7 disasters, to which the life of man is expofed; in cafes of this nature, Eucrate was the patron; • and enjoyed this part of the royal favour so much without being envied, that it was never inquired • into by whose means, what no one elfe cared for doing, was brought about. 'One evening when Pharamond came into the apartment of Eucrate, he found him extremely dejected; upon which he asked (with a fmile • which was natural to him) What, is there any one too miferable to be relieved by Pharamond, "that Eucrate is melancholy?" " I fear there is, " answered the favourite; a person without, of a good air, well dressed, and though a man in the strength of his life, seems to faint under some inconfolable calamity: All his features seem fuf" fufed with agony of mind; but I can observe in "him, that it is more inclined to break away in 66 tears than rage. I asked him what he would have; he faid, he would fpeak to Pharamond. " I defired his business; he could hardly say to me, "Eucrate, carry me to the king, my story is not to be told twice; I fear I shall not be able to fpeak it at all." Pharamond commanded Eucrate to let him enter; he did fo, and the gentleman approached the king with an air which spoke 'him under the greatest concern in what manner ' to demean himself. The king, who had a quick 'difcerning, relieved him from the oppreffion he was under; and, with the most beautiful complacency, faid to him, "Sir, do not add to that "load of forrow I fee in your countenance the awe " of my prefence: Think you are speaking to 66 your friend; if the circumstances of your distress " will admit of it, you shall find me fo." Το • whom the stranger: "Oh, excellent Pharamond, 66 name not a friend to the unfortunate Spinamont. "I had one, but he is dead by my own hand; but, "oh Pharamond, though it was by the hand of B 2 "Spinamont, 1 66 66 Spinamont, it was by the guilt of Pharamond, I come not, oh excellent prince, to implore your pardon; I come to relate my forrow, a forrow too great for human life to fupport: From henceforth shall all occurrences appear dreams or fhort intervals of amusement, from this one affliction which has feized my very being: Pardon me, oh Pharamond, if my griefs give me " leave, that I lay before you, in the anguish of a wounded mind, that you, good as you are, are guilty of the generous blood spilt this day by this unhappy hand: Oh that it had perished before that instant!" Here the stranger paused, and recollecting his mind, after some little medita'tion, he went on, in a calmer tone and gefture, as 'follows. 6.6 66 ، "There is an authority due to distress, and as none " of human race is above the reach of forrow, none should be above the hearing the voice of it: "I am fure Pharamond is not. Know then, that I ،، have this morning unfortunately killed in a duel "the man whom of all men living I most loved. " I command myself too much in your royal prefence, to fay, Pharamond, give me my friend! Pharamond has taken him from me! I will not fay, shall the merciful Pharamond destroy his own fubjects? Will the father of his country "murder his people? But, the merciful Pharamond "does destroy his fubjects, the father of his country does murder his people. Fortune is so much the pursuit of mankind, that all glory and honour is in the power of a prince, because he has the distribution of their fortunes. It is there"fore the inadvertency, negligence, or guilt of princes, to let any thing grow into custom which " is against their laws. A court can make fashion and duty walk together; it can never, without "the guilt of a court, happen, that it shall not "be unfashionable to do what is unlawful. But, "alas! "alas! in the dominions of Pharamond, by the "force of a tyrant custom, which is mifnamed a 66 point of honour, the duellist kills his friend "whom he loves; and the judge condemns the duellist, while he approves his behaviour. Shame " is the greatest of all evils; what avail laws, when "death only attends the breach of them, and "shame obedience to them? As for me, oh Pha ramond, were it poffible to describe the nameless "kind of compunctions and tendernesses I feel, "when I reflect upon the little accidents in our 66 former familiarity, my mind swells into forrow which cannot be refifted enough to be filent in "the prefence of Pharamond." (With that he fell into a flood of tears, and wept aloud.) Why " should not Pharamond hear the anguish he only 66 can relieve others from in time to come? Let " him hear from me, what they feel who have given death by the false mercy of his administra" tion, and form to himself the vengeance called " for by those who have perished by his negligence." B No 85. THURSDAY, JUNE 7. Interdum fpeciofa locis, morataque rectè Hor. Ars Poet. ver. 319. Sometimes in rough and undigested plays ROSCOMMON. IT is the custom of the Mahometans, if they fee any printed or written paper upon the ground, to take it up and lay it afide carefully, as not knowing but it may contain fome piece of their Alcoran. I must confess I have fo much of the Mussulman in me, that I cannot forbear looking into every printed paper which comes in my way, under whatfoever defpicable circumstances it may appear; for as no mortal author, in the ordinary fate and viciffitude of things, knows to what use his work may, fome time or other, be applied, a man may often meet with very celebrated names in a paper of tobacco. I have lighted my pipe more than once with the writings of a prelate; and know a friend of mine, who, for these several years, has converted the essays of a man of quality into a kind of fringe for his candlesticks. I remember, in particular, after having read over a poem of an eminent author on a victory, I met with feveral fragments of it upon the next rejoicing day, which had been employed in squibs and crackers, and by that means celebrated its fubject in a double capacity. I once met with a page of Mr. Baxter under a Christmas-pye. Whether or no the pastry-cook had made use of it through chance or waggery, for the defence of that fuperftitious viande, I know not; but, upon the perusal of it, I conceived so good an idea of the author's piety, that I bought the whole book. I have often profited by these accidental readings, and have sometimes found very curious pieces, that are either out of print, or not to be met with in the shops of our London booksellers. For this reason, when my friends take a furvey of my library, they are very much surprised to find, upon the shelf of folios, two long band-boxes ftanding upright among my books, till I let them fee that they are both of them lined with deep erudition and abstruse literature. I might likewife mention a paper-kite, from which I have received great improvement; and a hat-cafe, which I would not exchange for all the beavers in Great Britain. This my inquisitive tem per, or rather impertinent humour of prying into all forts of writing, with my natural averfion to loquacity, give me a good deal of employment when I enter any house in the country; for I cannot for my heart leave a room, before I have thoroughly studied the walls of it, and examined the several printed papers which are usually pafted upon them. The last piece that I met with upon this occafion gave me a most exquifite pleasure. My reader will think I am not ferious, when I acquaint him that the piece I am going to speak of was the old ballad of The Two Children in the Wood, which is one of the darling fongs of the common people, and has been the delight of most Englishmen in fome part of their age. |