To the Authors of the BRITISH MAGAZINE. GENTLEMEN, FEW EW difquifitions are attended with mque dins culty, than to account for that reciprocal contempt every nation entertains for the cuftoms and manners of another: but if we proceed with caution in the inquiry, we fhall, perhaps, be convinced, that it owes its origin to vanity. It is with nations as with individuals; every man believes himself infallible, places contradiction in the clafs of offences, and can neither efteem nor admire any thing in another, but what refembles fomething in himself: fo every nation esteems inothers only fuch ideas as are analogous to her own; while every contrary opinion is beheld with contempt. The Arab, perfuaded of the infallibility of his Khalif, laughs at the credulity of the Tartar, who believes the Great-lama immortal. The Negro, who pays his adorations to a root, the claw of a lobster, or the horn of an animal, fees nothing on the earth but an immenfe mafs of deities, and laughs at the scarcity of gods among the Europeans. Thus every nation, convinced that she is the fole poffeffor of wisdom, confiders all others as fools; and nearly refembles the inhabitants of the Marian islands, who being perfuaded that their's was the only language in the univerfe, concluded that all other men were deftitute of the gift of speech. Should a Sage defcend from heaven, and in his conduct, confult only the light of reafon, he would be univerfally confidered as a children, for having prohibited the eating of pies and tarts, be certainly condemned. It would be in vain for him to fupport his opinions by the ftrongeft demonftrations; all the nations would be, with respect to him, like the notion of humpbacked people, among whom, as the Indian fabuliits fay, came god, beautiful, young, and well proportioned. This god, they add, entered the capital, where he was foon furrounded by a multitude of the inhabitants: his figure appeared extraordinary, and their laughter and taunts declared their aftonishment. They would even have carried their affronts ftill farther, had not one of the inhabitants, who had doubtless feen other men, in order to protect him, cried out, "O! my friends! what are you going to do? Let us not infult this unhappy piece of deformity: if heaven has lavished on us all the gifts of beauty; if it has adorned our backs with a mountain of flesh, let us be filled with gratitude, repair to the temple, and return thanks to the immortal gods." This fable is the hiftory of human vanity. All people admire their own defects, and defpife the contrary qualities. To fucceed in any country, we must carry the hump of the nation into which we travel. There are in every country but few advocates who plead the cause of the neighbouring nations; fewer, who acknowledge in themfelves the ridicule and take example from a certain Tartar, who had the addrefs to make the Great Lama himself blush at his injustice. ridicule they caft upon ftrangers, comprehenfive view comprehends. the past, prefent, and the future, haft often declared, that it is to the taliman of blind belief, thou owest thine immortality, and thy power on earth: without this abfolute submiffion to thy doctrines, thou wouldeft be obliged to quit this abode of darkness, and afcend to heaven, thy native country. Thou knoweft that the Lamas, fubject to thy power, are one day to raise altars to thee in all the countries of the world. Who can affure thee, that they will execute this project, without the affiftance of human credulity; and that otherwife, enquiry, which is always impious, will not take the Lamas for Lapland wizzards, who fell winds to the fools that buy them? Excufe then, O living Fo, this difcourfe dictated by my regard for thy worship; and may the Tartars learn of thee to refpect the ignorance and credulity which heaven, ever impenetrable in its views, feems to ordain, in order to make the earth fubmit to thee. This Tartar had travelled thro' the North, vifited the country of the Laplanders, and even purchased a wind of their forcerers. On his return to his native country, he related his adventures; and the great Lama, refolving to hear him, was ready to burft his fides with laughing at his story. Of what folly, cried he, is the human mind capable! What fantastic customs! how credulous are the Laplanders! are thefe men? Yes, indeed, replied the Tartar: I could inform you of fomething ftill more furprising. Thefe Laplanders, with their ridiculous wizards, laugh as much at our credulity as thou doft at theirs. Impious! cried the Great Lama, dareft thou pronounce this blafphemy, and compare my religion to theirs? Great father, replied the Tartar, before the secret imposition of thy hand upon my head, had washed me from my fin, I should have remonftrated, that thou oughteft not to have engaged thy fubjects to make a profane use of their reafon. If the fevere eye of doubt and examination, was fpread over all the objects of human belief, who knows whether thy worship itself would be fheltered from the raillery of the incredulous? Perhaps thy holy urine, and thy facred excrements, which thou diftributes in presents to the princes of the earth, would appear lefs precious; perhaps they would lofe their favour. Already, in China, does impiety deny the nine incarnations of Viftknou. Thou, whofe Few men perceive the ridicule of their own nation, which they cover from the eye of reafon, while, under a foreign name, they laugh at their own folly; but there are still fewer nations capable of improving by fuch advice. All are fo fcrupuloufly attached to the intereft of their own vanity, that in every country, they give the title of wife only to thofe who are the fools from the common folly. But however great the folly of mankind may be, it is certain, that if they would often fay to themfelves, "No perfon is free from error, why then should I think myfelf alone infallible? May I not be L 2 deceived deceived in thofe very things I maintain with the greatest refolution?" If men had this idea habitually prefent to their minds, they would be more on their guard against vanity, more attentive to the objections of their advertaries, and better prepared to receive the force of truth: they would be more mild, more inclined to toleration, and doubtless form a meaner opi TH nion of their own wifdom. Socrates frequently repeated, "All I know is, that I know nothing." In our age, we know every thing except what Socrates knew. Men would not fo often fall into error, were it not for their own ignorance; and their folly becomes the more incurable from believing themselves wife. I am, Gentlemen, Your's, &c. A remarkable Inftance of Filial Piety. HE following little hiftory is related by an ingenious and polite foreign author, who afferts the truth of it, and that the parties are all living in France. In a great fea-port, in one of the moft diftant provinces of that kingdom, there lived a merchant, who had carried on trade with equal honour and profperity, till he was turned of fifty years of age; and then, by a fudden feries of unexpected and unavoidable loffes, found himself unable to comply with his engagements, and his wife and children, in whom he placed his principal happinefs, reduced to fuch a fituation as doubled his diftrefs. His fole refource in this fad fituation, was the reflection, that upon the ftri&teft review of his own conduft, nothing either of iniquity or imprudence appeared. He thought it beft therefore to repair to Paris, in order to lay a true state of his affairs before his creditors, that being convinced of his honefty, they might be induced to pity his misfortunes, and allow him a reafonable space of time to fettle his affairs. He was kindly received by fome, and very civilly by all; from whence he conceived great hopes,. which he communicated to his family. But these were speedily dashed by the cruelty of his principal creditor, who caufed him to be seized and fent to a gaol. As foon as this melancholy event was known in the country, his eldest fon, who was turned of nineteen, liftening only to the dictates of filial piety, came poft to Paris, and threw himfelf at the feet of the obdurate creditor, to whom he painted the diftrefs of the family, in the mott pathetic terms; but without effect. At length, in the greatest agony of mind, he faid, "Sir, fince you think nothing can compenfate for your lofs, but a victim, let your refentment devolve upon me. Let me fuffer instead of my father, and the miferies of a prifon will feem light in procuring the liberty of a parent, to confole the forrows of the diftracted and dejected family that I have left behind me. Thus, Sir, you will fatisfy your vengeance, without fealing their irretrievable ruin." And there his tears and fighs topped his utterance. His father's creditor beheld him upon his knees in this condition, for for a full quarter of an hour. He then sternly bid him rife and fit down, which he obeyed. The gentleman then walked from one corner of the room to the other, in great agitation of mind, for about the fame space of time. At length, throwing his arms about the young man's neck, "I find, faid he, there is yet fomething more valuable than money: I have an only daughter, for whofe fate I have the utmolt anxiety. I am refolved to fix it; in marrying you the muft be happy. Go, carry your father's difcharge, afk his confent, bring him inftantly hither, and let us bury in the joy of this alliance, all remembrance of what has formerly happened." Thus the generous. gratitude of the fon relieved the calamity of the worthy father. The man who had confidered wealth and happiness as fynonimous terms, was freed from that fatal error! and Providence vindicated the manner of its proceeding, by thus bringing light out of darkness, and through a fhort scene of mifery, rewarded a virtuous family with lafting peace, in the enjoyment of that profperity which they fo well deserved. Account of the DISCOVERY, a new Comedy, as it is performed at the Theatre Royal in Drury-Lane. Written by the Editor of Mifs Sidney Bidulph. when after fome little expoftulation on his lordship's fide, on the unreasonableness of her intrufion, they enter into a kind of churlish dialogue, on the fubject of their daughter's intended marriage to Sir Anthony, which lord Medway Speaks up for, as the only means of extricating himself from his prefent diftreffes, and likewise of providing for his daughter, whom Sir Anthony agrees to take without a fhilling, but which lady Medway endeavours to diffuade him from, partly on account of the daughter's prepoffeffions in favour of Sir Anthony's nephew, who is on the point of returning from his travels, and partly on account of the profpect they have of marrying young Medway to Mrs. Knightly, a match which he thinks would answer all the purposes propofed by the other. The dialogue, however, ends with a peremptory order from lord Med way way to his lady, to let her daughter know, that he will be obeyed. This fcene is fucceeded by the coming in of Sir Harry Flutter, who gives his lordship a long detail of a quarrel that happened that morning, betwixt him and lady Flutter, which lord Medway taking advantage of for the furtherance of his defigns upon her ladyfhip, advises him to stand up for his prerogative, and teaches him the most galling method of behaviour towards her. In the next scene we are prefented with a dialogue between Mifs Medway and her mother, who agreeably to lord Medway's commands, endeavours to prevail on her daughter to accept of Sir Anthony Branville, but is interrupted in the execution of this office, by the coming in of lord Medway himfelf. Upon this lady Medway leaves her alone to fettle the matter with her father, who, after a great deal of cruel teazing, tells her his fixed purpose in a few words, which is, that she shall not have young Bran. ville, but must have the uncle, and leaves her to meditate on it. Thefe two fcenes let us a little into the character of Sir Anthony and lord Medway. ing again to his own purposes, Sir Harry retires, and is fucceeded by Sir Anthony Branville, who prefents us, in propria perfonâ, with all the ftarchness of his character. His arrival giving birth to a dialogue between him and lord Medway, on the fubject of his paffion for lord Medway's daughter, and his fixed refolution never to fee Mrs. Knight, ly more, whom Sir Anthony had but just before paid his addreffes to, lady Flutter leaves them; and unhappily for the old baronet, the formidable Mrs. Knightly enters; foon after which, lord Medway being called down, Sir Anthony and the are thus left alone. A moft diverting scene now enfues betwixt the fprightly widow and Sir Anthony, which is put an end to by the arrival of lady Flutter, who is followed again in her turn by Sir Harry; and the rencounter between this happy pair producing, as ufual, a jar, Mrs. Knightly leaves them in the midst of the debate, but Sir Harry, likewife, foon retiring, lord Medway enters, and finding lady Flutter alone, makes no inconfiderable advances in her favour; in which, however, he is unfortunately difcovered by lady Medway, which clofes the act. The third act begins with a love converfation between colonel Medway and Mifs Richley, wherein the latter acquaints Mr. Medway with her fifter's (Mrs. Knightly's) unkind ufage of her, who being in love with the colonel, and fufpecting his attachment to the other, becomes peevish, and fcarce able to bear her fifter in fight. To mend the mat Scene V. prefents us with a dialogue between lord Medway and his fon, the colonel, wherein the former has the mortification of feeing his defigns again traverfed by the colonel's avowed paffion for Mifs Richly, a young lady of great beauty and merit, but without any fortune. The next a&t opens with a quarter, Mrs. Knightly comes in fudrel between Sir Harry and lady Flutter, which lord Medway improv dently upon them, and being only rendered more uneafy by fome per plexing |