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to a cat, many and many an affembly am I forced to endure; and though reft and compofure are my peculiar joy, am worn out, and harraffed to death with journies by men and women of quality, who never take one, but when I can be of the party. Some, on a contrary extreme, will never receive me but in bed, where they spend at least half of the time I have to ftay with them; and others are fo monftroufly ill-bred as to take phyfic on purpose when they have reason to expect me. Those who keep upon terms of more politeness with me, are generally fo cold and conftrained in their behaviour, that I cannot but perceive myfelf an unwelcome gueft: and even among perfons deferving of esteem, and who certainly have a value for me, it is too evident that generally whenever I come I throw a dulnefs over the whole company, that I am entertained with a formal ftiff civility, and that they are glad when I am fairly gone.

How bitter muft this kind of reception be to one formed to infpire delight, admiration and love! To one capable of anfwering and rewarding the greatest warmth and delicacy of fentiments !

I was bred up among a set of excellent people, who affectionately loved me, and treated me with the utmost honour and respect. It would be tedious to relate the variety of my adventures, and frange viciffitudes of my fortune in many different countries. Here in

England there was a time when I lived according to my heart's defire. Whenever I appeared, public affemblies appointed for my reception were crowded with perfons of quality and fashion, early dreft as for a court, to pay me their devoirs. Chearful hofpitality every where crowned my board, and I was looked upon in every country parish as a kind of focial bond between the 'fquire, the parfon, and the tenants. The laborious poor every where bleft my appearance: they do fo fill, and keep their beft clothes to do me honour; though as much as I delight in the honeft country folks, they do now and then throw a pot of ale at my head, and fometimes an unlucky boy will drive his cricketball full in my face.

Even in these my best days there were perfons who thought me too demure and grave. I must forfooth by all means be inftructed by foreign mafters, and taught to dance and play. This method of education was fo contrary to my genius, formed for much nobler entertainments, that it did not fucceed at all.

I fell next into the hands of a very different fet. They were fo exceffively fcandalized at the gaiety of my appearance, as not only to defpoil me of the foreign fopperies, the paint and the patches that I had been tricked out with by my last misjudging tutors, but they robbed me of every innocent ornament I had from my infancy been used to gather in the fields and gardens; nay, they blacked my face, and covered me all over with a habit of mourning, and that too very coarse and awkward. I was now obliged to spend my whole life in hearing fermons; nor permitted fo much as to fmile upon any occafion.

In this melancholy disguise I became a perfect bugbear to all children and young folks. Wherever I came there was a general huth, and immediate ftop to all pleasantnefs of look or difcourfe; and not being permitted to talk with them in my own language at that time, they took fuch a difguft to me in those tedious hours of yawning, that having tranfmitted it to their children, I cannot now be heard, though it is long fince I have recovered my natural form, and pleafing tone of voice. Would they but receive my vifits kindly, and liften to what I could tell them-let me fay it without vanity-how charming a companion fhould I be! to every one could I talk on the subjects most interesting and moft pleafing. With the great and ambitious, I would difcourfe of honours and advancements, of diftinctions to which the whole world fhould be witnefs, of unenvied dignities and durable preferments. To the rich I would tell of inexhaustible treasures, and the fure method to attain them. I would teach them to put out their money on the best interest, and inftruct the lovers of pleasure how to fecure and improve it to the highest degree. The beauty fhould learn of me how to preserve an everlasting bloom. To

the

the afflicted I would adminifter comfort, and relaxation to the busy.

As I dare promife myself you will atteft the truth of all I have advanced, there is no doubt but many will be defirous of improving their acquaintance with me; and that I may not be thought too difficult, I will tell you, in fhort, how I wish to be received.

You must know I equally hate lazy idleness and hurry. I would every where be welcomed at a tolerably early hour with decent good-humour and gratitude. I must be attended in the great halls peculiarly appropriated to me with respect; but I do not infift upon finery: propriety of appearance, and perfect neatness is all I require. I must at dinner, be treated with a temperate, but a chearful focial meal; both the neighbours, and the poor should be the better for me. Some time I must have tête à tête with my kind entertainers, and the reft of my vifit should be spent in pleafant walks and airings among fets of agreeable people, in fuch difcourfe as I fhall naturally dictate, or in reading fome few felected out of those numberless books that are dedicated to me, and go by my name. name that, alas! as the world ftands at prefent, makes them oftener thrown afide than taken up. As thofe converfations and books fhould be both well chofen, to give fome advice on that head may poffibly furnish you with a future paper, and any thing you fhall offer on my behalf will be of great fervice to,

Good Mr. RAMBLER,

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Religion and Superftition. A Vifion.

[Rambler, No. 44.]

Had lately a very remarkable dream, which made fo ftrong an impreffion on me, that I remember it every word; and if you are not better employed, you may read the relation of it as follows.

Methought

Methought I was in the midst of a very entertaining fet of company, and extremely delighted in attending to a lively converfation, when on a fudden I perceived one of the most shocking figures imagination can frame, advancing towards me. She was dreft in black, her fkin was contracted into a thousand wrinkles, her eyes deep funk in her head, and her complexion pale and livid as the countenance of death. Her looks were filled with terror and unrelenting severity, and her hands armed with whips and scorpions. As foon as the came near, with a horrid frown, and a voice that chilled my very blood, fhe bid me follow her. I obeyed, and the led me through rugged paths, befet with briars and thorns, into a deep folitary valley. Wherever the

paffed the fading verdure withered beneath her steps; her peftilential breath infected the air with malignant vapours, obfcured the luftre of the fun, and involved the fair face of heaven in univerfal gloom. Difmal howlings refounded through the foreft, from every baleful tree the night-raven uttered his dreadful note, and the profpect was filled with defolation and horror. In the midst of this tremendous fcene my execrable guide addreffed me in the following manner.

"Retire with me, O rafh unthinking mortal, from the vain allurements of a deceitful world, and learn that pleasure was not defigned the portion of human "life. Man was born to mourn and to be wretched; "this is the condition of all below the stars, and who66 ever endeavours to oppose it acts in contradiction to "the will of heaven. Fly then from the fatal en"chantments of youth and focial delight, and here "confecrate thy folitary hours to lamentation and woe. "Mifery is the duty of all fublunary beings, and every

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enjoyment is an offence to the Deity, who is to be worshipped only by the mortification of every fenfe "of pleasure, and the everlasting exercife of fighs and tears."

This melancholy picture of life quite funk my spirits, and feemed to annihilate every principle of joy within me. I threw myself beneath a blafted yeugh, where the winds blew cold and dismal round my head,

and

Here

and dreadful apprehenfions chilled my heart. Here I refolved to lie till the hand of death, which I impatiently invoked, fhould put an end to the miseries of a life fo deplorably wretched. In this fad fituation I fpied on one hand of me a deep muddy river, whofe heavy waves rolled on in flow fullen murmurs. I determined to plunge, and was just upon the brink, when I found myself fuddenly drawn back. I turned about, and was furprised by the fight of the lovelieft object I had ever beheld. The most engaging charms of youth and beauty appeared in all her form; effulgent glories fparkled in her eyes, and their awful fplendors were foftened by the gentleft looks of compaffion and peace. At her approach, the frightful spectre, who had before tormented me, vanished away, and with her all the horrors fhe had caufed. The gloomy clouds brightened into chearful fun-fhine, the groves recovered their verdure, and the whole region looked gay and blooming as the garden of Eden. I was quite tranfported at this unexpected change, and reviving pleasure began to glad my thoughts, when, with a look of inexpreffible fweetnefs, my beauteous deliverer thus uttered her divine inftructions.

"My name is RELIGION. I am the offspring of "TRUTH and Love, and the parent of BENEVOLENCE, HOPE and Joy. That monfter from whose power I have freed you is called SUPERSTITION, "he is the child of DISCONTENT, and her followers 66 are FEAR and SORROW. Thus different as we are, "fhe has often the infolence to affume my name and "character, and feduces unhappy mortals to think us the fame, till the, at length, drives them to the "borders of DESPAIR, that dreadful abyss into which you were just going to fink.

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"Look round and furvey the various beauties of "this globe, which heaven has deftined for the feat of "human race, and confider whether a world thus ex"quifitely framed could be meant for the abode of "mifery and pain. For what end has the lavish hand "of Providence diffused fuch innumerable objects of "delight, but that all might rejoice in the privilege

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