fcoundrel, and confequently an improper character for the hero of an epic poem: he had fo little regard for his country, that he would not act in defence of it, becaufe he had quarrelled with Agamemnon about a w-e; and then afterwards, animated by private refentment only, he went about killing people bafely, I will call it, because he knew himfelf invulnerable; and yet, invulnerable as he was, he wore the ftrongest armour in the world; which I humbly apprehend to be a blunder: for a horfe-fhoe clapped to his vulner able heel would have been fufficient. On the other hand with fubmiffion to the favourers of the moderns, I affert with Mr. Dryden, that the Devil is in truth the hero of Milton's poem: his plan, which he lays, purfues, and at laft executes, being the fubject of the poem. From all which confiderations, I impartially conclude, that the ancients had their excellencies and defects, their virtues and their vices, juft like the mo derns pedantry and affectation of learning decide. clearly in favour of the former; vanity and ignorance, as peremptorily, in favour of the latter. Religious prejudices kept pace with my claffical ones; and there was a time when I thought it impoffible for the honeftest man in the world to be faved, out of the pale of the church of England: not confidering that matters of opinions do not depend upon the will: and that it is as natural, and as allowable, that another man fhould differ in opinion from me, as that I fhould differ from him; and that, if we are both fincere, we are both blamelefs; and fhould confequently have mutual indulgence for each other.

The next prejudices I adopted, were thofe of the Beau monde; in which, as I was determined to fhine, I took what are commonly called the genteel vices to be neceflary. I had heard them reckoned fo, and, without further inquiry, I believed it; or, at leaft, fhould have been afhamed to have denied it, for fear of expofing myfelf to the ridicule of thofe whom I confidered as the models of fine gentlemen. But I am now neither afhamed nor afraid to affert, that thofe genteel vices, as they are falfely called, are only fo many blemishes in the

character of even a man of the world, and what is called a fine gentleman, and degrade him in the opinions of thofe very people, to whom he hopes to recommend himfelf by them. Nay, this prejudice often extends fo far, that I have known people pretend to vices they had not, instead of carefully concealing thofe they

had.

Ufe and affert your own reafon; reflect, examine, and analyfe every thing, in order to form a found and mature judgment; let no res pa impofe upon your understanding, miflead your actions, or dictate your converfation. Be early, what, if you are not, you will, when too late, with you had been. Confult your reafon by times: I do not fay that it will always prove an unerring guide: for human reason is not infallible : but it will prove the leaft erring guide that you can follow, except holy writ. Books and converfation may affift it; but adopt neither, blindly and implicit ly try both by that rule, which God has given to direct us-reafon. Of all the troubles, do not decline, as many people do, that of thinking. The herd of mankind can hardly be faid to think; their notions are almoft all adoptive; and, in general, I believe it is better that it should be fo; as fuch common prejudices contribute more to order and quiet, than their own feparate reafonings would do, uncultivated and unimproved as they are. We have many of thofe ufeful prejudices in this country, which I fhould be very forry to fee removed. The good proteftant conviction that the Pope is both antichrift, and the whore of Babylon, is a more effectual prefervative, in this country, against popery, than all the folid and unanswerable arguments of Chillingworth.

The idle story of the Pretender's having been introduced in a warming-pan, into the queen's bed, though as deftitute of all probability as of all foundation, has. been much more prejudicial to the cause of Jacobitifm than all that Mr. Locke and others have written, to fhow the unreasonableness and the abfurdity of the doctrines of indefeafible hereditary right, and unlimite pallive obedience. And that filly, fanguine notion

*

which is firmly entertained here, that one Engliimau can beat three Frenchmen, encourages, and has fometimes enabled one Englishman, in reality to beat two. A Frenchman ventures his life with alacrity pour l'honneur du roi were you to change the object, which he has been taught to have in view, and tell him that it was pour le bien de la patrie +, he would very probably run away. Such grofs, local prejudices, prevail with the herd of mankind; and do not impofe upon cultivated, informed, and reflecting minds: but then there are notions equally falfe, though not fo glaringly abfurd, which are entertained by people of fuperior, and improved underftandings, merely for want of the neceffary pains to inveftigate, the proper attention to examine, and the penetration requifite to determine the truth. Thofe are the prejudices which I would have you guard againft, by a manly exertion and attention of your reafoning faculty. To raention one inftance, of, a thoufand that I could give you--it is a general prejudice, and has been propagated for thele xteen hundred years, that arts and fciences cannot, flourish under an abfolute government; and that g t ge. nius muft neocflarily be cramped, where freedom is reftrained. This founds plaufible, but is falfe in fact. Mechanic arts, as agriculture, manufactures, &c. will indeed be difcouraged, where the profits and property are, from the nature of the government, infecure: but why the defpotifm of a government fhould cramp the genius of a mathematician, an aftronomer, a poet, of an orator, I confefs I never could difcover. It may indeed deprive the poet, or the orator, of the liberty of reating of certain fubjects in the manner they would with, but it leaves them fubjects enough to exert genius upon, if they have it. Can an author with reafon complain, that he is cramped and fhackled, if he is not at liberty to publifh blafphemy, bawdry, or fedition ; all which are equally prohibited in the freeft govern ments, if they are wife and well regulated ones? This the prefent general complaint of the French authors; The good of his country.

he honour of the king.

but, indeed, chiefly of the bad ones. No wonder, fay they, that England produces fo many great geniuses; people there may think as they pleate, and publish what they think. Very true; but who hinders them from thinking as they please? If, indeed, they think in a manner deftructive of all religion, morality, or good manners, or to the disturbance of the state, an abfolute government will certainly more effectually prohibit them from, or punifh them for publifhing fuch thoughts, than a free one could do. But how does that cramp the genius of an epic, dramatic, or lyric poet? Or how does it corrupt the eloquence of an orator, in the pulpit, or at the bar? The celebrated authors of the Auguftan age did not fhine till after the fetters were rivetted upon the Roman people, by that cruel and worthlefs emperor. The revival of letters was not owing, either to any free government, but to the entouragement and protection of Leo X. and Francis I.; the one as abfolute a pope, and the other as defpotic a prince as ever reigned. Do not. mistake and imagine, that, while I am only expofing a prejudice, I am fpeaking in favour of arbitrary power; which from my foul I abhor, and look upon as a grofs and criminal violation of the natural rights of mankind.-Adieu !

LETTER LXX.

Of Pleasures...Liberal and illiberal Pleafures Mufic...InAructions relative to Manners and wifiting Foreign Coun

aries.

DEAR BOY,

London, April the 19th

THIS letter will, I believe, ftill find you at Venice, in all the diffipation of mafquerades, ridottos, operas, &c. with all my heart; they are decent evening amufements, and very properly fucceed that serious application to which I am fure you devote your mornings. There are liberal and illiberal pleafures, as well as liberal and illiberal arts. There are fome pleafur that degrade a gentleman, as,much as fome trad

could do. Sottish drinking, indifcriminate gluttony, driving coaches, ruftic fports, fuch as fox-chafes, horferaces, &c. are, in my opinion, infinitely below the honeft and induftrious profeffions of a taylor and a fhoemaker, which are faid to déroger.

As you are now in a mufical country, where finging, fiddling, and piping, are not only the common topics of converfation, but almoft the principal objects of attention, I cannot help cautioning you againft giving into thofe (I will call them illiberal) pleasures, (though mufic is commonly reckoned one of the liberal arts) to the degree that most of your countrymen do, when they travel in Italy. If you love mufic, hear it; go to operas, concerts, and pay fiddlers to play to you; but I infift upon your neither piping nor fiddling yourself. It puts a gentleman in a very frivolous, contemptible light; brings him into a great deal of bad company; and takes up a great deal of time, which might be much better employed. Few things would mortify me more, than to fee you bearing a part in a concert, with a fiddle under your chin, or a pipe in your mouth.

I have had a great deal of converfation with comte du Perron, upon your fubject; and I was very glad to hear, from one whom I think fo good a judge, that you wanted nothing but des manieres; which I am convinced you will now foon acquire, in the company which henceforward you are likely to keep. By manieres, I do not mean bare common civility; every body must have that, who would not be kicked out of company: but I mean engaging, and even fhining manners; a diftinguifhed politenefs, an almoft irrefiftible addrefs; a fuperior gracefulness in all you fay and do. It is this alone that can give all your other talents their full luftre and value; and, confequently, it is this which fhould now be the principal object of your at

tention.

The exercifes of the academy, and the manners of courts, muft be attended to and acquired, and, at the fame time, your other ftudies continued. I am fure you will not pais, nor defire, one fingle idle hour at Turin ; for I do not forefee that you can, in any part