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86

On the vicissitudes of Human Life. [Sept. 1,

sited by a gentleman, whose manners were extremely dignified, every three months. As my understanding expanded, the secrecy which was observed towards me, excited a degree of anxiety in my mind; and I expressed to this gentleman the solicitude I suffered, and begged to be informed whether I was not his son. His conduct to me certainly was not calculated to give rise to this suspicion, for his attentions were always mingled with a degree of respect, which is not likely to influence the manners of a parent towards the being to whom he had given birth. In the strongest terms of assurance, he denied being my father; acknowledged that a mys. tery hung over my head, which very soon would be elucidated to my entire satisfaction; but declined telling me more.

"In less than two months, I had the pleasure of seeing my only acquaintance return, for I was kept in a perfect state of captivity; yet, from never having had my liberty, I knew not the gratification which arises from a communication with the world. My heart, however, bounded with satisfaction, when this kind friend informed me I was to quit my abode, for the purpose of being introduced to a friend of my father's; but that, after the interview, I was to return. Of the nature of distance I could form no accurate idea; to me it appeared an amazing way; but at length the carriage drove up to a most superb building, and I was conducted through a suite of apartments furnished in the most elegant style.

"After placing a chair for me, in a room magnificently ornamented, my kind conductor took his leave, telling me, my father's friend would soon wait upon me, which he did, before I had time to revolve these extraordinary circumstances in my mind. He approached me with extended arms, and pressed me to his bosom. Mine laboured with sensations language never can describe; but to give a

turn to those emotions evidently depictured on my countenance, he began to ask a variety of questions respecting the cultivation of my mind, with that air of tenderness and anxiety, which proved how deep an interest he took in my concerns. The dress of this stranger was truly magnificent. At the close of our conversation, he presented me with a purse, filled with different gold coins, of which I scarcely knew the value; though still sensible that they were of no small degree of worth. Upon this distinguished personage's departure, my conductor made his appearance, and taking my reluctant hand, led me to the coach. Our journey was performed without any explanation; and my mind was tortured with a variety of sugges tions, to which this extraordinary interview had given rise.

"A few months after this singular circumstance, the friend of my infancy arrived at an early hour; he brought with him a rich dress, in which I was soon habited, and desired me to ascend a phaeton with six horses, which was standing at the gate. We drove with a rapidity imagination could scarcely conceive possible, and at length arrived at Bosworth Field, and stopped at the tent of my lamented father, who was no less a personage than Richard the third! • Behold my son !' said he to the noblemen who surrounded him, at the same time pressing me fondly to his heart; when I instantly recognized the stranger who had excited such singular emotions at our interview a few months before. 'To-morrow (said he), my child, I shall fight for my crown and kingdom: if fortune favours the undertaking, both will be yours; and if victory crowns my arms, I will openly proclaim you as my adopted heir, though illegitimate son. Should I be vanquished, carefully, I conjure you, conceal the secret of your birth; for you will be surrounded with a set of implacable enemies, who will drink up the last drop of your blood!"

"In vain I conjured him to let me share the fate of battle; on my knees besought him to let me live or die by his side; but no argument could induce him to comply with my wishes; and again I was intrusted to my conductor's care. To your hand (said he, turning to my companion) I commit a sacred and important trust;' presenting me at the same moment with a port folio, and informing me its contents would prevent me from knowing the miseries of want. Go, my son (continued he); fulfil your destiny at the same time embracing me with tears.

"At this command I remained motionless. My guide led, or rather forced me away; as my father's mind was too much occupied by the dangers which hung over him, to allow any length of time to be devoted even to a son. Early the next morning I was conducted to an eminence, where I had an opportunity of observing the dreadful carnage which ensued; and, shocking to relate, in the midst of the slaughter, I beheld the author of my existence fall. A sudden faintness overspread my faculties; my knees trembled; my eyes became dim; and casting an agonized look to wards my protector, I fell senseless to the ground. How long I remained in this situation is uncertain. Upon recovering my recollection, I looked in vain for my friend; for, regardless of the sacred promise he had given to my father, he had sought his own safety in flight. This was not all; for he had secured the port-folio, and left me as destitute of the means of supporting existence, as a child newly born. I knew not even the spot where my infancy had been nurtured, and had not a single friend in the world!

"My father's troops were flying in every direction. Conceive, if possible, the wretched state to which I was reduced. At that moment, I fortunately perceived a horse with out a rider, and mounting him, I soon found myself in the high road. Not to tire your patience, by at

tempting to describe sensations which it would be impossible for the power of language to paint, I shall merely say, that I remained some time in London, exposed to all the miseries of want. Chance at length directed my footsteps to a house of entertainment, which some masons used, with whom I entered into conversation, and inquired whether they would agree to find me in work. I had felt the wants of nature too powerfully, not to rejoice at the means by which they were supplied. My assiduity soon obtained me the approbation of my master, who easily discovered that I was not born to the situation which I filled.

"At the expiration of some years, my knowledge of the business was so perfect, that my employer invited me to reside in his house, and treated me with as much friendship and kindness as if I had actually been his son. This gentleman had risen to the highest eminence in his profession; the suavity of his manners could only be equalled by the intelligence of his mind. And he had a daughter-But to attempt describing her various attractions would be presumption; for in her person were assembled all the virtues and graces which have ever been ascribed to the sex.

"In the society of this lovely creature, I experienced that refined gratification, which neither rank nor splendour ever could impart; but my happiness was destined to receive a dreadful interruption, by the sudden death of the author of her birth. Though I had carefully concealed from my beloved's father the secret of my own existence, I resolved to impart it to her; and for ever resign those visionary prospects of future grandeur, which imagination frequently had formed. Tenderness and astonishment marked her expressive features, whilst she listened to the vicissitudes of my life; and, after pouring the balm of sympathy into my bosom, she amply compensated for all my sufferings by blessing me with her hand.

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On the vicissitudes of Human Life. [Sept. 1,

By this angelic woman I have three children, who will for ever remain strangers to the noble stock from whence they sprang; for though no sigh for faded honours ever escapes my bosom, I cannot be answerable for the effect which a knowledge of their father's origin might produce upon theirs.".

Sir Thomas listened to this sin gular recital with a mixture of emotion and astonishment, and immediately offered the son of England's tyrant an asylum in his house, with full liberty to act the same as if he was its master; but this the noble-minded man, with expressions of gratitude, refused; declaring he was perfectly satisfied with his present situation; but wished to build a small house for his family at the extremity of his friend's park.

Of the truth of these extraordinary circumstances, little doubt can be entertained; and they are still more strongly impressed upon the imagination, by the parish register of Eastville; which states, that on the 22d of December, 1550, the body of Richard Plantagenet was interred.

Upon this singular character's history I shall not attempt making any farther observation: no reader of sensibility will be able to peruse it with hearts totally unmoved; for though we admire the calm philosophy of his feelings, he doubtless regretted the splendours he had lost.

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men than to present to their notice at this time a subject that may serve in some degree to elucidate the causes and consequences of a revolution among a people, and the change in their morals, their religion, their taste, or their manners. I am invited to this consideration from the gradual display of science in the times among all ranks, that cheers me with its influence, and prevents the possibility of my being misunderstood.

The subject of revolution cannot be more advantageously entered into, than by carefully noticing the character of a people who have suffered this desperate change, as by comparing it with what it was, with what it now is, and at the same time with a reference to the state of other nations, we shall be able to discover how far it now falls short of a wise or amiable character, and whether it has not changed for the worse.

The French of the old regime, or rather of the vieille cour, were accused of levity and inconstancy: defects nearly synonimous, and which convey an idea of a flimsy and superficial cast of mind, capable of little solid reflection, and leading to a conduct of inconsequence,

By a continual repetition of these opinions or assertions respecting the inconsequence of the French character, all Europe became persuaded of its truth: the French themselves did not even attempt to refute it; nay, some of them have imagined it necessary to acquire a reputation to depreciate their own national character, to make them more acceptable to strangers, and tacitly to be the means of receiving praise for their own judgment, as by such opinions they thought they showed how easily they could sacrifice partiality to the love of truth; and beside that merit, it attributed to the unpatriot critic all exemption from the defects he so ably censured.

It will be perceived, however, that in truth no national character had a right to arrogate to itself a superiority over that of the French,

as not any ever afforded fewer instances of levity and inconstancy in matters of great importance; and for the individual, perhaps the man who is faithful to his religion, his king, and his honour, may claim the privilege of diversifying his business and pleasures his own way, without being accused of frivolity. One hour he may enjoy the society of an amiable or accomplished woman, another he may study Bossuet or Montesquieu, or turn over the pages of a poet; sometimes he may laugh at the French theatre, or amuse himself at the Italian; sometimes he may join in a concert, or mix in the gaiety of the dance: all these things he may do, and yet fulfil the duties of his station in life. It is by properly understanding the precept of Horace, blending the useful with the pleasurable," that we can give happiness to ourselves, or communicate it to others.

Nothing can show more forcibly the contemptible arguments of confined minds, on the subject of national character, than a view of the difference in taste in different na tions, and of different authors in each. The grave and majestic stile of the Spaniards, the gay and volatile of the French, the forcible and impetuous of the English, the fine and delicate of the Italians, the solid of the Germans; and as we find in the works of different authors of the same nation the sublime of Corneille, the richness of Racine, the sense of Boileau, the gaiety of Moliere, the strength of mind of Bossuet, the delicacy of Fenelon, the noble of Malherbe, the brilliancy of Fontenelle, the naïveté of Fontaine, the rapidity of Bourdaloue, the insinuation of Massillon, the profundity of Mallebranche, the levity of Pelisson, the elegance of Gresset, the ingenuousness of Voltaire's prose, and the harmony of the Odes of Rous

seau.

It has been the custom of nations, too, to reproach the French for their fondness for dress, and it has been produced as a proof of their levity; but if so, the same censure might be

fairly extended round the globe. The fondness for dress may be a a weakness, but it is the weakness of all mankind. The Chinese, the Persians, and the Indians, like the French, have each of them a similar infatuation; and even the savages have it, who pierce their nostrils to suspend rings to them, who adorn their heads with feathers, and who paint their skins with the figures of animals. The passion for ornament may be ridiculous; but is it not more ridiculous to think that it is a merit to wear an illmade or unbecoming dress, because it was the fashion of our grandfathers? If the dignity of reason smiles at the youth who pleases himself with the cut of a frock, or delights in the cavalier air of a hat à la Suisse, what ought it to do at the old bachelor, dressed in a formal cut brown coat with long sleeves and a deep-crowned hat, that gives him a mighty grave and solemn air, that reminds us of the "I see plainly enough the robe and the beard of philosophy, but where is the philosopher?”

There is, therefore, foiblesse pour foiblesse; and the first has at least something agreeable to recommend it, besides the necessity of conforming in some measure to the fashion these little addenda do no injury to the vast volume of a nation's character, where the title-page presents morality and religion.

It was chiefly upon these grounds of inconstancy of pursuit, and a frivolous fondness for dress, that the Frenchman was found guilty; but the national character then was pure, and the mind of the people uninjured. For fourteen centuries it was marked by a constant fidelity to the religion of its ancestors, an unshaken attachment for the sovereign, an enthusiasm for honour, a mind of gallantry, an easy or refined politeness, and a hospitality towards strangers, always offered with kindness, and without ostentation: these are the traits which peculiarly distinguished the French nation, and which certainly constituted a cha

racter of importance and solidity in the world, and worthy of high con sideration.

When the solid materials of a national character are the amor patria, religion, honour, gallantry, I mean that gallantry which is bravery and generosity, there is little to be feared from the follies of costume, or whether a man has his hair elegantly dressed, close cropped, or wears a large wig. For those who can afford it, in things of utility and choice, the most commodious and elegant are the best; and the morals will not suffer offence.

Every nation has its usages and modes, governed greatly by the climate it inhabits, which designate rather its changes and vicissitudes, than circumstances of solidity or frivolity in the national character.

It is noticeable, too, that one criticism upon the French character was their excessive politeness to women, and their passion for gallantry with the sex. Perhaps, under the guidance of reason and religion, this disposition creates and preserves to man what they call les délices of his existence upon earth. Pure gallantry is an honourable affection of the soul, that gives brilliancy to the talents and adorns the understanding; it embellishes the most trifling pursuits and occupa tions, gives society numerous charms by an exchange of reciprocal civilities and polite offices, and constitutes what the French once were in possession of, les bienséances, now lost in the barbarous achievements of political fury and party vengeance.

It is said by a philosopher, that a good and beautiful woman, and a great and good king, who knows how to gain the love of his people, are alike divinities. A beautiful and virtuous woman is omnipotent: she can create virtue in others; she can soften by her charms the most ferocious mind, make a miser liberal, animate stupidity, and give gallantry to a clown. Love, like wisdom, without annihilating our passions, can direct them towards their proper object; and without this

pure and sacred flame, man would present a picture of avarice, passion, and pride. The warrior would be barbarous and unmerciful; the learned mere pedants, often tiresome and heavy, but never agreeable. Gallantry tells us to pardon after we have conquered, and knows how to unite courage and generosity, and the virtues of a citizen to those of a hero. The society of women teaches also how to associate the delicacy of sentiment with the elegancy of expression and the ornaments of stile. Women make men better, and consequently happier. A young man, perhaps, cannot be too early introduced to the company of wo men, nor even to the choice of an amiable object to direct his mind and instruct his manners. Libertinism disgraces, and virtuous love exalts; and even what the French call in society la pure galanterie, or that general love of women, shown them in kind and polite attentions, has its advantages, employing that time that might pass in base and low adventures with the worst part of the sex.

I now come to the greatest reproach that other nations have passed upon the French national character, that they think but little; and yet, to take the works of their authors fairly into consideration, we must cheerfully admit a competition of mind. Descartes, la Bruyere, Montesquieu, the bishop of Meaux, Malbranche d'Amaud, Pascal, the admirable Fenelon, the celebrated Molière, that philosophical painter, who is played and admired from Lisbon to Moscow, from Naples to Stockholm; the criticisms of Boileau have all the characters of wisdom; and for the military art, Henry IV, Turenne, Vendome, have an undoubted claim to the title of men of great minds. In politics (of those politics which are not crooked subtleties to answer the moment, but such as embrace every thing that can constitute the happiness of a state), what names can be superior to those of cardinal d'Amboise, de Sully, and de Colbert?

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