"nefs? To be able to inculcate virtue by fo leaky a vehicle, the author must be a philofopher "of the first rank. But in our age we can find but "few firft-rate philofophers.

"Avoid fuch performances where vice affumes "the face of virtue; feek wifdom and knowledge "without ever thinking you have found them. A "man is wife, while he continues in the pursuit of "wifdom; but when he once fancies that he has "found the object of his enquiry, he then becomes "a fool. Learn to purfue virtue from the man that "is blind, who never makes a ftep without first ex"amining the ground with his ftaff.

ર

"The world is like a vaft fea, mankind like a "veffel failing on its tempeftuous bofom. Our "prudence is its fails, the fciences ferve us for oars,

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good or bad fortune are the favourable or contrary "winds, and judgement is the rudder; without this "laft the veffel is toffed by every billow, and will "find fhipwreck in every breeze. In a word, ob"fcurity and indigence are the parents of vigilance " and œconomy; vigilance and oeconomy of riches "and honour; riches and honour of pride and luxury; pride and luxury of impurity and idleness; "and impurity and idlenefs again produce indigence and obfcurity. Such are the revolutions of "life."

Adieu.

LETTER

From Lien Chi Altangi, to Fum Hoam, firft Prefident of the Ceremonial Academy at Pekin, in China.

I FANCY the character of a poet is in every country the fame, fond of enjoying the prefent, careless of the future, his converfation that of a man of fenfe, his actions thofe of a fool! of fortitude able to ftand unmoved at the burfting of an earthquake, yet of fenfibility to be affected by the breaking of a tea-cup; fuch is his character, which confidered in every light is the very oppofite of that which leads to riches.

The poets of the Weft are as remarkable for their indigence as their genius, and yet among the numerous hofpitals defigned to relieve the poor, I have heard of but one erected for the benefit of decayed authors. This was founded by pope Urban VIII. and called the retreat of the incurables, intimating, that it was equally impoffible to reclaim the patients, who fued for reception, from poverty, or from poetry. To be fincere, were I to fend you an account of the lives of the Western poets, either antient or modern, I fancy you would think me employed in collecting materials for an hiftory of human wretchedness.

Homer is the firft poet and beggar of note among the antients; he was blind, and fung his ballads about the ftreets; but it is obferved, that his mouth was more frequently filled with verfes than with bread. Plautus the comic poet was better off; he had two trades, he was a poet for his diverfion, and

helped

helped to turn a mill in order to gain a livelihood. Terence was a flave, and Boethius died in gaol.

Among the Italians, Paulo Burghese, almost as good a poet as Taffo, knew fourteen different trades, and yet died because he could get employment in none. Taffo himfelf, who had the moft amiable character of all poets, has often been obliged to borrow a crown from fome friend, in order to pay for a month's fubfiftence; he has left us a pretty fonnet, addreffed to his cat, in which he begs the light of her eyes to write by, being too poor to afford himfelf a candle. But Bentivoglio, poor Bentivoglio! chiefly demands our pity. His comedies will laft with the Italian language; he diffipated a noble fortune in acts of charity and benevolence; but falling into mifery in his old age, was refused to be admitted into an hospital which he himself had erected.

In Spain it is faid, the great Cervantes died of hunger; and it is certain, that the famous Camoens ended his days in an hofpital.

If we turn to France, we fhall there find even stronger inftances of the ingratitude of the public. Vaugelas, one of the politeft writers, and one of the honefteft men of his time, was furnamed the Owl, from his being obliged to keep within all day, and venture out only by night, through fear of his creditors. His laft will is very remarkable; after having bequeathed all his worldly fubftance to the difcharging his debts, he goes on thus; but as there ftill may remain fome creditors unpaid, even after all that I have fhall have been difpofed of, in fuch a cafe, it is my laft will, that my body should be fold to the furgeons to the beft advantage, and that the purchase fhould go to the difcharging those debts which I owe to fociety; fo that if I

could

could not, while living, at least when dead, I may be useful.

Caffander was one of the greateft geniuffes of his time, yet all his merit could not procure him a bare fubfiftence. Being by degrees driven into an hatred of all mankind from the little pity he found amongst them, he even ventured at last ungratefully to impute his calamities to Providence. In his laft agonies when the priest intreated him to rely on the juftice of heaven, and afk mercy from him that made him; If God, replies he, has fbewn me no justice here, what reafon have I to expect any from him hereafter? But being answered, that a fufpenfion of juftice was no argument that fhould induce us to doubt of its reality; let me intreat you, continued his confeffor, by all that is dear, to be reconciled to God, your father, your maker, and friend. No,, replied the exafperated wretch, you know the manner in which he left me to live; (and pointing to the ftraw on which he was ftretched) and you fee the manner in which he leaves me to die!

But the fufferings of the poet in other countries is nothing when compared to his diftreffes here; the names of Spencer and Otway, Butler and Dryden, are every day mentioned as a national reproach, fome of them lived in a ftate of precarious indigence, and others literally died of hunger.

At present the few poets of England no longer depend on the great for fubfiftence, they have now no other patrons but the public, and the public, collectively confidered, is a good and a generous mafter. It is indeed, too frequently mistaken as to the merits of every candidate for favour; but to make amends, it is never mistaken long. A performance

formance indeed may be forced for a time into reputation, but deftitute of real merit it foon finks; time, the touchftone of what is truly valuable, will foon discover the fraud, and an author fhould never arrogate to himself any fhare of fuccefs, till his works have been read at least ten years with fatisfaction.

A man of letters at prefent, whofe works are va luable, is perfectly fenfible of their value. Every polite member of the community by buying what he writes, contributes to reward him. The ridicule therefore of living in a garret, might have been wit in the laft age, but continues fuch no longer, because no longer true. A writer of real

merit now may easily be rich if his heart be fet only on fortune: and for those who have no merit, it is but fit that fuch fhould remain in merited obfcurity. He may now refuse an invitation to dinner, without fearing to incur his patron's difpleafure, or to ftarve by remaining at home. He may now venture to appear in company with juft fuch cloaths as other men generally wear, and talk even to princes with all the confcious fuperiority of wisdom. Though he cannot boaft of fortune here, yet he can bravely affert the dignity of independence.

Adieu.

LETTER LXXXIV.

FROM THE SAME.

I HAVE interested myself so long in all the concerns of this people, that I am almoft become an Englishman; I now begin to read with pleasure of