fine ourselves to scenes of private life. The credit of the former is by common notoriety fupported for a long time; and public records, with the concurrent teftimony of many authors, bear evidence to their truth in future ages. Thus a Trajan and an Anto ninus, a Nero and a Caligula, have all met with the belief of pofterity; and no one doubts but that men fo very good, and fo very bad, were once the mafters of mankind. But we who deal in private character, who fearch into the most retired receífes, and draw forth examples of virtue and vice, from holes and corners of the world, are in a more dangerous fituation. As we have no public notoriety, no concurrent teftimony, no records to fupport and corroborate what we deliver, it becomes us to keep within the limits not only of poffibility, but of probability too; and this more especially in painting what is greatly good and amiable, Knavery and folly, though never fo exorbitant, will more eafily meet with affent; for ill-nature adds great fupport and strength to faith. Thus we may, perhaps, with little danger, relate the hiftory of Fisher; who having long owed his bread to the generofity of Mr. Derby, and having one morning received a confiderable bounty from his hands, yet in order to poffefs himself of what remained in his friends fcrutore, concealed himself in a public office of the temple, through which there was a paffage into Mr. Derby's chambers. Here he overheard Mr. Derby for many hours folacing himself at an entertainment which he that evening gave his friends, and to which Fisher had been invited. During all this time, no tender, no grateful reflections arose to refrain his purpofe; but when the poor gentlemen had let his company out through the office, Fifher came fuddenly from his lurking place, and walking foftly behind his friend into his chamber, difcharged a piftol-ball into his head. This may be believed, when the bones of Fisher are as rotten as his heart. Nay, perhaps, it will be credited that the villain went two days afterwards with fome young ladies to the play of Hamlet; and with an unaltered countenance heard one of the ladies, B 3 who 6 who little fufpected how near fhe was to the perfon, ery out, Good God! if the man that murdered Mr. Derby was now prefent!' Manifefting in this a more feared and callous confcience than even Nero himself; of whom we are told by Suetonius, that the confcioufnefs of his guilt, after the death of his mother, ⚫ became immediately intolerable, and fo continued; nor could all the congratulations of the foldiers, of the fenate, and the people, allay the horrors of his confcience.' But now, on the other hand, fhould I tell my reader, that I had known a man whofe penetrating genius had enabled him to raise a large fortune in a way where no beginning was chalked out to him: that he had done this with the most perfect prefervation of his integrity, and not only without the leaft injuftice or injury to any one individual perfon, but with the highest advantage to trade, and a vaft increase of the public revenue: that he had expended one part of the income of this fortune in discovering a taste fuperior to most, by works where the highest dignity was united with the pureft fimplicity, and another part in difplaying a degree of goodnefs fuperior to all men, by acts of cha rity to objects whofe only recommendations were their merits, or their wants that he was most industrious in fearching after merit in diftrefs, most eager to relieve it, and then as careful, (perhaps too careful) to conceal what he had done: that his houfe, his furniture, his gardens, his table, his private hofpitality, and his public beneficence, all denoted the mind from which they flowed, and were all intrinfically rich and noble, without tinfel, or external oftentation: that he filled every relation in life with the most adequate vir-tue: that he was moft piously religious to his creator, moft zealoufly loyal to his fovereign; a moft tender hufband to his wife, a kind relation, a munificent patron, a warm and firm friend, a knowing and a chearful companion, indulgent to his fervants, hofpitable to his neighbours, charitable to the poor, and benevolent to all mankind. Should I add to these the epithets of wife, brave, elegant, and indeed every other amiable epithet in our language, I might furely fay, -Quis credit? nemo Hercule! nemo; And yet I know a man who is all I have here defcribed. But a fingle instance (and I really know not: fuch another) is not fufficient to juftify us, while we are writing to thousands who never heard of the perfon, ner of any thing like him. Such Rara Aves thould be remitted to the epitaph writer, or to fome poet, who may condescend to hitch him in a diftich, or to flide him into rhime with an air of careleffness and neglect, without giving any offence to the reader In the last place, the actions fhould be fuch as may not only be within the compafs of human agency, and which human agents may probably be fuppofed to do; but they should be likely for the very actors and characters themfelves to have performed: for what may be only wonderful and furprifing in one man, may become improbable, or indeed impoffible, when related of another. This laft requifite is what the dramatic critics call converfation of character; and it requires a very extraordinary degree of judgment, and a most exact knowledge of human nature. It is admirably remarked by a most excellent writer, that zeal can no more hurry a man to act in direct oppofition to itself, than a rapid ftream can carry a boat against its own current. I will venture to fay, that for a man to act in direct contradiction to the dictates of his nature, is, if not impoffible, as improbable and as miraculous as any thing which can well be conceived. Should the best parts of the story of M. Antoninus be afcribed to Nero, or fhould the worst incidents of Nero's life be imputed to Antoninus, what would be more fhocking to belief than either instance; whereas both thefe being related of their proper agent, conftitute the truly marvellous. Our modern authors of comedy have fallen almost univerfally into the error here hinted at: their heroes generally are notorious rogues, and their heroines abandoned jades, during the first four acts; but in the fifth, the former become very worthy gentlemen, and the the latter, women of virtue and discretion: nor is the writer often fo kind as to give himself the least trouble, to reconcile or account for this monftrous change and incongruity. There is, indeed, no other reason to be affigned for it, than because the play is drawing to a conclufion; as if it was no lefs natural in a rogue to repent in the laft act of a play, than in the last of his life; which we perceive to be generally the cafe at Tyburn, a place which might, indeed clofe the fcene of fome comedies with much propriety, as the heroes in these are most commonly eminent for those very talents which not only bring men to the gallows,but enable them to make an heroic figure when they are there. Within thefe few restrictions, I think, every writermay be permitted to deal as much in the wonderful as he pleases; nay, if he thus keeps within the rulesof credibility, the more he can furprize the reader, the more he will engage his attention, and the more : he will charm him. As a genius of the highest rank obferves in his 5th chapter of the Bathos, The great 'art of all poetry is to mix truth with fiction; in or. der to join the credible with the furprising.' For though every good author will confine himself within the bounds of probability, it is by no means neceffary that his characters, or his incidents, should be trite, common, or vulgar; such as happen in every ftreet, or in every house, or which may be met with: in the home articles of a news-paper. Nor must he be inhibited from fhewing many perfons and things, which may poffibly have never fallen within the knowledge of great part of his readers. If the writer ftrictly obferves the rules above-mentioned, he hath discharged his part; and is then intitled to fome faith from his reader, who is indeed guilty of critical infidelity if he difbelieves him. For want of a portion · of fuch faith, I remember the character of a young lady of quality, which was condemned on the ftagefor being unnatural, by the unanimous voice of a very large affembly of clerks and apprentices; though it had the previous fuffrages of many ladies of the first rank; one of whom, very eminent for her understanding, declared it was the picture of half the young people of her acquaintance, CHA P. II. In which the landlady pays a visit to Mr. Jones. WH HEN Jones had taken leave of his friend the lieutenant, he endeavoured to clofe his eyes, but all in vain; his fpirits were too lively and wakeful to be lulled to fleep. So having amufed, or ra ther tormented himself, with the thoughts of his Sophia, till it was open day light, he called for fome tea; upon which occafion my landlady herfelf vouchfafed to pay him a vifit. This was indeed the first time fhe had feen him, or at least had taken any notice of him; but, as the lieutenant had affured her that he was certainly fomé young gentleman of fafhion, the now determined to thew him all the refpect in her power; for, to speak truly, this was one of thofe houfes where gentlemen, to use the language of advertisements, meet with civil treatment for their money. She had no fooner begun to make his tea, than fhe likewife began to difcourfe, La! Sir,' said the, I think it is great pity that fuch a pretty young gentleman fhould undervalue himself fo, as to go ' about with thefe foldier fellows. They call them"felves gentlemen, I warrant you; but, as my first ' husband used to fay, they fhould remember it is we that pay them. And to be fure it is very hard upon us to be obliged to pay them, and to keep 'em too, as we publicans are. I had twenty of 'um laft night befides officers; nay, for matter o'that, I had rather have the foldiers than officers: for nothing is. ever good enough for thofe fparks; and I am sure, if you was to fee the bills, la, Sir, it is nothing. 'I have had lefs trouble, I warrant you, with a good fquire's family, where we take forty or fifty thillings of a night, befides horfes. And yet I warrants me, there is narrow a one of all thofe officer ' ' |