captain Winterbottom arrived. No leffons to day, roared he; This is my lady's wedding day, and therefore, we keep holyday, and we come for to be merry. Why, you young dog, if it had not been for this day, you would either have not been at all, or have been a baftard.' -It was indeed a day of feftivity and riot. Thurfday. All the fervants having dutifully got drunk over night, my pupil was not called, and fo he overslept himself. He came down to the parlour about eleven, and we refumed the fatal first line of the tenth fatyre of Juvenal. The French mafter is here,' fiid a fervant. I begged that he might return in about an hour; but I foon learned that that was impoffible, without deranging the fiftem of education in all parts of the city. It is no great matter for an hour,' faid Mifs Juliana, you have always my nephew at your command; but poor Signor Bergamefco is much hurried, and his time is not his own. Signor Bergamefco, cried I, is your French mafter an Italian? Yes,' faid fhe, of a noble family in the dominions of the Doge of Venice, but a younger brother, with a small patrimony, which he unfortunately confumed en travaillant par l' Europe. It was a fancy of my own. Ithought that, after the Signor had taught my nephew French, he might teach him Italian alfo; for you know that it is a great lofs to change preceptors, and that young men, who have not feen much of the world, are fhy with firangers.' The task impofed on my pupil by Signor Bergamefco occupied all his leifure till dianer-time; but I thought that I should have the abfolute command of the even ing. I was beginning to read, Omnibus in teris, when a fervant faid, Here is the French mafter.' What,' cried I, 'can Signor Bergamefco, who is fo much hur ed, afford to give two leffons in one day to the fame scholar? It is another had just taken his leave, when a smart young fellow burit into the room, with an air of much hurry and importance.— What,' cried I, more French mafters?" 'Don't be alarmed,' faid Mrs. Flint, who accompanied him; it is only the Frifeur, who comes to put up my boy's hair in papers. Pray don't ask me why, for it is a great fecret; but you shall know it all to morrow. Friday. You must know, faid Mrs. Flint at breakfaft. that I am affured that Jemmy is very like the count de Provence, the king of France's own brother. Now Jemmy is fitting for his picture to Martin; and I thought it would be right to get the frifear, whom you faw laft night (he is juft arrived from Paris) to drefs his hair like the count de Provence's, that Mr. Martin might make the refemblance more complete. Jemmy has been under his hands fince feven o'clock.-Oh, here he comes.' Is it not charmang? exclaimed Mifs Juliana. I with Miss Punaise saw you, added the happy mother. My pupil, loft in the labyrinth of crofs curls, feemed to look about for himself. What a powdered fheep's-head have we got here ?' cried captain Winterbottom.-We all went to Mr. Martin's to affist him in drawing Jemmy's picture. On our return, Mrs. Flint difcovered that her fon had got an inflammation in his right eye, by looking ftedfaftly on the painter. She ordered a poultice of bread and milk, and put him to bed; fo there was no more talk of Omnibus in terris' for that evening. Saturday. My pupil came down to breakfast in a complete fuit of black, with weepers, and Provence's curls were all demolished, and a long mourning cravat. The count de there remained not a vestige of powder on the matter? Oh, nothing,' faid Mrs. his hair. Bless me,' cried I, what is Flint; a relation of mine is to be interal letter. We ought to acknowledge our red at twelve, and Jemmy has got a buri friends on fuch melancholy occafions. I mean to fend Jemmy with the coach and fix. It will teach him how to behave himfelf in public places.' French mafter, whom they have got for ne, faid my pupil. I applied to Mifs Juiana for the explanation of this phænometon. It was none of my advising,' said he; but my brother knew Mr. O'Calachan when linguift to commodore Firerace, and he wished to throw a good job ment delire to go to the play. There is At dinner, my pupil expreffed a vehen the poor fellow's way; these were his tery words; and fo Mr. O'Callachan came to be Harlequin Highlander, and the bato be employed: but indeed, after recol- tle between Rodney and de Graffe,' faid ection, I thought it would anfwer well he; it will be vaftly comical and curienough, as both mafters taught by the ame grammar, and both of them read Telemac. The linguift of commodore Firebrace ous. Why, Jemmy,' faid Mrs. Flint, tutor will have no objection; but be fure fince this is Saturday, I fuppofe your to put on your great coat, and to take a chair in coming home. Ithought,' fid I, I,' that we might have made some progrefs at our books this evening.' Books on Saturday afternoon,' cried the whole company, it was never heard of. I yielded to conviction; for, indeed, it would have been very unreasonable to expect, that he who had spent the whole week in idleness, fhould begin to apply himself to his ftudies on the evening of Saturday. Story of one Thomas Bell, a native of North America. HIS man was usually called Tom Bell, a name given him, as I fuppolc, from his perfon and practices, being made familiar through every province in that country, and fome of the islands. This man had no other than the common fchool education that country afforded; and as far as that could help him, with much reading, and a very extenfive memory, he was a good fcholar, and a man of genteel addrefs, and of very infinuating manners, fo much fo, that there was fearce a gentleman of education and fortune in each province, who fell in his way, who had not fuffered by his frauds and impofitions. His mode was, to affume the name, relationship, or intimacy, with fome gentleman or family of fome diftant province, with which there was at that time but little intimacy, except by fea, and that in the commercial line. Things being thus fituated, Tom took advantage of the general hofpitality which then prevailed through most of the provinces, to infinuate himself into the good graces of families of respect; and when once introduced, by his engaging manner and fenfible converfation, he not only procured genteel and friendly entertainment, but took care to learn the names, places, connections and fituations of all thofe in the neighbourhood, but alfo of thofe of the adjoining province. Thus furnished with a general key, no door or purfe was fhut against him, until he had impofed on, or defrauded, almost every gentleman of hofpitality in each province. At laft his manoeuvres were fo well known, that, at about fifty years of age, he turned his thoughts to obtain an honeft livelihood, by fetting up a school at Edenton in North Carolina, where fchool-mafters were then fcarce; and in order to recommend himfelf, he advertised his intention in a Virginia paper, printed at Williamsburg, to the following purport: "That, as he had feen a great deal of life, and of the world, and unfortunately had fallen into great errors and crimes, he was the more able to fteer youth clear of the rocks and shoals of immorality, than those who had been careful to avoid them:" and in this man ner recommended himself until he got a tolerable fchool at Edenton, where the writer of this converfed with him, and who took the liberty to fay to him; "I am greatly furprifed, Mr. Bell, that a man of your abilities, good under ftanding and addrefs, fhould have und fuch very bad means for your suppor, when you might have obtained, with ea and credit, a very genteel fubfiftence? Why, Sir, fince you are fo very plain and open with me, I confefs to you, withed referve, how I was led into thofe errat and crimes of mine, with which you ca fo well acquainted. "When I was about twelve years o I began to make my obfervations m mankind; ftudying very attentively t altitude of every man's understanding that came in my way; and by the time I was thirteen, I found, that thewift and the weakeft, as well as the bea and worst of men, were to be duped; and from that time I ftudied and formed, in my own mind, duping into a kind of fcience, and in which you know, Sir, I have made a very confiderable progress, and am now endeavouring, though late in life, to make all the amends in my power." T Anecdote of Boileau. being rumoured at the court of Lewis. XIV, that the pention of the great Corneille was to be retrenched, Boteau, with a noble difintereftednefs, haftened to Madame de Montefpan, and faid, that his fovereign, equitable as he was, could not, without injuftice, grant a penfion to an author like himself, juft afcending Parnaffus, and take it from Corneille, whe had fo long been feated on the fummit that he intreated her, for the honour of the king, to prevail on his majefty rather to ftrike off his penfion, than to withdi y that reward from a man whofe title to it was incomparably greater; and that he should more cafily confole himself under that diftinction, than under the affliction of feeing it taken away from fuch a poet as Corneille. This magnanimous applica tion had the fuccefs which it deferved, and it appears the more noble, when we recollect that Racine, the rival of Corncil le, was the intimate friend of Boileau. The long and uninterrupted intercouri which fubfifted between Boileau and Ri cine, was highly beneficial and honourable to both. The dying farewell of the latter is the most expreflive eulogy on the private character of Boileau: Je regarde comme un bonheur pour moi de mourir avant vous,' faid the tender Racine, ia taking a final leave of his faithful and generous friend. BRITISH 1782. Life of Sir Richard Steele. BRITISH and IRISH BIOGRAPHY. STEE (Continued from p. 460) 'Life of Sir Richard Steele. TEELE (Sir Richard) an English writer, who rendered himself famous by his zeal in political matters, as well as by the various productions of his pen, was born of English parents at Dublin in Ireland, his father being a counfellor at law, and private fecretary to James the first duke of Ormond, lord lieutenant of that kingdom. He came over to England while he was very young, and was educated at the charter-house school in London, where he had the great Mr. Addison for his fchool-fellow. In the year 1695 he wrote a poem on the funeral of queen Mary, entitled the Proceffion. His inclination leading him to the army, he rode for fome time privately in the guards. He first be me an author, as he tells us himself, when an enfign of the guards, a way of life expofed to much irregularity; and being thoroughly convinced of many things, of which he often repented, and which he more often repeated, he wrote for his own private use a little book, entitled the Chriftian Hero, with a defign principally to fix upon his own mind a strong impreffion of virtue and religion, in oppofition to a ftronger propensity towards unwarrantable pleafures. This fecret admonition was too weak; he therefore, in the year 1701, printed the book with his name, in hopes that a ftanding teftimony againft himself, and the eyes of the world upon him in a new light, might curb his defires, and make him afhamed of understanding and feeming to feel what was virtuous, and yet living fo contrary a life. This had no other effect, but that from being thought no undelightful companion, he was foon reckoned a difagree able fellow. One or two of his acquain tance thought fit to mifafe him, and try their valour upon him; and every body he knew measured the leaft levity in his words and actions with the character of a chriftian hero. Thus he found himself flighted, instead of being encouraged, for his declarations as to religion; and it was now in cumbent upon him to enliven his character, for which reafon he wrote a comedy called The Funeral, or Grief A-la-mode, in which, though full of incidents that excite laughter, virtue and vice appear juft as they ought to do. This comedy was acted in 1702; and as nothing can make the town fo fond of a man, as a fuccefsful play, this, with some particulars enlarged upon to his advantage, obtained him the notice of king William; and his name, to be provided for, was in the laft table-book Hib. Mag. O&A. 1782. 513 ever worn by his majefly. He had, before this, procured a captain's commiffion in the lord Lucas's regiment of fuziliers by the intereft of the lord Cutts, to whom he had dedicated his Chriftian Hero, and who likewife appointed him his fecretary. His next appearance, as a writer, was in the office of Gazetteer, in which he obferves he worked faithfully, according to order, without ever erring against the rule obferved by all minifters, to keep that paper very innocent and very insipid; and it was believed, that it was to the reproaches he heard every Gazette-day against the writer of it, that he owed the fortitude of being remarkably negligent of what people faid, which he did not deferve. In the year 1703′ his comedy, intitled, The Tender Hufband, or the Accomplished Fools, was acted at the Theatre-royal in Drury lane; as was his comedy of the Lying Lovers, or the Ladies Friendship, the year following. In 1709 he began the Tatler, the first of which was published on Tuesday, April 12, and the laft on This paper Tuesday, Jan. 2, 1710 11. greatly increating his reputation and intereft, he was preferred to be one of the commiffioners of the ftamp office. Upon laying down the Tatler, he fet up, in concert with Mr. Add:fon, the Spectator, which was begun on the ift of March 3711. The Guardian was likewife published by them in 1715; in October of which year Mr. Steele began a political paper, entitled Befides thefe he wrote The Englishman. feveral other political pieces which thew the high diffatisfaction he had with the meafures of the laft miniftry of queen Anne; to oppofe which, he refolved to procure a feat in parliament. For this purpose he refigned his place of commitlioner of the ftamp-office in June 1713, and was chofen member of the house of commons for the borough of Stockbridge.-But he did not fit long in that houfe before he was expelled on the 18th of March, 1714, for writing the Englishman, being the clofe of the paper fo called, and the Crifis. In 1714 he published The Romish Ecclefiaftical History of late years, and a paper intitled The Lover, the first of which appeared on Thursday, February 25, 1714; and another called The Reader, which began on Thursday April 22, the fame year. In the fixth number of this laft paper he gave an account of his defign of writing the hiftory of the duke of Marlborough from proper materials in his cuftody, to commence from the date of his grace's commillion of captain-general and plenipotentiary, and to end with the expiration of thole commission. But this dengn was never executed by Ttt him him; and the materials were afterwards returned to the duchefs of Marlborough. Soon after the acceffion of George I. to the throne, Mr. Steele was appointed furveyor of the royal ftables at Hamptoncourt, and governor of the royal company of comedians. He was likewife put into the commiffion of the peace for the county of Middlefex, and in April 1715, knighted by his majefty. In the firft parliament of that king be was chofen member for Boroughbridge in Yorkshire; and, after the fuppreffion of the rebellion in the north, was appointed one of the commiffioners of the forfeited eftates in Scotland, where he received diftinguishing marks of refpect from feveral of the nobility and gentry of that part of Great Britain. In 1715 be published An Account of the ftate of the Roman Catholic Religion throughout the World, tranflated from an Italian manuscript, with a dedication to the pope, giving him a very particular account of the itate of religion among proteftants, and of feveral other matters of importance relating to Great Britain; but this dedication is fuppofed to be written by another eminent hand more converfant in fubjects of that nature than Sir Richard, who, the fame year, published a letter from the earl of Mar to the king before his majesty's arrival in England, and, the year following, a fecond volume of the Englishman; and in 1718, an Account of his Fith Pool, which was a project of his for bringing fish to market alive, for which he obtained a patent. In 1719 he published a pamphlet called the Spinster, and a letter to the earl of Oxford concerning the bill of peerage, which bill he oppofed in the house of commons. Some time after he wrote against the South Sea fcheme his Crisis of Property, and another piece intitled A Nation a Family; and, on Saturday, January 2, 1719-20, began a pa. per called The Theatre, during the courfe of which, his patent of governor of the royal company of comedians was revoked by his majefty. In 1722, his comedy called The Confcious Lovers was acted with prodigious fuccefs, and published with a dedication to the king, who made him a prefent of 500l. Some years before his death he grew paralytic, and retired to his feat at Llangunner, near Caermarthen, in Wales, where he died on the ft of September, 1729. Life of Laurence Sterne. Sterne (Laurence) an eccentric genius, commonly known by the name of Yorick, was the fon of a lieutenant in a marching regiment, and was born at Clonmell in the fouth of Ireland, the 24th of November, 1713. After pafing his infancy in the itinerant manner incident to the military life of his father, he was placed out to fchool at Halifax in Yorkshire; from whence, in 1732, he was fent to Jefus College in Cambridge. On his quitting the university, he obtained the living of Sutton in Yorkshire; and, in 1741, he married. Soon after, he was made prebendary of York, and by his wife's intereft procured another benefice, that of Stillington. He remained, as he tells us, near twenty years at Sutton, performing the duty of both places, and amufing himself with books, paing, fidling, and shooting. In all this time we do not find that the talents for which he afterwards became fo celebrated, ever manifefted themfelves fo as to diftinguish him mate rially from the reft of his brethren: but when the opportunity occurred to him by the starting a lucky thought, whatever parochial virtues he might poffefs as a plain country clergyman, were inftantly funk in the man of wit and gaiety. In the year 1760 he came up to London, and published two volumes of a novel, if it admitted of any determinate name, en. titled the Life and Opinions of Triftram Shandy. This performance brought Mr. Sterne into high reputation as an author: all read, most people applauded, but few understood it. He foon after published two volumes of fermons, which the fevereft critics could not help admiring for the purity of their ftile, the elegance of their compofition, and the excellence of their moral tendency; but the manner in which they were introduced to the world was generally blamed. He acquaints the public, that the fermon which gave rife to the publication of thefe, having been offered to the public as a fermon of Yorick's, [in Triftram Shandy] he hoped the ferious reader would find nothing to of fend him in these two volumes being continued under the fame name." This very apology was confidered as an additional infult to religion: it was afked, if any man could think a preacher in earneft, who should mount the pulpit' in a harlequin's coat. But, with all due respect to religion and decency, we cannot help thinking, that it matters very little in what coat an man mounts the pulpit, if his doctrine is good; and this being grantted, he fhould certainly wear the coat which attracts most hearers, as by that means, he will have the greater opportunity of benefiting mankind: fuch appears to have been Mr. Sterne's cafe: if he had published his fermons in his own name, they would not have been read by one perion out of ten, and not at all by thofe who have molt need of inftruction. The The third and fourth volumes of Triftram Shandy foon made their appearance; but they were not received with fo much eagerness as the two first volumes of that work. They had, however, many admirers, and the author was encouraged to proceed the length of nine volumes. It is almoft needlefs here to obferve of a book fo univerfally read, that the ftory of the hero's life is the leaft part of the writer's concern. It is, in reality, nothing more than a vehicle for fatire on a variety of subjects; and most of the fatirical ftrokes are introduced with little regard to any connection either with the principal story or with each other. The author perpetually digreffes; or, rather, having no determined aim, he runs from object to object, as they happen to strike a very lively and very irregular imagination. These digreffions, fo frequently repeated, inftead of relieving the readers attention, become of themselves tirefome, and the whole is a perpetual series of difappointment. But, notwithstanding these, and other blemishes, the hiftory of Triftram Shandy has uncommon merit. The fatire with which it abounds, though not always happily introduced, is fpirited, poignant, and often extremely juft. The characters, though fomewhat overcharged, are lively and natural, and the author poffeffes, in a very high degree, the talent of catching the ridiculous in every object, and never fails to prefent it to his readers in the molt agreeable point of view. Mr. Sterne's health had been for fome time declining: change of climate was therefore recommended. He made the tour of France and Italy. How much he improved the opportunities which this afforded him of obferving the manners of mankind, is fufficiently known to thofe who have read his Sentimental Journey (and who has not ?) one of the molt elegant and engaging compofitions in any language. What a pity that he did not live to finish it! Though he feems defirous only to entertain, he is often highly inftructive; and he has given us a more perfect picture of French manners, without the parade of information, than all travellers who went before him, and all who have written fince. Not long after the publication of the two first volumes of this work, and before he had time to prepare the remainder for the prefs, to the fincere forrow of all true lovers of humour and fentiment, Mr. Sterne died, in March, 1768. To attempt his character, after it has beep fo admirably delineated by himself, would be entirely fuperfluous. We fhall therefore give an abstract of it, in his own "He was as mercu elegant colouring. rial and fublimated a compofition, as heteroclite a creature in all his declenfionswith as much life and whim, and gaite de cœur about him as the kindlieft climate could have engendered and put together. With all this fail, poor Yorick carried not one ounce of ballaft; he was utterly unpractifed in the world; and, at the age of twenty-fix, knew juft about as well how to steer his courfe in it as a romping unfufpicious girl of thirteen. He had an invincible diflike and oppofition in his nature to gravity, and would fay, 'twas a taught trick to gain credit of the world for more fenfe and knowledge than a man was worth; and that, with all its pretenfions, it was no better, but often worse, than what a French wit had long ago defined it, viz. "A myfterious carriage of the body to cover the defects of the mind;" which definition of gravity, Yorick, with great imprudence, would fay, deferved to be written in letters of gold. But, in plain truth, he was altogether as indifcreet and foolish on every other subject of difcourfe, where policy is wont to imprefs reftraint. Yorick had no impreffion but one, and that was what arofe from the nature of the deed fpoken of; which impreffion he would ufually tranflate into plain English without any periphrafis, and too often without any distinction of perfonage, time, or place: so that when mention was made of a pitiful or an ungenerous proceeding, he never gave himself a moment's time to reflect who was the hero of the piece, what his station, or how far he had power to hurt him hereafter; but, if it was a dirty action, without more ado, the man was a dirty fellow, and fo on: and, as his comments had ufually the ill fate to be terminated either in a bon mot, or to be enlivened throughout with some drollery or humour of expreffion, it gave wing to Yorick's indifcretion. In a word, though he never fought, yet, at the fame time, as he as feldom fhunned occafions of faying what came uppermost, and without ceremony, he had but too many temptations in life of fcattering his wit and his humour, his gibes and his jets about him. They were not loft for want of gathering." |