he to Dr. Moore, "was still a darling walk for my mind; but it was only indulged in according to the humour of the hour. I had usually half a dozen, or more pieces on hand; I took up one or other as it suited the momentary tone of the mind, and dismissed the work as it bordered on fatigue. My passions, when once lighted up, raged like so many devils, till they got vent in rhyme, and then the conning over my verses, like a spell, soothed all into quiet!" In truth, without regard to happiness, or misery, the impulse of the true poet towards his occupation is generally irresistible, even to the neglect of all, to which prudence and self-interest imperiously dictate his attention. Thus placed in the conflict of opposite attractions, he too often falls a victim to the compunctions of mental regret, and the actual stripes of worldly adversity. But the die is cast; even the misery, which is endured in such a cause, is dear to him; and the hope that his memory will live, and the pictures of his mind be cherished when his bones are mouldering in the dust, is a counterpoise to more than ordinary sufferings ! I do not mean to encourage the idea, that the imprudences, and much less the immoralities, of Burns, were absolutely inseparable from the brilliance of his tal ents, or the sensibilities of his heart. I am not justifying, I only attempt to plead for them, in miti gation of the harsh and narrow censures of malignity and envy. I call on those of dull heads and sour tempers to judge with candour and mercy, to respect human frailties, more especially when redeemed by accompanying virtues, and to enter not into the garden of Fancy with implements too coarse, lest in the attempt to destroy the weeds, they pluck up also all the flowers. FOR THE ANTHOLOGY. THE REMARKER. VIRGIL. No. 6. DRYDEN. ets, there are no diviners in eth icks, that can prognosticate the inclinations of the soul. Tempers, touched by the same spark, explode into a variety of directions, and you may as readily assign a pathway to the hurricane in the wilderness, as regulate the consequences resulting from a principle. Tantaène animis cælestibus ira? Can heavenly minds such high resentment show? ONE might imagine, that the unavoidable calamities of life would sufficiently exercise our philosophy, without unnecessarily adventuring into experiments of patience; that mankind would prefer the improvement of their pleasures to the advancement of their pains; that there would be more pupils of the garden of Epicurus, than disciples of the tub of Diagenes. But hourly experience confirms the uncertainty of calculations in morals; and though the politician may prophecy from incidents the motion of empires, and the astronomer determine by phenomena the visitations of com Since the apostacy of our par ents, and the entailment of their punishment, it has been the busi ness of the theologian and moralist to alleviate the severities of our al, lotment. Precepts have accordingly been poured forth on the conduct of life, till their sources are dry, and the efforts of the mod ern essayist unavoidably restricted to a mere repetition of the sentiments of the dead. By what proselytes the instructers of antiquity were followed, or how extensively their humbler representatives are regarded, it would deservedly occasion the community a blush to relate. That so much labour has been employed, and so little achieved, will be a circumstance of humiliation to the vanity of undertaking; and the calculating portion of mankind, after an intimacy with society, will rather accept a professorship for the regulation of the winds, han fatigue their constitutions with lecturing the insane. To those unread in the weaknesses of human nature, these sentiments may appear the offspring of misanthropy; too prematurely delivered to be correct, and too distorted to pretend, in any degree, to a relationship with truth. That any should prefer uproar to rule, quarrel to quiet, anxiety to ease, supposes an eccentricity in choice, too unnatural for belief. Admitting, as moralists have degradingly asserted, that selfishness is the principle of action; few, among the provident, would sacrifice their comfort for the limited satisfaction of disturbing their neighbours, or the whimsical diversion of appearing disagreeable. Were the feelings of an individual illustrative of the whole, I could conscientiously cite myself on the occasion, as an authority in point; for, so wedded am I to conveniency, that I never draw on my boots after dinner, or stoop down to buckle my shoe, but I reflect, that I am abridging the amount of my days. Quietude is the essence of being; and he is poor in the good things of this world, who has never rested his legs against the jambs of the fireplace, or wiped his forehead in the shade, after the fatigues of a promenade. The period of modern existence is contracted to threescore and ten, and they, who imbitter the trifle, are equally cruel and mad. Yet, on this theme, the voice of fact is as melancholy as decisive, and it will be discovered, that the Remarker, far from aggravating the disagreeable, has rather qualified the harsh. There are some spirits that appear to agree in nothing but to disagree, and the moment you fall within their influence, you must be possessed of the equanimity of Democritus not to be disturbed in the economy of your temper. They seem, as it were, born beneath a tempestuous quarter of the moon, when the ma-, ligner aspects of the firmament were ascendant, and, like the distempered period of their nativity, to be propitious to commotion and portentous of ill. The more you sacrifice to their arrogance, the more their perverseness increases, and not to struggle with the stream is to be buried in the foulness of. its bottom. No sense of propriety, no feeling for delicacy, no observance of custom ever characterizes their carriage. The polish of etiquette, the gentleness of modesty, the sweetness of affability, with all the tender courtesies of intercourse, are wasted on them, like the refinements of the Houyhnhnms on the coarseness of the Yahoos. "Let Hercules himself do what he may, The cat will mew, the dog will have his day.” They remind you of those quadrupeds, that are too desperate to be domesticated, too wild for an interchange of reliance, that are turned forth to howl and to depredate in the shadow of the wilderness. In truth, though the persuasion may seem fanciful, they further appear peculiarly illustrative of the doctrine of transmigra tion, and many, less credulous than Jenyns, might be readily persuaded, that some, that now travel to and fro on two legs, seeking whom they may annoy, were, in aforetime, assisted on similar excursions, by the accommodating number and celerity of four. I remember not, whether the system of transformation of beings supposes the passage of higher natures into lower, or lower into higher, or both; but that the personages in question are rapidly accomplishing themselves for that which is here conceived their primitive condition, none will deny, and none will regret. Violent visitations become tolerable from the probability of their shortness, and these antidotes to enjoy ment are only endured, for the present, thro' the soothing expectation of their returning to their origin. Such are the wayward spirits that rejoice in disturbance; whose home, like the Sisterhood's of the Heath, is in the tempests they engender. But every principal has its subordinate, and, though we have exposed the leaders of the mischief, their accessaries remain to be noticed. That delicacy, which excuses petty offences, is unworthy the fidelity of the moralist; for great vices originate from trivial misdemeanours, and the calm of society may be ruffled by a whisper. Connected with the characters described, there are secondary malcontents, who, wanting the courage for open attack, gratify their malignity by sly innuendo and faint givings-out. They are remarkably skilful at a sneer, and can satirize with a compliment. They never smile but they wound, and never wound but they smile. The import of their speech is a sarcasm, and the expression of their countenances a bitter. There is something in the atmosphere of these beings more disconsolate than winter, and as you approxi mate the chilness of their latitudes, you perceive your mercury subsiding to the point of congelation. In their presence, the stream of conversation stiffens as it flows, and the reluctant observation is chilled in the delivery. Should circumstances deny them an opportunity to annoy you, they sit folded in an angle, hatching the solitary egg ill-nature; perfecting mischief in embryo for the occasions of spleen. They listen to falsehood, and lay in wait to gather scandal; they delight in the narrative of disappointments, and are chagrined at the report of success. Suspicious of the narrowness of their capacities, the perfection of another cometh home like a censure; and the more perfect the character exhibited, the more radical their hate. Were they endued with resolution to execute what their malignancy concerts, their station would be paramount on the file of vexations; but to torture the malevolent with the mortifications of impotence is the agency of providence for the security of the virtuous. They accordingly contrive snares, that they want courage to spread; they construct engines for disturbance, that they fear to discharge, "And live" like "cowards" in their "own es- Letting I dare not, wait upon I would, These constitute the secondary denomination of malcontents; beings, less destructive in their tendency than their principals, but equally distorted in disposition and grain. If, by the moral code, the projection of an injury be alike culpable with the performance, they incur the consequences of a crime,without the pleasure of committing it. They sow seed, whose only produce is disappointment and shame. They fill their bosoms with bitterness, and waste themselves with cursing in pri vate. In the bustle, attending the achievement of vicious designs, the accusations of conscience may, for a season, be suspended; but to support a sedentary existence of low machination and impotent desire; to wear away in the cool lucubration of iniquity and spite, is to experience the labour of Sisyphus, and endure the scourge of the Furies. By what motives such dispositions are actuated, it would puzzle the perspicacity of a Hindoo to discover. It is said, that the pain of excessive pleasure is delicious, but the pleasure of excessive pain is a paradox. The subject matter of Remarker Sixth was the product of accident, rather than research. By this confession it is not the intention of the writer to apologize for its treatment, but to introduce the incident that awakened his reflections. That which is casually acquired may be leisurely revolved, and many examples, more pat than the present, might be exhibited of the felicities of chance. There are trains of reflection extending through every intelligence, and when a spark is imparted they hurry to explosion. The incident alluded to may be understood from what follows. Several evenings ago I received a note from Mrs. Equinox, and my yesterday was devoted to meeting her wishes. Many months had elapsed, since I last darkened her doors, and many years, perhaps, may revolve ere I repeat my respects. As we had heretofore parted without a tear, we again even encountered without a smile. To me the coalition was as memorable as an eclipse, and the gloom that attended it not dissimilar to that of the phenomenon. There are people, who arrive and depart without exciting a reflection; there are some, whom we gaze after from the window,till they fade into nothing; there are others too, that we escort to the threshold with a sensation of relief. To which de scription of visitors Mrs. Equinox considered me as pertaining, I have not the curiosity to inquire; the opinions of the disagreeable are generally less distressing,than their presence. But, such is my regard for the lady, if accident conducts her to my door, I shall feel little compunction in securing its bolts. It is thought, that no character is sufficiently corrupt to be devoid of a virtue; that some truth may reside even in the midst of depravity. In support of the sentiment I can quote the lady in question, for, to do justice to impudence, she is above deception. No cover is employed to secrete her deformities, no polish attempted to soften her rudeness; she is equally negligent of appearances or arts, and commits outrages on society without apology or shame. If there is any pleasure in exciting alarm,she is rarely destitute, too, of amusement; for every one, who ventures within her influence, is generally afflicted with an ague. Terror is considered, I believe, as a part of the sublime, and, as it is proper to feel what we mean to impress, I would recommend Mrs.Equinox to the cultivators of rhetorick. If, after a lecture or so from her la dyship, any one should be deficient in representing the grand, he may be a much better member of soci ety, but is unquestionably no poet. I have, myself, for some time had a tragedy upon the stocks, which, owing to the incompleteness of its infernal machinery, I have hitherto delayed presenting the publick; but, since the visit aforenamed, I feel so adequate to every thing tremendous, that I now calculate on a representation in the course of the season. The act concluding with a concert of furies, which retarded at first the progress of my muse, will infallibly command the applause of the house; for the principal infernal of the dramatis persona is immediately taken from my ferocious entertainer. If the performers are not remiss in con ceiving their author, my number of nights is as certain as day. One character, well defined, has sup ported a play, and I challenge all the fallen to parallel mine. The countenance is considered by some as a preface to the char acter. How far the doctrine of features is fallacious or firm, the inquisitive or idle may decide for themselves; neither capacity, nor leisure, promote my remarks. However, as many of my readers are perhaps students of the exteriour, a rough sketch of the lady's physiognomy may be somewhat appropriate, though ever so imper fect. Attend, then, and tremble! Quamquam animus meminisse horret, luctuque refugit; Incipiam. Between two opticks, more fiery than intelligent, imagine a thin partition of nostril,more censorious than wise; to a mouth, rather extravagant than liberal,an expression more ferocious than brave; to an elevated forehead, more wrinkles than imagination; to an acumina ted chin, more severity than decision; imagine features to frighten children from their playthings, or convert dairies to curdle; imagine that which you wish least to be hold, and her portraiture is yours. But the history of her deformities concludes not with her countenance. Nature, in every passage of its performance, is incomparably uniform; and her ladyship is as unique in ugliness, as the Graces in beauty. To extend then this head-size to a full-length; conceive of a figure, nearly five feet eleven, skinny, faded, and coarse, angular Vol. III. No. 2. K in its outline as a diagram in trigo nometry, and as uncomfortable to contact as the edges of a bureau ; conceive of something between a woman and a man, with the rough ness of the one and the sex of the other; a being whom the women must disown and the men disavow; and, should you still fail of her likeness, call up, to assist your conception, the weird sisters of Shakespeare; for, like them, she is indebted to a petticoat for the testimony of her sex. In fine, imagine a woman, every property of whose nature is at enmity with love, who, in a scarcity of her kind, would be the most puzzled for a partner, and, though you believe me romancing, you will possess Mrs. Equinox to the nicety of a fraction. Thus much for the disposition and appearance of this uncomfort able lady, my interview with whom remains to be decribed. To discuss the enormities of society is the office of the essayist, in the performance of which, accommodation is delinquency. To employ lenitives as a recipe for abuse, or to solicit violence by entreaty, is like indulging a diseased man to facilitate his cure. Should the Re marker be considered therefore as too profuse of his caustick, let the tender-hearted be instructed, that more are injured by forbearance than correction. This affecting. to do something, and executing nothing, is relinquishing the rod to the children, and making a mockery of discipline. But to the lady. On approaching the mansion of Mrs. Equinox, agreeably to her note and disagreeably to my wishes, I experienced a foreboding, resembling that of a truant returning to his tutor, and involuntarily per formed several evolutions about |