Nor was Athens only celebrated For the refidence of philofophers, and the inftitution of youth: Men of rank and fortune found pleasure in a retreat which contributed fo much to their liberal enjoyment. The friend and correfpondent of Cicero, T. Pomponius, from his long attachment to this city and country, had attained fuch a perfection in its arts and language, that he acquired to himfelf the additional name of Atticus. This great man may be faid to have lived during times of the worst and cruelleft factions. His youth was spent under Sylla and Marius; the middle of his life during all the fanguinary fcenes that followed; and when he was old, he faw the profcriptions of Antony and Octavius. Yet though Cicero and a multitude more of the beft men perished, he had the good fortune to furvive every danger. Nor did he feek a fafety for himself alone; his virtues fo recommended him to the leaders of every fide, that he was able not to fave himself alone, but the lives and fortunes of many of his friends. When we look to this amiable character, we may well fuppofe, that it was not merely for amufement that he chofe to live at Athens; but rather that, by refiding there, it might fo far realize philofophy as to employ it for the conduct of life, and not merely for oftentation. Another perfon, during that period (that I mean between Nerva and Marcus Antoninus) was equally celebrated for his affection to this city. By this perfon I mean Harodes Atticus, who acquired the last name from the fame reafons for which it had formerly been given to Pomponius. We have remarked already, that viciffitudes befal both men and cities, and changes too often happen from profperous to adverfe. Such was the ftate of Athens, under the fucceffors of Alexander, and fo on from Sylla down to the time of Auguftus. It fhared the fame hard fate with the Roman empire in general, upon the acceffion of Commiodus. At length, after a certain period, the Barbarians of the North began to pour into the South. Rome was taken by Alaric, and Athens was befieged by the fame. Yet here we are informed (at least we learn fo from hiftory) that it was miraculoufly faved by Minerva and Achilles. The goddefs, it feems, and the hero, both of them appeared, compelling the invader to raife the fiege. PICTURE of an ILL-NATURED MAN. [From the Obferver.] man will furrender himfelf to be the flave of peevish and irafcible humours, that annoy his peace, impair his health and hurt his reputation. Who does not love to be greeted in fociety with a fmile? Who lives that is infenfible to the frowns, the fneers, the curfes of his neighbours? What can be more delightful than to enter our own doors amidst the congratulations of a whole family, and to bring a cheerful heart into a cheerful houfe? ye are, whom every little accident irritates, every flight omiflion piques! Surely we should guard our paffions as we would any other combustibles, and not spread open the inflammable magazine to catch the firit fpark, that may blow it and ourfelves into the air. Tom Tinder is one of thefe touchy blockheads, whom nobody can endure. The fellow has not a fingle plea in life for his ill temper; he does пов was celebrated (as we have faid) during many centuries, long after her political influence was loft, and at an end. When Alexander the Great died, many tyrants, like many hydras, immediately fprung up. Athens then, though the ftill maintained the form of her ancient government, was perpetually checked and humiliated by their infolence. Antipater deftroyed her orators, and fhe was facked by Demetrius. At length fhe became fubject to the all-powerful Romans, and found the cruel Sylla her feverest enemy. His face (which perhaps indicated his manners) was of a purple red, intermixed with white. This circumítance could not efcape the witty Athenians: they defcribed him in a verfe, and ridiculously faid, Sylla's face is a mulberry, sprinkled with meal. The devastations and carnage whic he caused foon after, gave them t much reafon to repent their farcaf The civil war between Cæfar : Pompey foon followed, and their tural love of liberty made them with Pompey. Here again they unfortunate, for Cælar conq But Cæfar did not tr Sylla. With that made foamiable a he difmiffed th to their inlluf ⚫ that he fpar of the dear Anoth this, the with / parti fak ing hear the raz Ing water a todd and blackhead. Tom now come down to breat " நண் fomach of an oftrich, there is not with the brules. E fall, and though the linge has the from the infot, throat without fame to digeft it; come on earth and com mossel presiwn his bafpheming jared up from the b would be bet's dangerous talk to latory mifcreant; and ferve in the morning me to fall go to his dinner with bis garden; there he does not meet a pendent coufin expects He then walks forth taro he may. If an humble plant, which his ill-h. 42 273. Dar does not meal at his table, be m fing the waips have pierced hisne Centaurs. After a me engraft with the bitter fruit of down to feed with The the infernal blackbirds here catch up in the decanting, he is fam conbutions upon his cabbages, and but the infernal barrier twines the caterpillars have railed and a glass of wine, whit ing thoughts, he calls in thofe of another perfon, no matter whomthe first idle author that stands next to his hand: he takes up a book; 'tis a volume of comedies; he opens it at random ; 'tis all alike to him where he begins; all our poets put together are not worth a halter; he ftumbles by mere chance upon The Choleric Man; 'twas one to a thousand he fhould ftrike upon that blafted play-What an infernal title! What a canting, preaching puppy of an author!-Away goes the poet with his play and half-a-dozen better poets than himself bound up in the fame luckless volume, the innocent fufferers for his offence. Tom now fits forlorn, difgufted, without a friend living or dead to cheer him, gnawing his own heart for want of other diet to feed his fpleen upon: At length he flinks into a com fortless bed; damns his fervant as he draws the curtains round him, drops asleep and dreams of the devil. if the celebrated Doctor JOHNSON, from "Gleanings, a work in two volumes, by the Rev. J. MOIR, will, table to our Readers. or SAMUEL JOHNSON. as urp ise a x X te, ila and ature. fions of virtuous intelligence as tended equally to clear the head and better the heart; and when his death, which had been fome time expected, was announced, the public regarded the melancholy event with a confternation or fenfibility fimilar to that of a family who has loft its head, or an army whofe general falls. It may be faid of Johnfon, as of moft men who outlive their cotemporaries, that the anecdotes of his juvenile days have heir perished with the companions of his youth. A Bofwell, a Piozzi, and other gleaners of oddity and imbecility, by grouping in one heterogeneous mafs the eccentricities of genius loaded with the frailties of age, and tottering under the accumulated decays of nature, exhibit him as a monster. The one has expofed him, like Swift when he had furvived his understanding, as a fhew to gratify licentious merriment ; and, in grofs violation of gratitude and friendship, brought contempt on talenta and qualities which notwithstandin ftill affects to adore. The other hor on y years. 5 life in t and denally meal and unenlightened he happinefs res, was con ag fuch effu F ! not want money, is not married, has great deal of health to spare, and neve once felt the flighteft twinge of the gout. His eyes no fooner open to the morning light than he begins to quarrel with the weather; it rains, and he wanted to ride; it is funfhine, and he meant to go a fishing; he would hunt only when it is a froft, and never thinks of fkaiting but in open weather; in fhort the wind is never in the right quarter with this tefty fellow; and though I could excufe a man for being a little out of humour with an easterly wind, Tom Tinder fhall box the whole compafs, and never fet his needle to a fingle point of good humour upon the face of it. He now rings his bell for his fervant to begin the operation of dreffing him; a tak more ticklish than to wait upon the toilette of a monkey: As Tom fhifts his fervants about as regularly as he does his fhirt, 'tis all the world to nothing if the poor devil does not ftumble at ftarting; or if by happy inspiration he fhould begin with the right foot foremost, Tom has another infpiration ready at command to quarrel with him for not fetting forward with the left: To a certainty then the razor wants strapping, the fhaving water is fmoaked, and the devil's in the fellow for a dunce, booby, and blockhead. Tom now comes down to breakfaft, and though the favage has the ftomach of an oftrich, there is not a morfel paffes down his blafpheming throat without a damn to digest it; 'twould be a lefs dangerous talk to ferve in the morning mess to a fafting bear. He then walks forth into his garden; there he does not meet plant, which his ill-humour do engraft with the bitter frait fing; the wafps have tarines; the cater contributions up the infernal bl h pi on ha far hot flo the thei rife! spee mou carp buil Here only idle have have and from with jured come latory go to hem Is e mating the real merit of the dlerent and masterly w: ter, it may mecellary to attend not so much to w be knew as to what he communicate Ham intimate friends could obta but a partial acquaintance with the fo mer, the pabac are in full poffeffion thea. It frems of very little co quence how the fountain is fupplied, w the fream preferves its fulness an ponty. The genius of Johnica, I whatever foarce he drew his inform whether his acquaintance with philof or phliningy was folid or fuperficia whether he was a man of science, or a mere lex cograph r, abounted with ghan on every subject which his attration. His writings are not reties, bet he often elucicares krouhige without obfcuring his tecanica phrafeology. How then thall the fcence of an who attaches himfeit to no particu be deceived To infer his hs character in ither defpife or -game át back-gammon: Tr on throws fize-ace, and in fhort, his ge-nore cafts covers all his poncholy and calevil's in the dice! Tomy earing fentenlot, and the parfon hits it; le man after man, all his p ll, and Tom is gammoned pa emption-Can felh and bloody he is c correct; and cule was gene- The ftrong conclufive afpect and ferocity of manner which accompanied the utterance of these words, from a poor author to a purfe- proud bookfeller, made a deep impreffion in Johnson's favour, and fecured him, perhaps, more refpect and civility in his fubfequent intercourfe with the trade than any other transaction of his life. Goldsmith, who hated the prudery of is? Was ever fuch a rudations of his Johnfon's morals, and affected to ridi he dice-box is flapt down wit angeance; the tables ring with. ies. Report, nim credit for cule the foppery of Hawkfworth's manners, yet warmly admired the genius of both, was in ufe to fay, among his ac afening crash, the par appear only quaintance, that Johnfon would have haft, and Tom tampa the f; the fecond fion! miferable dependant! phrenzy of pallion-Delpi Where is his next refourcef fe in the first, rfon has fled the pit; et inviolably mmon table is cloled; mode great variety ghbour knocks at his unloc ence and night and folitude elancholy inmates; his be m labours like a turpid fe Sinds are lulled; fhame f tag the face; confcience plu bart, and to divert his owar the following Chara&er of or, Fugitive Pieces," a ave prefume, be accepta T has lately become fahi characters of this fingula who have diftinguished ardustry or genius in morali bad, or letters, he has bee making ugh to ferve the purpose tunduble capacity. His exam Eftimulated his core hertion and perfeverance fallence. Pofterity will isha mixture of reven the copy of an off Draper Dryden bookfellers' unged away literary and acy and conto cultivate; and diftinclulation, and ately fond in the idea of work which and establish is much with to frequently ripts offered lished: but, happened to are Johnson with much fh you could fon thought fional man that he afhe was not he grofs im fuilen con in the prewho knew very incautieral opinion. indignation made a DECENT MONK, and Hawkfworth a GooD DANCING-MASTER. Johnson often took his revenge. He had farcafms at will for all perfons and all places. One evening these two wits were in company with a lady whom they were both in the habit of vifiting, and a Goldlarge affemblage of fine women. fmith, who was the moft aukward creature imaginable in fuch a fituation, overturned the tea-things as the fervant prefented him with his dish, He was speech lefs: and the ladies, after staring at each other, burst into a fit of laughter. Johnfon only continued grave; and, turning to the lady next him, "Madam," faid he, "can you tell how a man, who fhocks fo much in company, can give "fo many charms to his writings?" Johnfon is faid never to have forgiven a lady, then prefent, who affected to whisper in a voice loud enough to be heard through the whole room, "Thefe gen "tlemen publish fo much delicacy, that "they referve none for private ufe." But whatever may be thought of his genius, his fcience, or his wit, the benevolence, the seriousness, and the religious tendency of his moral productions, are eminent and inconteftible. He never made any attempt in historical compofition. In other walks of literature he had few fuperiors, and was, undoubtedly, one of the most popular authors of the prefent age. His regard for religion was facred and inviolable. Thofe virtues and qualities which adminifter to the decency and felicity of life derived from his pen pe Mannfelt: "you are culiar aid and illuftration. He was the e a queftion There and. If your have the bruis not my our aludent c de. friend and advocate of whatever enlarges, heightens, refines, or perfects, the happinefe of humanity. To this great and prevailing object all his labours had an immediate reference; and his whole life, in public and private, was confecrated to the welfare and the honour of the fpecies. |