a proof of his eating, but a very disagreeable one. WHEN ambitious men are much disappointed, fome of the ableft of them have been apt, out of peevishness, to give over the world: But often, a little patience is enough to bring things about again. SOME people are troubling both themfelves and others with making great feafts, which they think is living nobly, and Princes themselves are unable to escape them; whereas a conftant way of living politely, is much more estimable, as well as pleasant. SCARCE one fat perfon in twenty, but makes himself appear a great deal fatter by fine clothes and ugly women do the fame by their finery. "TIs the fashion to carve at one's own table, a terrible trouble! which divided among the company, would be none at all to any one of them. MUSICIANS, Painters, and even Poets, are generally thought a little fantastical; but 'tis the ill ones only, that are so: the good ones in all ages have been eminently otherwife. AS VIRGIL and HORACE, Spencer, MILTON and WALLER, MALHERBE, COR NEILLE, NEILLE, and BOILEAU. For Painters, befides thofe of old, RAPHAEL and LEONARDO, TITIAN, RUBENS, and VANDIKE, all of them throughly accomplish'd, and fit for the greateft affairs. Mufick has scarce appear'd in our climate; but the only perfon remarkable for it in France (I mean BAPTIST) was an agreeable Wit, and all his life manag'd a great and new diverfion there with credit and profit. The cause of this error is, the multitude of odd fellows inclined to fome one of these three amusements, though not in the least fitted by nature for any of them; fo that being fo filly as to undertake they know not what, they must needs appear fantastical, because errant coxcombs; imploying foolishly their whole time in arts they are incapable of. That which fhews so many more fops in Poetry, than in any other art or science, is very plain; for how can the ableft Critick in that art convince the most foolish Poct of his failings even the most intimate acquaintance is unwilling to tell a man that he is an Afs; which is the very cafe, whenever any body pretends to this accomplishment without any genius. ' Perhaps he may tell him that he is too lazy lazy to be a Lawyer, too nice to be a Phy fician, or too gay to be a Prieft: but to be told he wants either wit or judgment, goes very hard with a coxcomb. A A LETTER TO THE D---- of Sh---- OU accufe me of fin- elfe leaves it; which you fay is defpifing at once both Court and Coun 0000 Country. You defire me therefore to defend myfelf, if I can, by describing very particularly in what manner I spend so many hours, that appear long to you who know nothing of the matter, and yet, methinks, are but too fhort for me. No part of this task which you impose, is uneafy; except the neceffity of ufing the fingular number fo often. That one Letter [I] is a most dangerous monosyllable, and gives an air of vanity to the modefteft discourse whatsoever. But you will remember I write this only by way of apology; and that, under accufation, it is allowable to plead any thing for defence, though a little tending to one's own commendation. To begin then without more preamble: I rife, now in fummer, about feven a-clock, from a very large bed-chamber (intirely quiet, high, and free from the early fun) to walk in the garden; or, if rainy, in a Salon filled with pictures, fome good, but none difagreeable there also, in a row above them, I have so many portraits of famous perfons in several kinds, as are enough to excite ambition in any man lefs lazy, or lefs at ease, than myself. |
