little intelligence; for the incidents which give excellence to biography are of a volatile and evanefcent kind, fuch as foon escape the memory, and are rarely tranfmitted by tradition. We know how few can pourtray a living acquaintance, except by his most prominent and obfervable particularities, and the groffer features of his mind; and it may be easily imagined how much of this little knowledge may be loft in imparting it, and how foon a fucceffion of copies will lofe all resemblance of the original. If the biographer writes from perfonal knowledge, and makes hafte to gratify the publick curiofity, there is danger left his intereft, his fear, his gratitude, or his tenderness, overpower his fidelity, and tempt him to conceal, if not to invent. There are many who think it an act of piety to hide the faults or failings of their friends, even when they can no longer fuffer by their detection; we therefore fee whole ranks of characters adorned with uniform panegyrick, and not to be known from one another, but by extrinfick and cafual circumstances. "Let me remember," fays Hale, "when I find myself inclined to pity a crimi"nal, that there is likewife a pity due to the coun"try." If we owe regard to the memory of the dead, there is yet more refpect to be paid to knowledge, to virtue, and to truth. I NUMB. 61. TUESDAY, October 16, 1750. Falfus bonor juvat, et mendax infamia terret Falfe praise can charm, unreal shame controul SIR, To the RAMBLER. HOR. FRANCIS. T is extremely vexatious to a man of eager and thirsty curiofity to be placed at a great diftance from the fountain of intelligence, and not only never to receive the current of report till it has fatiated the greateft part of the nation, but at laft to find it mudded in its course, and corrupted with taints or mixtures from every channel through which it flowed. One of the chief pleasures of my life is to hear what paffes in the world, to know what are the fchemes of the politick, the aims of the bufy, and the hopes of the ambitious; what changes of publick measures are approaching; who is likely to be crushed in the collifion of parties; who is climbing to the top of power, and who is tottering on the precipice of difgrace. But as it is very common for us to defire most what we are least qualified to obtain, I have fuffered this appetite of news to outgrow all the gratifications which my present fituation can afford it; for being placed in a remote country, I am condemned always to confound the future with the past, Cc 2 to to form prognoftications of events no longer doubtful, and to confider the expediency of schemes already executed or defeated. I am perplexed with a perpetual deception in my prospects, like a man pointing his telescope at a remote ftar, which before the light reaches his eye has forfaken the place from which it was emitted. The mortification of being thus always behind the active world in my reflections and discoveries, is exceedingly aggravated by the petulance of those whose health, or bufinefs, or pleasure, brings them hither from London. For, without confidering the infuperable difadvantages of my condition, and the unavoidable ignorance which absence must produce, they often treat me with the utmoft fupercilioufnefs of contempt, for not knowing what no human fagacity can discover; and fometimes feem to confider me as a wretch fcarcely worthy of human converse, when I happen to talk of the fortune of a bankrupt, or propofe the healths of the dead, when I warn them of mischiefs already incurred, or wish for measures that have been lately taken. They seem to attribute to the fuperiority of their intellects what they only owe to the accident of their condition, and think themselves indifputably intitled to airs of infolence and authority, when they find another ignorant of facts, which because they echoed in the ftreets of London, they fuppofe equally publick in all other places, and known where they could neither be seen, related, nor conjectured. To this haughtiness they are indeed too much encouraged by the respect which they receive amongst us, for no other reafon than that they come from London. London. For no fooner is the arrival of one of these diffeminators of knowledge known in the country, than we crowd about him from every quarter, and by innumerable enquiries flatter him into an opinion of his own importance, He fees himself furrounded by multitudes, who propose their doubts, and refer their controverfies, to him, as to a being defcended from fome nobler region, and he grows on a fudden oraculous and infallible, folves all difficulties, and fets all objections at defiance. There is, in my opinion, great reafon for fufpecting, that they fometimes take advantage of this reverential modefty, and impofe upon ruftick underftandings with a falfe fhow of univerfal intelligence; for I do not find that they are willing to own themfelves ignorant of any thing, or that they difmifs any enquirer with a pofitive and decifive answer. The court, the city, the park, and exchange, are to those men of unbounded obfervation equally familiar, and they are alike ready to tell the hour at which stocks will rife, or the miniftry be changed. A fhort refidence at London entitles a man to knowledge, to wit, to politeness, and to a defpotick and dictatorial power of prefcribing to the rude multitude, whom he condescends to honour with a biennial vifit; yet, I know not well upon what motives, I have lately found myself inclined to cavil at this prefcription, and to doubt whether it be not, on fome occafions, proper to withhold our veneration, till we are more authentically convinced of the merits of the claimant. It is well remembered here, that, about seven years ago, one Frolick, a tall boy, with lank hair, remark No 61. able for stealing eggs, and fucking them, was taken from the school in this parish, and fent up to London to study the law. As he had given amongst us no proofs of a genius defigned by nature for extraordinary performances, he was, from the time of his departure, totally forgotten, nor was there any talk of his vices or virtues, his good or his ill fortune, till last summer a report burst upon us, that Mr. Frolick was come down in the first post-chaise which this village had seen, having travelled with fuch rapidity that one of his postillions had broke his leg, and another narrowly escaped fuffocation in a quickfand. But that Mr. Frolick feemed totally unconcerned, for fuch things were never heeded at London. Mr. Frolick next day appeared among the gentlemen at their weekly meeting on the bowling-green, and now were feen the effects of a London education. His drefs, his language, his ideas, were all new, and he did not much endeavour to conceal his contempt of every thing that differed from the opinions, or practice, of the modifh world. He fhewed us the deformity of our fkirts and fleeves, informed us where hats of the proper fize were to be fold, and recommended to us the reformation of a thousand abfurdities in our clothes, our cookery, and our converfation. When any of his phrafes were unintelligible, he could not furprefs the joy of confeffed fuperiority, but frequently delayed the explanation, that he might enjoy his triumph over our barbarity. When he is pleafed to entertain us with a ftory, he takes care to crowd into it names of streets, fquares, and buildings, with which he knows we are unacquainted. The favourite topicks of his difcourfe |