ner, or the smith, is generally granted; but there is another race of beings equally obfcure and equally indigent, who, because their usefulness is lefs obvious to vulgar apprehenfions, live unrewarded and die unpitied, and who have been long expofed to infult without a defender, and to cenfure without an apologist. The authors of London were formerly computed by Swift at feveral thousands, and there is not any reafon for fufpecting that their number has decreased. Of these only a very few can be faid to produce, or endeavour to produce new ideas, to extend any principle of science, or gratify the ima gination with any uncommon train of images or contexture of events; the reft, however laborious, however arrogant, can only be confidered as the drudges of the pen, the manufacturers of literature, who have fet up for authors, either with or without a regular initiation, and, like other artificers, have no other care than to deliver their tale of wares at the flated time. It has been formerly imagined, that he who intends the entertainment or inflruction of others, muft feel in himself fome peculiar impulse of genius; that he must watch the happy minute in. which his natural fire is excited, in which his mind is elevated with nobler fentiments, enlightened with clearer views, and invigorated with ftronger comprehenfion; that he must carefully felect his thoughts and polish his expreffions; and animate his efforts with the hope of raising a mcnument of learning, which neither time nor envy fhall be able to destroy. But the authors whom I am now endeavouring to recommend have been too long hackneyed in the ways ways of men to indulge the chimerical ambition of immortality; they have feldom any claim to the trade of writing, but that they have tried fome other without fuccefs; they perceive no particular fummons to compofition, except the found of the clock; they have no other rule than the law or the fashion for admitting their thoughts or rejecting them; and about the opinion of pofterity they have little folicitude, for their productions are feldom intended to remain in the world longer than a week. That fuch authors are not to be rewarded with paife is evident, fince nothing can be admired when it ceafes to exift; but furely though they cannot afpire to honour, they may be exempted from ignominy, and adopted in that order of men which deferves our kindnefs, though not our reverence. Thefe papers of the day, the Ephemera of learning, have ufes more adequate to the purpofes of common life than more pompous and durable volumes. If it is neceffary for every man to be more acquainted with his contemporaries than with paft generations, and to rather know the events which may immediately affect his fortune or quiet, than the revolutions of ancient kingdoms, in which he has neither poffeffions nor expectations; if it be pleafing to hear of the preferment and difmiffion of ftatcfmen, the birth of heirs, and the marriage of beauties, the humble author of journals and gazettes must be confidered as a liberal difpenfer of beneficial knowledge. Even the abridger, compiler, and tranflator, though their labours cannot be ranked with those of the diurnal hiftoriographer, yet must not be rafhly doomed to annihilation. Every fize of read ers ers requires a genius of correspondent capacity; fome delight in abftracts and epitomes, because they want room in their memory for long details, and content themselves with effects, without enquiry after causes; fome minds are overpowered by fplendor of fentiment, as fome eyes are offended by a glaring light; fuch will gladly contemplate an author in an humble imitation, as we look without pain upon the fun in the water. As every writer has his ufe, every writer ought to have his patrons; and fince no man, however high he may now ftand, can be certain that he shall not be foon thrown down from his elevation by criticism or caprice, the common intereft of learning requires that her fons fhould ceafe from inteftine hoftilities,, and instead of facrificing each other to malice and contempt, endeavour to avert perfecution from the meanest of their fraternity. NUMB. 146. SATURDAY, August 10, 1751. Sunt illic dus, trefve, qui revoluant Noftrarum tineas ineptiarum: "Tis impoffible that one or two MART. F. LEWIS NONE of the projects or defigns which exercife the mind of man are equally fubject to obftructions and difappointments with the purfuit of fame. Riches cannot easily be denied to them who who have fomething of greater value to offer in exchange; he whofe fortune is endangered by litigation, will not refuse to augment the wealth of the lawyer; he whofe days are darkened by languor, or whofe nerves are excruciated by pain, is compelled to pay tribute to the fcience of healing. But praise may be always omitted without inconvenience. When once a man has made celebrity neceflary to his happiness, he has put it in the power of the weakest and moft timorous malignity, if not to take away his fatisfaction, at least to withhold it. His enemies may indulge their pride by airy negligence, and gratify their malice by quiet neutrality. They that could never have injured a character by invectives, may combine to annihilate it by filence; as the women of Rome threatened to put an end to conqueft and dominion, by supplying no children to the commonwealth. When a writer has with long toil produced a work intended to burft upon mankind with unexpected luftre, and withdraw the attention of the learned world from every other controverfy or enquiry, he is feldom contented to wait long without the enjoyment of his new praifes. With an imagination full of his own importance, he walks out like a monarch in disguise, to learn the various opinions of his readers. Prepared to feast upon admiration; compofed to encounter cenfures without emotion; and determined not to fuffer his quiet to be injured by a fenfibility too exquifite of praife or blame, but to laugh with equal contempt at vain objections and injudicious commendations, he enters the places of mingled converfation, fits down to his tea in an obfcure corner, and while he appears to examine a file of antiquated jour nals, nals, catches the converfation of the whole room. He liftens, but hears no mention of his book, and therefore supposes that he has disappointed his curiofity by delay; and that as men of learning would naturally begin their converfation with fuch a wonderful novelty, they had digreffed to other fubjects before his arrival. The company difperfes, and their places are fupplied by others equally ignorant, or equally carelefs. The fame expectation hurries him to another place, from which the fame difappointment drives him foon away. His inpatience then grows violent and tumultuous; he ranges over the town with reftlefs curiofity, and hears in one quarter of a cricket-match, in another of a pick-pocket; is told by fome of an unexpected bankruptcy, by others of a turtle feaft; is fometimes provoked by importunate enquiries after the white bear, and fometimes with praifes of the dancing dog; he is afterwards entreated to give his judgment upon a wager about the height of the Monument; invited to see a foot-race in the adjacent villages; defired to read a ludicrous advertisment; or confulted about the most effectual method of making enquiry after a favourite cat. The whole world is bufied in affairs, which he thinks below the notice of reasonable creatures, and which are nevertheless fufficient to withdraw all regard from his labours and his merits. He refolves at last to violate his own modefty, and to recal the talkers from their folly by an enquiry after himself. He finds every one provided with an answer; one has feen the work advertised, but never met with any that had read it; another has been fo often impofed upon by fpecious M 2 |