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After having fpoken thus freely (and I hope justly) of the French tongue, it will be a grofs affront to our own, fhould I draw any parallel between them. The Englifh profe, fuch I mean as is made ufe of in converfation, is admirably adapted to exprefs the fentiments of brave, fenfible, fincere people, in a refolute, determinate, and open manner. The pronunciation from a good voice is mufical and manly, and can yeild to nothing in harmony, except the poetry of it. The English heroic verfe is an iambic measure of five feet, and in tragedy we have fometimes a perfect iambic of fix feet. As,

I fuatch'd the glorious golden opportunity.

The fame as,

Beatus ille qui procul negotiis. The iambic, though ufed by the Latin tragedians, is too quick a meafare for the purpose. But the Englih tongue, abounding more with monofyilables and confonants, adds a weight and dignity to the fpirit of the measure; fo that, upon the whole, it is extremely animated and majestic.

Hail, Energeia! hail, my native tongue,

Concifely full, and mufically strong!

Thou, with the pencil, hold'ft a glorious ftrife,

And paint'ft the paffions greater than the life:

In thunders now tremendously ar ray'd, Now foft as murmurs of the melting maid:

Now piercing loud, and as the clarion clear,

And now refounding rough to rouse the ear;

Now quick as lightning in its rapid flow,

Now, in its fiately march, magnificently flow.

Hail, Energeia! hail, my native tongue, Concifely full, and mufically ftrong! Thou, with the pencil, hold'st a glorious ftrife,

And paint'ft the paffions greater

than the life.

The effects of habitual mifery exemplified in the life of a difabled foldier

O obfervation is more com

Nmon, 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 others fympathifing with their diftrefs; and have, at once, the comfort of admiration and pity.

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There is nothing magnanimous in bearing misfortunes with fortitude when the whole world is 03

look

looking on men in fuch circumftances 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 og courtier, he deferves admiration, and thould be held up for our imitation and refpect.

While the flightest inconveniencies of the great are magnified into calamities: while tragedy mouths out their fufferings in all the trains of elequence, the miferies of the poor are entirely difregarded; and yet fome of the lower rank of people undergo more real hardfhips in one day, than thole of a more exalted fiation fuffer in their whole lives. It is inconceivable what difficulties the me-neft of our common foldiers and failors endure without murmuring or regret; without paflionately declaiming a gainft Providence, or calling their fellows to be gazers on their intrepidity. Every day is to them a day of mifery, and yet they entertain their hard fate without repining.

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With what indignation do I hear an Ovid, a Cicero, or a Rabutin, complain of their misfortunes and hardflips, whole greateft calamity was that of being unable to vifit certain spot of earth, to which they had foolibly attached an idea of happiness. Their diftreffes were pleafures, compared to what many of the adventuring poor every day endure without murmuring. They eat, drank, and flept; they had flaves to attend them, and were fure of fubfiftence for life; while many of

their fellow-creatures are obliged to wander, without a friend to comfort or affift them, and even without a fhelter from the feverity of the featon.

I have been led into these reflections from accidentally meeting, fome days ago, a poor fellow whom I knew when a boy, dressed in a failor's jacket, and begging at one of the outlets of the town, with a wooden leg. I knew him to be honest and induftrious when in the country, and was curious to learn what had reduced him to his prefent fituation. Wherefore, after giving him what I thought proper, I defired to know the hiftory of his life and misfortunes, and the manner in which he was reduced to his prefent diftrefs. The difabled foldier, for fuch he was, though dreffed in a failor's habit, feratching his head, and leaning on his crutch, put himlelf into an attitude to comply with my requeft, and gave me his hiftory as follows:

"As for my misfortunes, mafter, I can't pretend to have gone thro any more than other folks; for except the lofs of my limb, and my being obliged to beg, i don't know any reafon, thank Heaven, that I have to complain; there is Bill Tibbs, of our regiment, he has loft both his legs, and an eye to boot; but, thank Heaven, it is not to bad with me yet.

"I was born in Stropfhire, my father was a labourer, and died when I was five years old; to I was put upon the parifh. As he had been a wandering fort of a man, the parishioners were not able to tell to what parish I belonged, or where I was born, fo they fent me to another parish, and

that

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that pari fent me to a third. I thought in my heart they kept fending me about fo long, that they would not let me be born in any parish at all; but, at laft, however, they fixed me. I had fome difpofition to be a fcholar, and was refolved, at leaft, to know my letters; but the maller of the workhoufe put me to bufinefs as foon as I was able to handle a mallet; and here I lived an eafy kind of life, for five years. I only wrought ten hours in the day, and had my meat and drink provided for my labour. It is true, I was not fuffered to stir out of the houfe, for fear, as they faid, I fhould run away: but what of that? I had the liberty of the whole houfe, and the yard before the door, and that was enough for me. I was then bound out to a farmer, where I was up both early and late; but I eat and drank well, and liked my bufinefs well enough till he died, when I was obliged to provide for myfelf: to I was refolved to go and feck my fortune.

"In this manner I went from town to town, worked when I could get employment, and ftarved when I could get none: when happening one day to go through a field belonging to a juftice of peace, I fpied a hare crotting the path juft before me; and I believe the devil put it in my head to fling my flick at it well, what will you have on't? I killed the hare, and was bringing it away in triumph, when the juftice himself met me: he called me a poacher and a villain; ring me, delired I would account of myfelf; I tell knees, begged his worupon my on, and began to give a hip's pardt of all that I knew of full accoun

and

give an

my breed, feed, and generation'; but, though I gave a very good account, the juftice would not be.. lieve a fyilable I had to fay; lo I was indicted at feffions, found guilty of being poor, and fent up to London to Newgate, in order to be tranfported as a vagabond.

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People may fay this and that of being in jail; but for my part, I found Newgate as agreeable a place as ever I was in all my life.. I had my belly-full to eat and drink, and did no work at all. kind of life was too good to laft for ever; fo I was taken out of prifon, after five months, put on board a fhip, and fent off, with two hundred more, to the Plantations. We had but an indifferent paffage; for, being all confined in the hold, more than a hundred of our people died for want of fweet air; and thofe that remained were fickly enough, God knows. When we came afhore, we were fold to the planters, and I was bound for feven years more. As I was no fcholar, for I did not know my letters, I was obliged to work among the negroes; and I ferved out my time, as in duty bound to do.

"When my time was expired, I worked my paffage home, and glad I was to fee Old England again, becaufe I loved my country. I was afraid, however, that I fhould be indicted for a vagabond once more, fo did not much care to go down into the country, but kept about the town, and did little jobs when I could get them.

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I was very happy in this manner for fome time, till one evening coming home from work, two men knocked me down, and then defired me to find. They be longed

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longed to a prefs-gang; I was carried before the juftice, and as I could give no account of myfelf, I had my choice left, whether to go on board a man of war, or lift for a foldier. I chofe the latter; and in this poft of a gentleman, I ferved two campaigns in Flanders, was at the battles of Val and Fontenoy, and received but one wound, through the breaft here; but the doctor of our regiment foon made me well rgain.

"When the peace came on, I was difcharged; and, as I could not work, because my wound was fometimes troublefome, I lifted for a landman in the Eaft-India company's fervice. I here fought the French in fix pitched battles; and I verily believe, that, if I could read or write, our Captain would have made me a corporal. But it was not my good fortune to have any promotion; for I foon fell fick, and fo got leave to return home again with 401. in my pocket. This was at the beginning of the Jate war, and I hoped to be fet on fhore, and to have the pleasure of fpending my money; but the government wanted men, and fo I was prefled for a failor before ever I could fet foot on fhore,

"The boatswain found me, as he faid, an obftinate fellow; he fwore he knew that I understood my bufinets well, but that I fhammed Abraham, merely to be idle; but God knows, I knew nothing of fea-bufinefs, and he beat me, without confidering what he was about. I had ftill, however, my forty pounds, and that was fome comfort to me under every beating; and the money I might have had to this day, but that our hip was

taken by the French, and fo I loft all.

"Our crew was carried into Breft, and many of them died, becaule they were not used to live in a jail; but, for my part, it was nothing to me, for I was feafoned. One night, as I was fleeping on the bed of boards, with a warm blanket about me, (for I always loved to lie well) I was awakened by the boatswain, who had a dark lanthorn in his hand: "Jack," fays he to me, "Will you knock out the French centry's brains?" I don't care, fays I, ftriving to keep myself awake, if I lend a hand. "Then follow me," fays he," and I hope we fhall do bufinefs." So up I got, and tied my blanket, which was all the cloaths I had, about my middle, and went with him to fight the Frenchmen. I hate the French, because they are all flaves, and wear wooden fhoes.

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Though we had no arms, one Englishman is able to beat five French at any time: fo we went down to the door, where both centries were pofted, and rubed upon them, feized their arms in a moment, and knocked them down, From thence nine of us ran toge ther 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 confented to run our chance. However, we had not as much luck as we expected. In three days we fell in with the Pompadour priva teer, of forty guns, while we had but twenty-three; to to it we went, yard-arm and yard-arm,

The

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The fight lafted for three hours, and I verily believe we should have taken the Frenchman, had we but had fome more men left behind; but unfortunately, we loft all our men, juft as the were going to get

the victory.

"I was once more in the power of the French, and I believe it would have gone hard with me, had I been brought back to Breft: but, by good fortune, we were retaken by the Viper. I had almoft forgot to tell you, that, in that engagement, I was wounded in two places: I lott four fingers of the left hand, and my leg was fhot off. If I had had the good fortune to have loft my leg, and ufe of my hand, on board a King's ship, and not aboard a privateer, I fhould have been intitled to cloathing and maintenance, during the rest of my life; but that was not my chance: one man is born with a filver fpoon in his mouth, and another with a wooden ladle. However, bleffed be God, I enjoy good health, and will for ever love liberty and Old England. Liberty, property, and Old England, for ever, huzza!"

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 defpile it.

Copy of a letter from the Duchefs of Cleveland, to King Charles II. taken from an hiftorical and critical account of the life of Charles H.

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Paris, Tuesday the 28.-78. alle life time as I was at my Was never so surprised in my

coming hither, to find my Lady
Suffex gone from my houfe and
monaftery, where I left her, and
this letter from her, which I here
fend you the copy of. I never in
my holle life time heard of fuch
government of herself as fhe has
had, fince I went into England.
She has never been in the monaftery
two days together, but every day
gone out with the ambaffador *
and has often lain four days toge
ther at my house, and fent for her
meat to the ambassador, he being
always with her till five o'clock in
the morning, they two fhut up to-
gether alone, and would not let
my maiftre d'hotel wait, nor any
of my fervants, only the ambafla-
dor's. This has made fo great a
noife at Paris, that he is now the
holle difcourfe. I am fo much af-
flicted, that I can hardly write this
for crying, to fee a child that I
doated on, as I did on her, fhould
make me fo ill a return, and join
with the worft of men to ruin me.
For fure never malice was like the
ambassador's, that only because I
would not anfwer to his love, and
the importunities he made to me,
was refolved to ruin me. I hope
your majefty will yet have that
juftice and confideration for me,
that though I have done a foolish
action, you will not let me be
ruined by this most abominable
man.
I do confefs to you, that I

• Ralph Montague,- afterwards Duke of Montague.

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