' to save herself. He used continually to inculcate the 'importance of a man's attending to that one point, in ' which he discovered his chief talent to lie; and men'tioned himself as an instance attending this prin 6 ciple.' He is said, however, to have been quick in thought, decided in resolution, and remarkable for the " common-sense views which he took of all matters con'nected with his art.' Dr. Baillie, the well-known physician, is said to have been not fertile in expedients; and if those failed which he made use of, he was frequently at a loss what to do next: he not having had the talent, we are told, of varying his prescriptions every day so as to retain the confidence, and keep alive the expectation, of the patient. That is, he was any thing but a quack. He knew what could be done for his patient, and never aimed at deceiving him. LXXXII. LOVERS OF CERTAINTIES. CERTAINTIES, in respect to income, are great preservatives both of honour and honesty. The assertion, that small certainties are the bane of men of talents,' is, nevertheless, true; for they render men of talents less solicitous of activity. No one, who boasts of his poverty, or laughs at it, was ever laughed at, or despised for it, in return :— 'Nihil habet infelix paupertas durius in se, Quam quod ridiculos homines facit.' For my own part, I am rich only in this: that my wants are few, and my temper cheerful. What was the 'Where, when endearing converse fails, The evening of a winter's day.'-Neale. These, now that I have seen almost as much as I desire, and felt much more than it is the common lot of man to feel,—these are almost all the luxuries my soul desires. A state of happiness is that, in which we have frequent opportunities of enjoying the pleasures of the mind, and of experiencing temperate pleasures of the body. An union of these constitutes happiness. Well; these I have had. The former always; the latter at intervals. For the rest-I trust to time. I should love, therefore, if I may be pardoned so poetical a wish, occasionally, to sit among the fragments of a vast castle, in which thunder might roll from tower to tower; giving a sign, as it were, of eternal strength; marking the imbecility and nothingness of earthly things. Time cures many afflictions, which fortune cannot. LXXXIII. WHO ACKNOWLEDGE THE SUPERIORITY OF THEIR RIVALS. A MORE beautiful instance of rivalry than that of Lucius Minutius, towards Fabius Maximus, is not upon record. It adds splendour even to the best part of the Roman character. Consult Livy. Marlborough and Eugene never contended for preeminence. They are described as two bodies, animated by one soul. All their views were in unison, and without rivalry; they were strengthened by the nobler impulses of emulation. The Earl of Athlone was not so happy. He was indignant that Marlborough should have been elected general in preference to himself. But he afterwards acknowledged his error in terms sufficiently noble. 'The success of this campaign,' said he, is solely due to our incomparable chief; since, I confess, that I, acting as second in command, opposed, in all circumstances, his opinions and pro'posals.' Marlborough was, in fact, so harassed and thwarted, that he was never able to bring his whole powers into action. He was never any thing more than half of himself. LXXXIV. RIVALS. CHILDREN are compelled to run, like Ascanius (haud passibus æquis), to keep up with the steps of their fathers. So is it in regard to pupils and tutors; and, not unfrequently, to rivals. Fontenelle says of Corneille, that though he was so accustomed to praise as to be indifferent to flattery, he had yet so little reliance on his own merit, that he too easily admitted the idea of rivals. The sensation arising from rivalship is, doubtless, exceedingly unpleasant; the effects are, however, of permanent utility; more especially to men of high talent and genius. The Romans knew very well,' says Machiavelli*, how to disarm rivalship on certain occasions.' They ruined the cities in their neighbourhood, and admitted their inhabitants to dignities and privileges. The advantages of having a rival, constantly on the watch to surpass us, may be instanced in the relative excellence of Titian and Raphael. Titian laboured to surpass Pordenone; and Raphael to be superior to Michael Angelo. Who is not acquainted with the results? Each party acted by the other like a spur, night and day. And this reminds us of Michael Angelo's design of several persons shooting at a target, behind which, uninjured, stands a terminus, with a bust of himself. Shakspeare's drama of Anthony and Cleopatra, * Discorsi ii. c. 3. presents scenes of rivalship, unsurpassed by any other writer: that of Cleopatra in respect to Octavia; and that of Anthony in regard to Augustus. Nothing was ever painted more to the truth and life of passion, than the rivalry of the jealous Egyptian, where she is represented inquiring of the messenger not only in regard to the personal appearance of Octavia, but as to her action and motion. Then as to Anthony ;-the difference in him, when alone, and when in the presence of Augustus, is thus graphically sketched by the soothsayer: - Thy lustre thickens, When he shines by. I say again, thy spirit But, he away, 'tis noble. Stay not by his side; Thy demon, that's thy spirit, which keeps thee, is Where Cæsar's is not. But, near him, thy angel If thou dost play with him at any game, Thou'rt sure to lose; and of that natural luck, He beats thee 'gainst the odds.' To which Anthony: -Be it art or hap, He hath spoken true. The very dice obey him.' The fact was, Augustus was the more prudent man, and enjoyed the advantage of having a superior genius. Rivalships are advantageous. Those of Zeuxis and |