4 64 "think the luftry of my ftream greatly improved by glittering through them. The "pebbles which diverfify my bottom, and make these ripplings in my current,. are pleafing objects to the eye of tafte; and my fmple murmurs are more melodious to "the learned ear than all the rude noifes of "your banks, or even the mufic that refounds "from your ftately barges. If the unfeel"ing fons of Wealth and Commerce judge of "me by the mere standard of ufefulness, I may claim no undiftinguifhed rank. While your waters, confined in deep channels, or "lifted above the valleys, roll on, a ufclefs burden to the fields, and only fubfervient to "the drudgery of bearingtemporary merchan"dizes, my streams will bestow unvarying fer"tility on the meadows, during the fummers “of future ages. Yet 1 fcorn to fubmit my honours to the decifion of thofe whofe hearts are fhut up to tafte and fentiment: let me appeal to nobler judges. The philofopher and poet, by whofe labours the human "mind is elevated and refined, and opened to plesfures beyond the conception of vulgar "fouls, will acknowledge that the elegant ❝ deities who prefide over fimple and natural beauty have infpired them with their charming and inftructive ideas. The sweetest and "moft majeftic bard that ever fung has taken a pride in owning his affection to woods and ftreams; and, while the ftupendous monuments of Roman grandeur, the columns which pierced the skies, and the aqueducts which poured their waves over mountains and vallies, are funk in oblivion, the gentlywinding Mincius ftill retains his tranquil honours. And when thy glories proud "Genius! are loft and forgotten; when the * flood of commerce, which now fupplies thy 64 9. The Story of a difabled Soldier. No obfervation is more common, and at the fame time more true, than, That one half of the world are ignorant how the other half lives. The misfortunes of the great are held up to engage our attention; are enlarged upon in tones of declamation; and the world is called upon to gaze at the noble fufferers: the great under the preffure of calamity, are confcious of feveral other fympathizing with their diftrefs; and have, at once, the comfort of admiration and pity. Their is nothing magnanimous in bearing misfortunes with fortitude, when the whole world is looking on: men in fuch cireumftances will act bravely, even from motives of vanity; but he who, in the vale of obfcurity, can brave adverfity; who, without friends to encourage, acquaintances to pity, or even without hope to alleviate his misfortunes, can behave with tranquillity and indifference, is truly great; whether peafant or courtier, he deferves admiration, and should be held up for our imitation and respect. While the flighteft inconveniences of the great are magnified into calamities; while tragedy mouths out their fufferings in all the ftrains of eloquence; the miferics of the poor are entirely difregarded; and yet foine of the lower ranks of people undergo more real hardships in one day than thofe of a more exalted station fuffer in their whole lives. It is inconceivable what difficulties the meanest of ους our common failors and foldiers endure with- " pretend to have gone through any mere out murmuring or regret; without paffionately" than other folks; for, except the lofs of declaiming against Providence, or calling their " my limb, and my being obliged to beg, I fellows to be gazers on their intrepidity." don't know any reafon, thank heaven, that Every day is to them a day mifery, and "I have to complain: there is Bill Tibbs, yet they entertain their hard fate without re- "of our regiment, he has loft both his legs, pinning. "and an eye to boot: but thank Heaven, it With what indignation do I hear an Ovid," is not fo bad with me yet. a Cicero, or a Rabutin, complain of their mif- "I was born in Shropshire; my father fortunes and hardships, whofe greareft calami-" was a labourer, and died when I was five ty was that of being unable to vifit a certain" years old; fo that I was put upon the paipot of earth, to which they had foolishly at- "rith. As he had been a wandering fort of tached an idea of happiness! Their diftreffes" a man, the parishioners were not able to were pleasures, compared to what many of" tell to what parith I belonged, or where I the adventuring poor every day endure with- "was born, fo they fent me to another parish out murmuring. They ate, drank, and flept;" and that parifa fent me to a third. I they had flaves to attend them; and were thought in my heart, they kept fending me fure of fubfiftence for life: while many of" about fo long, that they would not let me their fellow-creatures are obliged to wander "be born at any parish at all; but at laft, without a friend to comfort or affift them, and "however, they fixed mc. I had fome difeven without shelter from the severity of the "pofition to be a scholar, and was resolved, feafon. "6 at leaft, to know my letter; but the ma"ster of the work houfe put me to business as "foon as I was able to handle a mallet; and "here I lived an eafy kind of a life for five I have been led into thefe reflections from accidently meeting, fome days a go, a poor fellow, whom I knew when aboy, dreffed in a failor's jacket, and begging at one of the years. I only wrought ten hours in the outlets of the town with a wooden leg. I "day, and had my meat and drink provided knew him to have been honeft and induftrious "for my labour. It is true, I was not furwhen in the country, and was curious to learn "fered to ftir out of the house, for fear, as what had reduced him to his prefent fituation. "they faid, I fhould run away; but what of Wherefore, after having given him what I "that, I had the liberty of the whole house, thought proper, I defired to know the hiftory" and the yard before the door, and that was of his life and misfortunes, and the manner "enough for me. I was then bound out to in which he was reduced to his prefent diftrefs. a farmer,, where I was up both early and The difabled foldier, for fuch he was, though" late; but I eat and drank well, and liked dreffed in a failor's habit, fcratching his head," my business well enough, till he died, when and leaning on his crutch, put himself into an "I was obliged to provide for myself: fo I attitude to comply with my request, and gave was refolved to go feck my fortune. ne his hiftory as follows: "In this manner I went from town to “ town, worked when I could get employ As for my misfortunes, master, I can't 6 ment, แ my paffage home, and glad I was to see "Old England again, because I loved my " country. I was afraid, however, that I "fhould be indicted for a vagabond once "more, fo I did not much care to go down "into the country, but kept about the town, "and did little jobs when I could get them. "ment, and starved when I could get none; "when happening one day to go through a "field belonging to a juftice of peace, I fpy'd "a hare crolling the path juft before me; " and I believe the devil put it in my head to fling my ftick at it :-well, what will "you have on't? I killed the hare, and was "bringing it away, when the juftice himfelf "I was very happy in this manner for met me; he called me a poacher and a "fome time, till one evening, coming home villain; and, collaring me, defired I would "from work, two men knocked me down, give an account of myfelf. I fell upon my " and then defired me to ftand. They be→ "knees, begged his worship's pardon, and longed to a prefs-gang; I was carried "began to give a full account of all that I "before the juftice; and, as I could give no "knew of my breed, feed, and generation; " account of myself, I had my choice left, but, though I gave a very true account," whether to go on board a man of war, or "the justice faid I could give no account; "lift for a foldier: I chofe the latter; and "fo I was indicted at feflions, found guilty" in this poft of a gentleman, I served two " of being poor, and fent up to London to "campaigns in Flanders, was at the battles "Newgate, in order to be tranfported as a " of Val and Fontenoy, and received but one vagabond. "wound, through the breast here; but the People may fay this and that of being" doctor of our regiment foon made me well "in jail, but, for my part, I found Newgate" as agreeable a place as ever I was in in all "When the peace came on I was difmy life. I had my belly-full to eat and "charged; and, as I could not work, be"drink, and did no work at all. This kind "caufe my wound was fometimes trouble"of life was too good to laft for ever; fo I fome, I lifted for a landman in the Eaft "was taken out of prison, after five months," India Company's fervice. I have fought "put on board a fhip, and fent off, with two "the French in fix pitched battles; and I "hundred more, to the plantations. We" verily believe that, if I could read or "had but an indifferent paffage, for being all "write, our captain would have made me "confined in the hold, more than a hundred" a corporal. But it was not my good for"of our people died for want of fweet air; "tune to have any promotion, for I foom " and thofe that remained were fickly enough," fell fick, and fo got leave to return home "God knows. When we came alhore, we "again with forty pounds in my pocket. "were fold to the planters, and I was bound "This was at the beginning of the prefent "for feven years more. As I was no fcho-" war, and I hoped to be fet on shore, and "lar, for I did not know my Jetters, I was to have the pleasure of spending my moneys "obliged to work among the negroes; and" but the government wanted men, and fo "I ferved out my time, as in duty bound "I was preffed for a failor before ever I 44 ❝ to do. "When my time was expired, I worked a again. "could fet foot on shore. "The boatswain found me, as he said, an ❝ obftinate N "obftinate fellow: he fwore he knew that I" fented to run our chance. However, we "understood my business well, but that I had not as much luck as we expected. In "fhammed Abraham, to be idle; but, God "three days we fell in with the Pompadour "knows, I knew nothing of fea-bufinefs," privateer, of forty guns, while we had but " and he beat me, without confidering what "twenty-three; fo to it we went, yard-arm he was about. I had ftill, however, my "and yard-arm. The fight lafted for three "forty pounds, and that was fome comfort" hours, and I verily believe we fhould have' "to me under every beating; and the money" taken the Frenchman, had we but had "I might have had to this day, but that our "fome more men left behind; but, unfortu"fhip was taken by the French, and fo "loft all. "nately, we lost all our men just as we were going to get the victory. "Our crew was carried into Breft, and "I was once more in the power of the "many of them died, because they were not "French; and I believe it would have gone "ufed to live in a jail; but, for my part, it hard with me, had I been brought back "was nothing to me, for I was feafoned." to Breft; but, by good fortune, we were "One night, as I was afleep on the bed of" re-taken by the Viper. I had almost forget boards, with a warm blanket about me, for" to tell you that, in that engagement, I was "I always loved to lie well, I was awakened" wounded in two places; I loft four fingers "by the boatswain, who had a dark lanthorn" off the left hand, and my leg was fhot off. "in his hand: Jack, fays he to me, will" If I had had the good fortune to have loft < you knock out the French centry's brains?" my leg and ufe of my hand on board a I don't care,' fays I, ftriving to keep my- "king's fhip, and not a-board a privateer, 1 "felf awake, if I lend a hand.' Then" fhould have been entitled to cloathing and "follow me,' fays he, and I hope we shall "maintenance during the rest of my life! "do bufinefs.' So up. I got, and tied my "but that was not my chance: one man is "blanket, which was all the cloaths I had," born with a filver fpoon in his mouth, and "about my middle, and went with him to "another with a wooden ladle. However, "fight the Frenchmen. I hate the French," bleffed be God, I enjoy good health, and "because they are all flaves, and wear wooden" will for ever love liberty and Old England. "Liberty, property, and Old England for "ever, huzza!" Thoes. Though we had no arms, one English"man is able to beat five French at any time; fo we went down to the door, "where both the centrics were pofted, and, "rushing upon them, feized their arms in a "moment, and knocked them down. From thence nine of us ran together to the quay; and feizing the first boat we met, got out of the harbour, and put to fea. We had "not been here three days before we were "taken up by the Dorfet privateer, who were glad of fo many good hands, and we con Thus faying, he limped off, leaving me in admiration at his intrepidity and content; nor could I avoid acknowledging, that an habitual acquaintance with mifery ferves better than philofophy to teach us to defpife it. Goldfmith. o. A Dialogue between ULYSSES and CIRCE, in CIRCE's Island. Circe. You will go then, Ulyffes; but why will you go? I defire you to fpeak the thought thoughts of your heart. Speak without re- | ferve. What carries you from me? Ulyffes. Pardon, goddefs, the weakness of humar. nature. My heart will figh for my country. It is a tenderness which all my attachment to you cannot overcame. Circe. This is not all. I perceive you are afraid to declare your whole mind: but what do you fear my terrors are gone. The proudeft goddess on earth, when the has favoured a mortal as I have favoured you, has laid her divinity and power at his feet. Ulyffes. It may be fo, while there ftill remains in her heart the fondness of love, or in her mind the fear of thame. But you, Circe, are above those vulgar fenfations. Circe. I understand your caution, it belongs to your character; and, therefore, to take all diffidence from you, I fwear by Styx, I will do no harm to you or your friends for any thing which you fay, though it fhould offend me ever fo much, but will fend you away with all marks of my friendship. Tell me now, truly, what pleafures you hope to enjoy in the barren island of Ithaca, which can compenfate for thofe you leave in this paradife, exempt from all cares, and overflowing with all delights? Ulyffes. The pleafures of virtue; the fupreme happiness of doing good. Here I do nothing my mind is in a pally; its faculties are benumbed. I long to return into action again, that I may employ thofe talents and virtues which I have cultivated from the earliest days of my youth. Toils and cares fright not me they are the excrcite of my foul; they keep it in health and in vigour. Give me again the fields of Troy, rather than thofe vacant groves: there I could reap the bright harvelt of glory; here I am hid from the eyes of mankind, and begin to appear The image of my contemptible in my own. former felf haunts and feems to upbraid me wherever I go: I meet it under the gloom of every fhade; it even intrudes itself into your prefence, and chides me from your arms. O goddefs! unless you have power to lay that troublefome fpirit, unless you can make me forget myself, I cannot be happy here, I thall every day be more wretched. Circe. May not a wife and good man, who has spent all his youth in active life and honourable danger, when he begins to decline, have leave to retire, and enjoy the rest of his days in quiet and pleafure? Ulyffes. No retreat can be honourable to a wife and good man, but in company with the Mufes; I am deprived of that facred fociety here. The Mufes will not inhabit the abodes of voluptuoufnefs and fenfual pleasure. How can I ftudy, how can I think, while fo many beafts (and the worst beafts I know are men turned into beasts) are howling, or roaring, or grunting about me Circe. There is fomething in this; but this is not all: you fupprefs the strongest reafon that draws you to Ithaca. There is another image, befides that of your former felf, which appears to you in all parts of this island, which follows your walks, which interpofes itself between you and me, and chides you from my arms it is Penelope, Ulyffes; I know it is. Do not pretend to deny it: you figh for her in my bofom itself.-And yet the is not an immortal.-She is not, as I am, endowed with the gift of unfading youth: feveral years have paft fince her's has been faded. I think, without vanity, that he was never fo handfome as I. But what is the now? Ches. You have told me yourfe f, in a former converfation, when I enquired of you N 2 about |