other two men to influence the course of events, and to occupy the minds of the thinking multitude; and yet it is of such men that Johnson has to record "From Marlborough's eyes the streams of dotage flow, And Swift expires, a driv'ler and a show." Sad-humiliating end of all their greatness! Who can think of such decay without a shudder, and a sickness of the heart? The observation of the decay of the bodily machine, in comparison with this, affects us not. It is the certain fate of material substance, however nicely brought together, to wear out by action. They who had never seen a man grow old, might have prophesied bodily decay from a mere study of analogies. But we know not why the mind should fail similarly, and, when it does so, we are struck with the most fearful apprehension, not unmingled with a sympathetic sense of degradation. It seems as if the dignity of our nature were visibly prostrated before us, and made subject to the laws which govern mechanical agency-the agency of things made of wood, and iron, and stone. Grief, fear, and shame overwhelm us at the contemplation of a great mind fallen from its high estate, and grovelling in dust and darkness. It is more than even the firmest nerves can bear without a shock. But who can fathom the reasons of these exceptions, in some illustrious instances, to the general course of mind as compared with matter? No man. Let us consider of the thousands upon thousands of instances where, in spite of bodily wear and tear, of fatigue and illness, the mind still retains its energy, and, escaping from the control of the passions, rises to a greater height of reasoning and judgment. How greatly did Johnson's own mind sustain itself to the last of a long life. Him we may contrast with Swift, and, if we want a similar contrast with Marlborough, let us take the great Captain of our own time, of whom Sir Robert Peel has so recently said, when speaking of the eminent men with whom he has acted and continues to act, Above all, I shall retain the confidenceI shall retain the satisfaction and the distinction of cooperating with that illustrious man by whose right hand I have stood in the conflicts which have been fought for the last twelve years, and who now, with faculties unimpaired by advancing years, is proving that the same qualities which raised him to the highest pitch of military glory-that fortitude, perseverance, simplicity of mind, the love of justice and the sense of duty-qualities' rare in their separate excellence and wonderful in their combination' 66 * * In the House of Commons, February 1840. still distinguish him in his civil life, and show that as a statesman his reputation is not inferior to that which he has achieved as a warrior." Such a glowing description as this cheers and elevates the mind, after the depression which the reminiscence of the fate of Marlborough and of Swift is so likely to occasion. INDEX. ABROAD, mode of living, 287-290 Agitation, political, 313 Adversity, 187-194 Alms-giving, a duty of religion, 246 Arithmetical mistake in dressing, 12 Bacon, Lord, quoted, 176, 177 Bampton Lectures, of 1817, 220 1838, 215 Beauty and Plainness, 230-236 Beaumont, de, notice of his book on Ireland, 126 Belgium, travelling in, 102 Biography and History distinguished, 26-28 Blackstone on country squires and parks, 29-31 Boldness, 176-179 Bonnets, 10 Bulwer, on tails, 143 Burke, Edmund, his kindness to Mr. Crabbe, 56-60 Burnet, Bishop, on Charity and Moderation, 332 Cassius, Shakespeare's character of, 118 Cavillers, verbal, 120—123 Causality, 136-142 Caution, too much of it, 147, 148 Cheerfulness, 204 Church, the, 215-217 Church congregations in London, 262 Cicero, on historical ignorance, 146 Civility, 179-187 Coleridge, S. T., lines by, 41 remarks on Shakespeare, 160 Coleridge, H., on History and Biography, 26-28 Collins, his ode to simplicity quoted, 204 Commerce and Taste, 33 Competence, 195-200 Continental excursions, 100-108 Connaught, tour in, noticed, 129 extracts from, 130-136 Contemplation, 150-153 Contentedness, 161-166 the true philosophy of, 162 distinguished from carelessness, 165 Contrast, necessary to enjoyment, 189 Country Squires, 29, 30 Cowper, his poem on friendship, 88-90 on knowledge-seekers, 257-260 his experience in a great house, 328 Cruelty to animals, 123–126 Criticism, literary, 225-230 moderation in, should be consistent with honesty, anger against, when it is sincere, 332, 333 Curls and no curls, 7 Cunning, 295, 296 Danton and Lord Bacon, 177 note Decay of the mind, 333 Despotism of individuals, 22 of the law, 22 Detraction of disappointed sycophants, 285 Dress, remarks upon, 5-13 Dramatic Poetry, 91-99 Drunkenness, 63-70, 292 Dryden and Dr. Johnson, 218 verses quoted, 219-222, 224 |