painted a good picture, written
a fine poem, or a very good novel,^ wc

* It is' said, that when Vossius^ wb^ was a canon
of Windsor, lay oh his death-bed, the Dean caihe to
l^ers^ade him to receive the sacrament- ' Vbssius rejected
the proposal with indignity: after some altercation^
the Dean gravely said ; *' Mr. yossins* if you will ijot
receive it for the love of God, take it, atieast for the
bononr of the chapter/'

OF GENIUS; 15J

call him a man of genius^ without uuder«
standing our own meaning. Books have
been written, indeed, to feKplain the
word genius, but ispeakers and readers
have continued . to dotibt; for! authors
have agreed in the same error, 6i con-
sidering genius as a distinct powei'of the
mind, while in reality, it originally
denoted something totally independent
of It.

I know notwhether weakness or pride
contributed more to those delusions,
which appropriated a divinity to preside
over the most usual, and the lea^t- dignl-
fiied of our natural functions, but if the
ancients supposed themselves td^he siipeiy
naturally assisted on such occasions, it ia
not wonderful that they shouW lay claim
to superior protection, in the bright and
enviable moments of literary success.
I'hey believed, thai every man was under
the direction oT one of th^ smaller deities^'
or aerial daemons ; a sort of valets to the

tM or extavs.

superior ggd^^ and accosding to Seiieea^
ttifeofs of saen ; like the usual arrange^
ment in fiumKes of distmction upMi
eartfau Sepoae id prassentia quas quir
biKdam ptaceat: unicuiqoe nostrum poen
dagogum daci Dcwn, non quidem ordir^
nariiin^ sed huoc inferiorb Bote, ex
«onjM numero quos Ovidius ait de pkbei

These obsequious inhabitants of the
ajTt who at their leisure-houi?^ chafed
swallows and crows^ obtaijoed the fgpimvaX
nasBO. of g^iuus. And soai^^ enun^n^
ns^n; in their atsabilious moments^ luve
£uicied that they discerned the presence
of such attendants* . It would appear^

. * Ap^iiis 40 Deo Soytytif>i ' i . ; ■ ■■ .q^^jbiin- ^
▼inae niedhs potestates^. inter supiinuin aethera et infimau^
terras^ ♦imhhm^*** jnt^r terricolaft casli^olasque vcc-
tor^s^ bine pveoauiy. inde donoram ^^**'Honim enim
miuMs ^t op^E» «t(}ue cora ««t, ui Anoiimii wMoirp
orbitatem oculi- comminarentnrj Flaminio exlispici^
pericnltun cladis pnedicant, &Ct

t Senec. Epist* ex, ^

lMnM«tB;4haAjSMiitlw s%di^ Vimftkm^

ohnbfljr . to . ipqpnigcftii (aNMk'>1^Ml^«til^ in*

tfack90tftres\b£ wffiMMfl*:'i^^
d00n» a sepdratoi estaUiidibMnt^ aft4'
aMdelhekr 9niii:dtatio]iiii)f Mt^Pat^ia^suftA'
l^fe after/ tl»iintmd«*Jtion <)KfC3i^
vwten A0 learoniienibarQfiscd^heiiffisel)^
bjrl rdttitiBg the Bktomc dooAn^^ 0$
^^ons^ tPi^iMe ikm systeins of tiMK|acic>*

sup^imibinl/attiBndafit, fauti as a^ liemgi
fS0pf^^ o£ oiut: extemive kniciwledge^
^hicfti b^ imsj^iqMMaii ta oonujiaoioailttt
on certain considerations. MarinuB^. a:
^ilglM^^Qf QlLBraclMap^'b^ dstevtttdlfiat
:^MtMMRir ikflaMko^contefitenra^, and no>
4pabti « verif aftkr atatcsman,. dbservedl
Q|i0id»y thf^ii^fadef ]?bodlisi surrounded
with nys (such aa. use deoomtnate a
^kff)!^) while Jbk» :wafi teaching ; '^ ut : di*
vino signo/' says Brucker, '' qualis in
hoc c<»|HM:€S!dmiai^ktfnet^ omnes intel-

16^ OF GENIISr^

%eS¥9lU*i Non puduit itaiqxie^Mafiiuim^i
Tit^s.bujus Compilatoi!ebi»i diKibsfc . iiiqpi^>
mtioiiis {timhrimnim^ paitbtpepi oeuail ^^
1^4 ^sBGvere, . let) ."riiltum ocubmyueac .Mofxi
4iviii09 radios spaisisfie meiidci/* Prodis)
aSlSepted to b6lieTO» that /he Avas assisted^
ip the. comppsittoa^ of. his works 'hy. the^
goddess Cybele. .Hence the .vislbfidr^
hopes of fbrmiiig a comixserce mbh : an-
gelic . . existences, which dissipated i the
hours' of many anknt; scholars^ The
Ruracelsiaii and Rosichiciai follies, and'
the most ^inceie ;put of Alchemy, ^ad
well, perhaps, ias> someilate sects^ Vh^rite'
dieir orign from this mixed and doubtful
source;. •.;'" .-.. \ ' i'.' ' ^ > i.; r >

;. Tbk wM eoiijviiictioiir 6i^ ttiytk^lbgf
and :magic. fo]imed/:aJs|ieMy not ea^^ to
be* broken. An nnd^fiiaedi^Teiteifetiori
was attached to ' thfe tenbgeniiis,; which-
became more powerfur las ;it ^as •lesS'
understood. The iiifluened x)f d^ic^

* Hist Critic. PMk)l;opk.||iftilik p,$$^r - •

OF GENIUS, 169

imagery, and its perpetual recurrence
to in^ration, supported an impressiori,
which, like the terror of nocturnal illu-
sions, though disclaUned in public^ . and
no longer existing as a system, still haunts
the hours of silence and solitude. Poets,
at all times the most incorrigible of the
Uterary jtribes, still dreain^ of impulse,
aqd mistake their own idleness, for the
^owa of Minerva. Morhoff,. oi^ of
those singular characters, who s^equke
the belief of common errors, by exten-
sive reading and profound meditation,
was. so struck with this impression, that
he wrote a whole chapter, de eo, quad in
diciplhus divmum estp He has indeed
feintly rejected the syncretistic follies of
the former age, but he perhaps allowed
inspiration rather too largely, when he
granted it to an Italian improvisatore,
and to Valentine Grreatrak.*

The concluding lines of Buchannan's
address to Mary Queen of Scots, which *

* Polyhi8tor< Utetzr. lib, i. cap« xii. § 13. 29.

Vol. IL M

170 OF 6KNIUS.

have been rcjckoned go obsqure,. may be
easily explained by this view q£ the for*
met acceptation of gepius.

Non Uttnen aasQs eram male nBtam ^xpoaere f^tom^

Ne uiihi diBpticfsaat qott ptaerart tX».

Ntm qfiod ab iogeoto domini aperire nt^mkmi^g

Debebunt fimo fonitaii ilia too.

. Th'e leebl^^ess of the po^^s vefses (as
his lyiodesty led* him to spedc), was to ht
pfoteieted by the genius of the Queen;
wfeicb, by the courtesy of the age; was
deemed of superior rank and power to
the genius of a private person. I cannot
suspect so excellent a poet as Buchannan^
of any intentional i^ay on the words
ingenium and genius. In the Ajax
Mastigophorus, Sophocles ascnbes Ae
hero's execrations to his evil genius/^6
^lone, he says, could have iTiTentQ4 thdoi,

Lord Verulam had many strange fan*
cies, about the geaius atteiUla»t en freat

or XSENlUBr If I

mind»$ lie subliisied his iiotioiis q» this
subject witfi Van Heimohfs^doolAni-of
trmismitted spirits^ whidi referfqd all
eminence In militaiy and civil afiairs, a&
weU as in wit^ to the fcuroe o£ perspiiar

' Th^ genii were sometimes supposed
to be the spirits of departed, men^ espe*
ctally those which were thougiit to rerisit
the places of their former residence, of
the scenes of their destructkoi: heice
that passage in Milton;

^e^pftfilrth thnyafl the gipnias oph^ ;9hore#
In thy large recompense, and shalt be f^bod
*ro all that wafid^' m the perilous flaodb**

With aU this* bdntiftgious tnysttcism
floating firom braii^ to brain, it is not to
be wondered, that poets ^oiiid' be fn^
sumptuous and idle, or that readed
shouU be slltvishly timid: The votary

ef poi^ical ^ren^y fancied himself entei^

*• . *» • ' •' > ^ < ■ . ' .

. . .. i. ■■■.f. l«y«i4M< . ■ ;
M2

1T0 OF 'GERW8.

ing. tfae teiiiple of Apollo, and invested
witkithte sacred chaniictcrs of a priest and
a prdpbet, when he '^ poured forth his
unpremeditateil: verse,"' while the multi-
tude, combining tho most distant ana->
logics, believed that in the writings of
dmineiiL^poote,' they discovered predic-
tions, in which. the author himself had
been unconsciously prompted by his
genius. •

I It was not enough to admire Virgil as
a great Poet; his.. votaries were deter-
mined to venerate him as a prophet, and
almost as /d god. While altars were
erected, and inceiisc;. was burnt to him,
by some of the first restorers of letters,
the credulous* explored their destinies in
his pages, by. the laid of false transla*
tio9^ add distorted inference. It is well
known, that Charles* L was greatly dis-
c^oncerted dnd distressed, on finding the
Sortes VirgiHanas unfavourable, at the
beginning of the civil war. With the
liberties of application allowed in these

cas^, it is easy to » find va prophecy of
any eveht, after it has taken place, ifi
for instance^ a prediction is wanted of
the calamities •,oc<:5asioned by the Prag-
matic Sanction, it isready in Juvenal ;

Inde cadunt partes^ ex faedere Pragmaticoniin,

In this manner; the celebrated prophecies
of Nostradamus liave acquired the pro-
tection, even of the learned. Morhoff
dwells with great satisfaction, on Uie
number of important events predicted by
this man, who wrote his rhapsodies in
1555. : One: of bis rhimeSiWas supposed
to be accomplished. sixteen years after-
wards, by the ixiassacre of St. Bartlio-
lomew ; .

En grande cite, qui n' a pain qu* a demy, '
Encore nn eouple St* Baitkelemy.

But unluckily, in another quatrain^
he foretold that in 1707, the Turk^
would conquer the northern parts of
Europe, not foreseeing Prince Eugene.
M 3

t7i Qf! QfiNIUft

The ccMsplct I htive quoted, might, with
(he usual latitude of appr oprijiting (Mre-
dictions^ be apflied ta later pocurrenceSt
as some degree of simikf ity m the course
o£ human ai&irs must oftea recur, when
miracles are out .of the question. But
to shew how easily the rank of prophet
may be tlius obttfcined, I shall quote a
passage fftun Camecatius's Horas Sub*
dsivee^ my edition t)f which. was pob^
lished one hundred and tfairty*4ix years
ago, which beacs more mmute characters
of resembknce to recent erents^ than
any thing I have met with ;— ** Ne ex*
empla tam long^ petamua quid obsecm
non perpessi sunt bonaines miseti nuper
in carnificinis Gallicis, prsesertim Lule^
tiana ? Quid enim vulgus, veluti ludos
ageret, quibus humanus sanguis dfun-
deretur, ssevitiae, crudelitatis, libidinis,
turpitudmis, ignominiae, lata in eos qui
neci destinati eraat, quam in alios qui
pro innoxiis faabebantuir, et<|uadam non
solum erga viwis» sed ergaimortaos ettain^

OP GENIUS. J'^^

BOti habifia ratione aetatis, dignitatis, con-
ditionisi aut sexus, omisit ?

We can mote easily pardon this tribute
to those works, which are the pride and
delight of all ages, when we consider
the signs and conditions annexed to the
character of a prophet, during the pre-
valence of the heathen mythology, and
tacitly acknowledged by those who pay
attention to the ravings of Brothers, or the
Cheshire boy, among ourselves. When
frenzy and imposture usurp the regard,
which h only due to the oracles of truth,
it becomes interesting to know the source
of a delusion, capable of existing among
any class of men, in ages which boast
tlie possession of true religion. The
state of mind in which men were an-
ciently supposed to acquire a knowledge
of futurity, was formed by dreaming,
drunkeoness, madness^ epilepsy, or the
approach of death. In one word, deli-
ritim was the characteristic of a prophet:
we caxmot be at a ioss for that of his
admirers.

M 4

176 OF G£N1US*

The Platonic pt/ilosophers of the eo
lectic clasSy thought that predictions were
communicated during sleep, or immedi-
ately on awaking, by low voices.* This
is now a very prevalent vulgar error,
though undoubtedly of Platonic descent.-
In the ecstasy, which may be considered
as a morbid state^ a number of objects is
obtruded on the prophet's senses, from
which he can seldom form any con-
jecture. Such was the celebrated vision
of Arise Evans,-f- in which he saw the
rcstoration and succession of monarchy
in this country delineated in the palm of
his hand, without be'mg able to deduce
more from it, than that after four reigns
there would be a change of blood. :|^ In

♦ Bracker, torn. ii. p. 444.

f ^pendix to the first volume of Jortin's Remarks ^
on Ecclesiastical History.

I I have in my possession a small tract by this man,
written in 1056, to prove that Charles u. was U^
Messiah, destlnec} to restore the Jews^ in which is a
prediction still more circumstantial and remarkable;
" But I say, he that lives five . years to an end^ shall
see king Charles Stuart flourish^ on his throne^ to tb^

OF GENIUS. 177

^ these operations the. genius acts ; die
proi^t k passive^ and generally igno-
rant.

It appears not improl^bley that an in*
toxicating potion was giv^i to the Pythia^
by way of ensuring the istrength of her
ecstasy,* There seems to have been
some traditionary knowledge handed
down on this subject^ for in Dr. Harsnettt
Archbishop of York's Discovery of Po»
pish Impostures, the girls who were
exorcised had delirium jBxcited, by nause-
ous potions and fumigations.

Delirious exclamations, in certain dis-

aoiazement of all the world, for God will bring him in
without bloodshed. '^ I<ight to the Jews, p. 5. Bu^
mark the juggling of this fellow. This egregious prq-
phecy» though said to be printed in 1 656 on the second
title-page, was in reality, Qii\y published in 1664-, four
years after the event. In this instance, therefore, hc^
was clearly guilty of imposture. Prophecies, at that
lime, were party-matters* Evans prophesied for the
Royalists; Lilly, a more suceessfiil knave, for the
republicans.

i ♦ The Pytbia always drank, before she placed her-
self on the Tripod.

atKtsi hnve bem reeeivad as indieatiow
otf ftitui« evemsi beooe k has hecame
necessary for those who aspired to tbe
dhsLtuckat of prophete, to make the
idttltkude believe thetti to be afflicted
wiib those disease^.* Luciaff s Alexaiider
learnt the art of frothing at the mootb/
and the mob^ as Luctan tells us^ held
his froth to be sacred. Epileptic coia-
plaints have certainly been familiar to
men of great talents: Caesar, Peter I.-
THid several others of distingoished merit,
were subject' to epilepsy. But it cannot
be supposed that they were improved by
the disease.

It is an unhappy circumstance, that
phibsopby has sometiniies strengthened^
instead of correcting vulgar prejudices.

♦ Ewn philosophers^ of the mystic c^gas, ba?*
Hkought the imputation of madness an addition to tlleir
fame. •• Porphyrius *.** se secreto multa mysterio ex
divino afflato interdum disseruisse, ideoque pro furents
fa^itnm foisse jactat.^' Brucker* Hist. CriU Philos.
torn* ii. p. 2id.

Plato*8. followers, by their i]escri(itii»*
of the fiti»tmtrpa^9 oossiBtiltited ntednen a
sign of inspiration. To the .ihisforticne
of ma^sddn^ tbe ravings of kinaticasba^
often been more regarded than tlie aq$iip
mente of wise men:} but such a j^re-
ference ocigbt not to have been sanc^
tioned by phtlo80ph«i». This must surely
have been one of the emitenc doctrinos,
calculated only for the porters and fish*
women of Athens* No doubt, the same
causes which^ in a strong degree, pto*
duce madness^ maiy in a lower encrease
the natural powert of the mind. Cardan^
and a ineiaachoiy iist of illustrious name^
appear^ in sonde patts of their writings^
as mad as.ther autbcur of Horlothrumbot
while in cHhen they discover an extras
ordinary acuteness and sagacity. Tho
popular prophets of this country, were
all really or affectedly iwtd* They are
now little rcad^ or refipei^ted; but they

* Bntoktn Hut, Crit. Fbil^s. t. ii« p. US.

UO OF GENIUS.

were fonnerly powerful engines of fac-
tion, and became the objects of repeated
acts of the legislature, Lts reoes, us
Voltaire says of Vlsito^ (hnnoient al^ts de
grande rq^utation.

The courteous demons of antiquity
have vanished, but they have left a kind
of magic splendor. over the heads of men
of talents, which the herd of metaphy^
sicians has beheld with awe. If a person
of unassisted good sense were to enqiure,
what constitutes a man of genius, he
would discover it to be a vigorous and
successful exertion of the mind, on some
particular subject, or a general alacrity
and facility of intellectual labour. In a
word, that genius consists in* the power
of doing best, what many endeavour to
do well.

In the best treatises on . this subject^
there has been much of a fallacious
method, which imposes equally on tiie
author and the reader ; I mean, a prolix
description of facts, substituted for a

OF GENIUS. 181

theory of their causes. Undoubtedly this
kind of writing would be useful, if it
were appreciated at its just value; but its
facility, and its pretensions create pre-
judices against the more slow and diffi-
cult method of induction. Moliere has
characterized this false philosophy by a
single stroke : ** Quare facil opium don-
mire ? — Quia est in eo virtus dormitiva/*
Behold the fruit of many a huge and
thorny metaphysical quarto !

DIALOGUE

m

THJE SHADES.

i 1

DIALOGUE IN THE SHADES,

LUCIAN. ^NEODIDACrrS.

Lucion.

You appear very melancholy, for
a philosopher of the new stoical sect.
Do you regret the glory, which you
doubtless enjoyed in the other world?
Or do you dislike the grim equality of
the stalking skeletons whjch surround
you ? We cannot boast, indeed, of our
gaiety, but we have tranquillity, which
to ^ philosopher is much better^ "VTe
enjoy our exemption from the pertur-
bations of life, as the wearied mariner
reposes in the still gloom^ succeeding a
mighty tempesf.

Vol. IL n

IS6 DIALOGUE IN

Neodidactuf.
Enjoy yourselves as you will ; I am
tormented by anxiety and doubt. By
professing the doctrines of the new and
pure ptittdstiphy ikpM> eirft^ id// tba-
racter was ruined, and I was abandoned
by society. Here, Tfihcl no one disposed
to investigate my f^tnciplesf excepting
yourself. Who, I suppose, intend to laugh
at nle, according to yo.ur custom, I
had learned^ indeed, from our ifttfter,
(hat ^* the wise m4h is satisfied with no*
thing:*' that *' he Is riot satisified v/ith
nis own aitaiitai^hts, or evfen with his
principles and opinions:*'* but 1 feel
that mine have produced ^he extremity
pF wretchedness.

LMcian.

You lawt ]l!€i& be extft«ttely vl^e^ an
your own prtndples* But be not de»
ject^. T\^ wprld^ I pero6ite> preseivet

* Godwin's Enquiry concerning Political Jq^ic^
Tol. i. p. 268. 2nd edition, ;

THE SttWDBft. 187

ite <iA ehfirafcter : mankind bav^ i^4pm. .
troubled theit feew&^tors, with . expire-

NeadidjELCtus. ' ^

I beg that you may never 5gain men-
tion so disagreeable a word to me. Gra-
titude, according t<> \hto new philosophy,
*' b no part either of justice or virtue*/'*
nay we hold it to be actually a vice^^f
wben it results merely from ouv J5en$e of
benefits conferred on us,

Lucim^

By the Graces! this is very. strange
philosophy. In teaching men tp be,
ungrateful, do you not ren4?r them \

wicked ?

Neadidactm^ :

We do not embarrass ou^V^ much
with the distinctioiie of virtue dnd vine ;.

* Unq^fy conc^miag Political Jw^ice,, rot i^
p. 130. *

t Ibid, p, ^6(3u .

N 2 * '

I8i DIALOGUE IN

the motives and the tendencies of huttiaa
actions are so complex, and dieir resuks
so uncertain, that we find it difficult to
assign them places under those desig-
nations. We even doubt whether there
be any Such thing as vice.

Lucum.

You puzzle me : let me beg that you'
would explain yourself a little more*
clearly ; unless your philosophy enjoins
you to be obscure,

Neodidactm.

I will explain myself most gladly.
know then, that " vice, as it is com^
ihoniy understood, is, so far as regards
the motive, purely negative,*' ♦ and that
^* actions in the highest degree injurious
tdathe public hav^ often proceeded
from . motives uncommonly conscienti-
ous. 1 he most determined political
^sissins, Clement, Ravaillac, Damiens,

* Enquiry, vol. i. p, 153, l^^*

THE SHADES. 189

dtid''Oeraid> seem^ to have been .deeply
penetmted; With anxiety for the . eternal
welfare of mankind/' Our sublime
contemplations lead us also to believe^
that ^'^)ehev6lence probably had Jts part
ill lighting the fires of Smithfield, and
pmnting ithc ; daggers of St. . ^R^tholq-

Lucian.

If I rightly understand you, murder
and persecution are justifiable on the
pyinci jilts of the new philosophy.

Neodidacttis.

Ofir' only rule is the promotion of
general good, by strict, impartial justice;
whatever inconveniences may arise to
individuals from this system, we disregard
them, and as we allow no merit to
actions which respect the good of indi-
viduals only, so we perceive no demerit
ip those which benefit the public, though

"■ • ■ • ♦ ^qmry, vol. i. p. 133; 154.
N 3

100 lOAlOOVE 3N

they nay eonsideraUy ii^ure indltidu^.
Justice^ tternal justice mtast pMfAU«

Lucian.

But how shall this over^ruliQg jusUce
be ascertained, or timlted ? U every
inan k to decide for himself and the
world, confusion, ^nd universal ruin
must ensue.

Neodidactns.

Yoa speaks O Lucian^ of man in his
present state ; but we regard him in the
state of: perfectiaa, to which he may
attaui by instruction and experience.
We hope the time will arrive, when
.neither government nor laws will be
necessary to the existence of society;
for morality is nothing but the calcula*
lion of the probable advant^ge^ or.dis-
, ad vantagies of our actions.

Ijician.
By what means, then, shall those be
corrected, who ingy err in their calcula-

with equal acuteuess, in the mosf finr
lightened perioii^.

By persuasion 4 this pnlyf allowable
method of suppressing humaUi errors.
The establishment of positive laws is an
insult to the dignity of man ;f so greatly
do we detest their i|^lfl^epce, that we
consider an Ijip|]fest lawyer as a worse
memtejr of so^^ adishopegt one,^

because, the man (ff integrity palliates,

j^^d ip spnte .4»<^gr9!? J(nas)^ 1^^ UI effects
of law.

Tbis p^r^ of yic^iijr philosophy i? not so
JRfw ft? yp^ ifl^gine. AU pupisbiwpnts,

* Enquiry*, fpl, i, p. im.
t YoIt ii» #. ,399, 40P.
. t Voi: ii. j^,. m^ ,

N 4

iff DlALOetJE IN

then, would be banished from your i^
public, excepting the long 'diicotrrses,
to which you would ^oblige criminals to
listen. .. , . --' ..

Neodidadns. .

Punishment is nothing tlse than force,*
and he who suffers it must be debased,
iand insensible of the difference between
right and wrong, if he does jiot consider
it as unjust.'f " I hare deeply reflected,
suppose, upon the nature of virtue, and
am convinced that* a certain proceeding
is incumbent on me. ^uf the hangWsTn,
supported by ah act of parliameni, assures
me that I am mistaken/' | Can Any-
thing be more atrocious f more injlfriou^
to our sublime speculations ? • — -

Ludah.

Doubtless^ philosophers ;o¥ ydui^ ^ct
must sometimesbe thus disagreeably ih-

♦ Voi.i. p. lar. t '/ ^

f Enqairy, vA i;^ p.fst,
t lb. p, IW, L7>* ' ''

THE shades: T95

'ti6iTti|MeJ, itt theit progress to perfecti66.
'But m a socidty- without laws/^ x;frithoiit
4he' fer 6f ''puhishmeiit fori ofiOTdfes,
nrlthbirt the distiiiifetions of TirtOtS'-and
til6^, and destHute^oFthe ties xifgkti^^
and friendshij^ I^feel it difficult' tb-cbrt-
ceive, how the transactions necessary to
existence can*fee^carrieti^t)n. You must
.depend : in u<3h/ 00 ' faoasl^aoftttaQbiffents,
^axd (Mi the inviolable regard >thicb iadi-
iTidualiishould.^pay toiiheiiiiprotaiseQc* .

l^ttiily attachments we regJUMlvas^siHy,

*and*^feVeft ^inif*«*,*'Ji*hefl^they»t«id to

bias our opinions ;-^iirf^ 6^ ^^jM^itiise^^

our master has written a long chapter,

to prove that tHfe'y'*kite great evils, and

iVStQias^iiGi^.^^XI^ye^^^ it

iCCUQhreili6Rt*c'v; ; ^o^. c^irij lylLinorii lucy

Did it never occur lo you, tJiat this
system mighti produc^:. fiiiire evil than

gffod m tbe world I »ofi 'dv»| jov )^9^
jt^een lecQauii^nding a ^^, wlu9h ig-
fi^ tfi p^eotixig nvm, and, iiflBfoviffg
Atmety, fnti$t Iw deftru<9ti«^ of q^^
fl«4ipaUe qtM% ifr bis ^rf^ast. upd ipii^
4nve^i9i a0W) i|i|o aaya^ wljtji^^

We ^aiMiot^ways ansuiier fbrcucpte.
'^ Evcrytfaing is coimsctsd in. the iintp-
yerse. ': if lany nun afsatfid that, if
Alexander had not bathed himself in the
river Cydnus, iShakespeare would never
.have wvttm* U. wp\4d J>^ igapo^l^ to
sfSnn that hi$ ^%«ei^^ yff^ ii^lM^*'9^
SiiebiHiow d^cfrifte.,

your morality ; this species Mf sopffaisfli
has been exploded , ^with contempt by
good authors ; you now revive it as one

^ef your discoTeries, and you mw^ pern
haps xaiae it to. the raak ;Qf those, wludft
jEteckiouiignatioo^ : , ;

^' Be not too. h^jsty,^' ^facefioiis Creefe;
you misfcile-iilate, lilcQ all iHo^fe who erf,
the quantity 6f energy necessarjr fbr thfe
occasion. Our masXer has laken' many
<)f ^e\ things whidh you disapprove,
from the wiltui^:of yo|Ur friend Smft.

Lucian.

Yes, I am a:vKam 4Jut a great part
of your new philosophy is stolen from
aOtlllkrer'frrrmvdb, laayl fbat the repiiblic
lef kpaaes was ;khe csnofa^ype o^ F^
iperfed; jnen;^ Hmtconae, dlat we^may
part in goad hmaoa]!,^! ?wil|\1ie^yioii
with a seiituneat, which I dcrifse firamji
dear friend of Swift. *^ We are for ^a

«M BIALOOUE IN

jurt partition, of .the worlds for every
muk- hath a right to lenjoy. life.' We
retrench the superfluities of mankind.
The world is avaricious, and we hate
avarice. A covetous fellow, like a jack-
.daw. steals wha^ he was ne^ver made to
enjpyi for the sake of hiding it. Thes^
.'are ttc robbers of mankind, .for money
was made for the frecrhe^ijted and ge-
nerous : and where is the injury ^of taking
from another, what he has. not the Heart
to make use of ? '^ What is your opinion
of this?

"• Ueodidactus. '

i."^ . - . i \ [ :■' . \r ' , ^

-:- }A\b admirably expressed, i in the :trtl&
:8|niit of our .philosophy^ and of imparfiid
j[asdce.. j Indeed^ >olUif( mUster has ssud
something very like it** . Pray, in what
idivine work a&ithis great. truth to be
found ? : . : •

* £nqwry,-T<yh r. p, 208, iwd Yol. '\u p. 444, 445,

THE SHADES, W

Ltccian.

In the Beggar's Opera; it expresses
the sentiments of a gang of Highway-
men^ an institution which approaches
nearer to your idea of perfect society,
than any other with which I am ac-
(]^uainted.

THE

BIBLIOMANIA,

AK

EPISTLE,

TO

RICHARD HEBER, Esq.

HiCy inqais^ Veto qmsquam fibuc Ol«iam.
Finge duos Angues :— '

. ''^ -:7V<.'5^. !• ^. 108,

(V^^O"^ •;-_-

THE BIBLIOMANIA^ AN EPKTLE,

«>

RICHARD HEBER, Esq.

Wi

HAT wild desires, what restless torinents seize
The hapless man, who feels the beok*disease.
If niggard Fortune cramp his gen Voiis mindj
And Prudence quench the Spar-k by heiaven aasigh'd !
With wistfnl glance kis aching eyes behold.
The Princeps-copy, clad in blue and gold,
Where the tall Book-case, with partition thin^
Dksplays> yet guards the temptiAg charms within :
So great Facardia viewed, as sages* teU,
Fair Crystalline unmur'd in.lucid cell.

Not thus the few^ by happier fortune grac'd^
And blest, like you, with talents,. w^Uh and taste.
Who fpther ngbly^ with jud^icious hand, »

The Muse^s treasures from each letterM ttrand.
For you the Monk illumM his pictured page, , ,

For you the press defies the Spoils of a^e ^
Faustus lor you infernal tortures bore, „

For you Erasmus f starved on Adrians shore.

* 8(^es. Count Hamilton, in the ^dttt IhtcardinSt
a|id Mr. M. lewis, in his Tales of Romance.

t See theOputetiHa Sofdiia, bhis'Cbllbqtilefl, wiiet-e
he complains so feding^ of the vp«n Vcnttiam ditft.

Vol. II. o

202 THE BIBLIOMANIA,

The Folio-Aldus loads year happy Shelres,
And dapper Elzbvies, like fairy elVes^
Shew theit light forms amidst the well-gilt Twelves
III slender type the Gj<k.|{o9 shine.
And bold Bodoni stamps his Roman line.
For yoo the Ijouvrb opes its regal doors, - .
And either Didot lends his brilliant stores:
With faultless types* and costly sculptures bright,
Ibarra's Quixote chanhs yonr ravish'd sight :
Laborde in splendid tablets shall explain
Thy beauties, glorious, tho' unhappy Spain !
O, hallowed name, the theme of future years,
Embalm'd in Patriot-blood, and England's tears*
Be thine fVesh honours iroin the tunefld tongue.
By Isis* streams which monnung Zion song !

But devious oft* from ev'ry classic Muse,
The keen Collector meaner paths will choose :
And first the Margin's breadth his soul employs.
Pure, Snowy, broad, the type of nobler joys.
In vain might Homer rott the tide of song.
Or Horace smile, or Tizllt charm the throng j
If crost by Pallas' ire, the trenchant blade
Or too oblique. Or ne^r, the edge invade*
The Bibliomane exclaims, with haggard eye*

No Margin ! ' turns in haste, and scorns to bay«
He turns where Pybus rears his Atlas-head*
.Or Mai>oc's mass conceals its veins of lead.
The glossy lines in polishM order stand*
WhHe the vast margin spreads on either hand.
Like Russian wa^tes^ that edge the frozen deep^.

i

AN EPISTLE. 203

<?hill with |>ale glare, and lull to mortal sleep.*

Or English books, neglected a:nd forgot.
Excite his wifeh in many a dusty lot :
Whatever trash Midwinter gave to day.
Or Harper^s rhiming sons, in paper grey.
At ey'ry auction, bent oH fresh supplies.
He cons his Catalogue with anxious eyes :
Where'er the slim Italics mark the page,
CurimA9^and rare his ardent mind engage.
Unlike the Swans, in Tuscan Song display'd.
He hovers eager o'er Oblivion's Shade,
To snatch obscurest names from endless night.
And give CoxArN or FLi^TCHEaf back to iight,r^
In red morocco drest he loves to bQast
The bloody murder, or the yelling, ghost ;
Or dismal ballads, sung to crouds of old.
Now cheaply bought for thrice th^ir weight in gold.
Yet to th' unhonour'd dead be Satire jti^st ;

* It may be said that duintilian recommends mar-
gins; but it is with a view to their being occasionally
occupied : Debet vacare etiam locus, in quo notentur
qu8B scribentibus solent extra ordinem, id est ex aliis
quam qui sunt in manibus loci, occurrere. Irrumpunt
emm optimi nonnunquam Sensus, quos neque inserere
t>portet, neque differre tutum est.

Instit. Lib. X. C. 3.
He was therefore no Margin-man, in the modern Sense.

t Tktcher, A translator of Martial. A very bad
Poet, h\ii exeeedii^lyteairce,

02

204 THE BIBLIOMANIA,

Some flow'n* ^ iineU jwnel* and bloeaoai in ^eir

dost."
^Tis thus ey'n Sh»lby hooAs « gulden Mne,
And Loy BLACK 8tri4ces» 4»y %iu, a oate dmne.
Th' unequal ^eama like midaighl-UghtBings p^ay.
And deepened glqom succeeds, in place of day.

But human bftiss sciil meets some envious storm ;
He droops to view his Patntre's dangled form :
Presumptuous gm^f$ vvMc pensite Taste ropinef
O'er thelml relics of iier Attic Shiines !
O for that power* for whidi magicians vye*
To look through earth, and eeoret hoards descry 4
I'd spurn such gems as Marinel f Mield,
And all the wealth Aladdin's cavern hekl«
Might I divine in what mysterious gloom
The rolls of sacred bards have lound €heir4omb :
Beneath what mould'rii^ tower, or waste ctanprnn.
Is hid MsNANPBa, sweetest of the train $
Where rests Antimachus' forgotten lyre.
Where genUe Saphio's stitt seductive fite ;

* Only the actions of the just

Smell sweet, and blossom in the dustJ

Shirley.
Perhaps Shirley had m Tjl.ew this passage of Pjec^us^
Nunc non e tumi^lo, fortunataque faviOa
Nascentur Viols ?

Sat. 1. L^7.

t Faerie

AN EPIWPLE. . 205

Or he,* \9h6^ chief the l^ugtthi^ Mtises own;
Yet skilled 'vi^ithsi»ftea«acceil«9 to bemoan
Sweet Philomt^Ht itt sftahlft sa Kt^ her oiVii'.
The menial train' hturprov^cl>^ the Scourge of wit;

* Aristophanes,
t See his exquisite hywfk to the Nightingale^ in hi«

X Brutick supposes these charming recses to ha?^
been intended^ as a parody on a passage ia the Helena:
of£uripides.

If Aristophaabs designed his hymn as a burlesque^
the effect of it is totally lost on a modern reader* . He
'appears to have rivalled Euripides^ in this instance,
in his own style ; and if« on other occasions^ he ha9
severely scrutinized the defectSf be has here seized the
p«6uliaf be0«(M8' a§ 4;fcftt writier.

It is surprising that Mt. Fbitdbbsld-baTe enterUttned'
an opinion^ expressed in some of his letters^ which
have been lately published, that the song of the Night-
ingale was considered* by the Greek Poets, as cheerful,
Bnripidei^ ia> the ptstage aUuded Uh sayg of the
Ifi^^tingale^

ffl rvtv eutilhriftaf o^r^>(EX«9%f,

And Aristophanes characterizes her song thus ;

* Op^, I 688.
OS

206 THE BIBLIOMANIA.

£v'n Oh Aft burnt less Science than the Mpk.
Earthquakes and wars remit their deadly rag^^
But tr'ry feaat demands some fitted page*
Ye Towers of Julius^* ye alone remain
Of all the piles that saw our nation's stain«
When HARav's sway opprest the groaning realm.
And Lust and Rapine seiz'd the wav'ring helm.
Then ruffian-hands defaced the* sacred (anes>
Their saintly statues, and their storied panes ;
Then from the chest, with ancient art embost»
The Penman^s pious scrolls were rudely tost ;
Then richest manuscripts* profusely spread.
The brawny Churrs devouring Oren fed;
And thence Collectors date the hea^'nly ire.
That wrapt Augusta's domes in sheets of fire. f

To which we may add this decisive passage from the
<£dtpus Colonetts of Sophocles;

EvSa xlysia fufiptrcu
^afM^ncra fM?4r caiuu 1. 671.

Prom a curious letter, on the study of Gredc poetry,
published in Trotter -s Memoirs of Mr. Fox, we learn
that he had '* never read a word of Aristophanes."
There are, indeed, too many repulsive passages in that
dramatist, but he'does not merit neglect*

* Gray.

t The fire of London.

AN BPISTLE. 207

Taste, tho' miBl«A may yetsiiaie purpose gna.
Bat Fashion guides a^book-compeHing tmin.
Once^ far apart from Learning's moping crew«
The travelled be^a displayed his red-^heel'd shoe*
TiJl OaroRD rose, and told of rhinuog Peers,
Repeating nobk \90rds to polish^ easa; f
Taught the gay croud to prise a- fluttering, name.
In trifling toil'dj nor < blush'd to find Jt famto/
The letter'd fbp now takes a larger scope.
With classic furniture, designed by Hopb.
Now warm'd by Oaromn,' and by GaANosa sc|ioord>
In Paper books, superbly gilt and t^^rd.
He pastes, from injured volumes snipt awi^.
His j&iglish Heads, in chronicled array.
Torn from their desthi'd page, (unworthy meed
Of knightly counsel, and heroic deed)
Not FAttaoBiisfs stroke, nor Fjblp's own types can

'save- ' * ■ J ' . . '
{The gallant Vbres, and one*eyed Oguk brave.

* Cloud-compelliiig Jove. Pope*s Iliad.

t — — gaudent praenomine molles

Auriculae.

Juvenal.

X Tkegmllaiu V€H$^ ami one-eyed 0^. Three fine
heads, for the sake of which, the beautiful and interests
ing Commentaries of Sir Francis Vere have been muti-
lated, by Collectors of English portraits*

04

K

1^8 THE BBUCAUKU^

Indignuifc raadnv wmk the^iii

And cune tlit boay fi»U w9io waaUmJmi*.

Proudly he MbtmB, mfk maaj/L a.aBile:«bl^
The sciwabUng tobyeouof the/inncar.piM ;
While Time their ^actaons and iheir 09
Thef grin for evftt ui the guarded leavea,

Like Poets, bom, ia ▼aintCollactonr.stDW:
To cross their Fate, and Icamilieait tathciira«.
Like Cacos, beat tO'tMse their straf^io^ wilU. .
The tyrant-p^assioii drags theni backiaard stillr
Ev'n I» debarred of eps6» andisUidaaas^lioam^.
Confess, mid' ananous loil». its ^larlpag, powers.
How pure tbe joy». when fivstmy bands.anfqld .
The small, rare Tolnme^ himk mtbc.tsuftmVA^^X
The Eye skims resileiE^, . lahe thor twmg hf^m < .
O'er flowers of wtt, or soiig^ or repariee,,
Wkde sweet as SpiiagB, newrbofaUiBg firom the stane.
Glides through the breast some pleasing tbeme un-
known. . , ^
Now dipt in * Rossi's ierse and classic style.
His harniless ts^s awake a transient snuje.
Now BoucHET^s motley stores my thoughts arrest.
With worid'rous read&ig, atid with learned jest j
Bouchetfwjiose tomes a grateful line demand,

''^ Generally knowFn-by tb* niiiiei of) Ja^ufr 'Ni(ius
Erythreeus. The allusion isite- his. Pittacotheoa^ .

f Les Serees de ©ifillaume Boucbet; a book of un«-
common rarity. I possess a bafiddOihe copy, by the
kindness of Colonel Stanl-^;

The valued g^oiiairAiribKtfa;liiyMliiMHL

Now sadlj pktBsed^ tiii»egh.iiUied(R6m« I^^Ebwy^,

And mix regveto witftigonlk Du SmttAv;*^'

Or turn, w4th^lle«R d^tigliti tlte»«iirimiB |ia^ '

Where hardy f Bi^ttiii lMnr«^ihe» tim^Bft^sgtf, '■ *

As inihs ibag»iit i;«rdeii«bloent»tik» voM^ '
So vpefi X i4dhinianosio^>i •in.orinKon glMM^
' Sweety' critfltttib Sagie^ll. ^tx» fMr the ibfl«l».^NMi; *
«Thefir9tn]dedMs£o£^ii^iia«inii^pite4^
But sweeteD<fo.'ioaBe tb^ie (farighfedtsigiif^
£r« Caxtanf9bliKkiiiiifu«atrtiiWiol«iiMy liHot*
«<:Bat;abri' miy Musp^^l '«^ madnessiwodd «ll9lge-
^ Jblff a^Ur««9it b|r J&!ftchm.d«> BeUajr* coatata »•
most affliij^Hiy<»Qd! h w ^ ?u c4 w w A^gOMO^ 0{/gi)me^ iaihe
16th Cenj^ry.,

t I^e^di^ctoltfciyaiiixdeftPUiili^
manuscript ; dal«di43$*, Sfi« Stbdi^'s T)?!|MignfihH
cal AntiquttieSi TonaniaocouMt(o£tbisi«ock;>

II Res saaei dfeiectati<mis plena: est»^ iocnndo hoe
aspectu pascer^cjeulos^.et pa»mB.illk'a«r<£e artis coil*'
templari experimental Ipuu typorumtuiiitaw, ips^
illaati^c^assaqueJiterarQm^^aciefr, bell^ taagit sewoi;
^obisque viirw v»(ati «oloribu4» gr^^ito iitos delhwat;
per quos pattlat^aft ai teiieriB Mgiu«ulis« e« ipsiff ere^
pundiis inmasoidainvittaBij qtiii nunofi^net^ ae«a$dm ari
excusorttttfre^;^

' S«li«thi»m^ A«Me«iita<)eB Lit^aria^. TJ^i: p; 5:
• § Addisw.* * ''-• ■'-

dIO THE* BlBtlOMANIA,

To sing the mkiiaftiired, . aad Yellam-pttge f
Steal from 86me happy bard a B{Nirl^ of fif^
Whose neT«r-ch«>k'4 deicriplioii* neyer Uie ! .

" Pictures a score thU.ciiirious work adom^
" Of «M» estoew^'d in leamn^'^ early mom.
«' On yellum ataods inscfib'd eaek sage's naalei
•' Their portcaals rich withgcdd find mioium flame^
«' Some walk iii gardens trim, oirbookfc peiuse^
" Or whitc^rob^d bards address a^^olittc mosey
*' No brisk, dcep-bosom'd; Attic maiden she*
" But starch and prim, and scarcely hit to vee. y. •
<( Sqaare beards, and kmg^ear'd cap^ and iirsiaboii^,
«• And decent robes depending sweep the ground;
«* Nayt strange extreme of fesbion's sovereign nile/
" Some hold what belles hare termM 9i Ridicmk.
«• (The lovely triflers think not, as they trip,
•' Their bag was feshion'd from the Gjmio'^ scrip-)
' ** Then happy seats appear in beauteous dyes,
** The softest verdurey and the clearest skies ;
«< Stately and £ftir the porch and airy hall,
<« And costly tapestry xlothes the naked w^l.
M St. Gregory bard at study there i spy, .
5* His, gl«ty. and tiara strike the eye; .
** His-botc^ welUbound, with many a gilded spot* '.
•^ A clever re^iding-desk has Gnegory got i
" Had the tenth Leo thus his leisure spent*
f* We yeLhad pi^ay'd in Latin, and kept Lent.

^' But greater bliss the charming picture fiUs,
«< Ayh^n goLdlevt sun-beams ^mile onveida^thiils,
<' Or soft retreat* in flow'ry vales are made.

]

AN EPISTLE. 511

'' Where the young forest rears its tender shade.

** Then at safe distance pinnacles are seen,

*' And glittering towers surmount the swelling green ;

'* Gay belts of war I the city's specious pride,

" Whkh sullen cares, and quiv'ring anguish hide.

'* For near the lo&y fane or opening square,

*' The sad Mind alley teems with hopeless care.

" Dire, in those ancient times, the wretch's plight,

*' Ere the dim pane transmitted scanty light :

'* When ill-joinM shutters barrM the longing view, '

** And where, light fiow'd, the winter enter'd too,

" As shiv'ring hands 4he wooden leaf withdrew.

" Their's was the shapeless bolt, the dunghill-floor,

" And blackenM thatch the hamble caves peep'd o'er:

** Without, the putrid kennel choak'd the way,

** And all was filth, disgust, and deep dismajr.

" No balladd then bedeck'd the lah'rer's cot,

" Nor Francis Moore foreboded co&d or hot :

«' Whose cuts grotesque, and artless rhynie» supply,

** (What ev'n the poor require) the poor man's libnuy *

** More solid good the mystic church with-hekl ;

" Their eyes the sacred volume ne'er beheld,

^* Save when at church the reader turn'd with eare,

" The glitt'ring leaves» ^nd spoke the foreign prayer:

^ With doubtful hope the pauper's bosom beat,

** He left, unedified> his gloomy seat.

" Or when th» Fre»> on some high festal day

*' Would relics rare> and miracles display $

*' And prate* as tell the sly Italian drollsi

" Of Gabriel's &ather> or St. Lawrence' coals;

an TH£ B1BL|0MANIA>

«' In siA4hi$ wr^lck mifi^t li^e* < ior sin migyf die ;i
*' Give moneyr--m<»»y, was the preacher's cryv

<« Thea ^igH aiose-^he <larklng< eal<««B bleM^
«« When TiNDAJi's Y^lnmecam^ a boaniedb goeflk
" Fierce* wikMier'd' guairds tbaife y.okiBie:M«ght i»yeiin»
<' Enjoy'd t^ alealih^. and htd with aiwiooft psMb
«« While all ar«liind< wia peaorf and. gloociii
'< It thewM the beuodleaB bliss beyond the toml^';
" Freed from.the venal prieslir^ the feudal red;
" It Wd the 8ttff*rer'ff Woaiy. stqia to Ood ;
*' Aod whto Uf painful oourse ob earth* h«s ran,
" This, his sole wealt^i descended to- his sen.

««^ N(m« when no tyramt-statiitefr cramp belief
«< When Smithfield'S ealy raartffia aveita beefi^
" Amidst the crouda whom ram beelts entice,
«' Still Tindal's Bible is a gem of price.
*' True* the blest owner now no longer feisrs
'' The bishop's sunatKffis thnndViiig in his' ears,
** No mere he turns the leaves with trembling hope;
**^ Or dneads lest Satan come» in gniae of Pope;
*' On that stooit fihelf> whn^e enr'n- Polemics sleep,
*' He shews its boards^ inoloMd in lasting sheep,
« There long unteach'd^niay) Tindal's labours ly^
** For boek collectors read not what they buy.''

Can I forget my C assas? * fhv'rite theme !
Where ttuth exceeds Romances bold^est dream.
In those rude' wilds, by wanderers scarcely trod>
Before the pencil* Fancy drops her rod;

* Voyage PUteresqoe dsrV Istfia et4e la'lMmatfe.

r''

AN EWSTLE, . 215

O^eraw'^y she sees transcendantuftttEre reign.
And trembliDg copies %vbftt she ilar^d not feign.
But scarcer books had kept their station here.
Had warning C^rntbius tcmchfd my infant-ear.
And shew'd the grare coHector's toil employ'd.
To gain the works my ehikltsh sport destroyed.
*Pari8Mus then bad shone in decent pride.
And bold St« Gboeosi with Sabra at his side : f
And RcTNARD^s wiles^ -by learned clerks poertray'^.
Dame Partlet wrong'd; and Isgrtm sore bewray^'d :
And eke that codey(| of wk the peerless store»
Where perak'd bea«x ihek hooded dames adore.
These once were mtpe» til!, reckless of their scope^
I left their charms for MiHon and for Pope.
And who can say, what books, matured by age*
May tempt. In future days, the reader's rage }
How,' flushed with joy» the BibKomane may s^ew
Hi^ Carbs uncmi and Cott<l«s» fair in row ;
May point, with ccmseibus pride, to env'ykig tfurangs
His HoLCROFT^s dramas^ and his Dimond's sottgs }
So winter-apples, by the prudent Dame
Are hoarded late, and wither intoikme.
So Antiquarians pierce the Barrow's soil,

* History of Parismus and Parismepos, once a child's
booky now exceedingly scarce and dear*
f History of the Seven Champions.
X History of Reynard the Fosc» rery scarce and ^iear.
. II Academy of Complimentsf very curious and scarce

214 THE BIBLIOMANIA,

And loads of crockery pay their learned toil f
The wond'rous fragments nch nmseoms grace;
And eT'ry Pipkin rises up a Vase,

With deep concern* the carious bid me telU
Why no Black-Letler dignifies my cell :
No Caxton ? Pynsfon ? in defence 1 plead
One simple fact ; I only boy to read.
I leare to those whom headstrong fashion rules*
Dame Julian Bernbrs* and the Ship of Fools ;
The cheapest page of wiu or genuine sense
Outweighs the uncut copy's wild expence.
What coxcomb would ayow th' absurd excess*
To choose his friends, not for their parts, but dress i
Yet the choice Bard becomes some ancient stains;
I loTOf in Gothic type* my Chaucer's strains;
And Spkncee's dulcet song as deeply charms*
When his light folio boasts Eliza's arms»
Nay doubly fair the Aldine pages seem*
Wherei broadly gilt, illiimin'd letters gleam.
For stupid prose my fancy never throbs*
In spite of yellum-leayes* or silver knobs.

But D ^n^s strains should tell the sad reverse^

When Business calls* inveterate foe to verse I
Tell how ' the Demon claps his iron hands/
' Waves his lank locks* and scours along the lands/
Though wintry b1asts> or summer's fire I go^
To scenes of danger, and to sights of woe.
Ev'n when. to Margate ^v'ry cbckney roves.
And brainsick poets long ipr shelt'ring groves,
Whose loity shades exclude the noontide glow*

AN EPISTLE. 915

While Zephyrs breathe* and waters trill below»''^
Me rigid Fate averts* by tasks like these*. *

From heav'nly musings* and from lettered, ease.

Such wholesome checks the better Genius sends^
From dire rehearsals to protect our friends :
Else when the social rites our joys renew*
The stuffed Portfolio would alarm your view*
Whence volleying rhimes your patience would o^er-

comcy
And* spite of kindness* drive you early home.
So when the traveller's hasty footsteps glide
Near smoaking lava* on Vesuvio's side,
Hoarse-mutt'ring thunders from the. depths proceed*
And spouting fires incite his eager speed.
Appalled he flies^ while rattling showers invade*
Invoking ev'ry Saint for instant aid :
Breathless* amazed* he seeks the distant shore*
And vows to tempt the dangerous gulph no more.

* Errare per lucos^ amcenae,
Quos et aquae lubeunt et aurae.

iJoK^T.

A. . . . : ■

KORTHERN PR08PBCT;

• • i *

VOL. ir.

TTbe following ode contains ideas* suggested by the
extraordinary prospect from a rock, in the oeighboar-
hood of Alnwick Castle, ' That view comprehends a
series of antiquities, deeply interesting, not only by
their ;inpgn]fii;eoce>. but by ^heir relation to hfetory ;
and frequently recollected by the author, amidst the
exertions of active lii^ ;as the £iyourite scenes of his
youth. Some readers may, perhaps, suppose that the
thoughts are not sufficiently developed. But I have
always considered it as essential to the ode, that it
should indicate impressions, without dwelling upon
them. The torrent of ideas, which characterizes this
species 4)£ pQjetry, only^ presents an object with force,
to hurry it more rapidly beyond the view of the
spectator.

A NORTHERN PROSPECT.

W.

HEN blazing noon illumes the plain^
And tips each spiry dome with qu,iv*ring fire.
Where Ratcheugh's pillarM rocks aspire

Swift let my steps the airy height attain*

Around the various prospect thrown,

Th' expanded sea*s majestic zone
In many a floating tint reflects the beam ;

Dark stretch the wood's high-shelt'ring arms^.

The village spreads her simple charms,.
And shines afar the silver-winding stream*

Bold on the eye advance those tow'rs.
Where Percy boasts his princely bowers.

Crown the slope-hilh and awe the subject-vale :
In faded glory Warkworth's^ turrets rise.
And point to yonder cell * the raptur'd eyei.

Where figured rocks record the Hermit's tale.
Swift o'er Howick's attic hall*
And shelter'd Craster's sylvan wM,

• The Hermitage. *

P3

220 A NORTHERN PROSPECT.

The view excursive flics.
Where Dunstonburgh* o'erhangs the roaring tide.
And lifts his shatter^ arms, and mourns his ruin'cf
pride.

Trembling o'er the rocky ground.

His ge|;uu^ seiids 9 follow 'sauiic^.
Like the vex'd sea^ when thund'ring winds are fled ;

" Relentless hands, which these proud works de-
fac'd!
Mistaken avarice, wifih such coistly wa^e
To rear the hardy peasant's simple shed !
See Alnwick tower in Oothic pride ;

The marsh exhale, the heath recede.
In graceful wave the ductile river glide ;

'Tis liberal powei's creative deed.
And far-conspicuous oil the wat'ry waste,
BambroQgh's fcugc Tock tfce massy structures crown ;

On the black vale when rolling vapours spread.
The turrets gleam liigfa o'er the driving blast :

Sharp t rear'd their drooiping hc^d^

Beneath old Cbotviot's frown.

See Ford's X white lii^e Qxb 'verdswt sU>pe adtrg.;

But when shall xi9e ja^y iiernal o^e^ i

•• A romanlie fortireBs, nearly idemolished to enlarge
a farm-house, which lies "stt its feet.

t Dr. Sharp, late Archdeacon of Northumberland.

t Ford Castle, repair'^ hf h^ Pelaval.

A'tffiWaeHEEN.PROSP(ECT- 221

l*hese fragmeiit8(6f LanciMtciah jri>ide.

These broken Jbaltey tth^se putting aiQiuDds ti^eithtown.
Rough ga1es> as thr^ tbe ttiiraldViiig.arck Afaey hiiHte,

Learn, softenM, to bonmspfr;
Wbitel4«»f'dOi»g <wrane«i wilja. aggregated tear,
6annou|it!thP ii»U they RraWy -Uwh'd Wbne."

Dim -shewn in yonder leafy glade,
JSequester^d Huln her fair enclosure rears.
Sweet hope of peaceful years,
"Well might'st thou haunt that cloistered shade !
Let those proud tropics* tell
Where hostile monarchs fought and fell.
These walls beleag^ring round ;
Unhurt by war's tumultuous rage.
The tranquil monk illumM the pag^.
Safe in thy consecrated ground •

Amid yon* happy woods
The careless rustic seeks his game»
Or in the murmuring floods
J£nsnares the fry, by loneness tame ;
Nor heeds where creeping ivy's trail
O'er knightly trophies draws its veil ;
Nor, as the crumbling turrets fade,

* Monuments in the pleasury&-<grounds of the Duke
of Northumberland, w^ikhvc^vim^ntifate the captivity
of one king of Scotland, and the death of another,
while they were besieging the castle of Alnwick.

SB2 A NOVTHERK i^Rosner.

Remarks the abbc/s sfaortoi'd i

Unmoy'd alike by piety aad 1

Ye wbo catch at glory's flame.

To yon' majestic walk repair ;

Know Tyaon.t VeM^^f or Fttzfaardkig* there
Spread their rich banners in the flattering gale;
Learn to contemn, from their neglected tale.
The wild ambition of a name.

t The Saxon, and first Norman Lords of Alnwick.
* Foonder of Warkworth Castle.

FINIS.

J- AND J. HADDOCK,

PBINTBKS,

WARRINGTON.

ri, ^

fLb ..> •'■