Of her old captive parents the fole joy: His wishing youth ftood check'd, his tempting power -At once He for her parents and her lover call'd. The various scene imagine; how his troops Look'd dubious on, and wonder'd what he meant: To thefe fo different fentiments fucceed "I afk but this; when you behold these eyes, "Thefe charms, with transport; be a friend to Rome." -Thomfon. COURAGE. TRUE courage but from oppofition grows; And what are fifty, what a thousand flaves This is true courage, not the brutal force Of vulgar heroes, but the firm refolve Court. COURT. Would you be happy, leave this fatal place; And draw deluded fools with fhews of pleasure.--Rowe. That Athelwold can give, is still to guard True to its virtuous relish, foon would heave A fervent figh for innocence and Harewood.-Mafon. 73 LET us compare what the historians of all ages have said concerning the courts of monarchs; let us recollect the converfation and fentiments of people of all countries, in refpect to the wretched character of courtiers; and we fhall find, that these are not mere airy fpeculations, but things confirmed by a fad and melancholy experience. Ambition joined to idleness, and bufinefs to pride; a desire of obtaining riches without labor, and an averfion to truth; flattery, treachery, perfidy, violation of engagements, contempt of civil duties, fear of the prince's virtues, hope from his weaknefs; but, above all, a perpetual ridicule caft upon virtue, are, I think, the characteristics by which most courtiers, in all ages and countries, have been constantly diftinguished.-Montefquieu. ALL the prostitutes who fet themselves to fale, all the locufts who devour the land, with crowds of fpies, parafites, and fycophants, and whole fwarms of little, noifome, nameless infects, will hum and buz in every corner of the courta fort of men too low to be much regarded, and too high to be quite neglected, the lumber of every adminiftration, the furniture of every court. Thefe gilt carved things are feldom anfwerable for more than the men on a chefs board, who are moved about at will, and on whom the conduct of the game G is not to be charged. Some of these every prince must have about him. The pageantry of a court requires that he should. -Bolingbroke. I HAVE known courts thefe thirty-fix years, and know they differ; but in fome things they are extremely conftant. First, in the trite old maxim of a miniiter's never forgiving those he hath injured. Secondly, in the infincerity of those who would be thought the best friends. Thirdly, in the love of fawning, cringing, and tale bearing. Fourthly, in facrificing thofe, whom we really wish well, to a point of interest or intrigue. Fifthly, in keeping every thing worth taking, for thofe who can do fervice or dif-fervice.-Swift. GOD help the man, condemn'd by cruel fate And wear a smile with anguish in his heart. A fenfe of honour would deftroy his fchemes, And confcience ne'er must speak, unless in dreams.-Churchill. COWARD. COWARDS die many times before their death: It feems to me most strange, that man fhould fear; Will come when it will come.-Shakespeare. COWARDS have courage when they fee not death; And fearful hares that skulk in forms all day, Yet fight their feeble quarrels by the moon-light; -But valiant men Still love the fun should witness what they do.-Dryden. That do not understand the game; But against such as will not fight.-Hudibras. Croifade.-Crown.-Credulity. CROISADE. * SURE I am, 'tis madness, Inhuman madness, thus, from half the world I venerate this land. Thofe facred hills, But the fame God, my friend, pervades, fuftains, And every land, where fpreads his vital prefence, CROWN. O polish'd perturbation! golden care! CREDULITY. 75 THE credulous man is ready to receive every thing for truth, that has but the fhadow of evidence. Every new book that he reads, and every ingenious man with whom he converfes, has power enough to draw him into the fentiments of the fpeaker or writer. He has fo much complaifance in him, or weakness of foul, that he is ready to refign his own opinion to the first objection which he hears, and to receive any fentiments of another that are afferted with a pofitive air and much affurance. Thus he is under a kind of neceffity, through the indulgence of this credulous humour, either to be often changing his opinions, or to believe inconfiftencies. The man of contradiction flands ready to oppofe every thing that is faid. He gives but a flight attention to the reafons of other men, from an inward fcornful prefumption, that they have no ftrength in them. When he reads or hears a difcourfe different from his own fentiments; he does not give himself leave to confider, whether that discourse may be true; but employs all his powers immediately to confute it. great difputers, and your men of controverfy, are in continual danger of this fort of prejudice. They contend often for victory, and will maintain whatfoever they have afferted, while truth is loft in the noife and tumult of reciprocal contradictions : and it frequently happens, that a debate about opinions is turned into mutual reproach of perfons.-Waits. Your THE prejudice of credulity may in fome measure be cured, by learning to fet a high value upon truth, and by taking more pains to attain it; remembering that truth often lies dark and deep, and requires us to dig for it as hidden treasure ; and that falfehood often affumes a fair difguife, and therefore we should not yield up our judgment to every plausible appearance. It is no part of civility or good breeding to part with truth, but to maintain it with decency and candor. A fpirit of contradiction is so pedantic and hateful, that a man fhould take much pains with himfelf to watch against every inftance of it: he fhould learn fo much good-humour, at least, as never to oppofe any thing without jult and folid reafon for it: he fhould abate fome degrees of pride and morofeness, which are never-failing ingredients in this fort of temper, and fhould feek after fo much honefty and confcience, as never to contend for conqueft or triumph; but to review his own reafons, and to read the arguments of his opponents, if poffible, with an equal indifferency, be glad to fpy a truth, and to fubmit to it, though it appear on the oppofite fide.-Idem. OF all kinds of credulity, the most obftinate and wonderful is that of political zealots; of men who being numbered, they know not how, or why, in any of the parties that divide a state, refign the use of their own eyes and ears, and refolve to believe nothing that does not favour thofe whom they profess to follow.-Idler. |