ANTIQUARY, One affecting to be thought a mighty antiquary, declared himfelf an idolater of ages paft, and told us, That the Egyptians were fam'd for fublime thoughts-Chaldeans for fciences-Greeks for eloquence and Romans for polite ftile. That he almost adored Marcilius Ficinus, for collecting out of many mouldy and wormeaten tranfcripts, the femi-divine labours of Plato-Copernicus for refcuing from the jaws of oblivion, the almost extinct aftrology of Samius Ariftarchus-Lucretius, for retrieving the loft phyfiology of Empedocles-Magenus, for raifing the ghost of Democritus-Marfenius, for explaining many problems of Archimedes, and Gaffendus for rebuilding Epicurus, &c. &c. That he had obferved, that philofophy, as well as nature, continually declined; and now the world was arrived at its dotage, the minds of men suffered a sensible decay of charity; wherefore he fcorn'd to read any book less than an hundred years old. That he was a great admirer of ancient coins, and manuscripts, which if effaced, or obliterated by time, in his opinion, were still the more valuable. By the rest of his difcourfe he feem'd to esteem every thing as Dutchmen do cheefe, the better for being mouldy. Father. Affectation of any kind is lighting up a candle to our defects, and fhews want of judgment or fincerity. The great actions of the ancients, are apt to beget our veneration; those of the moderns, as the fchool and reproach us, excite our envy. Learning and civility were indeed derived down to us from the eastern parts of the world; there it was mankind arose, and there they first discovered the ways of living with safety, convenience, and delight. The original of aftronomy, geometry, government, and many forts of manufactures we now enjoy, are justly attributed to the Affyrians, Chaldeans, and Egyptians. Orpheus, Linus, Mufeus, and Homer, firft foftened men's natural rudeness, and by the charms of their numbers allured them to be instructed by the feverer doctrines of Solon, Thales, and Pythagoras. In Greece, the city of Athens was the general fchool, and feat of education. Socrates began to draw into fome order the confufed and obfcure imaginations of thofe that went before him, and to adapt all parts of philofophy, to the immediate fervice of the affairs of men, and ufes of life. With the Grecian empire their arts alfo were transported to Rome, where the doctrines received from the Greeks were eloquently tranflated into the Latin tongue. Yet "Antiquitas feculi, juventus mundi." The ancients may have juftice done them, without worshipping them, or defpifing the moderns. The heroical Tycho Brache-The fubtil Kepler-The most acute Galileus-The profound Scheinerus-The univerfally learned Kircherius-The most perfpicuous Harvey-and the epitome of them all Des Cartes, by atferting philofophical liberty, have fufficiently vindicated the native privilege of our intellects, from the base villainage of prefcription. When Plato, Ariftotle, and other wife Grecians, travelled into the Eaft, they collected and brought home many useful arts and fecrets, yet were fo far from blindly affenting to all that was taught them by the priests of Ifis and Ofyris, as to ridicule their worfhipping dogs, cats, onions and crocodiles. Collect out of the Pythagorean, the Stoic, the Platonist, the Academic, Peripatetic, the Epicurean, the Pyrrhonian, or Sceptic, and all other fects, whatever of method, principles, pofitions, maxims, examples, &c. feem mest confentaneous to verity; but refute what will not endure the test of either right reason, or faithful experiment. Antiquity can no more privilege an error, than novelty preju dice a truth. "Wherefore fly no opinion, caufe 'tis new, 66 } Too fervile a fubmiffion to the books and opinions of the aneients, has fpoiled many an ingenious man, and plagued the world with abundance of pedants and coxcombs. But go on with your story. BUFFOON. Son. A Buffoon, fkilled in making wry mouths, mimical geftures, and antic poftures, was ever mifconftruing and perverting others words to a prepofterous or filthy meaning, or fhewing his parts in flat, infipid quibbles and clinches, jingling of words or fyllables, in fcraps of verfes, or fenfelefs rhimes, and in all the dregs and refufe of wit. His talk was obfcene, his bantering too coarfe, too rude, too bitter, or too pedantic, out of reason, or out of measure. His jelts were malicious, faucy, and ill-natured, full of flander and gall; ftriking even at magiftrates, parents, friends, and cafes. that deferved pity. After fpeaking he always laughed firft, and generally alone; and whilft he droll'd and fcoff'd at the falfe steps of others, wearied the company with his own. At length he met with his match, which mortified him extremely for Buffoon, forfooth, could no more endure to be outfooled, than Nero to be out-fiddled. : Father. Some use their wits as Bravoes wear ftillettoes, not for defence but mischief; or like Solomon's madman, call fire-brands, arrows, and death, and say, am not I in iport. Few know how and when to throw out a pleasant word with fuch regard to modefty and refpect, as not to tranfgrefs the bounds of wit, good nature, or good breeding. "All that's obfcene, doth always give offence, "And want of decency, is want of fenfe." Liberties in converfation that pass the bounds of good nature, honesty, and respect, degenerate into fcurrility, fcandal, and ili manners. Refpect and complaifance forbid rallying the fair fex; and for theirs to rally ours, is expofing themselves to blunt repartees. Perfons of merit ought not to be rallied, even though fome defect should be perceived amongst their virtues, because no mortal is perfect. "Young people fhould be fpared, left they be difcouraged from coming into the company of their betters. Want of experience pleads indulgence for our first flips. Old age is too venerable for raillery, and should be reverenced. To laugh at deformed perfons is inhumane, if not impious; we are not our own carvers; what perfection the best have, is not the effect of their own care, but of divine goodness. The unfortunate are fubjects of compaffion, not of raillery. Raillery is only proper when it comes with a good grace, in a manner which both pleases and inftru&ts. That which ftirs up our laughter, moft commonly excites our contempt; to please, and to make merry, are two very different talents. Drolls and Buffoons, whilft they think to make sport for others, commonly become laughing-ftocks themfelves, to all but thofe who pity them. He who thinks he is by his dignity above a jeft, and will not take a repartee, ought not to banter others. Scorn and derifion unbridle fear, and make the peafant brave the prince. Auguftus feeing one like himself, asked him in fcoff, if his mother was never at Rome; the lad anfwered, no, but my father was. Utter nothing that may leave any ungrateful impreffion, of give the leaft umbrage of a fpiteful intent. He whofe jefts make others afraid of his wit, had need be afraid of their memory. It is more grievous to be ridiculed than beaten. Contempt pierces to the quick, and revenge ftops at nothing; it hardens men into a brutal defpifing of death, fo that they may fee their enemies in company, CRITIC. Son. A Critic, wife enough, in his own conceit, to correct the magnificat, pretending to exquifite nicenefs, cenfured Cicero for being too verbofe, and Virgil for ufing ruftic language. His large ftock of ill-nature, and the malicious pleasure he took in fault-finding, made him never look upon any thing but with a defign of paffing fentence upon it. Plato he told us, in a decifive tone, was neither fertile nor copious. Aristotle neither folid nor fubftantial-Theophraftus neither fmooth nor agreeable. That Voiture was dull-Corneille a stranger to the paffions→→ Racine ftarched and affected-Moliere jejune-Boileau little Let ter than a plagiary. That Shakespeare wanted manners-Ben. Johnfon was a pedant-Congreve a laborious writer-Garth but an indifferent imitator of Boileau. That Dryden's Abfolom and Achitophel wanted vigour of thought, purity of language, and aptnefs and propriety of expreffion; nor were many of the elifions to be allowed, or accents and paufes duly obferved. An inftance being required, Criticone, who had only dipped into that poem, fcratched his head, and fell a curfing his memory. Father. By a Critic was originally understood a good judge; but now, with us, it fignifies no more than an unmerciful faultfinder two steps above a fool, and a great many below a wiseman. The laws of civility oblige us to commend what, in reason, we cannot blame. Men fhould allow other excellencies, were it but to preferve a modeft opinion of their own. It is the diftemper of would-be-thought-wits, with an envious curiofity to examine, cenfure, and vilify others works, as if they imagined it gave them an air of distinction and authority, to regard them with an air of contempt. But Difparaging what is generally applauded, makes men looked upon as fingular fops, or wretched judges. The famous Boccalini, in his advertisements from Parnaffus, tells us, a critic prefenting Apollo with a very fevere cenfure upon an excellent poem, was afk'd for the good things in that work; but the wretch answering, he minded only the errors, Apollo ordered a fack of unwinnowed wheat to be brought, and Critic to pick out, and take all the chaff for his pains. Flies naturally feek for blotches and fores; but when men concern themfelves about others why not, like Seutonius, of the twelve Cæfars, tell virtues as well as vices. Were our eyes made only for fpots and blemishes ? (To be continued.) FOR THE NEW ENGLAND QUARTERLY MAGAZINE. SCRAPS, LITERARY, MISCELLANEOUS AND AMUSING. No. I. DR. GUILLOTIN. IT is an error which deferves to be corrected that Dr. Guillo. tin, the inventor or reviver of that terrible inttrument which bore his name, was one of the first victims of his own contrivance.— The Doctor, who is a man of remarkably mild and pleasant manners, at this time refides at No. 116, in the Reu Neuve Roch, in Paris, and enjoys very confiderable practice and reputation as a phyfician. FRENCH LITERATURE. IN the year 1800 the number of Books and Pamphlets pubfifhed in Paris was 1172. On Natural History and Botany, there were 44; on Medicine and Phyfics, 271; on Morality, 41; on Legiflation and Politics, 168; in Belles Lettres, 75; in Poctry and the Drama, 303; and of Novels, &c. 125. GERMAN LITERATURE. SOME letters in French, lately published in London, addreffed to the Abbe Barruel, affert that nearly 8000 writers of all defcriptions, devoted to the caufe of the Sophifts and Illuminati, are continually operating upon the public opinion in Germany. The Princes, fays the author, are lulled into a falfe fecurity, by feeing their literati conftantly uniting licentiousness in their writings, with fervility in their conduct. How much we fhould avoid German literature, engaged in the cause of vice and infidelity! PHYSIOGNO MY. LAVATER, in his phyfiognomy, fays that Lord Anfon, from his countenance, muft have been a very wife man. He was one of the most ftupid men I ever knew, fays Horace Walpole. HISTORY. NO man's opinion upon the veracity of historical narration can be more weighty, than Sir Robert Walpole's; a man, of whom history during his life time fpoke much." |