perance, that so many have been tremely mischievous; when we may, laughed out of them-that the jest so probably, attribute to them the made of them has occasioned their loose he gave to his natural depravity being so rare among us. -the little decorum he observed— The author of the Beggars' Opera that utter carelessness to save apgives the true character of his New-pearances, whence so much hurt engate tribe, when he exhibits them sued to the morals of his people, and ludicrous on all pretences to virtue, whereby he occasioned such distracand thus hardening each other in tion in his affairs, so weakened his their crimes. It was the most ef- authority, so entirely lost the affecfectual means to keep up their spi- tions of the best of his subjects; and rits under their guilt, and may well whence that he did not experience be judged the likeliest method of still worse consequences, may be asbringing others to share it. cribed to a concurrence of circum

"The Duke of Buckingham," says stances, in which his prudence had a late writer," had the art of turning no share.

persons or things into ridicule, be- The weakness of an argument yond any man of the age. He pos- may be clearly shown--the arts of sessed the young king [Charles II.] the sophister may be detected, and with very ill principles, both as to re- the fallacy of his reasoning demonligion and morality, and with a very strated-to the most subtile objecmean opinion of his father, whose tions there may be given satisfactory stiffness was, with him, a subject of answers: but there is no confuting raillery." It is elsewhere observed, raillery-the acutest logician would that, to make way for the ruin of the be silenced by a Merry Andrew. Lord Clarendon, "he often acted It is no manner of purpose that and mimicked him in the King's we have reason on our side, when presence, walking stately with a pair the laugh is against us: and how of bellows before him, for the purse, easy is it, by playing with our words and Colonel Titus carrying a fire--by a quibble--by the lowest jest, shovel on his shoulder, for the mace; to excite that laugh! with which sort of banter and farce When the company is disposed to the king was too much delighted." attack your principles with drollery, Such are the impressions, to the no plea for them is attended to; the disparagement of the best things, and more serious you show yourself in of the best men, that may be made their defence, the more scope you by burlesque and buffoonery; they give to the mirth of your opponents. can destroy the efficacy of the wisest How well soever we have informprecepts, and the noblest examples. ed ourselves of the motives to a right

The monarch here spoken of may, conduct, these motives are not attendperhaps, be thought as ill-disposed as ed to, as often as we act: our ordithe worst of his favourites; and rather nary practice is founded on the imhumoured, than corrupted, by the pression, that a former consideration sport they made with all that is, or- of them has made; which impression dinarily, held serious. Were this ad- is very liable to be weakened— mitted to be true of him-were we wants frequently to be renewed in to suppose his natural depravity not the same way, that it was at first heightened by any thing said or done produced.

before him, in derision of virtue or When we continually hear our virthe virtuous; yet the effects of his tue bantered as mere prejudice, and being accustomed to such represen- our notions of honour and decorum tations may be looked upon as ex-treated as the sole effects of our pride

being dexterously flattered-when S was the oracle of his county; our piety is frequently subjecting us to whatever point he turned his to be derided as childishly timorous, thoughts, he soon made himself masor absurdly superstitious; we soon ter of it. He entered, indeed, so know not how to persuade ourselves, early upon business, that he had litthat we are not more scrupulous than tle time for books; but he had read we need to be; we begin to question, those which best deserved his peruwhether, in settling the extent of our sal, and his memory was the faithful obligations, we have sufficiently con- repository of their contents. sulted the imperfections of our nature-whether our judgment is without its bias from our fears.

The helps, that he had not received from reading, he had abundantly supplied the want of, by observation

Let our seriousness be exhibited and conversation. to us in that odd figure, which wit The compass of his knowledge and humour can easily give it; we was amazing. There was scarce any shall be insensibly led to judge of it, thing, of which one in his station according to its appearance, as thus ought to be informed, wherein he apovercharged; and under the disad-peared to be ignorant. Long expevantage, in which it is shown us, we rience, great sagacity, a ready apshall, first, seem unconcerned at the prehension, a retentive memory, the greater liberties that others take, resort to him of all sorts of people, and, by degrees, proceed to take the from whom any thing could be learnvery same ourselves. ed, and an intimacy with some of

The person, whom we most highly the worthiest persons of every proand justly honoured, if the buffoon- fession, enabled him to speak on most ery of our companions were constant- points with such justness and copily levelled at him, would soon have ousness, as might induce you to conhis worth overlooked by us; and, clude, upon first being with him, though we might not be brought to that the topic, on which his discourse think of him as contemptibly as they turned, was what he had particularly appeared to do, our reverence of him and principally attended to. Though would certainly, at length, abate, and he owned himself never to have so both his advice and example have much as looked into the writings of much less influence upon us. atheists or deists; yet, from the pro

Of this you shall have an instance miscuous company he had been in my next. obliged to keep, and the freedom I will here only add what Jambli- with which all spoke their sentiments chus mentions as practised by Py- to him, there was not, perhaps, a thagoras, before he admitted any in-material objection to the Christian to his school-he inquired, "Who religion, of which he was not apwere their intimates"-justly conclu- prised, and which he had not well ding, that they, who could like bad considered. companions, would not be much profited by his instructions.

Dean Bolton.

104. Letter VIII.

Sensible of his strength, and ever desirous to use it in the best of causes-in the service of that truth, which operates on men's practice, and would, if attended to, rectify it throughout, he did not discourage the most free speakers; he calmly and willingly heard what they could the say against his faith, while they used

SIR, What follows will discharge the promise which I made you at conclusion of my last.

reason and argument; but drollery

and jest he failed not, though with self in the gratifications, to which great good-humour, to reprove, as a youth inclines: no wonder that he species of misrepresentation-as a should now censure what he could sure evidence, that truth was not not relish-that he should condemn sought as an artifice, to which none the draught, which his head could would apply, who were not conscious not bear, and be indifferent to the of their weakness, who did not de- features, which he could not distinspair of supporting their notions by guish without his spectacles." rational proofs. When this kind of language had Virtue and true religion had not, abated the reverence due to so experhaps, an abler advocate than this cellent an instructer, the buffoon ingentleman; but whatever service his terposed still farther to weaken his tongue might do them, his manners, influence; gave an air of affectation certainly, did them far greater; he to his decorum-of hypocrisy to his convinced you of their excellency, by seriousness of timorousness to his exhibiting to your senses their effects prudence-of avarice to his wise -he left you no room to question economy-burlesqued the advice, how amiable they were when it was that he might be supposed to give, from their influence upon him, that the arguments with which he was he so much engaged your esteem likely to support it, and the reproof and affection; he proved undeniably, he would naturally use, when he did how much they should be our care, by not see a disposition to follow it. being himself an instance, how much they contributed to our happiness.

Soon as the young man had attained the age, at which the law supNever, certainly, did piety sit ea- poses us sufficiently discreet, he exsier upon any man-never, per-pressed a most earnest desire to have haps, was any man more esteemed an opportunity of appearing so. Reby the very persons, between whose peated promises were made, that if a practice and his there was the widest proper allowance was settled on him, difference. and leave given him to choose a

The superior talents he discover-place of abode, there should not be ed, and his readiness to employ them the least mismanagement; the infor the benefit of all, who applied to come assigned him should answer him, engaged alike their admiration every article of expense.

and their love.

The son's importunity was second

The obligations, conferred by him, ed by the fond mother's, and their obtained the height of complaisance joint solicitations prevailed. The towards his son. Invitations were youth was now accessible, at all made the youth from all quarters; times, to the most profligate of his and there was not a young man of acquaintance; and one part of their any figure near him, who was not in- entertainment usually was, to set his troduced to him, and directed to pay excellent father's maxims and manhim particular civility. They, who ners in the most disadvantageous sought to attach him closest to them light. This failed not to bring by consulting his humour, were ne- on a disregard to both--so entire a ver without their arguments for li-disregard to them that the whore censing it." True it was, this or and the card-table took up all the that pursuit might not be to the taste hours which the bottle relieved not. of his father; but neither did it suit Thus fell the heir of one of the his years when he was a young worthiest of our countrymen !-It man, he, undoubtedly, acted as one; was to no purpose, that such an adhe took the diversions, allowed him-mirable example had been set him by

the person he was most likely to re- 2. That, when such a representagard-that such particular care had tion could be made by a man of good been taken to reason him into a dis-parts, with any confidence of succharge of his duty-that he had been cess, it is, farther, an evidence of the present, when the most subtile advo- probability, that the highest and most cates for irreligion either were si-just reputation may suffer from ridilenced, or induced to acknowledge cule, and that it may bring into contheir principles to be much less de- tempt what is entitled to the greatest fensible, than they had hitherto esteem and honour

thought them. None of the impres- 3. That if the Athenians were so sions of what had been done for well pleased with the means used to him, or said to him, or had passed lessen the character of this ornabefore him, could hold out against ment, not only to his country, but his ridicule; it effaced every trace of species, as to render the interposition them, and prepared him to be as bad, of a powerful party in the state neas his worst companions could be in- cessary, to prevent the poet's abuse clined to make him. How great a from meeting with all the success neglect of him ensued! They who he promised himself in it; we are had laughed him out of the rever-fully taught, what may be the pernience due to his parent's worth, ren- cious effects of ingenious drollerydered him soon despised by all whose how much it may weaken the force esteem could profit or credit him; of any instruction, or any example and he died in the 70th year of his Where violent methods are purconstitution, when but in the 25th of sued, in order to withdraw us from his age. any religious practice or opinion; Dean Bolton. they who thus oppose it showing thereby, that they look upon it as somewhat of great importance, teach $105. Letter IX. us to do the same; and often inSIR, crease our attachment to it-render My last gave you a melancholy in- us more earnest about it, than we stance of the hurt done by ridicule otherwise should have been. But to the heir of a most worthy man, where such practice or opinion is not many miles from you. What in-treated as a matter of jest-where it fluence it had towards the condem- meets with all the slight that scoffing nation of him, to whom the epithet and laughter can express, we scarceof divine might, perhaps, be more ly know how to preserve our regard properly applied, than to any one who to it, as a thing of much conseever lived under the sole guidance of quence; and from esteeming it of reason, has long, you know, been little moment, we easily proceed to matter of dispute. I will only ob-judge it of none at all. serve, concerning the comic writer's The force that is offered us, on acridicule of Socratescount of our persuasion, either oc

1. That, when such a representa-casions such an aversion from him, tion could be made of so excellent a who applies to it, as prevents his person, it demonstrates, that no de- having any influence upon us; or gree of worth can secure any person engages us in so careful an attention from an attempt to destroy his credit; to the grounds, upon which we formand that they, whose capacities fully ed our judgment, as fixes us in the enable them to discern this worth, resolution not to alter it. But when may be its spitefulest enemies, and all passes under the appearance of bend their wits to disparage it- good humour-when only mirth and

pleasantry are exerted against us, we only a species of persecution, but the neither contract that hatred towards most dangerous kind of it; they those, by whom we are thus treated, would as soon be scourged, as mockwhich will be our security from any ed; be burthened with the cross, as bad impressions they can make upon habited with the purple. You can us; nor are we excited to any ex- scarcely be enough aware of the risk amination of our principles that can you run from being jested with, as a confirm us in them. The freedom visionary or a bigot-as one of much which our companions use, in sport- whim, or very little penetration. ing with what we have hitherto re- But enough of the inducements, verenced, will tempt us to conclude, that vicious companions would be unthat its importance is far from being der to corrupt you, and the means obvious; nor, indeed, can it fail, un- they would use to do it.

less our minds have a more than or- The care you should take, in the dinary firmness, to raise at length choice of your company, will be the some doubt in us, whether we have subject of but one letter more from not been too fanciful or too creduDean Bolton. lous. And as

$106. Letter X.

SIR,

"The woman, who deliberates, is lost," we may fear the man will be so likewise, who suffers himself to question how well founded his seriousness is, All I have to add, on what has merely because his associates are lately been the subject of my correscontinually deriding it. pondence with you, will be contained Would you not, industriously, keep in this letter. I will not lengthen it out of the way of those who had by apologizing for it.

power to torture you, and whom you Might I suppose you so fortified knew ready to do it, if you would not by a right disposition, a wise educabe guided by them, but was deter- tion, good sense, and a thorough mined to think and act as your own knowledge of the reasonableness of reason should direct? Believe me, Sir, the practice enjoined by your relithe scoffer should be as much shunned gion, that every attempt to corrupt by the friend of virtue, as the inquisi- your morals would miscarry; this tor by the friend of truth. Whoever hurt, however, you would be sure to would attain or preserve a just sense of find from being much in the compahis duty, should have as little inter-ny of vicious men, that you would course as possible with those who be less careful to become eminently would discourage sincerity-who virtuous-you would be less careful would oppose it, either by the fagot, to fulfil your obligations, than you or the fair,* of Smithfield. A very un- otherwise would be. While you saw common resolution is required to be others so much worse than yourself, steady to the principles, from avow-you would not consider how much ing which we must expect to be the better you ought to be, than yoù at heroes in a farce; though we need present are-while their gross faults not apprehend that it will make us were avoided, you would not consivictims to the flames. der, how much there is in you that ought to be amended.

What your temper may be, I cannot affirm; but I really think that, with great numbers, drollery is not

We measure what is, in any way, commendable, by comparing our share of it with that of our neigh* Bartholomew fair, during which plays and bour: we do not regard in what defarces were formerly, from morning to night, the entertainment of the populace.

gree, as to itself, we possess the good,