is this difference, that a great genius can never re-. turn to his former ftate, by a happy draught of the waters of oblivion. I am now, Mr. Rambler, known to be an author, and am condemned, irreversibly condemned, to all the miferies of high reputation. The first morning after publication my friends affembled about me; I prefented each, as is ufual, with a copy of my book. They looked into the first pages, but were hindered, by their admiration, from reading farther. The first pages are, indeed, very elaborate. Some paffages they particularly dwelt upon, as more eminently beautiful than the reft; and fome delicate' ftrokes, and fecret elegancies, I pointed out to them, which had escaped their obfervation. I then begged of them to forbear their compliments, and invited them, I could not do lefs, to dine with me at a tavern. After dinner, the book was refumed; but their praises very often fo much overpowered my modefty, that I was forced to put about the glafs, and had often no means of repreffing the clamours of their admiration, but by thundering to the drawer for another bottle. Next morning another fet of my acquaintance congratulated me upon my pe:formance, with fuch importunity of praife, that I was again forced to obviate their civilities by a treat. On the third day I had yet a greater number of applauders to put to filence in the fame manner; and, on the fourth, those whom I had entertained the firft day came again, having, in the perufal of the remaining part of the book, difcovered fo many forcible sentences and masterly touches, that it was impoffible for me to bear the repetition of their commendations. I, therefore, perfuaded them once more to adjourn to the tavern, and choose fome other fubject, on which I might fhare in the converfation. But it was not in their power to withold their attention from my perform performance, which had fo entirely taken poffeffion of their minds, that no intreaties of mine could change their topick, and I was obliged to ftifle, with claret, that praise, which neither my modefty could hinder, nor my uneafinefs reprefs. The whole week was thus spent in a kind of literary revel, and I have now found that nothing is fo expenfive as great abilities, unless there is joined with them an infatiable eagernels of praife; for to efcape from the pain of hearing myfelf exalted above the greatest names dead and living of the learned world, it has already coft me two hogfheads of port fifteen gallons of arrack, ten dozen of claret, and five and forty bottles of champagne. I was refolved to ftay at home no longer, and, therefore, rofe early and went to the coffee-house ; but found that I had now made myself too eminent for happine fs, and that I was no longer to enjoy the pleasure of mixing, upon equal terms, with the reft of the world. As foon as I enter the room, I fee part of the company, raging with envy, which they endeavour to conceal, fometimes with the appearance of laughter, and fometimes with that of contempt; but the difguife is fuch, that I can discover the secret rancour of their hearts, and as envy is defervedly its own punishment, I frequently indulge myfelf in tormenting them with my prefence. But, though there may be fome flight fatisfaction received from the mortification of my enemies, yet my benevolence will not fuffer me to take any pleafure in the terrors of my friends. I have been cautious, fince the appearance of my work, not to give myfelf more premeditated airs of fuperiority, than the most rigid humility might allow. It is, indeed, not impoffible that I may fometimes have laid down my opinion, in a manner that fhewed a consciousness of my ability to maintain it, or interrupted the converfation, when I faw its tendency, without fuffer ing ing the fpeaker to wafte his time in explaining his fentiments; and, indeed, I did indulge myfelf for two days in a cuftom of drumming with my fingers, when the company began to lose themselves in abfurdities, or to encroach upon fubjects which I knew them unqualified to difcufs. But I generally acted with great appearance of refpect, even to those whofe ftupidity I pitied in my heart. Yet, notwithftanding this exemplary moderation, fo univerfal is the dread of uncommon powers, and fuch the unwillingness of mankind to be made wifer, that I have now for fome days found myself fhunned by all my acquaintance. If I knock at a door, no body is at home; if I enter a coffee-houfe, I have the box to myself. I live in the town like a lion in his defert, or an eagle on his rock, too great for friendfhip or fociety, and condemned to folitude, by unhappy elevation, and dreaded afcendency. Nor is my character only formidable to others, but burdenfome to myself. I naturally love to talk without much thinking, to fcatter my merriment at random, and to relax my thoughts with ludicrous remarks and fanciful images; but fuch is now the importance of my opinion, that I am afraid to offer it, left, by being established too haftily into a maxim, it fhould be the occafion of error to half the nation and fuch is the expectation with which I am attended, when I am going to fpeak, that I frequently pause to reflect whether what I am about to utter is worthy of myfelf. This, Sir, is fufficiently miferable, but there are ftill greater calamities behind. You must have read in Pope and Swift how men of parts have had their clofets rifled, and their cabinets broke open at the inftigation of piratical bookfellers, for the profit of their works; and it is apparent, that there are many prints now fold in the fhops, of men whom you can not not fufpect of fitting for that purpose, and whose likeneffes must have been certainly ftolen when their names made their faces vendible. Thefe confiderations at firft put me on my guard, and I have, indeed, found fufficient reafon for my caution, for I have discovered many people examining my countenance, with a curiofity that fhewed their intention to draw it; I immediately left the houfe, but find the fame behaviour in another. Others may be perfecuted, but I am haunted; I have good reafon to believe that eleven painters are now dogging me, for they know that he who can get my face firft will make his fortune. I often change my wig, and wear my hat over my eyes, by which I hope fomewhat to confound them; for you know it is not fair to fell my face, without admitting me to fhare the profit. I am, however, not fo much in pain for my face as for my papers, which I dare neither carry with me nor leave behind. I have, indeed, taken fome meafures for their prefervation, having put them in an iron cheft, and fixed a padlock upon my clofet. I change my lodgings five times a week, and always remove at the dead of night. Thus I live, in confequence of having given too great proofs of a predominant genius, in the folitude of a hermit, with the anxiety of a miser, and the caution of an outlaw; afraid to fhew my face, left it fhould be copied; afraid to fpeak, left I fhould injure my character, and to write left my correfpondents fhould publifh my letters; always uneafy left my fervants should steal my papers for the fake of money, or my friends for that of the publick. This it is to foar above the rest of mankind; and this representation I lay before you, that I may be informed how to diveft myself of the laurels which are so cumbersome to the wearer, and descend to the enjoyment of of that quiet from which I find a writer of the first clafs fo fatally debarred. MISELLUS. NUMB. 17. TUESDAY, May 15, 1750. -Me non oracula certum, Sed mors certa facit. LUCAN, Let those weak minds, who live in doubt and fear, One certain hour of death to each decreed, Ivly fixt, my certain foul from doubt has freed. RowI. T is recorded of fome eastern monarch, that he I kept an officer in his houfe, whofe employment it was to remind him of his mortality, by calling out every morning, at a ftated hour, Remember, prince, that thou shalt die. And the contemplation of the frailnefs and uncertainty of our prefent ftate appeared of fo much importance to Solon of Athens, that he left this precept to future ages; Keep thine eye fixed upon the end of life. A frequent and attentive profpect of that moment, which muft put a period to all our schemes, and depive us of all our acquifitions, is, indeed, of the utmost efficacy to the juft and rational regulation of our lives; nor would ever any thing wicked, or often any thing abfurd, be undertaken or profecuted by him who fhould begin every day with a ferious reflection, that he is born to die. The difturbers of our happiness, in this world, are our defires, our griefs, and our fears, and to all thefe, the confideration of mortality is a certain and adequate remedy. Think, fays Epictetus, frequently on poverty, banishment, and death, and thou wilt then never indulge violent defires, or give up thy heart |