as any demonftration in Euclid, that nature does nothing in vain; if we were able to dive into her fecret recesses, we should find that the fmalleft blade of grafs, or most contemptible weed, has its particular ufe: but he is chiefly admirable in her minuteft compofitions; the leaft and most contemptible infe&t most difcovers the art of nature, if I may fo call it; though nature which delights in variety, will always triumph over art: and as the poet obferves, Naturam expellas furca licet, ufque recurret. HOR. But the various opinions of philofophers, have fcattered through the world as many plagues of the mind as Pandora's box did thofe of the body, only with this dif ference, that they have not left hope at the bottom. And if truth be not fled with Aftrea, fhe is certainly as hidden as the fource of Nile, and can be found only in Utopia. Not that I would reflect on those wife fages, which would be a fort of ingr titude; and he that calls a man ungrateful, fums up all the evil that a man can be guilty of, Ingratum fi dixeris, omnia dicis. But what I blame the philofophers for (though fome may think it a paradox), is chiefly their pride; nothing lefs than an ipfe dixit, and you must pin your faith on their fleeve. And though Diogenes lived in a tub, there might be, for aught I know, as much pride under his rags, as in the fine-fpun garment of the divine Plato. It is reported of this Diogenes, that when Alexander came to fee him, and promited to give him whatever he would aik, the cynic only answered, Take not from me what thou canst not give me, but stand from between me and the light; which was almoft as extravagant, as the philo fopher that flung his money into the fea, with this remarkable faying How different was this man from the ufurer, who be ing told his fon would spend all he had got, replied, He cannot take more pleasure in fpending, than I did in getting it. Thefe men could fee the faults of each other, but not their own; thofe they flung into the bag behind; non videmus id mànticas qued in tergo eft *. I may perhaps, Allading to the fable of Phædrus, that Jupiter had hung perhaps be cenfured for my free opinions by thofe carping Momus's, whom authors worship as the Indians do the devil, for fear. They will endeavour to give my reputation as many wounds as the man in the almanack; but I value it not; and perhaps, like flies, they may buz so often about the candie, till they burn their wings. They muft pardon me, if I venture to give them this advice, not to rail at what they cannot understand: it does but dif cover that felf tormenting passion of envy, than which the greatest tyrant never invented a more cruel torment. Invidia Siculi non invenere tyranni Tormentum majus Juv. I must be fo bold to tell my critics and witlings, that they can no more judge of this, than a man that is born blind can have any true idea of colours. I have always obferved that your empty veffels found loudeft: I value their lashes as little as the fea did those of Xerxes, when he whipped it †. The utmost favour a man can expect from them is, that which Polyphemus promiled Ulyffes, that he would devour him the laft: they think to fubdue a writer as Cæfar did his enemy, with a veni, vidi, vi ci. I confess I value the opinion of the judicious few, a Rymer, a Dennis, or a Wk; but for the reft, to give my judgment at once, I think the long difpute a mong the philofophers about a vacuum may be deter mined in the affirmative, that it is to be found in a critic's head. They are at beft but the drones of the learned world, who devour the honey, and will not work themselves; and a writer need no more regard them, than the moon does the barking of a little fentelefs cur. For, in fpight of their terrible roaring, you may with half an eye difcover the afs under the lion's skin. But to return to our difcourfe: Demofthenes being afked what was the first part of an orator, replied, action: over every man's fhoulder two fatchels, of which one hung before, and contained the faults of his neighbour; and the other behind, which contained his own. It is told of Xerxes, that when the fea broke down the bridge of boats, which he had laid over the Hellefpont, he ordered it to be lashed, and fetters to be thrown into it, . what what was the fecond, action : what was the third, action and fo on ad infinitum. This may be true in oratory; but contemplation in other things exceeds acti on. And therefore a wife man is never lefs alone, than when he is alone : Nunquam minus folus, quam cum folus. And Archimedes, the famous mathematician, was fo intent upon his problems, that he never minded the foldier who came to kill him. Therefore, not to detract from the juft praife that belongs to orators, they ought to confider that nature, which give us two eyes to fee, and two ears to hear, has given us but one tongue to speak, wherein however fome do fo abound, that the virtuofi, who have been fo long in search for the perpetual motion, may infallibly find it there. Some men admire republics, because orators flourish there most, and are the great enemies of tyrany: but my opinion is, that one tyrant is better than a hundred. Befides, thefe orators inflame the people, whofe anger is really but a fhort fit of madness. Ira furor brevis eft. HOR. After which, laws are like cobwebs, which may catch fmall flies, but let wafps and hornets break through. But in oratory the greatest art is to hide art. Artis eft celare artem. But this must be the work of time; we must lay hold on all opportunities, and let flip no occafion, elfe we shall be forced to weave Penelope's web, unravel in the night what we spun in the day. And therefore I have observed, that time is painted with a lock before, and bald behind, fignifying thereby, that we must take time (as we fay) by the forelock, for when it is once paft, there is no recalling it. The mind of man is at first (if you will pardon the expreffion) like a tabula rasa, or like wax, which, while it is foft, is capable of any impreffion, till time has hardened it. And at length death, that grim tyrant, ftops us in the midst of our career. The greatest conquerors have at last been conquered by death, which spares none, from the fceptre to the fpade. Mors omnibus communis. C c Xerxes Xerxes wept when he beheld his army, to confider that in less than an hundred years they would be all dead: Anacreon was choaked with a grape-ftone; and violent joy kills as well as violent grief. There is nothing in this world conftant, but inconftancy; yet Plato thought, that if virtue would appear to the world in her own native dress, all men would be enamoured with her. But now, fince intereft governs the world, and men neglect the golden mean, Jupiter himself, if he came on the earth, would be defpifed, unless it were, as he did to Danae, in a golden flower for we now-a-days worship the rifing fun, and not the setting. Donec eris felix multos numerabis amicos. Thus have I, in obedience to your commands, ventured to expose myself to cenfure in this critical age. Whether I have done right to my subject, must be left to the judgment of the learned reader: however, I cannot but hope, that my attempting of it may be an encouragement for fome able pen to perform it with more fuccefs. PREDICTIONS PREDICTIONS for the year 1708*. Wherein the month, and day of the month, are fet down, the perfons named, and the great actions and events of next year particularly related, as they will come to pafs. Written to prevent the people of England from being farther impofed on by the vulgar almanack-makers. I By ISAAC BICKERSTAFF, Efq. HAVE long confidered the grofs abufe of aftrology in this kingdom, and upon debating the matter with nyfelf, I could not poffibly lay the fault upon the art, but It is faid, that the author, when he had writ this paper, and being at a loss what name to prefix to it, paffing through Longacre, obferved a sign over a house where a locksmith dwelt, and found the name Bickerstaff written under it: which being a name fomewhat uncommon, he chofe to call himself Ifaac Bickerstaff. This name was fome time afterwards made ufe of by Sir Richard Steele, and Mr. Addison, in the Tatlers; in which papers, as well as many of the Spectators, it is well known, that the author had a confiderable part. Dub. edit. The papers which relate to Partridge the almanack-maker, are entirely humorous and although they are not only temporary but local; yet, by an art peculiar to Swift himfeif, they are rendered immortal, fo as to be read with pleafure, as long as the English language fubfifts. Orrery. In the papers relating to Partridge the almanack-maker, those who have a taste for mirth and humour, will find abundance of entertainment. They are designed as a ridicule upon all that foolish tribe, who fet up for aftrologers, and without one rag of learning are great pretenders to fcience. The elegy on Partridge [in vol 6. p. 84.] can never be fufficiently relied by thofe who are unacquainted with these whimsical tracts. However, it is a point worth obferving, that upon all occafions Dr. Swift remembered the fanati |