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THE

HISTORY.

OF A

FOUNDLING.

BOOK VIII.

Containing above two days.

CHAP. I.

A wonderful long chapter concerning the marvellous; being much the longest of all our introductory chapters.

A

S we are now entering upon a book, in which the course of our history will oblige us to relate fome matters of a more ftrange and furprising kind than any which have hitherto occurred, it may not be amifs in the prolegomenous, or introductory chapter, to fay fomething of that fpecies of writing which is called the marvellous. To this we fhall, as well for the fake of ourfelves, as of others, endeavour to fet fome certain bounds; and indeed nothing can be more neceflary, as critics of different complexions are here apt to run into very different extremes; for while fome are, with M. Dacier, ready to allow, that the fame thing which is impoffible may be yet probable †, others have fo little hiftoric or poetic faith, that they

*

By this word here, and in most other parts of our work, we mean every reader in the worl 1.

It was happy for M. Dacier that he was not an 'rishman.

VOL. VIII.

B

believe

believe nothing to be either poffible or probable, the like to which hath not occurred to their own obfervation.

First then, I think, it may very reasonably be required of every writer, that he keeps within the bounds of poffibility; and still remembers that what it is not potlible for man to perform, it is fcarce poffible for man to believe he did perform. This conviction perhaps, gave birth to many ftories of the ancient Heathen deities (for most of them are of poetical original.) The poet, being defirous to indulge a wanton and extravagant imagination, took refuge in that power, of the extent of which his readers were no judges, or rather which they imagined to be infinite, and confequently they could not be shocked at any prodigies related of it This hath been ftrongly urged in defence of Homer's miracles; and it is, perhaps, a defence; not, as Mr Pope would have it, becaufe Ulyffes told a fet of foolish lies to the Phæacians, who were a very dull nation; but because the poet himself wrote to heathens, to whom poetical fables were articles of faith. For my own part, I must confefs, fo compaffionate is my temper, I wifh Polypheme had confined himself to his milk diet, and preferved his eye; nor could Ulyf des be much more concerned than myself, when his companions were turned into fwine by Circe, who fhewed, I think, afterwards, too much regard for man's flesh to be fuppofed capable of converting it into bacon. I wifh, likewife, with all my heart, that Homer could have known the rule prescribed by Horace, to introduce fupernatural agents as feldom as poffible. We fhould not then have feen his gods coming on trivial errands, and often behaving themfelves fo as not only to forfeit all title to refpect, but to become the object of fcorn and derifion. A con

duct which must have shocked the credulity of a pious and fagacious heathen; and which could never have been defended, unless by agreeing with a fuppofition to which I have been fometimes almoft inclined, that this most glorious poet, as he certainly was, had an intent to burlesque the fuperftitious faith of his own age and country.

But

But I have rested too long on a doctrine which can be of no use to a christian writer; for as he cannot introduce into his works any of that heavenly host which make a part of his creed; fo is it horrid puerility to fearch the heathen theology for any of thofe deities who have been long fince dethroned from their immortality. Lord Shaftesbury obferves, that nothing is more cold than the invocation of a mufe by a modern; he might have added that nothing can be more abfurd. A modern may with much more elegance invoke a ballad, as fome have thought Homer did, or a mug of ale with the author of Hudibras; which latter may perhaps have inspired much more poetry as well as profe, than all the liquors of Hippocrene or Helicon.

The only fupernatural agents which can in any manner be allowed to us moderns, are ghofts; but of thefe I would advise an auther to be extremely fparing. Thefe are indeed like arfenic, and other dangerous drugs in phyfic, to be ufed with the utmost caution; nor would I advise the introduction of then at all in those works, or by thofe authors to which, or to whom a horfe-laugh in the reader would be any great prejudice or mortification.

As for elves and fairies, and other fuch mummery, I purposely omit the mention of them, as I fhould be very unwilling to confine within any bounds thofe furprifing imaginations, for whofe vaft capacity the limits of human nature are too narrow; whofe worksare to be confidered as a new creation; and who have confequently just right to do what they will with their own.

Man therefore is the highest fubject (unless on very extraordinary occafions indeed) which prefents itfelf to the pen of our hiftorian, or of our poet; and in relating his actions, great care is to be taken, that we do not exceed the capacity of the agent we describe, Nor is poffibility alone fufficient to juftify us, we muft keep likewife within the rules of probability. It is, I think, the opinion of Ariftotle; or if not, it is the opinion of fome wife man, whofe authority will be as weighty, when it is as old; That it is no ex • cufe

B 2

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cufe for a poet who relates what is incredible, that the thing related is really matter of fact.' This may perhaps be allowed true with regard to poetry, but it may be thought impracticable to extend it to the historian: for he is obliged to record matters as he finds them; though they may be of fo extraordinary a nature, as will require no fmall degree of hiftorical faith to fwallow them. Such was the fuccefslefs armament of Xerxes, defcribed by Herodotus, or the fuccessfuł expedition of Alexander related by Arrian. Such of later years was the victory of Agincourt obtained by Harry the Fifth, or that of Narva won by Charles the Twelfth of Sweden. All which inftances, the more we reflect on them, appear ftill the more aftonishing.

Such facts, however, as they occur in the thread of the ftory; nay, indeed, as they conftitute the effential parts of it, the historian is not only juftifiable in recording as they really happened; but indeed would be unpardonable, fhould he omit or alter them. But there are other facts not of fuch confequence nor fo neceffàry, which though ever fo well attested, may nevertheless be facrificed to oblivion in complaisance to the fcepticism of a reader. Such is that memorable ftory of the ghoft of George Villers, which might with more propriety have been made a prefent of to Dr. Drelincourt, to have kept the ghoft of Mrs. Veale company, at the head of his difcourfe upon death, than have been introduced into fo folemn a work as the history of the rebellion.

To fay the truth, if the hiftorian will confine himfelf to what really happened, and utterly reject any circumftance, which, though never fo well attested, he must be well affured is falfe, he will fometimes fall into the marvellous, but never into the incredible. He will often raife the wonder and furprize of his reader, but never that incredulous hatred mentioned by Horace. It is by falling into fiction therefore, that we generally offend against this rule, of deferting probability, which the hiftorian feldom if ever quits, till he forfakes his character, and commences a writer of romance. In this, however, thofe hiftorians who relate public tranfactions have the advantage of us who con

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