MIS CEL L ANEOU S

W O R K S

E D WARD GIBB ON , Efquire .

MEMOIR S OF HIS LI FE AND W RITING S,

C OMP OSED 36 7 H IMS E L F .

IL L US TRATED FROMH IS LETTERS,

W I ‘J'

H OCCA S ION /{L N OTE S A N D N A R RA TIVE,

BY JOHN L O RD sjf'

igajf ki g LfiJo

e 0 aQ

0 ‘ Q . ‘ d

o

I N TH R E E

V o L . I .

D U B L I N

PR lNTED FOR P. WOGAN, L . wa rns, j OHN CHAMBERS,

r . BYRNE, JOHNm u mm, JAMESmoons”. R ICE,

W . JONES, j oHN HAL FEN, PETERMOORE,H . n '

rzPA'

rnxc x , N. KEL L Y ,

A 161) 0 . romuc sav.

f iv

and fully competent, h'

om their judg ment, to

protea it.

Under fi ch e -W i t is , that, no long er

fufpeéting myfelf to view throug h too favoura

blc a medium the compofitions of my Friend,

I now‘

venture to pubflith them : and‘ itmay

herc be pmper tog ive fbm informationto the

Reader, rofpefiing the ntents of thefe Vo

lumes .

The mail: important part confifis ofMemoirs ofMr. Gibbon

’

s Life and W riting s , a

Work which he feems to have projefited with

peculiar folic itude and attention, and of which

he left Six different fk etches , all inhis own

hand- writing . Ohe of there fltet‘

ches, the

moibdtfi'

ufe'andzcircumfiantial, (0 far as it pro

deeds.ends"

o

’a

’

t the time whenhe quitted Orr

33 9?d131mm : at the year 1764, whenhe

A third, at his father’

s

to a'

flwrt time after his returp to Laufitnne‘

in

appears in.

the form -

of Annals, much

lefadetailed thanthe others . The two remain

ing {b eache s are {till more imperfeét. It is

Mcult to d ifcover the order inwhich thefe

fevers] Pieceswere written, butthere is reafon

to believe that the molt copious was the laft.

From all' thefe the following Memoirs haveb

’

oenmrcfnny feleflted, and put tog ether

My hefitation in g iving thefeMemoirs tothe world arofe , prihc ipally, from the circum

fhmee ofMr. Gibbon’

s appearing , inRune ref

p eéi , not to have beenfatisfied With them, as

he had fo fiequentl'

y varied the ir form : yet,

notWithfianding this diflidence , the cornpofi

tions , thoug h unfinithed , arefo ex cellent, that

they may ju£i ~ entitle my Friend to appear as

hi s own biog rapher, rather thanto have that

ri fle undertakenby any other perfonas qua

This opinionhas rendered me anx ious to'

publiih the prei'

entMemoirs , without any 0n

necefl'

ary delay for I am perfuaded, that the"Au thor of them cannot be made to appear in

a truer lig ht thanhe does in the following

pa g es. Inthem, and inhis difl’

erent Letters,

which I have added, Will be found a complete

picture of his talents, his difpofition, his {ta -r

fi es , and his attainments .

naturally arofe hi the prog refbof his L ife , will

be unfirlded ina {cries of L etters, felefi ed

flour as C orrefpondeace hetweenhimand my-r

felf, which continued full thirty years , and

endedwith‘

his death.

It rs to b‘

e lamented, that all the Hatches of

theMemoi atcompeted 1nthe formof Annie,

‘

viv

as heads for a future W ork , ceafe abouttw’

cm

ty y ears beforeMr . G ibbon’

s death and con

(equently , thatwe have the leaft de tailed ac

count of the moft intere fting partof his Life .

His Corre fpondence during that pe riod will,

in g reat meafure , fupply the deficiency .

‘

It

willbe feparated fromtheMemoirs and placedinan Appendix , that thofe who are not dif

pofed to be pleafed with the repetitions , fami

liaritie s, and trivialcircumftances of epiftolarv

Writing , may not be embarrafi'

ed by it. By

many, the Letters will be found a very inte

refiing part of the prefentPublication: Theywill prove , how pleafant, friendly, and amia

bleMr . G ibbonwas inprivate life and if, in

publiihing Letters fo flattering to myfelf, I in

cur the imputationof“

vanity , I {hallmeet the

charg e with a frank confeflion, that I am in

deed'hig hly vain of having enjoyed, f0r (0

many years , the cfieem, the confidence , and

the‘

afieéfionof ’

a man, whofe foc ial qualitiesendeared him to the moftaccompliihed foc iety,

and whofe talents , g reat as they were , mufl:

be acknowledg ed to have beenfully equalled

by the fince rity of his fi'iendfhip .

W hatever ‘

cenfure may be pointed ag ainfi

the Editor, the Public will fet a due value on

the‘Letters for the ir intrinfic merit. I muff,

[ X ]

fare, obferving that it had beentranflated even.

into the Turk ith lang uag e*

.

Of thefe various writing s the Autht as

fpoken him{elf indefcribing his ownIAfe

I have yet to notice fom'

e articles notmentiv ,

oncd tnhisMemmrs, and whichwillbe fbundin th

i

s Publication. . A juvenile flinch,entitled ,

“ Outlines of the H iilp ry of the

W orld . 2 . A Difi'

ertation, which hahad

filewnto a few friends on that curious j ub

jeci ,“ L Homme nuMafqde de Fer. 3 A

more confiderable work ,f ‘ The Antiquitie s Of

the R oufe of Brunfwich ; anhiftoricaldiffe ourfe , co1

_

npofed about the year 179 0 . Inthis W ork he intended to appropriate fepa

’

rate

book s : 1 . To the Italiande fcent 5 a. To the

Ge rmanic re ig n: and, 3 . To the Britiih Suc

ecfiion of the Houfe of Brunfwick . TheManafc ript clofes in completing the Italian

branch of his fubjeét.Among the molt {jalendid pafi

'

ag es of thmunfinifhedwork may be enumerated, the cha

racters of Leibnitz andMuratori : A fltetch of

Albert Azb the Second , a prince wb g retained

his

Ai Péteriburg h and Vienna itwas currently obfervedj iy

the t s Diplom tiqtbe

,tha t the Eng liihMinifiry had puh

li ihcd aMemorihl written not only with g resi abilrty but

alfo111 French fo correct, that they mufi have employed a

Frenchman.

p

South Sea feheme , and the b ill of paint and pmz itim

a g a inft'

theMoro; among whom was the Au

I r. Gibbon’

t birth ; he is put under the care ofMe.Kirk by ; fame account ofMr. Kinkby.

The Author is m oved 'to Ind i an . and plea d unda

the can ofM. Pt viuiud —ul eflefi im on his

chang e p f tituationé— Charafier ofMr. Paviiiiard!

and anm m of hiwmmm of whor ingM1 . Gib

bon :to the Yamaha!» Chucks -chi t. Gibbon

x iv C O N T E N T S .

The Author pafiq fume time at Paris , g ives anaccount

he chiefly affociawd ; prm

Bcfanqon, to L aufanne.

stung .

xvi C O N T E N T S.

“Mr Gibbon. 9Mr Gibbon’s account of his journey to. and nrinl at,

Ind u c es - The i ns ani t Dar a-dun

’

,s htalth and

anaocoant of a vifit from u r. l? o x mdM1-.Doug las .Mi rabeau'

o work. Ser 14Mont-d i e Pr gfimu ,and his

dun’

t death— Rm : on thatW M; (3 15 .

boa thnh d i ” himMr. u

m t““I. Gib '

Am unt ofMom ; Nashu a —CM ofMr. Ba tch

3 84APPENDIX.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

h iii C 6 N T E N T é;

L u n g

18.Mr . GibéontoMr . Holroyd — Ad mh t of his Returnthroug h Paris, and ofMadame Neck er.

1765 .

19 . Same to 11x Same .— UponMr. Huhoyd

’

sMarria g e .

April 29 , 1767.

20 . 711: Same f o tbc Same. Berbon,OH. 16, 1769 .

2 1 . 7714Same to tbc Sam .

22. 75 : Same to tbc Same. 08 . 6, 1771 .

2 3 . Tbe Same to lb: Same. Nov . 1 8, 1771 .

44. Tbe Same to the Sauna — News from Denmark . 1772.

25 . 76: Same to ”wSame. Feb. 3 , 1772.

26. Feb. 8, 1772 .

27. 76: Same to fi x Saran— Pr ima l?! ofW ales .

Feb. 1 3 , 1772 .

Feb. 2 1 , 1772 .

fifarcb 2 1 , 1772 .

May 26,1772 .

Mr . Gibbon. ”MN . Holroydfmior.— Ou the Death ofMr. Holrnyd’

s Son. j ub 17, 1772.Mr . 6 5660» toMr . Holroyd.— Ou thefame Subjeé}.

yz‘é’ 3 0 1 I772“

73 a Same Io A ha - Gibb ". Aug . 7, 1772.

Dr._

Hard i aMr . Gibbon-4 11 the Authentic ity of theBook of Daniel

,and a Frag ment on the fame

d ug . 29 , 1772 .Mr . 6156011 toMr . Halroyd. O&. 1 3 , 1772.

Dec . 1 1 , 1772.

Dec. 1772.

76: Same to {be Same.— Eafi- India Affa irs.

j un. 1 2, 1773 .

4- 3 7

440

443443445445

44945 1

45 :

45 3

45 3454

45 5465466

467

468

ME MO ‘ I R’

S

MT L I F E A N D°

WR I TIN G S .

IN the fifiy- fecondyear of my ag e, after the completionof

anarduous and fuccefsfulwork , I now propol'

e to employfame moments ofmy leifure inreviewing the fimple tranfac

tions ofa p r ivate and literary life. T ruth, naked, unblulh

ing truth, the firft vi rtue of more ferions hiftory, mullhethe fole rec ommendation of this perfonalnarrative. The

fiyle (hall be fimple and familiar : but llsmis the imag e of

diameter and the hab its of correétwr iting may , p10duce ,without labour or deli g n, the appearance of art and tindy.My ownamufement is my motive, and willbe my reward :and if there {beets are communicated to fome difcreet andindulg ent fr iends, they w ill he fecreted from the public eye

tillthe author (hallbe removed beyond the reach of criticifm

Ol'

ridicule T u.

VOL . I. A lively

This pafl'

ag e is find inoneOnly ol'

thefix tk etches, and inthatwhich feems

10 110 c the e itten, and whichwas laid eade among loofe pepers .“nfiibbon, in his commuaicatims withme onthe fobjefi of hisMemoirs,Meetwhich he had never mentioned to any other potion, ex prefljed a determinationo f publithing themin his lifetime ; and never appears to haveMfrom that retblution,

‘

ex cepting in one of his letters'

annexed , in

which he intimates a doubt, though rather carelefsly, whether inhis time,ou t any time, they would meet the eye of the while convcrfation,

however, not long before his death, itwas fug g et'

ted to‘him, that, it he

lhould make them a full image of his mind , he would not have nerves to

public: them inhis lifetime, and therefore that they mould be pofthumous ;m m , “thaw , that he was determined to puhnmsauma re

,

r.

fi EM0 1 R s o r

A livelydizfir'

e of knowing and of recording our ancefif

tors fo g ene rally prevails, that itmutt depend on the influ

ence of tome commonprinc iple irr the minds ofmen. W e

km: to have lived in the pe rfons of our forefathers ; it is

file labour and '

feward of vanity to ex tend the term Of thi s

ideal long evity. O ur imag ination is always a&ive to em

larg e the narrow c ircle in which Nature has confined us e

Fifty or anhundred years may be allotted to an individual,But we fiep lhrwards beyond death with fueh hopes as reli

g ion a nd philol'

ophy will fug g efi ; and we fillup the filent

vacancy that precedes our b irth; by afl'

ociating ouri'

elves to

the authors of our cx illence. Our cahner judg ment w illrather tend to moderate, than to hi pprefs, the pr ide of anantient and worthy race . The fhtyrifi may laug h, the phi

hofOpher may preach; but Re afon herfell”w ill refpeét the

prejudice s and habits , which have been confe crated by the

eatperience of mankind.W herever the dilhinction of b irth is allowed to form a

‘

fuperior order in the (late, education and ex ample lhould

always, and”

will often, produc e among them a d ig nity of‘

k ntiment and propriety of condué b which is g uarded fromdifilonour by the ir ownand

'

the public film . If we read

of form illhfitrious line to antient that it has no beg inning ;fi worthy that it oug ht to have no end, we fympathiz e in

its various fortunes ynor canwe blame the g enerous enthuliai

'

m, or eventhe harmlefs vanity, of thofi who are allied‘

to the honours of its name. For my own part, could I

draw my pedig ree from a g eneral, a fiatefiiman, or a ecle

hrated author, I (hould {lady the ir lives wit the dilig enc e

c f fl ellon. la the invefiig ation-ci pni evenmo ur cn

riolity is flirnulawdhy the immediate or indi reét referenc e

to curfelves ; but la the efiimaee othonoer we thould learnw value the g ifts of Nature above tholh of Fortune s to

efi'

eem in our anoefiors the mialities that befi promote the

interefis of foc icty ; and to pronounc e the del'

cendant of‘

a

k ing leis trulynoble thanthe QESpring of a manof g enius,

My L II-“E a rmwarrmo s g

The finqily of Coufucim ia, h mywhdm me mofi illd

trions ek ent of eig ht or ten

centuries, our! barons and princes of Europe are loll 1nthedarknelb of thc middle ag es ; but, inthe vafi equality of the

emp ire of China, the pofierity of Confuc ius have mainmined, above two thoufand two hundred years, the ir peaceful honours and perpetual fuocetfion. The chief of thefamily 16 {tillrevered, by the fovereig nand the people, as the

lively imag e of the mfefi of mankmd. The nob ihty of the

Spence".ha beenillullrated and enriched by the trophies dfMarlboroug h, but I exhort them to confider the Fairy

Queu e s thema prec ious jewelof their coroner. 111mex pofod my private feeling s, as I (hall always do, without(crople hr rd erves That thefe (entiments are jull, or at lealt

natural, I aminclined to believe, time I donot feelmyfelf

interefied iri the caut'

e , for I canderive frommy anceilors

neither g lorynor fi1ame.

Y et a fmcere end fimple narrative of my ownlife mayamui

'

e fome ofmy leifure hours but itwillfubjeétme, and

perhaps with jullice, to the imputationof vanity. I mayjudg e, however, from the ex perience both of pail and of

the prefent times, that the public are always curious to

know the men, who have left hehind them any hnag e oftheir minds : the molt featuy aocounts of fuoh men are

oernpded w ith dilig ence, and perufed with eag hmefi'

; andthe findent of every clafs may derive a lotion, or anexam.

ple, firmnthe fir ew a ll fimilar eo his ovtn. Myname mayhereafter he placed among the thoufandarticles of aB iog ray

pbia Britand iea ; and I mull be confcioua, thatno once to

wellqualified, as myfefi to det'

crihe the feries ofmy thoug hts

a d d itions . The authority ci ray matters, of the g mThunma, and the phild ophic Hume, mi g ht be fufieient toMifymy d efig n; but it would nor be difioult tanta luma long lifi of antients and moderns, who, invarious forms;

of their writing s ;Mifdlerbr fiw e. mfeldomeomvB 2 plain

fl" MEMO I R S O F

"

p lainof theminutenefs or prolix ity of thefe perfonal inemo'

é

r ials. The lives of the young er Pliny, o f Petrarch, and of

.Erafmus,’

are ex p refi’

ed in the ep ifiles , which they therm

.lelves have g ivento the world. The eflays of'Montag nc

and S ir W illiamTemple bring us home to the'

-houfes and

b ofoms of the authors : we(mile without contempt at theheadflrong pallions of Benevenuto Cellini, and the g ay fol

u

lies of Colley C ibber. The confeliions of St. Aufiinand

Rou‘

ll‘

eau difclol‘

e the_fecrets of the humanheart : the comi

mentarles of the learned Huet have furvived his evang elicaldempnflzration and the memoi rs ofGoldoni are more trulydramatic than his Italian comedie s : The heretic and the

churchmanare flrong ly marked in the charaélers and fo r

tunes ofW hillonand Bilhop Newton; and eventhe dullv‘ nefs of'Michael deMarolles and Anthony W ood acqu iresfome value from the faithful rep refentationofmen

'

and mans

ncrs . That I am equal or fuperior to fame of thele, the clifeéls of

‘modefiy or afl’

eétationcannot force me to cdifl'

emblefi

MY family is orig inallyderived from the county ofKent.

The foutherndillriél, which borders onSufl'

ex and the (ea,

was formerly overfpread with the g reat forell Anderida, andevennowretains the denominationof theMaid, orW oodland»

Inthis difiriél, and inthe hundred and parilh of Rolvenderr,

the Gibbons were poll'

ell'

ed of lands inthe year one thoul'

and

three hundred and twenty- fix ; and the elder branch of the

family, without much increaf'

e or diminution of property,

{fill adheres to its native fo il. Fourteen years after the fwfi:

appearance of his name, John Gibbon is recorded as the

Marmorarius or architeét of King Edward the Third : the

flrong and {lately calile o f Qteenfboroug h, which g uardedthe entrance of the .Medw‘

ay, was a monument of his flrill;

and the g rant of an'heredltary tollonthe pafl

'

ag e from Sand

wich tow in tlie llle of Thanet, is the reward of no

i

V

ifvulg ar

MY I IFE A'

ND wk i 'rmc s . 3

W 1g ar area.

'

Inthe yifitatiobs of the heralds, theG ibbonsare frequently mentioned : they held the rank of Efqnire ih

anag e, whenthat title was‘

lefs promifcuoufly allitmed :

one ofthem, under the re ig nof (b eenEliz abeth, was c aptam of the militia ofKent; and a free (chool, inthe neig hhoming townof Benenden, proclaims the charity and Opulence of 1ts founder. But time, or their ownobfcurity, has

cafta veilof oblivionover the virtues and vices ofmy Kent

idh ancefiors : the ir charaéter or {tationconfined them to the

.labours and pleal'

ures of a rural life : nor is it inmy powerto follow the advice of the Poet, inanenqdiryafter aname- i

Go l (earch it there,where to be born, and die,Of rich and

‘

poor makes all the hifiory.

So recent is the inflitution of our parilh reg iilers . Inthe

beg inning of the (eventeenth century, a young er branch of

the G ibbons ofRolvendenmig rated from the c ountry to the

city ; and from this branch I do notblulh to defcend. The

law requires fome abilities ; the c hurch. impofes fome refiraints ; and before our army and navy, our civil eltablilh

meats, and India empire, had Opened (0 many paths.

of for

tune, the mercantile profefiionwas more frequently chole'

n

by youths of a liberal race and education, who afpired to

create their own independence. Our molt refpeétable fa

milies have not difdained the counting- houfe, or even the

lhop ; their names are inrolled intheL ivery and Companies

and inEng land, as wellas inthe Italian com

monwealths, heralds have been compelled to declare, that

g entility is not deg raded by the ex erc ife of trade .

T he armorial enfig ns which, in the time s of chivalry,

adorned the de ll: and {hield of the foldier, are now become

anempty decoration, which eve ry man, who has money'

to

build a carriag e, may paint according to his fancy on the

pannels. My family arms are the fame, whichwere home

by the G ibbons of Kent in an ag e, ..whenthe Colleg e of

H eralds relig ioully g uarded the diftinétions of blood and

name : a lionrampant g aldant, betweenthree fchallop - lhells

6 w‘MEM'O I R S O F

Arg em, “ afield Az ure ". “bouldnothowever have beentempted to blazonmy coat of arms, were it not conneétedwith a whimficalanecdote. -About the re ig nof James thef irft, the three harmlefs {challop- lhells were, chang ed byEdmundGibbon, efq. into three Og rgfir, or female canni~

_hals, with a deli g nof llig matiz ing three ladies , his k infwo-u

men, whohad provokedhim by anunq law- (nit. But this

jing ularmode of reveng e, for whichheobtained the {auctionof Sir W illiam Su g ar, king at arms, foonex pired

‘w ith its

author ; and, onhis ownmonument inthe Temple church,the monfters vanilla, and the three k hallop s lhells returns

their proper and hereditary place.

Our alliances by marriag e it is notdifg racefultomention,The chiefhonour ofmy ancellry is James Ficus, BaronSaytad Seek s and Lord Hig h Treafurcr of Eng land. in the

reig nof fleary the Six th ; flow when by the Phelips , the

W hetmlls, and the Creme", I am lineally defcended inthe p leventh deg ree His difmifiion and twpflfim lem inthe Towerweminfificient to appetl

'

e the pe pular Glamour

and the Treafttrer, with his fon- ia - law C romer,was be»

headed after amock trialbyateKentilh infurg ents .The blaclt liltof bis offences, as it is exhibited inShakef

9 0am, difphys the ig noranoe and envy Of a plebeiantyrant,Miles the vag ue 1 13e of fellingMaine and Nor

mandy to theDauphin, the'

treafurer is fpec ially secured of

luxury, forriding ona foot- clad) ; and of treafon, for [peak

in; French, the lang uag e of our enemies ; Thou hall:

mofi traiteroully corrupted the youth of the realm,”rays

Jack Cade to the unfortunate Lord, inerea ing a g ram

mar- rfchool3 and whereas before our f0r¢fathers had no

other books thanthe fcore and the tally, thou hall: caufedaprinting to be ul

'

ed 5 and, contrary to the king , his crown,1“and dig nity, thou

halt built a paper-pmill. It will be‘i proved

The father of Lord Chancellor Hardware married ansome of this ta

wily otGibbon. The Chancellor‘s efcuteheon inthe Temple Hallquarters

the amu ot'

ombon. u dm d fo thttia Uncoln'e innHail. cream“ York .

Chanceflor in1770. 8

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

a MEMO I R S O F

mearurcaneps, brandiihing their tomahawlts, his curiouseye contemplated their little ihields ofb ark , and their nak ed

bodie s, which were painted with the colours and fymbols

of his favourite fc ience. At“

which I ex ce eding ly w on'

de red ; and concluded that heraldry was ing rafted natu

rally into the fenfe of human.race . If (0, it deferves a

g reater cfieem than now- a- days is put upon it.” H is

returnto Eng land after the Refiorationwas foon follow ed

by his marriag e— his fettlement ina houfe

'

inSt. Catherine’s

C loyfier, near the Tower, which devolved to my g randfa

ther— and his introduéi ion into the Heralds ’ Colle g e (inby the ftyle

'

and title of Blue - mantle Purfuivant at

A rms . In this“

office he enjoyed near fifty years the rare

felic ity of uniting , inthe lim e purfuit, his duty and ineli

nation: his name is remembered ih the C olle g e, and many

of his letters a re i’till preferved, Several of the molt re

fpeétable charaaers of the ag e, Sir W illiam Dug dale,Mr.Alhmole, Dr. JohnBetts , and Dr. NehemiahG rew, were

his friends ; and in the ’

foc iety of (uchmen, JohnG ibbonmay be recorded without difg race as the member of anaf

trolog ical club . The findy of hereditary honours is favour

able to'

the Royal prerog ative ; and my k infman,‘

like mo&

of his family, was a hig h Tory both in church andd

ilate.

In- the latter end of the reig no f Charles the Second, his

penwas ex ercil'

ed inthe caufe of the Duk e of Y ork : the

Republican faétion he molt cordially detefled ; and as each

animal is confc ious of its proper arms, the heralds’reveng e

was emblaz oned ona°moftdiabolical el

'

cutcheon. But the

triumph of the W hig g overnment checked the preferment

of Blue- mantle ; and he was even fufpended from his ofi ce,

till his tong ue could learnto pronounce the oath of abjuration. His life was p rolong ed to the a g e of ninety ; and, in

the ex peétationof the inevitable thoug h uncertainhour, he‘

w ilhes to preferve the blefiing s of health, competence, and

virtue . Inthe year 1682 he publiihed at L ondonhis IntroMio ad L atinam Blafam'

am, an orig inal attempt, which

C amdenhad defiderated, to define, in a Roman idiom, the

terms

n. me mo r a s o f

of every fubjeél to be heard by his counfelat the bar : theyp rayed to be heard ; their prayer war refufed ; and tbeir Op

p refiom vvho rer;uired no evidence, would lifien to no de

fence . Ithad beenatfirfi propofedmat one - eig hth of the ir

refpeétive eflams ihould be aflowed for theMre fiipport of

the Diredtors ; but itwas fpecioufly urg ed, that inthe vari-gous lhades Of Opulenoe and g uilt fuch anunequalproportion

would be too lig htformany, and for ioni c mig ht poliibly be

too heavy. The character and condudl of eachmanwere

feparately weig hed ;Minfiewd me cdm folemnity of a

judicial inquiry, the fortune and hcmour of three and thirtyEng liibmenwere made die topic qf hafiy oonverfation, the

{port of a lawlefs majority; and the bal'

efi member of the

committee, by a maliciouaword or a filent vote, mig ht in

dulg'

e his g enenlfpleenor perfonal animofity. Injuryag g ravated by infult, and infultwas embittered by pleafintry.

Allowances of twenty pounds, or one (billing , were face

tioufly moved. A vag ue report that- a Direétor had for

merly beenconcerned inm hrr projeél, by which (ome unknown perfom had loll the ir- money, was admitted as a

p roof of his aétual g uilt. One manwas ruined becaufie he“had drop ped a fooliih beech, that his be ffes (bould feed

npong old ; another becaufe he was g rown {o proud, that,

one day at tbe Treafury, he had refufed a civil anfwer to

p erfons much above him. Allwere condemned, abi'

ent and

unheard, in arbitrary fines and forfeitures, which (wept

away tbe g reatefi part of their fub fiancc . Such bold op

p rctfioncank arcely be flxielded by the omnipotence of parliament : and yet itmay be ferioully quellioned, whether the

Jud g es of the South SeaDireétors were the true and leg alr eprefenmtives of the ir country. The firft parliament of

G eorg e the Pirli had beenchofen (171 5 ) for three years :

the term had elapfed, their trufi was ex p ired ; and the four

additional years (1718 during which they conti

nued to fit, were de rived not from the people, but from

themfelve s ; from the flrong mcafure of the feptennialbill,

which canonly be paralleled by ilferar di mfig lio of the

Venetian

m m s AND wmnnos. lg

Venetianhifiory. Y et candour will own that to the fime

parliament every Eng lilhman is deeply indebted ; the fcpa

tennial aét, (o vicious in its orig in, has been fanétioned bytime, egtperience, and the national canfent. Itsfi rfl: ope'

rationfecuted the Hoofe of Hanover onthe throne, and- its

permanent influence maintains the peace and . fiability of

g overnment. As Oftenas a repealhas beenmoved inthe

Houfe of Commons, I have g iven in its defence a clear

and conic ientious vote .

My g randfather cohldnotertpeét to be treated withmorelenity thanhis Companiom H is Tory princ iples and con

ma ions rendered him obnox iotrs - to the ruling powers : his

name is reported ina fufp‘

ic iousMutt 3 andhiswell- knownab ilities couldnot plead the ex onfe of' ig norance o r error.»

In the firfl: probeeding s ag ainlt the S outh Sea Direéhots,Mr. Gibbonis one of the fewwho Were takenintocnflody ;and, inthe finalfehtence, the .meafure of his fine proclaims

him eminently g uilty. The totalefiimabe whichhe deliver

ed onoath to .the Home of Connhons amounted to one hundred and fix thoufand five hundred and tinny- three pounds

five {b illing s and . fix , penc e, ex clufive of antecedent fettle,

‘

merits . Two difi'

erent allowances .,of fifteen and of ten

thoufand pounds were moved for, oMr. G ibhon3 but, ontheq iiefiionBeing put, itwas carried withput a divifionfonthe{mallet fum. Onthefe ruins, with the [kill and credit, of

which parliament hadnot been able to defpoilhim, myg randfather at a mature ag e erected the edific e o f a new for

tune : the labours of fix teenyears were amply rewarded;

and I have reafonto belie ve that the f ound firu&ure was

notmuch ihferiors to the firfi. He had realized a very con

fiderahle prope rty in _

Sufi’

ex , Hampfllire, Buck ing hamflzire,

and the New R iver Company ; and had acquired a (pacious

houfe with g ardens and ' lands, at Putney, in Sorry,where he refided indecenthofpitality.

» He’ died inDecem

ber 1736, at-th'

e ag e of (eventy ; and by his laft will, at

‘ Since inhabited bnr. Wood, Sir j ohn Shelly, the Duke of Norfolk,1 c. 8.

. r

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

MY LIFE AND W R ITINGS . 17

a bottle. Without acquiring the fame of an orator or a

listefmah, he eag erly joined inthe g reat oppofition, which,

after a feven’

years chafe, hunted down S ir RobertW al

poié”: and inthe purfuit of anunpopular: minifler, he g ra

-

o

tilifi a private reveng e ag ainfi: the Opprefi'

orof his family in

the South Sea pe rfeéution.

I win b ornat Putney, in the county ofSurry, the 27thofMI, 0 . S . inthe year

‘

one thoufand fevenhundred and

thirty- (even; the lirfl: child of the marriag e of Edward

Gibbon, efq . and of Judith Porten My lotmig hthavebeenfirst of a ilave, a favag e, or a peafant nor canI reflefi without pleafure onthe bounty of Nature, which call

my birth ina free and c iviliz ed country, inanag e of fci

euoe and philofophy,' in a family ofhonourable rank , and

decently endowed with the g ifts of fortune . From my’

birmIo have enjoyed the rig ht of primog eniture ; but I wasfum ded by five brothers and one filter, allof whomwere

matched away intheir infancy. My five brothers, whofe

names may be found inthe parilh re g ifierof Putney, I (hallnotmeteud to lame nt : but frommy childhood to the prefenthour I have deeply and fincerely re g retted my filler, whofe

life . wk fomewhat prolong ed, and whom I remember tohave feenwu amiable infant. The relationof a brother and

a filler, eMially if they do notmarry, appears to me of a

very fing ularnatute. It is a familiar and tender friendlhipwithafemale, -

'

much about our ownag e ; an affectionper

haps fofteued- by

-the fec ret influence of (ex , but pure from

myW m of‘- feminal define, the fole fpec ies of Platonic

-be indulg edwith'

éruth, and without dang er

to'

which l owe

ofm W eManes judith, mymother.

18 0 1?

At the g eneral eleétion of 1744,Mr. G ibbonandMr;Delme flood an cx penfive and fuccefsfulcontefi at South

ampton, ag ainftMr. Dummer andMr. Henly, afterwards

Lo rd Chancellor and Earl of Northing ton. The W higcandidates had a majority of the relident voters tr but the

c orporationwas firm inthe Tory interefi : a fudden c rea

tionof one hundred and feVenty new freemen turned the

fcale and a fupply was readily obtained of refpeétable vo

lunteers, .who flocked from all parts of Eng land to fupport

the caufe of the ir political friends .”The new parliament

openedwith, the victory of anoppolition, which was forti

fied by ftrong clamour and {trang e coalitions : From the

event of the firlb divifions , S ir Robert W alpole perceived

that he could no long er lead' a majority in.

the Houfe of

C ommons, and p rudently reli g ned (after a dominionof oneand twenty years) the g uidance of the {late But

the fallof anunpopularminifter was not fucceeded, accord-4

ing to g eneral ex pectation, by a millenium of happ inefs and

virtue : fome courtiers loft their places , fome patriots loft

their chara&cts,' L ord Orford

’hoffences vanifhed with his

power 5 , and after a ibort vibration, the Pelham g overnment

.was fix ed on the old bafis of the,W hig ariftocracy. Inthe

year the throne and the confiitutionwere attacked bya rebellion, which does not reflectmuch honour on the na

tional fp irit : fmce the Eng lilh friends of the Pretende r

wanted courag e to joinhis fiandard, and his enemies (thebulk of the people)allowed

.

him to advance into the heart of

the king dom, W ithout daring , perhaps without defiring ,to aid the rebels, my father invariably adhered to the To ryoppofttion. Inthe mofl criticalfeafonhe accepted, for the

fervice of the party, the cflice of alderman in the c ity of

L ondon: but the duties were fo repug nant to his inclinati

onand hahits, thatho refig nedhis g ownat the end of a few

months, The fecond parliament inwhich he fat was pre

maturely difl'

olved and as he was unable or unwil

ling ‘

to maintaina fecond conteft for Southampton, the life

of the fenator ex pired inthatdiflblution.

MY LIFE AND wam nos 19

The'

death of a new - bornchild before that of its parents

may fee rnanunnatural, but it is ftriétly a probable, event:

fince of any g ivennumber the g reater part are ex ting uilhed

before their ninth year, before they pofl'

efs the faculties of

the mind or body. W ithout accufing the profufe m ile or

imperfect workmanihip of Nature, I {hall only obfierve,that this unfavourable -chance was multiplied ag ainltmy in

fant ex iftence . So feeble was my confi itution, fo precari

ous my life, that, inthe baptlfin of each of my brothers,my father

’s prudence fucceflively repeatedmy chrift

’

ianname

of Edward, that, incafe of the de parture of the eldeft fort,this patmnymic k appellationmig ht be {till perpetuated in

the family.

Uno avulfo nondefic italter.

To prefe rve and to rear fo frail a be ing , the molt tender

afliduity Was fearcely fuflic ient ; and my mothe r’s attention

was fomewhat dive rted by her frequent preg nancies, byex clulive paflion for her hufhand, and by the difiipationof

the world, in which his tafte and authority oblig ed her to

ming le . But the maternal office was fupplied by my aunt,Mrs .C atherine Patten; at whofe name I feel a tear of

g ratitude trickling downmy cheek . A life of celibacy trans

ferred he r vacant affection to her lifter’s firfi child : my

Weaknefi ex cited her pity; her attachmentwas fortified bylabour and fu

’

ecefs : and if there be any, as I trufi there are

(am, who rejoice that I live, to that dear and ex cellent°

womanthey mutthold themfelves indebted. Many anx iousand folitaty days didthe confume inthe patient trialof every

mode of relief and amufement. Many wakeful nig hts didflte

’

fit by my bed- tide in trembling eXpeétationthat each

hour would be my laft. Of the various and frequent dif

orders of my childhoodmy ownrecollection is dark 5 nor do

I with to e x patiate on fo difg ufi'ing a topic . Suffice it to

fay, that while every praétitioner, from Sloane and W ard

to the Chevalie r Taylor, was fucceflively fummoned‘

to tor

m e or relieve me, the care ofmymind was too frequentlyneg le6ted for thatofmyhealth : cotnpaflionalways fil g g efted

0 2 an

s o MEMO I R S 01 "

anex cufe for the indulg ence of the mafier, or the idlenefs»

of the pup il and the chainof my educationwas broken,as Oftenas I was recalled from the fchoolof learning to the

bed of licknef‘s.

As foon'as the tale of fpeech had prepared my infant rea

fon for the admiflionof knowledg e, [ was taug ht the arts

of reading , writing , and arithmetic . So remote is the

date, fo vag ue is the memory of their orig in inmyfelf, that,

werenot the error corrected by analog y, I fhould be tempt-3

ed to conceive them as innate . Inmy childhood I was

praifed for the readinefww ith which I could multiply and

divide, by memory alone , two fums of feveralfig ures fuch

p raife encourag e dmy g rowing talent ; and had I perfeveredinthis line of application, Imig ht have acquired fome fame

inmathematical- fludies .

After this previous infiitutionathome, or at a day- fchool

at Putney, I was delivered at the ag e of feveninto the hands

ofMr. JohnKirkby, who ex e rcifed about eig hteenmonths

the office of my domellic tutor. His ownwords , which I.

{hallhere tranfc ribe, infpire inhis favour a tentimentof pityand eli eem. Du ring my abode inmy native county ofC umberland, in quality of an indig ent curate , I ufed

now- and- thenina Summer, whenthe pleafantne fs of the

“ fi afim invited, to take a folitary walk to the fca- lhore ,

which'

lics about two mile s from the townwhere Ilived .

Here I would amufe myfelf, one while inviewing at larg e

the ag reeable prolpeét which furrounded me, and another

while (confining my fig ht .to nearer objects)inadmiringthe vafl variety of beautifui (hells, , thrown upon the

beach; fome of the choice ftofwhich I always p icked up,to divertmy little ones uponmy return. One time

among the re ft, taking fuch a journey inmy head, I fatdownuponthe declivity of the beach withmy face to the

f a, which was now come u p withina few yards of myfeet ; whenimmediately the fad thoug hts of the wretchedcondition of my family, and the unfucccfsfulnefs of all

endeavours to amend it, came crowding into my mind,which

MY '

L IFE'

AND WR ITINGS . at

which drove me into a'

deep melancholy, andeverandanonforced tears frommy eyes .

” Difirefs'

at la'

lt forc ed him

to leave the country. H is learning and virtue’

introduced

him to myffathera

; and at Putney he mig ht have found at

leaIt a tempo rary fhelte r, had not an 561: of indifc retion

ag aindrivenhim into the world. One day reading prayers

i n'

the parifh church, he molt unluck ily forg ot theiname o

‘

f

K ing G eorg e : his patron, a loyal fubjeél, difmill'

ed him

with fome relu&ance, and a dec ent reward ; and bow the

poor manended his days I have ‘

neve r been able to learn.Mr. j ohnKirkby is the author ofMo finallvolumes ; the

L ife of Automathe s _(L ondon, and anEng lilh and

L atin G rammar n(L ondon, which, as a teftimonyo f g ratitude, he

‘

dedicated (November .5 th, 1745 ) to my«father. The b ook s are

"before me : from them the pupil

may judg e the preceptor ,; and, upon the whole, his judgment will nothe unfavourable . The g rammar is e x ecuted

withaccuracy and Ik ili, andIknow not whether any better

ex ified at the time inour lang uag e : but the life ofAuto

matbes afp ires to the honours of a philofophical fiction. It

i s the fiory of a youth, the {onof a (hipwrecked ex ile”

,

who lives alone ona defert ifland from infancy to the ag e ofmanhood. A hind is his nurfe he inherits a cottag e, With

many ufeful’

and curious infiruments fome ideas remain of

the educationof his two full yearsIfome arts are borrowed

from the beavers of a neig hbouring lake ; fome truths are

revealed In fupernatural vir ns. W ith thefe helps, and his

own indufiry, Automathes becomes a feif- taug ht thoug hfpeechlefs philofophe r, who had inveftig ated with fuccefs

his ownmind, the naturalworld, the abllraét fc iences, and

the g reat princ iples of morality and relig ion. The author

is not entitled to the meritof invention, fince he has blend

ed theEng liIh Rory of Robinfon C rufoe {with the Arabian

romance of Hai EbnY okhdan, which he mig ht have read

inthe L atinverfionof Pococlr. Inthe Automathes I can.not p raife e ithe r the depth of thoug ht or eleg ance of {lyle

but the book is notdevoid of entertainment or infiruéi ion'

;

and

a, M'

EMO I R' S o r

and among feveral inte relting paflitg es, I would felcfi the

d ifcovery of fire, whichproduces by acc identalmiCChiefthe

difcovery of coul'

C icnce . A manwho had thoug ht fo much

onthe fubjeéls of lang uag e and educationwas furely no or

dinary preceptor : my childilh years, and his batty depar

turc, prevented me from enjoying the fullbenefit of his lef

fons 3 but they enlarg ed my knowledg e of arithmetic, and

leftme a clear impreflion of the Eng lilh and Latin rudi

ments .

Inmy ninth year (January ina luc id intervalof

comparative health, my father adapted the convenient and

cullomarymode of Eng lifh education; and I was (cut- to

King fiou uponThame s, to a fchoolof about feventy boys,

whichwas keptbyDr. W oodde fonand his allillants . Everytime I have lince pall

'

ed over Putuey C ommon, I have al

.ways noticed the fpot where my mother, as we drove alongin the coach, admonifhed me that Iwas now g oing into the

world, and mull learnto think and act for myfclf. T he

e x prefiionmay appear ludicrous ; yet there is not, in the

c ourfe of life, a more remarkable chang e than the removal

of a child from the lux ury and freedom of a wealthy houlh,to the frug aldiet and llrlét fubordinationof a fchool; from

the tendernefs of parents , and the obfequioufnefs of fe r

vants, to the rude familiarity of his equals, the infolent ry . .

ranny of his feniors , and the rod, perhaps, of a crueland

capric ious pedag og ue . Such hardlhips may flee] the mind

and body ag aiull the injuries of fortune ; but my timid referve was allonilhed by the crowd and tumultof the (Chool

the want of flreng th and activity difqualificd me for the

(ports of the play—field ; nor have I forg ottenhow often in

the year forty- fix Iwas reviled and bufl'

etted for the rim of

my Tory anceflors . By the commonme thods of difc ipline,

at the cx pence of many tears and fome blood, I purchal'

ed

the knowledg e of the L atinfyntax ; and not long fince I

was poil’

ell'

ed of the dirty volumes of t drus and Come

lius Nepos, which I painfully conflrucd and darkly unde r

llood. The choice of thel'

e authors is not injudlcious . Theliver

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

24 MEMO I R S o r

of ourfirfi interview, fome week s after the Fatalevent ; the

awful filence, the room hung with black, the mid- day ta

pers, his li g hs and tears ; his p raifes of my mother, a faintinheaven; his folemn adjuration that I would cherifh hermemory and imitate her v irtues and the fervor w ith whichhe k illed and blell

'

e

l

d me as the (ole furviving pledg e of the ir

loves . The fiorm of pallioninfenlibly fubfided into . calme r

melancholy. At a convivialmee ting of his friends,Mr.Gibbonmi g ht afl

i

etfi or enjoy a g leam of cheerfulnefs ; but

his plan of happinefs was for ever deftroyed : and after the

lots of his companionhe was left alone ina world, of whichthe bufinefs and pleafures were to him irkfome or infip id.

After fome unfuccefsl'

ul trials he renounced the tumult of

Londonand the hol'

p itality of Putney, and buried himfelf in

the ruralor rather rullio folitude of Buriton; from which,during leveralyears, he feldom emerg ed.

As far back as I can remembe r, the houfe, near Putneybridg e arid church-

yard, of mymate rnal g randfather appears

inthe lig htof my proper and native home . It was there

that I was allowed to (pend the g reateftpart of my time, inficknefs or inhealth, during my fchool vacations and myparents

’refidence inLondon, and finally after my mother

’

s

death. Three‘

months after that event, in the fpring of

1748, the commerc ial ru inof her father,Mr. James Porten, was accomplifhed and declared. He fuddenly abfcond

ed : but as his efi’

efits werev

uotfold, nor the houfe evacuated,till the Chrifimas following , I enjoyed during the whole

year theTociety of my aunt, without much confc ioufnefs of

her impending fate. I feel amelancholy pleafure inrepeat

ing my oblig ations to that ex cellent woman,Mrs . Cather ine Porten, the true mother of my mind as wellas ofmyhealth. Her

,natural g ood lenle was improved by the pe

rul'

alof the bell books inthe Eng lifb lang uag e ; and if her

reafonwas fometimes clouded by prejudice , her fentimentswere neve r difg uifed by hypoc rify or afl

'

eftation. Her ln

dulg ent tendernefs, the franknefs of her temper, and myinnate riling curiolity, foon removed all difiance between

us

MY m a AND W RITING S . a;

us : like friends of an equal ag e, we freely converfed on

every top ic, fani iliar o'

r abfirufe ; and itwas her deli g ht andreward .to obferve the li tli {boots of my young ideas . Painand lang uor were often {hotbed by the vo ice of inllruétion

and atriufement ; and .to her k indMom I afcribe my earlyand invincible love of reading , which I would riot ex chang efor the . treafures of India. I lhould perhaps be aftoniihcd,were it pollible to afce rtainthe date, atwhich a favouritetale was eng raved, by frequent repetition, inmymemory :the C ave rnof the W inds the Palace of Felic ity ; and thefatalmoment, at the end of three months or centuries, whenPrinc e Adolphus is overtakenby T ime, who had wornout(0 many pai r of w ing s inthe purfoit. Before I left K ingfion fchool I was well acquainted with Pope

’s Homer

,and

the Arab ianN ig hts Enterta inments , two books which willalways pleafe by the moving picture of humanmanners and

fpeeious miracles : nor was ] thencapable of difcerning that

Pope’

s tranllation is a portrait endowed with eve ry merit,ex cepting that of likenefs to the ori g inal.

'

The verfes of

Pope accultomed my ear to the found of Poetic harmony :in the death of Hector

, and the (hipwrec lt of Ulyffes, I

tailed the new emotions of terror and p ity ; and ferioullydifputed withmy aunt onthe vices and virtue s of the heroesof the T rojanwar. From Pope

’s Homer to Dryden

’s Vir

g ilwas aneafy tranfition; but I know not how, fromfarmfault inthe author, the tranllator, or the reader, the pious

E neas did not (0 forc ibly'

feiz e onmy imag ination; and 1,

deri ved more pleafure fromOvid’sMetamorphofes , efpeci

ally in the fall of t ton, and the fpeeches of Ajax and

Ulyfl‘

es . My g randfather’s flig ht unlocked the door of a

tole rable library ; and I turned over many Eng lilh pag es of

poetry and romance, of hiflory and travels. W here a titleattracted my eye, without fear or awe I fnatched the volumefrom the lhelf ; andMrs . Porten, who indulg ed herfelf inmoral and relig ious fpeculations, was more prone to enconrag e thanto check a curiofrty above the {lreng th of a boy.

This

3 6 MEMO I R S O F

This year the twelfth ofmy ag e, I {hallnote as the

molt prop itious to the g rowth‘

of my intellectual itature.

The relics ofmy g randfather’s fortune afforded a bare an

nuity fo r his ownmaintenance ; and his daug hter, my‘

wor

thy aunt, who had already pall‘

ed her .fortieth year, was left

deflitute. Her noble fpirit (corned a life of oblig ation and

dependence ; - and after revolving feveral fchemes, {be preferred the humble indultry of keep ing a boarding - houfe fb r

W efiminfier- fchool‘, where (he labo rioufly earned a corn

p etence for her old ag e .,

This fing ular opportunity of

blending the advantag es of p rivate and public educationdoc

e idedmy father. After the Chriltmas holidays inJanuary4749 , 1 accompaniedms. Porteri to her new boufe inColle g e

- ftree t ; and was immediately entered in the (chool, of

which Dr. j ohnN iooll was at that time head- mailer. A t

firft I was ‘

alone : but my aunt’s relblntion was p raifed ;

her charaéter was efteemed her friends were numerousand at‘i ive : in the courfe of fome years [he became the mo

ther of forty or fifty boys, for the moft part of family and

fortune ; and as her primitive hab itationwas too narrow, the

b uilt and occup ied a fpac ious manfron inDean's Y a

‘

rd. I{hall always be ready to join inthe commonop inion, thatour public fchools, which have produced (0 many eminentc haraa ers , are the beltadapted to the g enius and conftitution

of the Eng lilh people . A boy of fpirit may acqui re a brev ions and praétical ex perience of the world; and his playfellows may be the future friends of his heart or his inter-ell.

In a free intercourfe with his equals, the habits of truth,

fortitude, and prudence w ill infenlibly be matured. B irthand riches

‘

are meafured by the fiandard of pe rfonal merit ;and the mimic fcene of a rebellionhas difplayed, inthe ir truecolours, the miniflers and patriots of the tiling g eneration.

O ur feminaries of learning do not e x actly correfpond withthe precept of a Spartank ing , that the child fhould be in

{truaed

It is faid inthei

family, that {he was principally induced to this undertaking by her afi

'

efi ionfor hernephew, whofe weak conflitutionrequired her eon

fianf and unremitted attention. 8 .

3 8 MEMO I R S O F

methods of bathing and pumping . FromBath I was tranf

p orted to W inchefler, to the honfe of a phyfieian; and after

the Failure of his medical fkill, five had ag ainrecourfe to thev irtues of the Bathwaters . During the intervals of shell:

fits, I moved w ithmy father to Buritonand Putney ; and aibort unfuccefsful trial was attempted to renew my attend

am: atW eltminfief- lcbooh Butmy infirmities could not

be reconc iledwith the hours and difc ipline of a public feminary ; and infield of a domeftic tutor, who mig ht have

watched the'

favourable moments, and g ently advanced the

p rog refs of my learning , my father was too eaftly content

with fuch occafional teachers, as the different place s of my

refidence could fupply. I was never forced, and feldomwas

I perfuaded, to admit thefe lefl'

ons : yet I read with a cler

g ymanat Bath fome odes ofHorace, and feveralepifodes of

V irg il, which g ave me an imperfeétand tranfient enjoymento f the Latinpoets. It mig ht now be app rehended that Ithould continue for life an illiterate cripple : but, as I approached my ftx teenth year, Nature difplayed inmy favourhe r

.

myflerious energ ies ; my oonfiitutionwas fortified andfix ed andmy dilbrde rs, infiead of g rowing withmy g rowth

and fireng thening with my flreng th, moltwonderfully vanilhed. I have never pofl

'

ell'

ed or abuk d the infolence of

health : but fince that time few perfons have been more

ex empt from real or imag inary ills ; and, till I am admo

nilhed by the g out, the reader -will no mbre be troubled

w ith the b illory ofmy bodily complaints . My unex peétedrecovery ag ainencourag ed the hope of my education; and

I was placed at Elhcr, inSurry, inthe benfe of the ReverendMr. Philip Francis, ina pleafant fpot, which promifedto unite the various benefits of air, ex erc ife, and ftudy (Ja

nuary 17 The tranllator ofHorace mi g ht have taug htme to relilh the Latinpoets, had not my friends difcovered

ina few weeks , that he preferred the pleafures of London,to the inflruélionof his pup ils. .My father’

s perplex i ty at

this time, rather thanhis prudence, was urg ed to embrace

a ling ular _and defperate meafure. W ithout preparation.ar

delay

MY LIFE AND WRITINGS . 29

delay he carried me tO Ox ford ; and I was matriciflated in

the univerfity as a g entleman commoner ofMag dalen col

le g e , before I had accomplilhed the fifteenthyear ofmy ag e

(Ap ril 3 ,The curioftty, which had been implanted inmy infant

mind, was afiillalive and active 3 butmy reafonwas no tfluf

ficiently informed to.

underfiand the value, or to lament'

the

let'

s, of three prec ious years frommy entrance atW eftmin

flzer to my admiflionat Ox ford. Inflead of rep ining'

at mylong and frequent confinement to the chamber or the coach,

I fec retly rejo iced inthofe infirmities , which delivered mefrom the ex erc ifes of the

‘

fchool, and the foc ietyofmy equals .As oftenas I was tolerably ex empt from dang er and pa in,reading , free defultory reading , was the employment and

comfort of my folitary hours . AtW efiminfter, my aunt

foug ht only to amul'

e and indulg e me ; inmy ftations atBathand W inchelter, at Buriton

'

and Putney, a falfe com

pafiionrefpeétedmyfutfering s ; and I was allowed, w ithoutcontroul or advice, to g ratify the wandering s of an unripemile . My indifcriminate appetite fuhfided by de g rees inthe

b/fom'

c line : and lime philofophy has ex ploded all innateideas and naturalprepenfxties , I mull afc ribe this choice tothe afliduous perufalof the Univerfal H illary, as the ca m

volume s fucceflively appeared. This unequalwork,, and a

treatifc of Hearne, the Duaar biflar irur'

, referred and in

troduced me to the Greek and Romanhifiorians, to as,manyat lead as were accefiible to anEng lifh reader. All that I

could find were g reedily devoured, from Littlebury’s lame

Herodotus , and Spelman’s valuable Xenophon, to the pom

pous folios ofGordon’s Tac itus, and a rag g ed Procop ius of

the be g inning of the laficentury. The cheap acquifitionof

(0 muchknowledg e confirmedmy dillike to the fiudy of lan

g uag es ; and I arg ued withMrs . Porten, that, were I matterof Gree k and Latin, I

'

muft interpret to myfelf inEng lifhthe thoug hts of the ori g inal, and that fuch ex temwrary ver

fions mull be inferior to the elaborate tranilations ofprofefl'

edfcholars a filly fophifm, which could not eafily be confuted

by

30 MEMO I R S O F

by a perfonig norant of any other lang uag e than her own.

From the anc ient I leaped to themodernworld : many crudeMps Of Speed, Rap in,Meet ing-Dayna,Machiavel, Fa

ther Paul, Bower, die ; I devoured like fo m ynovels ; andI {wallowed with the fame vorac ious appetite the defcriptions of India and China, ofMex ico and Peru.My fitfi introduction so the hifiorlc fcenes, which havefince eng ag ed (0 many years ofmy life, mutt be afcribed toanaccident. In the nunmot of 175 1 , I acoornpanied myfather ona viiit toMr. Home’

s, inW iltthire ; but I waslefs deli g hted w ith the beauties of Stourhead, thanwith difeovering inthis library a commonbook, the Continuationof Echard

’s RomanHiflory, which is indeed exe cuted with

more fleili and tafle thanthe previous'worlt. To me the

reig ns of the fuccd fors of Confiantine were abfolutely new iand I was imme rfed inthe pafl

'

ag e of the Goths over the

Danube , whenthe fummons of the dinner- bell relufl ahtlydrag g ed me from my intellectual feat}. Thi s tranfrent

g lance ferved rather to irritate thanto appeafe my curiofity ;a nd as foonas I returned to Bath I procured the fecond andthird volumes of Howell

’

s Hiftory of the W orld, which ex

bibit the Byz antine period ona larg er fcale. Mahomet andhis Saracens foonfix ed my attention; and form infiinét of

c ritic ifm directedme to'

the g enuine fources . S imonC elticy, anorig inal inevery (cute, firfl openedmy eyes ; and I

was led from one boolt to another, till I bad rang ed round

the circle of ~0 rientalhifiory. Before I was fix teen, I hadexhauited all that could be learned inEng liih of the Arabs

and Perfians, the T artars and Turks and the fame ardour

hrg cdme to g ees at the French ofD’Herbelot, and to con

firue the barbarous Latinof Pocock ’s Abulfarag ius . Such

vag ue and multifarious reading could not teach me to think ,to write, or to act and the only princ iple, that darted a rayof li g ht into the indi g efied chaos, was anearly and rationalapplication to the order of time and place. The maps of

Cellarius‘

and W ells imprinted inmy mind the picture of

anc ient g eog raphy : from Stranchius I imb ibed the elementsof

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 : MEMrO I R S O F .

dents, who {warm from difl'

erent countries,_

are loafely (lip

11c inprivate lodg ing s at the boul'

cs of the burg hers fitheydrefs according to their fancy and fortune ; andm the 1p:

perate quarrels of youth and w ine, the1rfwwdr, thoug h lfiisfrequently than of old, are (emetimes fiained with ea

-

Qh

other’5 blood. Theme of arms is banifl1ed from ourEng

lilh univerfities ; the uniform hab it of the academics , ghe

fquare cap , and black g own, is adapted to the c ivil and even

clerical profefiion; and from the dofior tn divinity to Elsieunder- g raduate, the deg rees of learning and ag e are exqnally difling uifhed. Inflead of be ing fcattered m a town,the findents of Ox ford and Cambridg e are united in col

le g es ; their maintenance is p ro1 ided at their own ex p ence,

or that of the founders ; and the {lated hours of the halland

chapel reprel'

ent the difcipline o f a reg ular, and, as it

were , a reli g ious community. The eyes of the travelle r

are attracted by the fiz e or beauty of the public edifices ;

and the principal colleg es appear to be (0 many palaces,which a libe ralnation has ereCled and endowed for the ha

bitationof fe ience. My own introduflion to the univerlityof Ox ford forms a new aera inmy life and at the diflance

of forty years I flillremember my firll emotions of furprife

and fatis fafi ion. Inmy fifteenth year I felt myl'

elf iuddenlyraiFed from a boy to a man: the perfona, whom I refpeétedas my fuperiors inag e

‘

and academical rank , entertainedmew ith every mark of attention and c ivility ; and my vanitywas flattered by the velvet cap and filk g own, which dillin

g uifb a g entlemancommoner from a plebeian fiudent. A

decent allowance, more money than a fehool- boy had ever

feen, was atmy owndilpofal and I mig ht command, amongthe tradel

'

men of Ox ford, an indefinite and dang erous lati

tude of credit. A keywas delivered into my hands, which

g ave me the free ufe of a numerous and learned library ; myapartment confifled of three eleg ant and well- furnifhed

rooms inthe new building , a {tately pile, ofMag dalenCollog e ; and the adjacent walk s, _

had they beenfrequented by .

Plato’s difc iples, mig ht have been compared to the Attic

{bade

11511! L IFEmp .wat'mi e s . 3 3

met onthe banks of‘

the nuns. Such was the fair ptée

pea ofmy‘

entrance (April 3 , 175 2) into the univerfiq of

A venerable prelate, whofe talie and eruditionmull: teflecthonour on the focie

'

ty inwhich they were formed, has

drawna very interelting p iélure of his academicallife.

i

“Iwas educated (fays Bifimp Lowth)1n the vmvrmsrnr

or Ox ronn. I enjoyed all the advantag es , both public

and private, which that famous feat of learning fo larg elyaffords . I (pentmany years inthat illufirious fociety, in

courfe of ufefuldifc ipline and fiudies;

improving commerce of g entle

foc iety where emulationwithout

envy, hmbitionwithoutjealou(v, contentionwithout ani

mofity, incited indufiry, and awakened g enius ; where aliberal purfuit of knowledg e, and a g enuine freedom of

thoug ht, was raifed, encourag ed, and puihed forward by

ex ample, by Commendation, and by authority I breathqaed the fame atmofphere that the Hoottth s,

‘

the C an.

u nc woa'

rh s, and the Lacuna had breathed before ;“whofe

‘

benevolenoe and humanity were'

as ex tenlive as

their val! g enius and comprehenfive knowledg e ; whoI“always treated the ir adverfiries with

‘

civility and refpea gwhomade candour, moderation, and liberal

'

judg ment asmuch the rule and law as the fubjea: of their difcourfe.

And do you reproachme with my educationinthis place,

and with my relationto this moft refpeétable body, Which

I {hallalways efteemmy g reatefi advantag e mdmy hig hefl:“honour ?

" I tranfcribe with pleafure this eloquent paf

fag e, without ex amining what benefits or what rewards

were de rived byHooker, orChilling worth, or L oclr'

e, from

theiracademical infiitution; without inquiring , whether in

this ang rycontroverfy the fpirit of L owthhimfelf is purified .

flow the intolerant z eal, whichW arburtonhad afcribed -to

the g enius of the place . It may indeed .be obferved, that

the atmofpbere of Ox ford did not ag ree withMr. Locke ’s

conflitution, and that the philofopher juilly defp ifed the acaV ot . I . D demical

31 o r

domicalEig hts; who ex pelled his perfdnand condhm afhas

princ iple s. The ex preflionof g ratitude is a virtue and a‘

i '

pleafure : a liberalmind willdelig ht to cheriih and celebrate

me memory of its parents t and the teachers of fcience are

the parents of the minda I applaud the filial piety, which it

is impofible for me m inivan-

11lime Imull not confefs an

hnag inary debt; m all'

une the mcrit of a jufl’or» g enerous

retribution. T o the unim fity of Otford I acknowledg e

no oblig ation; and {he will‘

as cheerfully renounce me'

fe t a:

fan; as ! unwilling to difolaim her for a mother; p eut

fourteen months atMag dalen Colle g e ; they proved the

{commMonths the mod! idle and unprofimble of my whole“

life : the readcr wlll pronounce betWeenthe lbhoolland the

fcholar ; but Ii eannot afl'

ea to believeMNeture had dif-J

qualified me for all literary purlinits . The fpec ious and

ready ex eul’

e of‘my tender ag e, imperfea preparation, andMy departure, may doubtlefs be alleg ed ; nor fdo l with to

defraud luch calcufc s of their proper weig ht. Y eninmyfix teenth year I was not: demid of capacity or application;

evenmy ohildifla reading . hadMplayedanearly thoug htbhnd

propenlity for books and the {bellow flood mig ht have

beeu taug hc to flow in a h ep channel andaa clear llream .

In the difclpline of mwell- c onflituted academy, under thé'

g uidance of fleilful and vig ilmt prbfellbrs, ‘ I {head g radually have

'

rifen from“tranllations to orig inalsr from the

L atin to the G reek clafi c sp h'

om dead lang uag es ro liv

ing fc ience zr my hours would have beenoccup ied by ulisful,

and ag reeable ftudies , the wandering s of fancy would have

b eenrellrained, and I fhould have elbaped the temptations

of idlenefi, which firmlly precipitate d my dopaptuee from

O x ford.

Perhaps 111 a (operate annotatiow I may coolly ex amine

the fabulous and heal antiquities of our litter univerfi

(ties , a quelli'

on whiizh has kindled fach fierce -and foolifll

ydifpute s among their fanatic lbns a In the meanwhile it

w ill be .acltnowledg ed, that thefe vene rable bodies are faf

hekndy old to partake of all the prejudices and infirmi

tics

MY IJIFE annwm'nmc s . g ag‘

fia‘

of ag e t The 111116013 of'

Ox ford and Cambridg e w e :

Tounded in a darlc'

ag e of falfe'

and barbarous fem } ;

and they are : ibiil taint'

ed with em vice: of their orig in.

‘

oi pm andzménlts s'

and the “

g overnment firill remhinsi

1nd1e ~lm tls Of the i d fl SYy anordcr of menwhefe manid‘

nm are remote ,from the prefent world, and whole eyes

’

i te m by the li5 1£ of phirof0phy. The leg al inJ

corporation of there ibc ietiesz by the chhrters of pepeh

aad k ing s had g iven them a mdm poly of' the public iti‘

e

Mon‘

; and the fpirit of mBnOpoiiil's 1s narrows

, lazy,and opprcfiive ; the ir work 1 3 more cofily and leils pro

“

duawe than that of independent artifis ; and theneW im-i

provemems fo‘

eag eriy g rafpd wbys the competition ofi free

darn, are adthitte'

d Withzllow and fiillenneluétanee inf/tild e :

proud corporations above the -Mof a rival, and‘ belbw‘

the m xf cihomof an erron We may (carceiy hbpe thanany reibrmationwillbe a voluntary aa ; and ib dceply are

they rooted inlaw and prejudice, that eventhe omnipotence"

of parliament would iheink fromm in'

quiry into the {hateandf

abui'

es oi’the two univerfitles .

The are of academicaldeg'

reest as old'

as the thirteenth

centurys is vifibly borrowed from the mechanic corpo-a

m ane , in-which anapprentice, after ferving his time;obtains ae teflrimonial of his (k ill; and a liceni

'

e to prae:

tife his trade and myfiery. It is not my delig n to de

mocha thoie - hpnoW . Which-

1 could never g ratify or dif- v

W my ambitiml s ; and I, ihould applaud the inili- v

union, if the deg rees of ba chelor or licentiate were be—W

the name and rank of doflor or‘

mailer were ' itrialy te~'

ferved f or the profefl'

ors of fc ience, who halve approved

their title to the public'

efieem.

In all: the univerfities of Europe, ex cepting our own, '

the lang uag es and fciencea are' diiiributed among - a - mw

m us lifi bf e ifefi ive profellhrs : the {111d accord- v

fig to their. tafic, theincalfip g y and their- dilig ence, apply,

”

D 2 thcmfelves

36' MEMO I R S o r

themfelve'

s to the proper’

ma‘

fiers g'

and in the annual re ;

petition of public i nd private le&ures , theic mailers are

afliduouily employed. Our curioiity may inquire what

number of profefl'

ofs has beeninfiituted at Ox foi'd ? (forI {hall now confine myfelf to my aim ufiim fim) bywhom

‘

are they appointed, and what may be the proba

ble chantes’

of m'

erit or incapacity ? how many are itationed to the three faculties , and how many are left “ for

the liberal arts ? what is the form, and what the fub

fiance , of the ii' le il'

ons ? But all theic quefiions are

filenced by one fliort and ling ular anfwer, That in

the univeriity of Ox ford, the g reater part of the pub

lic profefibrs have for thei'

e many years g iven up ai

tog ether eVen the pretehce of teaching” Incredible

as the faét may appear, I mull refi my belief (in the

politive and impartial evidence b f 11 inafier of moralindpoliticalwifdont, who had himfelf relided atOx ford. Dr.

Adam Smith aflig ns as the caufe of the ir indolence, that,

infiead of being paid by voluntary bontribhtioris, which

w’

ould urg e them to inbreafe the number, and to‘

deferve

the g ratitude of their pupils, the Ox ford profeil'

ors are

feeure in the enjoyment of a lifted ilipend, without theneoeiiity of labour, or the appreheniionof controul. It

has indeed been obferved; nor is the obl'

ervation abfurd,

that ex cepting in ei perinierltal fciem which demand a

cofily apparatus and a dex terous hand, the many valu

able treatifes, that have been publilhed on every fubjcaof learning ; may now fupe rl

'

ede the ancierttmode of oral

inflruclion. W ere this princ iple true in its utmoll: la

titude, I (hould .ohly infer that the offices and (alaries ,

which are become‘

ufelefs, oug ht without delay to beMM But there fiill'

remains a material difi'

erence

between a book and a profeii'

or ; the hour of the lee

ture inforces attendance ; attention is fix ed by the pre

fence , the voicq and the occaiional quellions of the

0teacher ; the moil ' idle will carry fomething away ; and

the more dilig ent will compare the infimélions, which

they

MY L IFE AND WR ITINGS. 3 1

they hayeheard inthe [choc ], with the volumes, which theyperufi: in their chamber. The advice of a fltilful pro

fefl'

or will adapt a courfe of m ding to every mind and

every lituation; his authority will dik over, admonilh, andat laft chafiife theneg lig ence of his difciples ; and his vi

g ilant inquiries will afcertain the Reps of their literary

prog refs . W hatever fcience he profefl'

es he may illuf

trate in a {cries of difcourfes, compofed in the leifureof his clofet, pronounced onpublic occafions, and fluidlydelivered to the profs , I obl

'

erve with pleafure, that in

the .univerflty of Ox ford Dr. L owth,'

with equal elo

quence and erudition, has ex ecuted this talk in his ih

comparable Pre k fl iom on the Poetry of the Hebrews.

The colle g e of St.MaryMag dalenwas founded in

the fifteenth century by W ainfleet hillwp of W inchef

her ; and now confitts of a prefident,tbrty fellows, and

a

'

number of inferior fiudents. It is eileomed one of the

larg elt and molt wealthy of our academical c orporations ,which may be compared to the Benedictine abbeys of

catholic countries ; and I have loofely heard that the effates belong ing toMag dalen Colle g t, which are leafed

by thofe indulg ent landlords at [mall quit- rents and

cafional fines,mig ht be railed

,in the hands of p ri

avarice, to an annual revenue of nearly thirty thoufand

pounds . Our colleg es are fuppofed to be fchools of fei

ence , as well as of education; nor is it unreafonable to

ex pect that a body of literary men, devoted to a life of

celibacy, ex empt from the care of the ir own fubfiftence,and amply p rovided with books, {hould devote their le i

fare to the profecution of. Rudy, and that fome eEcéts

.pf their {indies thpuld be manifefled to the world The

thelves of their library g roan under the weig ht of the

Benedictine folios , of the editions of the fathers, and. the

c olleétions of the middle ag e s, which have ifiued fromthe fing le abbey . of St -Germain de Pre

'

z at Pa ris . A

. pomtmfitioq of g enius muft be the ofi'

spring of one mind

.hutfi tch works of'

indufiry, .

as may be divided amongmany

as mano rns o r

many hands, and mutt be continued during m y ya ngare the peculiar provinoe o f a laborious community . If 'I

_

inquire into the manufaétures of the monies ofMagmlmif l ex tend the inquiry to the other colle g es oi Ox ford

and Cambridg e, a filent biotin, or a [cornful frown, will

be the only reply. The fellows or monk s of any time

.were decent e afy men, who fip inely enjoyed the g ifts ofthe founder : their days .were filled by a [cries of uniform

culployments ; the chapel and the hall, the cofi e - houfe

and the ,common room, till they retired, weary and well

fatisfied, to a long (lumber. From the toil oi reading ,or thinking , or writing , they had abiblved the ir con

fi rm } , and the firfi (boots of learning and ing enuity .

withe red onthe g round, without yielding any fruit: to

the owners or the public. As a g entleman commoner},I was admitted to the fociety of the fellows, and fondlyeitpeéted that fome Queftions of literature would be the

amuiing and infiruétive topics of their difcourfe. Their.

converfationfiag nated ina round of colleg e buiinefs , T ory

politics, perfonal anecdotes, and private (candal : the ir dull

and deep potations cheated the briik intemperance of youth;

and their confiitutional toalla were nOt ex preilive Of the

mofi’

lively loyalty for the houfe of Hanover. A g ene

.ral eleétion was new approaching : the g reat Ox fordfltire

conteil: already blaz ed with all the malevolence of party,

z eal. Mag dalenColleg e was devoutly attached to .the old

inrereft ! and the names of W enmanand Daihwood were

more frequently pronounced, than thol'

e of C icero and

C hryl'

oiiom. The ex ample of the lenior knows could

not infpire the under- g raduates with a liberal fp irit or tin

dious emulation; and I cannot defcrihe, as I never knew,the difcipline of colle g e. Some duties may pollibly have

been impaled on the poor (cholars, whole ambition af

p ired to the peaceful honours of a fellowlhip (efir t'

h g ari

etr'

r ondim'

bur Da rren); but no independent mem

be rs were admitted below them ]: of a g entlemanoom

moncr, and our velvet u p was the cap of liberty. A

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

to.MEMO I R S o r

g ant claflic, whichmi g ht have beenmaimed by a com

parifon o f antient and modern theatres, was reduced to a

dry and literal interpretation of the author’s tex t. Dur

ing the firft weeks I c onfiahtly attended thefe lefl'

ons in

my tuto r’s room ; but as they appeared equally devo id of

p rofit and pleafixre, I was‘

onoe tempted to try the ex

periment of a formal apolog y. The apolog y was 3 C “,

cepted with a fmile . I mpeated thc offence w ith lefi

remony ; the ex cufe was admitted with the fame indol

the molt trifling avocation at home or abroad, was al- f

lowed as a worthy impediment; nor did my tutor ap

pear oonlb ious of my abfence or ne g lect. Had the

of le&ure been confiantly filled, a fmg le hour was a (mall

portion of my academic leifure . No plan of {lady was

for his infpedtion and, at the molt precious feafon of

youth, whole days and week s were fuffered to elapfe with.

out labour or amulbment, without advice or account. I

Hmuld have lifiened to the voice of reafon and of my tu

tor , his mild behaviour had g ained my confidence. I preferred his fociety to that of the young er fiudents and in

our evening walk s to the top of Hedding tomhiu, we freelyconve rfed fona variety of fubjefis . Since the days of P0

éock and Hyde, Oriental learning has always been the

p ride of Ox ford, and I once ex prefl'

ed an inclination to

Rudy Arabic. His prudence difcourag ed this childilh

fancy ; but he ne g leaed the fair occafion of direa ing the

ardour of a curious mind. During my abfenee m theSummer vacation, Dr. W aldeg rave accepted a colle g e li

-v

ing at W afhing ton in Sullex , and on my return'

I

long er found him at Ox ford. From that time I haveloft fig ht of my firfi tutor ; but at the end of thirty years

(1781)he was fiill alive ; and thepraaicc of cx ercifb and

temperanoe had entitled him to a healthy old ag e.

The long reoefs between the Trinity andMichaelmasterms emg ties the oolleg es of Ox fordg as well as the oourta

°l

14. «ME_

MO I'

R S O E

TMpmg rcfs of my converfionmay tend to illufirate, atleafi, the hifiory of my ownmind. It was not long fince

_

Dr .Middleton’s free inquiry had founded an alarm in the

theolog icalworld : much ink and much g all had been fpiltinthe defence Of the primitive miracles 5 and the two dullefl:

of their champ ions were crownedwithacademic honours by

the univerfity of Ox ford, The name ofMiddletonwasunpopular and his profcriptionverynaturally ledme to pe grufc his writing s , and thofe of his antag onilts. His holdcritic ifm

,which approaches the precip ice of infidelity, pro,

ducedonmymind a fing ular cfl’eét; and had I_perfevered it;

fortune the p redictionof (he; Sybil,

o dminime reris, Gram, pandetur ab urbe .

The ele g ance of fiyle and freedom of arg ument were K 1

pelled by a (hield of prejudice. I {till revered the chandler,

or rather the names, of the faints and fathers whom Dr,Middletonexpofes , nor couldhe; dellmymy implicit belie f,ift ofmiraculous powers was continued in the

church, during the firftfour or five centuries of chrifiianity,Burlwas unable to refill the we ig ht of hifioricalevidence,that withinthe fame periodmoil; of the leading doctrines of

paperywe re already introduced intheory and practice : nor

was my conclufionahfurd, thatmiracles are the tellof truth,and that the churchmufi beorthodox and pure, which was

[0 often approved by the vilible interpolitionof the Deity.The marvellous tales which are 125 boldly attefted by the

Bafils and Chryfofioms, the Aultins andJeroms, compelledme toembrace the fuperior merits of celibacy, the infli

‘

tu‘

o

tionof the monafi ic life, the ufe of the fig nof the c roft, ofholy oil, and evenof imag es, the invocation of (aims, thcworfhip of relics , the rudiments of purg atory in prayers

for the dead, and the tremendous myllery of the (acrificc Ofthe body and blood of Chrili, which infenlibly fwelled into

the

MEun i it s . o la

“To take up balf ontroll, and half to'

try,Name it not faith, but bung ling big otry.

“Mknave and fool, the merchant we may call,To pay g reat (inns, and to compound the fmail.

u For who would break WithH eaven; and would not“Break forall?

”

momm had IEt'

tled‘my newrelig ionthanl'

refolimd‘to

profifs myfitlfa catholic; Youth is fincere and impetuous ;and amomentary g lowof enthufialfmhad raifédfime above all

'

By the been proteitants‘

, who would g ladlyretaliate drecitampk of perfécufiom a clamour is raifed of the increafi

of popery t and they are always lbttd to declalm ag ainfi'

the

tolerationof prieli s and‘jcfuits, who pervert fo many of his

majefi-

y’

s ihbjea s from their relig ion and alle g iance. On

the prefent occafion‘

, the fall of‘one or more of hcr fans

directed this clamour ag ainfi the urriverfity ; and itMntly afitmed ‘

that popifil mifli’

onaries were fuflh‘

ted,

under various difg uifes‘

, to introduce themli lves into the

colle g es'

of Ox ford. But jufl'i‘

ce oblig es me to declare,

that, as far as relates to -myfelf,’

thisMenis falfe ; and

that I never converfed With a prieli, or evenwith a

tillmy refolutionfrom books was abfolutely fix ed. Inmylath ex curlionto London; I

‘addreffedmyfelf

‘

toMr. L ewis,a Romaneatholic bookfeller inRuM- fireet, Covent Gar

den, who recommendedme to a priefi, of whofi: name and

order I'm at prefent ig norant: Inaour ftrfi interview he

fbondifcavered that1perfl1afion was needlefs . Afters unds

ing the motivea and merits of'

my converlion, he confented

re admitme into the paleo f'

the churche and at his‘

feet, onthe eig hth sf June 175 3 , I folemnly. thoug h p

’

rivm ly, all;

jured the errors of herefy. The fedu&ionof an Eng lilh

youth of family and fortune was anaa of as mucb dang cr'

He defcribed tlxeletter to hitfitherr annonocing his cm erMA t write

ttnwith alltbc poinp 5 the dignity, and fd f- fatisfa&ionof ammyr. 8.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

o"l

‘

48 ms u o r a s o r

isMr.W illiamChill’mg worth,Maller of Arts, ahd Fellowof T rinityColle g e, Ox ford ; who, at the ripe ag

'

e of twen- i

ty- eig ht years, was perfuaded to elope from Ox ford, to the

Eng lifil (culinary at Douay inFlanders . Somé difputes

withFilher, a fubtle je l'

uit,‘

mig htfirltawakenhimhm the

prejudices of education5 buthe yielded to his ownvictorio'

ous arg ument, that there mull bit fomewhere an infallible“ judg e ; and that the church of Rome is the only chrifiian

foole’

ryWhich either does or canpretend tothat character.”

After a (hort trialof a few months;Mr. Chilling v'vorth wasag ain tormented by relig ious fcruples : lie returned home,refiimed his ltudics; rin

’

ratelled his miltalces '

, and delivered

his mind lrbmthe yoke of authority and ftlperfiition: His

new creedwas built onthe principle, that the Bible is ourfole judg e, and firivate reafonour (ole interpreter : and he

ably maintains this princ iple inthe Relig ionof a Prbteltant,a book which; after fiartling the dofiors of Oi l’o rd,

‘ is {till

elleemed the molt folid defehce of the Reformation. The

learning , the virtue, the recentmerits of the author, entitledhim to fair preferment : but the {lave liad now brokenhis

letters and themore he weig hed, the lefs was he dil'

pofed to

l'

tibfcribe to‘

the thirty- nine articles of the church of Eng

me. Ina private letterhe declares, with all the energ y of

b ug ong e,thathe could not fubl

'

cribc to themwithout fuba

k riblng to his own damnation; and that if ever he lhould

“in“from this immoveable refolution, he would allow his

friends to think hima madman, or anatheill. As the let

te r is without a date, we cannot afcertainthe number of

weeks ormonths that elapled betwieenthis pallionate abhori

and the Salilbury \

Re g ill:cr;l

which is (fill ex tant.

Eg o G ulielmus Chilling worth, z z.

‘

omnibus hifce ar-l

ticulis, et ling ulis in iifdem contentis volens, et

“e x animo fubl'

cribo, et confenl'

um meum iifdem prz bem

20 die Julii But, alas ! the chancellor and pre s.

bendary of Sarum l'

oondeviated from his own‘

l'

ubfcription

as he more d eeply fcrutiniz ed the article of the Trinity,

neither (cripture nor the primitive fathers could long uphold

his

MY LIFE AND WRITINGS . 49

his‘

orthbdox belief 5 and he could not but confel'

s, that“thi: doctrine of Arius is either a truth, or atleallno dam

nable herefy.” From this middle re g ionof the air, the

dc fcent of his reafon would naturally refl on the fi rmer

g round of the S oc inians : and if we may credit a doubtful

flory, and the popular op inion, his anx ious inquiries at lafi

fublided inphilofophic indifference. So confpicuous, how

e ver, were the candour of his nature and the innocence of

his heart, that this apparent levity did not all'

edt the reputa

tion of Chilling worth. His frequent chang es proceeded

from too nice an inquilition into truth. His doubts g rew ,

out of himfelf; he afli fled them with all the lireng th of his

renl'

on: he was then tqo hard fonhiml‘

elf : but finding as

little quiet and repol'

c inthole viélories , he quickly recover

ed, by a new appeal to his ownjudg ment : fo that inall‘

his (allies and retreats, he was infacthis ownconvert.

Bayle was the (on of a Calvinift miniller in a remote

province of France, at the foot of the Pyrenees . For the

benefit of education, the proteflants .were tempted to rifk

their childreninthe catholic univerfitie s and inthe twenty-2

fecond year of his ag e , young Bayle was (educed by the arts

and arg uments of the jefuits of Thouloufe . He remained

about feventeenmonths (lothMarch 1669— l g th Aug uil:

1670) intheir hands, a voluntary captive ; and a letter to

his parents, which the new convert compol'

ed or fuhfc ribed

(1 5 th April is darkly ting ed withthe fpirit of po

pery . But Nature had deli g ned him to think as he pleafcd,

and to (peak as he thoug ht : his piety was offended by the

ex cellive worlhip of creatures ; and the lindy of phylics

convinced him of the im'

poflibility of tranfubllantiation,

which is abundantly refuted by the tellimdny of our fenfes.

His return to the communionof a falling leftwas a bold

and dilinterelled liep, that‘

ex pofed him to the rig our of the

laws ; and a fpe edy flig ht to G eneva protcaed him r from

the refentment of his fpiritual tyrants , unconfcious as they

were of the full value of the priz e, which they had loll.

Had Bayle adhered to the catholic church, had he embraced

VOL . I. E the

so" MEMO I R S O F

themedfi g fiiml p rofefi on, the g enius and favour of luch at

p rofelyte mig ht have afpired to wealth and. honours inhis

native country : but the hypocrite would- have found let?

happinefs in the comforts of a beneficep or the dig nity of a

mitre, than he enjoyed at Rotterdam in a'

p rivate Rate of

ex ile, indig encey and freedom. W ithout a country, or a.

patron, or a prejud ic e, he claimed the liberty and fubfifted

By the labours of his pen: the inequality of' his voluminous

wo rk s is e x plained and ex cufed by his alternately writingfor fdr the bookfellers , ; and for polterity s and if a

k y ere critic would’

reduee him to a ling le foliof that relic,

like the books of the Sybil, would become fiill more va

luable. A calm’and lofiy fpeétator of; the relig ious tempefi,

the philot'

Opher of Rotte rdam condemned withe qual firm

nefs the perfecutionof Eewis the Fourteenthé'

and the te

publicanmax ims of the Calvinifis 5 , the ir vaino

prophec i‘

es,‘

and the intole rant big otry which ftzrnetimes vex ed his foli

w y retreat. In revi ewing the controve rlies of’the times , .

he turned ag ainlt each other the arg uments ofithe difpu

tants fuccefiively wielding the arms of the catholi’

es and

ne ither the way09 authority,

nor the‘

wayv of ex amination can afiord the multitude any

te ft‘

of relig ions tr'

uth and‘dex teroufiy conclirdes that cut:

tom and'

educationmutt be the fole g rounds of popular be

lie f. The ancient: paradox 08 Plutarch, thatm um is let'

s

p ernicious than [uperffitionr acquires a ten- fold ~ v ig or,

whenit is adorned with the colours of his ~w it, and po inted"

w ith the aeutenefs of his ‘log ic . His critical dictionary is a.

Vail: repofito ry o f faéh and opinions and'

he balanc e s the

fay} relig ions inhis fceptical fcale s, . till the oppofite quantil

ties (if I may we the lang uag e of alg ebra)‘

annihilate e ach

o ther. The wonderful. power which he (0 boldly ex erc ifed;of afl’

embling doubts and objections , had tempted him jocofely to afl

'

ume the title of the mpom-mwa Zane, the c loud

comrwelling Jove ; and inamnverfationwith the ing enious

Abbé (afterwards Cardinalldc Polig nac , . he freely difc loflibis univerfalPyrrhonifin I ammofi truly (Grid Bhfie) t

p ro«2

MY m a AND war'rmos. 5 :

proteflant ; for I protefi indifl’erently ag ainfi all fyltems

and all(cots .

T he academical refentment, which I may pollibly have

p rovok ed, w ill prudently (pare this plain narrative of my’

(indies , or rather of my idlenefs ; and of the unfortunate

e vent which lhortened the term of my refideuc e at Ox ford.

But itmaybe fug g efied, thatmy father was unlucky inthe

c hoice of a fociety, and the chance of a tutor. It will per

haps b e afl‘

eroed, that in the ls pfe of forty years many im~

provements have takenplace in the colleg e and inthe uni

verfity. [ am not unwilling to believe, that fome tutors

mig ht have been found more active thanDr. W aldeg rave,

and lefiz contemptible than Dr.n e e, About the fame

time, and inthe fame walk, a Benthamwas (till treading in

the footfieps of a Burton, whofe max ims he had adapted,

and whore life he had publilhed. The biog rapher indeed

p re ferred the fchool- log ic to the new philofophy, Burg urf

dicina to Loc ke ; and the hero appears, inhis'

ownwriting s,

altifl'

andconceited pedant. Y et even there men, accord

ing to the meafure of their capacity, mig ht be dilig ent and

ufe ful{ and it is recorded of Burton, that he taug ht his pu

pils what he knew ; fome L atin, fome Greek, fume ethics

and metaphylics ; referring them to prom mailers for the

lang uag es and fc iences of which he was ig norant. At a

mo re recent period, many Rodents have beenattracted bythe merit and reputationof S ir

'

W illiam Scott, thena tutor

inUniverfity Colleg e, and now confp icuous in the profef

Bonof the civillaw : my perfonal acquaintance with that

g entlemanhas infpired me with ajufi cfieem for his abilities

and knowledg e ; and I am all'

ured that his lectures onhif

wry would commi'

e, were they g ivento the p ublic, a mall:

valuable treatife . Under the aufp ices of the prefent Arch

biflsop of Y ork , Dr.Markham, himfelfaneminent fcholar,a mo re re g ular difc ipline has been introduced, as I am told,

at tifi Church‘; a courfe of clafi cal and philofOphical

E 2 {indies

‘ This was writtenonthe informationMr. Gibbon had reeeived, md tbsW he had made , previous to his lsae réfidena at h ufanne. During

his

p MEMO I R S o r

{indies is prOpoi'

ed, . and evenpurfued, inthatnumerous re. “

mmary : learning has been made a duty, at pleafure,'

andi

evena falhion; a nd feveral young g entlemen.

do honourto

the colle g e inwhich they have beeneducated Accordingto

'

the will of the donor, the profit of the fecond part of

L ord Clarendon’

s I-Ii itory has beenapplied to the ell’ablifh

ment of a riding- (chock that the polite ex erc il

'

es mig htbe

taug ht,~ I know not with what fuccel

'

s, in the univerfityo

The V inerianprofeli'

orihip is of farmore l'

erious importance 9

the laws of his country are the firii: fcience of an Englilhman of rank and fortune, who is called to be a ma

his hit vifit to Ehg land, he had an opportunityof feeing at Sheffield-

place

form young menof the colleg e above alluded to ; he had g reat fatisfattionin

converting with them, made many enquiries refpeé'

ting the ir courfe of

applauded the d ifcipline of Chrifi Church, and the liberalattentionthew

by the Dean, to thot’

e whofe only recommendation was their merit. Had ~

Mr. Gibbonlived to revife this work , I am fore he would have mentioned

the name of Dr. lackl'

onwith the hig helt commendation; and allb thatof Dr.

B'

ag ot, Billwp of St. Afiphr whofe attentiontothe duties of his (fl ee while

he was Deanof Chrill Church Chlleg e were unremitted . There are other .

colleg es atOx fordrwithwhole difciplinemy fnimdwas unacquainted, towhich”

without doubt, he would willing ly have allowed the ir due praife, particular

ly Braz ehNoi'

e and Oriel Colleg es ; the formerunder the care ofDr. Cleaver.

biIhOp cl‘

Chefier, the latterunder that of Dr. Eveléig h: It is (fill g reatly‘

to

be withed that the g eneralexPence, » or rather ex travag ance p of young men

at our Eng lilh univerlities may be more en'

s-anally refirained . The ex pence ,

inwhich they are permitted to indulg e, is inconfiltentnotonly with a necci

l'

aiy deg ree of lludy, butwith thofe habits ofmorality whichwould be promoted , by alimeans poll

’ible r s tart early period of life. Anacademics ] edu

cation inEng land is at prefent anobjefi oi: alarm and tcn‘

onto every think ing

parent of moderate fortune. It is ~ the apprehenfionof the ex pence, of the

difiip ation, and Other evilccnfequenees, which aril'

e from the want of pro

per reltraint at our ownuniverfities , that: forces a number of our Eng lilli

youths to thol'

e of Scotland, and utterly ex cludes many from any fort ot‘

academical infiruétion. If a charg e be .true, which 1 have heard infiited on”

that the heads o£ our eolleg es inOx iond and Cambridg e are vain of havingunder their care chiefly men of Opulence , who may be t

'

uppoled ex itmpt

from thenecellity of weonomical controul, theyare indeed hig hly cenfurable ;fince the milbhiel

'

of allowing early habits of eitpenoe and diflipation is g reat;invarious refpeéts , even to thofe poti

'

eflhd of larg e pmperty ; and the molt

ferions evil from this indulg ence mutt happento youths of humbler fortune »who certainly lbrm the majority of ltudents both at Oxlbrd and Cain.

k id“. 9 0

MY LIFE AND W RITINGS .

‘

5 3

.

v

g ifira

'

te, and may hope to be a le g illator. This judieirous inititutionwas coldly entertained by the g raver doélors,

who complained (I have heard the complaint)that itwould‘tak e the y oung people from the ir book s : butMr. V iner’

s

b enefaétion is not unprofitable, fince it has at leali pro

.duced the ex cellent .commentaries of S ir W illiam Black

Jlone.

Afte r carrying me to Putney, to the houfe o f his friend

.Mr.Mallet“

, by whofe philofophy I was rather fcanda

Jiz ed, thanreclaimed, itwas necell'

any for _my lather to form

,a new planof education, andto ‘devife fome method which,

{if pollible, mig ht efi'

eét the cure of my fpiritual malady.

After much debate i t was .dqtemmined, from the advice and

p erfonal ex perience o fMr. Eliot (now L ord Eliot)to fix

me , during lame years, at Laufanne inSwitz erland. Mr.Frey, a

.Swifs g entlemanof

“

Balm, undertook the c ondoa‘

of the journey ; we left London the J g th of j une, crofl'

ed

the [ea fromDover to Calais , travelled poll throug h feveralp rovinces of France, by the dire& road of S t, Quentin,Bhe ims, m rcs, and Befang on, and arrived the 3 oth of

June at L aufanne, where I was immediately fmled pnderthe roof and .

tuitionofML Pavilliard, a C alviniflminifler.The firit marks of my father

’

s difp leafure rather allo

nilhed than afi iéted me : when he threatened to banilh,and difown,mi difinherit a rebellious (on, Ishe rithed a rem t h0pe that he would notb e able o r willing to effefi his

menaces g and the pride of ponl'

cieng e encourag ed me to

fiafiainthe houourable and impommm which l was nowMy fpirits were raifed and lg ept alive by the rapid

motionof my journey, the newand various (cent-s of the

C ontinent, and the c ivility ofMr, Frey, a man of fenfe,

who was not ig norant of books or the world, But after

he had refig nedme into Payilliard’s hands, and I was fix ed

in my new habitation, I had leifure to contemplate the

' The anthor of a life of Baoon, whichhas beenrated above its valoc 3 of

Cm fiorg ottenpoems and plays ; and of the pathetic ballad od liam and

Marg aret. '

S.

.54" MEMO I

'

R S

finng e mdmelaneholy profpea hefore me. My firfi mm

plaint arofe frommy ig norance of the lang uag e Inmy child

hood l had once fiufied the French g rammar, and I could

imperfectly underfiand the eafy profi of a familiar filbjea.

But whenl was thus foddenly call on a foreig n land, I

found myfelf deprived of-the ufe of fpeech and t earing ;

and, during fome weeks, incapable not only of enjoyingthe pleafures of oonverfation, but even of aflting or zuq

fwering a quefiioninthe eommenmtercourfe oi life, Ton

home - bred Eng lilbmzn every object, eve ry cufiom was

fenfive ; but the native of any country mig ht have been

difg ufled with the’

g eneral afpe& 0f his lodg ing and entEr

tainment. I had now ex chang ed my eleg ant apartment inMag dalenColleg e, for a narrow, g loomy firm , the mo&

nnfrequented of an unhandlbme town, for anold inconve

nient benfe, and for a fmall chamber ic ontrived and ill

fumiflned, which, onthe approach of W inter, infiead of a

companionahle fire, mufi be warmed by the dull and invifi

blc heatof a fiove . From a man Iwas ag aindeg raded to .

the dependance of a {chool- boy. MnPavilliard manag ed111p c whichhad beenredneed to a diminutive (late :

I received a final] monthly allowanee formy pocket-money ;and helplefk and awkward as l have ever beunl no long erenjoyed the indifpenfable comfi rtnf a fervant. My conditionfeemed as defiitute of hopefl s itwas devoidof pleafure

Iwas fepara ted form indefinite , which appeared an infinifie

term from mynative eountry ; and l had lofi all cmneétion

with my catholic friends I have fince reflefiedwith

hands of the heretics, o r at lealt to confirmmy‘

zeal arr'

d

confimcy inthe profeflionof the faith, Suchwas my fir'

fi

introdufi ionto L anfanne ; a place where p ent nearly fiVe

years wrthpleafure and profit whneh l afterwards revrfited

w ithoutoompulfiomand whichl hm finally feleéted as the

mofi g ratefillretreatfor the decline of my life.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

5 6 MEMO I R S O F

nions, my views were enlarg ed, my, prejudices were cor

rected, and a copious voluntary abftraa of the Hj/Ioir 44I

’

Eg life d d: I’

Empire, by le Sueur, may be placed ina mid.

dle line betweenmychildilh andmymanly (indies . As foon

as I was able to converfe with the natives“

, I beg anto feelfome fatisfaaion in the ir company : my awkward timiditywas polilhed and emboldened ; and I frequented, for the

firfl time, all'

emblies of men and women. The acquaint.

ance of the Pavilliards prepared me by-deg rees for more ele

g ant foc iety. I was received with k indnc fs and indulg enceinthe heftfamilies of L aufanne ; and it was inone of theic

that I formed an intimate and lafiing connectionwithMr.Deyverdun, a young

'

manof anamiable tempe r and ex cel

lentunderfianding . In the arts of fenc ing and danc ing ,

{mall indeed wasmy profic iency ; and fome months we re

idlywalled inthe riding - fchool, My unfitnefs to bodily ex s

e rc ife reconc iled me to a fcdentary life, and the horfe, the

favourite of my countrymen, never contributed to the pleafures of my youth.My oblig ations to the lefl

'

ons ofMr. Pavilliard, g ratitudewill not fufi

'

erme to forg et : he was endowed with a clear

head and a warm heart ; his innate benevolence had af

fuag ed the fp irit of the church he was rational, becaufe he

was moderate : inthe courfe of his ftudies he had acquired

a juft thoug h fupe rfic ial knowledg e oi' molt branches of h"

terature ; by long praélice, he was fltilled in the arts of

teaching ; and he laboured withalliduous patience to know

the charaéler, g ainthe afi'

céi ion, and openthe mind of his

Eng lilh pup il'. As foonas we beg anto underfiand each

other,

Ex tra ? cf 4L etterfromM. Pa vn. t. ta x b to Raw/n o G xu on, efq.

ll Lsufanne , cc as juillet 3 75 3 .

Monfieur de Gibbonfe ports trés bien par la Grace de Dieu, et ilme paroit

qu‘il in: fe trouve pas malde notre Nalfon j

‘

aimente liende penfer qu‘

il

prend de l‘

attachm entpourmoi, cc dont je fuis charmé et que je travaillcraia aug menter, paroe qu‘il aura plus de confiance en moi , dens cc que je me

p ropofe de lui dire .

Je n‘

ai point enoone entrepris de lni parlor fur letmatiéres de relig ion, paree

que je n'

entends pas all'

cz la leag ue Ang loifc pour footenir fine leag ue convex;

MY LIFE AND WRITINGS . 5 ,

other,-he g ently led me, from a blind and undiiling uilhing

love of reading , into the pathof infiruéiion. I confentedwith pleafure that a portion of the morning - hours lhould be

confec rated to a planof modernhifiory and g eog raphy, and

to the c ritical perufalof the French and L atinclafl'

i‘

c s and

ateach fiep I feltmyfelf invig orated by the habits of applicationand method. His prudence rep refl

'

ed and difl'

embled

fome youthfulGillies ; and as foonas I was confirmed inthe

habits of induftry and temperance, he g ave the reins into myown hands . His favourable report of my behaviour and

prog refs g radually obtained fome latitude of a€tionand ex ,

pence 3 andhe withed to alleviate the hardihips of my lodg ingand entertainment. The princ iples of philolbphywere affo

c iated with the ex amples of tafie ; and by a ling ular chance,

the book, as well as the man, which contributed the mo“:efl’

et‘lually to my education, has afirong er claimonmy g rit-e

titude thanonmy admiration. Mr. De C roufaz , the adver

{ary of Bayle and Pope, is not difiing uilhed by lively fancyor p rofound reflection and eveninhis owncountry, at the

end of a few years, his name and writing s are almofl oblite

rated. But his philofoPhy had been formed inthe fchoolof‘

Locke, his divinity inthat of L imborch and Le Clerc ; ina,

rim en cette lang ue, qud que je life lee auteur. Ang lois avee afi'

ez de facilie'

i ietMonfieurde c ibbonn

'entend pas afl

'

ez dc Flang ois, mais il y faitbeaueoupde pmg rés.

Je fuis fort content de la politefl'

c et de'

la douccur de caraa ercdeMonfieur

votre Yile, et jeme fiatte que je pourai toujours vom parler de lui avec élog e ;i)s

‘

applique becueoup i h leaure .

FrauMe dicare to ti e Same.h Laufanne, ce rn ut r7§3 .Monfieur de c ibbonfe pone bienpar la g race de Dieu ; je l

’

aime , et je me

fois ex trémementattaché alui parce qu'ileftdoux et u'

anqume . Pour ce qui

m ae'

aoauem e quotque je m tuim m rim dnum jwumd

‘efpérer qu

‘il ouvrira lee yeux ala vérité. Je le penfe ainfi, parce qn

'

6taqt

du s mm cahimg ila cboifi deux livret de controverfe qu’

il a pris dape fa

ctnmbre , et qu'

illes lit. Ilm’a charg é de vous ofl

'

rir fes trés humble refpeas ,et de eous demanderh pamifi oo de le hifl

'

ermonter annm ég e z eetm reiepMm am a h m amm cw rma qw m a,

g s— m z mo rns o r

b ng md hbofiom lifi feverd g enemtions'

of pnplls m

taug bt to tbinlt, and e vento write ; his lefl'

ons refcued the

academy of Laufannc from C alvinifiiC '

prejudice ; and hehad the rarc merit of difi rfing a more liberalfpirit amongthe clerg y and peOple of the Pays de Vaud. His fyfiem cf

log ic, which intbe lafieditions has fwelled to fix tedious and

prohx vd umes may he p raifed as a clu r and methodical

abridg ment of the art of reafoning , from our fimple idea

This fyfiem I fiudied, and meditaeed, andwftraéted, tilll

have obtained the free command of anuniverfal infirument.

which I (conprefimi ed to euerc ife onmy catholic Opinions.

Pavilliardwas not unminfiulthathis firfi tails, his mofi im

Portint duty, m m rx hh m m me m omd papery.

The intermixwre'

of feas has rendered the S wifs clerg yacute and learned onthe topics of controvcdy ; and Ihavc

lbme of his letters inWhich he celebrates tbc dcx tcrity of hie

a ttack, and my g radualc oneefions , after a firm and r ellv

manag ed defence i'. I was willing , and Iamnowwilling ,

to allow him ahandfomc -flaare of the hbnour ofmy conver

fion: yet Imull obferve, that it was principally ef eéb d bymy private redeéi ions ; andI{tillremember my folitary tran»

(port at the difcovery of a philofophical arg ument ag ainfi:

the doarine of tranfubfiantiation: 16“the tex t of k ripture,

which feems to inculcate the real prefence, is atRfi'ed only

b y‘

a fing le fenfe—e- our li g ht; while the real preferwe itfelf is

difprovedb y three of our fenfes— the fig ht. the touch, and

the tafie, The various article s of the Romilh creed dilap

peered like a dream; and after a fullc onviélion, onC larifiM y 1754, I rece ived the (m en: inthe church of

L aufanne . ltwas here that Ifufpended my relig ious inqui

ties, acqttiefc ing with implicitbelief inthe tenets and myfle

°MPavfi ard hu defcribed mme the d tonltbment wimm eh he g u ed

onMr. Gibbonflanding before him = a thinlittle fig ure , with a larg e head,

d ifputing and urg ing , with tbe g reatefi ahilitynll the befing nments flnt had

w er beenufed infavom of pom . Ma c ibbonmany ym ag o became very

fat and eorpnlent, but he bad nncommorfly fmallboncs, and was rery flig ht

made. 8.

M! m : AND wmrane s . . 3 9

whicll are adopted by the g eneral confent ef catholicsand protefiantS ‘

.

‘ L erurfndMr. Pana m a» toEmma» can on, ca;

Join“, 17Wj

‘

efpere qne vous pndm erez monlori g ffilence enfaveur deeneuvelles qae

j ai avous apprendre. Si j‘

ai tmt tardé, ce n‘a éténi par oubli, b i parneg liq

"

pence, mainje croyois de fimaine enfemaine pouvoirvos annoncer queMonaMm fl s avoie entierememrehoncé amt ladfl'

es idées qu'il avoit embraf-t

n‘ai pas n

'

ouvé endui cn

bomm lésm u qni paflempmunm dw -fm im t am autre. Souventaprés aveir détruit routes fes idées fur unarticle de maniere qu‘iln‘

avolt rienh"

repliqucr, cc qu'ilavw oit fans detour, ilme dlfoit qu‘ilne croioit pas qu

’

iln’

y efit rlename répondre. h am s }. n‘

ai pu jug s qummmt le pourreraM’ s'tm er de lninnaveu

'

que (on eme r defivoueroitt ie lui donmisalore dneeme pour eifléchir; ma ma lit re-s e d an) fa difpofitiong je m e.

mi: 3 h ebarg e quand ilm‘

avouoit qu‘

ilave itétudiélamatiere aufli bienqu’il

f avolt pu, et enflnj‘etablidbis tme verité.

je me pa fmdois que , quand j’aurois détruitles p rincipales erreurt de l

‘eg life

Romaine , je n'anmls qu

‘i faire voir que lee mn

'

es foot dee confequeneee dec

fl qn'clla ne pem t fufifilter quand les bnflamednleflbnt renvet

fies rmaia, cam e je l‘ai tfit, jeme t

'uietrompe, ii i failu rralteer chaque lrd q

ele dans bneatier. m demm je n‘fim peMumm m , a au .

w , fi mcmenm fem quehnes nfiee de fes pemlcieufes erreurtd'

ote

yoicidone odnamm'

fomm

j‘ai meme qce jmnais St. Pierren

'a

aé ehef desm i que quand il l‘eureltctmle pape n‘

efi point fonmecé‘f(cur ; qu

‘ilefl doutenx que St. Pierre eitjamaia as 3 Rome , mais fup pofi

que la ttanfubttantiationéfi

une invcndonm ntpec anetenne danfl ‘eg llfn que l

‘adoradm dem

charm cc lem enta h eoupe font eontrairee ala parole de Diec x

qn‘

i y e du filnu.mis quenwane fam pas qui lh font, et par eoofequent

qn‘onne p eot pu lcs prlers quek nfpefi fl k mlmqu

‘onrend aux reliqm

efi eondanmabk ; qu‘iln‘

y a poiatde putp toire, etque la dofirine des indul

g enes-s eam : que laCae e et let jeunes du Vendredi et du Samedl font

{ idicnb anjourdhui, et de iam iereque l‘q life Romelne les prefcrit : que

let impoa tloos que l‘eg llfe de Rum

‘noua fait de varier dansnotre doctrine, cc

‘d‘avoir poar reiermatears da perfonnes dcnth eondtfite et les m unont étfi

Von: commence blen.Modfieur, qae oeearticles fimt d ’une leag ue difeut

’.

6a ), qn‘ila{the da terns lMonfieur votre flls pour mediwrmes rtlfons , “

p our y cbercher def reponfes . Je lui ai demandé plhfieurs loinfimc s preum‘

etmesmfom litiW hat convalnquanees ; llm'a eoujouru fiitré qu

‘oui , db

faeonqne j‘ofe aflhreraummomme je le loi aidit i lnimeme ily a pende heme,

q u’iln

’

étoit plus catholique Ranai’n. je me fiatte qu‘aprés avoir ohm-nth

cc MEMO I R S O F

Such, frommy arrivalatLaufanne, during the tirfi eig hv

menor twenty months (July 175 3—March were

my ufeful ftudies, the foundationof allmy future improve

ments. But every manwho rifes above the commonlevelhas received two educations : the firfi: from his teachers ;

the fecond, more perfonal and more important, from him,

felf. He will not, like the fanatics of the lafi: ag e, define

the moment of g race but he cannot forg et the a n of his

life, inwhich hismindhas ex panded to its proper form and

dimenfions. My worthy tutor had the g ood fenfe and modeliy

'

to difcernhow far he could be ufeful: as foonas hefelt that I advanced beyond his fpeedandmeafure, he wifelyleftme to my g enius , and the hours of lefl

'

onwere foonloft

in the voluntary labour of the whole morning , and fome

times of the whole day. The delire of prolong ipg my time,g radually

vi&olre fur ces articles , je l'

aurai fur le teac avee lo feeours dc Dleu. Telle:ment que lo cornpte vous marquer dam peu que eette ouvrag e ea fini l j.dols vous dire encore que , quolque j

’

altrouvéM. votne file tree ferme dens feeidées , is m trouvé raifonnable, qu’

ilrm rendu au malaise. a qu’

iln'efi

pas. cc qu'

onappelle , chleaneur. Par rapport i l‘

anicle doleune loVendredi

et Samedl, long terns aprés que je vopa em eerlt qo'lln‘

avolt lunchmemoiqu

'ilvoulOtl'

obferver, environlocommeneementdumoi. dcMm jg m'Apper;

g us unVendredi qu’

ilnew scastpoint dc viande l ie lotparlalenparticulier

pour enfavoir la raifon. oralgnant que ee ne fht par indifpoation; ilme re

ponditqu’ill

’avolt h it 1 deficit), ct qu'

ilavoit cm are chlig ‘de te conformer

ala prat ue d‘une eg life dont iletplttim bre l nous parumesquelqoemmll"

ccMet ; llm'amsra qu

‘

iln‘

envlfag wlt eels que comma l

une p remac bonus 3h vérlté, org u

’il devoltlulvn, quoiqu‘ilno la a t p» fainte en elle meme ,

ni d‘

infiitutiondivine . 11:Mcnu pas devoir inflfter pour lors , ui lo forest 3ag ir centre fee lumléres t j

‘

ai traité cet article qui efl oertainement undeg

molnt importans, dos melonSandbar ct“pendent ilmfa fallu untems conliderable pour lo détrpm’wr. etpour lui [s ire ccmp endre qu’ilavoit tonde a'af.

Iujettlr 3 la pratique d’

une £ 3e qu'llne reconnoilfi itpluspour infillllble que

ti meme cette put ue avoltcu quelque utilité dam foo lnflitutlon, cepmdant

elle n’

en avolt aueune enelle meme, pols qu‘

clle no contribuoit enrien1 la

pureté des inc urs , qu'ainfi lln'

y avoitaucune ralfon, ni dam l'

inflltutionde

cette prawno, ni dans la prat ue elle meme. qui l'autorlllt a a

'

y foamtre t qu

’aulourdhulce n

‘

etoitqu‘nhe afl'

aire d'

intéret, puie qu'

avee de l’

arg entonobtenolt des dlfpenres pourmang er g m , h e. de manlere que je l

'

alramené3 laliberté Chretlenne avec beaucoup de pelne et feulement depuls quelques femaines. je l

’

aleng ag e a vous ecti re , pour vous manifefler les fentimms ed ilell, ct l

'

etat dc (a fant6; et je crois qu'

ill‘

a (alt.

MY L IFE AND WR ITINGS . (i t

g radually confirmed the falutary habit of early tiling ; to

which I have always adhered, with fome reg ard to feafonsrind fituations : but it is happy for my eyes and my health,

thatmy temperate ardour has never beenledumd to trefpafs

on the hours of the nig ht. During the laft three years of

my refidence atLaufinne, I may allitme the meritof ferionsand folid application; but I am tempted to difting uifh the

1519: eig ht months of the year 175 5 , as the period of thc

molt ex traordinary dilig ence and rapid prog refs. Inmy

French and Latintranllations I adopted anex cellentmethod,which, from my own fitcoefs, I would recommend to the

C icero and

,

Vertot, the manapproved for purity and cle

g ancc of fiyle. I tranllated, for infiance, anepiltle of C i

cero into French; and after throwing it afide, tillthe words

and phralcs were obliterated from mymemory, I te - tranllat

ed my French into fuch L atin as I could find and then

compared each fentence of my imperfcét verfion, with the

cafe, the g race, the propriety of the Roman orator. A

Smilar ex pe rimentwas made on feveralpag es of the Revo

lutions of Vertot ; I turned them into L atin, returned them,

after a fuflicient interval into my own French, and ag ainfc rutiniz ed the refemblance or diflimilitude of the copy and

the orig inal. By deg rees I was le fs alhamed, by deg rees I

was more fatisficd with myfelf : and I perfevered in the

p rafi ice

‘ j ove ru c , December r75 5 .]— lnfioilhing tlfis year, I mofi remarlt how

fivourablc itwas to my (Indies . Indte fpaoe of eig htmonths , from tha be .

g inning op fil, “earned the princlples of drawing ; made myfelfcomplete

m acr of the Frenchand Latinlaa g uag e s , witb whlch l was very fuperficiallyacquainted hefore , and wrote and tranflated a g reat deal inboth aread Cieer

-

o'

s

Epifiles ad Familiarize, his Brutus, allhis Orations, hil alog ues de Amicitia,

a d De Seneauee ; Terence , twice ; and Pliny's Ep ifilea. InFrench, Gian.

nooe'

s Hifloty of Naples , and l’

abbeBannier’sMytholog y, andM. de Boe

hat'

sMemoirs fur la Suiffe , and wrote a very ample relation of my tour. I

lik ewife beg anto (Indy Greek , and W ent throug h the Grammar. I beg unromak e very larg e collea ions of what l read. Butwhat ] efieemmofi of all,

fiom the perufaland meditationof De Croufaz’s Log ic, Inot only underftood

the prlnciples of tbat fcienee , butfiormedmy mlnd to a habit of think ing andm h mg l hadno idea of beforer

6: MEMO I R S O ?

praélice of thefe double tranllations, which filled feileral'

books, tillI had acquired the knowledg e of both idioms,and the Command at lead" of a correét liyla This ufefulex erc ife of writing was accompanied and fucceeded by the

more pleating occupationof reading the heft authors. The

pe rufal of the Romanclafiics was at once my eXerc ife and

reward. Dr.Middleton’s Hillary, which I then apprecia

ated above its true value, naturally dire&edme to the writ

ing s of C icero. The molt perfeét editions, that ofOliver,whichmay adorn the fhelves of the rich, that of Emefti,

which fhould lie onthe table of the learned, we re not inmypowen For the familiar ep ifiles I ufed the tex t and Eng lilhcrmmentary of Billmp Rofs z but my g eneral editionwas

that of Verburg ius, publilhed at Amlterdam“

in two larg e

volumes infolio, with an indifferent choice ofVarious notes .

I read, withapplicationand pleafure, allthe ep ililes, allthe

orations , and the molt important treatifes of rhetoric and

philofophy ; and as I read, I applauded the obfervation of

Qtintillian, that cvery‘

lludent may judg e of his ownprofic iency, by the fittisfaétionwhichhe receives from the Ro

manorator. I tafted th’

el

beauties of lang uag e, I breathedthe fpirit of freedom, and I imbibed from his precepts and

ex ammes the public and private fenfe of a man. C icero in

L atin, andXenophoninGreek , are indeed the two anc ients

whom I would firll prepofe to a libe ralfcholar ; not onlyfor the merit of their ftyle and fe ntiments, but for the admi

rable lefl'

ous, whichmay be applied almoltto every lituation

of public and private life. C icero’s Epifiles may inparti

lar afi'

ord the models of every form of correfpondence, from

the carelefs efl'

ufions of tendernefs and friendlhip, to the

well- g uarded declarationof difcreet and dig nified refeutmcnt.Afterfinifhing this g reat author, a library of eloquenc e and

realbn, I formed a more ex tenfivc plan of reviewing the

L atinclaflics under the four divilions of, t. hiflorians, 2.

0 Ic em an, jaunt-

7175634 <1a to,read oeer the l.atlnautbors

murder ; and read thls year, Virg il,M1197, Velleins Paterculus, Va

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

64 Ms mo r a s o r

Itwas now that I reg retted the early years which had beenwalled inlicltnel

'

s or idlenefs, or mere idle reading ; that Icondemned the perverl

'

e method of our fchoolmafters, who,by firll teaching the mother-

glahg uag e, mig ht defcend with

(0 much cafe and perfpicuity to the orig inand etymolog y of

a derivative idiom. In the nineteenthyear of my ag e I dete rmined to fupp ly this defect and the leflons of Pavilliard '

ag ain contributed to fmooth the entrance of the way, the

G reek alphabet, the g rammar, and the p ronunciation ac

cording to the French accent. At . my carnell requeil we

p refumed to Openthe Iliad and I had the pleafure of beholding , thoug h darkly and throug h a g lafs, the true imag e of

Homer, whom I had long fince admired inanEng lilh drers.

After my tutor had left me to myfelf, I worked my waythroug habouthalf the Iliad, and afterwards interpreted alone

a larg e portion of Xenophonand Herodotus . Butmy ar

dour, deltitute of aid and emulation, was g radually cooled,

and, from the barrentalk of fearching words ina lex icon,

I withdrew to the free and familiar converfation of V irg iland Tacitus . Y et inmy relidence at Laufanne I had laid afolid foundation, which enabled me, in a more propitious

feafon, to profecute the ftudy of G rec ianliterature.

From a blind idea of the ufefulnefs of fuch abfiraét l'

c i

ence, my father had been deli rous, and evenprefling , that

I lhould devore fome time to the mathernatics ’z nor could

I refufe

Karma gf c LemrfnaM. Pavrc t ra an”EDWARD Grat e s , efg .

Monfieur, january rath, 1757.

Von: avez fouhaitté queMonficur (one his s‘

appliqui t i l’alg ebre ; le g out

qu'ila pour lea belles lettres Iui failbitapprebendre quel'alg ebrene nuiflit 3 teaetude: favorites ; je lui ai perfuadi qu

’

ilne fe faifoit pas une jufie idée dc oettepanic deamathematiquea ; l

’obeitfinee qu’

ilvous doit, jointe 3 ms raifons,

l'onte determinfi1 en faire on court. je ne cmlois pas qu

’

avec eette re

pugnanee il y fit de g rand prog ré r je m fuis trompé z il fait bientout cc

qu’il fair ; ilefl ex aet i (canyons , il s‘applique alire avant (a leg on. et 31

lepade am loin, de mania c qu’rl m ew beaucoupr et plus que je ne me

ferois attendu r ll encharmi d’

avolt cornmencé, et je penl'

e qu‘rl fera un

petit eoura de p omeu'ie, ec que ¢n tour ne lui p rendra que fept a huir

mors .

MY L IFE AND WRITINGS . 6;

lrefufie to comply with (0 reafonable a wim. During two

winters I attended the private lectures ofMonfieur de'

Traytocrens, who ex plained:

the elements of alg ebra and‘

g eometry; as far as the conic feéti'

ons of theMarquis de .

1‘H6pital, and appeared fatisfied with my dilig ence and

improvement“; But as my ehildilh propenlity for numa

VOL ; It F

molt. Pendant qu‘

il fair l‘

es leecos; 51 no alert point “lathe fur fes a

'

ti .

tres guides ; ilavanée bea'

ucoup dims le Cree, et il a prefque lu la moitiédc l’llia

'

dc d‘Homere ; je lul fals r

'

ég ulierement des been: fur eet auteur :

il a autfi fini lea Hifiorient Latins ; il en eft a pra'

ent aux Police's ; ct

ilalub

entiércment Plaute ct Terence, et bleuter il aura fini Lucrece. Au

reficfllne lit pas cea auteurt ala lég b e , il vcut a‘eclalrcir fur

'

tout ; de fapon

qu'

avec le g enie qu‘ila, l

‘ex cellente mémoire et l’applica

'

ttion, il ira loindana

J‘

ai cu l’

honneur de m a dire ci- devant; que malg ré fes etude: i] voyoitcentpagnie ; je puis vom le dire enoote aujourd, hut.

Monfi'

cur'

, Jain. 14, 1758.

fat on l‘

honneur dc vous écrire le 27'

juillet ct le 1 6 am putees. a

le m a rendu c‘

ompte de name, dea études et de la conduitc deMon.

um votre file. Jo n’ai rien a ajouter a tout cc que je vous en ai ditz

il fe porte perfiitement bien par la g race de Dieu : ll cdntinue 3 6mdier avec application, et je puis vous afl

'

urer qu’

ll fair de s prostea confl

da'

ablea dans lea études , ct il Te fait ex rrcmement eftimer par tour ceuxMIt connolflcnt; et j’efpere que quand ll voila montrera en detail co

qu‘llMt; voua en(ere: tree content. Les Belles Lettres qui font fonétude

fivodtene l’

oecupcnt pas entiérement ; il continue lea mathématiques , cc

(onM r m’aflhre qu‘il n‘

a jamaia vu pcrfonne avancer autant que

lei, nl we ir phia d'

ardeur et d’applicationqu

’

il n’en a. Son g enie heu

m,et . péoétrant enfeconddpar nué memoire dc:MtMn’

euhlie p refque rien de ee qul’

l apprend. Je n‘

ai pas mains

“IM canton: dc fa conduite ; quoiqu’

il étudie beaucoup, if voit cc

m entum , malt il ne voitque des perfonnes dontle commerce pentrom aine.

[Jenna /u , jammy l75 7‘J— I beg an to fludy alg ebra underM. \ dewent throug h the elements of alg ebra and g eometry, find the

h e:Mbottles of theMarquis de l’Hopltal

’

s Conic Sections . 1 alto read Ti .

W , Catc her, Propertius , Horace (with Daciar'

qand Torrentius‘

s notes),7m,

“

Ovid’aLpiftlea, withMez iriac‘

s Commentary, the AraAmandi, and

the Zieg ler ; hlmwife the Aug uflus and Tibe rius of Suetonius, and a Latin

m entionof DionCaflius, fromthe death of julius Crefar to the death of Au.

g ufluaf

66 MEMO I R S O F

hero and calculations was totally ex tinct, I was content

to rece ive the pallive lutprcfiou of my Profi flhr’r lec

tures , without any afilve ex erc ife of my own powe rs .

A. form at l underflood the princ iples, I relinquiflmlforever the purfirit of the mathematic s ; nor can 1 leni ent

that I dcfillrcd, before mymind was hardened by the habit

of rig id demonllration, fo defimétive of the liner fe el

ing a of moral evidence, which mull, howe ver, de termine

the aci ions and opinions of our lives . I lillened with

more pleafure to the prepofal of fiudying the law of na

eure and nations, which was taug ht in the academy of

L aufanne byMr. V icar, a profcll'

or of fame learning and

reputation. But, inflead of attending his public or pri

vate courfc, I preferred in my clofct the lcll'

ons of his

matters , and my own reafon. W ithout be ing difg nilcd

by Grotius or Pufl’cndorf, I fludlcd in their writing s the

duties of a man, the rig hts of a citiz en, the theory ofjull

tice (it it, alas ! a theory), and the laws of peac e and

war, which have had fome influence on the practice of

modernEurope. My fatig ues were alleviated by the g oodfonfo of their commentator Barbeyrac . Locke

’s

'

l'

rea

tilh of Government initruéted me in the knowledg e of

W hig principles, which are rather founded in reafou than

ex perience ; but my delig ht was in the frequent petulal

ofMoutofquiw , whole energ y of llylc , and boldnefs of

hypothefu, m o powc rful to awalten and flimulate tho

g enius of the ag e . The log ic of De C roufaz had pre

pared me to eng ag e with his mailer Locke, and his an

tag oulit Bityle z of whom the former may be ufed as a

bridle , and the latter applied as a fpur, to the curialityof a young philofophc r. According to the nature of their

rcfpcélive

g utter. [ alto continuedmy contfpondence beg un[all yearmmM. Allemandof bcx , and rbe Pre€rflhr l relttng ero urich s Ind eperud IMW OMWlth tbcm m a m m.

N. I . h arm -rid d le, (m a john’

i Gofpel, with pafl o{t ophou’

a

er upted!” the mad. and l'lcrodomr r but. uponthc whoh'

, l a ther neeMari am

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

.73 M'EMO I R S O F

fures to lteep ; and l muoh futpea thathe never fitewed

the true colours of his fecret feepticifm.

Before l was recalled from Switz erland, I had the fatiso

faction of fee ing the molt ex traordinary man of the ag e ;

a poet, an hifiorian, a philofopher, who has filled thirty

quartos, of proie and vorfe, with his various productions,

often ex cellent, and always entertaining . Need I add the

name of Voltaire ? After forfeiting , by his ownmifoondnfi,

the friendlhip of the firft of king s, he retired, at the ag e of

forty, with a plentifulfortune, to a free and beautifulcoun.

try, and refided two winters (1757and 175 8) in the town

or neig hbourhood of Laufanne. My defire . of beholding

Voltaire, whom I then rated above his realmag nitude , was

eafily g ratified. He rece ived me with c ivilityas anEng liih

youth ; but I cannot boali of any peculiar notice or difiinC-n

tion, Virg ilium v idr'

tantum.

The ode which he compofed on his firft arrival onthe

banks of the L emanL ake, 0Mai/ind’

d rf/iippel 0 fardo ; d

’

Epirurz, Ur. had beenimparted as s fec ret to the g en

tlemanby whom I was introduced. He allowed me to read

it twice 3 I knew it by heart ; and as my difc retionwas not

equal tomy memory, the author was foondifpieafed by the

c irculationof a copy. Inwriting this trivial anecdote, Iw ithed to obferve whether my memory was impa ired, and

I have the comfort of finding that every line of the poem

is {till eng raved in ft and indelible charséiers . The

hig hefi g ratificationwh'

I derived from Voltaire’s relic

deuce at Laui'

anne, was the uncommon c ircumflance of

hearing a g reat poet declaim his own productions on the

Rag e . He had formed a company of g entlemen and la

dies, fome of whom were not defiitute of talents . A

decent theatre was framed atMonrepos, a country- houfe

at the end of a (uburb ; dreflks and fcenes were providedat the e x pence of the actors i and the author direéiedx

the rehearfals with the z eal and attention of paternal love.

In two fucccti'

ive winters his trag edies of Zayre, Ai

z ire, Zulime, . and his fentimental comedy of the Enfant

Prodig ue,

m u n AND wan- me s. 73

Prodig ue , were played at the theatre ofMonrepos. Vol.

taire reprefented the characters befi adapted to his years,

L ufig nan, Alvarez , Berrafl'

ar, Euphemon.-His declama

tionwas fafllioncd to the pomp and cadence of the old Rag e ;and he ex prefl

'

ed the enthufiafinof poetry, rather thanthe

feeling s of nature. My ardour, which foon became con

(picuous, feldom failed of procuring me a ticket. The ha

bits of pleafure fortified my tafte for the French theatre, and

that tafie has perhap s abated my idolatry for the g ig antic g e’

nius of Shakefpeare, which is inculcated from our infancyas the firltdutyof anEng lithrnan. The wit and philofophyof Voltaire , his table and theatre, refined, ina vifible de g ree,the manners of L aufanne ; and, however addicted to Rudy,I enjoyed my (bare of the amufements of foc iety. After the

reprdentationofMonrepos I {ometimes (upped with the

editors. I was now familiar in fome, and acquainted in

many houlles ; and my evening s were g enerally de voted to

cards-

and converfation, either in private parties or nume'

rous afl'

emblies .

I hefitate, from the apprehenfionof ridicule, whenI approach the delicate litbjefi of my early love. By this word

I do not mean the polite attention, the g allantry, without

hope or defig n, whichhas orig inated inthe fpirit of chival

ry, and is interwovenwith the tex ture of French manners.

I underfiand by this paflion the unionof defire, friendfhip,

and tendernefs, which is inflamed by a fing le female, which

p refers her to the refi of her fex , and which feck s her poffeflionas the fup reme or the (ole happinefs of our being . Ineed not bluih at recolleéfing the objeét of my choice ;

and thoug hmylove was difappointed of fuccefs, I am rather

p roud that I was once capable of feeling fuch a pure andex alted fentiment. The perfonal attractions ofMademoifelle SufanCurchod were embellilhed by the virtues and ta

lents of the mind. Her fortune was humble, but her fa

mily was refpeétable. Her mother, a native of France,

had preferred her relig ionto her country. The profeliion

of

14 MEMO '

I R S o r

cf her father did notexting uifi the modemtinn'

and philofn

phy of his temper, and he lived content with a fmailfilary

and labs ri‘

ous duty, inthe obfcure lost of minifter of C raEy,

inthe mountains that fetnrm the Pays de Vaud from the

MWof Burg undy Inthe folitude of a {equefiered vil

14189’ b? bsfiowed a liberal, and evenlearned, education on

bl? only daug hter. She furpafli d his hopes by her proficiena

CY inthe fe iences and lang uag es ; and in her then vifits to

{9 3 16 relations at L aufanne, the wit, the beauty, and erudi

tionOfMi dm ffillfi C arthod were the theme o f univerfal'

applaufe The report of fuch a prodig y awakened my cu

‘lQfitYi Ifiw and loved. I found her learned w ithout pe

914mm lively inconveg fatiqn, pure in fentiment, and ele

m inmanners mad the firlt hidden emotionwas fortified

bf “habits and knowledg e of ( more familiar acqua intance.

She g erminalme .to

,make her two or three vifits ather fan

“3 3 3 5 hMe Ipaired fonse happy rhye there, inthe m

rains qf Bus g uudy, and her parents honourably encourag edthe conneétion. In a calm retirement the g ay vanity of

youth

0Ex tfi fl rfiu ti e j aw ] .

March 1757. J wrote fome criticalobfervations uponPlautus .

I wrote a long ditfertationontome lines of V irg il.

lawman-Me Curchod- e-Onnia m w ar, or we re.

I wentto C rafl'

y, andQajd two days .I went to Geneva .

1 came back to h ufanne , having pafl’ed throug h Orally.

twent to vtetu de Wettevitle “ Loin, amt rawMademoia(cue Curchod inmy way theorists Roth .

1,went to Crafty, and (held there fix clawInthe three firftmonths of this year I read Ovid'sMetamerphok e, finifited the conic fefilons W ithM. de Traytorrens ,

and went as finas the infiniteferieMI lik ewiie nad SirHaas Newt-outs Qbrqnqlog y, and wmu my criticalohéer o

vat.ons upon it.

jan. 2 3 d. I {aw Alz ire aéted by the (celery atMonrepos. Voltaire atted

Alvares ; D‘Hcrmanches, Zamore ; de St. Cierg ey C ufc

man;M. de Gentil,Monteze ; andMadame Denys, AI

MY L IFE AND wm mo s . 15

Mom basa am ud inmbofom; the Khmer! to the

voice of truth and paflion, and Imig htpcefomq to hope that

I had made (ome imprefiionona virtuous heart. AtOrnifyand L aufanne I indulg edmy dream

'

of Felicity : but onmyreturnto Eng lanrh

‘

l foondifcovered thatmyfather wouldnot hear of this firang e alliance, and that withouthis con-g

fent I was myfelf deflitute and helplcl'

s . After a painful

firp g g le'

l yielded to my fate ; I fig hed as a lover, I obeyedas a fon‘

; my wound was infenfibly healed by time, ah

fence, and the habits of anew life. My cure was accele

rated By a (J ithfulreport of the tranquillity andcheerfnlnefsof the lady herfclf, andmy lovehib it friend‘hip and

The minifizcr of (hairy foonafterwards died ; his

flirted died with him: his daug htermired 5° Gwm »

where, by teaching yoong ladies, {he earned a hard fubfifr

W35 6 {OJ hoffeltand her mothtr i 11minEMlamaMid ithewhirlwind a (ROMSmutation. and adig nifiedMavis

our A rich bankerof Paris. aCitizenof Geneva, had the

g oa lfortune and g ood (mic to difcovcr and.pofi

'

efs this incfo

potable creature ; and in. the capitalof tail: and tum the

refitted the temptations of wealth, as {he had fitfiaincd the

bflrdihips of indig ence. The g enius of hethuiband ha; cx~

altrsi himto the mqftconi'

picuous {fitting inEurope. In

every chang e of Profanity andW e“ be has reclined onthe bp fomOf a faithful friend ; andMademoifelle cmis now the wife ofM. Neckar, the minifier, axid what);

the leg iflator, p f the Frenchmonarchy.

Whatl'

oeyer have been the fruits of my education. the);

molt be afcribecl, to the fortunate banifixmentwhich placed

me atL aufanne . I have fornetimes applied to my own fate

the vorfes of Pindar, which remind an Olympic champion

that his viétoryim the coniequenee oli his ex ile and that

at

' 8ee Oenvm de Roul'

l'

eau, tom. x x x iii‘q g . 89 . oflavo edition. At

anauthor 1 (hellnot appealfrom the judg ment, or.mile, or caprice of 7m

j ag ua r but that extraordinary man, whom I, admiroand p ity, lhonld haveMW m ime it}. cqndsmm the moral“mat: and conductor qW e

76 MEMO I R S O'

P

a m nsu a aommc fowl, bio days mig ht have oollcdaway imfiive or ing loriom.

31 “m

v im " f'

Hid

2‘s 14dMountain“ 1 03 3 »

Eli y inarid" ; 537t

Inning limp -

i mime;

lfmy cbildifl: revoltag ain& the relig ionof my country bad

notflripped me intime of my academic g own, the five im

portant yea rs, (0 liberally improved inthe {ladies and con

verfationof Imofanne, would have beenfleeped inport and

p rejudice among the monks of Ox ford. Had the fatig ue of

idlenefs compelled me to read, the path of learning would

not have beenenlig htened by a ray of philofophic freedom.

l lb oold have g rown to manhood ig norant of the life and

lang uag e of Europe , and my knowledg e of the world

would have beenconfined to anEng lilh cloifier. But myrelig ious error fix edme atLaufinne, ina Rate of banifhment

and difg raee . The rig id courfe of difcipline and abfiioenoe,

to which I was condemned, invig orated the confiitutionof

my mind and body ; poverty and pride eflrang cd me from

my countrymen. Onemifchlef, however, and intheir eyesa ferions and irreparable mifchief, was derived from tbe foc

cefi of my Swifs education: I had ocafed to be anEng lilhman. At the flex ible period of youth, from the ag e of fix

teen to twenty- one, my Op inions , habits, and {entiments

were cafi ina foreig nmould the faint and difiant remem

brance

Thee. like the ca lled bird ofMore. It homeBo g g

’d infouldonsefiic jm ,

Add wailed withintefiine wars ,

Ing loriosil lud’

fltbou fpent (by vig’

rom bloomx

Hadnot feditfion’i civilbroil:

m w nm mmm m mmmTh’ Olympic crowninPya

'

rphhi wmoot.

MY LIFE AND WRITINGS. 77

bran'

ce of Eng land was almofi obliterated ; my native lan

g uag e was g rownlofs familiar ; and I lhould have cheerful

ly accepted the oflr'

er of a moderate independence on the

te rms of pe rpetual ex ile. By the g ood fenfe and temper of

Pavilliard my yoke Was infenfibly lig htened : he left me

mlafler of my time and actions ; buthe oouldneither chang e

my Jituation, nor increafe my allowance, and with the pro

g refs of my years and reafonI impatiently fig hed for the

moment of my deliverance. At leng th, inthe Spring of

the year one thoufand fevenhundred and fifty- eig ht, my fa

ther fig nified his permifiion and his pleafure that I ihouldimmediately returnhome. W e were thenm the miditof a

war : the refentment of the French at our tak ing their (hipswithout a declaration, had rendered that polite nation(ome

what peeviih and difficult. They denied a paflitg e to Englifh travellers, ~ and the road throug h Germany was circui

tous, toilfime, and perhaps inthe neig hbourhood of the ar

mies , ex pofed to fome dang er. In this perplex ity, two

Swifs ofi cers of my acquaintance in the Dutch fervice,

who we re returning to the ir g arrifons, offered to conduct

me throug h France as one of the ir companions ; nor did we

fufi ciently reflefi that my borrowed name and reg imentals

mig ht have been confidered, in cafe of a difcovery, ina

very ferious lig ht. I took my leave of L aufanne onthe

u th of April 175 8, w ith a mix ture of joy and reg ret, inthe firm refolutionof reviliting , as a man, the perfons and

places which had been(0 dear to my youth. W e travelled

(lowly, butpleafantly, in a hired coach, over the hills of

Franche - compte’

and the fertile province of L orraine, and

paired, withoutacc identor inquiry, throug h feveralfortified

towns of the French frontier : from thence we entered the

wild Ardennes of the Aufirian dutchy of L ux embourg ;

and after crofling theMeufe at L ie g e, we traverfed the

heaths of Brabant, and reached, onthe fifteenth day, our

Dutch g arrifonof Bois lo Due. In our pafl'

ag e throug h

Nancy, my eye was g ratified by the afpeét of a reg ular

and beautiful city, the work of Staniflaus, who, aft

:the

orms

70 MEMO IR S o r

{terms of Polilh royalty, reputed Inthe love ahd g ratitudeof his new fubjoéta bf L orraine. Inourhalt atMaeflricht

I VifitedMr. do Beaufort, a learned Critic, who Was known

him by his Fpecitous arg uments ag ainfl the the firfi centm

ride of the RomanHillary. Afterdropping my reg imental

companions, I Repped (Me to vifit ROttcl’dam and the

Hag ue ; I wiihed to hu e obfiwved a country, the monthmm of Freedom and indufiry; butmy days were number

ed, and a long er delay would have beenUng raceful. IMiaand to etrlbatk at the Brill, landed the nex tdayat

’

Harwuzb,and proceeded to London, WhereMy father awaited my a n

rival. The whole termof my firfi abfence fromEng landwas four years tenmonths and fifteendays.

inthe prayers of the church our pertonalconcerns arejos

dieiohfly reduced tonic threefold difiinétionof mind, body,andwere. The fcmlmem of the mind exc ite and eatércifit

oe r foeiai (ympadiy. The reviewof mymoraland literaryelm aéter is themolt inttreiting tomyfelfand to the public ;

and I may ex patiate, without reproach, onmy primenu.died ; fince they have produced the public writing s, Which

canMoms entitleme to the efleem and friendfhlp of my rmden-s. The ex perience of the world inelt

flcatts aMeter-t re‘

{trite on the {object of our perfonand e itate, and we romlearnthata (tee difclofare of our riches or povertywould pro.

voke the inalioe of envy, or encourag e the infolénce of

contempt.

The only pertbninEng land whom I Was impatient toMwas hiyzunt Patten, the affeétionatc g uardianofmy tender

years. I hattened tohcrhonfe inColleg e- (item, W efhnin

that ; and the evening was (peni inthe efi’

ufions of joy andconfidence; It was notwithout fomd awe and nppmheflhon

that I appmtchcd the pretence ofmyFather. My infancy, to{peak the truth, had beenneg leéttd at home ; the (entityof his idolt and lang uag e at our laftparting flilldwéitonmymemory; nor could I for“: any notionof his chamber, or

my probable reception. They were bothmere ag reeable

thinI could capeét. The doth-ewe difciplim ci'

ou’

f snu ftors

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

to MEMO I R S O F

or having neg lc&ed her advice. Fow .men, without the

fpur of necefi ry, have re folutionto force their way throug h

the thorns and thickets of that g loomy labyrinth. Nature

had not endowed me with the bold and ready eloquence

whichmakes itfeli'

heard amidfi the tumult of the bar ; and

I would probably have been diirerted from the labours of

literature, without acquiring the fame or fortune of a fuc

cefsful pleader. I had no need to call to my aid the reg ular

duties of a profetiion; every day, every hour, was ag reea

bly filled ; nor have I known, like fo many of my country- s.

men, the tedioul'

nefs of anidle life;

Of the two years (May 175 8~ May betweenmyreturntoEng land and the embodying of the Hamplhire mie

litia, I paired about nine months inLondon, and the re

mainde r in the country. The metropolis afi'

ords manyentitlements , which are Opento all. It is itfelf anal’toniih

ing and perpetualfpcétacle to the curious eye ; and eachtaiie ,

each fenfemay be g ratified by the variety of objefi s which

willoccur inthe long circuit of a morning walk . I ailiducafly frequented the theatres ata very prop itious a n of the

Rag e, whena confid lationof ex cellent afiors, both intra

g edy and comedy, was eclipi'

ed by the meridian hrig htnefs

of Garrick in the maturity of his judg ment, and vig our of

his performance . The pleafures of a town- life are within

the reach of every manwho is reg ardlefs of his health, his

money, and his company. By the contag ionof ex ample Iwas fomctimes reduced but the better habits, which I hadfbrmed at L aufanne, induc ed me to feel: amore eleg ant and

rationalfoc iety ; and if my fearchwas let'

s cafy and fumefs

ful than I mig ht have hoped, I [hallat prefent impute thefailure to the difadvantag es of my fituation and charaéier.

Had the ranlt and fortune of my parents g iventhem anan

nual el’mblifhment inLondon, their own hoofe would have

introduced me to a numerous and polite c ircle of acquaint

ance . Butmy father’5 mile hadalways preferred the hig hefi

and the loweftcompany, (orwhichhe was equally qualifiedand after a twelve

,yeats retirement, he was no long er m the

memory

MY L IFE'

AND WRITINGS. s f

memory of the g reat with he had atibeiated. I found

myfelf a (hang e r inthe mi a w it and unknowncity ;

and at my entrance into life I was reduced to fome dull

family parties , and fome fcattered connections , Which were

not fuch as I fhould have chofen for myfelf. The mutt~

ufe ful friends of my father Were theMallets : they te

c e ived me with c ivility and kindnefs at firit onhis account,

and afterwards onmy own; and (if I may ufe L ord Chefte rfield

’

s words) I was foon drmgfliratrd in their houfe.

Mr.Mallet, a name among the Eng lith poets , is praifed

by an unforg iving enemy, for the call: and eleg anc e of his

conve rfation, and his wife was not defiitute of wit or

learning . By his afli itance I was introduced to lady Hervey, the mother of the p refent earl of Briflol. Her ag e

and infirmities confined her at home : . her dinners were

felcéi ; inthe evening her houfe was open to the be“com

pany of both.

fex es and allnations ; nor was I difpleafed ar ~

her preference and affeétatiOnof the manners, the lang uag e,and the literature of France. Butmy prog refs inthe Engliih world was ing eneralleft to my owneffo rts, and tholé

efforts were lang uid and (lbw. I hadnot beenendowed byart or nature with thore happy

'

g ifts of confidence and ad

drefs, which unlock everydoor and every bofom; nor wouldit be reafonable to complainof the juif confequences ofmyfickly childhood, foreig n education, and referved temper.

W hile coaches were rattling throug h Bond- fi reet, I have

pafl'

ed many a iolitary evening inmy lodg ing withmy book s.My {indies were fometimes interrupted by a li g h, which I

breathed towards L aufanne ; and onthe approach of Spring ,Iw ithdrew without reluctance f mm the noify and ex tenfive

fcene of crowds without company, and diflipationwithout

pleafure . Ineach of the twenty - five years ofmy acquaint

ance with L ondon (175 8— 1783 ) the profpeét g raduallybrig htened ; and this unfavourable picture -molt properlybelong s to the firlt period after my return from Switzer

land.

Vot . I .

8: MEMO I R S O F

have pall'

ed. °

uriton, near

Petersfield, one mile from the Portfmouth road, and at the

eafy dillance of fifty- eig ht miles from L ondon

". An old

manfion, ina Rate of decay, had been converted into the

falhionand convenience of a modernhoufe : and if { hang ers

had nothing to fee, the inhabitants had little to deli re . The

fpot was not happily chofen, at the end of the villag e and

the bottom of the hill : but the afpeét of the adjacent

g rounds was various and cheerful; the downs commanded

a noble profpeéi , and the long hang ing woods in li g ht

of the houfe could not perhaps have been improved byart or eXpenee . My father k ept in his own hands the

whole of the ellate,and even rented fome additionalland ;

and whatl'

oever mig ht be the balance of profit and lofs, thefarm fupplied him w ith amufement and plenty. The pro

duce maintained a number of men and horfes, whichwere

multiplied by the intermix ture of domel’tic and rural fer.

vants ; and in the intervals of labour the favourite team,

a handfome fet of ba’

ys or g reys, was harnefled to the coach.

The mconomy of the houfe was re g ulated by the talle andp rudence ofMrs . G ibbon. She prided herfelf m the ele

g ance of he r occalional dinners ; and from the uncleanlyavarice ofMadame Pavilliard, I was fuddenly tranfportedto the daily neatnefs and lux ury of anEng lilh table. Our

immediateneig hbourhood was rare and rullic ; but from the

verg e of our bills, as far as Chichefter andGoodwood, the

wefierndiltrié’c of Sufl

'

ex was interfpcrfed with noble feats

and hofp itable families, withwhomwe cultivated a friendly,and mig ht have enjoyed a very frequent, intercourfe . A s

my flay at Buriton was always voluntary, I was received

and difmified with fmiles but the comforts of my retire

ment did not depend on the ordinary pleafures of the

country. My father could never infpire me with his loveand

The ethte and manor of Berison, otherwife Bariton, were confidenble ,and were flold a few yeaxa ag o to Lord Stawell. 8.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

MY L IFE AND WRITINGS .

that every volume, before it was depolited on the lhelf,

was e ither read or fufiic iently ex anilned, and that I foon

adopted the tolerating max im of the elder Pliny, nullum

ell'

e librum tam malum ut nonex aliquaparte prodell'

et.”

I could not yet find leifure or courag e to renew the pur

fuit of the G ree k lang uag e, ex cepting by reading the lef

fons of the Old and New Teltamcnt every Sunday,whenI attended the family to church. The feries of my L atin

authors was Lefs ltrenuoully completed ; but .the acquifI-v

tion, by inhe ritance or purchafe, of the belt editions of

C icero, QIintilian, L ivy, Tac itus, Ovid, 8rc . afforded a

fair profpeét, which I feldom neg lected. I perfevered in

the ufeful method of. abftracts and obfervations { and a

ting le ex ample may fuftice, of a note which. had almolt

fwelled into a work,The folution of a palIag e of L ivy

(x x x viii. me in the dry and dark treatifes of

G reaves , Arbuthnot, Hooper, Bernard, Eifenfchmidt, G ro

ho vius, L a Barre, Freret, 8m; and inmy French effay

(chap . Iridiculoufly fend the reader to my ownmanu

frr ipt remarks on the weig hts, coins, and meafures of the

ancients , which were abruptly terminated by the militia

drum.

A s I amnow entering ona more ample field of Iocietyand fiudy, I canonly h0pe to avoid a vainand prolix g ar

rulity, by overlooking the vulg ar crowd of my acquaint

ance, and confining myfelf to fuch intimate friends amongbook s and men, as are belt entitled to my notice by their

ownmerit and reputation, or by the deep impreflionwhich

they have left on my mind. Y et I will embrace this oc

calion of recommending to the young ftudent a practice,

which about this time I myfelf adopted. After g lancingmy eye over the deli g n and order of a new book , I fuf

pended the perufal tillI had linifbcd the tafk of feif- ex ami

nation, till I had revolved, in a folitary walk, allthat I

knew or believed, or had thoug ht on the fubjeét of the

w hole work, or of fome particular chapter : I was then

q ualified to dik ern how . uch the author added to my Ori‘

g inal

8‘ . MEMO I R S O F

g inal Itoclt and I was fometimes fatisfied by the ag ree

ment, I was fometimes armed by the oppolition, of our

ideas . The favourite companions of my leifure were our

Eng lilh writers fmce the Revolution; they breathe the

fpirit of reafon and libe rty ; and they molt feafonably con

tributed to reftore the purity of my own lang uag e, which

had been corrupted by the long ufe of a foreig n idiom‘. By

the judicious advice ofMr.Mallet, Iwas directed to thewriting s of Swift and Addifon; w it and fimplic ity are their

commonattributes : but the ftyle of Swift is fupported by

manly orig inal vig our ; that of Addifonis adorned by the

female g races of ele g ance andmildnefs . The old reproach,

that no Britifh altars had beenraifed to the mufe of hiftory,was recently difproved by the firft performances of Robert

fonand Hume, the hiltorie5 of Scotland and of the Stuarts .

Iwillall'

ume the prcfumptionof faying , that Iwas notnu

worthy to read them: nor w illI difg uife my different feel

ing s inthe repeated perufals . The perfect conIpoliIion, the

nervous lang uag e, the well- tuned periods ofDr. Robertfon,

inflamed me to the ambitious hope that Imig ht one daytread inhis footlteps : the calm philofophy, the carelefs ini

mitable beauties of his friend and rival, oftenforcedme to

elofe the volume with a mixed fenfationof delig ht and de

(pair.

The deli g nof my firftwork, the 52a onthe Study of

L iterature, was fug g elted by a refinement of vanity, the

delire of jultifying and praifIng the object of a favourite

purfuit. InFrance, to whichmy ideas were confined, the

learning and lang uag e of Greece and Rome were ne g lectedby a philofophic ag e, The g uardian of thofe ftudies, the

Academy of Inferiptions, was de g raded to the lowett rank

among the three royal foc ieties of Paris : the new appella

tionofErudits was contemptuoully applied to the fuccefl'

ors

of L ipfius and Cafaubon; and Iwas provoked to hear (feeM. d’Alembert Difcours p reliminaire h l

’

EncycIopedie)that the ex ercife of the memory, the ir fole merit, had been

(uperfcded by the nobler faculties of the iniag inationand the

judg ment.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

88 MEMO I R S O F

be ranked as one of the leftdifc iples of the fchool of Pontc

mlle . His anfwer to my firft letter was prompt and politeafter a careful ex aminationhe returned mymanufcript, with

foam animadverfionand muchapplaufe and when I vifitedL ondonin the enfuing winter, we difcufl

'

ed the defig nand

ex ecution in feveral free and familiar converfations . Ina

(hurt ex curfionto Buriton I reviewed my efiay, according

to his friendly advice ; and after fupprefling a third, addinga third, and altering a third, I confummated my firfi labour

by a (honprefac e, which is dated‘

FebI-uary 3 d, 1759 . Y et

I fiill Ihrunlt from the prefs with the terrors of virg inmo

defiy : the manufcript was fafely depofited inmy dellt ; and

as my attention was eng ag ed by new objeéts, the delaymig ht have been prolong ed till I had fulfilled the precept ofHorace, nonumque prematur in annum.

”Fathcr S ir

mond, a learned jefuit, was ammore rig id, fince he hdvifed

a young fricnd to ex pect the mature ag e of fifty, before he

g ave himfelf or his writing s to the public (Olivet Hifloire

dc l’Academie Francoife, tom. ii . p. The counfel

was fing ular ; but it is (tillmore fing ular that it (hould have

beenapproved by the ex ample of the autho r. S irmond was

himfelffifty- five years of ag e whenhe publithed (in 1614)his firfiwork, aneditionof Sidonius Apollinaris, withmany

valuable annotations : (fee .his life, before the g reat edition

of his works in five vblumes folio, Paris, 1696, 6Typo

g raphiaReg ia).Two years elapfed infilence : but inthe fpring of 176 !

I yielded to the authority d'

a parent, and complied, like a

pious fon, with the with of my ownheart'f. My private

j ouaua z ,March 8th,teramre , and wrote the a g firtt chapters , (ex cepting thc fiollowing onea, n ,

u , 1 3 . 18, as ) before l k tt Switaerland.

july nth. [ ag aintook inhmd my hflhy s and inaboutfix week s finiflted

inm a te— 5 5 :

5 5 . to the end , whichm now

muck out.Feh r rth, 1759 . lwrete the ehaptm of my m y,

thenotc wc . 3 8. and thc firftpartof the prefaoe.

MY L IFE AND ‘

WRITINGS. 3 9

refolves were influenc ed by the {late of Europe. Aboutthis time the bellig erent powers had made and acceptedove rtures of peace ; our Eng lifh plenipotcntiaries were

named to aflifl at the Cong refs of Aug fbourg , which never

met : Iwifhcd to attend them as a g entlemanor a fec retary ;and my father fondly believed that the proofof fome literarytalents mig ht introduce me to public notice, and fecond the

recommendations of my friends . Aftcr a lafi rcvifal I confulted withMr.Mallet andDr.Maty, who approved the

defi g n and promoted the e x ecution. Mr.Mallet, afterhearing me read my

'

manufcripr, received it from my hands,and delivered it into thofe of Becket, withrwhom he madeanag reement inmy name ; an eafy ag reement : I requiredonly a ce rtainnumber of copies ; and, without:transferringmy property, I devolved on the ‘ bookfelle r the charg es and

p rofits of the edition. Dr.Mary undertook, inmy abfence,to correct the (beets : he inferted

, without my knowledg e,an ele g ant and flattering epifile to the author ; which is

compofed, however, with fo much art, that, incafe of a

defeat, his favourable report mig hthave beenafcribed to

the indulg ence of a friend for the rafh attempt of a young

Eng li/b g entleman. The work was printed and publiihed,under the title of Effai fur l

’

EtIide de la L itterature, a

L ondres, chez T . Becket et P. A . de Hondt, 1761 , ina

fmallvolume induodecimo : my dedication to my father, a

April2 3 , 1761 . Being at leng th, by my father's advice , determined to

publifh my Efl'

ay , I revifed itwith g reat care , made many alterations, firuck

out a confiderable part, and wrote the chapters from 57- 78, which Iwas

oblig edmyfelt'

to copy out fair.

june 10th, 1761 . Finding the printing ot'

my book proceeded butnewly,I went up to town, where i found the whoie was finit

’

hed . I g ave Becket

orders for the prefenta ; ao forLaufanne ; wp ies for the Duk e of Richmond,Marquis of Camarvon, Lords “73 168811 70; Litchfield , Bath, Granyiflc,

Bute , Shelboum, Chefterfield, Hardwicke , Lady Hervey, Sir Jofeph Yorke,SirMatthew Featherftone ,M.M.Mallet, Mary, Scott, W ray, Lord Eg re.

mont,M. de Buffy,Mademoifelle la Ducheffe d'Ag uIllou, andM. le Comtede Caylus z

- g reat part of thefe were onlymy father’

s orMaiiet’

a acquaint.

9 0 MEM‘

O I R S o r

proper and p ious adlrefs, was compofed the'

twenty- eig hth

ofMay : Dr.Maty’

s letter is dated the l6th of June ; and

I rece ived the firfl copy (j une 23 )at Alresford, two daysbefore I marched with the Hampihire militia. Some week s

afterwards , onthe fame g round, prefentedmy book to the

lateDuke of Y ork , who break fafled inC olonelPitt’s tent.

By my father’

s direction, andMallet’

s advice, many lite

rary g ifts were diftributed to feveral eminent characters in

Eng land andFrance ; two book s were fent to the Count de

C aylus, and the Ducheife d’Aig uillon, at Paris : I had te

ferved twenty copies for my friends at L aufanne, as the hrib

fruits of my education, and a g rateful tokenof my remem

brance : and onallthefe perfms I levied anunavo idable tax

of civility and compliment. It is notfurprifing thata work ,of which the fte and fentiments were (0 totally foreig n,lb ould have beenmore fuccefsful abroad thanat home . Iwas delig hted by the c0p ious ex tracts, the warm commenda

tions , and the flattering prediétions of the Journals of FranceandHolland : and the nex tyear (1762)a new edition(Ibelieve at Geneva) ex tended the fame, or atleafl the c ircula

tion, of the work . In Eng land it was received withcold

indifference, little read, and fpeedily forg otten: a fmail im

p reflionwas flowly difperfed the bookfeller murmured, and

the author (hadhis feeling s beenmore ex quiflte)mig hthave

wept ove r the blunders and baldnefs of the Eng lifh tranfla

tion. The publicationof my Hiflory fifte en years after

wards revived the memory of my firfl performance, and the

Rflay'

was eag erly foug ht inthe IhOps. But I re fufed the

permiflionwhich Becketfolic ited of reprinting it : the pub

lic curiofity Was impe rfefl ly fatisfied by a pirated copy of

the bookfellers of Dublin; andwhena mmof the orig inal

editionhas been difcovered in a fale, the primitive value of

half- a- c rown has rifen to the fanc iful price of a g uinea or

thirty (inning s.I have ex patiated onthe petty c ircumflance s and period

of my firft publication, a memorable arm inthe life o f a

fludent,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

9 : MEMO I R S O F

a fpec ious arg ument.'

The patriotic and political deftg nof

the G eorg ics is happily conceived ; and any probable con

jeflure, which tends to raife the dig nity of the poet and the

poem, deferves to be adopted, without a rig id fcrutiny.

Some dawning s of a philofophic fpirit enlig hten the g eneral

remark s onthe fludy of hiftory and of man. I an. not dif

pleafed with the inquiry into the orig inand nature of the

g ods of polytheifm, which mig ht deferve the illuftrationof

a'

riper judg ment. Upon the whole, I may apply to the

firit labour of my pen the fpee ch of a far fuperior s trift,

whenhe furveyed the firfl p rodua ions of his penc il. Afte r

viewing fome portraits which he had painted inhis youth,

my friend S ir Jolhua Reynolds acknowledg ed to me, thathewas rathe r humbled thanflattered by the comparifonw ith his

prefcnt work s ; and that after fo much time and findy, he

had conce ived his improvement to be much g reater thanhe

found it to have been.

At L aufanne I compofed the firfl chapters of myEfl'

ay in

French, the familiar lang uag e of my converfation and

fiudies, inwhich itwas calier for me to write than in mymother- tong ue . After my return to Eng land I continuedthe fame prafl ice, w ithout any affeétation, or defig n of

repudiating (as Dr. Bentleywould fay)my vernacular idiom.

But I fhould have efcaped fome Anti- g allican clamour, had

I beencontent with the more naturalcharaéter of an Englifh author. I ib ould have beenmore confiflent had I re

jei tedMallet’s advice, of prefix ing anEng lifb dedicatioh to

a French book a confuftonof tong ues that feemed to ac

cufa the ig norance of my patron. The ufe of a foreig n

dialeftmig htbe ex cufed by the hope of being employed as a

neg oc iator, by the defi re of be ing g enerally underflood on

the continent ; but my true motive was doubtlefs the ambi

tionof new and flng ular fame, anEng lifhman claiming a

p lace among the writers of France . The L atintong ue had

beenconfec ratcd by the fervice of the church, it was refined

by the imitation of the anc ients ; and inthe fifteenth and

fix teenth centuries the fcholars of EurOpe enjoyed the ad

vantag e,

MY L IFE AND WRITING S . 9 3

vantag e,‘

which they have g radually re fi g ned, of converfingand writing ina commonand learned idiom. As that idiom

w as no long er in any country the vulg ar fpcech, they all

fl ood ona level‘

with each other ; yet a c itiz enof old Rome

m ig ht have fmiled at the belt L atinity of the Germans and

B ritons : and we may learn from the Ciceroniamzr of Braf

mus, how difficult it was found to {leer a middle courfe be

twe en pedantry and barbarifm. The Romans themfelveshad fometimes attemmed a more perilous talk , of writing in

a livihg lang uag e, “and appealing to the tafie and judg mentof

the.natives. The vanity of Tully was doubly intere fted

inthe G reek memoirs of his ownconfulfhip ; and if he

modefily fuppofes that fome L atinifms mig ht be detected in

his ftyle, he is confident of his own{k ill inthe art of alfo.

c rates and Ariftotle ; and he requefts his friend Atticus to

d ifperfe the copies of his work ar'

Athens, and inthe other

cities of G reec e, (ad i titum, i. 1 9 . ii. But it mull:

notbe forg otten, that from infancy to manhood C icero and

his contemporariex had read and declaimed, and cornpofed

with equal dilig ence inboth lang uag es and that he was not

allowed to frequent a L atin fchool tillhe had imb ibed the

lefl'

ons of the G reek g rammarians and rhetoric ians . In

mode rntimes, the lang uag e- of France has beendifi

’

ufed bythe me rit of her writers, the foc ialmanners of the natives,the influence of the monarchy, arid the ex ile of the pro

tefiants . Several foreig ners have fe iz ed the Opportunity of

(peak ing to Europe .

in this commondialect, and G ermanymay plead the authority of L eibnitz and Frederic,

‘

of the

firlt of her philofophers, and the g reatefi of her k ing s . The

juli p ride and laudable prejudic e of Eng land has reftrained

this communication of idioms ; and of all the nations on

this tide of the Alps, my countrymenare the lealt pracflifed,

and leaft perfect inthe ex e rc ife of the French tong ue. ByS ir W illiam T emple and L ord Chefierfield it was only ufed

onoc calions of c ivility and bahners, and their printed let

ters w ill not be quoted as models of compofition. L ord

Boling broke may have publilhed in French a [ketch of his

Reflec

94 MEMO I R S O F

Reflections onEx ile : buthis reputationnow repofes onthe

addrefs of Voltaire,“Doéte fermones utriufque ling ua

and by his Eng lilh dedicationto QrcenCaroline, and his

Effay on Ep ic Poetry, it fhould fs cm that Voltaire himfelf

wilhed to deferve a returnof the fame compliment. The

ex ception of Count Hamilton cannot fairly be urg ed

thoug h an Irilhman by birth, he was educated inFrance

from his childhood. Y et I am furprifed that a long refidence

inEng land, and the habits of domeltic converfation, .d idnot

affect the cafe and purity of his inimitable ftyle ; and I reg ret the omiflion of his Eng lilb verfes, which mig ht have

afforded anamufing object of comparifon. I mig ht therefore all

'

ume the prim : eg o inpatriam, (i n; butwithwhat

fuccefs I have ex plored this untrodden path mutt be left to

the dec ilionof my French readers . Dr.Maty, who mig hthimfelf be queftioned as a foreig ner, has fecured his retreat

atmy eXpence. Je ne crois pas que vous vous piquiez

d’

etre moins fac ile a reconnoitre pour nu Ang lois que

Lucullus pournu Romain.

” My friends at Paris have

beenmore indulg ent, they rece ived me as a countryman, or

at leafi as a provincial; but they were friends and Pari

frans '. The defects whichMaty infinuates, Ces traits“faillans, ces fig ures hardies, cc facrifice de la rég ie au

fen’

timent, et de la cadence a la’

force,”are the faults of

the youth, rather thano f the Itrang er : and after the long

and laborious ex erc ife of my ownlang uag e, I am confcious

thatmy French ftyle has beenripened and improved.

I have already hinted, that the publicationof my Bilaywas delayed till I had embraced the military profeflion. I

(hallnow amufe myfelf with the recollectionof anactive

fcene, which bears no affinity to any other period of myfiudious and foc iallife.

In

The cepious ex tra‘

étawhichwere g iveninthe j ournalErr-a g a byMr.

Saard , a judicious critic , muftfatisfy both the authorand the public. mayhere obferve , that l have never {caninany literary review a tolerable account

of mywfiory. The manufaaure of jourmhh at leafi onthe contioent, it

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

96- Ma u o r x

'

s o r

our ownrequefi, for the benefitof a foreig neducation. Bythe arbitrary, and oftencapric ious, orders of the W ar- c fic e,

the battalionfuccefl'

ively marched to the pleafant and hofpi

table Blandford (June to Hilfea barrack s, a feat of

dik afe and difcord (September to C ranbroolt in the

weald of Kent (December r t); to the fea- coalt of Dover

(December to W inchefier camp (June 25 ,to the populous and diforderly townof Deviz es (Oétober

to Salilbury

'

(February 28, to our beloved

Blandford a fecond time (March 9 and finally, to the

fafhionable refort of Somharnpton(June 2) whe re the cc

lours were fix ed till our final diflblution (December

Onthe beach atDover we had eaterc ifed infig htof the Gal

lic lhores . But the molt fplendid and ufeful fech e of our

life was a four months encampment onW inchefier Down,

under the command of the Earl of Efing ham. Our army

conftlted of the thirty- fourth re g iment of footand fix militia

corps . The confc ioufnefs of our defedts was ftimulated by

friendly emulation. W e improved our time and opportuni

ties ia morning and evening fieldo days : arid inthe g eneral

reviews the South Hamplhire were rather a credit thana

difg race to the line . Inour fubfequent quarters of the De

viz es and Blandford, we advancedw ith a quick fiep inour

military itudies ; the ballot of the enfuing (ummer renewed

our vig our and youth ; an t the militia fubftited another

year, we mig ht have contelted the priz e with the moltperfeétof our brethren.

The lofs of (0 many bufyand idle hours was not compean

fated by any eleg ant pleafure ; andmy temperwas infenfibly(cured by the fociety of our rultic officers. In eve ry fiate

there ex ilts, however, a balance of g ood and evil. The

habits of a fedentary life were ufefully brokenby the duties

of anaetive profefiion: inthe healthful ex ercife of the field

I hunted with a battalion, infiead of a pack ; and at that

time I was ready, at any hour of the day or nig ht,‘

to fly

from quarters to L ondon, from L ondonto quarters, onthe

flig hteft call of private or reg imental bufinefs . But my

MY L IFE ANDw artime s . 99

p rincipal“

Oblig ation to the militia, was the'

making me anEng lifhman, and a foldier. After my foreig n education,

w ith my referved temper, I {hould long have continued a

fimng e r inmy native country, hadInot been(baker! inthis

various fcene Of new fac es and new friends : had not carpe

r icuce forced me to feel the charaéters of our leading men,the flare of parties, the forms of office, and the operationOf

our c ivil and military fyllem. In this peaceful fervice, I

imbibed the rudiments of the lang uag e, and fcience of tacf

tics , which Opened a new fiCldof lindy and obfervation. I

dilig ently read, and meditated, theMarni" :Mlita irer ofQtintus Icilius, (Mr. Guichardt,)the only writer who has

united the merits of a profefl'

or and a veteran. The difc i

pline and evolutions of a modernbattaliong ave me a clearer

notionof the phalanx and the leg ion; and the captain’

of

the Hamplhire g renadiers (the reader may (mile)has notbeenufelefs to the hiltorianof the Romanempire.

A youth of.

any fpirit is fired even by the play Of arms,and in the hilt fallies of my enthufiafm I had ferioully ar

tempted to embrace the reg ular profeflionOf a foldier. But

this military fever was cooled by the enjoyment Of'

our

mimic Bellona, who foon unve iled to my eyes her naked

deformity. How often did I fig h for my proper flationin

fociety and letters. How often (a proud comparifon)did Irepeat the complaint of C icero inthe command of a pro

vinc ial army :“Clitellae bovi funt impofitae. Ell incredi

bile quam me neg otii tz deat. Non habet fatis mag num

camwm ille tibi nonig notus curfus animi ; et induftric

mez prz clara Opera cell'

at. L ucem, libros, urbem, do

mum, vos defidero. Sed feram, ut potero litmodo an

unum. S i prorog atur, aetum From '

a fervice

w ithout dang er Imig ht indeed have retiredwithoutdifg race

but as oftenas Ihinted a with of relig ning , my fetters were

rivetted by the friendly intreatie s of the colonel, the pa,

rental authority of the major, and my Own re g ard for the

honour and welfare of the battalion. WhenI felt

VOL . I. H

0 Bpift. ad Attieum, Illa-

v. x 5 .

9a“

u nme tns o r

perfonal ch pc was impraa icable, I bowed my neck to the

yoke : my fervitude was protraéted far beyond the annual

patience of C icero ; and it was not tillafter the prelimina

ries of peace that i received my difcbarg e, from the aét of

g overnment whichdifembodicd the militia“.

W hen

‘j oun u t , January nth, 1761 jw lnthcfe feven or ei g ht months of

a moa difag reeably aaivit lik , I have had no ftudiec toMdo~vn3 indeed ,I bv dly teok nboolt lumy hmd dae wbole tima. The Grit two montht atMilford, lmig ht have done fomtrhing ; but the novelty of the thing . of

which for fmnc tlme l wu fo fond aa to think of g oing into the army, on:

field vdayt, our dinne rs abroad , and the drinking and late hours we g ot iflwr

m fedmu nfled lm . Fromme day wc maeehed frommandfordl hfid hwd’ly amomcnt looeld mfl my m mlmoa condnuafly inmodoa ;iff lwaa fix ed for a day. ttwaa intlwxuard - room, abarrad g or anlnn. Our

difpum confirmed the little time ] had left. Every letter, every manna

rial relative to dwm fclltomy lhm ; and our evening conferences wem ufcd

“hear allthe meming houro itrik e . Atlafl l g et te Dover, and 8ir Thomas

k ftus l'

or twomonths. The dmm wu w en lwaa fick of fo hattfula fire

m i Im fettled ina eontparatiwlyquict fltuation. Onoe more l bog an to

tall: the pleafure Of thinking .

Reoolltfiing Ionic thouighta l had fommly had inrelationto the fyfiem d

Pag anit‘

m, which llntmdcd to make ufe of inmyMy, l refolved re readMyde fiawfab eorum, and finimod it ht about a montlu l lofi fome time

bd on l u uidmm my lubitof application.

— Uurfirfl dtfignwas wmaroh throushMarlbOl h i bflrfindintoninquiry death was a bad road, and a g reat way about, we refolvcd to pull)

for tt evlm inont day, thoug hnearly thirty mile s. W c aecordlng ly ar

rind tbm aboutmree o’dock inthe afmnoon.

Nov. zen— rhave verynew ny roamand the ronom g month. s o.

thing ow ldumorc unifom thonthc life lledmere. The little clvil’

try ol'

tle

neig hbouring g endeaieng ave us no opportunity Of dining out ; inc ur-ne atyear didnottcmpt us many cxw rfiomm nd the country ; and atfirflmy indolence , and attc tw ards a violent cold, prevented my g oing over to Bath. I

believe inthe two months Ine ver dined or lay fromquarters l eantherefore

ouly fet downwhat l dld lnthe literarym y. Mg ning to reeovcrmy Creelt.whieh l had (omowbatneg lefl ed, H it myfolf to m d flomor , and finilhcd

the four ftrfl books of the Iliad, with Pape r tranflation and notes ; at tho

T'

ame tlme, to underftand tbe g eog raphy of tha lllad ,

I“d

am! particularly the ta!

w e , g rudme zth, 9th, 10th, lath, reth, and rath booka Of Strabo,

h Cafaubon’s latia fladm : l likcwife m d fiume's fliflory of i ng land to

(be h ind q me k vmmmmmhed, ”W N W ; and

zhc j m ah d ad‘

m wm for Aug uft, September, and Oflober 1761 , with

the ”Hilfi g e r Jar Brim“, Gea fwm july to 0s Both thefc }ourmll(peak very handfomclyofmy book.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

too “ MEMO I R S O F

proach on the firfl (evenor e ig htmonths, while I was aha

lig ed to learnas wellas to teach. The difli pationof Bland

ford, and the difputes of Portfmouth, confumed the hours

which

mufl e ither admire or laug h : and there are to many various talents requifite

mform the eharaéter of an orator, that it it more than probable we lhall

laug h. As to the advantag e ot'

the hearer, whieh oug ht to be the g reat confi

dm tion, the dilemma is much g reater. Ex cepting inforne particular cafes ,

where we are blinded by popular prejudices, we are ing eneralto well aceqbairwed with our dirty, that it is almort ruperfluous to convince us of it. It

is the heart, and not the head , that holds out ; and it ia eertainly poflible, by

a moving eloquence , to roufe the fleeping.

fentimenta of that heart, and ihcite it to aas of virtue . Unluck ily it is not (0 muqh acts , as habits of virtut,wemould have in'

view ; and the preacher who is inculcating , with the elo

quenee of a Bourdaloue, the neceflity ol'

a virtuous life, willdifmifa his af

fembly foli ot emotions , which a variety of other objeéh , the coldnefa of

ournorthernconfiitutiom, and no immediate opportunity of ex erting their

g ood refolutione, willdiflipate ina few moments .

g ug ufi a4th.]— The fame reafonthatcarried i'

o many people to the affem

bly to -nig ht, was what k eptme away ; lmtanthe daneing .

3 8th.]— To. day Sir Thomas came to us to dinner. The Spa has done him

a g reat dealot'

he look s another man. Pleafed to fee him, we

k eptbumperizing tillaker roll- calling ; Sir Thomas alluring us, every itembottle, how infinitely fober he was g rown.

a g th J— l felt the ufualconfequencetol'

Sir'l

‘

homas ’s company, and lol! 1

mornirm, heeaufe l had loft the day before . However,Mins finiihed Vol.

taire, I returned to Le Clerc, (i mean for the amufement of my leifure

hours)3 and laid afide for have timc hit B ibliorleque Univ erfelle, to lock intttt iHioMeg ueMe, which it by fir the betterwork .

September the,2 3 d. ]— Colonel Walker, of the Buckirtg hamihire militia,

dined with us, and renewed the acquaintance Sir Thomas and myfelt'

had

beg unwith him at k eading . I feareely evermet with a better eompanion;he hat lnex hauflible fpiritsflnfinite witand humour, and a g reat dealof know

ied g e . He told us himfelf, that inthit time of publie attention he wa re

(olved tomak e his fortune Upon thia prlneiple he hat oonneaed himfeli‘

Elofely with Lord Temple andMrJ ’itt, commenced a publie adverfary to

m m , whomhe abufeaweeltly inthe North Britoo, and other political

papm inwhieh he is concerned. This proved a very debanehed day : we

drank a g ood dealbothafter dinner and fupper ; and whenat lafi W ilk es had

retired, SirThomau nd fome othere (of whom lwu not one)hmke into hiaroom, and made him drinlt a bottle ot d aret inbed.

oaoberstlL]— The rw iew, %ieh hfied about three houm ooneloded ,

at ufual, with mm hing by j ard Efing ham, by p and divifiom. Uponthe

whole ,

MY LIFE AND‘

WRITINGS. 101

w hich were not employed in the field ; and amid the per

pe tual hurry of an inn, a barrack, or a g uard

- room, all

literary

w hole , m eeting the camp had done bath the.

w e and the Gofport

duties allthe fummer, they behaved very well, and made a fine appearances

A s they marched by, I had my ul‘

ualcuriotity to count their tile s. The fol

lowing is my field return: 1 think it a curioli ty ; I am lure it itmore cnaa

than is commonly made toa reviewing g eneral.

Number of Files. NumberofMen. Bfiablilhment.

“W e 9 ’ 3 73 56°

C adiW Ezra » BrW T

'

lz no

G 20

am ,

“a nGléfiwtf 65

gxlml

dic

rs’

33i

108

mm mm m

NJ ! The Gofport detachment from the Lancalhlre eonfilted oi m

hundred and fiftymen. The llucklng hamlhln took the Wmchefler duty that

day.

Se that thie camtwia g land, fuppofed complete, with only one detach.

meat, had under arma, onthe day of the g rand review, littlemore thanhalf

their efiablilhment. This amazing detleiencyuhoug hm flificd inevery re

g imm lhave feen)h anexnaordinarymillmy phanomenont whatmuftlt be

uponforeig nferviee ? l doubtwhethee a nominal army ol‘

anhundred thou

(and menoftenbring c fil'

ty into the field.

Upm w r nmn to SW thampwn inthe em lng we lound Sir Thomae

Werner.

oaober ara j—One of thd e imptflfet, whieh it le nelther very eaf’y nor

very neeeflhry to withfiand , drew’

me lrom Long inut to a veey‘

dia rent fub

je6 ,

'

the 0 reek Calendar. Left nig ht, when in hed , l was thinking ol a

dif ertation ofM. de la Nanee upon the Romen'

eelendar; whlch l read lafi

y'

eor'

. Thia led me to eonfiderwhat'

wae the c reek fl nd nndlng myfelf veqig norant ot

'

it, l determined to

Dedwell't hook de Cyclic, hy

‘

the famous Dr. Halley . lrlet only twenty- five

pag e" butat lmediuted it thoroug hly, “ verified all the calculations, it

m a very g oodmoming’

twork .

to; me mo rns o r

literary ideas Were banifhed frommymind. After this long

fall, the long eft whichl have ever known, I once more

tailed

Oflober e8th - I looked over a new Greek Lex icon which I h as

received fromLondon. It'

is that of Robert Conflantine, Lug dun. 163 7. It

is a very larg e volume in folio, intwo parts , eomprifing inthe whole 173 5

pag es . After the g reat Thefaurus, this is efteemed the bell Greek Lex icon.

It feems to be fo. Of a variety ol'

words for whichl look ed, I always foundanex aCtdefinition; the various reni

'

es well d ifiing uilhed , and properly for»

ported , by the beltauthorities . However, I fill] prefer the radicalmethod of

Scapula to this alphabetical one.December rtth. ]— l have already g ivenanidea of the Gol

'

portduty ; 1 [hall

poly ldd a trait Which characterizes admirably our unthinking failors . A t a

time whenthey knew that they ihould infallibly be dilcharg cd in a few

weeks , numbers , who had confiderable wag es due to them, were continually

jumping over the walls, and rifquing the loling of it for a few hours amnic.

a7th. -W e found old CaptainMeard at Alresford , with the ftcond divifionof the fourteenth He and allhis oflicers {upped wi th us , andmade the evening rather a drunk enone.

18th.1- About the fame hour our two corps paraded to march of . They,anold erg ps of reg ulars , who had beentwo years quiet inDover caflle . W e

,

p art of a young body of militia,two o thirds of our men recruits , of flour

months (landing , two of which they had pafl'

ed upon very difag reeabled uty.

Ivery advantag e was onthe ir tide , and yet our fuperiority, both as to ap

p earance and di fc ipline , was infirik ing , thatthe moltprejudiced reg ular couldnothave hefitated amoment. At the end of the townour two companies t

‘

e

pai'

attd my father's {truck 06 for Petersfield , whilfl l continued my rout to

Alton; into which place ] marched my cornpany aboutnoon; two years fix

“ (its and fifteen dayc after my firfi leaving in l g ave the menfome beer at

toll- calling , which they receivedwith g reat cheerfulnefs and decency. I dinerband lay atHm ifon’

s , where lwas received with that old - {almond breeding ,which is atonce to honourable and {o troublefome .

s g d - Our two companies were difembodied ; mirw atAlton, and myfathe r’

s at Beriton Smith marched them over from Petersfield . they fired

three vollies , ledg ed the major s colours , delivered up their arms , received

theirmoney, pc tooltof a dinnerat the majof s ex penoe , and thenfeparaced r

SIC“W tfuh efa and reg ulatity. Thus ended the militia ; 1 may fayended, fince our annual afl

'

emblies inMay are fo very precarious, andm be .

d {0 little ul‘

e. HOW“ : our (erjeants md drums are fiill kept up , ancb

W ed atthe rjendezyous of their compmy, Mthe adjourn ruminant

W infuum

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

.m MEMO I'

R S O F

Tohte, who diI'

CulI'

es many deep quefiions of Pag an and

Chriftiantheolog y : and from ,this rich treal

'

ury of fafi s

.and opinions, I deduced my own confequences, beyond

‘the holy c ircle of the author. After this recovery I ne verJ elapfed into indolence ; and

‘

my ex ample mig ht prove, that

in the life’

moi’t avcrfc to Rudy, fome hours may,be l’tolen,

fome minutes may be fnatched. Amidfl the tumultofW in

chelter camp I fomctimes thoug htand read inmy tent ; in

the more fettled quarters of the Deviz es , Blandford, and

Southampton, I always recured a feparate lodg ing , and the

neccfl'

arybooks ; and inthe fummer of 1762, while the new

militia was raifing , I enjoyed at Beritontwo or three monthsof literary repofc Informing a new planof fiudy, I he

'

fitated betweenthe mathematics and the G reek lang uag e ;

bothof which I had neg lected fince my returnfrom Lau

fanne . I confultcd a learned and friendly mathematic ian,Mr. Georg e Scott; a pup il of dcMoivre ; and his map of a

countrywhich I have never e itplorcd, may perhaps be moreferviceablc to others 1 As foon as I had g iventhe prehercnce to Greek, the ex amp le of Scalig cr and my ownrea

(on

Jov ena n,May 8th, ryGa J— This was my birth- day, onwhich I en.

tered into the twenty - fix th year of my ag e . This g ave me occafion to look alittle into myfelf, and confider impartiallymy g ood and bad qualities . It ap .

p eared to me , uponthis inquiry, thatmy China“ was ViftlIOus , incapableof a bafe afi ion, and formed for g enerous ones ; but that itwas proud , Vic ‘

lent, and difag reeable infociety. Thefe qualities 1mufi endeavour to cumvate, ex tirpate, or rema in, according to their different tmdeney . W it Ihave none . My imag inationis rather (trons thanpleating . Mymemory bothcapacious and retentive . The (hitting qualities of my underfianding are ex .

tenfivenefs and p enetration but I want bothquicknefs and exaftncfe. As '

to

my fituationinlife , thoug h I may {ome times repine at it, it perhaps is thehe ft adapted to my charaéter. I cancommand allthe conveniencies of life,and I can command too that independence , (that firfi earthly hien

'

ing ,)which is hardly to be metw ith ina hi g hcr or lower lemme . W henI tallt ofmy fituation, I mull ex clude that temporary one , of being inthe militia.

Thoug h I g o throug h itwith fpirit and application, it is both unfit b l“

, andunu orthy of me .

‘i‘ Ste APMd ’ I'm , N 3 XW e ‘fl fIImf, fiomMr' 5 6mmMt.w

MY LIFE AND WRITINGS. 105

{ondeterminedme onthe choice ofHomer, the father of po

. etry, and the Bible of the ancients : but Scalig er ranthroug h

the .Iliad inone and twenty days and I was notdifl'

atisfied

with my owndilig ence for performing the fame labour inan

e qualnumber ofweek s. After the firfi difficulties were fur

mounted, the lang uag e of nature and harmony fbonbecame

eafy and familiar, and each day I failed uponthe oceanwitha briflter g ale and a more fieady courfe,

'

5 1 dream p in : inst,’

¢ y¢f 3 3 it?”My x apQq vm i x imm’

H ram t au x iipu dra x péw w ra x iAw‘x ‘. mar, A . 48“

In the Rudy of apoetwho has fince become the mol’t intis

mate of my friends, I fucc eflively applied many pafl'

ag es

and frag ments of Greek writers ; and among theic I (hallnotice a life of Homer, in the OpufculaMytholog ica ofG ale, feveral book s of the g eog raphy of Strabo, and theentire treatil

'

e of Long inus, which, fromthe title and the

fiyle, is equally worthy of the epithet of fublirm. Myg rammatical {kill was improved, my vocabulary was en,

lar g ed ; and in'

the militia I acquired a juft and indelibleknowledg e of the firft of lang uag es . Oneverymarch, inevery journey, Horace was always inmy pocket, and ofteninmy hand : but Ithouldnotmentionhis two criticalep ifties, the amufement of a morning , had they not been ac q

cornpanied by the elaborate commentary of Dr. Hard,now

B ifii op of W orcefter, Onthe interetting fubjpolition and imitationof ep ic and dramatic poetry, I preqfumed to think for myfelf ; and thirty clofe - writtenpag es in

folio could fcarcely comprife my fulland fi'

ee difcuflionof the

fenfe of the matter and the pedantry of the fervantf

Fair wind, and blowing frelh.

A pollo fen: them quick they rear’d the mail,

Thenfpread th’untamed canvas to the g ale ,

And the wind fill’d it. Boar

’

d the (able flood

A round the bark , that ever as lhe went

Dath'd wide the brine , and feudded (wilt away. Cown a

'

s Ha m.

1 See Vol. 11.Mik enanem Works.

m6 MEMO I R S O F

Afterhis oracle Dr. Johni’

co, my friend S ir JolhuaReynolds denie s allorig inal g enius, any naturalp ropenfity of the

mind to one art or fc ience rather thananother. W ithout

eng ag ing ina metaphyficalor rather verbaldifpute, Ilene,

by e x perience, that from my early youth I afpired to the

character of an hiftorian. W hile I fened in the militia,

before and afte r the publicationofmy efl'

ay, this idea ripened

inmymind , nor canI paint inmore lively colours the feel~ing s of the moment, than by tranl

'

cribing fome pafl'

ag es ,

under the ir rcfpecftive dates, from a journalwhich I kept atthat time .

Berr'

ton, flpril 14, 1761 .

(in a ihort ex curfion from Dover.)

Having thoug ht of feveral l'

nbjeéts for anhiftorical

compofition, I chofc the ex pedition of Charle s VIII. of

France into Italy. I read two memoirs ofMr. dc Foncemag ne in the Academy of Inferiptions (tom. x vii. p.

5 3 9 and abfiraéted them. Ilikewifc finiihed this

day a diWertmion, inwhich I ex amine the rig ht of Char

Ie s VIII. to the c rownof Naple s, and the rival claims of

the Houfe of Anjou and Arrag on: it confifis of tenfolio(Cpag e s , befides larg e "Otcs

n.

”

Brritorz, 4, 1761 .

(Ina week‘

s ex curfionfromW inchefler camp .)

After having long revolved fubjeéts for my intendedhiitorical d illy, I renounced my firit thoug htof the ex pe

ditionof Charles VIII. as too remote fromus, and rathe r

anintroduftionto g reat events, thang reat and impo rtant

initi'

elf. I fuceefiively choir: and rejefted the c rufade of

Richard the Firii , the barons ’

wars ag ainit John and

Henry the Third, the hiiiory ofEdward the Black Princ e ,9‘ the lives and comparil

'

ons of Henry V. and the Ernpero r

Titus, the life of S ir Philip Sidney, and that of theMar1‘quis ofMontrofe. At leng th I have fix ed onS ir W alte r

Raleig h0 Sec Vol. u. p. 6.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

108 MEMO I R S O F

Ityle. Y et the author was a manof dilig ence and learn

ing , who had read eve ry thing relative to his fuhieét, and

fi‘whofe ample collections are arrang ed with perfpicuity and

method. Ei éepting fome anecdotes lately revealed inthe

Sidney and “ Baconpapers, I know not what IIhould be

able to add. My ambition (ex cluftve of the uncertain

merit of Ite and fentiment)muftbe confined to the hope

of g iving a g ood abridg mentof Oldys . I have eventhe

difappointment of finding fome parts of this ce pious work

very dry andbarren and thefe parts are unluck ily fome of

the me ltcharaéteriitic t Rale ig h’s colony of Virg inia, his

quarrels with Eflex , the true fecret of his confp iracy,and, above all, the detail of his private life, the melt ef

fential and important to a biog rapher, My belt refourcewould be in the circumjacent hiftory of the times, and

perhaps in fome dig reflions artfully introduced, like the

‘5 fortunes of the Peripatetic philofophy inthe portraitof

L ord Bacon. But the reig ns of Eliz abeth and James thet‘Firftare the periods of Eng lilb hiftory, whichhave been

99 the mail varioufly illufirated andwhatnew lig hts could I

refleétona fubjeét, which has ex ercifed the accurate induftry of Bircb, the lively and curious acutenefs ofWalpole,the critical fp irit of H ard, the vig orous fenfe ofM11“and Robert/6a, and the impartial philofophy of HM?

Could I evenfurmount thefe hbfiacles, I Ihould (brink

with terror from the modern hiftory“

of Eng land, where

every character is a problem, and every reader a friend or

anenemy ; where a writer is fuppofed to hoifi a flag of

party, and is devoted to damnation by the adverfe faétiou.

Such would be my rec eption at home : and abroad, the

hiftorian of Rale ig h muIt encounter an indifference far

more bitter thancenfure or reproach. The events of his

Si life are interefting ; but his character is ambig uous, his‘f aaions are obfcure, his «writing s are Eng lifll, and his

fame is confined to the narrow limits of our lang uag e and

our ifland. I' muft embrace a fafer and more ex tenfive

1‘ theme.

There

MY L tm‘. AND WRITINGS. to,

There is one .which 1mould prefer to all others, as.

H i/lary of tbe L iberty qf tbe Swfii , of that independence

which a brave people referred from the Houl'

e of Aultria,defended ag ainll a Dauphinof France, and finally fealed

with the blood of Charles of Burg undy. From fuch a

theme, to fullof public fpirit, ofmilitary g lory, of ex am

ples ofvirtue, of leil'

oas of g overnment, the dulleltfirang er

would catch fire : whatmig htnot I hepe, whole talents, ,

whatl'

oevcr theymay be, would be inflamed with the z eal

of patriotifm. » But the materials of this hifiory are inac

celiible to me, falt locked inthe obl'

curityof anold barba

rous Germandialect, of which I am totally ig norant, and

which I cannot refolve to learn for this fole and peculiar

purpol'

e.

I have another fubjeét inView, which is the contrafi of

the former hiltory : the one a poor, warlike, virtuous te

public, which emerg es into g lory and freedom the other

a commonwealth, fot'

t, Opulent, and corrupt; which, by

jultdeg rees, is p rec ip itated from the abul'

e to the lots of

her liberty : both leil‘

ons are, perhaps, equally inltrué'

tive.

This fecond fubjeél IS, 77mHflory of tboRtpublxc q la

rm“, under the H on/2: ofMdirir : a period oof one hun- r

dred and fifty years , which rifes or defcends fromthe dreg s

of the Florentine democracy, to the title and dominionof

Col'

mo deMedic is inthe Grand Duchy of Tufcany. I

mig ht deduce a chainof revolutions not unworthy of the

pen of Vertot; fing ular men, and ling ular events ; the“Mcdicis four times ex pelled, and as often recalled; and

the Genius of Freedom reluctantly yielding to the arms of

Charles V . and the policy of Colmo. The chara&er and

fate of Savanerola, and the revivalof arts and letters in“ Italy, will,be efl

’

entially connected with the elevation of

the family and the Fall of the republic. TheMedici:(l

'

tirps quali fataliter nata ad inftauranda vel favenda fitl

dia (L iplius ad Germanos et Gallos, Epifi. viii.)were illufirated by the patronag e oflearning ; and enthuliafmwas

themolt formidable weaponottheir adverfaries . Onthis

fplmdid

no MEMO I R S O F

“fplendid fubjeét I lhallmolt p robably fix ; butwben, or

wberr, or bow will it be ex ecuted ? I behold in a dark

arid doubtful perfpea ive.”

Res altft terrzi, e t calig inc metias

joc anan, july — The reflections which I was mak ing yrl'

a

terday I continued and dig efled to day. I don'

t abl'

olutely look onthat time

as lofl, but that itmig ht have hem better employed thaninrevolving fcbenu-s ,

the ex ecutionofwhic h is fo far ddlant. l mufi learnto check theft wander

ing s of my imag ination.

Nov. a4. ] — l d ined at the Cocoa Treewith " fl ”; who, under a g reat

appearance ofodd ity, conceals more realhonour, g ood fenfe , and evenknow

ledg e , than half thol’

e who laug h at him.

"

We went thence to the play

(the Spanith Friar) and when it was over, returned to the Cocoa Tree.That refpefiable body, ofwhich I have the honour ot

~

being a member, affords

every evening a li g ht truly Eng lilh. Twenty or thirty, pe rhaps , of the firfi

men inthe king dom, inpoint of falhionand fortune , {upping at little tables

covered with a napk in, inthe middle of a cofi'

ee - room, upon a bit of cold

meat, or a Sandwich, and drinking a g lafs of punch. Atprefent, we are full

of king'

s cotmfeiiors and 10s of the bedchamber ; who , having juinped into

theminiflry , make a very fing ularmedley of the ir old princ iples and lang uag e ,

with theirmodernones .

Nov.— Iwent

”withMallet to break falt with Garrick ; and thence

to Dmry- hne iloufe , where l afiified at a very private rehearfal, hi the Green~

mom, of a new trag edy ofMallet’s , called Elvira. As i have fince feen it

“fed , 1 [halldefer my opinion of it till then; but 1 cannot help mentioninglitre the furp rifing verl

'

atility ofMrs . Pritchard‘

s talents , who rehel if ed, a).

stroll at the fame time , the part of a furious queeninthe Green- room, and that

d a coquette onthe flag e ; and pafl'

edMertl times fi'

om one to the other with

the turmoil cafe and happ inefs

Dec.- Bet

'

ore l eloie the year ! mull balance my accounts - knot atmo

ney, hint of time . 1 may divide my {indies into fourbranches : 1 . Books that

li have read for themfclves , clamc writers , or capitaltrcatifes uponany {ci

moe ; fuch books as oug ht to be perul'

ed with attention, and media ted w ithcare . Of thefe lm d hie twenty Icfl bad : qf

'Mr Iliad tw ice,Me rine/fr} dealshave read , or oonl

'

ulted ; to illultrate the former . Such as this year , Bla h

w all'

r Inquiry intoM: L ife and ”fi ring : gf Heater , B ari c’

r &461'

m e and Beauti

fi l, Hard’tHorace, Guirfia rd

'rMa rvin: Afr/irairrt, a g reat variety of path s“

of tht mcients oocafionally ul'

eful t larg e ex traas fromMm r iar, Eag le , and

Potter ; and many memoirs and abttraas from the Ariadne] gf'

BdIe: mamong there I (hallonly mentionhere two long and curious fuite s ot

'

dlfl'

etta

flow- n th m «for: (doTemple of Delpdi, (i t Anpdiflyonic Council, andMe HobWm ,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

tn‘ MEMO I R S O F

packetto Boulog ne, and fuchwasmy dilig ence, thatI reached Paris onthe a8th of January, 1763 ,

‘

only thirty- fix days

after the diibanding of the militia. Two or three years

were loofely defined for the term ofmy abi’

ence and I wasleft at liberty to (pend that time in(uch places and infuch a

manner as was molt ag reeable to my tafle and judg ment.

knowledg e. He of ered me Very politely letters for Paris. We dined at our

lodg ing s . I went to Covent Gardento fee Woodward inBobadil, and {upped

with theMallets atGeorg e Scott's .j o i ns /i t , Jan. r9th, t763 —lwaited uponLady Hervey and the Duke

de Nivemoia, and received my credentials . Lady Honey's are forM. I:

Comte de Caylus, andMadame Geom'in. The Duke received me civilly, but

(perhaps thtoug hMaty‘s fault)treated me more as a manof J etters thanas a

manof fathion. His letters are entirely inthat ityle ; for the Countde Caylus

andM.M. de laBleterie, de Ste. Paliye , Caperonier, duClos , de Forcemazneaand d'Alember-t. I thenundretl

'

ed for the play. My father and l wenttO the3 09 » inthemirag e of the play- hoofe, where we foundMallet, with aboutthirty friends . We dined tog ether. and went thence 1m the . pit, where we

took our placea ina body, ready to filenee all oppofition. However, we

had no occafion to ex ert curfelvea. Norwithflanding the malice of party.Mallet's nation, eonnefi ions , and , indeed, imprudence , we heard nothing but

a e. . l thinlt itwaadeferved. The planwas bmrovved fromde laMotte.but the details and lang uag e have g reatmerit. A fine veinof dramatic poetryruns throug h the piece . The l

'

cenes betwoenthe father and fonawaltenalmofi

every fenl'

ation'

ol'

the human breath and the oounl'

el would have equallymoved , but for the inconvenience unavoidable uponalltheatres , that of en

trufiing fine fpeeehes to indifl’erent attors . The perplex ity ofthe cataltrophe

is much, and I believe juflly, criticifed . But another deflectmade a ltroo g er

icnpreflionuponme . Whena poet venturea upon the dreadlhl fituationol’

a

fatherwho condemns his (on to death, there is no medium, the father mutt”

either he amonfter or a hero. l-iis oblig ationa ot’

jullioe, of the public g ood.

mua he “ binding , as apparent, as perhaps thofe of the lirftBrutus . The

cruelneceliity oonl‘

ecrates his aetions , and leam no rooml'

orrepentance. The

thoug ht is (hock ing , if not carried into action. Inthe ex ecutionof Brutus'

s

tom 1 am fenfible of that fatalneceflity. Without fueh anex ample , the un

lettled liberty of Rome would have perifhed the inflant after its birth. But

Alonzo mig hthave pardoned his (onfora rantamnipt, the eaufe ofwhichwas

private injury, and whole confequences could never have difiurbed m c ita

blilhed g overnment. He mig ht have pardoned luch a crime inany Other fob

sea ; and aa the laws eould ex aa only anequalrig our fora fon, a vamap petite

for- g lory, and a mad afi'

eétationof heroifm, could alone have influented hint

to exert anunequaland luperior feveriry.

MY L IFE AND WRITINGS .

Inthis firftvil'

tt I paired three months anda half, (JanuaryQSJ -May and a much long er fpace mig ht have been

a g re eably filled, without any intercourfe with the natives .

A t home we are content to move inthe daily round of plea

fure and bufinei’

s ; and a fcene which is always prefent is

fuppofed to be withinour knowledg e , or at‘

lealtwithinour

pow er. But ina foreig ncountry, curiolity is our bufinefs

and our pleafure ; and the traveller, confc ious of his ig no

rance, and covetous of his time, is dilig ent in the (card :

and the View of every object that candeferve his attention.I devoted many hours of the morning to the c ircuit of Parisand the neig hbourhood, to the vifit of churches and palaces

conl'

p icuous by their architecture, to the royalmanufaétures ,

c olleétions of book s and piéture s, and all the various trea

l'

ures of art, of learning , and of lux ury. AnEng lifhman

may hear without reluctance, that inthel'

e curious and coftlyarticles Paris is f uperior to L ondon fince the opulence of

the French capitalatil’

e s from the defects of its g overnment

and relig ion. Inthe abience of L ouis XIV . and his fuccef

fors, the L ouvre has beenleft unfinilhed : but the millions

whichhave beenlaviflaed on the fands of Verfailles , and the

morals ofMarli, could notbe fupplied by the le g alallowanceof a B ritilh k ing . The fplendour of the French nobles 18

confined to their townrefidence that of the Eng lifh ISmore

ul'

el'

ully difiributed intheir country (cats ; and we (hould be

al’tonifhed at our oWnriches, if the labours of architeéture,the fpo ils ofItaly and G reece, which are now fcattered from

Inverary to W ilton, were accumulated ina few {treets be

tweenMarybone and W eftminfier. Allfupe rfluous orna

ment is rejected by the cold frug ality of the proteftants ;

but the catholic fuperftition, which is always the enemyof reafon, is often the parent of the arts . The wealthy

cornmunities of priclts and monks ex pend their revenue s

in{lately edifices ; and the parilh church of S t. Sulpice,

one of the noblelt {truaures in Paris , was built and

adorned by the private indultry of a late curé. Inthis

outfc t, and {till more in the l'

equel of my tour, my eye

VOL . I. I W“

an m e mo r a s o r

was armrfied ;

i

‘but the pleating vifion cannot b e fix ed bythe pen; the particular imag es are darkly feen throug h

the medium of five- and- twenty years, and the narra

tive of my life mull not deg enerate into a book of tra

vels“.

But the principal end of my jo urney was to enjoythe

”

foc iety of a polilhed and amiable p eople, in whofe

favour I was fi rong ly prejudiced, and «to converfe with

Me authors, whose convei'fation, as I fondly imag ined,mull be far 'more pleafing and inftrufl ive than the ir w rit

ing s . The moment was happily ohol'

en. At the clofe of

a fuccefsfulwar the Britith name was refpeé’ted onthe con

tinent.

Clarum ct venerabile nomen

Gentibus.

O ur opinions, our Falhibns, e venour g ames, were adopted inF rance, a ray of

“

national g lory illuminated each

individual, and every Eng llfhmanwas fuppofed to be born"a patriot and a philofopher. For my

’

felf, I carried a per

Tonal irecomntendat’

ion; my name and my B il’

ay were al

ready

0 Jam mi e , 3 1 Im ier —Aujourdhui j’ai commencem '

tournée,

pour voit let each-cits dimes d

’

attentiondm la ville . D’

Ang ny m‘a aecom

pagné. Nous fommes allés d’

abord 3 la bibBOtheque de I'

Abbayé de St. C er

maindeaPrez , oil toutle monde étolt Occupé 3 l'arrang ement d

'

uncabinetde

euriofitésfl ni l‘

hbpitaldes invalides , oule dorm ételt fermé acaut'

e denrepa

raziou qu’ony faifioit. ll(out done difi

'

ererlt vifite etla defcriptionde ces deux

endroltc. De li nous fommee 3 115 8 voir l'ecole militaire. Comm cc baa

mame'élevc i eoté dee Invalid“, biendes g em y vermient onmoyenaah fa

tile d’Apprecier let antes difl

'

erentes‘

dc leun fondateurs. Dam l'

untout ea:

g rind “fafium , dens l'lutre tout etb petit et mokwin. De petits corps dc

leg it'

blancs etafl'

ez PW “: ‘l‘lvW “0“4° SW dlfltommee, demona parte,eneontiennent cornpot

'

ent tout l'etabliflement ; ear le manég e et les ecu

ries ne font rien. 11ct! vralqu'

onditque ces batimem no font qn'

unéehafi'

m .

dag e, qu'ondolt beer, pour elever la veritable ouvrag e fur ces debris. 1! font

bienenef ctqu'onn'ait p“Mpour l

’

éternité, pulfque damving t an: la p m.

part do: pounce fe font pennies . Nouajettlmes enfoite uneoup d’

oell fur

l’ég lifc de St. Sulpice , deat h fig ade (le prétex te etle fruitde tantde lotteries)n

’

et'

tpoint encore achevée.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 I6 MEMO I R S O F

verfation; the company was feleé’r, thoug h various and vac

luntary‘

The foc iety ofMadame da Bocag e was more (oft and

moderate than that of her rivals , and the evening conver

fations ofM. de Foncemag ne were fupported by the g ood

fenfe and learning of the princ ipal members of the Aca

demy of Infc riptions . The opera and the Italians I oc

calionally vili ted ; but the French theatre, both in tra

sedr

JOU RNA L , Fevrier 2 3 , — j e 65 m e vifite aPAbbé de la Bleterie ,’

qui ventme mene r chez la Duchefl'

e d‘

AIg uillon; je me (as corire chezM. de

Boug ainville que j‘

ai g rande envie de connoitrey et me rendis enfuite chez le

Barond ’

Olbach, am’

I deM. Helvetius . C”etoitma premiére vifite , ct le pre

mier pas dans une fort bonne maifona Le Bamrr a de L’

efp rit ct des oonnoifo

fanees , et fur-tout ildenne fouvent et fort bien5 diner.

Fevrier — L’Abbé Barthelemy ta fort aimable et n'a de l'

antiquaire

g u‘

nne tres g rande érudition. j e finis la foirée parnu fouper tree ag réable chezMadame Bontems avecM. leMarquis deMirabeau. Cet lIomme e ll ling u

lIer ; ii a afl'

ez d‘

imag inationpour dix autres , etpas afl'

ez de {ens rafl'

xs pour lui

feul. Je lui ai falt beaucoup de q neftions for le s titre s de lanoblefl'

e Francoife ;

mais tout cc que j'enai pu comp rendre , c

’efi que perfonne n

’

a la defl'

us dc:

idées biennettes .

Mai ”Gal—Mani d’une double lettre de reeommandation pourM. lc

Comte de Caylus , je m'

etois imag iné que je trouvero is reunis enlui l'

homme

de lettres et l‘

homme de qualité, j e le vis trois ou quatre fois , et je vis un

homme fimple, uni, bo'

n, et quime temoig noit une bonté ex treme . S i je n‘

en

ai point p ronte, je l'

attnbuemains afencaraétére qu‘

a fun g enre de vie . lll’

e

leve de g rand matin, court les atteliers des artifles pendant tout le jour, et'

Ientre chez lui afix heurs du foir pour t'

e mettle enrobe dc chambre , et s‘

en

fermer dans (oncabinet. Le moyende voir fes amis ?

Si ces recommandations croient fieriles , 11 y eneut d'

autru que dévinrent

aufli fécondes par leurs fuites , qu‘

elles etoient ag réables enelles memes . Dans

une capitale comme Paris , il efl necefl'

aire, il eft jufie que des lettres de re

commendation vous ayent dlfling ué de la ibule . Mais défque de la g lace ell

romIaue , vos connoiflfanees fe multiplient, et vos nouveaux amis fe font on

p laifir de vous enprocurer d'

autres plus nouveaux encore. Heureux efl'

etde

cc caraétere leg er et aimable du Frang ois , qui a établi dans Paris une douceur

et une liberté dans la foc iéré, inconnues al‘

antiquité, et encorew des au

tres nations. A Londres ilfaut faire fon chemindans les maifons que ne s'

ou

vrent qu‘

avec pe ine. LE on croit vous fair plaifir envous recevant. Ic i on

croit s‘

enfaire i (oi - meme . Anti] je connois plus de maifons a Paris qu’i

Londres : it fairn’

et’

tpmvraifemblable, maiali cit vrai.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

. Izo MEMO I R S O !

by a benevolentheart, and dire&ed by a {i roneg underfland

ing'.

JOUI NAL , Septembre 16, et “OW qtfim‘n 1-0

premier eft onem inute sea , g amer , ig norant, et {ans ufa g e dumonde se

violence lui a faitving tmauvaifei admire s le i. Onvouloit « pendant lui fair.

entreprendre le voyag e d'

ltalie , mai I fl “ refufant de l’

y aewmpa g ner, ona

pris le pertie de le rapeller enAng leterre enle faKmt pafl'

er par Parin." fl

efl philofophe, e rfoft inriruit, mall fioid ctnonement homme d‘efprit. 11 ea

la: de courir lo monde avec des jeones (our . Apm avoir tcndu celui - clit (a

famllle , ll compte venir chercher lo repos et la retrain: dam cc pays . Q’ila

nifon!

Septttnbre z IJ— j'al efl

'

uyé one petite mortifieation anocrcle. Le at.

part do Frey ayant fair vaoquer l'emploi dc dirtfitur dos ch ang ers , onm’avoit

fait entrevolr qu'

onme It deflinoit, ccma franchlfe naturelle ne m’

avoit pas

permit dc d immulef que je lo ave c plaifir, et que je m’

y arrende is .

Cependant lo plurali té dd voix l'a donné hM. Rot ! Hollandoia. j

'

aI vu (Iowa{I amle premiermomentque les loinpermcttoient dc bailou t, (rt que, flj

'

avoie

voulu rafl'

emblcrmes amis , jc l’

auro’

n emporté smafia it fair ( llmane term quel‘fmroir eu ii y a twinmois , {ms y rang e r unmoment. Ma reputationbalm:ltlavcc quelque reifen, ct j

’ai dot tnntmls .

Septembre a 5me.]— j’ai pafi

'

é l'

ajnés diner ChetMadame do je nel

’

avois pas vue depuis It 14de cemole. Elle ne m'a po int parlé , ni n

’a pam

tia ra apperg ue de monabftnce. Ce fllence m’a faultde la pchbc . j

‘

avoh one

no; belle reputation ic i your letmete rs , malt }e Vfil) qu’

oncommeme ame

conlondre w ee mes commtriotes tt 3] me reg ard“ contour unhormne qui aim:

le vinet le defordrt.

Uflobre 1 5 j— j’ai pm l

'api é. mid i the: Madame deMd rry. Elle -i

voulait Ins Iain: reneontrer avee one Demoifclle a eoift qu'

elle a We5 fora

p er t t tttt Demo ifclle. qui t'apelie Le Pri ce , a fix p ieds dc b ut 81 tail e ,

£ 1 fig ure , lemon, fa convo fafton, roo tannonee ie g remdlef ic pius determine.male ung renad ier, qui 5 cc l

’t fprit, def coonolflimett, ct l

’

ufag e do mantle .

Aum{on (ere, fenmom {onetat, tout efl myflere . Eile tfc dit Pmfienne ,

fille de cond ition, qui a’

efl retiree dans ce pays pour caofe de rtL g ion. N e

innit cc pat plOtot pour one an‘

aire d'

honnco r i

Lavfinne , December 16, — je me th is lovetard, et une visite fort

amicale deM. de Chandieu “liars”, m

‘

a enlevé ce qui me refimtde h matinee .Mde Chand ieu a {m i enFrance m e diflhi fllon, et s’

efl ma snee ir g rad e

do marécltai docamp . (I’d ! unc homme d‘

une g rande policed} , d'

onefprit V J

et facile , ll{emitaujourdhu i hfolxante am, l‘ag rementd

'tme lbciété dc la me

-

e

fill“. C’efl pq ue le (cu! errang cr qui alt pu ac érir l

’

ait'

ance 6“mmFrangniit s, fans onprendre enmémc term leaairs bruyam ct (atoordis.

The father ofMadame de Severy, wheft family wereMr . Gibb-en’

s moa

ip timate fu nds , afterhe had (ruled at Laufanne Inthe year I783 . S .

“M,

an . MEMO I R S O F

Academy ofMcdals and the public lflararies, Opened 3 new

field of inquiry ; and the View of fo many mmufcripts of

diffe rent

qve mm lc quatriéme tome du Trefor du Amiqnités Romainu c mfim.

7. L'lral

’

u d ntiqu dc Glovier, endcux volnmes in folio. 8. D im on Is

W de CL Rnfimm Numfiam dm la Gam 9 m m “W . lc lui c iBm lnlicu n. Lc oyag e d

’Horaoe a Bmadnfio

um. xm Le'

l‘

nhaé fm’

63 ; k IL Onmc fit mcnda-e Na dini de la Bihfiotbequv

de Gmove . je vw ius rempfir cem mcnc dc w ide par h k fiun dc j w m ’o

poac qui je ne connoifioh mcon quc de réputation. Jc k lu deux fois lm

Ph ifir et avec t’

oim. uL Peodant Pannée j'

ai lu quelqw s joummx , mm

m k joufnalm scr dcpuis fon omnmmcew t. m tome du m o

wnu c ayle , et lu m v pnmk f s vohmes de h BIbuothéquc rflfouv

063 . W . J’

ai ba ucoup ecfit dc mon k ccneil c éog npbiqm dc fl ufic

qui cfi deja bien amplc et afl'

cz curiw x . V . ] c ne dois point oubliu ec

jmmlméme qui cfl dfl cnu unommg e ; 2 14pag es enquatre mois ct demi

et da Pag cs des ufim rnics fiont unobja m fida e . Aufii fam eomp tet

ong nnd nombre d’obfcfl ations détachécs , ins a fa

i mm at raifonées. Cd le dnpzfl‘

ag r d’

Annibalconfitm dix pam et ceuc

Mlc g vcm lbchle ena doun.

‘ Mais cu m m ux fontm m dm , ct le

jomnd mémr a befomanm rd om c qui lni nm he qomfité de pim qui

font are: wa g ered Rm veritable phn. Apri l avoir unpw reaechi B

dram, voici qudquct rt g iu quc je me fuis faitfl fufl es obk u qui lni comiea.amt.

mts ecarts mkm , ctmm mu réfléx ioq nc ronknt qm fipr du fuj¢a

quime font pcrfbmb , jc convicm quc tout ceh n‘

cfim flintqm poutmoi,m is auai ce n’

cfi qoc ponr moi qne j'ccris mon joumd . IL

'

l'

out ce

quc j‘

apprcns par lh bfcmtipnou h wmerfidon. A l'

cp rd de odk - d jc ne

nppm fi que ce quc je dm dc pa fm u m i h iois infim ct véfidk

ques b rfhn'il cfi qud liondc faits , pu dnpefimombfe de cw x qui mam

k fim de g md hptnmc , s’il s‘

ag it dc fcntimem et d‘

q ainim . ”L j‘

y

mmmi foig ncufiment tout oe qu‘on pwt appdhr h pufic mncficflc de

m m cwm mdcc du fiajct qn‘

dla m mm W . je fcmh fncbéde lire fam réfléchir furmu k fim fms pomr dn jog anm nim és fw

mu mm nt fa u éplncher avcc foinlcnn idéu et lw fi cx pnm Maiawutc lcfitm nc foumit pas eg alcmm ny a da flvm qu

'mm et il

y ena qu‘m lit g ily en a enfio qu

‘m deit émdier. m m for

ptux de h premim chflbne pcuvcmqu’em m m ndfl achéu . Elles m

vicnnent anjomnal. Cd lcs qai u g v dcmh fem dc chfltn'ymum qu‘m

unt qu‘cllcs mm t lc uéme canflém. “Mes fi fiéx iom fw oe puit

plus approbndics tt plus (c ivics. C’

tfi pour cflu , ctpour deap iecu plus

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 24 MEMO I R S OF

plainof the intricacy of Greek abbreviations and Gothic

alphabets, fince every day, ina familiar lang uag e, I am at a

lofs to decypher the hie'

rog lyphics of a female note. Ina

tranquil fcene, which revived the memory of my firfi flu,

dies, idlenefs would have been lcfs pardonable : the public

libraries of L aufanne and G eneva liberally fuppliedme with

books ; and if many hours were loll indiflipation, manymore were employed in literary labour. Inthe country,

Horace and V irg il, Juvenal and Ovid, were my alliduous

companions ; but, in town, I formed and ex ecuted a plan

o f Rudy for the ufc of my T ranfalpine ex pedition the to

pOg raphy of old Rome, the anc ient g eog raphy of Italy,

and the fc ience of medals . I . I dilig ently read, almoftal

ways w ith my pen inmy hand, the elaborate treatifes of

Nardini, Donatus , 81C . which fill the fourth volume of the

RomanAntiquities of G rmvius . 2. I nex t undertook and

finifbed the Italia Antig ua of Cluverius, a learned native ofPrufli a, who had meafured, on foot, every fpot, and has

compiled and dig efled eve ry pafi'

ag e of the anc ient w riters,

Thefc pafl’

ag es in Greek or L atinauthors I pcrufed in the

tex t of Cluverius, in two folio volumes : but I feparatelyread the defcrip tions of Italy by Strabo, Pliny, and Porn?

pomusMela, the C atalog ues of the Epic poe ts, the Irino

raries of W eiTeling's Antoninus, and the coafling Voyag e

of Rutilius Numatianus and I lindied two k indred fubjeélsin theMefures Itineraire s of d

’

Anuille, and the conious

work of Berg ier, H ffloirc dz: g rands Cbrmir r dz I’Empire

Roma in. From theft: materials I formed a table o f roads

a nd diflances reduced to our Eng lilh mcafure 3 filled a folio

common-

place book with my collections and remark s onthe

g eo g raphy of Italy ; and infe rted in my journalmany longand learned news on the infulas and populoufnefs of Rome ,the foc ial war, the pafl

'

ag e of the Alps by Hannibal, &c .

3 . After g lanc ing my e ye over Addifon’s ag reeable dia

lo g ues , I more ferioufly read the g reatwork of Ez echiel

Spanhe im dc Prmfiantia‘

rt Uft?Mmzf/malrrm, and applied

with him the medals of the k ing s and emperors , the famis

lies

MY L IFE AND W RITINGS . tz j’

lies and colonies , to the illultration of ancient hifiory.

And thus was I armed formy ItalianjourneyI (halladvance w ith rapid brevity inthe na rrative of this

tour, inwhich fomewhat more thana year (April 1764May 1765 )was ag reeably employed. Content with trac

ing my line of march, and flig htly touching onmy perfonal

feeling s , I iballwave the minute invefiig ationof the (cents

which have been view.d by thoufands, a nd defcribed ~ by

hun

JOURNA L , L aufanne, Avri l 17, 1764s ] - Guife etntoi , nous “00 3 don

né undiner ex cellent et beaucoup de via a Dupleix , era beaucoup d‘autres .

Apr‘

a dinernous nous fommes éc happés pour faire quelques vifites aux

aux et aux j e pars avec quelques re g rets : cependant un peu de

Vin, et une g ayeté dont je a s puuvois rendre rait'

oo , m'

ont rendu d'

une émur

derie fans pareille , vis o a- vis de ces petites . Je leurai dit centMics , etnous

nous fommes embraflEs enriant. Mefery nous a donné un tree beau fouper

um une partie de la compag nie du matin, aug mentée de Bourg eois et de Pa

villiard . Ce fouper, les adieux fur tout a Pavilllard, que j ’

aime veri table

ment, et les préparatifs du depart, m‘ont occupé jufqu

‘deux heures du

ma in:

je qutrte Laul'

anne avecmoins de reg ret que la premiere fois . Jen'

y Inimplus que des connoimmces . C

‘

etoit la maitrefl‘

e et l‘

ami dont je pleurois la

perte . D‘

aillieurs je voyois p aul‘

anne avec les yeux encore novices d’un jeune

homme , qui lui devoir la partie raifonable de (onex iflenee , et qui jug eOit fansohjets de comparail

'

on. Aujourdhui j‘

y vols une ville malbatie , aumilieu d'

urt

pays delieleux , qui jouit de la paix et du repos , et qui les prend pour la ll

herré. Un peuple nombreux et bienj levé, qui aime la fociété, qui y efi

propre , et qui admet avec plaifir les étrang ers clans (es cotteries , qui feroient

bien plus ag r‘

éables , (1 la converfauonn‘

avoit pas cédé la plac e nu jeu. Les

lemmes fontjolies , et malg ré leur g rande libertt’, elles font tres (ag es: Tout

i nplus peuvent elles etre un peu eomPlaifantes , dens l’

idée honnére f mais

incertaine , dc prendre nuCtrang er clans leurs filers . L’

afi'

eaation ell. le péché

ori g ineldos Lanfannois . Afl'

etflatiunde depenfe , afl'

efiation de noble-(Te , af

fed ation d‘

efp rit : les deux premifres font fort repandues , pendant que la

trolfiéme ell fort rare. Comme ce '

vice fe chcnue a tout inflantaver: celui des autres , Laufimne fe nouve partag ée dans nu g rand nombre d

‘ctats , dont les

p rincipes et le lang ag e varient a l’

infini, et qui n'

ontde commlm que leur

meprls reciproque les uns pour es autres . Leur g out pour la depenfe s’

ae c

corde ma! avec celui de la nohlt fl'

e. lls périrolent plutot que de renoncer aleurs g randeurs , cu d

'

embrafl’

cr la feule profelliOn qulpuifl’

e les y foutenir.

LamalfondeM. deMeftry ell cltarmante : le carafl i re franc et g enereux daMari, les ag rimens de la femme, une fituatzondJ icrcufe , une chere ex cel

lente, la compag nie de (“

es companions , et une libctté pariaae, font aimer ce

1“ iour a tout Ang iola. (Lic je voudrois entrcuver unfcmblable a Londrcs ! j

’

y

reg rette encore Holroyd, mai s fuit de pres .

3 26 MEMO I R S O F

hundreds, of our modern travellers . Rome is the g reatobjeét of our pilg rimag e : and t ilt, the journey ; 2d, the

refidence ; and 3 d, the return; will form the moft preper

and perfpicuous divifion. t. I climbedMountC enis, anddefeended into the plainof Piedmont, not onthe back of an

elephant, but ona lig htofier feat, in the hands of the dex

trous and intrepid chairmenof the Alps . The architecture

and g overnment of Turin prefented the fame afpeét of

tame and tirefome uniformity : but the courtwas re g ulated

w ith decent and fplendid oecbnomy ; and I was introducedto his Sardinianmajefiy

‘"Charles Emanuel, who, after the

incomparable Frederic, held the fecond rank (prox imus‘long o ramen intervallo)among the k ing s of Europe . The

flu and populoufnefs ofMilancould not furprife aninhabim mf L ondon: but the fancy is amufed bya vili t to the

BoromeanIllands , an enchanted palace, a work of the fai

ries inthe midilof a lak e encompafl'

ed withmountains , and

far removed from the haunts of men. Iwas lefs amufed bythe marble palaces of Genoa, thanby the recentmemorials

of her deliverance (inDec ember 1746)from the Auftrian

tyranny ; and I took a military furvey of every fcene of ac

tion within the inclofure of her double walls . My flepswere detained at Parma andModena, by the prec ious relicsof the Farnefe and Efie colleftions : but, alas the far

g reater parthad beenalready tranfported, by inheritance or

purchafe, toNaples and Drefden. By the road of Bolog na

and the Apennine Iatlaf’c reached Florence, where I repofed

from June to September, during the heat of the fummer

months . Inthe Gallery, and efpecially in the Tribune, Ifirftacknowledg ed, at the feet of the Venus o fMedic is,that the ehifl

'

elmay difpute .the pro- eminence with the penc il,

a truth inthe fine arts which cannot onthis ftde of the Alps

be felt or underflood. At home Ihad takenfome leil'

oas of

Italian: onthe fpot I read, with a learned native, the claf~

fies of the T ufeau idiom : but the ihortnefs of my time,

and

See Appendix ,“Letter, No. XVIII.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 3 8 MEMO I R S O F

dated a country of fuch inefiimable value to the naturaliifand antiquarian. On my return, I fondly emb raced, for

the lafi time, the miracles of Rome ; but I departed with

out k illing the feetof Rez z onico (C lement who neia

the r pofl'

efl'

ed the wit of his predecefl'

or Lamberfixi, nor the

.v irtues of his fuccefi'

or Gang anelli. 3 . Inmy p ilg rimag e

from Rome to L oretto I ag aine tcfl'

ed the Apennine ; from

the coall: of the Adriatic I traverfed a fruitful and populous

country, which could alone difp rove the paradox ofMont

te fquieu, thatmodern Italy is a defert. W ithoutadoptingthe ex clufive prejudice of the native s, I fincc rely admire the

painting s of the Bolog na fchool. I haflened to efcape from

the fad folitude of Fe rrata, which inthe ag e of C ze far was

{tillmore defolate . The fpeé’tacie of V enice afforded fome

hours of afionilhment ; the univerfity of Padua is a dying

taper : but Verona {tillboafls her amphitheatre, and his na

tive V icenz a is adorned by the claflic architecture of Pala »

ladio : the road of L ombardy and Piedmont (didMonterquienfind them w ithout inhabitants ? )led me back toMilan, Turin, and the pafl

‘

ag e ofMount C cnis, where I'

ag aincrofi'

ed the Alps inmy way to L yons .

The ufe of foreig ntravelhas beenoftendebated as a g e e

neral quefiion; but the conclulion muft be finally applied'

to the character and c ircumfiance s of each individual. W ith

the educationof boys, wbere or bow they may pafs ove r

fome juvenile years with the leali mifchief to themfelves orothe rs , I have no concern. But after fuppofing the previf

m s and indifpenfable requifites of ag e, judg ment, a

p etent knowledg e of men and book s, and a freedom from

domeffic prejudices, I will briefly defcribe the qualifications

whichI deem molt efl’

ential to a traveller. He Ihould be

endowed with an aéi ive, indefatig able vig our of mind and

body, which can feiz e every mode of conveyance, and (up

port, with a carelefs fmile , every hardlhip of the road, the

weather, or the inn. The benefits of fore ig n travelwill

correfpond with the deg rees of thefe qualifications : but,

MY L IFE AND W RITINGS. 129

lnthis (ketch, thofe to whom I amknownwill not aeeafome of framing my own paneg yric. It was at Rome, on

the 1 sth of Ofiober 1764, as I fatmufing amidfi the ruins

of the CW , while the bare - footed fryars were fing ingve fpers inthe T emple of Jupiter‘

, that the idea of writingthe decline and fallof the c ity firftliarted to mymind: But

my orig inal planwas c ircumfcribed to the decay of the cityrather thanof the empire : and, thoug h my reading and re

flections beg an to po int towards that object, fome yearselapfed, and fcveral evocations intervened, before Iwas fe

rioully eng ag ed inthe ex ecutionof thatlaborious work .

I had not totally renounced the fouthern provinces of

Franc e, but the lette rs .which I found at Lyons were ex

pretlive of fame impatience. Rome and Italy had fatiated

my curious appetite, and I was now ready to returnto the

peaceful retreat of my family and books . After a happyfortnig ht I reluctantly left Paris , embarked at Calais, ag ain

landed at Dover, after an intervalof two years and five

months , and hali lly drove throug h the fummer dull and fo

litude of London. Onthe asth of June 1765 I arrived at

my father’

s houfe : and the five years and a half betweenmytravels and my father

’s death (1770)are the portionof my

life which I paired with the leait enjoyment, and which I

remember with the icaft fatisfaftion. Every fpring I at

tended the monthly meeting and ex erc ife of the militia at

Southampton; and by the refig nationof my fathe r, and the

death of S ir Thomas W orllcy, I was fuccefli vely prom“cd to the rank of major and lieutenant- colonel commandant:but Iwas each yearmore difg ulied with the inn, the wine,the company, and the tirefome repetition of annual atten

dance and da ily ex e rcife. At home, the atconomy of the

family and farm {tillmaintained the fame creditable appear

anc e. My connection withMrs. G ibbon was mellowedinto a warm and folid attachment : my g rowing years aboVOL . I. K lithed

“Premiu m“ 3 .

13 0 MEMO I R S O F

lifhed the dif’tance thatmig ht yet remain betweena parent

and a fan, and my behaviour fatisfied my father, who was

proud of the fuccefs, however impe rfeéi inhis ownlife - time,

of my literary talents . Our folitude was foonand oftenen

livened by the vifit of the friend of my youth,Mr. DeyVerdun, whofe abfence from L aulanne I had fincerely la

mented. About three years aftermy firfi departure, he had

emig rated from his native lak e to the banks of the Ode r in

Germany. The re: ang zfla domi, the wafie of a decent

patrimony, by an imp rovident father, oblig ed him, like

many of his countrymen, to confide in his ownindufiry ;

and he was entrufled with the educationofa young prime ,

the g randfon of theMarg rave of Schavcdt, of the Royal

Family of Pruflia. Our friendihip was never cooled, our

correfpondence was fometimes interrupted ; but I rathe r

wilhed thanhoped to obtainMr.Deyverdun for the comnionof my Italian tour. Anunhappy, thoug h honourable

pafiion, drove him from his G ermancourt ; and the attrae

tions of hope a nd curiofity were fortified by the eXpeétation

of my fpeedy return to Eng land. During four fuccefli ve

fummers he pafl'

ed feveralweeks or months at Beriton, and

nut free converfations , on every topic that could interefi

the heart or unde rflanding , would have reconc iled me to a

defert or a p rifon. . In the winter months of Londonmyfphere of knowledg e and actionwas fomcwhat enlarg ed, by

themany new acquaintance which I had contraéled in the

militia and abroad ; and I muft reg ret, as more thananac

quaintance,Mr. Godfi'

ey Clarke ofDe rbyfhire, anamiable

and worthy young man, who was fnatched away by an un

timely death. A weekly convivialmeeting was eflahlifhed

by .myfelf and travellers , unden the name of the Roman

C lub

‘ Themembers were LordMountfiuart (now Earl of Bute), Golonti Edmonfione , W eddal, Palg rt , Lord Be rkley, Godfrey Clark e, Holmyd

(Lord Shcfiitld),Major Ridley, Sir W illiam Guize , S ir john Aubrey, LordAbing don, Hon. Pere g rine Bertie , Cleaver, Hon. johnDamer, Hon. Georg e

Damer (LordMilton), Six- Thomas Gafcoyg ne , Sir JohnHort, E. Gibbon

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 3 2 MEMO I R S O F

tude and emulation, by the mutualex chang e of fervices and

favours . From the emoluments of a profeffion I mig hthave derived anample fortune, or a competent income, ia

flead of be ing {tinted to the fame narrow allowance, to be

increafed only by an event which I fincerely deprecated.

The prog refs and the knowledg e of our domeftic d iforders

ag g ravated my anx iety, and I beg an to apprehend that Imig ht be left inmy old ag e without the fruits either of in

duflry or inheritance.

In the firfi fummer after my retum, whimI enjoyed atBeritonthe fociety of my friend Deyverdun, our daily con

- r

verfations ex patiated over the field of antient and modern

lite rature ; and we freely difcufl'

ed my (indies, my firft Ef

fay, and my future projeéts. The Decline and Fall of

Rome I fiill contemfiated at an awful diflance : but the

two hiftorical defig ns which had balanced my choice were

fubmitted to his talle and inthe parallel between the Re

volutions of Florence and Switz e rland, our commonparti

ality for a country which was bit by birth, and mine byadoption, inclined the fcale infavour of the latter. Accord

ing to the plan, which was foonconce ived and dig efied, Iembraced a period of two hundred years, from the all

'

oc iation

of the three peafants of the Alps to the plenitude and prof.

pe rity of the Helvetic body in the fix teenth century. Iihould have defcribed the deliverance and victory of the

Swifs, who have never filed the blood of their tyrants but in

a field of battle ; the laws and manners of the confede rate

fiates ; the (plendid trophies of the Aufirian, Burg undian,

and Italianwars ; and the w ifdom of a nation, who, afte r

fome (allies of martial adventure , has beencontent to g uard

tbe blefing s of peace w ith the (word of freedom.

Manus bc e inimica tyrannisEnfe petit placidam fub libertate quietem.

My judg ment, as;wellas my enthufiafin, was fatisfied with

the g lorious theme and the afliltance of Deyverdunfeemed

to remove an infuperable obltacle. The French or L atin

memo

MY L IFE AND WRITINGS. mmemorials , ot

'

whieh I was not ig norant, are mcorfi erable

in number and weig ht ; but in the perfeét acquaintance of

my friend with the Germanlang uag e, I found the key of amore valuable collea ion. The mofi neceflary books were

p rocured ; he tranflated, for my ufe, the folio volume of

S chilling , a c 0p ious and contemporary relationof the war of

Burg undy ; we read and marked the mofi interefling parts

of the g reat chronicle of c hudi and by his labour, or

that of an inferior afi fiant, larg e ex traéts were made fi'

om

the H ifiory of Laufl'

er and the Diaionary of L ew : yet

fuch was the difiance and delay, that two years elapfed in

thefe preparatory fieps ; and itwas late inthe third fummer

(1767)before I entered, with thefe llendermaterials, onthe

more ag reeable talk of compofition. A (pec imen of myH ifiory, the firfi book, was read the follow ing winter in a

lite rary foc iety of foreig ners inLondon;'

and as the author

was unknown, I. lifiened, without obfervation, to the free

firiéturcs, and unfavourable fentence, of my judg es ’. The

0Mr. IFranMr. Home toMr. C u ri os .

lt is but a few days ag o flnceMr.Deyverdunput your manuficript into

my hands , and l have perufed itwith g nat pleamre and fatisfa&ion. l have

only one objefi ion, derived franthe lang uag e inwhieh it is written. W hy

do you eonmofe'

m Freneh, and emy h g g ots into the wood, at florace fays

with reg ard to Romans whowrote jnGreek ? l g rant that you have amtemofive to thofe k om ns, and ad0pt a lang uag e much uppre g enerally difi

'

ufed

thanyour native tong ue : hut have younot remark ed the fate of tltofe mo anp

e ientlang uag ea infollowing ag es ? The Latin, thoug h then lefr eelebrated,

and oonfined to more narrow l’

imits , has infome meafureoutlived tlnc reek ,and is now more g enerallynnderfiood by menof lemrs. Let the l-

‘

rench,

theretore , triumph inthe prefemdifiufionof their tong ue. Our folid and in

creafing efiablifllments inAmei-iea, where we need left dm d the inundatiu

dM —M a fip fior fifi ifity and dmafionm the kng fimlm

Yourul'

e of the French tong ue has alfo led you into a ttyle more poetieal

and fig uranee, andmore hig hly coloured, finance s- lang uag e feems to admit

of

1 3a, MEMO I R S O F

mamma ry fenfationwas painful; but their Condemnationwas ratified by my cooler thoug hts . I deliveredmy imperfet‘i {beets to the flames f , and for ever renounced a defig fl

inwhich fome ex pence, much labour, and more time, had

beenfo vainly confdmed.

‘ I Cannot reg ret the lofs of a flig ht

and fuperficial ell'

ay ; for (b oth the work mull have been in

the hands of a firang er, uninformed by the'

(Cholars and

fiatefmen, and remote from the libraries and archives o f

the SWifs republic s . My antient habits, and the prefence

of Deyverdtm,encourag ed me to write in French for the

continent: of Europe ; but I was confcious myfelf that my'

fiyle, above profe and below poetry, deg enerated into a ver

bOfe and turg id declarmtion. Perhaps I may impute the

fa ilure to the injudic ious choiceof a fore ig nlang uag e . Per

haps I may fufpeé’c that the lang uag e itfelf is ill adapted to

fuflain the v ig our and dig nity of an important narrative .

But if France , fO'

rich in literary merit, had produced a

g reat orig inal hiftorian, his g enius would have formed and

fix ed

of inhifioncal‘

produaions forTuch is the practice of Frenc hwriters , par.

tieularly the more recent ones , who illuminate their p iaures more than cuf

tomw illpermitus. Onthe Whole , your Hillary, inmy Op inion, is writtenw ith fp iritand jud gment; and I ex hort you very earneftly to continue it.

The objefi ions that occurred to me on reading it, were to frivolous , that 1

thannot troobh: you with them, and mould, I believe, have a difficulty tnm ollcfi them. I am, with g reat eli tism,

L onDon,

24th of Ca . 1767. andmofi humble Servant,

(Sig ned) Da vw Hun) .

f He neg leéted to bum them. He left at Sbefi eld - Place the introduaion,or runbook , inforty- three pag es folio, writtenina very {mallhand, befides

a confiderahle number of notes. Ie . Gibbonhadnotdeelared his iud gment,pe rhap sMr. Hume's ophiion, emprefl

'

ed in the letter inthe lea note , mig ht

have jufiified the publicationof it. 8.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

U s m e mo r a s o r

p laud the curious felicity w ith which he has transfufed into

French profe the fp irit, and eventhe humour, of the Engliflrve rfe. It is notmy wilh to deny how deeply I was iaterel

'

ted in thefeMemoirs, of which I need not furely bealhamed ; butat the difi'

ance of more thantwenty years , it

would be impoffibl-

e for me to'

afcertainthe refpefl ive (ha res

of the two all'

oc iates . A long and intimate communication

of ideas had call our fentiments and ftyle in the fame mould.

Inour loc iai labours we compofed and correéted by turns ;

d the praife which I mig ht honeflly bellow, would fall

p erhaps onfome article or pal'

fag e molt p roperly my own.

A fecond volume (for the year 1768)was publifhed of thefeMemoirs. I willprefume to“

fay, that the irmeritwas fupe

rior to their reputation; but it is not lefs true, that theywere produétive ofmore reputationthanemolument. They

introducedmy friend to the p rotection, and myfelf to the

acquaintance, of the Earlof Chefierfield, whole ag e and

infirmities fecluded him from the world ; and ofMr. DavidHume, who was under- fecremry to the cmcc inwhichDeyVerdunwasmore humbly employed. The former accepte d

a dedication, (April 12th, and referved the author

for the future educationof his l'

uccell'

or : the latter enriched

the Journalwith a reply toMr.W alpole’

s HiltoricalDoubts,which he afterwards maped into the form of a note. The

materials of the third volume we re almoll: completed,

when.I recommended Deyverdun as g overnor to Sir Ri

chardW orfley, a youth, the fan. of my old L ieutenant- co

lonel, who was lately deceafed. They fet forwards ontheir

travels nor did they returnto Eng land tillfome time after

my father’s death.My nex t publicationwas anaccidental fully of love and

refentment ; of my reverence for mode ll g enius, and myaverfion for inlolent pedantry. The ha th book of the

poetry. The defcent of Illnes s and the Sybil to the in

fernal re g ions, to the world of fpirits, ex pands an awful

md

MY L IFE AND W RITINGS. 1 37

and boundlefs profpeét, from the noéturnal g loom of the

Ibnut obfcuri fold fub noac per umbram,

to the meridianbrig htne‘fs of the Elyfianfields ;

L arg ior hic campos e ther et lumine veftit

Purpureo

from the dreams of fimple Nature, to the dreams, alas ! of

Eg yptiantheolo g y, and. the philol'

o phy of the Greeks . But

the final difmiflion of the hero throug h the ivory g ate,

whence

Falfa ad coelum mittunt infomnia manes,

feems to dill'

olve the whole enchantment, and leaves the

reader ina Rate of cold and anx ious fceptic ifm. This molt

lame and impotent conclufionhas beenvarioully imputed to

the tafte or irrelig ionofV irg il; but, according to the moreelaborate interpretationofRabbi)W arburton, the defcent to

hell is not a falle, but a mimic fcene ; which reprefents the

initiationofE neas, inthe charaéter of a law-

g iver, to the

Eleufinianmyl’teries . This hypothelis, a ling ular chapter

in the Divine Le g ation ofMofes, had been admitted bymany as true ; itwas praifed by all as ing enuous ; nor had

itbeenex pofed, ina fpace of thirty years, to a fair and cri

ticaldifcufiion. The learning and the abilities of the nu

thor had raifed him to a jull eminence ; but he reig ned the

diélator and tyrant of the world of literature. The real

merit of W arburtonwas deg raded by the pride and pre

fumption with which.

be pronounced his'

infallible decrees ;

in his polemic writing s he lalhed his antag onilts without

mercy or moderation; andhis fervile flatterers, (fee the bafe

and malig nant Elray onthe Delft-d ry q'

Frhnd/hih) ex alting

the mailer critic far above Arifiotle and Long inus, afl'

aulted

every modefi dill‘

enter who r‘

efufed to confult the oracle,

and to adore the idol. Ina land of liberty, foch defpotifm

mull:

r38' MEMO I '

R S O'

F

mufhprovolte a g ene ralo'

ppolition, and the z ealof Oppoli tion

is feldom candid or impartial. A late profell'

or of Ox ford,

(Dr. L owth,) in a po inted and polilhed ep ilile, (Aug ull:

3 rd , defended himfelf, and attacked the Bifhop ;

and, whatfocver mig ht be the merits of an inli g nificant

controverfy, his vié’rory was clearly cflablilhed by the filent

c onfufion of \Varburton and his llaves . I too, w ithout

any p rivate offenc e, was ambitious of break ing a lance

ag ainlt the g iant’

s fhield ; and inthe beg inning of the year

1770, my Critical Obfervations onthe S ix th Book of the

.t'

Eneid were fent, w ithoutmy name, to the p tefs . Inthis

lbort Elfay, my firlt Eng lifh publication, I aimed my

li rokes ag ainfl the perfonand the hypothefis of Billmp W ar

burton. I proved, at leafl to my ownfatisfaélion, that the

antient lawg ive rs did not invent the tnylleries , and that

E ncas was ne ve r invelled with the o ffice of lawg iver : that

there is hot any arg ument, any c ircumllance, which can

melt a fable into alle g ory, or remove the foene from the

L ake Ave rnus to the Temple of C eres : that fuch a w ild

(uppofition is equally injurious to the poet and the man

that if V irg ilwas not initiated he could not, if he were hewould not, reveal the fec rets of the initiation: that the

anathema of Horace (vetaho qui Cererir farrum vulg ar ir,

U r.) at once attefi s his ownig noranc e and the innocence of

his friend. As the Bilb op of G louc efler and his partymaintained a difc ree t filence , my critical difquifrtion was

foonloft among the pamphlets of the day ; but the public

coldnefs was overbalanccd to my feeling s by the we ig htyapp robationof the lall and heft editor of Virg il, Profefi

'

or

Heyne of G otting e n, who acquiefces in my confutation,

and {tiles the unknown author, dofl ur at eleg antfflimurBr immmr. But I cannot refi ll the temptationof tranfcrib

ing the favourable judg ment ofMr. Hayley, himfelf a poe tand a fcholar : An intrica te hypotheli s , twified into s longand laboured chainof quotationand arg ument, the Dill

'

er

tation onthe S ix th Book of V irg il, remained Tome time

5‘ unrefuted At leng th, a fuperior, butanonymous,

critic

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

x40 MEMO I R S

ing fer ies I invcftig ated, withmy penalmoll: always inmyhand, the orig inal records, both Greek and Latin, fromD ion Cafiius to AmmianusMarcellinus, from the re i g n

of Trajan to the lat! ag e of the W eltern s ars . The

fubfidiary rays of medals, and inferiptions of g eog raphy

and chronolog y, were thrown on the ir prope r obj ects ;and I applied the collections ofTillemont, whofe dh imitable accuracy almoft all

'

umes the character of g enius, tofix and arrang e w ithinmy reach the loofe and (cattered

atoms of hiflorical information. Throug h the darknefs of

the middle ag es I ex ploredmy way inthe Annals and An

tiquities of Italy of the learnedMuratori ; and dili g entlycompared themwith the parallelor trant

'

verfe lines of S i g onius andMafi'e i, Baronius and Pag i, till I almolt g rafped

the ruins of Rome in the fourteenth century, wi thout fut

p ea ing that this final chapter mutt be attained by the la

bour of ih quartos and twenty years . Among the books

which I purchafed, the Theodocian Code, with the com

mentary of James Godefroy, mull be g ratefully remem

bered, q ed it (and much I ufed it)as a work of hif

tory, rather than of jurifprudei

nce'

: but in e very li g htit may be confidered as a full and capac ious repofitory of

the political {late of the emp ire in the fourth and fifth cen

tu ties . A s I believed, and as I {till believe, that the pro

pag ation of the Gofpel, and the triumph of the church,

are infeparably connected with the decline of the Romanmonarchy, I weig hed the haufes and cfi

’

eéts of the revolu

tion, and contrafied the narratives and apolog ies of the

Chriflians thcmfelves, with the g lances of candour or en

m ity which the Pag ans have call. onthe rifing feé’

ts . The

Jewifl) and Heathen teftimonies, as they are collected and

illufi'

rated by Dr. Lardner, directed, w ithout fuperfcding ,my fearch of the ori g inals and in anample dill

'

ertationon

the miraculous darknefs of the pafiion, I privately drew-my conclufions from the filence of anunbelieving ag e . I

have afl'

embled the preparatory fiudies , directly or ind irealy relative to my hifiory ; but, in {triét equity, they

wait

MY L IFE AND WRITINGS . x4x

mull be fpread beyond this pe riod of my life, otter the two

fummers (177: and 1772) that elapfed betweenmy fa

ther’s death and my fettlement inLondon.

‘

2 . In a free

conve rfation with books and men, it would be endlefs to

enumerate the names and characters of all who are introduced to our acquaintance : but in this g eneral acquaintance we may {elect the de g ree

s of friendthip and eltecm.

According to the w ife max im,Multan: lag er: patiu: quammake , I reviewed, ag ain and ag ain, the immortal worksof the French and Eng lilh, the Latinand Italianclafiics .My Greek f’tudies (thoug h lefs afiiduous than I

’

deftg ncd)maintained and ex tended my knowledg e of that incompa

table idiom. Homer and Xenophonwere fiill my favou

r i te authors ; and I had almofi prepared for the ptefs an

B ll'

ay on the Cyropmdia, which, inmy ownjudg ment, isnot unhapp ily laboured. After a certainag e , the new publications of merit are the fole food of the many ; and the

molt auftere fiudent will he often temmed to break the

line, for the fake of indulg ing his own curiofity, and o f

providing the top ics of fafhionable currency. A more

refpeétable motive may be afli g ned for the third perufalof.Blackfione

’s Commentaries , and a cop ious and criticalah

{traét of that Eng lilh work was my firlt ferious productioninmy native lang uag e . 3 .My literary leifure was muchlefs complete and independent than itmig ht appear to theeye of a firang er. Inthe hurry of LondonI was defiitute

of book s inthe folitude of Hamplhire I was not matter ofmy time . My quiet was g radually difturbed by our do

meflic anx iety, and I lhould be alhamed of my unfeelingphilofophy, had I foundmuch time or tafte for fiudy inthe

Jail fatal fummer (1770)of my father’s decay and dilfolu

tron.

The difembodying of the militia at: the clofe of the war

(1763 ) had reliored theMajor (a new C inc innatus)to a

li fe of ag riculture. His labours were ufeful, his pleafurcs

innocent, his withes moderate ; and my father firmed to

enjoy the (late of happ inefs which is celebrated by poets and

philofophers,

143 MEMO I R ' S '

O F ’

philofophers, as the molt ag reeable to nature , and'

the leafi

accefiible to fortune.

Beatvs ille, qui proculneg otns

(Ur prifca g ens mortalium)Paterna rura bubus e x ercet fui s,Solutus omni frx nore HOR . Epod. i t.

But the laft indifp enfable condition, the freedom from

debt, was wanting to my father’s felic ity ; and the vani

ties'

of his youth were fcvercly punilhed by the folicitude

and forrow of his declining ag e . The firltmortg ag e, on

my return from L aufanne, had afforded him a

partial and tranfient relief. The annual demand of interelt and allowance was a heavy deduélionfrom his income ;the militia was a fource of carpence , the farm inhis hands

was not a profitable adventure , he was loaded with the

colts and damag es of an obfolete law - fuit and e ach year

multiplied the number, and ex haufted the patienc e, of hi s

c reditors . Under thefe painful circumflance s, I confentedto an additional mortg ag e, to the fale of Putney, and to

every facrifice that could alleviate his dillrefs . But he was

no long er capable of a rational effort, and his reluctant

delays poflponed not the evils themfelves , but the remed iesof thofe ev ils (remedial malarampatim g uamma id drflérréat.)The pang s of thame, tendernefs, and felf- rep roach, incef

fantly preyed on his V itals ; his confiitution was brok en;

he lol’r his llreng th and his fi g ht ; the rap id prog refs of adr0pfy admonifhed him of his end, and he funk into the

g rave on the 10th of November 1770, inthe fix ty- fourth

year o f his ag e . A family- tradition infinuatcs thatMr.

W illiam L aw had drawn his pup il in the lig ht and lacon

flant character of Flatm, who is ever confident, and ever

dilappo inted in the chace of happinefs . But thefe confli

tutional

O Like the firttmortals, blefl is he,From debts , and ufury, and bufinefs free,W ith his ownteam who ploughs the foil,

Which gratefulonce confefs’

d his father's toil. Funne l s .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

x44 MEMO I R S o r

ear of a private friend, without ex pofing our fituation to

the envy or p ity of firang ers ; for envy is p roductive of

hatred, and p ity borders too nearly on contempt. Y et I

may believe, and even afl'

ert, that in c ircumflances more

indi g ent or more wealthy, I lhould never have accomplilhed

the tafk, or acquired the fame, of an hiftorian; thatmyfp irit would have been broken by poverty and contempt,

and that my indullry mig ht have beenrelax ed inthe labourand lux ury of a fuperfluous fortune .

I had now attained the firft of earthly blefling s, indepen

dence : I was the abfolute mailer of my hours and actionsnor was I dece ived in the h0pe that the efiablifhment of

my library in town wouldallow me to divide the daybetween ftudy and foc iety. Each year the c ircle of myacquaintance, the number of mydead and liv ing companions,w as enlarg ed. To a lover of book s, the (hops and fales of

Londonprefent irrefiflible temptations ; and the manufaétureofmy hiflory required a various and g rowing flock of ma

terials. The militia, my travels, the Houfe of Commons,

the fame of an author, contributed to multiply my connections : I was chofen a member of the falhionable clubs ;

and, before I left Eng land in 1783 , there were few per

fons of any eminence inthe literary or political world towhom I was a firang a

‘. It would me fi: afl

'

uredly be in

my power to amufe the reader with a g allery of portraitsand a collectionof anecdotes . But I have always condemned the praélice of transforming a private memorial into a

vehicle of fatire or praife. By my owncho ice I paired intown

From the mix ed, though polite, oornpany of Boodle’s, White

‘s, and

Brookes‘

s , mutt honourably ditting uilh a weekly fociety, whichwas infli

tuted inthe year 1764, and which ilili continues to flourith, under the title of

the Literary Club . (Hawkins's Life of johnfon, p. 4: 5 . Bofwell‘

s Tour to the

Hebrides , p. The names ot'

Dr. johnfon,Mr. Burke ,Mr. Tophamam .

cleft ,Mr. Garrick, Dr. C oldfmith, SirjothuaReynolds ,Mr. Colman, SirW il

liam joules , Dr. Percy,Mr. Fox ,Mr. Sheridan,Mr. Adam Smith,Mr. Steevens ,Mr. Dunning, Sir jofeph Banks , Dr. W arren, and his brod iee . Tho

mas Warton, Dr. Barney, “ forma larg e and luminout eonfiellationofBri

MY L IFE AND WR ITINGS.’ my

town the g reatefl part of the year; but whenever I wasde li rous of breathing the air of the country, I poll

'

elli

ed an

hofp itable retreat at Sheffield—place in Sulfa

-

x , inthe familyofmy valuable friendMr. Holroyd, whofe charaaer, under

the name of Lord Sheffield, has {ince beenmore confpicuousto the public.No foone r was I liet inmy houfe and library, thanI

unde rtook ,the competition of thé li rfl volume of my H if

tory. At the outfet all“

was dark and doubtful; eventhe

title o f the work, the true mra of the Decline and Fall of

the Empire, the limits of the introduction, the divifionofthe chapters, and the orde r of the narrative ; and I was often

temp ted to call away the labour of fevenyears . The liyia

of an author fhould be the imag e of,his mind, but the

choice and command of lang uag e is the fruit of ex erc ife.Many ex Periments we re made before I could hit the middletone be tweena dullchronicle and a rhetorical declarnationthree times

'

did l compofe the firll: chapter, and twice the

fecond and third, before I Was tole rably fatisfied w ith the iref eét. In the remainder of the way I advanced w ith a

more equaland eal'

y pac e ; but the fifteenth and fix teenth

chapters have beenreduced by three fuccefiive revifals, from

a larg e volume to the ir p refent fiz e and theymi g ht ilill be

contprell'

ed, w ithout any lofs of faPts or fentiments . Anop

polite fault may be imputed to the conc ife and fuperfic ial

narrative of the firll reig ns from Comnwdus . to Alex ander

a fault of which I have neve rheard, ex cept fromMr. Plumeinhis lafl journey to London. Such an oraclemi g ht havehem confulted and obeyed with rational devotion; but Iwas foondifg ulled with the modefl praélice of reading themm ufix ipt to my friends . Of fuch friends fome will p raifl:from politenefs, arid fome will criticife from vanity. The

author himfelf IS the befljudg e of his ownperformance ; no

qne has fo deeplymeditated onthe fubjefl ; w ane is fi: fine

oerely interelled tnthe event.‘

By the friendlhip ofMr. (now Lord) Elidt, Who had“

married my full conlin, I was returned at the g eneralelecVOL . I. L

nd“ Me mo r rt s . o r

tionfor th'

e boroug h of L eflteard. I tool: my feat at the .

be g inning of the memorable conteftt bet'

weenG reat BritainindAmerich, and fupported, withmany a fincere andMeat.vote, the ri g hts, thou g h not, perhaps, the intereft, of the

mother country. After a fleeting illufive hepe, prudence

dondenmedme to acquiel'

ce inthe humble {lationof amute .

Iwas not armed byNature and education with the intrep idenerg y of mind and vo ice.

I

Vincentem ltrepitus, etnatum rebus ag endis .

Timiditywas fortified bypride, and eventhe fuccefs ofmy

pendifoourag ed the trialof my vo ice But I afiifled at

the debates of a free affembly ; I liltened to the~

attaclt and

defence of eloquence and reafonI had a near profpeét of

the charafiers, v iews, and paflions of the firltmenof the

ag e. The caufe of overnment ably v indicated bythat man of fpotlefs integ rity, a confirm

mate mailer of debate, who could wield, with equaldex ter ity, the arms or reafonmi of ridicule. He was feated on

theTreafur'

yabench betweenhis Attorney and Solic itorGe

neral, the twopillars of the law and Rate, mag i: pare: quam

flail“; and the minilter mig ht ihdulg e ina {hortnumber,whimhe was upholdenone ither hand by the majefi ic fenfeof Thurlo

'

ew, and the fli ilful eloquence of [fi dderburnn

From the adverfe lide of the houfe anardent and powe rful

oppofttion was fupported, the lively declamation of

Barri , the leg alacutenefs of tanning , the profufe and phi

lofoPliic'

fancy of Bur/la, and the arg umentative vehemence

o f

‘ A French flteteh o e - Gibbm 'em i wfittenby himfelg pmbobly for

the ufe of mme fore ig njoumalifi or tranflamr, contaimno fia notmention

ed inhh lng limLife . . B e thore deferibes himfelf with his ufual candour.

“puis huit ans ila afilfiém delibentlom les plus importantes , mais il nee

’efi jamaian

'

ouvé le com e, ni lc ulm , de parler damune afl'

emblée publi .

que. This fltetchm wfimq hefion tbe pufl iq donof hismm hfi volnma ,

u inelofing it hefl ya d hh fl ifiort ette entrepfife h i demande eneoroMenu anaéea d‘une application fontenue ; maie quelqu

'enfolt le fumes ,

iltrvuve dam eette applicatioomfine unplaifir toujours varié et toujours te

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

143 MEMO I R S o r

04mm were karcely adequate to the demand ; and the

bookfeller'8 property was twice invaded by the pirates of

Dublin. My book was onevery table, and almofl: oneverytoilette ; the hifiorianwas crowned by the taile or fafhion

of the day ; nor was the g eneral vo ice dillurbed by the

bark ing of any prgfm critic. The favour of mank ind ismolt freely bellowed on a new acqua intance of any ori g inalmerit ; and the mutual furpriz e of the public and the irfavouriteIS produétive of thofe warm fenfrbilities, which ata fecondmeeting canno long er be rekindled. If I liftencdto the mulic of praife, I was more ferioully fatiefied withthe approbationof my judg es . The candour of Dr. Ro

be rtfon embraced liis difc iple. A letter fromMr. Humeoverpaid the labour of ten years ; but I have never pre

fumed to accepta place inthe triumvirate ofBritiihhifiorians.

That curious and orig inal letter will amufe the reader,

and his g ratitude (hould (hicld my free communicationfromthe reproachof vanity.

Du n Sra, Emuauaon, 18thMarch-

177

As I ran throug h your volume of billory with g reatavidity and impatience, I cannot forbear difcovering fomewhatof the fame impatience in returning you thanks for

your ag reeable prefent, and ex pretling the fatisfaéi ionwhichthe performance has g ivenme . W hethe r I conl

'

idc r the

dig nityot'

your fiyle, the depth of your matter, or the e x

tenfivenefs of your learning , I muft reg ard the work as

equally the objeét of efieem ; and I own that if I had no t

p revioully had the happinefs of your perfonalacquaintance ,fuch a performance from anEng liihman inour ag e would

have g iveninc fome furp riz e. Y oumay fmile at this fentiment ; but as it

'

fiems to me that your countrymen, for al

motl awhole g eneration, have g iventhemfelves Up to bar

barous and abfurd faction, and have totallyneg lcéted allpo

lite letters, I no long er ex peéted any valuable produfi ion

ever to come from them. I know itwill g ive you pleafurc

(as

MY L IFE '

AND WRITINGS . 149as it didme)to find that all the menof letters inthis place

concur intheir admirationof‘

your work, and intheir anx i

ous de fire of your continu ing it.W henI heard of your undertak ing , (whichwas fame

time ag o,) I ownIwas a little curious to Ice howyouwouldex tricate yourl

'

elf from the fubjeétof your two laft chaptersI think you have obferved a very prudent temperament , butit was im

'

poflible to treat the fubjeét[o as not to g ive g roundsof fufpicionag ainl

’tyou, and yournay ex peétthata clamour

will arife. This, ifany thing , willretard yourTuccefs withthe public ; for inevery other refpeétyour work is calculated to be popular. But among many other marks of de

cline, the prevalence of fuperltition inEng land prog nolticares the fallof philofophy and decay of tafte 5 and thoug h

nobody’

be more capable thanyou to revive them, you will

p robablyfind a {trug gle tnyour firftadvances.

“ I fee you entertain a g reat doubtwith reg ard to thenuthentic ity of the poems of Oflian. You are certainly ri g htinfo doing . It is indeed {trang e thatanymenof fenfe couldhave imag ined it pojhble, that above twenty thoufand verfes,along

‘with7numb erlel'

s hiftoricalrafts , could have beenpre

ferved by oral tradition during fifty g enerations , by the

rude“, perhaps, of all the Europeannations, the moltno;

cefi tous, the moftturbulent, and the moltunfettled. W here

a fuppofitionds (o c ontrary to common(enfe, any pofitive

evidence of it oug htnever to’

be reg arded Menrun withg reat avidity to g ive the ir ev idence infavour of what flat

ten their pallions and the ir national prejudices , You are

therefore over and above indulg ent to us in(peak ing of the

matter with hefit‘ation.

Imufl ia you that we are allVery anx ious to hearthat: you have fully colleaed the materials for your fecondvoltn

'

ne, and that you are even confiderably advanced in

the oompofitionof it. I (peak this more in the name of

my fricmls thaninmy own; as I cannot ex pea to live (0

long as to fee the publicationof it. Yourmilling Volume

will

x“ -MnMo r a s o r

will be more delicate than the preceding , .but I tmfi'

in

your prudence for ex tricating you from thc difi cultieu and,inall events, you have courag e to defpife the clamour of

blg OtS.

lam, with g reatreg ard,

Dear S ir,

Y our moltobedient, and met! humble Servant,

Dnvrn Home .

"

Some weeks afterwards I had the melancholy pleafure of

fee ingMr. Hume inhis pell'ag e throug h Londoni his bodyfeeble, his mind firm, Onthe asth of Aug ufi of the fame

year (1776) he died, at Edinburg h, the'

deathof a philo

Myrecond ex curlionto Paris was determined by the profsling invitationofM. andMadame Neclter, who had vifih

ed Eng land inthe preceding fummer. Onmy atrivnl I

foundM. Neclter Direétor- g eneral of the finances , inthe

firltbloomof power and popularity. His private fortuneenabled him to fupport aliberalellablilhment; and his wife,whore talents and virtua lhad long adorned, was admirablyqualified to prefide in the converl

'

ation of her table and

drawing - room. As the ir friend, I was introduced to the

bell company of both (ex es ; to the forei g nminifters of allnations, and to the full names and characters of France ;who dilting uifhed me by futhmarks of civility and k ind

nc fs, as g ratitude will act fullerme to forg et, and modefir

yw illnot allowme to enumerate. The falhtonable (uppersoftenbroke into the morning hours ; yetloccafionally con

fulted the Royal Library, and that of the Abbey of St.

Germa in, and inthe free ufe of the ir books athome, I had

plways reafon to praile the liberality ofMe infiitutiooa.

The

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

at a MEMO I R S O E

falon‘

, .od perfonne no fut tenté de la renouer. W k,men? de la Adam? “ f err ite I

’

Hjjiaire, p . i zs, di e .

Nearly two years had elapfed betweenthe publicationofmyfirftand the commencement of my fecond volume and

the caufes mull be alli g ned of this long delay. 3 . After a

ibort holiday1 Iindulg ed my curiofity in fome {indie s of avery different nature, a courfe of anatomy, whichwas do »

~

monitrated byDoc‘i or I

—iunte r t and {lime le gions of chytnif

try, which were delivered byMr. Hi g g ins The p rinc i

ple s of theic fc iences, and a mile for book s of natural bif

tory, contributed to multiply my ideas and imag es ;$ and theanatomiltand chymiftmay fometimes track me inthe ir ownmom . 2 . I dived, perhaps too deeply, into the mud of thefi rian controverfy ; and many days of reading , think ing ,and writing were confumed in the purfuit of a phantom,3 . It is di ffic ult to arrang e, with order and pe rfp icuity, the

various tranfaétions of the ag e of Confiantine and (0

muchwas I difpleal'

edw ith the f ull elTay, that I committedto the flames above fifty (beets . 4. The fix months ofPari s and pleafure mullbe deduéted from the account. Butwhen I refumed my taik I felt my improvement ; Iwasglow mailer of my fle and fubjea,

‘

and while the mcaq

fure of my daily pe rformance was enlarg ed, I dill,covered

J D! the voluminouswriting s of the Abbé deMably, (fee his Elog e bx

the W W .)“ Principe: da dd y-Lor d: I'Eurapc,Mthc firfi pafl .

of the Qbfem ctiu rjur l’

fiuidn de France, may he defervedly praifed ; and eventheMarine d’

errir e I‘

Hyi oir e contains feveralufefulprecepts and jud icious t;marks . Mably was alover of virtue and freedom , buthis virtue was auftere ,and his fre edomwas inspatient of an equal. Kings , mag ifirates , nobles ,md fuccefsfulwtriteu , were the objea s ol his m m, or hatred , or envy ;

but his iltrberal abufe of Volnire , Hume, Button. the Abbe Reyna), DruRobertfon, and rurriM, canbe injurious only to himfelf.

lift ilriende plus fafiidieux (lays the polite Cenfor)qu‘

unM. Gibbon 5“qui dans [oneterne lle Hifioire tle s hmpereurs Romains , fufpe'nd a chance

“mMHonmfipide etlente narration, pour vous ex pliquee la cauIe de fain‘

g

‘que vous allea lire.

"

(Mu slin o'

ccuro l‘l-lslloiee, p. 184. See and.“

p a ge , p . Y et 1 am indebted to the a bbedeMably for two foch ad ,vecates as the anonymous FrenchCritic andmy friendMr. Hayley. (Hayley

'

s

ya ks , two Edit. Vol. 11. p. 3 61l

MY LIFE nunwm'

rmos. i s,

eovered lei'

s reafon to cancel or correct. It has alwaye

been my praaicc to call a long parag raph in a fing le

mould, to try it by my ear, to dcpofit it in my me~

mory, but to fufpend the afl ion of the pen till I had

g iven the lag : polilh to my,work. Shall

.

I.add, that I

never found my mind more vi g orous, nor my compelia

tionmore happy, than in the winter hurry _

of fociety and

parliament?Had I believed that themajority of Eng lilh reade rs were

fo fondly attached evento the name and (hadow of Chrifii

anity ; had I forefeen that the pious, the timid, and the

prudent, would feel, or alfedt to feel, with fuch ex quiiise

fe ofibility t Imig hr, perhaps, have foftened the two inviadious chapte rs , which would create many enemies, and

ponc iliate few friends. But the (bait was fhot, the alarm

was founded, and I could only rejoice, that i f the voice ofour p rielts was clamorous and b itter, their hands were dif

armed from the powers of perfecution. I adhered to the

wife refoiution of trulling myfelf and my writing s to thecandour of the public, tillMr. Davies of Ox ford prefurnedto attac k, not the faith, but the fidelity, of the hifiorian.Md irarron, ex preflive of lcfs ang er than contemp

an

t

samufed for a moment the bufy and idle metropolisthe molt rational part of the laity, and even of the clerg y,appear to have been fatisfied of my innocence and accu

racy. I would not print this Vind icationm quarto, lefi

it. would be .bound and preferved with the hifbory itfelf.

A t the diftance of twelve years, I calmly aflirmmy judgment of ,Davies, Chelfum, .dtc. A viélory over fuch ao

eag onilts was a fuficient humiliation. They, however,

were rewarded in this world Poor Chelfum was indeedne g leéted ; and I dare not boaft the mak ing Dr. W atfon

a

'

hilltop ; he is a prelate of a larg e mind and liberal[pi; but I enjoyed the pleafure of g iving a Royal pen.

fio Mr. Davies, and of ooflatit r. Apthorpe to

an

i ncenppendix , letters. NRW W MCXW.

3 54 MEMO I R S O F

anai'chlep ifCOpalliving . Their fuccefs encourag ed the z ealhf Taylor the Arian“

, and h/Iilner theMethodifH , wi thmany Others, whom it would be difficult to remember, and

tedious to rehearfe . The lift of my adverfaries, however,w as g rac ed with the more refpeélable names of Dr. Prieit

ley, S ir David Dalrymple, and Dr. W hite ; and every

p olemic , of e ither ‘

univerfity, difcharg ed his fermon‘

or

pamphlet ag ainft the impenetrable filence of the Ronianhiflorian. In his Hiiiory or the Corruptions of Claim.

anity, Dr. Prieflley threw downhis two g auntlets to Bi

t p Hurd andMr. Gibbon. l declined the challeng e ina

letter, ex horting my Opponent, to enlig hten the world byhis philofophical difcoveries, and to remember that the

merit of his predeceli’

or Servetus is now reduced to a

j ing le pall'

ag e, which indicates the fmaller c irculation of

the blood throug h the lung s , from and to the beart i . In

ilead of lifiening to this friendly advice, the dauntlefs

philofopher of‘ B irming ham continued to fire away his

double‘

b attery ag ainfl thofe who believed too little, and

thofe who believed too much. Fram'

my replies he has nothing to hope or fear : but his Soc inianihield has repeatealy beenp ierced by the fpear of Horfley, and his trumpeto f {editionmay at leng th awakenthe mag iilrates of a free

country.

The profefiion and rank of Sir David Dalrymple (nowa Lord of Seflion) has g iven a more decent colour to his

fiyle .

The fiupendom fitle , TW rm rh Ca/u gf rh g rndw aq , atfirfi

g ia ted rn'

y nerves , till l difeovered that it wu the apoh q of the whole

church, finee the Councilof Nice , fiomMr. Taylor‘s priu te mlig ia x. Hie

book is a thoroug h mix ture of lig aenthufiafmaod law bufi’oonery, and the

Millcnium is a fimdamentalarticle of lds creed.

1~ Fromhis g rammarr fchoolatKing flonuponHull,Mr. JofephMrlner pro

nounces ananathema ag ainfi all rational religion. If“ faith is a divine nth .

i fpiritg al infpiration; firphuwh ia amyaie and inviflhle body : the w ar d

Chrifliam, fuehatMr Locloc, who believe and hwefpm the Scriptures. are , inhis judgment, no better thanprofane infidel

‘Am de inMore do Ceeor, tom. i. 77. 79 . Appendix , 1&e q

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

lfi me mo r a s o r

L etme frankly ownthat I was ltartled at the full difi

charg e of eccleliallicalordnance : but as foon as I foundthat this empty noifc was mifchievous only inthe intention,my fear was converted into indig nation; and every feelingof indig nationor curiofity has long lines fublided in pure

and placid indifference.The profecutionofmy hiilorywas foonafterwards check

ed by another controverfy of a very di fferent k ind. At the

requeil of the Lord Chancellor, and of Lord W eymouth‘

,

then Secretary of State, I vindicated, ag alali the French

manifeflo, the jufiice of the Britifh arms . The whole cor

refpondence of Lord Stormont, our late ambaffador'

at Paris,was fubmittcd to my infpcdlion, and theMrmoirewhich I compofcd in French, was firfl approved by the

C abinetMinillcrs, and thendelivered as a llate paper to thecourts of Europe. The llyle and manner are

.

praifed byBeaumarchais himfelf, who,

‘

inhis private quarrel, attempted a reply; but he Hatters me, by nfcribing the memo i r toLord Stormont s and the g roflnefs of his inveé

'

live betrays

the lofs of temper and of wit ; he acknowledg ed”, that I:

j iylomfrrrirpatfimr g rate, m'

InIog r'

qwfamj rg/Igfi, fire . if

the faas we re true which he '

undertaltc s to difprove . I"ortheft: fuels my c redit is not pledg ed ; I fpoltc as a lawyer

from my brief, But the verac ity of Beaumarchais may beellimated from the allertion that France, by the treaty of

Paris was limited to a ce rtainnumbe r of (hips of

war. Onthe applicationof the Dirke of Choifeul, he wasoblig ed toretrafl this daring fallbhood.

Arnong the honourable conncétions which I had formed,I may julily be proud Of the friendlhip ofMr. W edde r

burno, at that time Attorney General, who now illuflratea

the title of Lord Loug hboroug h, and the office of ChiefJufiice of the CommonPleas, By his flrong recommen

'

i

dation, and the favourable difpolitionofLord North, I was

appo inted one of the Lords Commiflioners of Trade and

l’lantations ; and my private income was enlarg ed by a clear

additionOtuvm do Beaumatohail, tom ill. p . 3 9 9 . 3 5 5 .

lsfl ME‘MO I R S O F .

The afpefl of the nex t fefionof parliament was fiormy:and perilous ; county meeting s, petitions , and committees

of correfpondence, announced the public difcontent ; and

infiead of voting with a triumphantmajority, the friends of

g overnmentwere oftene itpol'

od to a firug g le, and fometimes

to a defeat. The Houfe of Commons adoptedMr. Dun:

h ing’s motion, That the influence of the C rownhad in

creafed, was increafing , and oug ht to be diminilhed z”

andMr. Burke’s b ill of reform was framed with lid“, in

troduc ed with eloquence, and fupported by numbers . Our

late prefident, the American Secretary of State, very tiara

rawly efcaped the fentence of profcription; .

“out the unfortu

nate Board of T rade was abolilhed inthe committee by a

[mall majority (207to fog )of e i g ht votes . The fiorm,

however, blew over for a time ; a larg e defefi ionof country

g entlemen eludcd the fang uine hapes of the patriots : the

Lords of Trade were revived ; adminifiration recovered

the ir {treng tli and fpirit; and the flames of London, whichwere kindled by a mil

'

chievous madman, admonilhed all

think ing men of the dang er of an appeal to the people.

In the premature difl'

olutionwhich followed this feflionof

parliament I loft my feat. Mr. Elliotwas now deeply eng ag ed in the meafures of oppolition, and the electors of

L etk eard" are com m of the fame Op inion asMr. Elliot.

ready to talte a flep whieh l found to be oonflfient both with my interefi and

my honour.

ltmuttnow be decided , whether I may continue to live in England, or

whether ! mutt foonw ithdraw myfelf into a kind of philofoPhical ex ile in

Switzerland . My k thcr lefi his afi irt ina Rate of embarrafl'

ment, and even

ot'

diftrefs . My attemmto difpofe of a part of my landed property bave hio

ther-to beendifappointed, and are not likely at prefent to b e more fuccefsfnltand my planof“pence , thoughmoderate initt

'

elf, defe rves the name of ex ;

travag anee, finoe it ex ceeds my realincome. The additionof the falary which

is now ofiered willm ke my fituation perfefily eafy ; but I'

lwpe yonwill do

me the jufiicfl o benm‘

thatmymind counmtu ro, m ieni m ns ss ed orthe métltude ofmy owncondoa .

The borough whichMr. Gibbonhnd reprefented inparliament

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

MEMo r ns o r

linte the days of Bentley. His firiétures are founded inarg ument, enriched with learning , and enlivened with wit ;and his adve rl

’

ary neither deferves nor finds any quarter at

his hands . The evidence of the three heavenly witnell'

e s

would now be rejected inany court ofjuftice : but p rejudiceis blind, authority is deaf, and our vulg ar bibles will ever

be polluted by this fpurious tex t,“

fidet x ternumquefedcbit.”

The'

more learned eccleliailic s will indeed have the fecret fa

tisfaétionof reprobating inthe clofet what they read inthe

church.

I perceived, and without furprife, the l

coldnefs and even

prejudice of the town3 nor could a whifpe r efcape my ear,

that, in the judg ment of many readers, my continuation

was much inferior to the orig inal attempts . An author

who cannot afcend will always appear to link ; envy‘

was now prepa red for my reception, and the z eal of myrelig ious, was fortified by the motive of my political, ene

mies . B illmp Newton, in writing his own life, was at

fullliberty to declare how much he himfelf and two emi

nentbrethrenwere difg ufied byMr. “

G .

’s prolix ity, tedi

oufiiefs , and afi'

eétatiou. But the oldman {hould not haveindulg ed his z eal ina falfe and feeble charg e ag ainfi the hill

torian who had faithfully and evencautioully renderedDr.

Burnet’

s

Ex trafl ftmMr. C a non's CommonPlate Baal.

Thoma! Newton, Bamop or Britlol and Deanof St. Paul’s, was bornatL inehfield onthe a rttofDecember 170 3 , O . S . (tftj anuary 1704, N. and

fl ed the 14thof February 1781 , inthe’

79th year of his ag e . A few days be

fi e hh death he finilhed the memoirs of his ownlife, which have beenpre

time (1787)te - pubhfhed infix volumes ofiavo.

p , 173 , 174. Some book s were publifhed in 1781 , which employed fome

of the BilhOp's leifure hours , and during his illnel

’

s. Mr. Gibbon's Ii i/iar):.j a. Decline a nd F411 9; if. RM Empire he read throug hout, but

bynqmeam mt‘

wered his ex peéh tion; for he found it rather a prolix and

tedious performanoe . his matter uniuterefting , and his fiyle afl‘

eéted ; mummonies not to be depended upon, and his frequent foofi

'

s at relig ionofl'

enfive to

every fobermind. He had before heefl conviéted ofmak ing {l ife quotations ,

enminins his authorities, there h onewhichmufi neeeflhrily (trike eVery man

MY L IFE AND WR IT INGS . m

Burnet’s meaning by the alternative of lleep or repofe .

Thatphilofophic divine fuppofes, that, inthe period betweendeath and the refurreé’

tion, human fouls cx iii without a

body, endowed with internalconfc ioul'

nefs , but deflitute of

ail active or paiii ve connection with the ex ternal world.

Secundum communem diétionem faerie fcripturz , mors

dicitur fomnus, et morientes dicuntur abdarmin, quod

VOL . I . M innuere

who'

has read Dr. Burnet’s Treatife dc Stan? Mortuorum. In

Mr. G . has the following notez Burnet (dc S .Mp . 56 collects

the Op inions of the Fathers , as far as they afi'

ert the fleep or repofe of hu

manfouls tillthe dayof judg ment. He afterwards eXpofes (p . 9 x . the m“conveniences whichmutt arife if they pofl

“

efl'

ed a more aclive and fenfible

ex ifience . Who would not from hence infer thatDr. B . was anadvocate

for the fleep or infenfible ex ifience of the foul after death whereas his

doctrine is direaly the contrary. He has employed fome chapters in treat“ ing of the ltate of humanfouls inthe interval between death and the te

furreétion; and after various proofs from reafon, from fcripture , and the

Fathers, his conclufions are , that human fouls ex ifl after their reparation

from the body, that they are in a g ood or evil (tare accord ing to the ir g ood

“or ill behaviour, but thatne ither their happinel

'

s nor the ir mifery willbecomPlete or perfect before the day of judg ment. His arg umentationis

thus fummed up at the end of the 4th chapter— Ex g a ibat ranjiotprime,Matp er gfle ex tiufio corpora fm do, bone : éene, mola r male/2Aa i irumr;

terria, nee i111“

; [m am felicimtm , nee 61'

sfum e »: mif m’

am, acre/2mm

m e dim j afia i." (The BiIhOp’

s reading the whole was a g reater compli

ment to the work thanwas paid to itby two of the mail eminentof his . bre

threnfor their learning and ftation. The one entere d Upon it, butwas foon

sna rled, and laid it alide indifg uft . the Other returned ituponthe bookfel

let‘

s hands and it is fair! thatMr. G. himfelf happened unluck ily to be in

themop at the fame time.D0¢ $ tllc COIHPly W ith l

‘

llS own precept inthe nex t pag e ?Old ag e lhould lenify, Ihould (often men

‘s manners , and mak e them more

“mild and g entle , but oftenhas the contrary efi'

efl , hardens the ir hearts ,and makes them more (our and crabbed .

- He rs fpeaking of Dr. johnfon.

Have I ever ihfinuated that preferment hunting is the g reat occupationofm ecclefiafiicalliie (Memoirs paflim) that a minifier’

s influence and a bi.

lbop'

s patronag e are fometimes pledg ed eleven deep ? (p . 1 5 1 ) that a pre .

bendary confide-rs the aud itweek as the better part of the year ? (p . 1 3 7. or

that the mofteminent of priefls , the pope himfeif, would chang e their reli

g ion, “any thing bettcr could be offered them ? (p . 5 6 ) SGCh thing s mm e thanintimated inthe Bitlwp

‘s Life, which afi

'

orded form [sandalto thechurch, and fome diverfionto the profane laity.

xsz MEMO I R S o r

innuere mihi videtur fiatummortis efl'

etfi atumquietis, a.“lentii, ct W .

”

(De Starr? Mrtuarum, ch. v. p .

9 84I was however encourag ed by fome domeflic and

foreig n teflimonics of applaufe ; and the fecond and third

volumes infenfibly‘

rofc in (ale and reputation to a level

w ith the firfl. But the public is feldom wrong ; and I aminclined to believe that, efpec ially in the be g inning , theyare more prolix and leis entertaining thanthe firfl : my ef

forts had not beenrelax ed by fuccefs, and ] had rather devi

ated into the oppolite fault of minute and fuperfluous dili

g ence. On the Continent, my name and writing s we re

flowly diffufed : a French tranllation of the firft volume

had difappointed the bookfellers of Paris ; and a pafl'

ag e in

the third was continued as a perfonalreflectiononthe reig n

ing monarch

Before Icould apply for a feat at the g eneral election the

liftwas already full but L ord North’

s promife was fincere ,

his recommendationwas effectual, and I was fooncholemona vacancy for the boroug h of L yming ton, inHamplhiré.

Inthe firft feflion of the new parliament, adminiftration

flood their g round ; the ir final overthrow was referved for

the fecond. The Americanwar had once beenthe favou

rite of the country : the pride of Eng land was irritated by

the refiflance of her colonies , and the ex ecutive power was

drivenby national clamour into the molt vig orous and coe r

cive meafures . But the leng th of a fruitlels contell, the

lofs of armies, the accumulation of debt and tax es , andthe hoflile confederacy of France, Spain, and Holland, ia

difpofed the public to the Americanwar, and the perfonsby

‘ lt may not be g eneraliy knownthat louis the Six teenth is a g re-t reader ,

and a reader oa g lilh books . On pa bfing a pafl'

ag e of my Hillary w hi chfeems m compare himto Arcadius orl-lonorius , he ex prea

‘

ed his nfentmcnt w

from wbom the intelli g ence was conveyed ta me . I

m m m mm , nor a amine the likenefs ; but the fituu ion

of tbe late King of France ex eh des allfufp icionof fiattely ; and l ans m ay

to declare that the eoneluding obfervations of my third volume m e written

W his acceflionto thethm s.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

' MEM-o nt s o F

ihme before I foug ht a retreat onthe banks of the L etfiart

L ake.

It is not the pnrpofe of this narrative to ex patiate onthe

public . or fec ret billory of the times : the (chitin which fol

lowed the death of theMarquis of Rock ing ham, the ap

po intment of the Earl of Shelburne, the reli g nation ofMr. Fox , and his famous coalitionwith L ord North. But

I may fl a t, with fome deg ree of all'

urance, that m the ir

political conflict thofe g reat antag onifis had never felt anyperfonal animofity to each othe r, that their reconciliation

was eafy and fincerey and that their friendlhip has never

beenclouded by the {hadow of fufp icion or jealoufy. The

moft violent or venal of the ir refpe c‘tive followers embraced

this fair occafionof revolt, but the ir alliance {tillcommand-a

ed a majority in the Houfe of Commons ; the peace was

cenfured, Lord Shelburne rcfig ned, and the two friends

knelt on the fame culhion to take the oath of fedretary of

Rate . From a princ iple of g ratitude I adhered to the coalition: my vote was Counted tn the day of battle, but Iwas overlooked inthe divilion of the fpo

‘

il. There were

many claimants more deferving and importunate thanmyfelf;the board of trade could notbe reflored ; and, while the lilb

of places was curtailed, the number of candidates was dou

bled. Aneafy difmifii onto a fecure feat at the board o f‘

cufioms or ex cife was promifed on the firft vacancy : but

the chance was diltantand doubtful; nor could I folic itwithmuchardour an ig noble fe rvitude, whichwould have robbed

me. of.

the molt valuable of my fiudious hours : at the fame

time the tumult of London, and the attendance on parlia

ment, were g rownmore irkfo'

me ; and, without fome addi

tic hal income, I could not long or prudently maintain the

fiile of ex pence to‘

which I was accultomed.From my early acquaintance with L aufanne Ihad always

cherilhed a fecretwith, that the fchoolof my youth mig ht

become the retreatof my declining ag e. A moderate fo r

tune would fecure the blefling s of cafe, iell'

ate, and inde

pendence

MY L IFE AND W RIT INGS . g sg '

pendence : the country, the people, the manners, the lan

g uag e, were cong enial to my tafie ; and I mig ht indulg e the.‘

hope o f pafling fome years inthe domefiic fociety of a friend.Afte r travelling with feveralEng liih Mr.Deyverdunwas

now fettled at home, in a pleafant hab itation, the g ift ofhis deceafed aunt : we had long been feparated, we hadlong beenfilent; yet inmy firlt letter I eXpofed, with the

mo“perfe étconfidence, my li tuatiori, my fentiments, and.

my deli g ns . His immediate anfwerwas awarm and joyfulaccep tance ; the piéture of our future life provoked my .

impatiencey and the terms of arrang ementwere lhort andfimple, as he poll

'

efl'

ed the property, and I undertook the

eXpence of our commonhoufe f . Before I could break myEng lilh chain, itwas incumbent onme to l’trug g le with thefeeling s of my heart, the indolence of my temper, and the

op inion of the world, which unanimoufly c ondemned thisvoluntary banilhment. In the difpofal of my efl

'

eéts,the

library, a facred depofit, was alone e x c epted : as my poll

chaife moved over W eltminfierp bridg e I hid a long farewel to the “ fumum et Opes firep itumq ; Roma .

” Myjourney by the dire& road throug h France was not attended

with any acc ident, and I arrived at L aufanne nearly twenty

years afte r my fecond departure. W ithin lefs thanthree

months the coalition{truck on fome hidden rocks : had Irema ined onboard, I lhould have periihed in the g eneral

S ince my efiabliflament at L aufanne, more than(even

years have elapfed ; and if every day has not beenequally{oft and ferenc, not a day, not a moment, has occurred 1n

whichl have repented of my cho ice. During my abfence,

a long portionof humanlife, many chang es had happened :

my elder acquaintance had left _the Rag e ; Virg ins were ri

pened

Sir Richard Worfiey, Lord Chefierfield, Broderick w maam , and

Mr. H ume , brother to Sir Abraham.

f See AW , Letters, No. CL . CLI. CLII. CLIIL CLlV. CLVL.

CLlX .

3 66 MEMO I R S O F

pened intomatrons, and childrenwere g rownto the ag e ofmanhood. But the fame manne rs were tranfmitted frombut g eneration to another ; my friend alone was aninefli

Mable treafure ; my name was not totally forg otten, and all

W e ambitions to welcome the arrival of a flrang er and

the returnof a fellow - c itiz en. The firit winter was g iven

to a g eneral embrace, without any nice difrriminationof

perfons and characte rs. After a more re g ular fettlement,a more accurate furvey, I dife ove rcd three folid and permanent bene fits of my new fmtation. 1.My pe rfonal freedom had beenfomcwhat impaired hy the Houfe of C ommons

and theBoard of T rade ; butIwas now delivered from the

chainof duty and dependenc g from the hop es and fears of

political advenei re : my fohet mind was no long er intox icated hy the fumes of party, and I reg

'

oiced 1nmy efcape ,

as oftenas I read of the midni g ht debates which precededthe difi

'

olutionof parliament’. a.My Eng lifh (e conomy

had beenthat of a folitary bachelor, who mi g ht afford fomeoccafional dinners . InSwitze rland ] enjnycd at everymeal,at every hour, the free and pleafant converfiation of the:

friend of my youth ; and mydaily table was always p rovidedfor the rec eptionof one or two ex traordinary g ue lls . Our

importance infOC iety 1s lefs a politive thana relative weig ht:

inLondonI was loll 1u\

the c rnwd ; I ranked w i th the firfl:

fam ilies of L aufanne, and my fi ile of prudent ex pence ena

bled me to mainta ina fair balance of rec iprocal c ivilities .

3 . Inficad of a frnallhoufe betweena firee t and a {table

yard, I be g anto occupy a (pacious and convenientmaniion,conneaed onthe north fxde wi th the c ity, and Open on the

fouth to a beautiful and boundlcfs. ho riz on A g ardenof

four acres had beenlaid out by the tafle ofMr.Deyverdun

from. the g ardena rich feeh ery of meadows and v ineyardsdefcends to the LemanLake, and the profpta far beyond

the Lake is crowned by the fiupendous mounta ins of 8aa

voy. My books andmy acquaintance had beenfirfi unitedin

new Lam, mm a x x vr.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

in MEMO I R S o r

the Finances . I have fince, inOftobe r ryg o, vili ted him

in his prefent refidence, the cafile and barony of Cope r,near Gene va.

’

Of the merits and meal'

ures of that Hatef

manvar ious opinions may be ente rtained; but all impartialmenmuft ag ree inthe ir elteem of his inte g rity and

'

patrio

tifm.

Inthemonthof Aug uft 1784, Prince Henry of Pruflia,

inhis way to Pari s, pall'

ed three days at L aul'

anne . H is

military condu& has been praifed by profeflionalmen; his

charaéler has been v ilified by the wit and malice of a damon‘

; but I was flattered by his afl’ability, and entertainedby his converfation.

- Inhis tour of Switz e rland (September 1788)Mr. Foxg ave me two days of free and private foc iety 1 He feemed

to feel, and even'

to envy, tlie happ ine’

fs of my fituation;

while I admired the powers of a fuperiorman, as they are

blended inhis attraétiVe charaéter wi th the foftnefs and limplicity of a child. Perhaps no humanbe ing was ever more

perfeétly e x empt from the taint of malevolence, vanity, orfalfchood.My tranfmig ration from L ondonto L aufanne could not

be efi'

erfted without interrupting the courfe of my hiflorical

labours . T he hurry of my departure, the joy of my ar

r ival, the delay of my tools, fufpended the i r prog refs and

a fulltwelvemonthwas loft before I could relume the thread

o f re g ular and daily indullry. A number of books mot!requilite and leaf! common had been previoully felefted ;the academical library of L aufanne, which I could ul

'

e as

my own, contained atleali the fatherS ‘

and counc ils ; and Ihave derived fome oc cafional fuccour from the public col

lec‘tions of Berneand Geneva. The ' fourth volume was

foonterminated, by anabltraét of the controve rfies of the

Incarnation, which the learned Dr. Prideaux was appre

henlive of ex pofing to profane eyes . It had been the

ori g inaldeli g nof the learned DeanPrideaux to write theb illory

Memoire Secret de la Cour de Berlin.

1' See Letter inthe Continuation, Oftober r, 1788,

MY LIFE AND W R ITINGS . .ég

hifiory of the ruinof the EafiernChurch. Inthis workitwould have beennecell

'

ary, not only to unravel all thofe

controverfies which the Chril’rians made about the hypollaq

tical'

union, but alfo to unfold allthe niceties and fubtle notions which each (ea entertained concerning it. The p ioushiftorianwas apprehenfive of eXpofing that incomprehenfible

m'

yftery to the cavils and objeétions of unbelievers ; and hedu

'

rftnot, fee ing the nature of thi s book, venture itabroadin(0 wantonand lewd anag e

“.

In the fifth and fi x th volumes the revolutions of the

empire and the world are mofi rapid, various, and infiruc -

g

t ive ; and the G reek or Romanhiftorians are checked bythe hoftile narratives of the barbar ians of the Ball and theW ellf .

It was not till after many deli g ns, and many trials, that;I p referred, as I {till prefer, the method of g rouping mypiElure by nations ; and the feeming neg lectof chronolog icalorde r is (urely compenfated by the fuperior merits of interefl and perfp icuity. The flyle of the firf’t volume is, in

my opinion, fomewhat crude and elaborate ; in the fecond

l

and third it is ripened into cafe, correélnefs, and numbersbut 1nthe three lafi I may have b eenfeduced by the fac ilityof my pen, and the confiant habit of (peaking one lan

g uag e and writing another may have infufed fome mix tureo fGallic idioms . Happily formy eyes, I have always clofedmy lludies with the day, and commonly wi th the morning ;and a long , but temperate, labour has beenaccompliihed,

wi thout fati g uing e ither the mind or body ; but when Icomputed the remainder of my time and my talk, it was

apparent that, according to the feafon of publication, thedelay of a month would be productive of that of a year.I was now {training for the g oal, and inthe laft winter

MY

See prefaee to the Life ofMahomet, p . ro, u .

1 l have followed the judicious precept of the Abbe dcMably, (Maniéred

’eerire l

‘

Hifloire , p. x to who advires the hifion'annot to dwelltoo minutelyon the decay of the catternempire ; but to confider the barbarian conquerorsan more worthy t

’

nbjea of his namtive.“Fas eltetab holle docerifl

D g tz ed

rye MEMO I R S O T

many evening were borrowed from the foc ial pleafures Of

L aufanne. I could now with that a paufe, an interval, hadbeenallowed for a fe rious revifal.

I have prefumed to mark the moment of conception: I{hall now commemorate the hour of my final delive rance .It was onthe day, or rather ni g ht, of the

”

27th of June

3 787, betweenthe hours of elevenand twelve, that I wrotethe lall line s of the laft pag e, ina fummer- houfe inmy g arden. After laying down my .pen, I took feveralturns ina

banana, or covered walk of acac ias, which commands a

p rofpeél of the country, the lake,and the mounta ins . The

air was temperate, the fky was ferenc, the frlver orb of themoon was refieéted from the waters, and all nature was

filent. I willnot dill'emble the firfl emotions of Joy ontherecovery ofmy freedom, and, perhaps, the eftablifhment of

my fame . But my pride was (conhumbled, and a fober

melancholy was fpread over my mind, by the idea that Ihad takenaneverlailing leave of anold and ag reeable com

panion, and that whatfoevermi g ht be'

the future date of my

H illary, the li fe of the hifiorian mull be {hort and pre

carious. I willadd two faéls, which have feldom occurred

inthe compolitionof fix , or at lcail of five, quartos . I .My firfl; roug h manufcript, without any intermediate copy,has been fent to the prefs . 2. Not a lheet . has beenfeenby any human eyes , ex cepting thofe of the author

and the printer : the faults and the merits are ex clufwelymy own".

I Cannothelp recolleéting a muchmore ex traordinary fact,Whitli 1s affirmed of himfelf by Retif de la Bretorrne, a vo

luminous andori g inalwriter of Frenchnovels . He laboured,

Ex trafl fi- mMr. C a non‘

s Com m- flareBoat.

The t hVolume ofthe Hif

tory ofthe De clme and Fall beg unMarch tit, ”SQ— ended june 1784.of the RomanErup ire ,

The Vth Volume , beg unjuly 1784— endedMaym, 1786.

The V lth Volume , beg unMay 13 th, 1786— ended june ayth, 1787.

Theft three volumes were fent to pte fs Aug ufi 1 5 th, 1787, and the Who] ?

Inapret'

fionwas concluded Apnlfollovnng .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

17: MEMO I R S o r

they may be read by thofe who are the leaf! inter‘elted inthe

filbjefi .

He fell (in w ith the unpopular coalition; but hismerit has been acknowledg ed at the lalt g eneral elea ion,

1790, by the'

honourable invitation and free cho ice of the

city of Briflol. During the whole time of my refidence

in Eng land I was entertained at Shefi eld- Place and in

Downing - Street by his hofpitable k indnefs ; and the mofl:

pleafant period was that which‘

l pall'

ed inthe dome-{tic fo

c iety of the family. Inthe larg er c ircle of themetropoli s Iobferved the country and the inhab itants with the knowledg e, and w

'

hout the prejudice s,~of an Eng lilhman; but

I rejoiced inthe apparentincreafe ofwealth andi

profperity,

whichmi g ht be fai rly divided between the fpirit of the na

tionand the wifdom of the minilter. Allparty - refentment

was now loft in oblivion: fince I was no man’s rival, no

man was my enemy. I felt the di g nity of independence,and as I afk ed no more, I was fatisfied w ith the g eneral c iv ilities of the world. The houfe in Londonwhich I frequented with molt pleafure and afliduity was that of LordNorth. After the lofs of power and of fig ht, he was {tillhappy m himfelf and his friends ; and my public tribute of

g ratitude and efieem could no long er be fufpeéted of any

interefled m otive .-Before my departure from Eng land, I

w as prefent at the aug uft fpeétacle ofMr. Hafiing s’

s trialinW ellminfler

‘

Hall. It is notmy province to abfolve or

condemnthe Governor of India ; butMr. Sheridan’

s eloq

quenoe demanded my applanfe nor could I hear w ithoutemotionthe perfonal compliment which he paid me intheprek nce of the Britifh nationFrom this difplay of g enius, whichblaz ed four fucc ellive

days, I {hall {loop to a very mechanical c ircumflance . As

I was waiting inthe manag er’s box , I had the curiolity to

inquire

He (aid the faéls thatmade up the volume of narrative were unparalleledinatrocioufnefs , and thatnothing equalincriminality was to be traced, either

inancient or modernhilbory, inthe oorreétperiods ofTacitus or the luminousp 3 1: of Gibbon. Morning Ci rcuicle, j rame 14, 1788.

MY L IFE AND warrmc s . .7,

inquire of the (hort- hand writer, how many words a readyand rapid orator mig ht pronounce in anhour ? From 7000

to 75 00 was his anfwcr. The medium of 7200 willafford120 words ina minute, and two words ineach fecond. But

this computationwill only apply to the Eng lifh lang uag e .As the publicationofmy three laltvolumes was the prin

cipalobjeél, fo itwas the firlt care of my Eng lilh journey.The previous arrang ements withthe book feller and

'

the printer were fe ttled in my pall

’

ag e throug h L ohdon, and the

proofs , which I returned more correct, were tranfmitted

every poll from the prefs to SheflieldaPlace. The leng th of

the ope ration, and the leifure of the country, allowed fome

time to review my mannfc ript. Several rare and ufeful

books, the Aflifes de Jerufalem, Ramufius dc Bello C . P“,

the Greek Afts of the Synod of Florence, the Statuta Ur

bis Rome , Ste . were procured, and introduced inthe ir proper places the fupplements which they afforded. The im

preflion of the fourth volume had confumed three months .

Our commoninteréft required that we fhould move witha quic ker pace ; andMr. S trahanfulfilled his eng ag ement,

which few printers could fultain, of delivering every week

three thoufand copies of nine lheets. The day of publicationwas, however, d elayed, that itmi g ht co inc ide with thefifty

- firl’t anniverfaryp f my ownbirthd ay; the double feltivalwas celebrated by a cheerful literary dinner atMr. Cadell

’s houfe ; and I feemed to blufh while they read anele

g ant cornpliment fromMr. Hayley whofe poetical talents

OC C A S IO N A L S T A N ZA S, byMr. HAY L l Y , road afterMeDimm a tMr. CA DI L L '

I,

‘May 8 , 1788 ; being Me Day qf rfie Pad/iration(JM: Th ee L a}? Volume: gfMr. C l i nton’

s and “: Bird

q .

Gu mof Enot annf and ot'

Rou e !

Inmutualtriumph here afl'

ume

The honors eachmay claim !

This focialfcene with fmiles furvcy !

And confecrate the fg flive day

To Friendthip and to Fame !

W e

m: MaM'

o r a s o r

lentsé iad more thanonce beenemployed inthe praife of hisfriend. BeforeMr. Hayley inferibed w ith my name hisepiftles onhiftory, I was ne t acqua intedwi th that amiablemanand ele g ant poet. He afterwards thanked me i nverfe

for

Enough, by Defolation‘

s tide,W ith ang uifh, and indignantpride,

Has Rona bewail‘

d he r fate ;

Defac'

d eachmonument, of powerTo fpeak her truly g reatt

O'er maim‘d Pen ni e s , jufi and (ag e,

O'

er L ivy’

s mutilated page,How deep was he: reg ret l

Touch'

d by this Q aen, inmingrand.See ! Glory, by anEng lifh hand ,

Now pays a mighty debt 3

Lo ! famed to the Ronn i Name,And fala

’d, like Roma's immortalFame,By Genius and by Toil,

Onwhich Oblivionne’er (hallprey,

Nor Envy mak e her fpoill

Enq u ire , ex ult ! and view notnow

W ithjealous g lance eachnation’

s brow,

Where Hifi'

ry‘

s palm has [pread l

Inevery path of liberal art,flan.

Science for'

l‘

hee a Nawr o s rais'd;

For thy renowna Sna x a au a a a blaa’

d,

Lord of the drama'

s fphere !

indifferent fields to equal pralfeSee Hifi

‘ry now thy G IBBON taife

To lhine without a peer !

Eag er to honor living worth,

And blefs to - day the double birth,That proudefl icy may claim,

Let artlefs Truth this homag e pay,

To Friendmip and to Fame !

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

176 MEMO L R S O F;

tation of the Eng lifh Sparrow, who chirped inthe g rovesof Eartham, near Chiche fier. As moft of the former pur

chal'

ers were naturally defirous oi‘

completing the ir fete,

the {ale of the quarto ed itionwas qu ick and eafy ; and an

oétavo fiz e was printed, to fatisfy at a cheaper rate the

public demand. The conclufion of my work was g ene

rally read, and varioully j udg ed. The ityle has be enex

pofed to much academical critic ifm ; a relig ious clamour

was revived, a nd the reproach of indecency has beenloudlyechoed by the ri g id cenfors of morals . I never could

underfiand the clamour that has beenraifcd ag ainit the ia

decency of my three [all volumes . 1 . An equal de g ree offreedom in the former part, efpecially in the Brit volume,

had paired w ithout reproach. 2. I am juftified inpaintingthe manners of the times ; the vice s of Theodora form an

efl'

ential feature . in the re i g n and character of Jufiinian.

3 .My Eng liih tex t is chaite, and all licentious pall'

ag es

are left in the obfcurity of a learned lang uag e . L e Latin

dam[ermots brave fays the cor-

reek Boileau, ina

country and id iom more fcrupulous than our own. Y et,

upon the whole, the Hiitory of the Decline and Fall

feems to have itk root, both at home and abroad, andmay, perhaps , a hundre d years hence fiill continue to

be abufed. I am lefs flatte red byMr. Porl'on’

s hig h cuco

Then, peeping round his (tillretreat,They pick fromunderneath his feetSome malted feather he lets fall,And {wear he cannot ily atall.

Lord of the flty'. whofe pounce cantear

Thefe croalters , that infeft the air,

Twit him ! the fparrow loves to (in;The praife of thy imperialwing !He thinks thou'

lt deem him, onhis word,Anhent ii , thoukh familiar- bird ;

To look uponthy little'

fiiend ;

That he may boaft around his g rove

A vifit from the bird of jove.

MY LIFE AND W RITINGS . 177

mitatu Onthe fiyle and fp irit of my hiflory, than I am fa:

tisfied with his honourable teftimony to my attention, dilig ence, and aocuracy ; thod

'

e humble vi rtues, which reli g iousz eal had more audac ioufly denied. The rwce

’mefs of his

praife is tempe red by a reafonable mix ture of ac id". As

the book may not be common in Eng land, I {hall tranfizribe my owncharaéter fromthe B ibliotheca H ifiorica ofMeufelius f , a learned and laborious

,German. Summis

5‘z vi nof’tri hiitoric is G ibbonus {inc dubio adnumerandus

“ell. Inter cap itolii ruinas {tans primum hujus Ope risfcribendi confilium cepit. Florentifiimos vita: annos collig endo et laborando e idem impendit. Enatum inde mo

“aumentam a re perennius, licet paflim appareant finiflré

diaa, minus perfeéta, veritati nonfatis c onfentanea. Vi

demus quidem ub ique fere ftudium fcrutandi verita“temque (cribendi max imum : tamen fine T illemontio

duce ubi fc ilice t hujus hiftoria finitur fz p ius nofter tituc

“bat atque hallucinatur, Quod vel max ime fit, ubi de

rebus Ecclefiafiic is vel de juris prudentiaRomana (tom.

iv.) tradit, et in aliis lod e, Attamen ne v i hujus g eneris haud impediunt quo minus oper is fummam et

om np u r pra clare dil'

pofitam, deleétum rerurn{apientifii

mum,l

arg utum quoque interdum, diélionemque feu fly.

lum hiftorico a que ac philofopho dig nifimum, et vix a

quoque alio Ang lo, Humio ac Robertl'

oxro hand ex ceptis

(preereptum? ) vehementur laudemus, atque ia culo nofiro

dc hujufmodi hiitoria g ratulemur G ibbonus adver

farios cum intum ex tra partiam naétus cit, quia propag a¢tionem relig ionis Chrifiianze , non, ut vulg o, fieri folet,autmore Theolog orum, fed utHiitoricum etPhilofophumdecet, eatpofuerat.

”

The French, Italian, and G ermantranllations have beenex ecuted w ith various fuccefs but, infiead of patroniz ing ,(hould w illing ly fuppreis inch imperfect copies,' which

injure the charaéier, while they propag ate the name of the

VOL . I . author.

3 98 MEMO I R S O F

author. The firil: volume had been feebly, thbug h faithfully, tranilated into French byM. L e C lerc dc Sept-wchene s, a

young g entleman of a fiudious chandler and

liberal fortune . After his deceafe the work was continuedby two manufacturers of Pari s ,M.M. Definuniers and

C antwell: but the former is now anattive member inthenational ail

'

embly, and the undertak ing lang uiihes in the

hands of his atroc iate . The fupe rior merit of the interp reter, or his lang uag e, inclines me to prefer the Italianverfion: but I wifh that it were inmy power to read

the German, which is praifed by the heft j udg es . The

Iriih pirates are at once my friends and my enemie s .But I cannot be difpleafed with the two numerous and

c orrect imprefiions which have been publifhed for the

ufe of the continent at Balil in Switz e rland". The

conque fts of our lang uag e and literature are not con

fined to Europe alone , and a writer who fucceeds inL ondon, is fpeedily read onthe banks of the Delaware and the

Gang es .

In the preface of the fourth volume, while I g loriedinthe name of anEng liihman, I announced my approaching return to the ne i g hbourhood of the Lake of L au

fanne. This laft trial confirmed my all'

urance that I hadw ifely chofenfor my own happinefs ; nor did I once, in

a year’s v iiit, ente rta in a will: of fettling in my native

country. Bri tain is the free and fortunate ifiand ; but

where is the fpot inwhich I could unite the comforts andbeauti es of my eftahlilhment at L aufanne ? The tumult

of Londonafloniihed my eye s and ears ; the amufements

of public places were no long er adequate to the trouble ;

the clubs and afl'

emblies were filled w ith new face s and

young men; and our bell foc iety, our long and late din

ne ts, would foon have been prejudic ial to my health.

W ithout

Of their fourteenoaavo volumes the two laftinclude the W hob body d the

notes . The PubllC importunity had forced me to remove them from the end of

the volume to the bottomoffiwwfl i but I han d senrcpcnc d ofmym

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

in me mo r k s o r"

manand he ir. I (hould probably have beentempted by thedz monof property, if fome leg al difficulties had not beenfiarted ag ainftmy title : a contefi would have beenvex a

tious, doubtful, and invidious ; and the he ir mofl: g ratefully fiibfcribed an ag reement, which rendered my life

-

pofl°

eflion more perfect, and his future condition moreadvantag eous . Y et I had oftenrevolved the judic ious linesin which Pope anfwers the objealofls Of his 1°"8' 5 8btcd

friend .

Pity to build w ithout or child or wife ;W hy, you

’llenjoy it only all your life

W ell, if the ufe bemine, does it concernone,W hether the name belong to Pepe or Vernon?

The certainty of my tenure has allowed me to lay out aconfiderable fum in improvements and alterations : theyhave been ex ecuted with fltill and tafte ; and few menof

letters, perhaps, inEurope, are (0 defirahly lodg ed as myfelf. But I feel, and with the decline of years I (hallmore painfully feel

,that I am alone inparadife. Among

the c ircle of my acquaintance at L aufanne, I have g radually acquired the folid and tender friendfhip of a re

fpeétablc family“: the four pe rfons of whom it is compofed

are all endowed w ith the virtues heft adapted to the ir ag e

and fituation; and I am encourag ed to love the parentsas a brother, and the children as a father. Every da

ywe feel: and find the opportunities of meeting : yet eventhis valuable connectioncannot fupply the lofs of domefiic

foc iety.

W ithin the lafli

two or three years our tranquillity hasbeen clouded by the diforders of France : many families at

L aufanne were alarmed and affected by the terrors of animpending bankruptcy ; but the revolution, or rather the difl

'

o

lutionof the k ing dom has beenheard and felt inthe adjacentlands .

9 Thc family ofde Severy.

MY ”

LIFE AND WR’

ITINos .

“

i s :

Ibeg leave to fubfcrihe'

my alfent toMr. Burke’s creed

onthe revolutionof France. I admire his eloquence,I ap

prove his politics, I adore his chivalry, and I can almofl:

excufe his reverence for church efiablifhments : I havefametimes thoug ht of writing a dialog ue of the dead, in

which L uc ian, Erafmus, and Voltaire lbould mutually ao

knowledg e the dang er of eitpofing anold fuperfiitionto the

contempt of the blind and fanatic multitude .

A fwarm of emi g rants of both (ex es; who efeaped from

the public ru in; has beenattraéted by the vic inity, the

manners , and the lang uag e of L aufanne ; and our narrow

habitations in town and country are now occupied by thefirlt names and titles of the departed monarchy. Thefe

noble fug itives are entitled top ur pity ; they may claim our

efleem, but they cannot, in the ir pref mt fiate of mind andfortune, much contribute to our amukment. Infiead bflooking downas calm and idle fpeétators on the theatre of

Europe, our domefiic harmony is fomewhat embittered bythe inflati onof party fpirit : our ladies and g entlemenaffumothe character of felf- taug ht politic ians ; and the fober dietates of wifdom and ex perience are lilenced by the clamour

of the tr iumphant democrater. The fanatic mitiionaries of

foditionhave fcattered the feeds of difcontent inour c itiesand villag es , which had flourifhed above two hundred and

fifty years without fearing the approach of war, or feelingthe we i g ht of g ovérnmeht. Many individuals, and famemunities , appear to be infefte

‘

dwith the Gallic phrenzy,thewild theories of equal and boundlefs freedom ; but I trull:thatthe body of the people willbe fa ithfulto the ir fovereig nand to themfelves ; and I am fatisfied that the failure or fuc,ccfs of a revolt would equally terminate inthe ruinof thecountry. W hile the ariltocracy of Bernprotects the happ iJtcfs, it is fuperfluous to enquire whether it be founded in.the ri g hts, of man: the (economy of the {late is liberallyfupplied w ithout the aid of tax es ; and the mag ifirates mu] ?

reig nw i th prudence and equi ty, fince they are unarmed in

the midft of anarmed nation.

m MEMO I R S 0 1"

The revenue of Bern, ex cepting tome fmail duties, isderived from church lands, tithes, feudal ri g hts, and into.

reft ofmoney. The republic has nearly fietlinginthe Eng lilb funds , and the amount of the ir trcafure is

unknownto the c itiz ens themfelves . For myl'

e lf (may theomenbe averted) I canonly declare, that the firfl: firoke of

a rebel drumwould be the fig nalof my immediate dew ]

ture.

W hen I contemplate the common lot of mortality, Imuftac knowledg e that I have drawn a hig h prize in the

lotte ry of life. The far g reater part of the g lobe is overfpread w ith barbarifm

'

or flavery : in the c iviliz ed world,(he molt. numerous clafs is condemned to i g norance and pove rty ; and the double fortune o f my birth in a free and

enli g htened country, inanhonourable and wealthy family,is the luck y chance of an-unit ag ainfimillions . The g ene

ralprobab ility is about three to one, that a new- born in

fantwillnot live to complete .his fiftieth year I have now

pafllrd that ag e, and may fairly. ellimate the prea t value of

my ex iftence inthe three - fold divilionof mind, body, and

I . The firfi and indlfpenfable requilite of happinefs is a

clear confcience, unfullied by the reproach or remembranceof an unworthy action.

Htc murus aheneus efio,

N ilconfe ite libi, nullapallefcere culpa.

I am endowed witha cheerfultemper, a moderate fenfibillty, and a natural difpofitionto repofe rather thanto achie(my : fome mifchievous appetites and habits have perhapsbeen corrected by philofophy or time. The love of Rudy,a pallionwhich de rives frefh vi g our from enjoyment, fuppplies each day, each hour, with a perpetual fource of inde

pendent

See Bufl'

on, Supplement i l‘Hitloire naturelle, tom. vii. pag e r58

of a givennumber of new- borninfants , one half, by the fault of nature or

man. is carting ullhed before the ag e of puberty‘

and mam— A melancholy

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

( Mlhe fatdownto wr

i

te anote or letter, he comfletely arrang -ted inhis mind what he meant to ex prcfs. He purfued the

fime method inrcfpedt to Other compofition; and he occa

fionally would walk feveraltimes abouthis apartment beforebe bed rounded a period to his tafie: He has pleafantly res

marked to me, that it fotnetiines cofi him many a turnbefore he could throw a fentiment into a form that g ratifiedbis owncriticifin. His fyfiematic habit of arrang ement inpointof £1q aflified, inhis inflame, by anex cellentme

mory and correétjudg ment, is much to be recommended to

thofe who afpire to any perfedtiOninwriting .

Althoug h the'Memoirs ex tend beyond the time ofMr.

G ibbon's returnto Laufanne, I (hall infert a few L etters

written immediately after his arrival there, and combinethem fo far as to include eventhe hfinobe which he wrote

a few days previoufly to his death. Some of them ¢ontain

few incidents ; but they conneét and carry onthe account

eitherof his opinions orof his employment.

L E T T E R S

r ao u

EDWARD GIBBON, Efq.

T O T I! )

Rig ht Hon. L O RD S H EFFIEL D.

La c u n a , july 3 0, 1788.—Wednefday,

IHAVE but a moment to fay, before the departure of thepoll, that after a very pleafantjourney I arrived here abouthalf anhour ag o ; that I am as well arrang ed, as if I had

neve r fiirred from this place ; and that dinner onthe tableis juft announced. Severy I dropt at his country- houfe

about two leag ues of. I jult faluted the family, who dinewithme the day after to- morrow, and returnto townfor

fame days, I hope weeks, onmy account. The fan .is an

amiable and g rateful youth ; and even this journey hastaug htme to know and to love him flillbetter. My fatisfactionmouldbe complete, had Inot found a fad and ferionsalteration in poor Deyve rdun: but thus our joys are che .

quered l Iembrace all; and at thi s moment feel the lafipang of our parting atTunbridg e. Convey this letter or

information, without delay, from Sheffield- Place to Bath.

Ina fewdays I(hallwrite more amply to both places.

Ar ray.

LETTER S FROMMR . G IBBON

a ber r , 1788.

A FTER fuchan‘

aa'

o f vig or as my firll letter, compol'

ed,

finilhed, and difpatchedwithinhalf anhour aftermy landing ,while the dinner was fmoak ing onthe table, your knowledg e of the animalmull have tau g ht you to ex pect a proportionable deg ree of relax ation; and you will be fatisfiedto hear, that, for many W ednefdays a nd Saturdays , I haveconfumed more time thanwouldhave fufliced for the epillle,

in deviling realons for procraflinating it to the nex t poll.At this very moment I beg info very late, as I am jull g o ingto drefs, anddine inthe country, that I can take only the

benefit of the date, OElober the firll, and mull: be content

to fealand fend my letter nex t Saturday.

oaober the ath.

SATURDAY is now arrived, and Imuch doubtwhether Ifhall have time to finilh . I arofe, as ufual, about fevcn;bu t as I knew I fhould have lo much time, you know it

wouldhave beenr idiculous to beg inany thing before breakfall. W hen I returned frommy break fall- room to the li~

brary, unl'

uclcilyI found onthe table fome new and interefl

ing books, which inllantly caug htmy attention; and without injuring my correfpondent, I could fafely bellow a fin

g le hour to g ratify my curiofrty. Some thing s which Ifound in them infenfxbly led me to other books , and other

enquiries ; the morning has Ilolenaway, and Ilhallbe foonfummoned to drefs and dine with the two Severys , fatherand (on, who are returned 'from the country ona difag reea

ble errand, anillnefs ofMadame, fromwhich {he is bowever recove ring . Such is the faithful p ifi ure of my mindand manners, and from a fing le day difce ommr. After hav

ing been(0 long chained to the oar, ina fplendid g alley indeed, I freely and fairly enjoy my libe rty as I promifed in

my prefac e ; rang e without controul over the w ideman

s;

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

19 : LETTERS FROMMR. G I BBON

melancholy fubje&.— TheManof the People elkaped from

the tumult, the bloody tumult of the W eflminller eleélion,to the lakes andmountains of Switz erland, and I was informed thathe was arrived at the Lyond’

Or. I fenta com

pliment; he anfwcred it in perfon, and fettled at my houfe

for the remainder of the day. I have eat and drank, and

converfed and fat up allni g ht with Fox inEng land ; but itnever has happened, perhaps itnever canhappenag ain, that

I lhould enjoy him as I did that day, alone, from tenin the

morning till tenatni g ht. Poor Deyverdun, before his accident, wanted fpirits to appear; and has re g retted it lince.

Our converfationnever flag g ed a moment; and he feemed

thoroug hly pleafed with the place and w ith his company.W e had little politics ; thoug h he g ave _

me, ina few words,

fuch a character of Pitt, as one g reat man lhould g ive of

another his rival: muchof books, frommy own, onwhichhe flattered me very pleafantly, to Homer and the ArabianN i g hts : much about the country, my g arden (which heunderllands far better than I do), and, upon the whole, Ithink he envies me, and would do fo were he minifler.

The nex t morning I g ave him a g u ide to walk him aboutthe townand country, and invited fome company to meethim at dinner. The following day he continued his journeyto Bern and Zurich, and I have heard of him by var iousmeans . The people g az e onhim as a prodig y, but he lhewslittle inclination to converfe with them, i’ Our

friend Doug /a; has been curious, attentive, ag reeable ; andin every place where he has refided fome days, he has leftacqua intanc e who elleem and reg ret him : I never knew fo

1 c lear and g eneralanimpreflion.

After this long letter I have yet many thing s to fay,

thoug h none of any preding confequence. Ihope you are

not idle inthe deliverance of Beriton, thoug h the late events

and ediéls in France be g in to reconc ile me to the pe t'

fellion of dirty acres . W hat think you of Necker and

the S tates Generales ? Are not the public ex peélations too

fang uinC l

T O L‘

o RD n fF F'

I E LD. 1 9 3

fang uine ? Adieu. I willwrite foonto mylady feparately,thoug h I

‘

have‘

not any particular fubjeé’t for her ear. Ever

you rs .

L A us ANtt z , Nov. 29 , 1788.

As I have no correfpondents but yourfelf, I ihould have

b een reduced to the {tale and f’tupid communications of thenewfpape rs, if you had not difpatched me an ex cellent

fltetch of the ex traordinary {late of thing s . In fo new a

cafe thefilmpopuli mull: be the firfl:law ; and any ex traordi

nary aé’ts of the two remaining branches of the leg illature

mull -be ex cufed by necefiity, and ratified by g eneral con{enn e e s e s e e e e at at a: u e

4' f' t Till thing s are fettled, I Cc a: a reg ular

From k ing doms'

I defcend to farms . if i f i? i l!

1: e e e e

'

e t n e e e Adieu.

L Av IANNR , Dec . 1 3 , 1788.

«a s as s as s in at e e it e e a

e e g e u e s e e e u e, Of public

affairs I can only hear w ith curiofity and wonder : care

lefs as you may think me, I feel myfelf deeply intereficd. Y ou mull now write often; makeMifs Firthcopy any curious frag ments ; and flir up any of my wéll

informed acquaintance, Batt, Doug las, Adam,perhaps

Lord Loug hboroug h, to correfpond with me ; I willah

W e are now cold and g ay at L aul'

anne . The Severyscame to townyefterday. I (aw a g ood dealof LordsMalmfbury and Beauchamp, and the ir lad ies , E llis, of the Rol

liad, was with them ; I like him much : I g ave them a

d inner.Adieu for the prefent. Deyverdunis notworfe.

V OL . I. 0 Ber-“oak

[94 LETTER S n eatMR. e rs z on

L ite rature, April2 5 . 173 ?

BEFORE your letter, which I rec e ived yellerday, Iin the anx ious fituation of a king , who hourly eXpeéls acourier from his g eneral, with the news of a dcc ilive en

g ag ement. I had ahilainedf rom writing , for fear of dropp ing a word, or betraying a feeling , which mig ht

’

rende r

You too cautious or too bold. Onthe famous sth op rii,

betweentwelve and two, I reflected that the bulinefs wasdetermined ; and each fucceediUg day I computed the fpecdyapproach of your méflhng er, w ith favourable or melan

choly tiding s . W henI broke the feal, I ex pected to read,

W hat a damned unlucky fellow you are ! Nothing tole

table was offered, and I indi g nantly withdrew the citate .

”

I did remembe r the Fate of poor L enboroug h, and I was

afraid of your mag nanimity, etc. It is whimftcal enou g h,

but it is humannature, that I now beg into think of the

deep - rooted foundations of land, and the a iry fabric of the

funds . I not only confent, but evenwith, to have eig ht or

ten thoufand pounds ona g ood mortg ag e . The pipe of

wine you fent to me was fe iz ed, and would have beenconHeated, if

’

the g overnment of Beme had not treated me

with the molt fiatter ing and difiing uilhed c ivility they notonly releafed the w ine, but they paid outof the i r ownpocketthe (hares to which the bailifl

'

and the informerwere enti tledby law. I ihouldnotforg etthatthe bailifl

'

refufed to acceptofhis parts . Poor Deyverdun

’s conflitutionis quite broken5.

he has had two or three atmck s, not [0 violent as the firll 3,

every time the door is hailily opened, I ex pect to hear offome fatal acc ident : the hell or woril h0pes of the phyfi

e iaus are’

only that he may ling er forne time long er ; but, ifhe lives tillthe fumme r, they p ropofe fending him to fame

mineralwaters atAix , inSavoy. Y ou willbe g lad to hearthat I am now afl

'

ured of poil'

efling , during my‘life, this

deli g htfulhoufe and g arden. The aft has beenlately ex ecuted in the belt form, and the handfomefi manner. Iknownotwhat to fay of your miracles athome : we rejo ice

In

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

.96" LETTERS FROMMR. mas on

g f parchment. Mrs . G ibbon’s jointure is fecured onthe

Benton cfiate, and her leg al confent i s requilite for the

fitle. Ag ainand ag a inI muft repeat my hOpe that {he is

perfealy fatisfied, and that the olofe of her life may not be

embittered by fufpic ion, or fear, or dilbontent. W hat new{ecurity does (he prefer,— the funds, the mortg ag e ,

~ or yourland ? At all events the muff be made eafy. I wrote to

her ag ainfome time ag o, and be g g ed that if (he were too

Weak to write, lhe would delireMrs . Gould orMrs. Holrpyd to g ive me a line concerning her {late of health. T o

this no anfwer I am afraid {he o is dilhleafed.Now for the difpofal of the money : I approve of the

80001. mortg ag e onBeriton; and honour your prudence innot lhewing , by the comparifon of the rent and interell,how foolilh it is tO purchafe land.

i‘ Q i t it

o e o o e e o e e o o o o o a c

chance of my drawing a conftderable fum into this coun

try, for an arrang ement which you’

yourfelf mufi‘

approve,butwhich I have not time to ex plainat prefent. For the

filte’

of difpatching , by this evening’s poll, an ita to

your letter which arrived this morning , I confine myl'

elf to

the med/id, but in the courfe of a k w days I w ill {land amore familiar epifile . Adieu. Ever

’ yours.

La vu rm t . julr u , 1189 .

Poor: Deyverdunis no more : he ex pired Saturday the

4th infiant : and in his unfortunate fituation, death could

only be viewed by himfelf, and by his friends, inthe lig htof a confummationdevoutly to be wiflxed. Since Septem

ber he has had a doz en apopleaic firokes, more or 19 3

v iolent : in the intervals between' themhis fireng th g ra

dually decayed ; every princ i ple of life was ex haufied ; and

had he continued to drag a miferable ex ifienee, he mufl:

probably have furvived the lofs of his faculties . Of all

fr o L O R D S H E F F I E L D. 3 95but his reafonwas clear and calm to

.

the laft he behéldhil,ap proaching difl

'

olutionw ith the firmnefs of a”

philofOpherl

I fanc ied that time and reflection had prepared me for thee vent ; but the habits of thrcc ~ and- thirty years friendlhipare not (0 cafilyb roken. The firlt days, and more cfpec i

ally the firltni g hts, were indeed painful. LaftW ednefdayand Saturday it would not have been”

inmy power towrite.

I mull now recalled! myfclf, lince it is neceffary forme not

only to impart the news, but to ark your Opinion ina very '

ferions and doubtful queli ion, whichmufi be dec ided w ithout lofs of time . I (hall{late the faci s, butas I am onthe

fpot, and as new lig hts mayoccur, I donotpromife implic itobedience.Had my poor friend died without a will, a female fir] !

conho fettled fomewhere in the north of Germany, and

whom I believe he had never feen, would have beenhishe ir at law. In the nex t deg ree he had feveral conlins ;and one of thefe, anold companion, by nameM. deMonatag ny, he has chofenfor his he ir. As this houfe and g ardenwas the bell and clearefl part of poorDeyverdun

’s for

(m e ; as there is a heavy duty or fine (what they calllads)on every chang e of property out of the leg al defccnt ; asMontag ny has '

a (mall eltate and a larg e family, itwas necc ffary to make fome provilion inhis favour. The willthe refore leaves me the optionof enjoying this plac e duringmy life, on paying the firm of 25 01. (I reckoninEng lilhmoney)atprefent, and anannual rent of or elfe, of

purchaling the houfe and g ardenfor a fumwhich, includingthe duty, will amount. to 25 001. If I value the rent of

3 01. at twelve years purchafe, I may acquiremy enjoymentfor life at about the rate of and the remaining 1 900l.

will be the difference betweenthat tenure and abfolute pe'

r

petual property. As you have never accufed me of too

much and for the interelt of poli erity, youwill cailly g uefawhichfcale atfirfi preponderated. I deeply felt the advantag e of acquiring , for the fmaller (um, every pollible enjoy

ment, as long as Imyfelf lbould be capable of enjoying : Irejefied,

19 3 . LET'

BMS momMR. G kBBON

yejeaed, w ith (corn, the idea of g iving x900l. for ideal

pollhumous property and I deemed it of little momentwhofe name , aftermydeath, ‘

(hould be inferibed onmy houfe

and g ardenatL aufanne . How oftendid I repeat to tnnthe philofophicallines of Pope, whichfcemto determine the

g ucfiion:

Pray HeaVen, cries Swift, it lui! as you g o on;

Iwiih to God thi s houfe had beenyour own.

Pity to build without or fanor w ifeW hy, you’llenjoy it only all your life.

W ell, if the ufe be mine , does it concernone,W hethe r the name belong to Pepe or Vernon?

In this fiate of (elf- latisfaa ionI was notmuclidiftu i-hedby allmy real or nominal friends , who e xhort me to p refer

the rig ht of p urchafe : among fuch friends, ‘fome are caeelefs

and forne are i g norant ; -and the judg ment of thofe, who an

able andw illing to form anopinion, is oftcnh iafiéd by fame

felfiih or focialaffection, by fome f

vifible or lnviftble inte refi.

But my own refled ions have g radually and forcibly dr ives:me fmmmyfirfi propenfity ; and thefe refieaions -Iw illnowp roceed to enumerate :

J . l eanmake this rpurehafe with eafc and prudence. We1 have had the .pleafure of not hearing from you very

'iately,J flatte r myfelf that you advance ona carp et road, and that

plmoft‘by the rece ip t of «his lette r (J uly (Nib)the acre s of

aBeritonwillhe tranfmutetl into fix teenthoufand pounds : ifthe ip ayment be not abfolutely Completed by thatday,w illnot fcruplo, I fuppofefl lepofiting che a600l. atGofling

’s ,

.to meetmy draug ht. Shouid he helitate , I candefire Darrelto fell quantum[Mich of my‘ihort'annuities . As foon

as the new fettlementof -my affairs is made , PM] be able ,a fter deduéting this -lbw, to fquare my ex pence to my in»

7s ome , etc .

2. On-mamve 'eonlideration, I tem perhaps lefs felfifhandJefs p hilofophical than14pm“ at f ull fi g ht : indeed, -we re

not -fa, i t would now he inmy power to temmy tfommemto

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

zoo LETTERS FROMMR: GIBBONpeaed

‘

miflive which artived this ‘

morning . The perufal of

the contents (polled my break fall. They are difag reeableinthemfelves, alarming in the ir confequences , and peculiarly unpleafant at the prefent moment, when I hoped to

have formed and fecured the arrang ements of my future

life . I do not perfectly underfiand what are thefe deeds

which are (0 inflex ibly required ; the wills and marriag e

fcttlcments I have fuflic iently anfwercd. But your arg uments do not convince and I have .y ery little hopefrom the L enboroug h fearch? W hat willbe the event ? ’ If

his objeétions are only the refult ofle g alfcrupuloiity, furelythey mi g ht be removed, and every chink mig ht be filled,

-by a g ene ralbond of indemnity, inwhich I boldly all; youto jo in, as it w ill be ”

a fubllantial important a& of,friend

lhlp , without any poflible rifle to yourfelf or your fuccellbrs .Should he {tillremainobdurate , I mull believe what I al4

ready fufpeél, that repents of his purchafe, and wilhesto elude the conclufion. Qur cafe .would be thenh0pelefs ,ibi om it ef ufus labor , and the efiate would be returned on

Our .bands jNith the‘

taint of a bad title. The.

refufal of

mortg ag e does not pleafe me ; but finely our offer Jhewsforne confidehc e in the g oodnefs

’

of my title. If he willnot

take e i g ht thoufand pounds atfour per cent. we mull lookout elfewhere ; new doubts and delays willarife, and I ampe rfuaded that you will not place animplic it confidence inany attorney. I know not as yet‘your opinionabout myL aufanne purchafe . If you are ag ainll it, the prefentpofi.

tionof affairs g ives you g reat advantag e, &c . di e . The

S everys are all well; an uncommon c ircumilance for the

fourpe rfons of the family at once. They are now atMex ,a country- houfe fix mile s from hence, which I vifit to

morrow fo r two or three days . They oftencome to town,and we [hallcontrive to pals a part of the autumn tog ether

at Rolle . I want to chang e the fu me ; and beautiful asthe g arden and profpeél mull appear to every eye, I feelthat the flate of my own mind calls a g loom over them 5every fpot, every

.

wa‘

lk, every bench, roa ds the memory ofthofe

fr o L O RD _

S H E F F I E L D: 3 9 ;

chalk hours, of thofe converfations , which will returnnomore . But I tear myfelf from the (object. I couldnothelpwrit ing tod ay, thoug h I do not find I haye (aid any thingv ery material. As you muttbe cbnl

'

cious thatyou have

a g itated me , you will not pollpone any ag reeable, or evendeafiw intelli g ence. I almoft hefitate, whether I (hall runovet to Eng land, to confult w ith youon the fpot, and to

fly from poor Deyverdun’s lbade, whichmeets me at every

turn. I didnot ex g efi to have felthis lots (0 (barply. But

fix hundredmiles 1 W hy arewe (0 far off iOnce more, W hat is the difficulty of the title ? W ill

menof fenfe, in a fenfihle country, never g et rid of the

tyranny of lawyers ? more opprefiive and ridiculous thaneventhe old yoke of the clerg y. Is not a termof (eventy

p r e i g hty years, nearly twenty inmy ownperfon, (effic ientto prove ourleg alpoll

'

efiion W illnotthe records of fines

and recoveries attefi that I amfret: from any‘

bar of entailsand-fettlementS ? Confult (ome (ag e of the law, whethe r

the i r prefentdeni and be necefi'

ary and le g al. If your g roundhe firm, force them to ex ecute the ag reement or forfe it thedepolit. But if, as I much fear, they have a ri g ht, and aw ith, to elude the confilmmation, would itnotbe better toreleafe them at once, thanto be hung up for five years; asinthe cafe of L oveg rove, which cofi

'

me inthe end four or

five thoufand pounds ? Y ou are hold, you are w ife con

fult, refolve , a&. Inmy penultimate letter I dropped a

fira'

ng e hint, thar'ra mi g rationhomewardwas not impoilible.I knownot what to fay mymind 18 allafloat; y etyou willnot reproach me with caprice or inconfiancy. How manyyears did you damnmy [cheme of reti ring to L aul

'

anne .l I

ex ecuted that plan, I found as muchhappinefs as is com

patible w ith humannature, and during four years (1783r787)I never breathed a tig h of repentance. Onmy re

turnfrom Eng land the (cene was chang ed : I found only afaint (ambiance of Deyverdun, and that (emblance was

each day fading from my li g ht. I have pafl‘

ed ananx iousyear

,

LETTERS FR OMML mas on

year, but my anx iety is ‘

now at anentl, anurhe prdfpea

before me is a melancholyYolitude . I amfiill deeply 100t

inthis country ; theMellie !) Of this paradife, the frie rrdihip ot

'

the Severys , a mode of fociety foited to my mile ,and the e normous trouble and expence of a mi g ration. Y e t

in Eng land (whenthe-

prefent clouds are difpelled) I couldform a -very comfortable eflablifilment in London, or rather

at‘

Bath and I hate a very noble country- (eat at abotfi ten

miles fromEaflG rinllead inSufl’

ex ". That (pet is dearerto me than the felt of the three king doms ; and I have(ometimes wondered how two men, (0 oppolite in the irtempers and purfuies, (hould have imbibed (0 long and live lya propenlity for

-each other. S irS tanie r Porwnis jufl dead.

He has left his widow with a moda ate p enlien, sodm o

children, my neareft relations : the eldefi, Charlotte, is

about L ouifa’s og e , and affo a mall amiable Ienfible young

c reature . I have comeived a romantic idea of educatingand adorning her ; as we defccnd into thowolo of years our

infirmitie s require fome domefiic -femak'

lbciety : C harlotte

would be the Comfort‘

of my ag e, and 1 could reward her

c are and tendcmefs with a ‘

decent fortune . A thoufsml’di‘

f

ficulties oppofe the ex ecution of the p lan, which I havenever op ened but to you yet it would he lets impracticablei ii -Eng land thanill

-Switz erland. Ad ieu. I amwotmdcd ;

pour fome oilinto my wounds : yet I am le is unbawy finee

I have thrownmy mi nd Uponpaper..Are you not ama z ed at the French Tiny

have the power, w illthey have the mode ration, to efhihlifit

a g ood conflitution? Adieu, over yours .

L a om r mz , Septt 9 , 713 9 .

W ITH IN an”

hour after the receptionof“

your'

lafl, I drew

my pen‘

for the purpofe of a reply, andmy ex ordium ran in

the“

following words “ I find by ex perience , that it ismuch more rational, as well as eafy, to anfwer a letter of

“real

0 “mam; wMid- Place.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

40+ LETTERS FROMwt. m enu

having fihofenand loft the property. Thefc confidention?eng ag ed me toopen aneg oc iation withMr. deMontag ny,throug h the mediumof myfriend the judg e ; and as h: moltardently wiflxes to kee p the houfe, he confented, thoug h

with fame reluétance, to my propofals . Y efierday he {i g n

cd a covenant inthe mofl reg ular and b inding form, by’

which he allows my power of transferring my intereli , in

terprets inthe molt ample fenfe my rig ht of mak ing altera

tions , and cx prefsly renounces all claim, as landlord, of

y ifiting or inlfpeéting the premifes. I hay e promifed to lendhim twelve thoufand livres , (between (evenand ei g hthungdred poimds,) fe cured on the houfe and land, The mort

g ag e is four times its value ; the interefi of four pounds

per cent. will be annually difcharg ed by the rent of thirty

g uineas . So that I am now tranquil onthat (core for the

remaipder ofmy days. I hope that time will g radually reconcile me to the place which I have inhabited with mypoor friend ; for infpite of the cream of L ondon, I am fiill

perfuaded that no other place is {0 well adapted tomy talte

and habits of fiudious and foc iallife.

li ar from delig hting inthe whirlof ametropolis, my only

pomplaintag ainfi L aufanne is the g reatnumber of (hang ers,alwaysof Eng lilh, and now of French, by whom we are

infefied infummer. Y etwe have efcaped the dom ed g reat

ones, the Countd’

Artois , the Polig nacs, fire. who llip byus to

,Turin. What a foene is France While the afl

'

emg

bly- is voting abl

’traét propolitions , Paris is an independent

republic ; the provinces have neither authority nor freedom,

and poor Necker declares that credit is no more, and that

the people refufe to pay tax es . Y etI think you mull be it

duced by the abolitionof tithes . If Eden g oes to Paris you

mayhave fome curious information. G ive’

me. fome account

ofMr. andMrs . Doug las . Do they live withLordNorth2

I hope they do . W henwillparliament be dill'

olved i Are

you fliilCoventry-mad ! I embrace my L ady, the fprig htlyMaria, and the fmiling L ouifa. Alas l alas ! you w ill

never come, to Switz erland. Adieu, ever yours.

T O . L O R D S H E F F IE L D:

L auu nu z , Sept. asth. 1789 .

Alas Iwhat'

perils do environ

Themanwhomeddles with cold iron.

A LAS ! what delays and difficulties do attend the man

who meddles with leg al and landed bufinefs l Y et if it be

only to difappoint your ex pectation, I amnot (0 very ner

vous atthis new provoking obltacle. I had totally forg otten the deed inqueltion, which was contrived in the lalh

year of my father’s life, to tie his hands and reg ulate the dif

order of his affairs and which mig ht have been (0 ealilycancelled by S ir Stanier, who had not the {mailed interelt init, either for himl

'

elf or his family. The amicable fuit,which is now become necell

'

ary, mull, I think, he Ibortand unambig uous, yet I cannot help dreading the crotchets,that lurk under the chancellor

’

s g reat w ig ; and, at all

events, I forefee fome additional ex pence. The

g oldenpill of the two thoufand red pounds has

footbed my '

difcontent ; and if it be fafdly lodg edwith theGolling s, I ag ree with nequi

indeed

is no long er neccli‘

ary in its full ex tent. .Y ou are apprifed

.by my lall: letter that I have reduced myfelf to the life- en

joyment of the houfe and g arden. And, in fpite of myfeeling s, I am every day more convinced that I have chofenthe fafcr fide. I believe my canfe to have been g ood, butitwas doubtful. L aw inthis country is not (0 ex penlive as

inEng land, but it is more troublefome ; I mull have g oneto Bern, have folicited my judg es inperfon; a vile cufiorn !

the eventwas uncertain; and during at leafi two years , I_

Ihould have beenina Rate of fufpenfe and anx iety till the

conclulionof which it would have been madnel'

s to have

attemmed any alteration or improvement. According to

my prefent arrang ement I {hallwant no mbre thaneleven

hundred pounds of the two thoufand, and I fuppofe youwilldirect

”a Le arn s n ose ma . c annon

directGolling to lay out the remainder inIndia bonds, thatitmaynot lie quite dead, while I am accountable to ‘t ‘t

for the interefi. The e lderlylady ina male habit, who ln

formed me that Yorklhire is a reg ilberreounty, is a certain

judg e, one S ir W illiam Blackftone, whofe name you may

poiliblyhave heard; After Rating the dang er of purchafers

and creditors, with reg ard to the title of c itares onwhich

they lay out or lend their money, he thus continues : In

Scotland every act and event reg arding the tranfmifllon

of prope rty is reg ularly entered onrecord ; and fome of“our own provincial divilions, particularly the extended

county of Y ork and the populous county ofMiddlefex ,have prevailed with the leg iflature to erect fuch reg iflers

“intheir refpeétive dlfh'iéts .

”

(Blackitone’s Commenta

ries, vol. ii. p. editionof 1774, inquarto .) If‘I

‘

am

miflakcn, it is inpretty g ood company ; but I fulpeétthatWe are allrig ht, and that the re g iftcr is confined to one or

two riding s . As we have, alas ! two or three months be

fore us, I lhould hope that your prudent fag acity willdif

cp ver fomefound land, incafe you lhould not have time to

arrang e another mortg ag e. I now write ina hurry, as I

amjult fetting out for Rolle, where I (hall be fettled withcook and fervants ina pleafant apartment, tillthe middle ofNovember. The Severys have a houfe there, where they

pal’s the autumn. I am not forry to vary the fcene for a few

weeks, and I with to be abi'

ent while fome alterations are

making inmy houl'

e atL aufanne . Iwilh the chang e of’

airmaybe of fervice to Severy the father, butwe do not at all

like his preftnt fiate of health. How completely, alas,how comr>letcly l could I now lodg e you : but your firm

refolve of making me a vilit feems to have vaniihed like a

dream. Nex tfummer you willnotfind five hundred pounds

for a rational friendly ex pedition; and {hould parliament be

dill'

olved, youwillperhaps find five thoufand for

I cannot think of itwith patience . Pray take ferious lirenuous meafurcs for fending me a pipe of ex cellentMadeira

in

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

ids L s'

rrmts FROMMR. (stand er:

Mim i and it has happened, as it will always happen,“

that an innocent well- difpofed Prince has paid the forfe'

u of

the tins of his p’

redecefi'

ors ; of the ambitionof L ewis the

Fourteenth, of the profuiionof Da vis the Fifteenth: The

French nation had a g lorious Opportunity, but they haVe

abufed, and may lofe their advantag es . If they had been

contentwith a liberaltranilationof our fyfiem, if they had

re'

fpeéled the prerog atives of the c rown, and the privile g es

of the nobles, they mig ht have railed a folid fabric onthe

only true foundation, the natural ariltocracy of a g reat

country. How different is the profpeétl The ir Kingbroug hta captive to Paris, after his palace had been flained

with the blood of his g uards ; the nobles in ex ile ; the

clerg y plundered in a way which firikes at the root of all

p roperty ; the capital an independent republic ; the union

of the provinces difi'

olved"

; the flames of dik ord k indled bythe worll of men; (in that lig ht I confiderMirabeauand the honeflefi of the afl

'

embly, a fet of wild vifienaries ,

(like ourDr. Pricey) who g ravely debate, and dream about

the el’tablilhment of a pure and perfect democracy of five

and- twenty millions, the virtues of the g oldenag e, and the

primitive rig hts and equality of mank ind, which would

lead, infair reafoning , to anequal partitionof lands and

money. How many years mull elapfe before France can

recover any vig our, or refume her {lotionarneng the Powers

of Europe ! As yet, there is no fymptom of a g reatman,

a Richlieu or a C romwell, arifing , either to rellore the mo

narchy, or to lead the commonwealth. The we ig ht of

Paris, more deeply eng ag ed inthe funds thanallthe tell of

the k ing dom, w illlong delay a bankruptcy ; and if it lhould

happen, it willbe , both inthe canfo and the efl‘

eét, a meat

fure of.weaknefs, rather than of llreng th. Y ou fend me

to Chamberry, to fee a Prince and anArchbilh0p . Alas l

w e have ex iles enoug h here, with theMarlhal de Caftriesandthe Dulce de Guig nes at the ir head ; and this inundation

of firang crs, Wt h Ufcd to be confined to the (Banner, willnow

’

fiag nate all the winter. The only ones whom I have

T O L o a n S H E F F I E L D. 3 09

fe en with pleafure areMr.Mounier, the late prelident dfthe national afl

'

emhly, and the Count de L ally ; they have

both dined with me. Mounier, who is a ferions dry politic ian, is returned to Dauphine. Lally is anamiable man

of the world, and a poet : he pall'

es the winterhere. Y ou

know how much I prefer a quiet {elect fociery to a crowd

of names and titles, and that I always feel: converfationwitha view to amufement rather thaninformation. W hat happycountries are Eng land and Switz erland, if they know and

prefe rve the ir happinefs.

I have a thoufand thing s to fay to my L ady,Maria, and

Louifa, but I canadd only a lhort pofifcript about theMadeira. GoodMadeira is now become efl

'

entialto my health

and reputation. May your hog fhead prove as g ood as the

hit; may it not be intercepted by the rebels or the Auf

trims . What a fcene ag ain in that country HappyEng land ! Happy Switz erland ! I ag ainrepeat, adieu.

0

L a uaa r mz , january 3 7th, 3 790 .

Y our. two laltep iflles, of the 7th and 1 1th infiant, were

fomewhat delayed onthe road ; they arrived withintwo days

of each othe r, the lafl: this morning (the 27th) (0 that !

anfwer by the lid}, or at leali by the fecond poll. Upon

the whole, your French method, thoug h fometimes more

rapid, appears to me let'

s fure and Ready thanthe old Ger

hig hway, di e . di e . .0

o e a e_

e t a Q a at

But enoug h of this. A new and brig hter profpeétreems to

be breaking uponus, and fevv events of rbat kind have ever

g ivenme more pleal'

ure thanyour fueeefsfulne g ociationand

4' 4' ’s fatisfaétory anfwer. The ag reement is, indeed,

equally convenient for bothparties no time or ex pence will

he waited m fcrutiniz ing the title ot'

the efiate the interefi

will be fecured hy the claufe of five pcr tent. and l lament

m s L ETTERS FROMMR. GIBBON

be placed on Beriton, without athing (what mig ht be

fomewhat impudent)a collateral fccurity, Ste . &c .

a e e is e e o is s e n‘

4»

But I with you to choofe and e x ecute one or the other of

thcfe arrang ements with fag e difcrctionand abfolute power.

Ilhortenmy letter, that ] may difpatch it by this poll. Ifee the time, and I (hall rejoice to fee it at the end of twenty years, whenmy cares willbe at anend, and our friendly

pag es willbe no long er folliedwith the repetition of dirty

land and vile money ; whenwe may ex patiate on the poli

tics of the world and our perfonal fentimcnts . W ithout

e x pecfting your anfwer of bufinefs, I meanto write foonina purer flyle, and I wilh to lay opento my friend the {late

ofmymind, which(ex clulive of allworldly concerns)is notpe rfetflly at cafe. Inthe mean while, I mull add two or

three lbort articles . 1 . I am aflonilhed at Elmlley’s li

lence, and the immobility of your picture . Mine lhouldhave departed long fince, could I have found a fete oppor

tunity, Ste . Ste . Adieu, yours .

h um ane ,May 1 5 th, "90Smc s the fi rft orig in (ab am) of our connection and

correfpondence , fo long an intervalof filence has not inter

vened, as far as I remember, betweenus, Site . dtc.

From my filence you conclude that the moral complaint,which I had inftnuated inmy hill, is e ither infig nificant or

fanc iful. The conclufton is rafh. But the complaint in

quefiion is of the nature of a flow ling ering difeafc, which

is not attended withany immediate dang er. As I have netleifure to ex patiate, take the idea in three words : “ S inc e

the lots of poorDeyverdun, l am alone ; and eveninPa

radife, folitude is painful to a foc ialmind. W henl was

“a doz en years young er, I flora /y felt the We ig ht o f a

ling le ex illence amidlt the c rowds of London, of parlia

ment, of clubs ; limi t will prefs‘more heavilyUponme

u in

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

m L ETTERS FROMMk . d r‘

aBoN

perhaps a touch and you willbe indebted to the prelidentone g uinea for the carriag e. Do not be nervous, I am notrolled up ; had I been fo, you mig ht have g az ed on mycharms fourmonths ag o. I want fome account of yourfelf,of my L ady, (lhall we never direfily correfpond of

L ouifa, and ofMaria. How has the latter fince her launch

fupported a quiet winter in Suffex i I (0 much rejoice in

your divorce from that KittyCoventry, that I ca renotwhat marriag e you contract. A g reat c ity would fuit

your dig nity, and the duties which would k illme inthe firfl:

feflion, would {Upply your aétivity with a confiant fund of

amufement. But tread foftly and furely the ice is deceitful,

the water is deep, and you may be foufed over head and

ears before you are aware. W hy did not you or Elmfleyfend me the African pamphlet by the poll ? itwould not

have coltmuch. Y ou have fuch a knack of turning a na

tion, that I am afraid you will triumph (perhaps by the

force of arg ument)over jufiice and humanity. Butdo you

not ex peél'

to work at Belaebub’s fug ar plantations inthe

infernal re g ions, under the tender g overnment of a ne g ro

driver ?” I lhould fuppofe both my L ady andMifs Firth

very ang ry with you.

,As to the bill for prints, which has beentoo long na

g lected, why willyou not ex ercife the power, which I havenever revoked, over allmy oath at the Golling s i The Se

very family has pafl'

ed a very favourable winter ; the youngmanis impatient to hear from a familywhichhe places above

allothers : yet he will g eneroufly write nex t. week , and

fend you a drawing of“

the alterations inthe houfe. Do not

taife your ideas ; you know I am fatisfied with convenience

inarchit’eé’rure, and fome eleg ance infurniture. I admire

the coolnefs with which you alk me to epifioliz e Keynell

andElmfley, as if a letter were fo eafy and pleafant a talk ;it appears lefs fo tome everyday.

‘ W t h W the Shve TMe, by La -tu

TO L O R D S H E E FC LD: m

Y OUR indig nationwillmelt into pity, whenyou hear thatfor feveralweek s pail I have beenag ainconfined to my cham~

her and my chair. Y etImull haften, g eneroufly batten,to ex culpate the g out, my old enemy, from the curfes which

you already pour onhis head, H e rs npt the caufe of thisdiforder, althoug h the confequences have been fomewhatfimilar. I am fatisfied that this effort of nature has favedme from,

a very dang erous, perhaps a fatal, criiis ; and Iliftento the flattering hepe that itmay tend to keep the g outat a more reipeétfuldiftance, ere, dre. 8re.

The whole (beet has been filled withdry felfiih buiinefs ;but I mull andwill referve fame lines of the cover for a lit

tle friendly converfation. I pallizd four days at the cafile ofCepet withNecker and could have wifhed to have ihewhhim, as a warning to any afp iring youth poil

'

effed with the

daemonof ambition. W ithall the means of private happ inefs inhis power, he rs the molt miferable of human be

ing s : the pail, the prefent, and the future are equallyodioqs

to him. W hen I fug g efied fome domeii ic amufements of

books , building , &c . be anfwered, witha deep tone of def

pair,“Dans l’etat ou je fuis, je ne puis fentir que le coup

de vent qui m’a abbatfi.

”How different from the care

lefa cheerfulnefs with which our poor friend L ord Northfitpported his fall Madame Neckermaintains more ex ter

nalcompofure, m i: It 0 5451: n’

yperdrig » . It is true that

Necker wilhed to be carried into the clofet, like old Pitt, on

the {boulders of the people ; and thathe has beenruined

by the democracy whichhe had raifed. I believe him to bean able financ ier, and know himto be anhoneftman; tdobenell, perhaps, for a minifier. His rival Calonne has

pafl'

ed throug h L aufanne, inhis way from Turin; andwas

foon followed by the Prince . of Condé, with his fenand

g randfon butIwas toomuch indifpofed to fee them. They

have, or have had, fome wild projeéts of a counter- revolution: horl

'

et have been boug ht, menlevied : fuch foolilh

o r; wrane me uMR. ma s on

attempts mull: end inthe ruin of the party. Burke’s book

is a molt admirable medic ine ag ainii the French difeafe ,whichhas made too much p ro g refs even inthis happy coun

try. I admire his eloquence, I approve his politics , I adorehis chivalry, and I can forg ive evenhis fupe rilition. The

primitive church, which I have treated with fome freedom,

was i tfelfat that time an innovation, and I was attached tothe old Pag an eliabliihrnent. The French fprcad fo many

lies about the fentiments of the Eng liihnation, thatIwill)

the ma il confidcrable men of all parties and defc riptions

would joininfome public ail, declaring themfclve s fatisfiedand refolved to fupport our p refentconilitution. Such a dc

clai ation would have a wonderful effect in Bumpe ; and,

were I thoug htworthy, I myfelfwould be p roud to fubfc ribeit. I have a g reat mind to fend you fomething of a iketcb,

fuch as allthink ing menmig ht adopt.

I have intellig ence of the approach of myMadeira.‘I

accept w ith equal pleafure the fecond pipe, now in the

T orrid Zone . Send me fome pleafant details of your do

meftic (late , ofMaria, &c . Ifmy L ady think s thatmy 13.

lenc e is a mark of indiffe rence, my L ady is a g oefe .

'I

nfl have you allatL aufanne nex t fummer.

Lau s anna , Ang ua 7, 1790 .

‘I “3:s at once your twoletters ; and I lhould probably have tak en earliernotice of the firfi, had I not been indaily ex petflationof the fecond. 1muftbeg inonthe fubje&of what really interefls me the moii , your g lorious clcélion

gfor Briflol. Mofl fmce rcly do Icong ratulate your ex chang eof a curfed eXpenfwe j ilt, who defe rted you for a richJew,

for anhonourable connectionwith a chaile and virtuous ma

tron, who will probably be as coniiantas (he is dilinterelled.

Inthe whole rang e of ele€tion from C aithnefs to St. Ive s,I much doubtwhether there be a ling le choice fo truly ho

nourable to the member and the conflitucnts . The fecond

c omme rc ial c ity invites, from a diilant province, aninde

p endent g entleman, known only by his active fp irit, and

his

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 16 L ETTERS“

FROMMR. G IBBON

inlove with any of the hyz nas of L aufannf'

, thoug h there

are fame who keep their claws tolerablywellpared. Sometimes, ina folitarymood, I have fanc ied myfelfmarried toone or other of thofe whofe foc iety and converfation are the

mo& pleafing to me ; butwhenI have painted inmy fancyall the probable confequenees of foch an union, I haveflatted from my dream, rejoiced inmy efcape , and ejaculated a thankfg iving that I was flill inpofl

'

eflionof mynatu

ral freedom. Y et I feel, and (ball continue to feel, that

domeftic folitude, however 1tmay be alleviated by the world,by Rudy, and even by friendfhip, is a comfortlefs Rate,

which will g row more painfulas I defcend in the vale of

years . At prefent my fituation'

ta very tolerable ; and if at

dinner- time, or at my returnhome 1nthe evening , I fometimes fvg h for a companion, there are many hours , and

many oceafrons, inwhich I enjoy the fuperior blefl'

11g of be

ing fole mailer of my ownhoofe. But your plan, thoug h

lefs dang e rous,is fill! more abfurd thanmine : fuch a con

pie as you defcribe could not be found ; and, if found,would not anfwer my purpose ; the ir rank and pofition

would by awkward and ambig uous to myfelf and my ac

quaintance ; and the ag reement of three perfons of three

charafl ers would be lllll more imprafl icable. My planofCharlotte Porten

‘

is undoubtedly the mofl defi rable ; and (he

mig ht either remain a fpinfler (the cafe is not without example), or marry fome Swifs of my choice , who would in

creafe and enliven our foe iety y and both would have the

firong eftmo tives for k ind and dutifulbehaviour. But the

mother has been indirectly founded, and will not hear of

fueh a propofal for fame years . Onmy fide, I would nottake her, butas a piece of foft wax which I could model tothe lang uag e andmanners of the country : I mufi therefore

be patient.

Y oung Severy’s letter, whichmay be now inyour hands ,

and which, for thcfe three or four lall bas far

nilhed my indolence with a new pretence oziifis ,

delay, has al

ready informed you of the means“

and c ircumfianoes of my

”

T O L O R D S H E F F IE L D. 2 17

refinreétion. Tedious indeed was my confinement, linee I

m s not able to move frommy houfe or chair, from the

ninth of February to the firfi of July, very nearly five

months . The firlt weeks were accompanied with more

pain than I have ever known in the g out, with anx ious

days and fieeplefs nig hts ; and whenthat painfubfided, it

le ft a weaknefs inmy knees, which feemed to have no end.My confinement was however (oftened by books, by the

pofl’

eflionof every comfort and convenience, by a fucceflion

each evening of ag reeable company, and by a flow of‘

equal

fpirits and g eneral g ood health. During the lafl: weeks I

defcended to the g round floor, poorDeyverdun’s apartment,

and confiruéted a chair likeMerlin’s, in which I could

wheelmyfelf inthe houfe and onthe terrace . My patiencehas been

‘

univerfally admired ; yethowmany thoufands have

pafl'

ed thofe five months leis eaiily thanmyfelf. I remembermak ing a remark perfeétly fimple, and perfeétly true :

At prefent, I (aid toMadame de Severy,) I am not pofitively miferable, and I may reafonably hope a daily or

9‘weekly improvement, till fooner or later inthe fummer I{hall recover new limbs, and new

‘

pleafures , which I do0‘notnow poll

'

efs : have any of you fuch a profpeét?”The

predifi ionhas beenaccomplilhed, and I have arrived tomy

prefent condition of fireng th, or rather of feeblenefs : I

now canwalk with tolerable cafe inmy g ardenand {mooth

places ; but onthe roug h pavement of the townI ufe, and

perhaps (hallufe, a fedanchair. The Pyrmont waters have

performed wonders ; and my phyfic ian (not T ifl'

ot, but a

very‘

fenfible man)allows me to hape, that the term of the

intervalwill be inproportionto that of the fit.

Have you read in the Eng lilh papers , that the g overn

ment of Bertie is overturned, and thatwe are divided into

three democratical leag ues ? true as‘

what I have read in

the French papers, that the Eng lilh have cutoff Pitt’s head,

and abolilhed . the Houfe of Lords . The people of this

country are happy ; and in fpite of fame mifcreants, and

atB L ETTERS FROMMR. GIBBON

more foreig n cmill'

aries , they are fenfible of the ir happi

ntfs .

Finally—r lnformmy L ady, that I am indig nant at a falfe

and heretical allertion in her lalt letter to c ery, that

friends ata difiancc cannot love each other, if they do not

write.

” I love her better thanany woma ninthe world

indeed I do ; and yet I do not write. And {he herfelf— but

I am calm. W e have now nearly one hundred French ex

iles, fome of them worth being acquainte dwith ; particu

larly a Count de Schomberg , who is become aimoli myfriend; he is a manof the world, of letters, and of fuflicient

ag e, lime in 175 3 he fuccecded toMarthal Sax e’

s reg i

ment of drag oons . As to the roll, l entertainthem, and

theyflatter me : but I wilh we we re reduced to our L au

fanne fociety. Poor France ! the {late is diflolved, the nationis madl Adieu.

a s au ua , April9 ,

Fmsr , of my health : it is now tolerably reflo1ed, myleg s are {lill weak , but the animal in g eneral is ina found

and lively condition and we have g reat h0pes from the fine

weather and the Pyrmontwaters . I moltfincerely w ithed

fdr the prefence ofMaria, to embellilh a ballwhich I g avethe 29 th of laftmonth to all the belt company, natives and

foreig ners of L aufanne, with the aid of the Severys , efpe

c ially of the mother and fon, who directed the (r conomy,

and performed the honours of the f ire. It opened about

(eveninthe evening the affembly of menand womenwas

pleafed and pleating , the mulic g ood, the illumination fplcn

did, the refrefhments profufc : at twelve, one hundred and

thirty pe rfons fat downto a very g ood fuppcr : at two, IRole away to bed, in a fnug corner ; and I was informed at

breakfaft, that the remains of the veteranand young troops,

with Severy and his lifter at their head, had concluded the

hi ll dance about a quarter before (even. This mag nificent

entertainment has g ained me g reat credit ; and the eJtptnoe

was

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

a zo LETTERS. FROMMR. GIBBON

141 111 11 11 143 ,May 18, 179 1 .

I warn a fbort letter, on fmail paper, to inform you,

that the various deeds , which arrived fafe and ing ood con

dition, have this morning beenfealed, fig ned, and delive red,

inthe pretence of refpeéh blo and well- knownEng lifhwit

nell'

es . To have - read the aforefaid acts, would have been

difi cult ; to have tinderfiood them, impracticable, I therefore fi

'

g ned themwithmy eyes'

fbut, and inthat implicitconfi

dence, which we freemanand Britons are humbly content to

yield to our lawyers and minifters. I hOpe however, moltferioully hope, that every thing has beencarefully ex amined,

and that I am not totally ruined. It is notwithout much

impatience that I ex peét anaccount of the payment and in

vcflment of the purchafe -money. It was my intention to

have added a new editionof my will; but I have anunex

pee’

led call to g o to G eneva to - morrow with the Severys,

andmutt defer that bulinefs a few days tillafter my return.

Onmy returnI may poflibly find a letter from you,l

andwill

w rite more fully in anfwer : my poflhumous work, con

tained ina fmg le (beet, willnot ruinyou inpollag e. Inthe

meanwhile let me delire you either never to talk of L au

fanne, or to ex ecute the journey this fummer ; after the difr

patch of public and pr ivate bufinefs, there can be no real

obltacle but in yourfelf. Pray do not g o to war with Ruffia : it - is . very foolilb . I am quite ang ry withPitt. Adieu.

L a v sa x m ,May 3 1 , 179 1 .

AT leng th I fee a ray of funlhine break ing from a dark

cloud. Y our epil’tle of the l g th arrived this morning , the

asth inlla ut, the day after my returnfromGeneva ; it has

been‘

communicated to Severy. W e now believe thatyou

intend a vif1t to L aufanne this fummer, and we hope thatyou

w ill ex ecute that mtention. If you are a manof honour,

you (ball find me one ; and, on the day of your arrivalat

L aufanne, I will ratify my eng ag ement of viliting the Britti“!

“rd L O R D S H E F F I E L D. az r

tilh ille before the end of the year 1792, ex cepting only the

fair and foulex ceptionof the g out: Y ou rejoice me, byprOpofing the additionof dear L ouifa ; itwas notwithout a

b itter pang that I threwher overboard, to lig hten the w ife!

and fecure the voyag e : I was fearful of the g overnefs, a fe

cond carriag e, and a long train of difficulty and ex pence,

which mig ht have ended inblowing up the whole fcheme .

B ut ifyou canbodkinthe fweet c reature into the coach, the

w ill find aneal'

y welcome at L aufanne. The firft arrang e

ments which I mull:make before your arrival, may be alteredby your owntafte, ona furvey of the p remifes, and youw ill

allbe commodioully and pleafantly lodg ed. Y ou have heard

a g reat deal of the beauty of my houfe , g arden, and li tuaa

tion; but fuch are their intrinfic value, that, unlefs I am

much deceived, they willbear the telt evenof e x ag g erated

p raife. Frommy knowledg e of your L ordlhip, I have always entertained fome doubt how you

‘

would g et throug h the

fociety of a L aufanne winter : but I am fatisfied that, e x clu

five of friendfhip, your fummer vilits to the banks of the

L emanLake will long be remembered as one of the molb

a g reeable periods of your life ; and that you willfcarcely.

r e g ret‘

the amufement of a Sufl’

ex Committee ofNavig ation

inthe dog days . Y ou all: for details : what details ? a mapof France and a poll- book are eafy and infallible g uides. If

the ladies are not afraid of the ocean, you are not ig norant of

the pafl'

ag e from Brig htontoDieppe : Paris willthenbe in

your direfi road 3 and evenallowing you to look at the Pan

damoniu'

m, the ruins of Verfailles, di e. a fortnig htdilig entlyemployed will clear you from Sheflield-Place to GibbonC attle. W hat canI fay more ?As little have I to fay onthe fubjefi of my worldlymat

ters, which feems now, Jup iter be praifed, to be drawingtowards a final conclufion; tince when people part with

their money, they are indeed ferions . I do not perfeétlyunderltand the ratio of the prec ife {um which you have

poured into Gofiing’s refervoir, but fuppofe it willbe ex .

plained ina g eneralaccount.

an LETTERS FROMMR. GIBBON

Y ou have been very dutiful infending me, what’

I havealways defired, a cut W oodfall on a remarkable debate ;a debate, indeed, mofi remarkable l Poor is the mofi

eloquent and rational madman that I ever knew.

“ I loveFox

’s feeling s, but I detell: the political p rinc iple s of the

man, and of the party. Forme rly, you detefled them more

firong ly during the Americanwar, thanmyfelf. I am halfafraid that you are corrupted by your unfortunate connec

tions . Should you admire the NationalAfl’

embly, we fbalI

have many an altercation, for I am as hig hanarifiocrat as

Burke himfelf; and he has truly obferved, that it is impotii

ble to debate with tempe r onthe fubjeét of that curfed revolution. In my lafl: ex curfton to G eneva I frequently[aw the Neckers , who by this time are returned to the ir

fummer relidence at C oper. He is much reltored inhealthand fpirits, efpec ially time the publication of his Iaft book ,

which has probably reached Eng land. Both parties, who

ag ree in abufmg him, ag ree likewife that he is a man of

virtue and g enius ; but Imuch fear that the purefi intentions

have be en produétivo of the mofl: baneful confequences.

O ur militaryme n, I meanthe French, are leaving us every

day for the camp of the Princes at W orms, and fupport

what is called reprefentation. The ir hopes

are fang uine ; I willnotahfwer for the ir be ing well g rounded z o it is certain, however, that the emperor had an inter

v iew the 1 9th infiant with the Count of Artois atMantua ;and the ariflocrats talk in myfierious lang uag e of Spain,

Sardinia, the Empire, four or five armies , 8rc. They will

doubtlefs {trike a blow this fummer : may it not recoil on

their ownheads ! Adieu. Embrace our female travellers.

A {hort'

delayl

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

LETTERS FROMMR. otaaorr.

L a vu uua , july tt'

t, 179 1.

IN obedience to your orders I dirca a flying (hot to Paris ,

thoug h I have not any thing particular to add, ex ceptingthat our impatience is increafed inthe invafi ratio of time

and fpaoe. Y et I aimoli doubt whether you have mildthe fee. The news of the King of France

’s efcape mull:

have reached you before the a8th, the day ofyour departure,

and the profpea of Grang e unknowndiforder maywellhave

fufpended your lim it refolves. The royal animal is ag ain

caug ht, and allmay probably be quiet. I was juft g oing toex hort you to pafs throug h Brufl

'

els and the confines of

Germany ; a fair Irifhifm, fince if you read this, you are

already at Paris.'

The only reafonable advice which now

remains, is to obtain, by means of Lord Gower, a fumciency, or even fuperfiuity, of forcible pall

'

ports, fuch as

leave no room for cavilona jealous frontier. The frequent

intercourl'

e with Paris has proved that the belt and lhortefl:

road, infiead of Befancon, is by Dijon, Dole, L es Roufl'

es,

and Nyon. Adieu. I warmly embrace the ladies. It

would be idle now to talk of bufinefs.

has appear ed from the foreg oing L etters , that a

y ifit frommyfelf and my family, toMr. Gibbonat

L aufanne , had beenfor fome time in ag itation. This

long -

p romifed ex curfion took place in the month of

June ,1

‘

79 r, and occafioned a confidel‘able eefi’

ation of

our correl'

pondence. I landed atDieppe immediatelyafter the flig ht from, and return to, Par is of the un

fortunate L ewis XVI. During my [lay inthat capital,1 had anopportunity of feeing the ex traordinary fer- t

incut of men’

s minds , both in the national afi'

embly,and inp rivate focieties , and alfo inmy p afi

’

ag e throug h

France to L aufanne , where I recalled to mymemory the

interefting fcenes Ihad witnefi'

ed, by frequent conver

fations withmy deceaf'

ed friend. I mig ht have wifhedto record his op inions on the fubjeét of the Frenchrevolution, if he had not ex p rell

’

ed them fo well in

the annex ed L etters . H e feemed to fuppofe, as fome

o f his L etters hint, that I had a tendency to the new

French op inions . .Never indeed, I can with truth

av er, was fufpicion more unfounded ; nor eould it

have b eenadmitted intoMr. Gibbon’

s mind , but that

his ex treme friendlhip for me , and his utter abhor

r ence of the ic notions , made him anx ious and jealous ,evento anex cefs , thatIfhould not entertainthem. H e

W as , however , foonundeceived he found that I wasfull as averfe to them as himfelf. I had from the firfi:

e x p refl'

ed anop inion, that fuch a chang e as was aimed

a t in France, mull; derang e all the reg ular g overn-v

ments inEurop e , hazard the internal quiet and dearefi'

inte reli s of this country, and probably end in bring ing

on mank ind a much g reater portion of mifery , than

the molt fang uine reformer had ev er pr omifed to him

felf o r others to p roduce of b enefit, .by the vifionary'

V OL . I .» Q {chemes

[ 1 26 ]

fchemes of liberty and‘

equality, with which the ig no - o

rant and vulg ar were milled and abufed .

Mr. Gibbonatfirll, lik e many others , feemed pleat:

cd with the profpeél of the reform of inveterate abufes

but he very foon difcovered the mifchief which was

intended , the imbec ility with'

which concelfions were

made , and the ruinthat mutt arife , from the want o f

refolutionor conduct, inthe adminifirationof France .

H e lived to reprob ate , in the firong eltterms pollible ,the folly of the firfi reformers , and the fome thing worfe

.thanthe ex travag ance and ferocity of their fuccefi'

ors .

He faw the wild and mifchievous tendency of tho fe

p retended reformers, which, while they p rofefi'

ed no

thing but amendment, really meant dellruaion to all

focial order ; and fo firong ly was his op inionfix ed , as

to the dang er of hally innovation, that he became ,

a warm and z ealous advocate for every fort of old

ellablifhment, which he mark ed in various ways fome

timmrather ludicroufly and I recolle&, in a circle‘where French affairs were the top ic , and fome Portu

g uefe p refent, he, feeming ly with ferioufnefs , arg ued

in favour of the inquifition at L ilbon, and faid he ,

would not at the prefent moment, g ive up even that

old eflablifhment.

Itmay, p erhaps , not be quite uninterefling to the

readers of thefeMemo irs , to know that I foundMr .

Gib u atL aufanne inpofi'

eflionof anex cellenthoufe

the view from which, and from the terrac e, was fo

uncommonly beautiful, that even his own p enwould

with difiiculty defcribe the fcene which it commanded .

This p rofpeét comprehended every thing g rand and

mag nificent, which could be furnifhed by the finelt

mountains among the Alps , the mofl .ex tcnfive view

o f the L ak e of Geneva, w ith a beautift varied and

cultivated country, adorned by numerous villas , and

p iélurefque

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

[ 228 ]

fromearlyyouthMr. Gibbonhad contraéled a partialityfor foreig ntafle and foreig nhabits of life, whichmade

him lefs a flrang er abroad thanhe was , infome refpeéh

inhis native country. This arofe, perhaps r from hav

ing been out of Eng land from his fix teenth to his

twenty- Erfi year yet when I came to L aufanne , I

found him apparently without relifh for French fociety.

During the flay I made with him he renewed his fin

tercourfe with the principd French who were atL an

fanne ; of whom there happened to be a confiderable

number, difiing uifhed for rank or talents many ia

deed refpeélable for both.’ During myflay in Swim

erland I was notabfent frommy friend's honfe, ex cep t

during a fhort ex curfion that we made to g ether toMr. Neck er’

s at Copet, and a tour to Geneva, Cha

mouny, over the Coldc Balme , toMartig ny, St.Mauve

r ice , and round the L ak e byVevay to L aul'

anne . Inthe

focialand fing ularly pleafantmonths that I pafi’

ed withMr. Gibbon, he enjoyed his cheerfulnefs , with g oodhealth. S ince he left Eng land, in1788, he had hada fevere attack , mentioned inone of the foreg oing let~

aim , of an Eryfip elas , which at laft fettled in one of

, b is ieg e, and left fomething of a dropfical tendency ;for at this

'

time 1 hr“p erceived a confiderable deg ree

of {welling about the anc ie

In the beg inning of Oelober I left this delig htfulrefidence and form time after my return to Eng land ,our correfpondence recommenced .

Marthal tie Caltries and feveral branches of his family, Due de Guineaand daug hters, Dad and W e de Quiche ,Madame de Grammont, Princra

'

c d'

Henin, Princefi'

e de Bouillon, Duchefl'

e do Biron, Prince de Balm,Comte de Schmuberg , Count de Lally, Lally Tolendal,M.Mannier,Madamed

‘

Ag nefi'

eau and family,M. dcMallherbes, k c. ate.

L E T T E R S

EDWA R D G-I B B ON Efq.

iL O R D S H E F F IE L D,

and others .

EDW ARD GIB B ON‘

Efg . to theHon.M113: Hoaa ovn.

La c u na“ , 9thNov. 179 1 .

UL L IVER ismade to fay, inp refenting his interpreter, My tong ue is in the mouth of my fricp d .

"

Allow me to fay, with pre p er ex prefiions and ex

CUfQS > My pen is in the hand of my friendthe aforefaid friend be g s leave thus to continue

I remember to have read fomewhere inRoufi'

eau, of

a lover quitting very often his militefs, td have the

pleafure of correfporiding with her . Thoug h not ab

folutely, your lover, I am very much your admirer,

and fhould be ex tremely tempted to followthe fame

e x ample . The fpirit and reafonwln'

cli prevail in your

c onverfation, app ear to g reat advanta g e in your letters .The three which I

‘

have received from Berne , Cob

lentz , andBrufi'

els have g ivenme much real pleafure ;

firfi, as a p roof that you are often think ing of me 3

fecondly, as anevidence thatyou are cap able of k eep ing

a refolution3 and thirdly, from their ownintrinfic me

rit and entertainment. The fiyle , w ithout any allow

anc e for hafie or hurry, is p erfeéily correéi 5 the man

ne r is neither too lig ht, nor too g rave ; the dimen~

li ons neither too long , nor too ihort : they are fuch,

in a word , as I ih ould lik e to receive from.the daug h

- a

ter of my belt friend . I attend your lively journal,throug h bad roads , and worfe inns . Y our defcripti

The’

remainder of the letter was dim byMr. Gibbon, and written

3 3° LETTERS FROMMR. GIBBON

on of men and manners conveys very fi tisfaétory in

formation; and I am particularly delig hted with your

remark concerning the irre g ular behaviour of the Rhine .

But the Rhine, alas ! after fome temporary wandering s ,

will be content to flow inhis‘

old channel, while man- u

mania the g r eateit fool of the whole creation.

I direétthis letter to Sheffield ~ Place, where I fupp ofe

you arrived in health and fafety. I cong ratulate myL ady on her quiet efiablifhmcnt by her firefide ; and

hop e you will be able , after all your ex curfions , to

fupp ort the climate and manners of Old Eng land . Be

fore this cp ifile reaches you, I hop e to have receiv ed

the two p romifed letters fromDover and Sheffield- Place .

If they fhould notmeetwith a p rop er return, you w ill

pay and forg ive me . I have not yet heard from L ordShefi cld, who feems to have devolved on his daug h

ter , the tulle which {he has fo g lorioufly ex ecuted . I{hallprobablynot write to him, till I have received hisfirfi letter of bufincfs from Eng land ; but with reg ard

to my Lady, I havemofi ex cellent intentions .

Inever could underfiand how two p erfons of fuch

fuperior merit, asMifs Holroyd and N ifs L aufanne ,

could have fo little reliih for one another, as they ap

p eared to have in the be g inning and i twas with g reat

pleafure that I obferved the deg rees of their g rowing

intimacy, and the mutpal reg ret o f the ir feparation.

Whatever you may imag ine ,~

your friends at L aufanne

have beenthink ing as frequently of yourfelf and com

pany , as you could poiiibly think of them ; and yo u

w ill be very ung rateful, if you (19 not ferioufly r e

folve to mak e them a fecond vifit, under fuch name and

title as you may judg e molt ag reeable . None o f the

S every family, ex cept p erhaps my fecretary , are inclinedto forg et you ;

and I am continually aik ed for fome

account of your health, motions , and amufements .

S ince your departure, no g reat events have occurr ed.

I have

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

9 3 9 LETTERS FROMMR. GIBBON

AsMrs . ”W ood‘, who has mifcarried , is about to

leave us , I mull either cure or die ; and, upon the

whole , I believe the former will be molt ex pedient .

Y ou will fee her in L ondon, with dear C ores , nex t

winter. My rival mag nificently p refents me with an

hog fhead of'Madeira ; fo that inhonour I could noc

fupplanthim: yet I do allure you, frommy he art, that

another dcparture is much more painful to me . The

apartment below 1~ is {hut Up , and I know notwhen- I

{hall ag ainov ifit it with pleafurc . Adieu. Believe me ,

one and all, moltaffeélionately yours .

EDW ARDG1 8 B ONEnoMeRig htHan. L urdS uEr r rEL D .

L avmmu , December 28, 179 r.

L AS l alas ! the dx monof procrai’tinationhas ag ain

pofi'

efi'

ed me . Three months have nearly rolled

away fincc your departure ; and fevenletters , five from

the moltValuableMaria, and two from yourfelf, - have

e x torted from me only a fing le ep ifilc , which p erhaps

would never have beenwritten, had I not ufed the permilli onof employing my own tong ue and the hand of

a fecretary. Shall I tell you, that for thefe laft fi x

weeks , the eve of every day has witncli'

cd afirm rofo ~

lution, and the day itfelfhas furnifhed fome ing enious

delay ? This morning , for inflance , I determined to

invade you as foonas the break faft thing s fhould be r e

moved : they were removed ; but I had fomcthing toread , to write, to meditate , and there was time enou g h

b efore me . Hour after hour has floleu away , and I 5nally be g inmy letter at two o

’

clock , evidently too late

for the poll, as I mull drc fs , dine, g o abroad , &c . A

foundation, however, five/l be laid, which will flare me

Madame de S ilva.1" The apartment principally inhabited duting thc rtfidence of my family at

h urmnCo S o

TO LORD SHEFFa AND‘

o'rnaas . m

inthe face and nex t-Saturday I fhallp robably be roul'

ed

by the awful refleaionthatit is the lalt day inthe year.

After r ealiz ing this fummer aneventwhich I had longconfidered as a dream of fancy, I know not whether Ifltould rejoice or g rieve atyour vt to L aul

'

anne . While

L pofl'

efi'

ed the family, the fentiment of pleai'

ure hig hly

predominated ; when, jull as we had fublided in a reg u

lar, eafy, comfortable planof life , the lafttrump found

ed , and, without fpe ak ing of the‘

p ang of'

fep aration,

you leftme to one of the mol’t g loomy, folitary months

o f Oéi ober which I have ever pafi'

ed . For yourfelf and

daug hters , however, youhave contrived to fnatch fome

of the molt interel’ting fcenes of this world . Paris , at

fuch a moment, Switz erland , and the Rhine, Strafburg ,

C oblentz , have fug g efied a train of lively imag es and

ufeful ideas , which will not be fpeedily erafcd. The

mind of the y oung damfel, more efpecially, w ill be

enlarg ed and enlig htened inevery fenfe . Infour months

fire has lived many years and fhe willmuch dece ive and

difpleafe me, if {h e does not review and methodiize her

journal, infuch a manner as {he is capable of p erform~

ing , for the amufement of her particular friends . Ana

ther benefitwhichw ill redound fromyour recentview is ,

that every place, .p erfon, and object, about L aufanne ,

are now be come familiar and interefiing to you. Inou r

future correfpondence (do I dare pronounce the wordcorrefpondence P) I can talk to you as fieely of every

circumfiance as if it were actually before your eyes .

And firfi, of my own imp rovements .— All thofe veneraa

ble p iles of ancient verdure which you admired have beeneradicated inone fatal day. Your faithful fubftitutes

,

William de S every and L evade , have never ceafed to

p erfecute me , till I fi g ned their‘

death warrant. The ir

p lac e is now fupplied by a number of p iaurefque nak ed

poles, the fofter fathers of as many twig s of Platanull'

es ,

which

m Ln'r'

rs as FROMmt. ca nonwhich may afford a g rateful but diflant flrade to the

founder , or to his feris Nepoubus . Inthe meanwhile

Imull canfefe that the terrace app ears broader, and that

I difcovér a much larg er quantity of fnow thanI fhouldotherwife do. The workmen admire your ing enious

p lan for cutting outanew bed- chamber and book - room

but, onmature confideration, we allunanimoully p refer

the old fcheme of adding a third roomon the terrace

beyond the library, with two fpaeious windows, and a

fire-

place between. Itwillbe larg e r feet by and

p leafanter , and warmer : the difference of ex pence will

be much leis eonfiderable thanI imag ined : the door of

communicationwith the library willbe artfully buried

inthe wainfcot and, unlefs it be op ened by my own

choice, may always remaina profound fecret. Such is

the defig n but as itwillnot be ex ecuted before nex t

fummer , you have time and liberty to (late your objea i-vI ammuch colder about the flaircafe, but itmay

be finiflred , according to your idea, for thirty p oundsand I feel they will perfuade me . . Am I not a very rich

man Whenthefe alterations are completed , few authors

of fur volumes in quarto willbe more ag reeably lodg ed

than-myfelf. L aufanne is now full and lively all our

native families are returned from the country ; and ,

p raifed be the L ord we are infefled with few foreig ners ,

either French or Eng lifh. Evenour democrats are more

reafonable or more difcreet 3 itis ag reed, to wave the

{abject of politics , and all fcem happy and cordial. I

have a g rand dinner this week , a {upper of thirty or for

ty people onTwelfth- day, &c .; fome concerts have

mk enp lace, fome balls are talk ed of and evenMariawould allow (yet it is ung enerous to fay evenMaria)that the winter fcene at L aufanne is tolerably g ay and

naive . I fay nothing of the Severys , as Ang letine has

epifioliz edMaria lallp oll. Shehas probably hinted thather

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1—

36 LETTERS FROMMR; GIBBONwho are reduced fromriches , not to indig ence, butto

abfolute want and beg g ary . A Count Arg out has jufi

lefi us , whop ofi'

efi'

ed tenthoufand a-

year inthe ifland

u Of S t. Doming o he is utterly burned and ruined ; and a

brother , whom he tenderly loved, has beenmurdered

by the ne g roes . Thefc are realmisfortunes . I havemuch revoNed the planof theMemoirs I once mentioned and, as you do not think it ridiculous t l believe I

{hallmak e anattempt if I canpleafe myfelf, I am con

fid ent of no t difpleafing but let this be a p rofound fe

cret betweenus : p eople mufinot b e p rep ared to lau g h

theymull be tak enby furprife . Have you look ed over

your, or rather my, letters Surely inthe courfe of the

year , you may find a fafe and cheap o ccafion of fending

me a p arcel they may afliit me . Adieu. I embrace

my L ady fend me a favourable account of her health.

I k ifis theMarmaille . By an amaz ing puih of remorfe

and dilig ence l have linifhed my letter (three p ag es and ahalf) this fame day fince dinner but I have not time to

read it. Ever yours .

Half pafi S ix .

To the Same .

Lnu rw u t , Dccember 3 u-

1792.

To -morrow a new year, m ite: a f flicts !

INOW molt fincerely rep ent of my late rep entance,

and do almofl: fwear never to renounce the amiable

and ufeful praaice of procrafiination. Had I delayed,

as I was firong ly temp ted , another p oll, your miihvc

of the l g th, which did not reach me till this morning(threemails were due), would have arrived intime , and

1 mig ht have avoided this fecond Herculean labour . It

w ill be , however, no more thananinfant H er cules .

The top ics of converfationhave beenfully difcufi'

ed , and

I {hall now confine.

myfelf to the needful of the new

bufinefs . Felix j auflumg uefil .

’ may no untoward acci

dent

To LORD SHEFFIELD.AND OTHERS. a s?

dentdifarrang e your Y ork l'

hire mortg ag e the conclu

fionof which willplace me ina clear and eafy (late , fuch

as I have never known fince the firfi: hour of prop erty.

a o o w

The three per cents are To hig h, and the country is in

fuch a damned [late of profperity under that fellow Pin.

that it g oes ag ainllme to purchafe at fuch low intcrefi'

.

Inmy vifit to Eng landneitt autumn, or inthe {p ring fol

lowing , (alas ! you My“acquie'

fce in the alternative!).Ihope to be armed with fuficient materials to draw a

fum, which’

may be cmployed as taf’te or fancy {hall dic

tate, in the improvement of my library, a fervice of

plate , &e . I am not very fang uine, but furely this is

no uncomfortable profpeél. This pecuniary detail.

which°has not indeed beenfo unpleafant as it .ufed fon

merly to be, has carried me farther than I “ peeled

L et us now drink and be merry. I flatter myfelf that

yourMadeira, improved by its travels, willletforwarchforMefl'

r s . Romberg , at Ofiend, early inthe fpring

and I lhould be very well pleafed if you could add a

hog fhead of ex cellent Claret, for which we fhould be

entitled to the drawback : they mull halt at Baileyand.

{end notice to me for a fafe—condufi . Have you had

any intellig ence from L ord Auckland about the wine

which he was to order from Bourdeaux , byMarfeillesand the Rhone PThe one need not impede the other ; I

will) to have a larg e flock . Corea has promifed me a

ho g lhead of his nativeMadeira, for which I am to g i‘ve

him anorder on Cadell for a copy of the Decline and

Fall : he vanilhed without notice, and is now at Paris .

Could you notfiib o ut his dircfiion byMrs . Wood,

who by this time is inEng land PI rejoice inL ally’

s p rof“

p cn'

ty. Have you reconfidered my propofalof .a decla

ration of conflitutional principles from the heads of the

party I think a foolilh addrefs froma body of Whig s to

the

a3 s LETTERS momMR. omaon

the NationalAfl'

embly renders it [tillmore incumbent on

you. Atchieve myworldly concerns, a en'

s mihi mam :

Apollo. Adieu, ever yours .

To the Same.

La c u n a , April 4th, 1794.

R fear you fhould abufe me, as ufual, I will be g inthe attack , and fcp ldmtyou, for nothaving yet fent

me the long- ex pected intellig ence of the completion of

my mortg ag e . Y ou had pofitively afi'

ured me that the

fecond of February would terminate my worldly cares ,

by a confummationfo devoutly to be wilhed . The news ,

therefore , mig ht reach me about the eig hteenth , and Iarg ued w ith the g entle log ic of lazinefs , that It was per

feétly idle to anfwer your letter , till I could chaunt a

thank fg iving fong of g ratitude and p raife. As ev ery poa

difappointed my hopes , the fame arg umentwas r ep eated

for the nex t ; and twenty empty- handed pofiilions have

blowntheir mfig nificanthorns , till I amprovok ed at lait

towrite by{heer impatience and vex ation. Facit indig nant;var/um. Cg fipttlo dx

'

B accho ; for I mull eafe myfelf by{wearing a little . What is the eaufe , the meaning , the

pretence , of this delay ? Are the Y ork lh ire mortg ag ers

inconfiant intheir wifhcs ? Are the L ondonlawyers con

{lant intheir p rocraftination ? Is a letter onthe road , to

informme that all is concluded , or to tellme that all is

brok ento pieces ? Had the money beenplaced in the

three p er cents lal'

tMay befid es the annual intereil, it

would have g ained by the rife of flock nearly twenty per

(ml. Y our lordlh ip is a wife man, a fuccefsfulwriter,

and anufeful fenator you underlland America and Ire

land, corn and flaves , but your p rejudice a g alali the

funds“, inwhich I am oftentempted to join, mak es you

a little blind to their increafing value inthe hands of our

Itwould be more correét if he had only ti tted, my preference of land as

all other property.

virtuous

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

240 LETTERS FROMMR. masona p rey, fhe will have leifurc to reg ret the pleafinganx ious be ing ,

”which fhe enjoyed amidfl the llorms of

Paris . But what can the poor creature do ? her huf

band is inSweden, her lover is no long er fecretary at

war, and her father's houfe is the only place where {he

canrefidewith the leali deg ree of prudence and decency.

Of that father I have really a much hig her idea thanI

ever had before.3 in our domeflic intimacy he call away

his g loom and refervc 3 I faw a g reat deal of his mind ,and all that I law is fair and worthy. He was over

whelmed by the hurricane, hemillook his way inthe fog ,but infuch a p erilous fituation, Imuch doubt whether

anymortal could have feenor flood; Inthe meanwhile ,he is abufed by all parties , and none of the French in

Geneva will fet their foot inhis houfe . H e remembers

L ord Shellield with elieem his health is g ood, and he

would be tranquil inhis p rivate life , were not his fp irits

continually wounded by the arrival of every letter and

everynewfpaper. H is fympathy is dceply interefled by

the fatal confcquences of a revolution, inwhich he had

fi led fo leading a part; and he feels as a friend for the

dang er ofM. de L efl’

art, who may be g uilty inthe eyes

of the Jacobins , or evenof his judg es , by thol'

c very

aélions and difpatches whichwould be moll approved byall the lovers of his country . What a momentous

event is the Emperor’

s death ! In the forms of a new

reig n, and of the Imperial eleélion, the democrats have

at leafl g ained time, if they knew how to ti ll: it. Buttho

new monarch, thoug h of a weak complex ion, is of a

martial temper ; he loves the foldicrs , and is beloved by

them ; and the flow flueluating politics o f his uncle maybe fuccecded by a direel line of march to the g ates of

Stralburg and Paris . It is the opinion of the mailer

movers inFrance, (I know itmolt certainly,) that their

troops willnet fig ht, that the people have loll all fenfe

of

to manSHEFFIELD, AND own s. 241

of patriodfm, and that onthe firftdifcharg e of anAuf

triancannonthe g ame is up . But what occalionfor Auf

trians or Spaniards P the French are themfelves their

g reateft enemies four thoufandMarl'eillois aremarchedag ainll Arles and Avig nbn, the troupe: dc b

’

g ne are divi

de d betweenthe two parties , and the flamo of civilwar

will,

foonex tend over the fouthernprovinces . Y ouhave

heard o f the unworthy treatment of the Swifs reg iment

of Ernll. The canton of Berne has bravely recalled

them, with a flout letter to the King of France , which

muft be inferted in all the papers . Inow come to the

L aMotto are condemned to fine and twenty years impr i

fonment inthe fortrefs of A rbourg . We have not yet

r eceived their official fentence, nor is it believed that the

p roofs and p roceeding s ag ainfi themwill be publilhed

anawkward circumllance, which it does not fcemeafy

to juftify. Some (thoug h none of note)are tak en up ,

for erai are fled , many more are fufpeéled and fufpicious .

All are filent, but it is the filence of fear and difcontent ;

and the fecret hatred which rankled ag ainft g overnmentbeg ins to point ag ainll the few who are known to be

well- aff'

eaed. Inever knew any place Iomuch chang ed

as L aufanne, evenlince laff year and thoug h you w ill

not be much oblig ed to me for the motive, I be g in veryferioully to think of vili ting Sheffield

- Place by the month

of Sep tember nex t. Y et here ag ainI am frig htened, bythe dang ers of a French, and the difficulties of a Ger

man, route. Y ou mull fend me anaccount of the paffag e fromDieppe to B rig hton, w ith anitinerary of the

Rhine, diltances , ex p ences , 8m. As ufual, I juli favethe poll, nor have I time to read mywafting the morning in deliberation,

ina heat fince dinner . No news of theMadeira. The

views of Shefiield- Place are jult received ; they are

V O L . I. R

a“ LETTERS FROMMR . GIBBO‘

N

mired, and fhallbe framed . S every has {pentthe carnibval atTurin. Trevor is only the bellmaninthe world;

L a v u nue ,Mty 3 0th, rm ,

FTER the receipt of your penultimate, eig ht days

ag o , I ex p eéle'

d with much impatience , the arrival

o f your nex t-

p romifed ep ifile . It arrived this morning ,

but has not completely anfwered my ex peéi ations . I

wanted , and'

I hoped for a full and fair p ié‘

i ure of the

p refent and probable afp eél of your p oliticalw orld , w ith

which, atthis dif’tance , I lean every day left; fatisfieel.

Inthe {lave quellionyou triumphed lall femur), in this

you have be endefeated . What is the caufe of this altea

ration If it p roceeded only from animpulfe of"

homo

hity, I cannot be difpleafed , even with anerror ; fined

it is very lik ely that my aim we re (bad I p ofi'

efl’

ed one)would have beenadded to themajority . But inthis rag e

a g ainli flavery , in the numerous p etitions ag ainll the

flave trade , was there ' no leaven of new demo cratieal

p rinciples ? no w ild ideas of the rig hts and natural equalityo fmanPIt is thefe , I fear. S ome articles innewfp apers ,

fome p amphlets of the year, the Jock ey Club , have fal

len into my hands . I do not infer much from fuch pub - o

lications ; yet I have never knownthem of IO black and

malig nant a call. I fhuddered atGrey’

s motion diflik ed

the h‘

alf- fupp ort of Fox , admired the firmnefs of Pitt'sdeclaration, and ox eni

'

dd the ufualintemp eranec ofBurk e .

Surely fuchmenas “ W, have talents

for mifchief. I fee a club of reform which contains fome

refp eélable names . Informme of the profcfiions , the p rin

ciples , the plans, the refources , of thefe r eformers . W ill

they heat the minds of the p eople ? Does the French de

mocracy g ainno g round ? W ill the bulk o f your party(land firm to their own interefl, and that of their coon-i

try ?

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

344 Ler rrrts FROMMR. mas on

ferment, are much increafed {ince lal'

tfumm‘

er : aril'

lo»~

crate is in every mouth, lanterns hang inevery fireet,

and anhaflyword or a cafual refemblar'

lce , may be fatal;

Y et, onthe other hand, it is probable thatmanyEng lilh'

,

men, women, and children, will traverfe the countrywithout any accident before nex t September and I am

fenfible thatmany thing s appear more formidable ata dif

tance thanonanearer approach. W ithout any abfolute

determination, we mull fee what the events of the nex t

three or four months willproduce. Inthe”

meanwhile ,I {hall ex peél with impatience your neat letter let it be'

fpeedy my s hfwer {hallbe prompt.

Y ou willbe g lad, or forry, to learn'

that my g loomyapprehenfions are much abated, and thatmy departure ,

whenever it tak es place , willbe anat? ! of choice , rather

thanof neceflity. I do notpretend to afirm, that fecret

difcontent, dark fufpicion, p rivate aninmfity, are verymaterially afi

'

uag ed butwe havenotexperience , nor do

we now apprehend, any dang erous aéls of violence ,

whichmay compelme to feck a refug e among the friend

ly Beers’ft, and to abandonmy library to the mercy of the

democrats . The firmnefs and vig our of g overnment

have cr'

ulhed, at leafi for a time, the fp iritof innovation and [ do notbelieve that the body of the people ,

efpecially the peafants , are difpofed for a revolution.

m France , praifed be the daemon of anarchy ! the

infurg ents of the Pays de Vaud could not at p rerent

have. much to hop e 3 and fhould the g ardcs natx’

onales , of

which there is little appearance, attempt inincurfion,the country is armed and p repared, and they would be

refilled with equalnumbers and fuperior difciplihe . The

Gallic wolves that p rowled round Geneva are drawnaway, fome to thefouth and fome to the north, and the

late events inFlanders feem to have diflitfed a g eneral4

Berne.contempt,

ro LORD summ ers), m OTHERS. 345

contempt, as well as abhorrence, for the lawlefs favag es ,who fly before the enemy, hang their prifOners , and

murder their officers . The brave and patient reg imentof Bruc fi is ex peéled home every day, and as Berne will

tak e them into prefes t pay, that veteran and reg ular

c orp s willadd to the fecurity of our frontier,

I rejoice thatwe have fo little to fay onthat fubjea of

worldly affairs. 3“This fummer we are threatened

with an inundation, befides many namelefs Eng lifh and

Irith but I am anx ious for the Duchefs of Devonfhire

and the L ady Eliz abeth Fofter , who are ontheir march.

L ordMalmfoury, the audacieux Harris , will inform you

thathe has feenme Hm I would have confented to k eep .

One word mo re before we part; call uponMr. JohnNichols , book feller and printer, atCicero

’

s Head , Red -r

L ion- Pafl'

ag e , Fleet- S tre et, and aflt himwhether he did

onot, about the beg inning ofMarch, receive a very polite

letter fromMr. Gibbonof L aufanne To which, either .

as a manof bufinefs or a civil g entleman, he fhould have

i eturned ananfwer. My applicationrelated to a domeftie’

ardcle in the Gentleman’

sMag az ine of Aug ufi‘

1788,

(p . 69 8 which had lately fallen into my hands , andconcerning which I requefied fome farther lig hts . Mrs .Mofs delivered the lette rs' into my hands , but I doubt

'

whether they will be of much fervice to me the work

app ears far more dificult in the e x ecution thanin the

idea, and as I amnow tak ing my leave for fome time of thelibrary, Ilhallnotmak e much prog refs inthe

'

me‘

moirs of

P. P. till I am onEng lilh g round . But is it indeed true ,

that I fhall eat any S ufi'

ex pheafants this autumn? The

e vent is in the book of Fate, and I cannot unroll theleaves of September and a ber, Should I reach

'

Sheflield- Place, I hope to find the whole family ina

pet-feel fiate of ex iflence, ex cep t a certainMaria HolHit letters to me for a eertain period, which he defieed me tdfeod, to

gna himh mtttng mum tn. s .

LETTERS FROMma . (mason

royd, my fair and g m mus correfpondent, whofe anni

hilationonproper terms I mot} fervently defire . I mull

receive a copious anfwer before the end of nex t month,

June, and ag aincall up on you for amap of your politi

calworld. The chancellor mm 3 does he break his

chain ? Vale .

Lnu snx nt , Ang ufi 179 1 .

I infom you, that the defig nof my Eng lifh ,

poflponed till m m year,

you wila t be much furprifed . The public obfiacles s

the dang er of one road, and the dimculties of another ,

would alone be fuflicient to arrefl fo unwieldy andMtive a being ; and thefe obllacles , onthe fide of France ,

are g rowing every day more infuperable. Onthe other

hand , the terrors , which mi g ht have driven me from

hence have , ina g reat meafure , fubfided ; our {late

prifoners are forg otten the country beg ins to recover

its old g ood humour and unfufpeéling confidence , and

the lad - revolutionof Paris app ears to have convincedalmofi every body of the fatal confequences of demo

cratical pr inciples , which lead by a path of flowers intq

the abyfs of hell. I may therefore wait with patience

and tranquillity till the Duk e of Brunfwick {hallhave

opened the French road . B ut if I am not driven fromL aufanne , you will aik , I hope with form. indig nation,

whether I amno tdrawnto Eng land , andmore efpeciallyto Shefield- Place ? The defire of . embracing you and ,

yours is now the Ilrong ef’t, andMR g radually become

the fole, induc ement that can force me from my library

and g arden, over feas and mountains . The Eng liih

world will for g et and be forg otten, and every year will

deprive me of fome acquaintance , who by oourtefy ar e

ftylcd friends : L o rd Guildford and Sir JoihuaReynolds !two

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

as u nm m u m omnon

The Elia is furious ag aiufi you for not writing . We

{halllofe them ina few days ; but the motions of Eliza

mad the Duchefs for Italy or Eng lhnd, are doubtful.

L adies Spencer and Dunm non certainly pafa the Alps .

Ilive with them. Adieu . Since‘

I do not appear- ia per

fonl feel the abfolute propriety of writing eo my L adyandMaria ; but there is far fr-on the knowledg e to the

performance of a daty. Ever your's .

Lann a - z . Oé oba '

sth, 179 1 .

5 our Eng liih newfpapers mufi have informed you.of the invafionof Savoy by the French, and as it

is poflible thatyou may have fome trifling appreheniions

of my being killed and eatenby tho/2 cannibals , it has ap

p eared tome that a {hort ex traordinary difpatch mig ht

notbe unacceptable onthis occalion. It rs indeed true ,

that about tendays ag o the French army of the South,

under the command ofM. deMontefquiou, (if any

French army can be faid to be under any command ,)has entered Savoy, and p ofi

'

ell'

ed themfelves of Cham

berry, Montmelian, and feveral other places . It has

always beenthe praéli ce of the King of Sardinia to aban

donhis tranfalpineO

do‘

minions 3 but onthis occafionthe

court of Turin appeg rs to have beenfurp rifed by the

[hu g e ex centric motions of a democracy, which always

3 8 3 from the p ajiion of the moment and their inferior

troops have retreated, with forne lofs and difg race , intothe pafi

'

ee of the Alps . MountCenis is now impervious ,and our Eng lifh travellers who are bound for Italy , the

Dpehefs of Devonflpre , Ancaf’

ter , &e . will be forced

to ex plore a long eircuitops road throug h the Tirol.

But the Chablais 18 yet intaéi , nor eanour telefcopes difcover the tricolor banners onthe other fide of the lak e .

Our accounts of the Frenchnumbers feemto vary from

ro LORD SHEFFIELD, AND owns . 34,

they are followed by a rabble rout, which mull foon,

however, melt away, as they willfind no plunder, and

fcanty fuhfifience , inthe poverty and barrennefs of Sa

.v oy . N . B . I have jufi feena letter fromMr. -deMoneefquiou, who boafts that at his firfi entrance into Savoy

h e had only twelve battalions . Our intellig ence is far

from correct.

The mag ifirates of Genevawere alarmed by this dan

g erons neig hbourhood, and more efpecially by thewell.

known animolity of an ex iled citiz en, Claviere , who is

one of the fix minifiers of the French republic. It was

carried by a fmallmajority inthe General Council, tocall inthe fuccour of threethoufand Swifs , which is ii i

pulated by antienttreaty . The firong efi reafon or p re

tence of the minority, was founded onthe dang er of pro~

v oicing the French, and they feem to have beenjuftifia

ed by the event 3 fince the complaint of the French refie

dentamounts to a declarationof war. The fortifications

of Geneva are notcontemptible, efpecially onthe fide of

Savoy 3 and it is much doubted whetherMr. deMontefquiou is prepared for a re g ular li eg e but the malecon~

tents are numerous withinthe walls , and I quefiionwhe

ther the fp irit of the citizens willhold outag ainfi a bom

bardment. Inthe meanwhile the diet has declared that

the firli cannonfired ag ainfi Geneva willbe confidered as

an a& of hofiility ag ainli the whole Helvetic body .

Berne , as the near-ell and molt powerful canton, has

tak enthe lead with g reat vig our and vig ilance the road

is filled with the perpetual fucceilion. of troops and artil- g

lery and, if fome difafi'

eé’tion lurks in the towns , the

peafants , efpecially the Germans , are inflamed w ith a

firong defire”

of encountering the murderers of their

countrymen.Mr. de Watteville, with whom you dined

pi my bank In“year, refufed to accept the command of

the

.5, LETTERSmomMR. GIBBON

the Swifs fuccour of Geneva, till itwasmade his firfi in

firuélionthat he fhould never , in any cafe furrender

In this fituation, you may fuppofe that we hav e fome

fears . I have g reat dependence, however , on the

many chances in our favour , the valour of the Swifa;

the return of the Piedm0ntefe with their Aufirlan l i

lies , eig ht or ten thoufand men from theMilanefe ,z divcrlionfrom Spain, the g reat evenw (how flowly

they p roceed , on the fidc of Paris , the inconfianey and

want of difcipline of the French, and the near app roach

of the w inter feafon. I am not nervous , but I willnot be rafh. Itwill be painful to abandon my houfe

and library ; but, if the dang er fltould approach, I

will retreat before it, firfi to B erne, and g radually,

to the North. Should I even be forced to tak e n

{a g e inEng land a violentmeafure fo late inthe year),

you w ould perhaps rece ive me as k indly as you do

the French priefis— a noble a&

‘

of hofpitality ! Could

Ihave forefeen this ftorm, I would have been there

fi x weeks a g o ; but who can forefee the wild mean

fures of the favag es of Gaul ? W e thoug ht c urfelm

perfeéily out of the hurricane latitudes . Adieu . I am

g oing to bed , and mull r ife early to vt the Neck

ers atRolle ,’

whither they have retired , from the from»

tier fituationof Coper. Se very is on hor feback , with

his drag oons : his p oor father is dang eroully ill. It

will bc lhoc k ing if it {hould be found necefl'

ary to re s

move him. While we are in this very awkward cr ifis ,

I will write at leafi every week . Ever yours . W riue

infiantly, and remember allmy connniiiions .

70 lbs Sam .

IWIL L k eep my p romii

'

e of fending you a week ly

journal of our troubles , that, when the p iping times

qf peace are relftored, I may fleep in long and irre

proachable

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

as : LETTERS FROMMR. GIBBON

are commanded from two adjaeent him; a French fae

fion lnrlts in the city, the charaaer o f the Genevois

is rather commercial thanmilitary, and their behaviour ,

lofty p romife, and hate furrender , in the year 1782,

is freih in our memories . Inthe meanwhile, 4ooo

French at the mol'

t are arrived in the neig hbouringa mp , nor is there yet any appearance of mortars or

hea vy artillery . Perhaps anhaug hty menacemay be re

yelled by a firm countenance . If it were worth while

talk ing of juflice , what a fltameful attack of a feeble ,

unoflf'

ending fiate lOn,the news of their daup h in

Switze rland, from Schafl'

oufe to the Pays de Vaud,

has rifen inarrns ; m d a French refidenb who has pafl'

ed

throug h the country, inhis way fromRatifbon, declares

his intentionof informing and admonifl'

tiug the Nationl l

Convention. About eleven thoufand Bernois are al

ready pofied in the neig hbourhood of Copet and Nyon; and new reinforeements of men, artillery, &c. ar

rive every day. Another army is drawn tog ether to

oppo feM. de f errieres , on the fide of B ienne and the

hilhopr ie of Bafle ; and the Aufirians in Swabia would

be eafily perfuaded to crofs the Rhine inour defence.

But we are yet ig norant whether our fovereig ns mean

to wag e offenfive or de fenfive war. If the latter, which

Inmore lik ely, will the French beg inthe attack ? ihould

Genoa yield to fear or force , this country is open to

aninvafion and thoug h our men are brave , we want

g enerals ; and I defp il'

e the French much h is than I

did two months ag o . It fhould fcem that cur hap a

from the King of Sardinia and the Aufiriaus ofMilanare faint and difiant; Spain fleeps ; and the Duk e of

B runfwick (amazement !) feems to have failed in his

g reatproject. Formy part, till Geneva falls , I do notthink of a retreat; but, atallevents , I am provided with

two firong horfes , and an hundred Louis in g old .

Zurich

To LORD SHEFFIELD, AND orns as . as;

Zur ich would be probably my win'

ter quarters, and the

foc iety of the Neck ers would mak e any place ag reeable.

Their fituationis worfe thanmine : I have no daug hterr eady to lie in nor do I fear the French ariftrocrats on

the road . Adieu. Keep my letters cx cul’

e contradiélion‘

s

and repetitions . The Duchefs of Devonfltire leaves us

ne x t week . L ady Elizabeth abbot'

s you. Ever yours .

TO til! Sam . 1

oacbat, no, 1791 .

SINCE my lafi, our affairs tak e a more pacific tuinbut I willnot venture to afiirm that'our p eace will

be either fate or honourable. Mr . deMontefquiouand three of the commiflioners of the Convention, who

are at Carroug e, have had frequent conferences with

the mag ifiratcs of Geneva ; fa eral ex prefl'

es have been

difp atched to and fromParis , and every li ep of the nee

g otiation is Communicated to the deputies of Berne andZurich. The French troops obferve a very tolerable

deg ree of order and difcipline and no a& of hofi ility

has yet'

been committed on the territory of

Oflober 3 7.My ufual temper very readily admitted the ex cufe,

that itwould be better to wait another week , till the

final fettlement of our affairs . The treaty is fig ned

betweenFrance and Geneva ; and the ratificationof the

Conventionis look ed uponas afl'

ured, if any thing can

be all'

ured in that wild democracy. Oncondition that

the Swifs g arrifon, with the approbation of B erne and

Zurich, be recalled before the firil of December , it is

flip trlated that the indep endence of Geneva {hallbe pre

ferved inviolate thatMr. deMontefquiou {hall immediately . fend away his heavy artillery ; and that no

French troops {hall approach withintenleag ues of the

city . As the Swifs have aéi ed only as aux iliaries, theyhave no occaiionfor a diteci treaty 5 but they cannot

prudently

254 LETTERS FROMwe GIBBON

p rudently difarm, till they are fatisfied of the pacific ia

tentions ,of France and no fuch fatisfaélion can be

g iven till they have acknowledg ed the new rep ublic ,

which they will p robably do in a few days ,

with a deep g roan of ind ig nation and furrow it

has been cemented with the blood of their country?

men! B ut when the Emp eror, the King of Pralha ,

the firll g eneral, and the firll army in Europ e have

failed, lers p owe rful Rates may acquiefce , w ithout d if

honour, inthe - determination of fortune . Do you un

derlland this mol’t unex p eéled failure ? I will allow

an ample fhare to the badnefs of the roads and the

weather, to famine and difeafe, to the {k ill of Du

moun'

er, a heaven- born g eneral l‘

and - to‘

the enthufi

allic ardour of the new Romans ; but fiill, fiill there

mull be fome fecret lhameful caufe at the bottom of

this firang e retreat. We are now delivered from the

imp ending terrors of li eg e and iny afion. The Geneva.

emig rés , p articularly the Neck ers , are hallening to their

homes ; and I {hall ne t be reduced to the hard necef

fity of feck ing a w inter al'

ylum at Zurich or Conflance :

but I am not pleafed with our future profp eé’ts . t is

much to be feared that the prefent g overnment of Ge

neva will be foon modelled after the French fal'

hion

the new republic of S avoy is forming on the opp ofite

bank of the L ak e ; the Jacobin miflionaries are p ow

er ful and z ealous ; and malecontents of this country ,

who beg inag ainto rear their heads , w ill be furrounded

with temptations , and ex amples , and allies . Iknow not

whe ther the Pays de Vaud will long adhere to the do

minionofBerne or whether I fhailbe p ermitted to end

my days in this little p aradife, which Ihave lo happ ilyfuifed to my talle and circumflances .

L afiMonday only I received your letter , which hadfirang ely loitered on the road fince its date of the 29 th

of

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 3 8 LETTERS rRoMMn. GIBBON

time, myfelf and my belt friends may be reduced to

the deplorable (late of the French emig rants : theythoug ht it as impoflible three or four years ag o . Ne

ver did a revolutionM, to inch a deg ree , the prit

vatc ex ifience of fuch members of the Brit people of a

g reat country : your ex amples of mifery I could eafily

match with fimilar ex amples in this country and the

neig hbourhood ; and our fympathy is the deeper , as

we do not pofl'

cfs‘

, lik e you, the means of alleviating ,

in fome deg ree , the misfortunes of the fug itives . But

I mufi have , from the very ex cellent penof theMaria ,the trag edy of theArchbifhop of Arlee ; and the long erthe better.Madame de Bironhas probably beentemp tedby fomc faint and (Ifear)fallacious promifes of clemencytothe women, and which have lik ewife eng ag edMadamed

’Ag uefi

'

eau and her two daug hters to rcvifit France.

Madame de Bouillon fiands her g round, and her fitua

tionas a foreig nprincefs islefa ex pofed . As L ord Shef

field has afi’

umed the g lorious charaéler of proteélor of

the diflrefi'

ed , his name is pronounced with g ratitude and

rc fpeéi . The D. of Richmond is p raifed, onMadamede Biron

’

s account. To the Princefs d’

H enin, and

L ally; Iwifh to be remembered . The Neck ers cannm:venture into Geneva, andMadame de Staclw ill probably lie inatRollc . He is printing a defence of the King ,

&c . ag alali their republican Judg es ; but the name of

Neck er is unpopular to all p arties , and Imuch fear that

the g uillotine will be more fpccdy thin the p refs . It

will, however, be an eloquent performance ; and , if I

find anopportunity, I am to fend you one, to you L ord

Sheffield by his particular defire : he wifhcs lik ewife to

convey fome cop ies with fp ced to our principal people ,Pitt, Fox , L ord Stormont, 8 m. But fuch ia the rap id

fucceflionof events , that it will app ear lik e the Pomroi r

En ema] , his bc flwork , after the “hole fccne has be en

totally chang ed. Every ours.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

960 1.2a FROMMR, 3 13 3 9 1!

Thefe’

ag teesble ep ifiles ofMaria produced ort1ndumb intentions , and fame barrenremad e ; nor have ]deig ned, ex cep t, by, a brief mifiive from my chancellor?to ex p refs how much Iloved the author, and howmuchI was pleafed with the compofition.

”

That amiable auxthor I have known and loved from the firfi dawning 05

her. life and toqud ry , to the prefentmaturity of bermlents ; and a long as I remainonthis planet, I fhallpurzfue, with the fame tenderand evenanx ious concern; the,future fleps of her: eflablii

'

hment and life . That c ita

bliihmentmuii be fplendid 3 thatlife muitbehappy. Sheis endowed with every g iftof nature and fortune but

the advantag e which {he will derive fromthem, dep ends

almoit entirely on herfelf. Y ou mufi not, you_

fhall

not, think yourfelf unworthy to write to any man:

there is none‘

whom your correfpondcnce would not

amufe and fatisfy. I w ill not undertak e a taik , which

my tafle would adopt, andmy indolence would too foon

relinquiih butI am really curious , from the bet} motives , to have a particular account of your ownfindiesand daily occupation.

.

What book s do you read ? and

how do you employ your time and your p enPEx c ep t

fome profefl'

ed fcholars , I have oftenob ferved tha twt)

men in g eneral read much more thanmen; but, fo r

want of a plan, a method , a fix ed objea , their read

ing is of little benefit to themfelves , or others . If yo u

will informme of the fpecies of reading to which yo u

have the molt propenfity, I fhall be happy to contribu te

my i'

hare of advice or afliflance . I lament thatyou ha v enotleftme fome monument of your pencil. L adyEliz a

beth Poli er has e x ecuted a very p retty drawing , tak en

from the door of the g reen- houfe wh

'

ere we dined laft

fummer , and including the poor Acacia (now recove r ed

from the cruel iheers of the g ardener» the end of th e

terrace, the front of the Pavilion, and a difiant view o f

the country , lak e, and'

mountains . l am almc il rec on

C iled

TO«i ot

'

tb Barman), Arab ornans . as:

mine dlApples

’

h'

ouie, which anearlymama. In4

Read of the monflérs which L ord Hercules Sheffield ex :

Eii patéd , the terrace is already lhaded with the new aca

c ias and plantanos and althoug h.

the uncertainty of

pofl'

efli onreitrains me frombuilding , Imyfelf have planted a bofquet at the bottomof the g arden, With foch ad

mirable ik ili that it a ffords flaade without intercepting

go fp eei . The foeiety of the aforefaid Eliz a, of the

uchefs of D. See . has been very intcreiling but theyhre now flownbeyond the Alps , and path: the winter at

Pifa. The L eg ards , who have long {incc left this place ,l'

hould be at p refeni in Italy ; hut I believeMrs . Grim,

nohe and her daug hter returned to Eng land . The L e

wades are hig hly flattered by your remembrance. Since

you ilillretainfome attachmentto this delig htfulCountry,and it is indeed delig htful, why ihoqld you defpair o f

‘

4’eeing it once more ? The happy peer or commoner,Whoféname youmay all

'

ume, is llillconcealed inthe book

of fate 5 but whofoever he may be , he will cheerfully

obey your commands , of leading you'

from

Galile to L aufanne, and from L aufannc to Rome and

Naples . B efore that event tak es place , I may poflibly

fee you inSuifei ; and, whether as aviiitor hr as a fug ia

five, Ihope to b e welcomed with a'

friendly embrace,The delay of this y earwas truly painful, butitwas inev

'

i-e

table and individuals mull fubmit to thofe li ortns which

have overturned the thrones of the earth. The trag ic

fie ry of the Archhiihop of Arles I have now fomewhatit better rig ht to require at your hands . I willy to haveitin all its horrid details“

3 and as you arenow inmuch

ming led

The Anfwer tow. Gibbon'

e L etter, inannex ed, as the bet! account Ihave fecu of the barbarousMattias alluded to. S .

Bus h man- Penn , November i f”.

‘2Y UR three letters received yefie rday cauied the moltGreets pleafute to

each odividualof thism ily ; to none man: thanmyfcl’. Ptatfe, (1 fear,

beyond my dries t») fromone whore Opinionl l’

o hig hly p lus , my! 9 cr

fl

n6a LETTERS FROMMR. GIBBON

ming led with the French ex iles , I am of opinion, that

were you to,

k eep a journal of all the authentic an,

“ d bccm l fo muchwiflr to prd cfl c morehadnot ncg lefted mmaltc the colleaionofwhich thc g reat varicty of unfortunatc pcrfona wbm m fee , or with whom

“ we oorrd enablcc mc to malcc.“ Ante part of your letter which rd pcflrinryfiud

’

m, l ean fay,the flig htcfi hint onthat fubjeét ta always received with the g ru tefi

“ and arm dcd to with thc utmofi punaitality ; but l muft declinc thatmpic“ for thc prd ent, mobey yout cornmanda, which require fi'

om me the hocridaccount of thc mafl

'

m m Ca -nm— Big ht rcfpeaable eeclefiaftica, landed,‘5 about thc beg inning of OQober, {rom an openboat at Scaford , wet as thewaver. The mtives of the coafi wcre cndcavouring to g et from thcm what

“ they had not, (viz ) moncy, whcn a g entlemanof the neig hbourhoodcamc to thcir protcétion, and, findin they had nothing , fltewed hia g obd

fcnfe , by difparching thcm toMilord S eflicld : they had bccnm'

llag ed , andt‘ with g rcat dn

p

ficulty had d caped from Paris. Theyreceptionthcy mct wirh

at thiahoufc , fu med to mak e the g reatcfi impxefionon them ; thcy were‘G

C C

u

4:‘C

a,

CC

‘C

a

‘C

hundred and twenty pricfts , and had molt miraculoufly d u ped , by climbing trees inthe g arden, and frprn

'

thencc ovcr the topa of the building s .Onc of them, a manof fuperior appearance, defcnbed , inthc molt pathetic manner, the du th of the ArchbiflrOp of Arlee, (and with foch fitnpliaityand focling , aamlm e no doubt of the truth of all that he faid,) to

following purport — Onthe fecond of September, about five o cloc k inthe‘f evening , at the time they wcre pcrrmttcd mwalk m the g arden,

“everyhour to be releal

'

ed, they ex prefl'

ed their furprife at feeing (even!‘ptts , whichhad beendi g g ing

yfp r mc days p zafi they (aid , the day ia al

mofi (pent ; and yetManuel told a pcrfonwho inte rceded for us h itThoriday, that on the 'Sunday following notone lhould remain in captivity : weare ttill prifoncra ; [oonafren they heard (bouts , and fome mufqnet - thorn:

An cnfig n of the national g ,uard firme commifl'

aries o f the l'

eél

‘

ions , andfome Mar-feillois rulbed tn: the miferable victims , who were difpcrfed tnthe g arde

n, affembled under the walls of the church, not daring to g o in,left It {hould be polluted with blood. One man, who was behind the rail,

“ W M $1 1d 3 Of (hC ChICFS Of lhc aflamfl ‘:thinking that k ind of death too cafy. Thd c well- trained fufilecrs went ti:

the rear ; lea p iques , lea baches , lea poig nards came forward. They dc .

mandcd the A rchbiflxop of A rles , he w as immediately furrounded by all

the priefis. The wordiyrprelate [aid to hit friend s , 5 L ctme pafs ; if myblood will appcafe them, what Trea

’

at, it 1 die ? Is itnptmy duttprefcrvc yourlives at the cx pcnce o my own

? “He alk ed the cldclt of the

ff priefis to g ive him abfolution: he knelt to receive it ; and whenhe hrofe ,threed himl

‘

elf from thcm, advancednewly , and wi th his arms erod'

ed upon‘

ycft ix cdu“g u m d crch z fl we appw ance was fo dig nified md noblg that, dur

in‘

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

5 64 LETTERS momMR. cmson

a aa o Grs aorv Efg . ta lk: Rig ht Hon. Lady Sna r

n ew .

La c u n a:November 1 0th, 1793 .

ICOULD never forg ive myfelf, were I cap able of

writing by the fame p oll, a political ep ifile to the fat- 5

ther , and a friendly letter to the daug hte r, without fend

ing any tok enof remembrance to the refpeélable matron,

my dearellmy Lady, whom I have now loved as a filter

for fomething better or Work than twenty years . No ,

indeed , the hlftorianmay be careléfs , he may he indo ~

lent, he may always intend and never ex ecute , ,huthe is

neither a monlter nor a flatue he has a memory, a con

fcicnce , a heart, and that heart is fincerely devoted to

L ady S He mull evenacknowledg e the fallacy Of

a fophifmwhich he has fometimes uled, and fhe has al

ways and molttruly denied that, where the perfons of

a family are firiélly united , the writing to one is in fact

writing to all; and that confequently all his numerous

letters to the bulband, may be confidered as equally ad d

drefl'

ed to his wife . He feels , onthe contrary , that fc

parate minds have their difiinél ideas and fentiments , and

that each charaéi er, either in{p eak ing or writing , has

its p eculiar tone of converfation. He ag rees with the

max im of Roull'

eau, that three friends who wifh to dif

clofe a commonfecret, will imp art it only deux a Jew: 5and he is fatisfied that, on the p refentmemorable occa

hon, each of the p erfons of the S heffield family will

claim a p eculiar lim e in this triple millivc , which will

communicate, however, a triple fatisfaélion. The ex

p erience of what maybe cfl'

célcd by v ig orous refolu

tion, encoura g es the hiflorianto hope that he fhall call:

the fltin of the old fcrpent, and hereafter fhew himfelf

as a new creature .

I lament, onall our accounts , that the lafi year’

s ex

peditionto L aufanne did not tak e place in a g oldenp e

riod ,

To LORD snnmnw AND o‘

rmzns. £6;Tibd, of health and l

'

pirim. But wemull”

rEliéél, that

humanfelicity 18 feldomwithoutalloy and ifwe cannot

indulg e the hope of your mak ing a fecond vifit to Law

i hnn‘

e , We mull loci-t forwards tomy refideneenex tfilm;

me t at S heffieldaPlace, where Imullfind you inthe full

b IOOm of health, fpirits , and beauty. I canpe rceive,

b y all public and private intellig ence, thatYour fib ufe has

b eenthe op en hofpitable afylnmof French fug itives :

and it is a fuficient proof of the firmn'

d'

s of yournerves .that you havenotbeenOverwhelmed or ag itated by fuel:

a tontourfe of flrang ers . Curiolity and compallionmay.in fome deg ree , have fupported you. Every day has

prefented to your view fome new fcene of that lirang b

h ag ical romance , which occupies allEurope lo infinitelyb eyond any event that has happened inour time, and

y ou have the fatis faaion ofMt being a mere fpeé’tatot

o f the d illrefs of lomany viélims of falfe liberty . The

benevolentfame of L ord 5 . is widely diffufed.

FromAng letine’

s lali letter toMaria, you haVe alreadyTome id ea of the melancholy {late of her poor fath

'

er .

1 5 long asMr. de S every allowed ourhopes and fears to

Hué’mate with the chang es of his diforder, Iwas unwil

ling to lay any thing onTo painful a fubjehl ; ahd in"

:

with the deepefl concernthat Inow confefs our ab folute

Hefpair of his recovery. All his particular Complaintsare now loll tn3. g eneral dill

’

olutionof thewholeframe

every pi in'

ciple of life is ex haufted, an‘

d as‘

oftenas‘

I amadmitted to his be

‘

d - fide, thoug h he Panlook s and anticsWith the patience of an

5

ang el, T'

have'

the heart- felt g riefb f feeing him

'

each day drawing nearerto the termof hilte x iflence . A fewweek s, p bfiibly a few days, willdeg

p riveme of the moflex celleht friend, and break for cv

the moll p erfeél fyflemof domcflic happinefs , inwhichhad lo larg e and intimate a lhare. Wilhelm (who hat,obtained leave of abfenee fromhis military duty)andh

i

s

fificr behave and feel like tender and dutiful children

has

3 66 LETTERS FROM~MR. GIBBON

but they have a long g ay profpeélof life , and new eon.»

acellana, new families will mak e them forg et, in due

time.» .the commonlotofmortality. But it isMadame de

,Severy whomI truly p ity I dread theMe of the

moat. and I dread ammore the deep perpetualconfuming amia ionfor a lofs whieh cannever be retrievpd . Y ou willnot wonder that fuck refieéi ions fadden

my ownmind , nor canI forg et how much my fituafion

is altered time I retired, nine years ag o , to the bank s of

the L emanLak e. The death of poor Deyverdunfirfl:

deprived me of a domcflic companion, who cannever be

fupplied ; and your vifit has only ferved to remind me

g hatman, however amufed and occupied mhis clofet, was

notmade to live alone . Severywillfoon be no more

his widow for_a long time , perhaps for ever , will be lofi

to herfelf and her friends , the fonwilltravel, and I{hall

be left a hu ng er inthe infip id circle of mere common

acquaintance . The revolutionof France, which firfiembittered and divided the fociety of L aufanne, has op

pofed'

a barrier to my Sull'

ex vifit, andmay finally ex pel

me from the paradife which I inhabit. Eventhatparag

d ife , the ex penfive and delig htful ellablifhment of my

houfe, library, and g arden, almoli becomes anincum;

brance , by rendering itmore dillicultfor me lo relinquilh

my hold, or to form a new fyflem of life inmy native

c ountry, for which my income , thoug h improved andimproving , would be p robably infuficient. But everycomplaint{hould be lilenced by the contemplationof theFrench compared with whofe cruel fate, all mifery is

relative happinefs . I perfeélly concur inyour partialityfor Lally thoug hNature mig ht forg et fome meaner in-r

g redien‘

ts , of prudence , (e conomy, & c, the never

formed a purer heart, or a brig hter imag ination. If he

be with you, I be g my k indell falutations to him. I amevery day more clofely united with the Neckers . Should

France break , and this country be over- run, they would

be

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

to? mm Rs FROMmt masong enoe ot

'

a «flew em s/aria", and anorder to i rrefthim,

hehad only timé to g et.

onhorfebaclc, to g allop throug h

Geneva, to tak e boat for Copet, and to efcape from his

purfucrs , who were ordered to (til t himalive or dead .

He left the Neck ers after flippe r, pafl'

ed throug h L ana,fanne in the nig ht, and p roceeded toBernc and Bafle,

whence he intende d to wind his way throug h Germany,amidfi enemies of every defcription, and to reek a re

fug e in Eng land, America, or the moon. He told

Neck er , that the fole remnant of his fortune confifted ,

inc wr etched (cm of twenty thoufand livres ; but the

public report, or fufp icion, bel'

peaks himmmuch better

c ircumfiances . Befides the reptroech of afi ing with too

much tamenefs and delay, he is accufcd of mak ing veryfouland ex orbitant-

c ontraQS and it is certain thatnew

S pam is inferSted with this vice beyond the ex ample of

the molt corrupt monarchy. Kellerman is arrived,

to take the command 3 and it is apprehended that on

the firfi of December, after the departure of the Swifs,the Frenchm y new]? the permiflionof ufing Geneva, a

friendly city, for their winter quarters . In.tbat cafe,

the democratical revolution, which we all forefee, will

be very fpcédily effected .

Iwould elk yo u, whether you ap prehend there was

any treafon in the Duk e of Brunfwick’

s retreat, andwhether you have totally withdrawn your confidence

A nd efteem from that oncco famed g eneral ? Will it

be poiiible for Eng land to preferve her neutralitywithany honour or fafety We are bound: as Iunderfiand, ,

by treaty, to g uarantee the dominions of the King of

Sardinia and the Auitr ianprovinces of the Netheriands.

Theft: countries are now invaded and oven-mu by ltheFrench. Canwe rcfufe to fulfil our eng ag ements , with.

out ex pofing ourfclvcs to all Europe as a p erfidious

o r pufillan'

unous nation? Y et, on the other hand ,

fanwe afliit thoi’

e g llies, W ithout plung ing headlonginto

TO mansau na s . ANDown s . 259

into anahyfs, wbofe 110“s no mancandifs over ? Butmy: chief anx iety is for our domeflie tranquility ; for f.

’

mufi find a retreat inEng land, fltould I be drivenfromL attfanne. The idea of firm and honourable unionof

p arties pleafesme much ; but you mull frankly unfold.what are the g reat difi culties that may impede {o falutaary a meafure : youwrite to a man difcreet in fpeech,and now careful of papers . Y et what can fuch a

coalitionand ? Where is the championof the confli

tytion? Alas, Lord Guildford ! I am much pleafeclwith s we etness. »as , The.

area or waves who ta

ctifioed himhave eating the mall: top foon and fuch,a nonfenficsl aél mutt openj he,

eyes ,

of many fimplq

patriots, who mig hthave beenled s ittsy by the {peei

ous name of reform. It ihould be made as notorious .

3 8 pofible. Nex twintermy be the'

crifis of our fate;and if you beg in to improve the confiitution, youmaybe driven ficp by Rep from. the disfranchil

'

ement of

old Sat-umufelefs , th

without articles (fax : Neck er has o rdered you

a copy 05 his royal defence, whichhasmetw ith, anddc.

ferved , univerfal fuccefs . The pathetic and arg umenta

tive parts are, in my opinion, equally g ood, and his

mild cloquence may perfuade without irritating . Ihave

applied to this g entler tone fome verfes of Ovid, (Metamorph. 1. iii. 3 02, Stefl“

)which you may read . Matdame de Steelhas produced a leg end (on. She talk s

wildly enoug h of vifiting Eng land this winter. She is a

Q3 wh enufque poteft, vires fibi demete tentat.

Nee , quo centimanum dejecerat ig ne Typhc a,Nuns armatur eo z nim

'

n‘

tm fer itatis inillo.

Bit d ied lev‘

we fitlmen; cui dextra Cyclopunt

Savitic , fiamma qpe minus, minus addiciit inns

Tel; fecunda vocantSuperi.

270 LETTERS FROMMR. ems on

pleafant little woman. Poor Severy’

s condition is hope

lefs . Should he drag throug h the winter ,Madame de '

3 . would fcarcely furvive him. She k ills herfelf with

g rief and fatig ue . What a difference in L aufanne ! I

hope triple anfw ers are onthe road . I mullwrite foonthe time: willnot allow meto read or think . Ever yours .

L a nu x nr , Dec. 14th, 179 3 .

UR little fiorm has now completely fubfided , and

we are ag ainfp efi ators , thou g h anx ious fpeéi ators ,

of the g eneral tempefl that invades or threatens almofl‘

every country of Europe . Our troops are every day

diibanding and returning home , and the g reatefi part

of the French have evacuated the neig hbourhood of

Geneva . Monfieur Barthelemy, whom you have feen

fecretary inL ondon, ismolt courteoufly entertained, as

ambafl'

ador, by the Helvetic body. He is now at Berne ,

where a dietwill {peedily be convened ; the lang uag e on

both {ides is now pacific , and even friendly, and fome

hop es are g iven of a p rovifion for the officers of the

January th, 179 3 .

WITH the returnof peace I have relapfed into my

former indolence but now awak ening , after a fort

nig ht’s flumber , I have little or nothing to add, with

r eg ard to the internal {late of this country, only the

r evolutionof Geneva, has already tak enplace, as I announced, butfooner thanI ex peéled .

'

The Swifs troop s

had no fooner evacuated the place , than the Eg alx’

fmrs

as they are called , ali'

embled inarms ; and as no refiftance

was made, no blood was fired on the occafion. They

feized the g ates , difarmed~the g arrifon, imprifoned the

mag ifirates , imparted the rig hts of citiz ens to all the

rabble of the townand country, and p roclaimed a Na

tiancl Convention, which has not yet met. They are

all

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

LETTERS FROMMR. GIBBON

may he requifite to encounter aer ated er winked enemieswith equal amt» The behaviour of Fox dose. not {Uh

p rifcme. Y oumay remember what I told voa lafi. year

at W m ; Whoa yea W Ina defens e, thate t a - a s s e s s e s e a e n

a e o a e e a e a a e e a a e at

You have now crtdhed the daring febverters of the

confiitntioa ; but I new fear the moderate well

m ars , reforme rs. Do not, .I befecch you, tamperwith W W W ); reprefentation. The preteri t houfc

of commons forms , inma in, a body of Gentlemen,who mull always fympathize with the interefts and opi

nions of the people 5 and the flig htell innovationlaunehea

you, without rudder or compafs , on a dark and dang

g erous ocean of theoretical,ex p eriment. Onthis fubn

jeél I am indeed ferions.

Uponthe whole , I lik e the beg inning ofniafl‘

Y-ethreo

better thanthe end of ninety- two . The illufton{em

to break away throug hout Europe. I think Eng land

and Switzerland are fafe ., Brabant adheres to the old

confiitution. The Germans-

are difg ufled with the ra.

p ine and, infolence of their deliverers . The pop e is re

folved to head his armies , and the Lazz aroni of Naples

have p refented St. Januarius with a g old fuz ee, to fire

onthe Brig ands Francois . So much for politics , which

till now never had fuch p oll'

efiionof my' mind . Nex t

poll Iwillwrite aboutmyfelf and my owndefig ns . Alas ,

your poor eyes ! mak e theMaria write I will {pee

dily anfwer her. My L ady is {till dumb . The German

polls are now flow and irreg ular . Y ou had better write

hy the way of France, under cover. Direti‘t to L e

Adieu ever yours .

ro LORD SHEFFIELD. AND drama. 3 7,

To th' 84m .

La c u n a, January 6th, 179 3 .

T HERE was formerly a time when our correfpon

dence was a p ainful difcuflion of my private af

fa irs a vex atious rep etitioh’

of icfi'

es , of difappoint

ments , of (ales , &c . Thefe affairs are decently ar

rang ed : but public cares have now fucceededi

'

to p rivate

anx iety, and our whole attentionis lately turned froin

l enboroug h and Beriton, to the p olitical {late of France

and of Europe . From thefe politics , however, one let

ter {hallbe free, while I talk of myfelf and of my own

plans ; a fubjeél mofi interefiing to a friend, and onlyto a friend .

0

I knownot whether I am forry or g lad that my ex

p editionhas been poftponed to the p refent year. It is

true, that Inow with myfelf in Eng land, and almofi

r epent that I did n0t g raip the opportunity when the

obfiacles were comparatively fmaller than they are now

lik ely to prove . Y et had Ireached you lafi fummer'

be

fore the month of Aug ufi , a confiderable portion ofmytime would be now elapfed, and I fhould already be g in

to think of my departure . If the g out {h ould fpare

me this winter, (and as yet I have not felt any fymptom,) and if the fpring fltould mak e a foft and earlyappearance , it is my intentionto be with you inDownaing - flreet before the end of April, and thus to enjoy fix

weeks or two months of the mofl a g reeable fearon of

L ondon and the neig hbourhood, after the hurry of

p arliament is fublided, and before the g reat rural d if.

p erfion. As the bank s of the Rhine and the Belg ic

p rovinces are completely overfpread with anarchy and

W ar , I have made up my mind to pafs throug h the ter

r itories of the French republic . From the beltandmoll

r ecent information, I am fatisfied that there is little or

no real dang er inthe journey ; and I mull armmyfelfwith patience to fupport the vex atious infolence of demo

VQL . I. T cratieal

LETTERS FROMMR. GIBBON

cratical tyranny . I have evena rt of curio fity to (pend

fome days at Paris , to.

aili it at the debates of the Pan

daemoriium, to feel: anmtrodué'

tionio the principal. dae

vils , and to‘

contemplate a new form of p ublic and p ri

vate life , whichnever ex illed before , and whiéh I'

devout

ly hop e willnot long continue to c x iii . Should the ob v

fiacles of health or weather confine me at L aufanne till:

the month“

ofMay, I {hallTearcely be able to refifi the

temptationof p ailing fome p art at‘

leafi of the {m et

inmy ownlittle pa radife. But all thefe {cherri es mull

ultimately dep end on the g reat quefiion of p eace of

W ar, which will indeed b e fp eedily determined. Should

F rance become impervious to an Eng liih traveller,

whatmull I do ? I {hallnot eafily refolve to ex plore

myway throu g h the unknownlang ua g e and abomina

‘

ble roads of the interior p arts of Germany, to embark“

in Holland, or p erhaps at H amburg h, and to be 5 - 3

nally intercepted by a French p rivateer . My Ray.

"

at

Eng land app ears not lefs doubtful than the me ans of

tranfporting myfelfi Should I arrive inthe fp ring , it is'

p olhble, and barely p ollible, that I fhould return herein the autumn, it is much more p robable that I fhall

p ars the winter, and there may b e even a chance of my

g iving my own country a long er trial. In my letter

to my L ady I fairly ex pofcd the decline of L au‘

fanne‘

;

but fuch an efiablifhment as mine mufi not be lig htlyab andoned ; nor can I difcover what adequate mode

o f life my p rivate circumfianccs , eafy as they now are ,

c ould afford me inEng land . L ondonand B ath have

d oubtlefs their refp eélive merits , and I could with to

I efide w ithin a day’

s Journey of Shefiicld- Place . But a

{late of perfeé'

thapp inefs 13 not to be found here below ;

and m the p oll'

eiiion of my lib rary, houfe, and g ar

den, with the relick s of our fociety, and a fre

quent intercourfe with the Neck ers . I may fiill be

tolerably'

conténi. Among the difaltrous chang es'of

’

L aufanne ,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

475 LETTERS FROMMR .mason

it may fuitme to proceed in'

a mere literary work with

out any

.

other deco rations thanthofe which itmay d erive from the p en of the author . It is a ferions truth,that I am no long er ambitious

'

of fame or money ; that

my habits of indufiry are much imp aired , and that I

have reduced my ftudies , to b e the looie amufement

o fmy morning hours , the repetitionofwhichwill lufen

i ibly lead me to the lail term of ex iftence . And for this

v ery reafonI {hallnot be lorry to bind myfelfby a liberal

eng ag ement, fromwhich I may notwith honour recede.B efore I conclude , w emull fay s word or two of par

liamentary and pecuniary concerns . I . W e all admire

the g enerous fpirit with which you damned the afl'

aflins

”F. I

'

hop e that ‘l‘ The opinion of

p arliament infavour of L ouis was declared ina mannerworthy of the reprefentatives of a g reat and a wifenati

on. Itw ill certainly have a p ow erful effeéi ; arid if the

p oor King be not already murdered , I am fatisfied thathis life is infafety : but is fuch a life worth his care ?

Our debates will now become every day more interd i

ihg and as I ex p eél'

from you only op inions and anec

d otes , I molt earneftly conjure you to fend me W'

ood

fall’

s Reg iiter as often (and thatmull be very often)asthe occafiondeferves it. I now fpare no ex pence for news.

I ’

want fome account ofMrs . G.

’

s health. W ill myL ady never wr ite How canpeople be fo indolent Ifuppofe this w ill find you at Sheffield - Place during the

recefs , and that the heavy bag g ag e w illnotmove tillafter

the birth- day. Shall I be with you by the firfl ofMayThe Gods only know . I almo itwiih that I had aecom

p aniedMadameode S tael. Ever yours .

Beg unFeb. 9 ,— ended Feb. 18, 1 79 3 .

HE firu g g le is at leng th over, and poor de Sev eryis no more ! He ex p ired about tendays ag o, after

every

To LORD SHEFFIELD,AND OTHERS . 177

every vital pr inciple had beenex haufted by ahcomplica

tionof diforders , which had lalled above five months

and a mortificatiOn inone of his le g s , that g radually rofe

to the more noble parts, was the immediate caufc of his

d eath.

‘

H is patience and evencheerfulnefs fupp orted him

to the fatalmoment and he enjoyed every comfort that

c o uld alleviate his fituatipn, the ik ill of his p hyficians ,

the afiiduous tendernefs of his family, and the k ind fym

p athynot only of his particular friends , but evenof com

monacquaintanc e , and g enerally~ of the whole town.

The {trok e has been feverely felt, yet I have the fatis ~

faa ionto p erceive thatMadame de S every’

s health is not

affected and we may hop e that intime fhe will recover

a tolerable dhare of compofure and happ inefs . Her

firmnefs has check ed the violent fallies of g rief her

g entlenefs has p referved her from the worll: of fymptoms ,

a dry, lilent defpair. She loves to talk ofher irreparable

lo fs , {he defcants with pleafure on his virtues her

words are interrupted with tears , but thofe tears are her

belt relief ; and her tender feeling s will infenlibly fuhlide

into an affectionate remembrance ”? W ilhelm is much

more

1” Elle n

'ell plus , cette epoufe vertueufe , cette mere ac

’ore

'

e , cette amie(dre et conltmte , don:M. Gibbons volt Ii bienfennle prix . dont 11 parle avcc

tan: d'

interet, aupres dc laquelle , ct dc funrefptélable epoux , ll avast pafl'

é

dms les douceurs d'

one amitlé intime les dit dernteres années de (3 vie, dont funemur aVOit adaptc

'

le s enfans .

C atherine , ueline de Chandieu, née s Laufanne le 3 Ea rle: 1741avoir rcg u de la nature la

2k

tntliinte' et la beante um: education foig née avoitajoutea ces heu reux dams les Connoiffmces les plus ag reables c t le s plus uttle s , j omtes

aux principes fermes d une reli g ionCelmree cc dance . L a frequentation habi

tuellc de s perfume s les plus d ittmg uée s , par leur mi me , leur m ifl‘

ancc on

h uts taleus , avoir perfcétionné l‘

ouvrag e de la nature ct de l education— 111k

époufi cn 1766Mde Chartere dc heven, et allo ts par c et he ureux mariag e lc

bonlie ur auquel ellc avoir droit dc prétendre .“ b ans entrtr d ram le detail dc fes

vertus privée s ct atllve s , nous nous contenteruns dc d ire queMadame de b everifut allier pendant le cours de {A vie les devoirs le s plus uppu le 5 enapparcuee ,avcc one mcfure dc fag efl

'

e , truit de la te li e x ioncc de la pa te , qu ellc tut con

cilxer le talent de plairc avec la plus fcrupuleufe rél'

erve , recevoir aver dafccmc

m ent les horm g c s qu'

onrend a la jeuncffc e t ala be ante'

, ct co tferver thus no

fic e d'

inemtll qucnce et de lég u cte une pureté ang elsque

Heureulc clans l‘

intericur dc fa famille . dams (C s te rres , aa la ville, clans (a

focic'

te s les plus brillante s , ellc étoit pattout a fa place , partout confidéree cc

W fpeflcb , us e lea g ue maladie lui enleva 1c 29 Jam ie: 179 3 un épour chin.

Sea

278 LETTERS FROMMR . omaon

.more deeply wounded thanI could imag ine, or than he

exp ected himfelf : nor have I ever feenthe afflictionof a

{onmo re lively and fincere . Severy was indeed a very

valuableman: withom any fhining qualifications , he was

endowed inahig h deg ree w ith g ood fenfe, honour, andbenevolence 5 and fewmenhave filled with more p ro .

p riety their circle inprivate life . For myfelf, Ihave had

the mis fortune of know ing him too late , and of lofingh im too foon. But enou g h of this melancholy fubjeél.The affairs of this theatre , which mull always be

.minute, are now g rownfo_

tame and tranquil, that theyno long er defervc the hiflorian

'

s p en. The new con

{litutionof Geneva is flowly forming , without much

noife or any blood- ibed and the p atriots , who have

{laid in hopes of g uid ing and rellraining the multitude , »

flatter themfelves that they fhall be able at leaf! to p re

vent their mad countrymenfrom g iving themfelves to the

French, the only mifchief thatwould be abfolutely irre

trieveable . The revolution of Geneva is of leis eon

fequencc to 118 , however , thanthat o f Savoy but our

fate will depend on the g eneral event, rather than on

thefe p articular caufes . Inthe mean while w e hope to

be quiet fp eéiators of the llrug g le of this year ; and we

Srs rains, fcs veilles , ct fa profonde douleurn‘abattirent point (oncourag e j ellc

cnnl’

ole it feemfans , rt f: fornfioit enlcur txiculquant lcs princ ipes d’

une relig ion

qu’e llc envifs g ca toujours comme l

‘

afylc lo plus. a llh lé th us le malheur, ellc

plcuroit encore darts li termite cct époux fa tendrement aimé lutfqu’

elle and:muv ellcs latmcs a vei li r for la mort deM. G ibbon. Le tems commeng oit ipe ine 5 c icatti fcr ce s dour hltfl

'

urcs ; tmis annéts s'

i toi’

ent écoulées depuis lamort,de {onspam , deur ans et unjour depui: etlle dcM. Gibbon; clle commeng oie3 cmbcllir, it anime r la foc iétc par fa ptifmcc ; {a frs itheur, (a beauté, 1; noblefl

‘

c dc funport fix oient les reg ards ; ellc fc mantra, tt d ifparut. 3 3 malad ie ,ui eut divers catatlerc s , ne fut ni lung ue ni t

'rulourt ufe ; la férénité d

‘

uneame pure l

’

accompag na {ms ong oifl'

e an{t indu rt pns étemelle 17j anvm , 179 6.Madame dc Screti laid } deu x cnfnnsM. “I. dc c eri, queM. Gibbon fl itfuffiftmmcm”

connoitte , par ces mots infe’

rt'

s dam fanttflamcnt whom Iu ilh to flylc by the endearing name of ctM. Ang letinc de Seve ri ,

bienpropn: ii tapptller lc fouvenir des g race s . ct ties vertus de ft mi re ; lc bonhenr dontj euifl

'

mt cette famnlle dans la fuc iétc'

mtirr c ct continue d'

une mi re quif ruit lm r rrnllcure amie rend leur pe rtc irrt

'

p arahle , t t leur douleur di therant,ils ne Pattcndcntad’

aultcs ennfolsticns u'

it etlle s que lour ptéftnte ra tctte 16nlm pure dent leur vertueufe mEte a s it g a mer clans leun t o urs les principesconfolateurt. S .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

aBo LETTERS FROMMR:GIBBONrich inrap ine and althoug h their fireng th may be onlythat of a phrenzy fever, they may do infinite mifchiefto their neig hbours before they can be reduced to a

firait'

waillcoat. I dread the effects that may be p ro

duced onthe minds of the people by the increafe of

debt and tax es , p robable lolfes , and p ollible mifmanag ement. Our trade mull fuller ; and thoug h p rojeé

’ts of

‘

invafionhave beenalways abortiv e, I cannot forg et thatthe fleets and armies of Europ e, have failed before

the‘

towns inAmerica, which have b een tak enand plun

dered by a handful of Buccaneers . I know nothing of

Pittas a war minifler ; but it affords me much fatis faélion

that the intrepid wifdom of the new chancellor is ih

troduced into the cabinet. I with , not merely onyour

own account, that you were placed in ive, ufe

fulRationing overnment. I ‘fhould not e you fe

cretary atwar.

Ihave little more to fay of myfelf, or of my journey to Eng land : you know my intentions , and the

g reat eyents of Europ e mull determine whether they cin

be carried into ex ecution this fummer. If has

warmly adopted your idea, I fhall fpeedily hear from

him; but, intruth, I know notwhatwill be my anfwer

I fee difliculties which at firft did not occur I doubtmyownp erfeverance , and myfancy beg ins to wander into

new paths . The amufcment of reading and think ing

may p erhaps fatis fy a manwho has paid his debt to the

p ublic and there is more pleafure in building caftles in

the air than on the g round . I'

fhall contrive fome

{mall alliflance for your correfpondent, thoug h I cannotlearn any thing that difling uifhEs him frommany of his

c ountrymen; we have had our full fharc of p oor emi

g rants but if you wifh that any thing ex traordinary

fltould be done for thisman, you mull fend me a mea

fure . Adieu. I embrace my L ady andMaria, as alfo

M‘

n hbofoug h.

L outfa.

TO tornSHEFFIELD.AND omens . aS r

‘

L ouifa. Perhap s I may foonwrite, without ex peélingananfwer. Ever yours .

Law s uits , April 37: 179 3

dearefiFriend, for fuch you molt truly are , nor

does there ex ilt a perfonwho obtains , or (b all

ever obtain, a fuperior place inmy elleemand afl’eétion.

After too long a filence I was fitting down to write ,

when, only yelterday morning (fuch is now the irreg u

lar flownefs of the Eng lilh poll) I was fuddenly (truck ,indeed firuck to the heart, by the fatal intellig ence

from S ir Henry ClintonandMr. de L ally. Alas l what

is life, and what are our hopes and projects ! WhenIembraced her at your departure from L aufanne, could I

imag ine that itwas for the h it time ? whenI p ofiponed

to another fummer my journey to Eng land , could I ap

prehend that Inever, never fhould fee her ag ainPI al

ways hoped that flte would fpinher feeble thread to a.

long duration, and that her delicate framewould furvive

(as is oftenthe cafe)many confiitutions of a flouter ap

p earance . Inf our days inyour abfence , inthat of her

children! Butfhe is now at rell and if there be a future

life,‘

hermild virtues have furely entitled her to the re 1

ward of pure and perfect felicity. It is for you that I

feel, and I canjudg e of your fentiments by comparing

themwithmy own. I have loll, it is true , an amiable

and affcélionate friend, whom I had knownand loved

above three - and - twenty years , and whom I ‘often

fiyled by the endearing name of filler. But you are

deprived of the companionof your life , the wife of

your cho ice , and the mother of your children; p oor

children! the livelinefs ofMaria, and the foftnefs of

L ouifa, render them almofi equally the objects of my

tenderd ’ecompallion. .I donot wifh to ag g ravate your

0 The au thorLady

m LETTERS moreMR.mason

g rief ; but. inthe fincerity of friendflfip, It cannothold .

a different lang uag e . I know the impotence of reafon,

and I much fear that the fireng th of your character will.

ferve to mak e a {harper andmore lafiing imprellion.

The only.

confolation in thefe melancholy trials to

which human life is ex pofed. the only one at h all: in

which I have any confidence , is the pretence of a real

friend ; and of that, as far as it depends onmyfelf, yq u

{hallnot be defiitute . I reg ret the few days that. mull:

b e loll infame necefliary p reparations but I truftthat

to~ morro'

w fe’

nnig ht (May the fifth)I {hallbe able to fat

forwards onmy journey toEng land and when this let

ter reaches you, I {hallbe confiderably advanced onmyway. As it is yet prudent to k eep at a refp eélful dillance

from the banks of the FrenchRhine , I lhall incline a lit

tle to the rig ht, and p roceed by Scafi'

oufe amd S tutg ard

to Frankfort and Colo g ne : the Auftrian Netherlands

are now open and fafe , and 1m lure of being able

a t will to p afs fromOliend to Dover ; whence , with

out p ahing throug h L ondon, I thanpurfue the di

reel: road to Sheffield- Plac e . Unlefs I fhould meetwith

fume unforefeenac cidents and delays , I hope, before the

end of the month to fhare your folitude, and fympa

thiz e with your g rief. All the difficulties of the journey, which my indolence had p robably mag nified , have

now difappe ared before a [h ung er pallion and you w ill

not be forry to hear, that, as far as Frankfort to Colo g ne,

I fhall~ enjoy the advantag e of the fociety, the converfa

tion, the Germanlang uag e, and the active aflillance of

S every. His attachment to me is the fole motive which

p rompts him to under tak e this troublefome journey ; andas foonas he has feenme over the roug helt g round, he

w ill immediately returnto L aufanne . The poor young

m‘

anloved L ady S . as a mo the r, and the whole family is

deeply affeéled by an event which reminds them too

painfully of their own misfortune. Adieu. I could

write

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

LETTERS FROMMR. GIBBON

o f enemies and allies , and thoug h I mull ex pect fatig ue ,Ihave not any app rehenfions of dang er . It is fcarcely

p ollible that you ihould meet me at Frank fort, but Ithanbe much difappointcd atnot finding a line atBruf

fels or Oftend. Adieu. If there be any invifible g uardi

ans , may they watch over you and yours ! Adieu .

Funx x r onr ,May 19th, r7p g .

ND here I am ing ood health and fp irits , after one

of the ea fiel’t, fafeft, and pleafantefi journies whichI ever p erformed inmy whole life not the app earance

of anenemy, and hardly the appearance of a war . Y et

I hear, as I amwriting , the cannonof the li eg e ofMayence , at the

l

dillance of twenty miles ; and long , verylong , will it be heard . It is confefl

'

ed onall fides , that

the Frenchfig htwith a courag e worthy of a better caufe .

The townofMayence is firong , their artillery admira‘

ble ; they are already reduced to horfe - flelh , but theyhave {till the refource of eating the inhab itants , and at

laft of eating one another ; and, if thatrepaft could be

ex tended to Paris and the whole country, it mig ht clien

tially contribute to the relief of mank ind . Our op erati

ons are carried onw ith more thanGermanflownefs , and

whenthe befieg ed are quiet, the befie g ers are p erfectlyfatisfied with their p ro g refs . A fp irit of divifion uh

doubtedly p revails ; and the character of the Prufiians

for courag e and difciplinc is funk lower than you can

p ollibly imag ine . Their g lory has ex p ired with Frede- r

r ick . I am fe rry to'

have mifl'

ed L ord Elg in, who is be

yond the Rhine with the King of Pruffiaf As I am imp atient, I p ropofe fetting forwards to -morrow afternoon,

and {ball reachOfiend inlefs than eig htdays . The p al'

-

Ii

fa g e mul’

tdepend onw inds and pack ets and I hope to.

find at Brul'

fels or Dover a letter which will d ireélme to

Sheffield- Place or Downing - S tree t. Severy g oes back

fromhence. Adieu : I embrace the clear g irls . Ever yours .

To LORD SHEFFIELD, AND omens 285

Bannu t,May z yth,HIS day, betweentwo and three o

’

clock .in the af

ternoon, I am arrived at this place in e x cellent

p refervation. My ex pedition, which is now drawing toa clofe , has beena journey of p erfeve rance rather thanfp eed, of fome labour fince Frank fort, but without the

{malleftdeg ree of difi culty or dang er . As Ihave everymorning been feared inthe chalfe foonafter fun- rife, I

p ropo fe indulg ing to -morrow till eleven o’

clock , and

g oing that“

day no farther thanGhent. OnWednefdaythe 29 th inftant I fhall reach Oftend in g ood time, julle ig ht days, according to my former reck oning , from

Frankfort. B eyond that I canfay nothing p ofitive ; but

fliould the winds be prop itious , it is p oflible that Imayappear nex t Saturday, June firfi, in Downing

- Street.

After that earlieftdate, you will ex pectme day by daytill I arrive . Adieu. I embrace the dear g irls , and fa

luteMrs .

.

I-Iolroyd . I rejoice that you have anticipated

my advice by plung ing into bufinefs ; but I fhould now

be forry if that bu finefs , however important, detained113 long intown. I donotwilh to mak e

.a public ex hi~

b itiou, and only li g h to enjoy you and the precious rem

nant inthe folitude of Sheffield - Place . Ever’

yours .

If I am fuccefs ful I may outfirip or accompany this

letter . Y our’s andMaria’

s waited for me here, and over

p aid the journey .

HE preceding L etter s intimate that, inreturnformyvifit to L aufannc in 179 1 ,Mr . Gibbon eng ag ed to

pafs a year with me in Eng land that the war havingrende red '

travelling ex ceeding ly inconvenient, efp eciallyto a p erfonwho, from his bodily infirmities , required

every accommodation, prevented his undertak ing fo for~

midable a journey at the time he p ropofed.

[ 23 5 ]

The call of friendfiiip , however, was fuficient tomalce

him overloolc every perfonal confidcrah on, when he

thoug ht his p refencc mig ht prove a confolation. I mufi.

ever reg ard it as the mofi endearing proof of his fenfi

bility, and of his pofi'

elling the truc fpirit of friendflrip ,

that after having relinquifhed the thoug ht of his intend

ed vhinhe hafiened to ling lanmin fpite of encra fin‘g

imp ediments , to foothe me by thc mofi g enerous fympa

thy, and to allev1ate my domefii c afli& 10n neither his

g reat corp ulency, nor his cx traordinary bodily infirmi

ties , nor any Other confideration, could prevent him a

moment from refolving on an undermking that mig hc

have deterred the moll aa ive young man. H m ahnofi

undertook a g reat circu itous journey, along the frontiers

of an enemy , wori'

e than fav ag e , within the found of

their eannon, withinthe rang e of the lig ht troop s of the

difi'

erent armies , and throug h roads ruined by the cum

mous machinery of war.

The readinels withwhieh he eng ag ed inthis k'

md office

of friendfhip , at a time whcn a felfifh . fpirit mig ht have

pleaded a thou fand reafons for declining fo hazardous a

journey, eonfpired, wrtfh the p eculiar charms of his fo

crety to rend er his arrival a cor dial to mymind . I had

the fatis faéi iono f find ing that his owndelicate and pre

carious healthhadnot fufi'

crcd inthe fervic e of hb friend .

He arrived inthc be g inning o f June at my hoofe in

Downing - Street, fafe and in g ood health and after we

had pall'

ed about amonth tog ether inL ondon, we fettled

at Sheflield- Plaee for the fummer ; whe re his wit, lezrrn

ing , and cheerful politenelis delig hted a g reat variety of

charaéi crs .

Althoug h he was inclined to .repr efcnt his hcalth as

better thanit reallywas , his habitualdiflik c tomotionap

p eared to incrcafe ; his inap tnefs to ex ercifc confined him

to the library and dining-m om, andrhere he joined my

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

[i

283

milywhichhe alwaysmetwith uncommonfatisfa&ion. H e

continued in g ood health during the fummer, and inex

cellent fp irits (I”

never knew him enjoy better) and when

he went from Shefi eld- Place'

, little d id l imag ine itwould

be the lall time I fhould have the inex prcflible pleafure offeeing him there 1nfullp ofi

'

eflionof health.

The few following ib ort letters , thoug hnot important

inthemfelves , willfill up this part of the narrative bet

ter, and more ag reeably, thanany thing I canfubflitute

intheir place .

EnwaanGras onEfg . to zlze Rt.Hon. Lord S a an u rm.

October ad, 179 3 .

HE Cork - S treethotel has anfwered its recommenda

tion; it is clean, convenient, and quiet. My firfi

evening was pafl'

ed at home ina very ag reeable fi fe - 5 45 1:

withmy friend Elmfley . Y eflcrday I dined at Cranford’s

with an e x cellent fet, inwhich were Pelham and L ord

Eg remont. I d ine to - daywithmyPortug uefe friend,Madame de Sylva, atGrenier

’

s molt probably with L adyVVebfier, whom I met laft nig ht at Devonfhire - Houfe

a couflant, thoug h late, refort of fociety. The duchefs

is as g ood , and L ady Eliz abeth as feducing , as ever. No

news whatever. Y ou will fee inthe p apers L ord Her

vey’s memorial. I love vig our, but it is furely a firong

meafure to tell a g entlemanyouh ave r g/blwd to pafs the

w inter inhis houfe . L ondon is not difag reeable yet I

{hallp robably leave it Saturday. If any thing lhould cc

cur; I willwrite .~ Adieu ; ever yours .

ToMe Same.S UNDAY afternoonI left London and lay at Reading ,

andMonday 1nvery g ood time I reached this place aftera very pleafant airing and am always fomuch delig hted ,

[ 5 3 9 1and improved , with this unionof cafe and motion. that,

were not the ex p ence enormous, I would travel every year

fome hundredmiles , more efp ecially inEng land . I paf

fed the day withMrs C . yefierday. Inmind and con

verfition The is jolt the fame as twenty years ag o . She

ha s fpirits, appetite, leg s , and eyes , and talk s of living

till ninety'

. I canfay frommy heart, Amen. We dine

at two, and remain tog ether tillnine ; but, althoug h we

have much to lily, I am not forty thatth e talk s of intro

d ucing a third o r fourth aélor. L ord S penfer ex pcéls meabout the aoth but if I cando itwithout offence, I (hallRealawayo or three days fooner, and you ib ali have ad

v ice ofmy motions . The troubles of Briflolhave been

ferions and bloody I knownotwho was infault , but Ido not like app ealing the mob by the ex tinélionof the

toll, and the removalof the Hereford militia, who had

done their duty. Ad ieu . The g irls mull dance at Tun

b ridg e . Whatwould dear little aunt fay if I was to an»

fwerher letter P Ever yo‘

urs . dle.

Yo s h i-lou s e , Ba rn,

1‘fiill follow the old fiile, thoug h the Conventionhasab olilhed the Chrifiian e ra, with months , we ek s, days ,Gan

To the Same.

Y on - Hausa , Ba rn, Cache: 1 3th, 179 3 .

IAMas ig norant ofBath in g eneralas if I were llillat

Shefi eld . My impatienc e to g et awaymak es me thinkitbetter to devote my whole time toMrs . G . and dear

little aunt, whom I tenderly falote , will ex cufc me to

her two friends , Mr. H artley and Prelion, if I makelittle or no ufe of their k ind introdua ion. A fi le 42- 111:

of'

ei g ht ornine hours every day is rather difficult to fup

port; yet I do all'

ure you, that our convcrfationfioiws with

more cafe and fpiritwhen we are alone, thanwhen any

She was theninher elg htieth year. 8.

VOL . I. U aux iliaries

[ 29 9 ]

aux iliaries are fixmmoned to our aid . She is indeed awou

derfulwoman, and Ithink allherfaculties o f the mind llron

g e r and more aclive, thanIhave ever knownthem. I have

fettled, that tenfull days may be -fuflicient for'

all the_pur

p o fes of our interview. I fhould therefore dep art ne x t

Fridav, the-

e ig hteenth inflant, and am indeed e x p eéled

at Althorpe on the twentieth ; but I may p ollibly reck on

wit-iout my'

holi , as Ihave not yet app rifedMrs .

.G . of

the term of my vifit; and will certainly not quarrelwith

her for a Ili ort delay. I mull have fome politic al fpecu

laiions . The camp aig n,'

at leal’t onour fide, Items to be

at anens . Ever yours .

To the Same.

A'

L '

rnon L rn a u

'

v , Tnefday, four o‘clodq

‘N] E have fo completely ex haufled this morning amongthe fu ll ed itions of C icero, that I canmentiononly

my departure henc e to~ morrow,

“

the fix th'

inliant. I (hall

lie quietly~atWoburn, and reach L ondon in g ood time

Thurlday. By the following p oll I w ill write fomewbatmore larg ely. My flay in L ondonwill depend, p artlyon my amufement, and your be ing fix ed at ‘ S hefi eld

Place ; unlefs you think I can b e comfortably g rang ed

Ibr ’

a week or two with you at Brig hton. The militaryremark s fcem g ood b utnow to what purpofe ! Ad ie u. I

embrace and much rejo ice‘

in L ouifa’

s improvement.

L ord Olfory was from home at Farning - Woods .

L ennon, Friday,Nov. 8th, four'

o'elocle.

W AL POLE has jull delivered yours, and I hallenthe

direfl ion, that you may not be at‘

a lo fs ., Iwill

vvrite to~ morrow, but I am now fatig ued , and rather im

well. Iwillwrite to ~ morrow, but I‘

am now fatig ued ,

and rather unwell. Adieu. I have not feena IoulexceptElmfley.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

I

ter viewing and palp ing , he very fefiouflydefired to call in

aliifiance and has ex amined it ag ain to- day withMr.

Cline, a fa rg ona , as he lays, of the firlt eminence.

Theyboth p ronounce it a lkydf ocdc, (a colleélionofM)which mullbe letout by the operation of tapping but,

from its mag nitude and long neg leéi , they think in mail:

ex traordinary cafe, and will] to have another l'

urg eon, Dr.

Bayley, prefent. If the bul'

mei s {hould g o of (monthly,

I (hall be delivered frommy burthen, (it is almoll as bigas a {mall child, ) and walk about in four or five days

with a truls . B ut the medical g entlemen, who never

{peak quite plain, inlinuete to me the poliibility of an

inflammation, of fever, &c . I am not appalled at the

thoug hts of the operation, which is fix ed fd r Wedne f

day nex t, twelve o’

clock ; but it has occurred to me ,

that you mig htwilh to be prefent. before and after-wands

till the crilis was pail and to g ive you that op portunity.

I {hallfolicitndelay tillThurfd ay, or eveh F riday. In

the mean while , I crawl about with {one labour, and

much indecency, to De vonlhire - Hoo fe (where I ieft all

the tine Ladies mak ing flannel waificoats ‘

l); L ady L u

can'

s , &c . Ad ieu. Varnilh the bulinefs for the L adie s

yetI am afl'

raid itwillbe public ;- the advantag e of beingnotorious . Iiver yours .

IMMEDIATEL Y on rece iving thelafl letter, I went

the fame'

day fromBrig hthelmflone to London, and was

ag reeably furpril'

ed to find thatMr. Gibbon had d inedat L ord Lucan

’

s, and d id not return to his lod g ing s ,

where I waited for him, till eleven o’

clock at nig ht.

Thole who have feenhimwithinthe lafi e ig ht or tenyears ,

mull be furp rifed to hear, that he could do ubt, whether

his diforder was ap parent. When he returned to Eu

slm l in 1787. I was arm ]? film ed by a p rodig ious

f For the Soldiers lnPlz-ndm .

inc reafe ,

‘

l'

5 94l”

'Gibbonwas tapped for the tit-ti time t fourquaits of a

ttranfparentwatery fluid were d ifcharg ed by that operation.

Neither inflammationnor fever enfued the tumour wasdimlnilhed to

~n°

early half its fiz e the remaining p art

was a foft irreg ular mafs .‘ I had been with him two

d ays , before, and I continued with him above a week af°

ter the firfl tapp ing , during which time he enjoyed hisufual fp irits ; and the three med ical g entlemen who at

tended him will recolleél his pleafantry, even during

the operation. H e was; abroad ag ainina few days , but

thewater evidently colleéling very'fafl, itwas ag reed that

a fecund punaure fhould be made a fortnig ht alter the

firfl. Knowing that I fhould be wanted at a meeting inthe country, he p roll

'

ed me to attend it, and promifed

that foon after the fecond operation was performed he

would followme to Sheffield - Place ; but before he arr ived

I rece ived the two following L etters .

Mfr . t aort to L ord S tim u lant) , of Brig htonS r . JAMI O t S r u a

‘

t , Nov. asth, 179 3 .

HOUGH Farquhar has promifed to write you a line,

I conceive you may not be fe rry to hear direéily

from me . The operation ol'

yeflerday was much long er,

more fearching , and more p ainful thanthe former ; but

it has eafed and lig htened .

me to a much g reater deg ree'

No inflammation, no fever, a delic ious nig ht, leave to

g o abroad to -morrow, and to g o out of town when I

p leafe, m attrMant the future meafurcs of a rad ical cure .

If you hold your intention of returning nex t S aturdayto S hefiield

-Place, I lhall p robably Joinyou about the

T uefday following ,after having paired two nig hts at

Beck enham f. TheDcvons are g oing to Bath, and the

hofp itable Craufurd follows them. I paficd a delig htful

day with Burk e ; . an odd one withMonli g norc Bulk ine ,the Pope

'

s Nuncio . Of public neWs , you and the pa

Three quarts of the fame fluid as beforewere difcharg rd. 1' Eden-I’m

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

[ 196 ]

Pin, with whom he was notacquainted ; and in his lafi

journeyto S ufl'

ex , he revifited Eden- Farm, and was much

g ratified by the opportunity of ag ain feeing , during a

whole day,Mr. Pitt, who pall'ed the nig ht there. From

L ord Auckland'

s , Mr. Gibbon proceeded to S heffield

Place ; and his dil'

courfe was never more brilliant, normore entertaining , thanon his arrival. The parallelhedrew, and the comparifons hemade, betweenthe leadingmen of this country, were fleetched inhis bell manner,

and were infinitely interefling . However, this lafi vifitto

S heffield - Place became far different from any he had ever

made before . That ready, cheerful, various,.

and illu

minating converfation, which we had before a'

dmired in

him, was not always to be found in the library or the

dining- room. H e moved with d ifficulty, and retired

from company fooner than he had beenufed to do . On

the twenty- third of December, his appe tite be g an to fail

him . He obferved to me , that itwas a very bad fig nu r'th

himwhen he couldnot eat his break fafl, which he had

done at all times very heartily ; and this feems to have.

beenthe firong efi ex prefiionof apprehenfion that he was

ever obferved to utter. A confiderable deg ree o f fever

now made its appearance . Inflammation arofe from the

weig ht and bulk of the tumour. Water ag aincolleaéd

very fall, and whenthe fever went he never entirelyrecovered his appetite even for break fafi. I became very

“

uneafy indeed athis fituationtowards the end of the month,and thoug ht itnecefl

'

ary to advife him to fet outfor L on

don. H e had before fettled his planto arrive there about

the middle of January. I had company inthe houfe,and we e x peéled one of his particular friends but he

was oblig ed to facrifiee all focial pleafure to the immedi

ate attention which his health required . He went tp

L ondononthe fey enth of January, and the nex t day Ireceived the following billet ; the htfihe everwrote :

l.‘

297

Enwu n‘GtaaonEli . to Lord Sfl I IN l LD.-

r

Sr . ja rsz t’iq sr au r , ha d dock , Twain

THIS date fays every thing . I Was almofl k illed

between Shefiield Place and Bait Gri'

nfied , by hard,froz en, long , and crofs rots , thatwould difg race theapproach of anIndianwig -warn. The tellwas fame

thing leis painful; and I reached this place half- dead,butnot ferioully feverifh, or ill. I found a d inner invitation from L ord L ucan; b ut what are

'

dinners to

me i I with they did not know of,my departure . I

catch the flying poll. What an efiort ! Adieu, till

Thurfday or Friday.

By his owndefrre, I did not follow him tillThurfdaythe ninth. I thenfound him far fromwell. The tumour

more diliended than before, inflamed, and .ulcerated in

feveral places . Remed ies were applied to abate the ia

flammation but it was not thoug ht p roper to punéiure

the tumour for a third time , tillMonday the l g th of January, when. no lefa than lix quarts of fluid were dif

charg ed . He feemed much relieved by the evacuation.

H is fp irits continued g ood . He talk ed , as ufual, of

p afling his time at henfea which he had oftenfreq uented

with g reat pleafure, the Duk e of Devérnfhire’

a, Mr.C ranford

'

s, L ord S penfer'

8 , L ord L ucan’

3 , S ir Ralph

Payne 3 , andMr. Batt’

s and when I told him that I{hould not returnto the country, as I had intended, he

p re’

ll'

ed the to g o knowing I had aneng ag ement there on

p ublic bulinefs , he faid, you may be back onS atur

day, and I intend to g o onThurfday to Devonfhire -r

H oofe .

" I had not any apprehenftonthat his life was

indang er, althoug h I be g anto fear that he mig htnot bereliored to a comfortable hate , and that motion would

be very troublefome to him ; but he talk ed of a radicalcure . He faid, that it was fortunate the diforder had

fhewn itfelf while lie was in Eng land, where he mig ht

procure the belt allillance and ifi

a

'

radical cure could

not

[ 1 93 ]

not be obteined before his retum to h ufanne, there'

m

unable fing eonat Geneva, who could come to tap him

whenit fhoqld be nece .fl'

ary

On Tuefday the fourteenth, Whenthe rifle of inflam

mation and fever from the laftoperationwas fuppofed to

be pafi, as the medical g entlemen who attended him ex

p rcli'

ed no fears for his life, I went that afternoon p art ofthe way to S ufi

'

ex , and the following day reached Shef

field- Place . The nex tmorning , the li x teenth I rece ived

by the pot} a g ood account ofMr. Gibbon, which mentioned alfo that he hourly g ained lireng th

. Inthe evening

came a letter by e x p refs , dated noon that day, which

acquainted me thatMr. Gibbonhad had a violent attack

the preced ing nig ht, and that it was not p robable he

Ihould live till I could come to him. I reached his

lod g ing s in'

St James’s - fireet aboutmidnig ht, and learned

that my friend had ex pired a quarter before one o’

clock

that day, the r6th of January 1794.After I left him onTuefday afternoonthe fourteenth,

he faw fome comp any, L ady L ucan and L ady S penfer,

and thoug ht himfelf well enoug h at nig ht to . omit the

opium draug ht, which he had beenufed to tak e for forne

time . H e llcpt very ind ifl'

erently ; b efore nine the nex t

morning he fofe, but could not eat his break fafi. H ow

ever, he app eared tolerably well, yet complained at times

of a pain in his liomach. At one o’

clock he rece ived a

v ilit of anhour fromMadame de Sylva, and at three, his

friend,Mr . Craufurd , ofAucbinames , (whom he always

mentioned with p articular reg ard called , and flayed

with him till pali five o'

clock . They talk ed, as ufual,

onvarious fubjeéis and twenty hours before his death,Mr. Gibbon hap pened to fall into a converfition, not

uncommonwith him, onthe p robable durationof his life .

H e faid, that he thoug ht himfelf a g ood life for ten,

twelve, or perhaps twenty years . About, fix , he ate the

wing of a chick en, and drank three g lali'

es ofMadeira .

After

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

half- (hut. About a quarter before one , he ceafed to

breathe“.

The w ind: chcmbre obferved , thatMr. Gibbond idnot, at any time, thew the leaf! fig nof alarm, or appre

~

brulic a of death“

and it does not appear that he ever

thoug ht himfelf indang er, unlefs his defire to fpealt toMr. Darellmay be confidered inthat lig ht.

Perhaps I dwell too long on thefe minute and melan

chely c ircumllances . Y et the clofe of fuch a life can

hardly fail to inte‘

rell every reader ; and I know that the

p ublie'has received a dt and erroneous account of

my friend’s lall hours .

I cannever ceafe to feel reg ret that as nothy his fide

atthis awful period a reg ret fo Rrong , that I canex prefa

The body m not epened till the fifih dly tfier hio death. ltwa then

found , ex cept that a deg ree of mortifieation, not very centidenhle , had tak en

place nta a part of the colaa ; which, with the whole of dte m , of a very

a lle g ed fiee , had defeended into thefirum , ferming a hag thztlrtuxg tlownutterlyt

ei lov g i mme. m m mw m am m w ,Mumbhoa eould not heat‘ l trufi ; and whenthc laltli t quwts of fiuid were difchup d ,

the «In and 0am defcending lower, they, by their weig ht, drew the low.

e r mouth of the Remach downwardl to the “Mb , nnd this prolnhly “ti the

i mmediate taufe of his death.

The followin; it the nc eount of the appearance of the body, g im hym

eminent furg eonwho opened it t

Aperto tumore, qui ab ing uine nique ad g enu fe ex tenderat, ohfervatum

eh partem ejus inferioretn confine eatmaid vag ina“tefiis cominenti dine

quafi libm liquoris femfitlnai fang uine. Ba ntam fuit facci illiunmplitu

do ts: portioni liquorit leng emajori cqfiendc fufiic eret. la p ilg rim-l int:

hujut Qcci teal: fitus fuit. Hunt: omi nd (mum invenime s.

Puma: tumoris fuperiorem oecupaverant integmm fete omentum etmajorpan intetlini coll. Ha: pat

-

tea, facco tibi proprio inclufc , tibi invitem et

facce fuo adehnae adhc ferunt ut eo'

t'

vifi'

e viderentur inmafihm unemfolldm“ et irt

'

eg ulmm ; eujo s a terg o ehorda fpermatica fedem futm obthmm t.

Inomento cc inintettino eolo hand debit retentis inflammationis hsot ridi‘3 mus

,necnonmaeulas nonnullas lividi coloris hint: inde (putts.

f‘Aperto abdomine , ventriculum invenimus anaturtli (do fitu detnélum

5‘que ad annulummufeuli obliqui ex terni. Pylorum retrorfim et qudi {whim

a duodeno m anna» . Inheptte inp neemnememmparvm m tuhercnlonm.

0‘Veficatn felleam bile admodtlm difientam. ince teris vlfcetibus, enmini

anaemico fuhjeait, null: metbi whisk ex titcmnt. “

[ 3 02 ]

P o S T S C R I P T .

R . Gibbon’

s W ill is dated the'

rflof a ber179 3 ,

jufl before I left L aufanne ; he difiing uillies me,as ufual, inthe meltflattering manner

I confiitute and appoint the R ig ht Honourable JohnL ord S hefi eld, Edward Darell Efquire,

’

and JohnThomas Batt q uire, to be the Ex ec

'

utors of this my

lullW ill and Tellament; ahd as the e x ecutionof this

trull willnot be attended with much difficulty or trou

ble , I fhall indulg e thefe g entlemen, in the pleafure

of this lafi d ilinterefled fervice, without wrong ing myfeeling s , or opp refling my heir, by too lig ht or too

weig hty a tefiimony of my g ratitude . My oblig ations

to the long and aclive friendfhip of L ord Shefield, Icould never fufiiciently repay.

”

H e thenobferves , that the R ig ht Hon. L ady Eliot, of

Port- Eliot, is his nearelt relation on the father’

s tide

but that her three fons are in fuch profperous c ircum

fiances , that he may well be e x cufed for mak ing the two

childrenof his late uncle , S ir S tanier Porten, his heirsthey being in a very d ifferent fituation. H e bequeaths

annuities to two old ferrants three thoufand p ound s , and

his furniture , plate, &c . at L aufanne, toMr . W ilhelm

de S every one hundred g uineas to the poor of L aufanne,

and fifty g uineas earth to the following p erfons : L ady

S hefiield and daug hters , Maria and L ouifa,MadameandMademoifelle de Severy, the Count de S chomberg ,Mademoifelle la Chanoinefl

'

e de Polier, andM. leMia iti te L e V ade , for the p urchafe of fome tok en which

may remind them of a fincere friend . The remains cfMr .Gibbon were depofited in Lord “fi eld

’

s fimily burial-plate

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 03 LETTERS To AND FROML ive fur lequel je n

'

avois {a qu étre embarafl‘

l. J’adopte

loutes vos obfervat’

ions , tous vos raifonuemens . Par‘

te chang ement d’

une feule lettre, J ous fubfiituez a un

fens louche ci obfeur, um penfée Claire, convenable an

caraéléi e de celui qui pa le, et b ienliée avec tout le refit:

du d ifcours . Je ne manquerai pas d‘

enfaire w e hate , et

(it me fervir dc cotte judicieufe correfi ion, fi l'

occafions'

en

p réfente , enprenant foind'

enfaire honneur i celui équi

je la dois .

J'

ajouterai feulement une remarque de pen de confé

quenoe , mais qui me pam it néceli'

aire pour dormer toute

fa perfea ion5 la phrafe , fur laquelle vous avez travaillé

fi heureufement'

. Voic i la phrafe auec le chang ement que

vous propo fe z . Nee gflé inobs ado wflro cars/alum ab Ro

m ni: crcda tis . Or in was no me paroit point s'

accordet

avec atio 'vdlro. L’

cx p reflion{nw x'

fimb ie manque: quel

que chofe qui doit étre contrz ire au b ientles Carthag ioo is ,

et qui par conféquence s'allie mi lavec l

’

idée de leur re

p os . Ainli an lieu de ces mats in vos j’

aimefois mien:

lire inhis . Alors la phrafe fera cornp letemen! boom. Na :

efi

your ing enious conjefiure illufintin; a palfz g e of Livy, by which I had

been puz z led. l adapt all your obfervatim and reafoning s . By chang ing

a fing le letter, you fubltitute, infia d of an“ Seward and obfure meaning , a

thoug ht perfpicuous in itfelf'

, {nimble to the chateau of the fpeak ef , and

conneaed with‘

the W of hindifioutfe. 1nullnotfillunit ing this judiei

ous correétion, wbenan opportunity occurs , and meutiouing the wune of th e

perfonto whom l am indebted finit.

I will add only one remark , of [null importance indeed, but meefl'

zry for

g iving complete comma. to the pamg e with which your attentionhas be en{a fuccefsfully occupied. W i th your emeudmtion it nun thus ! Nee nfi inaw e

oeia wflm cmjultwn 46 Ronald: mdatix. The in w does not appear to me

to cortefpood well with otio 'vgflro ; fince it feems to indicate (amething

odm fe to the intereit of the Qu thag iniam, and the refore does not acco rd

well with the idea of their tranquillity. Infiead of the words in w I would

m i in fill ; which won" model the pafl'

ag e perfefl ly «urea . Na 5311

EDWARD GIBBON Efquite . 309

y &inhis ott'

o o gfiro confulmm ab Romanis credatx'

r . Ne

penfe z p as que dans ces mefure s que prennent les Ro

mains , pour'

vous 6ter tomes vos forces , et envous in

terdifant la g uerre avec l'

étrang er, ils aienteu pour oh

jet votre tranquillité ct votre repo s .

"

11he me refie plus ,Monfieur, qu’

i vous remercier de la

bonté que vous avez ende me faire part d’

une idée aufli

heureufe. Ce ferait uue g rande ioie pour moi li je pe

g evois foventde pareils feeours for tout cc que j’

ai donné

no public .

‘

J’

ai l’

honneur d'

étre, avee bien de la reconnoilrance et

de refpe&, 8m.

CREV IE R .

h éix ab oqm pads/m ob Ram a}: a dmit. Do not believe that the“ Romans , when they deprive you of your forces , and forbid you to mak e

1‘ m onforeig nnationsfmem thereby to promote your tranquillity.

lt remaint only; Sir, that I thould thank you for your g oodnofs in com.

Meeting to me (0 happy it thoug ht. It would g ive me the g reatefi pleafm

nbe frequently favoured with foch afliflzance inmy literary labours .

Ihave the hooour to remain, withmuch g ratitude and refpe&,

Yours, lee.

C u vxu .

LETTERS TO AND FROMMII.

M. AL LAMAND aMr . Gtauo x .

Mousxwk , Bu , Sept. 14, 1756.

APRESENT que me voilé échappé dc Forag e tles font:tions publiques dont cette ég life ell charg ée entcms

dc fete , je faifis avec joie duelqucs womens do rcpos pourm

’

cmmenir,Monfieur, avce vous : cc feta, s’ilvous plait,

fans iae dc trop g rands eliotts for Particle dcs idécs in

11603 que vous me propoi’

c z,Outre que jc rifquerois de

d ire comme je ne fais quelle des interlocutriees de Te

rence, May ra commm ud : aug er ; ii y a fort long term

q ue je n’

ai reluM. L ock e, l’oracle moderne fur cette

matiere , et ii faudroit trop do tems et de pap ier pour

tout éplucher. Ayez donc la bonté dc vous contenter dcs

p remieres reflex ions qui fe prefenteronti urquelques endroits de fonpremier livrc .

Mr . AL L AMAND toMr . G rang er.

8 I R, Bu . roth September 1756.

AFTER d u ping from the tumult of public functions, inwhich the mi

p iiiert of this church are employed during the holydays , I fit downwith

much pleal'

ute w converfe with yo ua few minutes on paper ; without intenti

ing to make any very violent ex ertionin enfwering the quefiiom concerning

innate ideas , which you propofe for my confidcration. 1 runnot willing toriflt the being oblig ed to fay, with one of Terence’

s characte rs , Ma g oom am mag net hog an betides , it is long tince l look ed into Locke , the

modernoncle on that (object; and too much time and paper would be te

quifite comple tely to canvas (6 intricate a fuhjeCt. Y ou will have the

g oodnefs, therefore, to be contented with the tirfi reflection that occur to

me on form pomp : of his firit book .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 m LETTERS 70 AND FROMde la refondre. on. 111. 5 “(Mats enw e, la 1mm :

ci l’

embam s de ce: article montre sfl’

ez queM. L . u’

etole

p ar 5 fort aife enl’eerivant; ct comment y auroit- ilézé ?

Voici, autamque j'enpuis jug er, aquoi ii fe réduit.

"

ll avoue , Qg e nous avdns darts l’

efpritdes idées que

nous n’

app erq Ons point aéiudlement; mais, dit- ii,c

’

elt‘dans la mimoire qu

’

elles font : et cela efi ii Vrai,

qu'onne {e les rappelle point fans

'

fe fouvenir, enmeme

temp s , qu’onles a déji appercues . Or, teln

‘

eli point

he an tles icicles q it’ou pretend z

'

nnlfr. Qi and on Ice

ap pereoit pour la premiere ib is, cc n

’

eli pointavec re

4" minifcence , Comme on devroit, ii ces idées lé, avaient

été dans l’efpritavantcette premiere apperception,

”dre.

De g race,Monlieur, cmyez - vous queM. L ocke s’

en

tendoitbienlui -meme , quand ild ifting uoit i tredans I'

efpn’

t

et lire dart: Ia Et qu'

imp orte a la queii ion,

qu’

onfe fouvienne d’

avoir dej i fu cc que l’

onfe rappelle,

s’

il n’eh efi pas moins vrai qu

’

onl’

a eu long temps clans

l'

efprit fans s'

en appercevoir ; cc qui cit lc point dont

ii

there ohieél’ions ; but the leng th and perplex ity of that article them thathe was

notat cafe inwriting it. How indeed could he he fo l Gate, at far as I am able

to judg e, the following is the refoltof his arg ument : I confers thatwe haveideas in the mind , of which we are not confcioqs but then there ideas are

inthe memory ; as appears from this , thatwe neyer recall themwithout te

membering that they formerly were ohjefis of our perception. But this is

f‘ no: fuppofed to hold With reg ard towhat are called innate ideas . W henthefe

are perceived for the firfi time , it is notwith reminifcence, which would ce r

1‘ tainly he the cafe if they had beeninthe mind before this firfl pe rceptionof

them, Get.

Be pleafed to ttll me , Sir , whether you think thatMr Locke himfelt’ wellunderlined the difiwa ion which he mak es betwnn being in we m

'

ed , and

i t Hg in tie m ay And of what importznce is it, that we remember

to have formerly had the recalled ideas, provided it be sllowed chi t we had

EDWARDmesonerquin.

alls

’

ag it ? Au relic,M. L ock e auroitpu fentir que ii l’

on‘ne {e rapptlle point les idées innees p ar .zw m e, c

'

eil:

qu’

elles ne font point entrees dans l'

efp rit d’

une maniére

qui ait ex ig é, ou attiré fon attention. Et c’

cli aufli lo cas

de plufieurs idées acquifes car, quoiqu'

enp oiti'

e direM.

Lock e, chacun fe trouve au befoin, nombre d’

idécs qui

he peuvent s'

étre infinuées dans fon efprit, qu'

ft la pré

fence de certainsl

objets , aux quels iln’

a point pris g arde,‘

eng énéra] , p ar des moyens inconnus , qui l’ont en

richi fans qu’

il fache comment, et fans qu’

il crflt

avoir jufques anmoment qu’

elles fe font pré i'

entées .

S ur le fond meme de la queflion,ii me femblc queM

Lock e cohfond p erpétuellement deux chofes trés diffe

rentes . L’

idée ellc - mime, qui c it une connoifl'

ance dans

l’

efp rit et unp rinc ip e dc raifonnement; ct I'

faancé dc cm,

{di e cn forme de p ropolition, ou de definition. 11 fe

pent, ct ii efi mcme tres p robable , que bien des g ens

n’

ont jamais formé ou envifag é eneux - mémes cet énoncé ,

il

them 1m . without tak ing any netice of them, which is the point inquefiion?

Befides , Mr. Locke oug ht to have known that innate ideas are not recalled

With reminifcence , hecaufe thore ideas come orig inally into the mind in:

way that neither ex cites nor require: our attention; for whateverMr. Lockemay fay , every one may he fenfible from his ownex perienc e, that many

”enof his acquired ideas could not have come into his mind independently of

the prefence o f certainchicas of whichhe had never takenany notice ; or, in

g eneral, Ind :pendently of certainunknowncaniez , which enriched him, without his being fenfihle of it, with ideas thathe did not believe himfelf pofl

'

cfi'

cd

of, till they actually prefented themfe lves to his underfianding .

A s to the nu in quellion, Mr. Locke (cents to me -

pcrpc tt1ally to m

found two thing s ex tremely different; the idea itfclf, which is a preceptionof the mind, and a principle of reafoning ; and the ex prcflionof thzt idet

inthe form of a prOpoli tionor definition. It is poffible , nay, very probable .Mmany perfons have never fosmed, or thoug ht of thc propofi'i on, It is“ W hit

3 14 LETTERS TO AND mom

£1 impnfli ivlc g u’une ebofijor

’

t, ti nefail par m mime tom.

Voyez L iv. 1 . ch. i . 12. Mais fnit- ii deli , qu’

ils ne

connoill’

entpas la vérité qn1l ex prime, et qu’

ils n’

enont

p as l’

idec P-w- Niillement. Tout homme qui allure, qui

nie,‘

touthomme qui parle, nu enfant quand ildemande,

quand il roiale, quand il in plaint, 8 m. ne fuppofe t’- ii

pas, que rie‘

s qu’

une chofe~

c it,il efl impollible qu

'

en

mdme terns elle ne foit p as ? Ne tmuve z - vous p as ,Monfieur, qu

’

onpoutroit foutenir la realite des idées innées,

p réciiément fur cc queM. L ock e allég ue contre elles ,

que beaucoup de g ens h’

ontjamais penfé aux p ropofiti- e

ons evidentes dont ii parie ; car, puiique fans y avoir

p enfé, ils s’

enfervent,ils b

ifitili

'

ent lai - defl'

us , ils jug ent dela vérité, ou de l

'

abfurdité d'

nnd ifcours par fes rapports

avec ces principes 15 , &c . D’

oit leur vient cctte familia

rité avec des princip es qu’

ils n’

onji mti s ap p e rpus diftinéiement, ii cc n

’

eli de cc qu’

ils enont une wnnoifiance ,

0 11 ii l’

onveut, un fentimentnaturel?

Aux § 17et 18,M. Lock e nie que ie‘

confentement que

Iondoune d certaines propolitions, dds qn'

on les entend

p rononcer,

f‘ impt le for the fame thing to he and not to he at the fame time . See

Lu ke , b. l. e . x . § 12. But does it fellowfrom this , that they are ig norant

of the truth ex ptell’

ed by there words ? By no means . Every manwho afi rms,

denies , or (peak s ; 3 child who aflts, refufe s , or cornplains , munknow the

truth of this pwpofi tion. Does itnoc appear myou, S ir, that the dofirine ofinnate ideas m y be defended onthe f1me princ iple by whichMr. Loclte attachit ; namely, thatmany performhavenever thou g htof the p

ropoiitions or deferip

tions by which they are ex prefl'

ed ? For if without ever having thoug ht of theft:

propofit ions , they mak e nfe of them intheir reafoning t, and employ them in

jud g ing of the jnttnefs or nhfutdity of every d1fcuurle which they hearf how

hould they he (0 familm with principles which they never diftinaly took notice

of, w id e they had a naturalknowledg e or innate perceptionof them

in parag raphs 17 and 18, Mr. Lock e denies that our confenting to certain

propofitions at firtt hearing them, is a proof that the ideas exprefl'

ed‘

by them

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 16‘ LETTERS To ANDmore

entendent pour la p remiere fois , ot qui encomptennent

l’

énoncé, n'

apprennent rien de nouveau . Premiere

ment, dit- il, il eR clair qu’ils ont app ris les term dc

l’

énoncé et la fig ufica b n de ces termes .

” Mais qui nevoit queM. L ock e fort de la queflion Perfonne n

’

a jamais dit que dcs termes, qui ne font que des fig nes arbi

ttaires de nos idées , fuli'

ent innés . Il‘

ajoute, Que lesidées renf

'

ermées dans de p areils énoncés ne naifl'

ent

pas plus avec nous , que leurs ex preiiions , et qu’

on

acquiert ces idées dans la fuite aprés enavoir appris les

noms .

” Mais , ’

1 . N eil cc pas donnerpour p reuve do:

c c qu’

on afinne, cette afi rmationmeme ? Il n’

y a po int

d'

idées innées , car iln’

y ena que d’

acquifes !M. Lock e

riroit biend’

unpareil raifonnement, s’

il lo trouvoit darts

{6 adverfaires . 2 . S’

il eli vrai qu’

on apprend les mots

avant que d’

avoir les idées q u’

ils ex priment, aumoins s’

il

x ii vrai que cela fnit toujours ainli, commeM. Locke

l'

entend , je voudrois b ienlavoir commentInp remiére lan

g ue a p ii é‘

tre formée ? Etméme comment il efi poflible

qu’

on fafi'

e comp rendre i quelqu’

un lo fens d’

nn mot

nouveau pour lui ETout homme qui n’

a null: idée de

prehmd dm without leaming any thing m .

“ it is clear they multhawe leamed the ternu of the ex preflion, and the

“ men ing of thofe terms. ”But hereMr. Loclte manifefily departs fiom

the qnefi on. Nobody fiya that wmd s , which are merely arbitnry frg ns of

M ida h are innm. He adds , “ that the ideas denoted by thefe exptefiona

“ are no p ore bom with us thanthe ex ptefiions themfdm wd that we ac ef ‘quire the ida s afier filfi leaming the terms bywhich thq are ex prdfed.

"

ML Is not thit tp talte for g ranted the thing mbe proved i There are nom um . max ia a q uind. Mr. Loche wnuld laug h a hia advafax-le g were thcy to malte ufe of fiachan arg ument. 3 . 1s d

pc iiore ideas, at leati if that is always the cafe , “Mr. Lock e nnda fiands it m

be, l would be g ladwz kmw how the firfi lang uag e cw ld have beenfurm d, or

how it eould be poflible to communic ate to any one the meaning of a word altn

g ether new to him ? A perfoo who had no idea of order, fiir em plca would

be

EDWARD cmnonarm . 3 1,

f ord” , par ex emple, doit aulli penétre capable d’

enten

tire oe motand”, qu'

unMa le 116 celui dc couk ur .

Au 5 M. Incl-re nie les idées innée s , p arcequ’

elies

h e paediatric h i done its enfans , ni dans les imbecilles , ont i les devroient paroitre le plus : Mais , i . Ceux qu i admettent les idées innées , ne les croyent pas plus naturellee

i t l’

nme, que Tee facultés ; puis done que l’

état et la oon

fiitutiondo corps nuit i ceilea—ci dans les imbécilles , ellc

{e ra aulfi ennfe q u’

onne leurnemarque po int les autres. 2.

L e fait meme n’

eit pas entidrement m i les enfans et les

imbécflles out I'

idée de leut e x ifience , de k ilt individua

lité , de lent idemité, Ste .

Dans - lo relic de e e 5 ,M. L ocke fe d ivertit au depens

Q C c eux qui emyent que les énoncés des max imes ah

fi raites {but innées mais les plu s determines fchoh fliques

n’

ont jamais rienditde fembhble, et ii rit d‘une chimere

Qu'

il s‘

efl faite lui meme .

Je ne fais ,Monlieur, comment ii ell arrivé qu'

au lien

d e trois on quatte courtes reflex ions que j'

aurois da vous

donne:

be an mon eapable of underfianding ehe wotdmder, than a m bom blind

could underftand the wnrd ooloue.

in parag raph 27, Mr. Locloe deniee innate idoaes becaufe they are not

found indhildren and idiots , inwhom we oug htmoamenpea meeting with

them. l ani'

wer, r. Tholk who ah k innaee ideah do not believe them

more natural to the mind thanln Faeulties ; nnd as the k ate and eonltitution

of me body dlliurbe‘

the fioulriea of idion, dte fame eaufe may hinder

fite tn from (bowing any lig ns of innate idea . a . The fafi is notMy

true. Even idiots and infants have the idea of their ex iflenoe, indivi duality,

identity, Get .

Inthe remainder of that parag raph,Mr. [m ine diverts himi'elf' with the

abfurdity of thol'

e with believe the expreflions of abflract max im to be innate ;

but the molt de termined feholali ic nevermaintained any futh Opinion and he

combats a chimera which is the work of his ownfancy.

I knownothow it has happened that, inltead of a few g eneral refleéi ions

which i intended, I have fent you a long and tirel'

ome criticil'

m on\form

3 18 LETTERS TO AND FROMdonner fur tout cec i, je med

'

nis eng ag e dans une critique

long uc et ennuycufe, de quelq ues endroits d’un feul

chap itre : c’ell apparemment un relle de lallitude : j

’

ai

trouvé plus de fac ilité ii fuivre et6 chicanerM. L ocke qu’

i

p enfer tout feul. Prenez p atience et J’

en

trevois biendes choice 5 d ire fur lo fecond chapitre, onil s

’

ag it des principes innés dc pratique mais je ne vousenfatig uerai qu

‘

nprés enavoir rrcu l’

aveu de vous -meme

onécrit ici, que le Roi de Prufi'

e vient de battre les

Autrichiens et de leur tuer 20,mille hommes , en ayant

p erdu 1 5 mille des liens . Voiladone or) ii allo it enpaf

fant p ar L'

eipfic . S i cette nouvelle ell vraie, la g uerre ne

fauroit manquer‘

de devenir g énérale, et de l’

air qu'

elle

commence , elle {era terrible : mais je crains b ienque faM. P. n’ait le fortde Charles XII. Qui le foutiendra con

tre la France, l’

Autriche, etpent- étre la Ruflie rénnies

J'

ai l’

honneur d'

étre, avec une parfaite confidération,Monfieur, &c .

AL L AMAND.

paflilg es of a ting le chapter. The remains of laflimde, probably, made it

a fier for rne to follow and difpute withMr. Lock c, than to think and reafon

alone. Have patience , and pardonme . There are mtny remarlu to make on

the recond chapter, where he treats of innate praé'

ticai principled . But I willnot tire you with thatfubjeét, ualefa you defire it.

Onr newfpaperr fay, that the King of Pruflia hu beat the Anilrinns , and

k illed twenty thoufand ot'

their men; with the lofa of fifteen thoufand of hir

own. Thia vm the objeét he had invlew whenhe pafl'

ed throug h Leipfick .

lf the new be true, the war molt become g eneral ; and , according ro ap

pearances , it will be terrible . But I much fearleft his PruflianMajefiy meet

with the fate of Charla Xll. What are his refources for defence ag ainfi the

w ired fireng th of France and Auflria, and perhaps of Rnflia ?

l have the honour to be, with the mall perfeet confideration, yours, are.

AL L AH ANDQ

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 20 LETTERS TO AND FROMnon. Ceux qui afiirment, ne donnent g ue

‘

re pour ex em

p le d xdées fimples qui lo foyent, que celles de Dieu,‘ de

l'

unité, etde l'

ex illence : les autres e x emples fontp ris dc

p ropofitions completes , que vous appeliez jo g emens .Mais , (lites - vous, y aura t- il done des jug emens innés ?

L e jug ement ell- ii autrc chofe qu'

unnae de nos facultéa

intelleéluelles dans la comp araifondo: idées P L e jug e~

ment fur les vérités evidentes , n’

efl il p as une fimple rue

de ces vérités la, unfimple coup d’

oeil que l’

efpritjettefur elles J

'accorde tout e ela. Et de g race, qu

’

e il cc

qu’idi e N

’

efi cc p as w , oncoup d’

neil, fi‘

vous voulez

Ceux g hi définifi’

ent l’

idec autrement, no s’

eloig nent- ila

pas vifiblement da fens et de l’

intention du mot ? Dire

que les idées font les efpéces dos chofes imprimé es clans

l'

efp rit, comme l’

imag e de l’

objet fenfible tta cée dans

l'

oeil, n’

eft cc p as jarg onner plutdt q ue déflnir Or c’

cfl:

la faute, qu'

ont faite tous les metaphyfic'

wns, et quoiq ueM. Lock e l’ait bien fentie, ii a mieux aimé fe ficher

contre eux , et tirer contre les g irouettes de Inplace, que

s’

appliquer

certain commonand {elf- evident propofirions be innate . The only ex ample:

produced of innate ideas are thok of God , unity , and ex ifienoe ; the other

ex emples are of innate propofitions, whichyou c alljudg ments .

Y ou afk , whether it he poflible that our judg rnenu thould he innate, judgment being nothing elfe but the a& of our intelleélual faculties incomparing

our ideas , and our judg ment concerning feif- evident truths being merely the

perceptionof thofc truths by a {maple g lance of the mind ? I g rant all that

butwould alk , what elfe is anidea but a g lance of the mind PThofe who define

it otherwife , wildly depart fromthe orig inal fenfe of the m ; and talk unin~

tellig ibly, whenthey fay that ideas are fpeciea ; that is , appearances of thing s

imprefl'

ed on the mind , at: the imag es of corporeal objects are imprcfl'

ed onthe

eye . All metaphyficians have committed this within ; andMr. Lock e,thoug h fenfible of it, has chofen inhis ang er to direfi his batteries ag ainlt the

weathercoclts, rather thanag ainfl the building itfrlf. A ccording to the mean

in:

EDWARD GIBBON Efquire. 3 s t

s’appliquer a déméler cc g alimatias . Que n

’a - t- ildit : non

feulement ii n’

y a pointd’idées innées clans lé fens de ces

Meliieurs ; mais iln'y a point d’

idées do toutdans cc fens

15 : to'

ute idée ell unaéle, une vue, uncoup‘

d'

azil de l’ef

prit. Dias lors demander s’

ily a des idées innées , c’

ell de

mandcr s’

ily a certaines vérités fi évidentes ccli communes

que tout efpritnonfiup ide p uili'

e naturellement, fans cul

ture cc fans maitre, fans difcullion, fans-

raifonnement, les

reconnoitre d’uncoup d

’

oeil. L’

afiirmative me p aro’

i t in;

contellable, ct felonmoi, 1a queltionell vo idee p ar 15 .

Maintenant p renez g arde ,Moniieur, que cette maniéro

d’

entendre l'

aflaire, va au butdes p artifans des idées innées

tout comme la leur ; cc par laméme, contre‘

ditM. L ock e

dans le lien. Carpourquo’

i voudroit- ou quiily eii tdes idécs

innées ? C’ell pour enoppofer la certitude etl

’

évidence au.

doute univerfeldes fcep tiques , qui ellru in'

c d'

unfeul coup ,

s’

ily a des vérités dont la vue fo it nécefli

airc etnaturelle a

l’

homme . Or vous fentez ,Monfieur, que je p uis leur

d ire

ing of thefe metaphyfic ians , there are furcly no innate ideas, becaufe in their

fenl'

e of the word there are no ideas whatever. Anidea is merely anaél or per

uptionof the mind : and the quefiionconcerning innate ideas ismerely to deter.

mine, whether certain truth; be not (0 Contain and To evident, that every

mind, not abfolutely fiupid, mull recog niz e them at a fing ie g lance , without

the afi ltanc e of any teacher, and without the inte rventionof any difeullion or

mfoning ; and oftenwithout being fenfible that this g lance is callonthem The

afirmative appears to me incontrovertible ; and the queltionthereby is folved.

Youwill pleafe to remark , that this way of ex plaining the matter is as fa

vourable to innate ideas , and,therefore as bppolite toMr. Lock e‘

s doétrine , a;

the unintellig ible hypothefis above mentioned . For what reafon do we contend

infavour of innate ideas ? To oppofe evidence and certainty to univerfal feepticifm; whofe caufe is mined by proving certaintruths to be (0 necell

'

ary and fo

natural to man, that they are univerfally recog niz ed by a ting le g lance . Thismay be proved according to my meaning of the word idea, as well as accordingVOL . I. Y to

3 LETTERS To ANDmom

dine cela clans m'

a fapond’

ex piiquer la cho fe, tout’

aufii bit

enque les'

partifans ordinaires des idé’

es innées clans la leur .

Er vous cc'

qui femble incommoder un peuM. L ocke ,"

q ui,fans fé declare s pyrrhonien, laifl'

e apperpevoir nu pcu

cro p dc fo ible'

pour lo pyrrhonifme , et a beaucoup contri

b ué a lo nourrir dans cc fiécle . A force d e voulo ir mar

quer les bornes de nos connoifl‘

ances ; cc q ti i étoit‘

fort‘

né;

celfaire , il'

a quelquefois tout mis enhomes .

Apres ces re‘

rx’

mrques g éné‘

rales fur lo {0nd de‘

la'

qucfii

on, ii ell pen nételi'

aire de s’nrréter a quelques particuliéres , onvous he me croye z pas fondé

'

: Cependant Vous

me permettre z cle vous fai re faire obferver fur celles que

vous rclevez : 1 . Que daus cc $5 . do ch. r. il efi b ien‘

vrai queM. Lock e , mdle ces deux chofes , 8tre afluelle

ment dans l'

cfp rit, firm Que l’

efprz‘

t s’

m apperg ar'

w—‘

i et, y

étre , [Ems g u’

z'

l s ’enj oz

'

lj ama r'

s bmrfu .—Mai8 '

il ell certain‘

aulli, qu’

a la concluli onde cc ii s’entient au p remier

inco g nito , cc donne lieu a ma critique ens’ex p rimant en

c es termes Je fuis la tradué'

tion Francoife , n’

ayant p as

l’

orig inal.'

De forte; d it- ii, que foutenir qu’

une chol'

e

foit dans l’

entendement, ce qu’

elle n'

eli pas concue p ar

l’

emendement, ~

to the renfe inwhich this word was vnlg arly tak en; and the proof would not

have beenvery pleating toMr. Lock e , who wi thout profelfing himl'

elf a fceptic ,

yet lhews a leaning to the fcepticalMe; and'

whofe work s have contributed

much to the difl'

ulion of l'

cepticifrnin the prefent ag e . His too eag er defire of

fix ing thelimits of humanknowledg e, a thing“

hig hly necefl'

ary, has made him

leave nothing but limits .

A fter there g eneral. obfenations on the main qbellion, it is not very r e

c eflary to defcend to the particulars in which you think me irrili alten. Y e t

yonwill permit me to anftwer your objeftions . I: It is true , thatMr. Lock e ,5 . c . r. joins the two ex prcfiions , being inthe mind, without bc

'

ng s e

to s ily perceived by the mind and being inthe mind, without having e s er

been perceived by the mind but at the conclulion of the parag raph helays himfclf Open tomy criticil

'

m, by ex Prefling himfclf as follow“ So that to

be in the underlianding rand not to bc underflood, tu be inthe mind and

never

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

LETTERS TO ANDmom

fois qu’il envifag e cette pmpofitionli .

- Mais fi par idées,vous entendez ces ejpérer chimériques , {up pofées par lesmetaphyli ciens , et autant qu

’

il m’

enfouvient, p as afi'

ez

nettement cong édiées p arM. L ock e, j’

enreviens , s’

ilvous

p lait, a ma p rétcnfion, qu’

on no s’cntend pas {oi meme

quand ondifiing ue la mémoire de l’

efprit.

Unviolentmal dc téte que j’

ai apporté de notre véném

ble'

clafl'

e, no me p ermet p as d’étendre davantag e cetre let

tre, ctm’

empéche de la faire moins courte etplus nette . Je

vous p rie ,Monfieur, de l'

ex cufer telle qu’

elle ea. Pent

étre , pénétrant comme vous l’

étes, ne laifferez - vous p as

d’

y entrevoir dequoi prevenir toute d ifiiculté for Its p rin

cipes innés dc pratique :M. L ock e me p aroit plus fart

ioi que fur les autres , mais iln’

a pas laifl'

é de s'

y embaraf

for unp eu par- Ci par

- la.

Je me faifois une féte de vons voit unmomentaVevay,etj

’

ai été capot détre drfippor'

ntcd fij’

entcnds cc mot de

votre lang ue, la notre n’

en a po int qui p eutdire fi b ien la

méme chofe . Je n’

ai méme vuM. Pavillard que dans l'

af

{emblem

by ideas thefe chimerical (peek s , the mere fiaions of metaphyficians , and

as it feems to me , not fufliciently difproved byMr. Lock e , l returnto myoffer-tion, and maintainthat the ditlinfi ion is unintellig ible between be ing

in the mind ,"and being inthe memory.

"

A violent headaeh, which I broug ht with me from our venerable clafs , him

ders me from continuing this letter, or rendering what l have alm dy written

ihorter and more perfpicuous . l intreat you to ex cufe its imPerfeaions . Yourpenetrationwill perhaps dlfcem how all difiiculties may he folved conf erring inc

nate prafi ical principles. Mr. Lock e treats this fubjeél better thanhe does theothers ; but infeveral parts he is fomewhat puzz led .

I rejoiced at the hopes of feeing you for a moment at \’m y, and m

furp rifed at be ing rfifappointrd. If I rig htly undcrfiantl this word of your lan.

g uag e , it cannot be well tnnflated into ours. I mctwithMnParillaxd only inthe aflembly.

LETTERS'

ro AND mom

N° IV .

M. Ia .Profrfl"

mr Bu tr m o zndM.Gu uo sr, ALaufanne .

Otlober az , 1756,

EOJJIDBMDams fum, non (Edipua ; d icam tamen

quid de dubio e Jullino propofitis loc is mihi videatur.

x . Jo s r m u s , libr. ii. c . 3 . Hi: ig imr A/ia per mil]:

g ut'

ng enlos m ar oefl ig ulr’

rfur'

t. Pmdmdr'

tributifimmNina:" x W ormMW . Adeomanifeflus ell calculi error,tut mirum videri pollit, hanc leélionem unquam fuill

’

e a

quoquam in te x tum receptam; ita enim Ninus Scfoilre

mille quing entis annis infe rior afl'

ct mate . Orofius , qui

Jufiinum per compendium fumma cum fide ex preflit, hateinbone modum commemorat. L ib . i . c . 14. Union/am

9mm E mm i (Sofi a ) retri al/W ”if?MW 11m? !

diti , ”pal/F firmf nd . Indr continua rw rrfi, pardomizam

irgfinitis redihur A/t'

amMig alem f ret ": ubi per 15 armor

fine pace immoratr'

, tandem ux arumfiag ilalr’

ane revocanfur ,

Pro/(flor Bu tr m onrt toMr. G ruuonatL aufanne .

Ofl ober z z , 1756.

THOUGH 1 amDams , not (Edipus , lwill g ive you my apinionconce rn

log the w ould“ inJutlin, which you propofe for my confideration.

thc third chapter of his fecood book he fays, That Afia was trk

" butory fiftrtm ccnturiu to the Scythianr, and that N’

tmn pot m cnd m

thaie contributions, " The number of years is (0 mmlfctlly erroneous,

that it it afioltilhiog fuch a reading 010q ever have beenadmitted into the

tex t ; for it mak es Ninus lster than Sefoilrir by a period of fifteen hundred

years . Oroliur, who abridg ed jufiinvylth the g reatetl fidelity, (peak s to the

following purpofe t The Scythinnt would have ravag ed the whole of

to Eg ypt, had they not been prevented by the marlhcz. When”WY te

turned from that country, they made a bloody conquefi of A64, ami no

dcml it tributary. list ing remained thereMum maid s yew : ll"? i t

worth

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 1 3 LETTERS TO 11161)FROMp riufquammanus conferuillent, nonnifi poll holler devic e

cos ac cz fos , incalita 1everterunt. Qg id quod ipl'

e Juli

tinus idem haud obleute innuit, qoum air :Mata: hr'r tamj q/h

'

: prm'

our, 1111111 in from V ICTO R UE. cg fira fim‘

jyflit

quorummoliu‘

onibur or imfli: r e anaaa‘

r un. 0 3 011 [i vero

llamas ,Macedonum e x ercitum infinitis Cnphitamm cepiis

tem tum a proclio abllinuill'

e , atque hoc timore perculfnm

red itnm maturandum clTe cenfuifl°

e, na: e g o non intellig o

q uo fenfu Julliana d ix crit . Cofim pofuiflo mint z’

nfine st

V i c'

ro ttu z : pofm'

flé mdomfo'

hlo mag nifirontiora 11: koflis'r z a arznx r u a z rt cum G RAT UL AT IONE in ca raver

tij é . Ub i et hoc contra S ebifii emendationem notan°

ve

iim, formulam illam lpquendi C UMG RAT U L AT XON I

alterum illud, 0011" cog/i: fiofliir, jam compre

bendere . Adeoque illa tua emendatio omifir liq/31°

5 1“ et

ab hilloriz fide et a Juli ip i fententia multum ablud it.

3 - JU S T IN iii). x x ii . c . 8 Trifl e momporiio menu:

W e 61:11t ex rrritwn, rt mflfirtiy’imi cunei,

mmfine w inerihw Izoflium, dif patz, m om . Ne to of

fcndat du1ior, qua tibi videtur trajeélio vocis hqflr'

um

combated and conquered the enemy. Juhin himl'elf g ave us to underl'

tandas much. When he l

'

syr, That Alex ande r, moved by fuch jufi praymi,canted, at the end ol

'

hisMary, a camp to be forme‘

d, Whole “i ns til ls“i116” : terror into the enemy If theMacedonians, therefore , ” you

imag ine, had beenfrig htened at the innumerable lane s of the Cuphites , and

therefore returned hallily into their camp , I do not fee why Julhnmouldi'

ay, at 161 end ‘ff Iris «mo info file entry , or 15111 1159

returned to “f ir can) 1 11216 rianl’g m

’

mg r. it may here he remark ed, in

oppol'

ttionto Schifius ‘

cmcndation, that the ex preflion, am:

tranfiated with thank fg iring s , will include the 119 5'

s Arr/1713 , i a tvx apxg‘nrg m

9 . clv that is , the fim'

g‘icr ofMa x i: l

'

o that your alterationaf ar-fir dog/iii: into

a eg is AM, is equally inconfillcntwith hillOtical truthand the words of j ulhn.

Jufiin, lib. x x iv. c . viii. we read, Part of thc mountaincarried

away by the earthqualce overuhelmcd the army of the 6 111115 ; and its

thick malfes Break ing in {tattered piece s , fell down with g reat force , noi1“ without wounding the enemy.

”Y ou need no: he ofitnded with the hard;

3 3° LETTERS To AND FROMid enirn, quamvis ig nave, faétum fuiil

'

e memorant hifioq

rici Romani uno quafi convitio : in illis Ora/5111, lib . ii .

e . 1 9 . Pota to": Galli urbanpamrant en captam urbanRoman) ! Univerfam reliquam juventutem in area CapitoMMonti: 14111411111» 0 113 1 11 10 11; concludunt : ubique info.

j ubig unt, 81C . V ides urbe jam capta, dcfcnfioni tamea

focam fuperfuiflfe ; neque p rofeéto red imi nrbem op us

fuifl'

e t, nifi jam in hofiium potefiate , I1 . 1 . capta fuiflict.

Nonvideris de cc emendationis tuac incommodo co g itfifle ,

quod cap itolium folum auro fuilYe redemptum affirmaret,

contra hifiorize fidem.

5 . Ju s'

r rN . lib . x x x i. c . 1 . £ 53411 primum a [momRomano mffli , atAnfiocbo Syrioe reg } per/_

uadormt, no 61110 131

vd at ea: Carlo- Syria ( irritant , qua: E g yplii prior : 111110 0:

wpé rant, qua! proinde E g ypt” j uris f wrunt, hoe 1111721111 ar

g wnenlo, quad hoe civila i es ad reg em pup illumpertinerau, 5

dei fut traditum. Atque etiam f upra Jufiinus , lib . x x x .

1: 3 . memorat :Mildtur g tM. L epizlus W m, qui

g ree thit their city , whentak en, was dei'ended , thou g h in eoynrdlynian.

In . Orofius , among others , (aye, lib. x i. e . 19 . The Gauls penetmod

inm the open city ; Rome was now tak en; the refi of the yooth w ere

amt up and bg fog ed inthe citadel of the CapitolineMount ; where tbe7

9‘ were a prey to hung er, peitilence , terror, and defpair."

You m y pet

ceive , therefore , that thoug h the city was tak en, its defence was not on

tirely abandoned ; and if it had not beentalcen, it needed not bo hzve been

ranfomed . It foetus not to have occurred to you, that your corrofi ion irr1

plies the C apitolonly to have beenranfomed , which is not hifloeically true.

5 . InJuftin, lib . x x x i. c . 1 . we read , Amhafl'

adors we re Brit fes t by the

Roman Comte to perfuzde Antiochu s , K ing of Syria , that he ihould not

mak e 11 11 01: the c ities of Ca le - Syria, e ixich the Eg yptians had occupied

inthe former war, and which were therefore fuhjeét to Eg ypt ; 116113 with

him this arg ument, that thefe cities belong ed to a young prince , the ir

who had been committed by his father to the pmteC’ion of the

Romans. " This (am: Author, lib. 111111. c . iii (ays, M. c idns was

{cut

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 3 : LETTERS TO AND FROMlo djm-e eel/1

°

ad utrumque, potiore tameo fenfu ad j dbebai

nfiitui inz'

nteg rum referti poll'

e 3 flatim enim fuhjicit ah

unenti helium denunciatum.

o. Ju s‘

r tN . libr. x x x i . c . r. Ig itur Sonata: firipfitMinim , f d vidcatur , fimtiMacedonian 11 Philip ”,

C ra ciun a Nabid,’ liberal. Quid de g loria Flaminini duc is

b elliMacedonici flatucndumfit, docci formula 5 . C . apud

L ivium, lib . x x x iii. c . 3 2. S . P .Q, R . 11 13 . Quin/1°

11:

Imp . Philippa reg e ,Maccdonibxfg ue DEV IC T l S , liberas , z'mu m fid ; leg ibus 101 j ubet Corinthior, Et Florus , lib .

ii. c . x tt. Sam e/[emf Philippofiliw Pe g/1 .1, qui $ 17.m IN

P x nrm ‘

o umV tC'

r AmqfléMacedonians 1101115111411“ ex g m .

ti : dig m'

taie . q ritur jam anQuintius , quiMacedoniam vic it, ullo fenfu dici pofiitMacedonian: a Philippa lib “

11

1W, quamvis dcinde ipl'

aMacedonia Philippe nonfuet it

of war . l uted not mentionthat the law of war, inj uflin, mmy have

exeference to both the circumlhnces by which friendlhip between lines is

yiolated ; but Principally to the attack made on the dominiom ot'

Ptolemy,

an ally of the Romans, who deli re him to be rcinllated by Antiochus in

his poll'

diions ; {or the author immediately adds , that when Antiochus refut’

ed

to comply, war was denounced ag ainfihim.

6. lnJm’lin, lib. x x x i. c . I we read, The fennte , therefore , wrote to

Fb mininus , that if it fecmed ex pedient to him, as he had deliveredM1cedonfrom Philip , (0 he ilxould deliver Greece From Nabie." The g lory

ef Hmnininus , the g eneral in theMacedonian war, it Efficiently atteflc d

by the word s of the fenate‘

s decree , inLivy, lib. x x xi ii. c. 3 2. The re .

fl. mt: and q an People , and L. Qg ihtius the g eneral, having conquered3 ‘ k ing Philip and theMacedonians, declare free and independent republics,

i" fix Corinthians , &1c. Florus , lib. ii. c . 12. fi ys , Petfcus fucceeded hi ;

1 : father Philip , and did not think it becoming the dig nity ot’Macedon, that it

lhoull remain in l'

ubjeélion, inconfequencc of be ing defeated inone war.

Y ouMk , whe ther (mintius , who conquertdMacedon, can be (aid, in any

{cafe to have delivered it from Philip , althoug h it apptu s that Philip was

really

E DWARD GIBBON 3 3 1

r it adempta : ct fi Nabidem pari modo vinceret, annon

hoe ipfo Gra ciam liberfifl'

e cenfendus fit ? At vero owoelu

rem e x plicfifi'

e videtur ip fe Jullinus , qui, libr. x x x . cap .

u lt. hate habe t S edMacedoner Romanafortwra vicit: fractur {toque belle Philippa“, pace 11 Flamim

'

no Cof. petita, 110

men 916111 111 reg iam rm'

rwit fid omnibus Gra cia urbibur, w

Iut REGN I (MAC I DON IG I) MBMBR I S , ex tra fer-miner

antique p gflefiom'

r, omifli r, S O L AMMacedoniam " lim it.

In literis ,‘

erg o, S enatus Rom. ad Cof. Flamininum per

Illacrdom'

am fig nificatur, nontantumMacedonia llriélé lied iéta, et antiquis terminis comprehenfa, quac (6121 Philip

p o nonfuit adempta , fed inprimis ea Gra ciae p ats (iftae

m‘bes ,) quac ex tra terminar antique pofléfliom'

s vcluti reg m’

Macedonici membm accel'

fetant, quaeque fuh Philippa

adMacedonicumre g num pertinebant; quibus , infenatds

lite ris , op ponitur Gra cia reliqua, a Nabide tentata, que

haélcnus imperioMacedonico nunquam fuerat fubjeéia.

H inc S enatds Rom. fententia ifihz c fuerit : li eutiMacedoniam a Philippo, ita reli g uam Gra ciam a Nab ide libe«

ret. Vel, ficuti p artem Graeciae, quae adMacedonian:p ertincbat

really notdeprived of that k ing dom ? and whether, it’

the Romang eneral con

quered Nabit, at he had already conquered Philip , he did not thereby free

Gree ce ? Thefe difficulties are folved by Joltin, lib. x x x . c . 4. The

fortune of the Romans conquered theMacedonians ; (0 that Philip , albu

his defeat, having obtained peace from the conful Flamininus, preferred

indeed the name of k ing , but k ept poll'

efiiononly ofMacedon, havinglofi all Ihofe cities of Greece, which, lik e fcattered members of theMa.

cedonlan k ing dom, lay beyond its ancient boundaries .

"In the lettera,

there fore, of the Roman fenete to the conful Flamininus , Macedon fig nifics

not the country firiflly (0 called, which alone was mt taken from Philip,

but that part of Greece which lay beyond the orig inal limits ofMacedon;to which is Oppofed the relt of Greece , which was thenharrafl

'

cd by Nabis,

but which, had never been fubjeét toMacedon. Hence the meaning of the

{mu te appears to have been, thatQi'

intius, as he had deliveredMacedonia,that is, the part of Greece belong ing toMacedon, from Philip, fo he theold

deliver

LETTERS TOAND FROMp ertinebat a Philippb , itanunc univerl

'

am pene

a Nabidc liberct.

94318 d ix erit?Nonell fententia verumell

C red ite me vobis foliummeditate S ibyllé !

November r7,

S w '

r criticae'

difciplinmRudiofi infolicitandis veterum

auélorum locis cautiores , ct in leg endis ipfis audioribus

d ilig entiorcs , atque ita intellig ant, quantae dilig entiz {it

haec critica ars ,‘

et quam temeré faciant, qui, ut aliquid

concoqucre non pofi‘

unt, aut nonfatis vel analog ise'

ref

pondens vel d ialeéiicis préeceptiunculis fuis conveniens

p utant, ita mutate fullincnt; quae temeritas ell, cum a

multis , tum a Cel. Burmanno imprilnis inp rmfatione au

rea Phaedra p reemifl'

a, reprehenlit ; cujus eg o p raefationis

uti tanquam normammihi femper p ropofitamhabui,‘

ad

quamquicquid ell hujus facultatis d irig crcm, ita lcélion~

em omnibus his’

vehementer commendatam clTe cupio,

qui inhoc g enere eloborare volunt. H is , qua praefifc ine

diéla velim, praemiflis , accedo nunc ad eam‘

difp utation

cm, qua: circa dubia quaedam Jufiini loca doéid verfatur.

1 . 13mm

deliver the ref! of Greece fromNabir, who had actually made himfelf mallet

nearly of the whole of that couhtry.

This is notmerely a conjecture (ag e ,But truth as certainas the S ibyl

'

s pag e .

November 17, 1756,

Tuost who apply themfelm to criticifm oug ht to be cautious inconjeeeural emendation, and dilig ent in cleflieal Rudy, that they may perceive

what val} application this critical art requires , and how ralhly thofc behave,

who immediately alter a pallag e which they do not at full li g ht underli and ,

or which feems to them inconfiftent with their rules of g rammar or log ic.

Thinralhnefs is juflly reprehended by many, and particularly by the illumious Burm a , in his valuable preface to t edrus : which, as ! have always

made it the rule by which my own critical labours have been direaed, fo l

would warmly recommend it to allthofe who puri'

ne the fame walk of literao

turc. Having made this preparatory obfervation, 1 proceed to the difficultie s

inJulia, about Which (0much learning has beenemployed.

TheI .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 36 LETTERS TO AND FROMdices antique s , qui numeros literarum notis deibriptoo

p rt ferunt, huic tuae conjcfi urae nullo modo favere. Et

quamvis nonneg averim dari codices antiques qui nume

ros integ qia voc ibus c x pofitos d i'

ctant mihi tamen per

fuafum efi, p lurimos dari antique s libros , inprimis hif

toricos , in quibus frequentiores calculi occurrunt, qui

numeros literarumnotis defcriptos rep rz fentent: huic ve

to perfualioni fidem faciunt etex empla etteflimonia lucu

lentiilirna : unicum emultis afl'

eramGaleni de Antidot. I. To

3 s inAW . intwin: ta “Aid a n; am u‘utu , u : no c pd pwv ex t:

7: m eanpcb‘w nflau

‘ i o prev sum m anila” ems , “ Ca t ap ult; n

8:“I1

‘

srpocOu- np mnaming s en-

ccy rm cou p es: pmare“ x r a.

Atque opp idowirot , quinetiam doleo, hoc criticas dif

ciplinae caput, dc notis numeralibus , inantiquis codicibus

varie dcfcrip tas , nondum certis obfervationibus ct reg ulis

ita efl'

e adfirifi um, et inartis formant red afium, utfrivo

la quorundam innumeris et calculis p ro libidine fing en

dis ac refing endis intemperies coerceri, certae contra h otze

characterifiicae de a tate et fide codicum conflitui, pofiint.

Fac vero huic tuae conjeéiurae quaper mill: inpermffla mutandura cenl

'

es , a parte fcripturae codicumMS S . nihil oh

fiare cam tamenp rorfus refpuit, quem ipfe notas Jufiini

error, qui S efoftrcm ab S cythia infiag m 467m ex ercita

names of numbers are e xpreffed, not by words , but by letters ufed as ma

rneral marks ; and thoug h they are fometimee ex prefl'

ed by words, yet this

is not frequent, e fpecially inwork s of hiftory. This afl'

ertionis confirmed

by innumerable ocfiimonies ; I (hall be contented with referring to that of

Galen de Antidot. l.-It is a fubjea indwd both ol

'

furprife and g rief, that

this part of critioifm, which confide in afcertaining ex aa ly the rules of nu

meral notation, lhould not have met with due attention; althoug h thereby

the raflmefs of 'wild conjecture would be g reatly reltrained, and more cer

minty mig ht be attaihed indetermining the ag e and mthnnticity ormanufcripts.

But let it be fuppofed that your correétion were fafe on this fide , yet it

would be defiroyed by the pall'

ag e which you yourfelf quote from jud ingThat Scfofiria being put to flig ht by the Scythians , leftbehind him his

m y

EDWARD GIBBON Efquire . 3 3 7

mm imm'

apparata bellz'

rrliéio, perbibet quumque Jufii

nus fupra, difetto commemorat Scytkas , a p erfe

quendo rcg e reverfos , [from PERDOMIT AMmé‘

lig alem

j ecfl ? qui mox 5 18 . idem Ahamnonp erdomitani, fed

a S efofirema amrs s amnarraret Non ag itur dc fide nan

rationis , fed de Jullini fcntentia, five vera five falfa . Ne

q ue fing endum eftJuflinum aperte fib i contrariari .

Arrianum {i hic confulamus , ille fimpliciter memorar,

Alex andr-um ad Hypbafinamnem procefifle, Inlet qui tram

fiumm habitarmt, fubacqurum: turnwereMacedon“, g um

beIIi fimm nullum cornerent, alterius prog redi noluifle, zan

demg ue Cam deprecante impetréflé ab Alex andra, utfe ad re

ditump araret, quoniam omnia illum ab ulteriore pro/isfl ione

rm car ent. Ibi tumAlex andra": XII are : ing mter g amm a

m mm , con/mama. Nihil ille'

dc C uphitis ; ui

hil dc CC millibus equitum qui terrorurn incuterent

Macedonibus ; nihil de cafiris , drc . Curtius , lib . ix . c .

2 . p ari

army and bag g ag e. The hillorian having obferved, ia § 1 5 , that the

Scythians , after returning from the purfuitof the k ing , rendered Alia, which

they had fubdued, tributary ; how is it pofiible that, ia § 1 8, he lhould fay

that this happened not in confequence of their own military fuccefa, but in

confequence of the permiflion of Sel'

oftris We are not now inquiring what is

hiltorically true, butwhat is'

Jufiin‘

a report ; whichmuttnot be fuppol’

od in

confulent with itfclf.

a. If we here confult Arrian, he tells us merely that Alex ander pro

ceeded to the river Hyphafia, with a view to conquer the Indiana who

lived beyond it ; but that theMacedonians , then perceiving there was

no end to their labours , refufed to advance ; and finally prevailed on

Alex ander , throug h the earnelt intreaty of C c nus , to prepare for his

return; fince every thing foerned adverfe to his farther prog rel'

s . ThenAlex ander eredled twelve g reat altars , at monuments of his conquefts .

“

Arrian fays nothing about the Cuphitea, the camp, or the two hundred

thoufand horfemm, who (0 much terrified the Macedonians . Curtius

lib. ix . c . a and 3 , relates, that Alex ander, when he came to the Hy

VOL . 1. Z phalia,

3 3 8 LETTERS TO AND FROM2 . p ari modo memorat, Alex andrunc, g ame:More: Hy

Gang aridar at Phone/for, 00W " g em, XX millibar

eg m'

mm, CC peditum,

‘

obfidcntem viar : ad here quadrig arunlMM. ”Mere, etpre a'puumterrorm elephant“ qua: W M.

detrafl qfle Ca’nog ut deprecante, impetrqfle'

rd redilum in

m'

s fua muniwma g wg ue cqflrorumj uflit ex tendi , cubih'

a

g ut amplz'

oris firm g uampro corpora": [whimnling ui, at

m e . Gemina ferc habet Plutarchus inAlex . Quifquishz c cum Jufiino comparat, facile intellig et, Jufiinum

q uamvis candem hifioriam commemoret, nihilominus in

p raec ipuis quibu fdam faai c ircumfiantiis, ct Alex andri

confiliis , ab his fcriptoribus d ifcrepare : max ime autem

in co , quod duplex cafirorum tam infolita mag nificentia

confiruendorum confilium fuifl‘

e dicit, alterumquod befits ,alterum

“ and Pharrafi ; that their k ing , with twenty tboufand borfe and two hun

“ dred thoul'

and being fiarniflxed befidea

“ with two thoufand chariots and three thonfand elephanta ; which laft fm-med

thoi moh aiarming part of his firefi g th. TheMaoedonima then refufe d

to follow the k ing farther ; and obtained, throug h Ccnua‘

°

entreaty, that

preparations lhould be made for their return home .

"He fubjoina;

and nrdered twelve altara of

fquare ltone oo be ereéted aa a monument of his ex pedition, and the for

tificationa of his camp to be enlarg ed, and beds of a g ig antic fiae to be

“ conftruéted , that by difi'

ufing an air of vafinefi on every objefl around

him, he mig ht ex cite the creduloua wonder of pnfierity.”

Plutarch,

inhir treatife concerning the fortune of Alex ander, {peak s no the fame

purpofe . By cornparing thefe anthors with Jbtlin, the reader will perceive

‘cularly in faying thatAlex ander had two motives for enlarg ing the furtifi

u tiona ot'

hia camp ; one of which reg arded the enemy, md the other had

a re

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

t 340 LETTERS TO AND mom

fuill'

entconfirufl a ctrcliéia PEtenim omiflis hnfiib w, qua:v it‘iorr

'

a ? quis terror ? quae '

dcinde. g rain/atio ? GramIatiam

’

s voccm autem dc l'

olemnibus victimis ob lx tum

eventum, {en de x a g i cug i u : qualia Arrianos memorat,

p allim ufurpari, ncmtnt qui tn lcfi ionc veterum trites

aureé habet, pateli cll'

c obfcurhm. Ut taccam illud omifli s ,tanquam quod incep tum aliquod, immo ctiammcg lccflum,

involvit, mihi n'

onreéie arriderc, atque ctiam a {lilo Jul"

tini alienum vidcri . Caeterum qua: dc On'

ofii aetatc, fc0 p 0 ,

fide prolix e difputas , parum ad rém faccre videntur. Con

hat inter omnes Orofium inplcrifque Juli inum ita p refl'

e,

no dicam fupc rilitiofc , cfi'

e fccutum, ut ejus fore verbis acfententiis pallim loqui vidcatur : ct infinitis p rope inlocis

Jufiini lcélionem ct fententiam, quam quidem ii libri,

quibus Orolius ufus e ft praefercbant, ex Orolio p robabiliratione intellig i, confirmari, ac reflitui poll

'

c , dudum o f

tendcrunt viri doéi i. Immo ct h. l. qui nonvudcat, Oro

li um Jufiini narrationem ante oculos habuifl’

c , cum e g o

nihil omnino ccrncrc p rop e d ix crimi uncle enim Orolius

Clan/Mum feu Cupixitum nomen omnibus alus indici um,

nih ex Jufiino hauferit ? Quod vcro ii ita c it, quis non

intellig it

vifiory , terrot, or faerifices of thanks ; for that the word g mtulafio ren'tito the foiemn vifl ims focrificed in g ratitude for fuccefs , and frequently men

tinned by Arrian, cannot be doubtful to thofe converfintwith ancient writers .

Belides , the word m iflii including the idea of fomething beg unor neg lef led ,

dois not pleatfc, nor feern conformable with jui'

tin’

s li yle. Your p rolixdifcuffion conteming the ag e, defig n, and chanacr of Orofius has but little

conneftionwith the prefent (object. It is univerfally nelcnowlcdg ul, that b e

[0 clofcly, or rather fupcrfiitioufly, follow‘

s juflin’

s foouicps , that he fie

quently cx prefl'

es himfelt'

in the fame words and phnfis ; and it has long

ago been proved by g ood critics, that jufiin

’

s te x t, futh as it llnod in the

copy ufed by Orofius , may ininnumerable places be refiorcd by anattention

to the latter syriter.. He mufi be blind indeed , who doe s not perceive that:

in‘

the panhg e before us Orofius mull have copied j uitin. W hence could he

otherwife have derived the name Cbg édtm , or Cay/lime , which is not men

tinned by any other hillorinn? and if that be the cafe, Omfius mull have

found

‘

BEWAR-D omnoN Efquire . 34x

intellig it, Orofiumapud Juli inumnon omiflis aut intua is

hoflz'

bus ,‘

fed car/is bdh’

bus , infu is leg ifl'

e libris , atque ita

Jufiinus interpretati~4. V erum equidem c it urbem captam obfidione cing i

nOn poll'

e :‘fed anea nonpoflit DE F EN D ! a p raefidiis arc i

impoli tis hoc quacritur : arcc enim ab obfidion’

c liberata,

c t urb s , qunmy is jam cap ta, ab omni p ericulo defe'

nfa.

liberatur .

~ Et'

quOties non, q ui ing eniofe d iccrc volunt,

a c ludunt in antithcfes , rem fupra fidem aug cnt, ut tanto

major cll'

e videatur P

5 . 9 3 3 8 de S yriac op pidis j ar: bellz'

fa&is P. R . novif

fime commenta s CS, nodum omnino folverent, nih p ara

chronifmo e il’

cnt fuperliruéia foedus enim illud . cum

Antiocho p er le g atos pacem p etente initum, cujus prioraverb a ex L ivio, lib .

‘

x x x’

viii . c . 3 7. e x'

citas , hané Ah

riochi in [Eg yptum ex ped itionem, quam Jufiinus , lib .

x x x i . c . x . memorat, nonp raccefli t, fed demam aliquo

temporis intervallo fub fccutum ell. Vide an non huc

p ertineat, quanmemorize p rod ita habetL ivius , lib . x x x iii.

e . 34

found inhis ori g inal, not that the memy were omitted,“ but that they

were beat inwhich fenfe Juflinoug ht to be interpreted.

4. I g rant that a town tak en by a lie g e camp : he (did to be defended by

its own walls. But may itnc t be defended by troops in the citadel ? W henthe enemy are oblig ed to raife the lie g e of

'

the citadel, the town may thereby

be de livered from all dang er. The ex prefiion, at leaf} , mig ht be ul'

cd by

anauthor fond of antithefis and amplification.

5 . Your new conjea ure concerning the towns of Syria which the Romans

acquired by the law of war, would folvc the difieulty, were not that con

jeélnre built on an anachronil’

m. For the leag ue entered into with the am

bafl'

adors of flotiochus, who came to crave peace , which you find inLiry ,lib . yu viii . c . 3 7. was not prior, but fubfequent, to Antiochus

’

s e x peditioninto Eg ypt, mentioned inj ufiin, lib. x x x i. c. I . Y ou may confider Whether

the following words of Livy do not refer to this fubjeCt: A fter this,

.i ‘ Quintus andhis ten lieutenants received the ambafi

'

adp rs of king s, u:

t '

Wg

a4s LETTERS TO AND PROMc . 34. Soc-widens (

'

flajm Quintiw, a dr um Itg flti , k g oti

one: reg ain, d d fd m Prims'

cranium rag a}

Antioch; vocatr'

leg al;[wit his cadres, g u fe nRoma trait!

g um”dubic rt: incolwni ”M, [edMmaim , at m adam W ar-bib s , g ua cut Puxnt r r r m

PTO L OML I "g umjwj m , are . Conf. et ejufd . libri,

cap . 3 9 . et 40 . Hoe ello nunc Catone contentus . Vale,

Ctremtuam ex voto g cre.

“ nations , md cities. Thofe ol'

k ing Antiochus were firll introduu do

They faid ths {ame thlng s as formerly, whenat Rome, without g elningN belief ; and they were now told, not in the ambig uooa lang uag e whith the1‘ Romans had ufed before the defeat of Philip, and while thelr awnfnr.

tune was {till dop btfiil, but in ex ptel'

s terms , thu Antiochus molt evacuate

pll the cities of A61 , which had belong ed either to Philip nrMany.”

”a , nam e. 34; with which compare c, 3 ? and4o. Be latitfledvith

Qiis s utbority. Farewellmd prot‘

ber.

zung en, ”tit November.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

344 LETTERS TO ANDFROMMullus es indcfendenda emendatione loci Juflin. lib .

x ii. c . 8 . 5 17. ubi tu p ro ctr/is hq/Iz'

bur, contra omnium

codicum fidem ex ing enio, fubhituendum cenfes omifir

hqflib m quam eg o emendationem, infuperioribus meis ,

variis indu&us rationibus , oppug naveram. Equidemnon

cit animus denno inhanc difputation'

em defcendere, aut

fing ulatim ea qua ad dilucndas meas rationes inmed ium

abs te adlata funt, {uh incudcm revocare . S triéi im tan

tum cx ponam, cur eg o nec recep tam leéi ionem follicitan

dam,nec p ropofitam ab s te emendationem admittendam

efi’

c cenieam. Nemo eli qui noninteri cog atur receptam

ac codicum fidc ct confenl‘

u probatam leélionem, infe

fpcfiatam, bonum et aperturnfcnfum funderc , ncc a flilo

Jufiini, me a L atini . fermonis ratione abludere . Qd'

rod

vero recepta iliha c lefi io , commilTum cum Cuphitis p ra

lium memorar, dc quo apud reliquos fcrip tores qui res

Alex andri memoria prod iderunt, altum quidem filentium

ell (quamquam nemo fit illorum q ui hoc pra lium'

com

mifi'

umeli'

e neg averit an hoc, inquam, nos ad follici

tandam'

conilantcnr codicumlcé'

lionem inducere dcbeat,

ut p ro commiflb p ra lio illud omiflitm (J r, Juflinum d il'

erte

cog amus p ronuntiare? Eg o quidem neceiiitatcmnullam

video . Quod fi ha c licentia daretur arti critica , ut fi

qua inaliquo fcriptore faaa leg imus commemorate , qua

ab

Y ou employ many arg uments in defending your emeridation of jufiin,.

lib. x u. c . 8 . 17; where ind eed of the enemy being beat,"

you fubfii

tute the enemy being omitted.

” I formerly g ave you my reafonr for re

jefling this emendation, and lhall not repeat them here , not enter into a

particular dil’

tufiionof the anfwers which you mslte to my objeé'

lionr. Thusmuch only in g eneral I will obferve, that the reading in the tex t, which is

approved of by the confenting authority of the manufcripts , mull be acknow

ledg ed to contain a very natural meaning , conveyed in g ood Latin, and in

Juflin'

s flyle. This reading , indeed, maltes'

mention of a battle with the

C uphites , concerning which'

the other hillorians of Alex ander are filcnt.

But'

oug ht this filenee to mak e us alter j ofiin‘

s tex t, efpecially as none of

thol'

e hiflorians deny futh a battle to have happened? i f fuch licence be

indulg ed .

EDWARD GIBBON Efquire. 345db alus filentio involvantur, illa, flatim c x pung enda, ant

per contortam emendationem in contrarium plane fcnl'

umfb rent convertenda, nihil fere certumnut conflans inhif

toricorum fcriptorum commentariis reperiretur. Qua minus autem tuam, vir nobiliflimc , cmendationcm admit~

tere poilim, dua potiflimum obilant rationes altera t il,q uod admilla tua emendationc , rcliqua Juflini orationi

fua non amplius ratio coniict : fed inte g rum illud commaforct e x pung cndum quid enim libi vellet omffli r lug/b

'

bu:in caflm

'

R BV ERTERUNT , qua cur unquam relinque

rant, admiil'

a tua emcndatione, nulla ratio'

aut nccelfitas

fuit ? Altcra vcro ratio, qua iliam tuam . cmcndationcmt

rc i'

p ucre videtur, ha c ell. quod phralis omittcre liq/in,

omifir bq/Iibw, Juliino admodum trita, nufquam eodem

fenfu, que tu adhibes , quantum quidem memini, apud

Ju ii inum occurrit : nufquam cnim .MtL r'r z s dicunturomitlmr liq/1a , fed belli duccs penes quos fummum impe

tium ell, noniili quorum ell imperata facerc, ctqui hoc

ipfo loco deprecati funt, nc jubcrcntur amplias cum hoile

cong rcdi accedit quod phra lis illa omiflir hq/h'

bur aliis in

locis non 171t belli fed MUTAT IONBMinvolvit : infp ig c

indulg ed to critics, that they may ex pung e or alte r the words of anhir

torian, becaui'

e he is the (ole relatcr of a particular event, we (l ull leave

few materials for authentic billory. Two reafons flrong ly militate‘

ag nlnlt

your cortcCtionr the firit, that li lt be admitted , there willno long er be any

confiftency in Juflin's narrative ; and the whole tlaufe mull be e x pnng ed

which mentions the returnof theMacedonians into their camp ; which, if

they did not mean to fi g ht, it wasi

not necefl'

ary for them to leave. The

fMOud'

real'

on is, that the phrafc omirrerrMia , thoug h frequently ufed by

juttin, it me nt. that I know, applied by him in the fcnfc which you g ive

to it. The g eneral: entitled to dircft military meafum are {aid wa rm-e

Aoflrr ; but never the foldicm, whol'

e duty it it to obey (micro; and who, in

the pi llag e under confidc ration, requeil that they may not be mdm d to

renew the eng tg cmcntwith the enemy. To this may be added, thatwhere

c r this phrai'

u m fflirwi th , occurs in Juilin, it denote ! mt an end, but

only a cha ng e of the war. Turnto themirag e which y ru formerly tri'

crre i

345 LETTERS TO AND FROM{p ice locum a temet ex citatum, lib. x x vu . c . 3 . $6. 8d

omjfl'

o ex tm ec bafic inmm cx itirm u u v u "paw .

Addo eg o locum alter-um, lib . x x ix . c. 2 . 5 7. H y g ie

p odi oration: smug Philipp a» rd cm‘

fi: E ula“

: “ LungRon-mi :M, &c . Ca temm fuflicit Orofmm fuo

tempore apud Jufiinum leg ifl'

e “fit W ho , qua recep

ta leétio mirificc confirmatur, perinde ar illa mag nopere

vacillaret, ft inejuem tis Jufiini codic ibuam’

yit Itg flibm

fuifi'

c leflum confizt.

Dc Syria civitatibus fare bewfaéii : P. R . quad, n: qua

haétenus inbane rem difp utata funt, addam, nonkabeo .

Moves denique, virnobiliflime, ne eadem fcmper chord;oberremus , neve amica: difputationimateria defit, novan

quz fiionem circa I. Jul. s aris confulatum, quem ad iit

Kat. Jan. A. V . C . DCXCV . anno_

aetatis XLI., quum

pe r annales leg es nemini licuerit, hunc mag ifirttump etero

ante annummatis XLIII : Atvero hanc V illii, utcarter”

annales leg es , non fuifi'

e perpetua obfem tionis , et fafii ct.

v , libt x xvii . e . They lefi ofi fig hting ag finfi tbeir foreig n ene

“ my, md mtde wer oneach other to which you will find a pm llel in“ By thiz oration he prevtilod with Philip co lu ve

od'

fig hfing ag ainfl the fimlim , and m mak e m m the Roman.

"80:

it ie fixficieut thu Orofius m d et/fi bgflxk r in tbe copia of jufiin which

he made ufe ot’

. If. by fiying W W m Crofionm fim ed you- m

jea'ure , the tu ding of the tex t would be doubtful indeed.

I have nodfing firtber eo add to my obfen atim m rning tbc dfiu ofSyriawhich the k omam acquired by tbe rig ht of war.

That “ m y not barp on the old firing , but have m m tter foe our

friendly conceit, you nite a difiiculty concerning the firfim fulflup of j u

lius Ca far ; which bappened onthe firfi of jmuary, in the fix hundu d lad

nim y - fifih yw of k ome , md in tbe fofly - firfi of his ag c s aldxoug h by

the lawa afeertaining the ag e of candidatee, n0 perfon w entitled nom u

that homur bet'

we his forty - third year. But this law, which wu pmpofcd

by V illius, appears not, any more t'hanother

'

jm appertaining to the fime

object, m h ve been of- yerpetnal mthority ? a v c leuns both fiw tk

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

348 LETTERS TO AND FROMMum in amid quinqumm

'

umpaufo pqflm ime . d War ?

(mj ur amid indig niflime ba: leg “ firtbmfl) guoque

(Miriam: petriuh' fate/latent codem deer-d o concede" ,&c .

i

Quod vero jam ad V illianamillnm annalem leg em attinet,

nec earn conflanter it: fuifi'

e obfervatnm, ut nunquam

mi g mmur, vcl e x ig lo C iceronis loco, Orat. contra Rul

lum,collig i potefi

, ubi g loriatur quod ex m i: kami

m’

bus primus , c t quidem prima petitioner, m o few,

hoc honore fuerit anaus ; cum qui untc ipfum e x hoc

hominum g enere , anno fuo petierint, fine repuli'

a, non

fint faéii confules . Ex hoc enimloco qua: Villianae leg is

vie fuerit, quum patricius aut coniularis e x antiquo g e

ne rr: confulatum petcret intellig inonpoteil. CerteDolabcl

la, cz fo Caefarc , anno nonfun, quippe XXV annos name,relicAplano confuiatumiinvafit, qua dc rc Dio C 3 5 . 1. x liv.

5 21 . O 6-01.95 t t; w e ovaries d pmv, x x tfl ; u

am m u mm. Et S uetonius , chap . 18. tantum non

d iferte memorat Julio contra log ea aliquid fuifi'

e concef

{um fid tum edi c‘b’

s j am Comitir'

s, ratio eju! [min

i”on

pofli t m'

jt'

privatu: infl ame} urbem, rt ambt'

mti u! leg ibus

yam long er ; and to g rant, by the fame decree , m t e (whore friends‘5 iropatiently bmok ed fo ch reg ulations) the permiflion of being candidate

for the confulihip inhis tb&nce," k c. Tint the law propofed by Vi llius

we : not uniformly obfe rved , appears from Cicero‘

s oration ag ainfi Rullue ;

where the orator boafit that he was the firfl man, mt g raced by ancientno

hility, who had obtained the confultlxip inthe year that he was entitled to

fd k it itt b ut his pafl‘

me does not inform us whatwas the force of V illius'e

law, whenthe candidates were pttricltlm of anc ient family, or menof con

fular dig nity. Dolabella certainly, after Cret‘

ar'nmurder, (cit ed the confulfhip,

when only twenty- five ym oid , as we i re informa l by Appim t on which

fubjea Din C amus , lib. x liv. zn, Fay; that Dolahelle intruded himfclf

into the confulthip, thoug h inno wife belong ing to him ; end Sut tone infio

m ates , that Julius obtained fomcthing to which he was not by law entitled.

A s the Comitia were already proclaimed , hie demand could not be at

f ' tended to, unlcfi he entered the City as nprivate perfon; and many “Pt“PM

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 g : LETTERS TO AND FROMmander des éclaircifi

'

emens fur quelques dimcultés, etdes

décifions fur quelques conjefl ures qui fe font ofi'

ertes i

monefprit.

t . Qui étoit cc Pifon lo Pére . a qui H orace addrefl'

e

fonart poétique ?M. Dacier'

cro it que c’

étoit cc L . Pifon

le pontife qui triompha pour fes ex ploits enThrace, etqui

mourut p réf‘

et de la V ille A. U. C . Mais il citévident que cc ne fut point lui . Horace écrivit {on art.

poétique avantl’

an734, puifqu'

ily parle deV irg ile , qui

mourut dans cette ahnée , d’

une fapon a faire bienCom

p rendre qu’

il étoit encore vivant 1, Or dans nu autre

endroit do méme art poétique I, il s’

addreffe al‘

ainé dcs

tils de cc Pifou comme aunjeune homrne qui avoitl’

efprit

0 major juvenum, quamvis etvoée p aternfi

Fing eris ad'

reéium et per te fap is .

”

Ce qui ne peut g uéres convenir qu'z‘

a unjeune homme defd ix huit a ving t ans . Mais cc L . Pifou ne pouvoit

po int avoir dans cc terns 15 no fils aufli fig éu Ilmourut en

785 , fig é de quatre ving t ans II. naquitdonc en70 5 ,

ct

fome difficulties.

that ] have met with, and your Opinionof tome conjeéturesthat have occurred to my mind.

1 . W ho was that Pifo, the father, to whom Horace addrefi'

es his Art of

Poetry ? Mr. Dacier fuppofcs him to have been the hig h-

prick who ob

tained a triumph for his ex ploits inThrace, and who died pre feét of the cityinthe {even hundred and e ig hty - fifth year of Rome

'. But that could not be

the man for Horace’

s Art of Poetrywas writtenbefore the year (evenhundred and thirty

- four, lincc it mak es mention.

of V irg il (who died thatyear)in terms which thew that he was fiill alive -

f and inanother part of the

poemI, Horace nddreil'

es the eldefi of Pifo'

s ions , as a young manof cumvated talents ; which implie s that he was

'

not lefs thaneig hteen or twenty

years of ag e . ButL . Pifo the hig ho

priefi , could not furely have a fan {0 old.

He himfelf died at the ag e of fourfcore inthe (evenhundred and eig hty - fifth

Tacit. An. vi. c . to . Flor. Hift. Rom. L. iv. c . 12. T . Liv. Epit. L. c.

1 Hunt. Art. Poet. v. 5 5 . I lbid. v. 3 66. §Tacit. ubi fupra.

EDWARD GIBBON 3 5 ,

et il n’

avoit que trente ans tout au plus , quand cette

épi tre fut ecrite . Je vois airez clairement, que cc no

p o uvoit pas 6tre 1d le Pifonque nous cherchons ; main,

p arm i un afiez g rand nombre de p erfonnag es du fiécle

d’

Au g ufie qui porto ient ce nom, je voudrois qu'

onm’

fiidat

i tro uver celui fur qui les fouppons p euventtomber avcc

q ue lque m ifemhlance .

2 . Vans favez combienles critiques fe font donnés de

p e ine , pour rechercher le vrai hut qu’

avoit Horace dans

la troifieme ode da troifiéme livrc . L a g randeur des

idée s , et la noblefi'

e des ex preflions y font fentir pautout

la mainde maitre : mais onell ala fois fdché ct furp ris

q ue la harang ue de Junon p aro’

it no tenir a rien, cc

n’

abo utir i rien; et apres avoir admire cette ode p ar

p arties , onne p eut g ué ree s’e rnpécher d

’

eri condamner

l’

enfemble . Tane g uy lo Févre l’avoit ex pliquée par un

fyfléme queM. Dac ier trouve mériter autant d’

élog es

que l'

ode ellc meme , et qui enetfetme p ero‘

ft des p lus

jolis . Vous fave z qu 11lo Fonde fur la crainte qu'

il p réte

nu people Romainde voir transférer a Ilium le fiég e do

l’

emp ire

yetr of Rorne. He was born, then, infevenhundred aod five ; and um not

above thirty whenthe Art of Poetry was written. It is clear therefore, that he

innot the perfonto wbom Hom e writer ; but, among the number of othermen

wbhbore that name , Iwilh that you would help me to dilcover the Pifo in

whom that poemwas mottprobably addrcfl'

ed.

3 . Y ou know how much trouble it ha: colt the critict to find outHonce'e

me defig ninthe third ode of his third book . This mallc rly pe rfOrmance

is dittiog uiflted by g reatoefs of thoug ht and dig nity of ex p refiion; but we

are furprifed and g rieved to find, that the end doe tnot correfpond with the

beg inning ; and that juno's fpeech is totally unconneéted with what precedes

or (ohm ic; to that after admiring the detached p arts of this ode, we are

forced to condemnit as a whole . Taneg uy le Fevre ex plained it by a ton.

jed ute , which Dacia think s defining of as hig h encomiums as the odeM; an d is , doubtlefs, very ing enious. Y ou know that his u pla

oatioo, turns onthe fuppofed dread of the Romans , lett the foat of thcir cn»

VOL . L ' z A

std. Lam as TOmmmoreliempire 3 et qu

’

il fuppofe’

qu’HOracc compofa cctte odé

dans la w e de detoumer Aug ulie de cc deli'

cio , en lu i

rappellanttoute la part que les Dieux avoient eue'

a l’

a def

truéi ionde cette v ille, et combienle mortel qui ofEroit la

rcbfitir s'

e x po feroit i toutle courroux de cesmémesDieux .

I e p euple pouvoit d'

outant plus facilement {uppo fer cc

defl'

ein 5. cc prince, que fonpere adop tif en avoir été

foup g onné“. Main je doute que cc fyfléme p uifl

‘

e fc

foutenir. Et onno fauroitjamais p rouver ces craintes

p rétendues du p euple Romain,r qui fontmemes fans “’

at

femhlance ; Aug ufle fe difiing ua toujours p ar les fo ins

p articuliers qu’

ildonna 5. la ville de Rome, qui devo ient

rafl'

urer le pcupl'

e contre toutes les craintes d’

une'

p areille

efpé ce. On peut envoit lo détail dans‘

la vie d’

Aug uité‘

p ar S uétone, c . 28, 29 , 3 0 . Je n'

en marquerai que

deux : ii eng ag ea la p lupart des g rand s a oth er la v ille ,

p ar des hatimens fup erbes 1, et ilbfitit onTemple atMarslo Veng eur, of: il ordonna que lo fénat s

’

afi'

embleroit

toutes les fois qu’

il feroit queflionde g uérres ou de tri

omphes I. Sont- cc lales actions d’

unhom‘

me quid'

ong e

fife

pire lhould be removed to Troy ; and that he fancies the odo to have becn

writtenwith a view to divert Aug uttus from fuch'

s ldefii

g n, by thewing him

how earneftly the Gods had co~ operated towards thé deitruétion of Troy ,

and how much their refentment Would be péovok ed by an attempt to rebuild

that ill- fated city. .The people mig ht the more naturaliy {ofpefi Ang ufius

of fuch an intention, becaufe it was thoug ht to have beenentertained by his

adaptive father.’ But this conjeflure , I fear, willnot bear ex amination.

'

It

i s impoflible to prove thofe pretended fears of the Romans ; which are ten

dered hig hly improbable, when‘we

‘confider that Aug utto s was remaflcahle

for his afi'

ea ionate partiality towards Rome : as may be feen inhis life , by

Suemnius , c. 2 8, 2 9 , 3 0. I thanmention but two ex amples of it. He en.

courag ed almott all the g reatmen oi Rome to adorn the city by {uperb edi

ficesf ; and himfelf erefl ed a templetoMars the Aveng er , where the (estate was

ordered to afl'

emble during its deliberations concerning wars and triumphs I.

Suet. L. i. e . 79 . 1‘ Veil. Patercolus, Is . ii. c. 89 . j seet. L. ii. 0 . 2 9.

T hel'

e

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

'

3 56 LETTERS TO AND FROMvilles , que le p eupleRomainavoit acquifes par le droitd

‘e

la g uérre, ( imitate! fur : belliflzéiar papal; Roma n“

. C e font

1ales termes de Juhin”, qui nous jettent dans une diflis

'

cuité cmbzirafi’

ante . On ne '

concoit p as comment les

Romains pouvoient avoir acquis des villes dans la Syrie

et dans bien loin d’

y avoir fait des

conciuétes , ils ne portérent leurs arrixes enAfie que p lun

fieurs années apres cette époque . Onconnoi t b ien nu

traité qu’

ils avoient fait avec les Ro is d’

Eg yp te avant c c

tems f, mais c’

étoitunput traité d’

alliance et d’

amitié q ui

ne fut p recede ui fuivi d’

aucune g uérre . J’ai eru que

l'

ex amendes autres hifloriens , qui ont raconté ces memes

eve‘

nemens , pouvoit jetter quelques lumiéres fur unp al:

fag e d c Jufiin aufli obfcur que celui- li . Mais Tite L ive,qui parle pluli eurs fois I des nég oc iations par lefquelles

les Romains tachErent de faire rendre i Ptolémée les villes

d’

Aiie, qu’

on lui avoit p rifes , no p arle nulle part de cc

droit de la g uérre envertu duquel les Romains les deman

doient. L e favantM. Breiting er, p rofefl'

eur en lang ueC 0 , 0

Grecque a Zurich, 5, g ur 3 3 1 communiqué cette d idi

the'

rig ht of war.”Thefe are j ufl infs words‘

, which prefent us with a

very perplex ing difieulty ; becaufe We do not perceive how the Roman:could have acquired thod

'

e place: by the rig ht of war, fincc they were fo fa t

from having made conquefis inAfia then, that tbey did not carry tht ir arm s

into that country till a later t ra. A treaty indeed fubfified between them

and the k ing : of Eg ypt'

l' . but itwaa a treaty merely of ftiendlhip and allianc e ,

neither preceded nor followed by any war. I thoug ht that an e x amination

of the other hifiorians , who relate the fame tranraelions , mig ht throw lig ht

onthia obfcure pafl'

ag e of jnfiin. But Livy, who mentions fevm l times i the

neg ociationa by which the Romans endeavoured to recover for Ptolemy the

places taken from‘

him by Antiochus, is altog ether (dent with reg ard to this

rig ht of war,“ in virtue of which they we re demanded . I acquainted the

learned Mr. Breiting er, pmfifior of C reek at Zurich, with my dificulty on

Jumn‘ L O x x ‘ . c. I .

1' Tit. L iv. Epitom . L. iv. Entrop. L. n. Valet.Max im. L iv . c. 3 .

I The UV. L 0 m i“. C . 34, 3 9 ,

EDWARD GIBBON Efquire. 55 ,c hild, ‘

s puds avorr tenté envainde la réfoudre, a été oh

lig é enfinde la laifl'

er fans e'

x plicatiom— Mais ,

Nildefperandum,‘

Teucro duce et aufp ice Teucro .

”

4. Un d ifi'

érent que S calig er et Ifaac Voflius ont cu

enfemble, fur la veritable époque de la mort da poéte

Catulle, a fait beaucoup de bruit dans la république des

lettre s. Je n

’

ai point en en main les p iéces da p r'

océs ,

{avoit les editions: dc Catuile de ces deux ,hommes cele

bres mais Bayle' nous a donné nu ex trait fort detaillé ‘

de lenr d ifpute, y ajodtant fes p ropres reflex ions . Jefuis fache de ne pouvoir p as Remonter aux fources , mais

dans la néceflité de me fervir de rapporteur, je n’

en con

nols point de meilleur que Bayle .

Quoique deux habiles littérateurs fe foient e x ercés fur

cctte queftion, je fuis b ienloinde la reg arder comme p arfaitement éclairc iew

'

Vofiius me paroit avoir trop avari ce

la mort da poéte , S calig er l’a certainement trop reculée .

Catulle ne mourut pas b ienffirementA . U . C . 69 6 ; mais

ilne veput p as nonplus jufqu’

aux jeux féculaires d‘

Au

this l'

ubjefi ; which, after attunpting in vain to refolve, he was oblig ed to

leave unex plained.

‘

But,

Nil defperandum, Teucro duce et aufpice Teucru.

4. A d ifi'

erence of opinion between Scalig er and Ifaac Voflius . concerning

the time of Catullus‘ death, made g reatw ith in the republic of letters . I

have not at hand the orig inal arg uments of chofe learned men, which are

contained in their refpefitive editions of Catullus ; but Bayle has g iven us‘

a

particular account of their difpute , with his own reflefl ions on the

l am [any that I cannot draw from the fountainhead butBoyle‘

s accuracy

as a compiler willnot be difputed.

Notwithflanding the labours of thefe g reat fcholars , I amfar from think .

ing the quellion decided. Voflius feerns to me to place C atullus'death too

early, and Scalig er certainly fix es it at too late ane ra. That poet furely didnot die inthe year of the city fix hundred and ninety- fix ; but neither di !

Bayle DiClionnairo Critique, art. Catullc.

3 5 3 LETTERS 1 0 ANDmom

g ri lle A. U . C . 73 6. Prouvons cc que nous avons m ncé,

er cherchons l’

é poque enquefiion, qui doit {e trouver en

tre ces deux années .

Catulle parle de la Grande Bretag ne etde fes hab itans',or Cé far fut le premier qui fit conno itre cette ille aux Ro

mains f, et Cél'

ar y fit in premiere e x ped itionen69 81.

Aufi bienCatulle parle t- ildo fecond confulatde Pompée ,

qui tombs fur la méme année 5 . Il vivoit meme encore

en 706, p uifqu'

il parle aufli du'

confulat de Vatinius u.

Je no veux p as me fervir des arg umens de S calig er pour

prouver qu’

il fut fp eflateur dos triomphes de Céfar, p ar

ceque je ne les crois pas de bonalloi . Je me difpcnfcrai

d'e x aminer en detailfi les parolesMemo primMW

j inx: bona , 8 m.“convienncntmieux aux p remidres’

viéloires

de Céfar qu’

aux dernifi es , p arceque je cro is q u’

iln’

y el’c

quefiionui des unes ui (les autres . Iln'

y a qu'

d lire cettc

ép ig ramme avec quelque attentionpour voir que Catulle

s’addrefl

'

e toujours 5 Céfar dans la feconde perfonncGioendo Romule, hz c videhis etfer

‘

és

‘F Es impudicus , etvorax,ethelluo .

"

be live ho foe the (ocular g ames of Aug uttus celebrated in (even hundred and

thirty- 6x . Let us prove that: all

'

ertions and endeavour to find out the

true z ra inquefiion, which multhavc boenat anintermediate time between

the years jullmentioned.

C atullus (peak s of GreatBritainand its inhabitants’, withwhich s ar firfi:

made the Romans acquaintedf , by his ex peditionthither, inthe year of Rome

fix hundred and ninety- eig h t. pamllus alfo mentions the fecond confullhip

pf Pompey , which happened on that fame year He lived fo late as the

year (even hundred and fix , fmcs he fpeak s of the confullhip ot'

V atinius

I will not mak e ul'e ot' Scalig er ’

a arg uments to prove that the poet witnefled

s ar‘

s triumphs , becaut'

e 1 do not believe them well- founded. I willnot

particularlye x amine whether the words palm prim [ancients [ar rM,

”

bee apply to the firfi of left viaories os far, becaufe 1 do not scrim

them to have any refer'

enee to the one or the other. W e

'

need only to read

V id. Carull. Cami . 1 Tacit in Vit. A g ricol. C . 1 3 .

I s ar. Comm. L iv. Dion. Hill. L. m ix . p .

§Catull. Cam . ex i. Elders , lu'

.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 60 LETTERS TO AND FROMD

’

unautre cote, Catulle ne veéent pas jufqn’

aux jeuxfécnlaires d

’

Aug nfie, puifqu’il mourut avant Tibnlle .

Ovide , dens l’

elég ie quiil {ifex prés fur la mort de cc der

nier, met Catulle p armi les poe'

tes , que {on ami devoit

rencontrer ti fa defcente dans les champ s Elys ées :

S i tamenanob is aliquid nifinomenet umbraKafiat : inElyfia Valle T ibullus g rit.

Obvins huic venias hedcrfijuvenilia c inéi us

Tempota, cum Calvo, doae Catuile

Maia dans quel terns ’

I‘

ibulle mourut il Une p etite

ép ig ramme de DomitinsMarins nous l’

apprend : le meme

ionr, ondu moins la meme année, que V ixg ile

Te quoque V irg ilio cpmitem nona qua, Tibulle ,Mors juvenem Campos milit ad Elyfios f .

p r perfpnpe p’

ig nore que Virg ile mourut le 22 S ep tembre

7341. Il efi done clair que Catulle , déjé. mort dans cc

terns 15 , ne vit point les leux {écnlaires (lui na fe célébré

rentqu’

en73 6.

Avanpons‘

plus loin, et difons , que Catulle étoit déja

mart avant73 1 . Je me fonde fur le témoig nag e d’

unhif

Caroline, on the Other hand, did pot live to fee the fecplarm cg cele

bu ted by Aug nltus , time he died before iI‘

ibnllnS. Ovid, inan eleg y W rit

tenon the death of the latter, places Catullus among the poets whom his

friend willmeet with inthe 111m fields} .

But when did Tibullus die ? A little epig ram of DomitiusMarius in

forms us , that he died the fame day, ’

or at leak inthe fame year, withV irg il i1Now it is well known that

'

virgnand the twentyJ e g ond of September few .

hundred and thirty- four I. Qatullus then could not fee the fecular g ames ,

which were not celebrated till fevenhundred and thirty fix .

W e may g o £1rther, and affirm, that Catullus was dead before the yw

{even hundred and twenty- one. This is proved by a contemporary hiflp

' Ovidmeg . L . iii 9 . Tibnll. Carm. L . iv. e . 15 . 1 ( pm inVie. V ie.

riap,

EDWARD unis onEfquire. 3 6:

totiencontemporain, ami de C iceron‘ et de Catuile‘

lui

meme? 3 ennu mot de Cornelius Nepos . Il faut lo déve

lap per cc témoig nag e . Dans la vie d’

Atticus , que cet

é crivain nous ti laifi'

ée, p arlant d’

un certain L . JuliusC alidius , 5, qui Atticus rendit de g rands fervices , il ajodte

p o ur le faire mieux connoitre,‘

g uthi po/i Lucratif Catullt'

que

m e video' pofié contender: I. Catuile étoit done mart

lorfque Nepos écrivit cc p afi'

ag e. Mais ne pourroit- oup as fix er le terns de fa compofition trés

'

facilemem : de

ving t deux chapitres qui compofent'

cette vie d’Atticus

dix huit furent publiés de‘

ion vivant. Haébm Am‘

co

viva be : a nobt'

s edita j imt 5 . L e‘pafl

'

ag e, on) il ell parlé

de la mort de Catulle, fe trouve rdans le douz iéme chapi ’tre

'

; d’

ofi il s’

enfuit que Catulle mourut avant Atticus .Mais celui- ci finit fa vie fous le confulat de Cn. Donfitius

et de C. S olius S i l’

on “

vouloit poufl‘

er l’ex aétitude

enbore plus lo in, et qu’

onefit envie dc détermiher l'annec

p récil'

e de la mande notre poete, onne fe tromperoit pas

de beaucoup enprenant l’annoo moyenne entre A. U. C .

706 ct

rim , the ffiend of CicerO’ and of Catnllus f ; lmean Cornelius Nepoe. In

his life of Atticus, {peak ing of a certainjullul Calidius , to whomAtticushad rendered very impomnt ferviee s he difting nilbes him,

“ as m ma ele g antMoran: ag e , fince the death “Lucretius and Catullus l.

”

T he latter, therefbre, was dead before Nepos wrote this psflhg e ; of which

it is not dificult to fix the date. Nepoe’li fe of Atticus confifis of twenty

two chapters ; the firft eig hteenof which were , aeMaur ita n ia -a while

the fnbjeél of themMl lived§. The pafi'

ag e mendoning the deuh of Ce

tullus is in the tweltth chapter ; from whence H ollows , that Attim rnx

end c . Sofine ll. Did we v ilh to afeertain fiill more etcnreoely‘

the mew.year of C etullus

‘death, we (hould not he much uriltaken in fix ing it at the

middle term between the years od'

Rome fevenhundred and fix , and'

fevml

f Catnll. Cm i,c. 12 . “dom e- 3 8 alderm a n .

706 et72 ! ce qui nous donnera 714, époque qni quadrafort bienm e tout cc que nous enfavous d

’ailleurs .

L e feularg ument dc S calig er, qui pourroit embarraifer,ea celui qu

’

il tire du poéme féculaire que Catulle doitavoir coulpofé . L a conjeéi ure de Vofiius qu

'

on célébra

des jeux an commencement du VIIfiécle de Rome n’

efi

pas foutenable . Je doute que oelle de Bayle vaille mieux ,L e commencement de cc fiécle 6toit marque par tant dcdéfordres, on neg lig eoit tenement les anciennes céré

moniesfl qu'

il n’

y pas d’

apparence qu’

on s it cong u lo

dell‘

e in de célébser de p areils jeux , ni que le peup le s’

y

attend?“ Mais quel befoin de fuppnfer que t e poe’

me

avoit été compofé pour les féculaires . N elL il pas bien

p lus naturel de le croire defiiné pour la fete de Diane qui

{e célébroit tous les ans an mois d’

Aofrt Bentley avc ik

déjé fait cette conje&ure 1. On p ent la confirmer p ar 13

companiondu po‘

e'

me féculaire d’

Horag e avec cc morceau

do

hundred anal twenty one ; which will g ive us the yeaf faven hundred andMea n; which very well ag rees with all other particulars known con

The only arg ument adduced by St ing er, that can occafion my clifieulty ,

k , that Camilla competed a fecula poem.

'

V eflius'

conjecture , that the

eeulm' m were celebrated at the eommeneement of the feventh century( Rome , is altog ether unwarranted : that of Bayle, I fear, tells, not onmuch better mthority.

‘

The heg ineing of the : tenmry m s defom ed by

ti) marry dit'

otders, and by fuch a marked neg lefit b f ancient ceremonies ',

tlnt there is not my probahility that futh g ames. mould then have been

either e xhibited or ex pefl ed. But it is not neoefl'

ary to fuppol'

e that Ca.

tullns ’

poem was written for the fiecular g ames . It mig ht have. been

ta rded memly for Diana'

s feltival, whieh was celebrated. yearly inthe month

of Airg un; as Bentley conjefiured f . This is eonfiuned by compmng th’

g

poemwith Hom e'

s Carmen Sud a n. In the forrna , both the boy: and g irls

Sutton. L. ii. c. 3 7. 1 Bentl. inPrz fat. Edit. Horatian.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 64 LETTERS TO AND FROM

N°. VII.

M. GE SNB R 6M. G rnaow.

QUE RITUR de Pifonibus quibus honorem inArte Poetics habuitHoratius . Dacerius et S ana.

dorms forte fidern apud te, Gibbone, V ir Doéi iflirne,

inven'

turi erantfacilius , fi au&orernfententiae fuae laudaf

fent, fine quo ea levis , et hariolationi fimilis, videri po

eefi,et qua: arg umento etiarnnonnimis valido everti queat.

jam vero efi illa Porphyrionis antiqui hominis , qui earn

forte debet antiquiori, qui de nominibus Horatianis

fcripli t. H ie erg o Porphyrio , ut ell ex op timis libris

edrtus , H i m: libruflr,inquit, g ut fig/

'

cribitur a'e [ rte Poetic;

ad L . Pxfonem, qui pofica urbi: fail, ”if/it. Nam a

We Pifo pod afin'

t, elfiudiomm liberalism anti/Yer . At e ras

non comicnit l Immo p ulchre . Mortuus ell ille Pifo,

Tacito tefie , vi . c . 0&og enarius A. U . 78 5 .

(Seth; pracfeéiuram urb is annis _XX .; fufcep it erg o A. U.

765

Mr . Ge smtrt toMr. G re s owz

1 ; YOU inquire who were the Pifos , of whom Horace fpeslct in [nth he

m ahle berm: in his Art of Poetry. Datier and Saunders would probably:Mlearned S ir, have obtained more credit with you , had they cited the

authority on which their opinion refis ; independently of which, it feens

no better than a g uefs , which-

a flig ht arg ument is fufioient rd overturn.

This authority is that of Porphyrio, an ancient writer, who treats of the

heroe s mentioned inR enee , and who here perhaps copies from fame author

more ancient than hirnfelt'

. Inhis terreéted editionPorphyrio, fays , Ho

race‘

s work , intitled the A rt of Poetry, is addrefl'

ed to L. Pifo, who was

6‘ afterwards g overnor of Rome ; for Pifo was himfelf a poet, and a patron

of literary purfuits"

. But chronolog y , you fay. does not m eet this

ex planation. It'

does 5 for Tacitus tells us , in his Annals , (lib. vi c . to .)

that l’ifo died U . C . 785 , at the ag e of eig hty. He held his ofik e twenty

runs

76 5 . Antequam iliad munus flrfeepirit, debet {er-Spa .

dicit,

g m”

pollen urbis my?“ fia'

t. . Ponamus natum ell'

e Pifoni

majorem filiorum anno ae tatis XXX . eumque filiutnannos

X V I. habuifl'

e,“

cum ad illum illa fc riberet Horatius

0 maj or j ar/sham, &c . S cripts eritAl's Poetica

anno aetatis Horatii L II. quod p ulchre convenit cumBen

tle ianis rationibus , quas e g o , cum ante hos fere annos

H o rarium ederem, comp eri haétenus certe jd ias efl'

e,ut

d ili g enter licet attendenti, nihill

occurrerit, quod illis

re p ug net. S i‘

p utemus in adolel’

centem XVI annorurn,

nonconvenire laudem, quam illi tribuitHoratius (quod

m ihi quidem contra videtur)prius natum pofi'

umus V vel

X adeo annis dicere . At Virg ilius vivebat adhoc c um

A rternPoetitam fcriberetHoratius , qui mortuus efi A. U.

73 5 , curnvir XXX anno'

rurn efi'

et Pifo, nec filium ha

b ere pofl'

etX velXIIad fummum annis majorem. Primo’

nec ip l'

utn hoc forte ahfurdum p utarint quidam, juvenmhie vocati p raecocis ing enii et doéhinae p

‘

uerum de cen.

nem.

years ; and therefore entered onit U . C . 765 ; before which period Horace

munbllve [cut to him the Art of Poetry, (which l fufpeéi: once fiood at the

third epifile of the fetoud book ,)becaufe Porphyrio fays , who was after

wards 3 0mm: of Roma"

L et us fuppofe that Pifo‘s fun was born

when'

the Father was thirty years old ; and that the {on was fix teen when

H orace addrcfl'

ed him, 0Mjor j ar/arm ; the Art of Poetry will thenhm

beenwritten in the fifty - fecond year of Horace’s ag e ; wh

'

ch well ag rees

with Bentley’

s computation ; a fubjeCt which I remembe r to have ex a

mined and approved whenabout the fame time of life I publifhed my edi

tion of Horace . If We think fa tten years too young flat the praife : be

flowed by the poet, we may add to them five , or even ten years more .

But to this mode of reckoning it is olj efied, that V irg il was alive when

Horace wrote his Art of Poetry ; and as thé latter died in the year of

Rome fcven hundred and thirty five, Pifo, who was then but thirty years

old himfelt'

, could not have a (onabove ten or twelve at the utmolt. Bot

fame critics do not difapprove of the application of jwnri: to a boy of ten

31 3 1'

s,

366 LETTERS TO ANDmore

nem. Hac quidem a tate poetas fuifl'

eH ug onemGrotiumaliofque novimus : et liberalius , credo , utebantur aulici

homines m r appellatione , pofiquam nequiter adeo

C iceroni e x petiverat1mm quod vocafl'

et0&avium.

Sed quod pace tua dix erim, V ir Hum nifiime , nihilcaufae video cut invivis adhuc fuifi

’

e, fiatuendum litV ir

g ilium, fcn'

bente ArtemHoratio . Neque enimfimplic iter

co loco Vivi poets: mortuis opponuntur, li d antiqui novis

non{Ola L ibitina facrarc poetam potefi ; fed annos jam

p lures mortuus li t, fecundum ifios jud ic es , oportet

Ellvetus atque probus , centum qui perficit annos .

V ide, quz fo, epifiolamlibri fecondi primum.

a . De Horatii ode libri tertii tertia, fententiarndix i in

meis ad illum obfervationibus , quas tib i vifas nonputo,

quare hic repctam et ex plicabo. L utit Ang uilas coenas

Deorurnnonnunquam. Notum ell. ex Suetonio (1. ii. c .

male audill'

e aliquando coenam illins Ba i rd Ow :

b e. duodec im illorum Deorum, quibus pulvinaria, fen

lcéli

years , and of a forward g enius r Grotius and others were poets at thst ag e ;

and the Roman courtiers wouldnaturally, I think he prodig al in ufing the

term jam , after Cicero g ave fo much efi'

ence by applying the term fe ar

to Aug ufius.

But I fee not any convincing arg ument to prove that V i rg il was alive

whenthe Art of Poetry was writtcn. For, inthe pall'

ag e alluded to, Horace

does not contrafl; living poets with thofe thatwere dead, but ancient ports

with the modern; and , according to the c ritics whom he mentions , not

de ath alone , but the be ing dead a certainnumber ot'

years , was necefl'

ary for

the attainment of poe ticalfame .

Eli vetus atque probus, centum qui perfic it annos .

See the firlt epifile of the fecond book .

a . Concerning the third ode of the third hook , I formerly g ave my opi

nionin the obfervations accompanying my edition, which, as you have not

feenthem, 1 {hall he re repeat and ex plain. Aug ufius fometimes reprefented

in fport the (uppers of the Gods. We know from Suetone , lib. ii . c, 70 .

that he was blamed fothia imitationof the fopper of the twd vs g ods, which

ufed

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

impcm fede Aug ufius . Potuit ea re g ratum facere princrp g ,fi crederet ip fe populus damunri inaula confilium illud

antiquum Julii Cacfaris , calamitofum Roma: ac detcfiabile .

Quad hie long ior eli , et “Mm -i sm, quam ab illo ex

o rd io aliquis c x fpcéiarct ; nae ig narus fuerit nature car

minis lyrici, quatenus illa ex emplis vetcrum cog nofc itur,

qui long um adeo ex curfum, fi vel ex cnrfus fit, reprehen~

dat.

3 . Burns fatis nodus ell'

e debet, qui non modo erud i

turnatque ing eniofum juvenem, fed veteranum etiam in

his literis virum, Breiting erum, cujus nomenfemper cumhonore ufurpo, potuit tenere . Qui enim pofiulare potuit

leg atio populi Romani, civitates jute belli fuas £3 8 3 3 reftituti ininteg rum ab Antiocho,

”quas p aulo ante S ena

tnéPtolemae i p up illi fui efl'

e dix erat ? Qui potuere Roma

ni jute belli afl’

erere fibi urbes Alix , in quam aliq uot

denom annis pelt primus omniumRomanorum d ucum

Scip io cum ex ercito trajecit (Epit. L iv. l. x x x vii. )V erum folvi tameo potcfi hic n

'

odns, etiam nonadhib i

to

have beenpleafed with anateempt to perfuade the people that he condemned

a defig n, faid to have been entertained by Julina s ar, but which was to

much detefied by the Romans , and would, if carried into ex ecution, have

been fo calamitona to Rome. The fpeech indeed is long er, and more pa

thetic than mig ht be ex peéled from the beg inning of the ode ; bot dc mad

he ig norant ot‘

the nature of lyric poetry, aa illolirated in the writing a of the

ancients , who find fanltwithfiie leng th of thia realor apparent dig reflion.

3 . The knotmofi he bard indeed, which not onlyMes the ex ertion: o f

a lu i-net! and ing enious youth, butMik e the fireng th of Breiting er, a ve

teranin the literary field, whore name ] never pronounce butwith the hig hefi

refpeél. How could Roman ambafl'

adors require that the c ities tak en by

Antiochns in Ali a thooid be reftored, according to the law r i m , to Rome ,

when the fenate [hortly before had declared thol'

e cities to belong to it:

pupil Ptolemy? Or how could the Romans claim thofe cities by the law of

war, when S cipio, a few ycam afierwards, was the firfi Romang eneral that

pafl'

ed into Alia with an army ? Livy, lib . x x xvii. The knot, however,

may be untied, without having recourfc to Alex ander’s (word, w ider! we

EDWARD GIBBON Efquite’

: 3 5 9

toAlex andri g ladio, modo feriem illarum rerum apud‘

ipfum Jufiinum atque L ivium infp iciamus . H ie (l. x x x i.c . Philippa, inquit, animus fariebat— fa'a

’

m {fi rms

mm Antiocho Syria rag e, dr'

w'

fc g uc j am own to E g yptiopts , cui mart: audita Ptolmuu

'

rrg t'

s, limbo imrm'

nelant.

Jufiinus (lib . x x x . c . L eg ato: Alex andrini ad Roma

no: mija'

e, croni es at tutelm pupillz"

fui'

fiifiz’

permf, rue .

Morg ue reg numE g ypti , g ood j am Philippa”: rtAntiochum,Ma inter j } pafl ime, «lief/if : dicebant. Nee vero inter

p aéta res fubftitit. Markus em'

m, J am occupatw inR0 .

mam bellowPhilippa , {tefle L ivio , lib. 3 3 . e . em

niba s qua inCa le- Syril funt civitdtt

'

brt; Ptolemm‘

, infuam

fate/latent redacqis ; [fmulperm s”: cramCr'

lz'

rice g ue ct Co f fee

“Mature: era : urbe: g m: indition: Ptolemcez' (fleet : fimulg uePfiilt

'

ppum cxm itu m ibufg ue adj uturw .

’

V ine iturque a.

Quintio Philippus . Ab endem Quintin jam (L iv. lib .

x x x iii . e . aperte p ronunciatr

ur leg atis Antiochi, jurebelli et vié

'

lorix nimirum, utex ude" : Afice urln'

bus , qua"an:

follow the feriea of thofe‘

tranl'

actionsf as related by jufiin and Livy. The

latter hiftorian, lib. x x x i. c . 14, relates, that Philip'

a courag e was ln

creafed by his leag ue with Antiochus , k ing of Syria, withwhom, as foonf‘aa he learned Ptole

'

my‘

s death, he propofed, according to the tenor

“ of that ag reement, dividing the fpoils of Eg ypt."

Jufiin, ag ain, lib. x x x .

c. 2 . te ll: us ,f ‘ that the Alex andria!“ lent Ambafi

‘

adors to Rome ,

requeil ing the fenate to defend the caufe of theirk pupil, threatened with the

partitionof his dominions , inconfequence of a treaty for that porpofe be

“ tween Philip and Antiochus .“ This treaty indeed foonbeg an to be cab

,

tied into efl‘

efl ; for, according to Livy, lib. x x x ii. c. 19 . Antiochus’

“ while his ally was occupied in the war with Rome , conquered all the

“ cities belong ing to Ptolemy in Ca le - Syria ; purpofing nex t to invade

“ the coal! of Carla and Cilicia, and at the fame time to aflifl: Philip with a

fleet and army.

" Meanwhile Philip is conquered by the Roman ech ini

Quintin” who thenopenly declared to Antiochus‘

ambafl'

adora, that their

VOL . I. 1 B mailer

37a LETTERS TO ANDmom

Phil/pp; outPtoimwz reg umfuij m! Obfcurins 1g itui brg f

vitate, fed verum tamen fo ip fit Jufiinus .

‘

Eeq iiid te pmnitct, GIBB ONE V ir DoEiifiime, lite -a

tis ita humanis laceflitnm ivifl'

c fenem fijig idum et lDCrlCP),

qui pot duos menl'

cs pollit d ifi'

cre refponfionem ad ep ij'

fo

lam ita blandam, ita fibi honorificam ? Non conjiciatncaufam long i filcntii 1r1 feneélutcm, quamquam haec quo

que inc ip it fufflaminare non .nunquam conatus meos , ut

fcnfiam c irca fep tuag efimum, demp tis tribus , & tall8 ‘

ah

num,

’

non ita me jam imp erare p oll'

e ing enid, ut annis

fup crioribus . S ed cuni alias inotium concedere p aulla

tim dctnr fenibus , mihi adho c p ene contra evomit, ut {ub

inde nova: mihi curac imponantur. Adfcrip tus fum foa

cietatibus aliquot, ut B erolinenfi, ct n‘

of’trae fciemiarum;hanc etiamp er vices femefites juffhs d irig ere : p racfidcre

folco fing ulia hcbdomad is focietati apnd nos Germanicae ;

fubmitterc antem fcrip tiunculas quafdem meas L atinas Je

nenfi. B ibliofhecam Academize, quinquag inta ad mini

mum libromm millibus confiantem, curate meum efi

tum

“matter molt evacuate (fupply, acecmling td the all thofi

fi es to which either Philip « Ptolemy had any claims.” Livy, lib. x x x iii.

e. 34. Jnfiin'

c m m; therefore, thoug h obfcnrcd by btevity, is yet con

fifient with truth.

Do you not repent, learned S ir, the hav ing written to an indolent old

man, who could delay G. months fending an anfwer to a letter fo oblig ing ,

and l'

o honourable m himfelf ? 1 will not throw the blame onmy {am t-

cd

a g e, thoug h I beg inte feel my former powers of ex ertion fomewhzt finchen

ahd abate nuder the weig ht of fix ty - fevcn years .’

At this time of.

life moi!

old menare indolg e‘with a diminution of labour ; whereas I, onthe m

trary, am continually burdened with an incrcafe of Operations and cares .

tw ang to feveral academies , particularly am of Berlin, mam. here of

Gotting en; which loft ] am appointed to ditta 6: months inthe ym ; I

alfo prcfide week ly inthe German'

foc iety of this place , and frequently cor

tefpond with the Latin foc iety of Jena. I am entmfied with the care of

the public library, confifiing at k i d of fifty thoufand volume s ; with the in

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

37, w orms TO ANDmom

was refpondeat, alia mihi omnia quam g ratifim tli tibi

voluntatcm dcfuifi'

e ex ifiimes . Brevitati flu dui; quodnonopus efi

'

é putarem ea repetere, quae ad eaufamcon

fiituendam a te bene diéta fuut. L atina ling ua, ut ali

quanta mihi fimiliarioref ufus law, no mihi forte acc i

deret, quod tibi Gallice fcribenti, Gallice licet bene doao,

ufu veuill'

e video, uti fcriberes , Undzfi mu qua Scalig er i t

y: VWim ont cu (referable; unde aliquis collig erit te p u

tafl‘

e liticulam habuifl'

e inter fe homiues , quorum alter

novem annis poll alterius monem natus efi. H abe s ,

Gibbone, V ir Humanifiime, nudumpeéius etdeditam tibi

voluntatcm etparata find ia

Mu rmur. C esunga .

Serib Oo '

rfl uo x , a. d. XII Feb. Anna

4. Inquaefiione de annis Catulli plane tuus fimi , Gib

boue Doéiiflime, ne p utes p ig ritia quadam me ali'

eutiri

nialle tibi, quam tecum d ifputare , p rimo hie reponzuhipfi verba quae juvenis pofui iu difpututioue de annis

ludifque fecuIaribus veterum Romanorum Viuariée A.

I7‘75

eaufi tather thtn my m d inellnatiou te obfig e you. Brevity wn my

m m u feemed w eeflfary to npeat what you had fo well faid ou

the fubje&. I write inI-efim a lang eag eMin to mq lefi lflwuld oou

mit amlfialte fimilar to that of whieh you, thoug h wello fitilled inl’rench, are

g uilty, when you fay, Unt W fi lfiVfimMmW /a"

From tbe words it mig ht be concluded, that a dlfierenoe had l'

ubfified be

m omm a m mf wuchm m au m ym m m‘

mwar bom, I remaiufineerely, widxmuehoonfideratiou, m.

Ma r ‘

ru w Gu n s .

Got- fl u ent, nth Februt y 175 8.

z mmmm m w m a w m, l amentireiy of

your Opiaiong znd lefi you thould tlflnle that I ag ree with you . mereiy be

d are, throug h iaz inefs, I am unwilliqg to enter into anarzumeut, I lhall

haulerlbc the wwdl of a thefiy whith l defmded inmy youth fotty ym e

EDWARDGIBBON Efquire .

‘

373”

’

1717 atque adeo ante hos ipl'

os quadrag inta anuos a me

hab ita, [p . 43 . Cumm ipfiJ carminem'

k ilfit g uodnonaIzo

quoque j q/Io in Dianne honorem cam'

potucrit, & c . B eindo

c onfirmo tibi me ex p endilfc cadem hora, qua ifia fcribe

barn, eruditam difputationem tuam, .

contulili'

e ipfas Iii

Voliii ad Catullurn obfervationes (edit. 1684, 4to. p . 8 r

ct et ea qua? Jof. S calig er a Voflio hic refutatus

difputaverat; infp ex ifi'

e Ciceronis deMamurra locum,

adhibuifl'

eMiddletoni obfervationem ; et poft rem bene

p erceptam et perpenfam, plane fecundum te, pm fiantif

fitneGibbone, p ronunc1o.

P. S . Reéie mihi reddentur literae tua li inpollerum

quoque fcribere ad me velis , vel folo meo nomine et

urb is nottrae literie infcripto ; vel lic , A.M. leProfefi

'

eur ,Gefner, Confeiller de la Cour de faMa

johe Britannique, , a Gotting en.

”S ed fi vis viderc

titulos niece more Germanico deduéioa, entibi e x

cerptos ex libro quintum editoNordhufae 175 2, Elm .

T eutfch und a fofifchTituiarbuch, p , 164 AMonfieurMonlieur Gefncr, Confeiller de la Coup( C de

ag o, (p. 43 . W eimar, concerning the fecular years and g ames of

the Rom ans . There is nothing in the poem which mig ht not have been

(aid, had it beenwrittenfor any other feli iy al in honour of Diana,"are,

L] afi'

ure you, that withinthis hour I have compared what ii (aid inyour

learned d iffertation, with If. Voliius’remark s on Catullus , (edit. 1684, 4m.

9 . 81 , [ty. and thol'

e of Jof. Scalig er, whom he refutes . I alfo ex a

mined the pafl'

ag e of Cicero concerning Mamurra, withMiddleton‘

s ob.

fervationa onit , andhaving e x amined and wellweig hed the whole matte r, I

pronounce fenteuce , molt ex cellent Gibbon, clearly anyour favour.

P . 8. Y our letters will find me without any farther direétionthanthat of

my name and place of abode , or addrefl'

ed toMr. Profcll'or t '

ue r, coon,

fellor of the Court of his BritannicMajefly, Gotting en. But if you

wiih to fee my title: ex panded at full leng th after the Germanfathion,

here they are, copied front the French and German Title - book } .Mufti

LETTERS TO AND FROMa do InMajeflé Britannique , Profefl

'

eur ordinaire .

dc l’

Univerfité d eGotting ue, Infpefteur Généraldes

Ecole§ de l’

Eleéioratdc H anovre, B ibliothé caire d c

l’

Univerlité, Direéteurdu S éminaire Philolog ique,Préfident de la S oc iété Royale de l

'

Eloquence Al

lemande, etMembre dc °

la S ociété Royale dc

S ciences de Gotting ue, d x .

"Nullus horum titu

lorum eft, quinaliquid certa iemporis mihi auferat

qua fola etiam caufa efi cur hue d efcripli; quod mihi

te eredere li c putabo, ii quatn breviliima infcrip tione

literarum ad me utaris .

printed at Nordhaufen, 175 2, 81m. fifth edition, p. 1 64. ToM.Gefner, Counfellor of tt ourt of his BritannicMajcfiy, Profcfibt in

the Univerlity of Gotting en, Infpefior General of the S chools of the

Elefi orate of Hanover, Librarianof the Univerfity , Direaor of them owed Seminary, Prefidentof the Roytl Society of GermanBlo

quence,Member of the Royal Society ef ficient“ it.Gotting en,"ace.

There is not oue of there titles but deprive : the of form: part of mytime ; the only reafou for which I here {ubjointhem ; which

'

l thallthinl;

you believe, if your letter to me has as fltort a diretliou u poflible.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

376 LETTERS 1 0 ANDmore

d e vous all'

urer de toute la reconnoifi'

ance dont vous avez

pénétré un homme qui fe feta toujours g loire du titre dcvorre dil

'

ciple . Je vais dans peu dc tems enAng leterrc

je pourrois pout étre y trouver l'

occafion de vous prouver

mes fentimens , ou du mains mon commerce vous devich

dra moins ennuyeux . Mondéjour dans une cap itale

é clairée me donnera une forte de mérite,local. Incap able

de les imiter, je vous app rendrai de bonne - heure les

travaux , et les découvertes de nos favans . Gotting u e

mérite b ien qu'

i mon tour je vous demande quelles fontles occupations de vos colleg ues et de vos difciples . Un

nouveau plaili r que j’

envifag e dans'monretour enAng le

tcrre , c’

efi la conno ilfance dc tous vos ouvrag es . Monp remier foin fern de me les procurer, et de les étudier

comme mes me illeurs meddles : pour m’aider dans cette

recherche, je ‘m ndrai la l1bcrté de vous‘

demander one

lifie de tous ces morceaux curieux dont vous avez enriehi

la république des lettres . Monig norance de plufieurs

d’

entre eux ex'

cite a la fois ma joye ctma honte . Majennell

‘

e, e t lo lieu d’

ou jc datte mes lettres , font monunique cx cufe.

contente d with alluring you, that you have filled with g ratitude a m who

W lll alw ays bc proud of being called your fcholar. I g o lhortly to Eng land ;

“ one , p - rhaps , I mzy fiod an Opportunity of proving to you the finoerity

of my fentiments , at lead: of rendering my correfpondence let'

s tirefome.

My rcfidence in Londonwill g ive mc a fort of local merit. I wili fend youe arly inte llig ence of the labours and difooveries of our learned men, whol

’

e

e x ample 1 am unable to imitate ; and will expefi co lcoru, in return, when:

is [0 prepe r anobj cfi of currolity,‘

the occupations and ftudies of your col

leag ues and difcipla at" Gotting en. At my return to London I propofe mmyfelf a new pleafure in( Ollca ing allyour work s , which I willmak e it my6111 bufinefs to procure ; and for afiittmg me in this rmatter, mutt requefi that

you would g ive me the titles of all the curious pieces with which you have

enriched the republic o f letters . My ig norance '

of many of them caufea

both joy and {ham It canonly be ex cufed inconfiderationof my youth, and

the placc fromwhich this letter icdated.

EDWARD GIBBON Efquire. 3 77

S i j’

ofe propofer quelques nouveaux cloutes , vous {avez

mieux que perfonne qu’il n’

y a que la raifon, o r; _du

moins fon apparence qui foit abfolue . Soyez perfuadé

q ue monunique but endifcutantvos leg ons, c’

efide m’

en

Nonita certandi cup idos , quam propter amorem,

Quod te imitari avec . Quid enim contendathirundo

Cycnis 3 ant quidnam tremulis facere artubus ha di

Confimile incurl'

u p oliint, ac fortis equi vis

Tu p ater e t rerum inventor‘

Aprés cette e x plication, je vous avouerai qu 11me relic

encore quelques nuag es fur lo Pifonde l'

ArtPoétique.

Vous ne croyez pas que les p arole s d’

Horace touchant

V irg ile , prouvent que cc poéte {fit encore vivant, ct que

l’

oppofition erl p lutot tles anc iens aux moderncs, que

(le s morts aux v ivans J’

ai rclu l’

endroit, mais cette nou

velle leflure, et les réflex ions aux quelles'ellc a donné

lieu, n’

ont fait que me confirmer dans ma premiérc Op i

nion. Horace trouvoit la lang ue L atine pauvre et trap

fiérilc,

If ! venture ta propote fame new doubt“ it it hecaufe you know better

thanany one , that ehfolute fuhmlfiion it due only to real‘

qn, eithe r realor

apparent. Y ou willbelieve thatmy onlymotive for ilifcufiing your lcfl'

ons is to

render myfelf worthy of them :

Nonita certandi cupidot, quampropter

After this apolog y, I mull cenfefs that I have (till fame remaining doubtsconcerning the Pifo to whom Hom e addrefl

'

es hit Art of Poetry. Y ou

think that the m nner inwhich that poet (peak s of V irg il doe s not prove the

latter to be fill! alive hecaufe Horace does notOppolE the dead to the living .

hut the mcients to the modems . I ex amined the purg e ag ain, and that

new pcrufal e x cited reflections which confirmed me more fimng ly in my

former opinion. Horace thoug ht the Lntin tong ue too poor and barren, and

Lacret. de Rex . Natur. L . iii. ver. 5 . at [cy.deficient

0

373 BETTERS TO ANDmore

Rerile, pout e x primer les idées abflraitenque les compag ;

non-

3 dc Romulus , les pfitrcs , ct les brig ands nc connoif

foient point : plufieurs dc {Q3 compatriotes lui avoient

tromré le méme defaut. Horace fouhaite de l'

enrichir'. ll

p ropofc pour'

cet ell'

et aux V irg ile , aux V arius , deftra

vaillpr duos c c defl'

ein, ct d'

emprunter do C ree quantit‘

de termet énerg iques dont ils avo ient hefo in. Il leur

ofl'

rc funfem urs . Cfefi un projet qu'il forme etnonune

eho fe déja ft ite qu'

iljuflific . Par conféq uent l’

avenir

q u’

il envil’

ag e ne peut re g arder que ceux d’

entre les écri

vains qui virolent encore . Par confe’

qucnt l'

Art Poétique

fut compofé avantl'an point dc vile fous lequel

j c conlidére cc paflag c , ell fi bien celui do poh'

te lui

meme , que celui- c i finit cctte oppofition p ar ccttc imag e

(une (les plus vives et des plus j ulies , que jc conno ill‘

e)

9‘ — licuit, fernperque liccbit

S ig natumpraefcntc nod p roducereA

L e limit, lo pafli

é, re g arde lea Terence, les Cx cilius ,

mom

deficient in nod e ca prcflire of nhflrma idea which were unknownto Roe

mulus’

eutnpanlond , confirllng of ihtpherds and robhr rt. Thi s imperfeCtiont been renm lced by others . Hom e, withing to remedy it, prope l} :

to the V irg il: and Variul'

cs , to co o operatc with him in this delig n, by hor

rowing from the C reek many energ etic terms,and phmfcs which were vant

ing in Latin. Hc doc: not juflify a thing already done, but propel} : a new

enterpril‘

e . The futurity which he look s to cm only have a reference to

authors hillalive. The Art of Poetry was thef t-fore writtenbefore the year

of Rome [even hundred and tlurty li ve. This e x planation ag rees (0 well

with the poet'

s thou g ht. that his oppofition between the dead and living

pha t, conclude s with one of the julie tt and livelletl. imag e! that 1 etc :

rcrncmbet to have metwith .

— ~ llcuit, {emperque licehit

S ig natum pm fcntc nuzi producc rc nomen

The (chit in: a referenc e to the Terences and the Ccclllufa , Whom mHunt. dc Art. Pact. vcr. 5 9 .

du d

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 8° LETTERS TO ANDFROMcélibat, furtout pendant les g uerres c iviles qui dél

’

oié

rent la terre, p endant la p remiere je‘

unefl’

e de Pifon.

L es « loix d’

Aug ufle ne font qu'

indiquer la g randeur do

mal‘, et les p remieres de ces loi x furent p fomulg uéos

p lus de trente ans apres la nnifi'

ance dc Pifon'

f. S i l'

on

compte one g énérationordinaire y o u i trente trois ansI,ll p aroit que fo us le commencement de l

’

emp ire, on dev

roit le s poo

ufi'

er plut6t jufqu’

é quarante ans , que de les

redoire a v ing t. Je conviens que cc ne font la que

des p robabilités , mais dans la fcience de la critique , il

p arole que les p robab ilités doivent faire d ifparoitre les

potiihilités , et céder «a leur tour aux p reuves . Je nccrains riendc cc p rincipe . L ’

autorité d’

unPorphyrion

n’

a pas nii'

ez de forc e parmi les lavans , p our p ouvoir

jamnis former nu raifonnement. Tout cc qu’

elle pour

xoit faire, cc feroit d’

en appyuer un déjri p rouvé . L es

anc iens no donnoient point 5. Porphyrion la p remiere

p lace p armi les commentateurs d'

Horace ct les moder-r

nee,

ehe Romannobles from marriag e, el'

peeially amidft the civil wars, which,

during Pifo'

s youth, defolated the eaith. Aug ufius'laws on that fubjoa

only prove the g round s of the evil“; and Fife was thirty years old, before

the fit-ti of thol'

e law: was emitted } . If an ordinary g eneration13 computed

u: thirty- three years 1, the g enerations under the Grit emperors oug ht rather

to be ex tended to fiirty, then reduced to twenty years . There , I acknow

ledg e , are but probabilities but in the fcience of critieifm probabilities de

Rwy polii bilities , and are themfclves delimyed by proofs . This principleis notno he controverted.

'

1'

he authority of Phorphyrio is of boo little weig ht

among the learned to be the foundation of an arg ument; it mig ht atMhelp to prop an arg ument, otherwife well [opponed The ancient: do not

aflig n to him the fu ll rank among Horace : commentators § 5 and the moa

DionJ -lifi. Rom. L . lvi. p, 5 70.

Borat. Cu m. Setular. v. 17, Sec. Torrent. dc Leg e Julifi ad Cale. 1-101rat p . 75 , &c.

I li erodot. L. ii . NewtonChronol. Emendat. p 41.

Yul. Vitam Hunt. finenomine Autorir.

EDWARD . GIBBON Efqdire. as ;

nes , .Monfieur Daciet furtout, lui ont trouvé beam ?

d’

erreurs . Je ne fens p as d’

ailleurs la force do Inpre

miére de vos hypothéfes . S i t Pifou avoit c u fon5 13 i

Pag e ,de trente ans , celui- ci pouvoit enatioir fe iz e, lorl

'

qu’

Horace lui écrivit, fig‘

e, fuivant vous , qui répond an:

conditions requifes . Auriez - vous oublié dans cc mo

mentqu’

Ho race mourut en745 , quand Pifon lui -méme

n’avoit que 40 . ans ?

2 . Je ne doute pas un inflant qu’ “

Horac e n’

ait‘

eu en

wile, dans lo. troifiéme L ivrc, de faire voit aux Romains

q ue fileur p rince afp iroit aux ~ honne urs d ivins , View”

afli flat Olympo, il le s méritoit p ar fes e x ploits dont la

g randeur . eg aloit celle des p lus fameux héros , d’

tm

B acchus , d’

un Hercule, d’

un Romulus , héros , q uim6

p rifant les efforts dos humains , ct ap paifant 1a haine

des Dieux , s’

éto ient frayé un chemin jufqu’

aux p alais

des immortels . Mais a - t- il voulu faire cell'

er les clameurs

d o people fur l’

infame A VW MG j’

endoute . 1 . L es dates

y répug nent. S uetone he marqhe p as celle du A a i‘

zu esee

mais

J erm, particularlyMr. Dacice, find inhim many errors. I do not fee any

g round for yourfirfi hypOthcli s. If Pifo had a (on when he was thirty yold, this (onmig ht be fix teenwhenHorace wrote

'

his Art of Poetry 3 anag e

which you think ag rees with every quality required in him. Did you notforg e

t in writing this fentence, that Horace died in fem hundred and fortyfive, whenPifo himfelf was only forty years old ?

a. I think it certain that Horace , in the third ode of his third book ,

meant to {how the Romans, thal if thei r prince afpired to divine honours,

View? “qfléfiat Ofympo, be well merited them by his ex ploits which rivalled

there of the g reateit heroes , Bacchus , Hercules , and Romulus , who, after

trampling on their human enemies, and appealing the jealoufy of the g o ds,

had opened for themfelves s tond to the palace of the immortals. But d id

dro poet all'

o intend , by this ode , to refifl: and dellroy the clamours o f the

p eople concerning the infamous {upper of the t welve g ods ? I think he d id

not. 1 . This defig ndoe s not ag ree with chronolog y. Suetonius does not

sell us the date of this (upper ; but finesMark Antony mentioned it, inhis

better:

3 83 t e rn-ins TO AND FROMmais nous favous toujours que p uifqueMarc Antoinela repella

‘dans les lettres 5 fun rival’ , ellc arriva'

avant

la derniere brou illerie des triumy irs , ou avant Part 721 .

Suivant Bentley 1' dont vous adop tez les idées , Horace

compofa le tro ifiéme rim des odes dans la quarante denat

icme, et la quarante troifiéme anneé dc fona g e , c’

efi 5 dire,

en et 729 . Une jufiiiicationvenue fep t ou huit ans

aprés coup, bienloindc faire p laifir a Aug ufie, n

'

auro it

fervi qu'a fairc rehivre 1a mémoire de ces ex cés ,

‘quc la.

politique do prince, et la reconnoifl'

ance slu p euple

avoient p long é dans l’

oubli. 2 . Aug ufie foupa avec

ooz e hommes , ou femme s , p areillcment équippes en

divinites . H orace élevoit b ienAug ufic a la table des

d ieux , purpurro ~

bibz'

t are nec‘lar mais y p lag oit- ii auhi

tous fes compag non L'

honncur feroit devenu bien ba

nal, et un tel p anég yrique n’

efit'

p as été fort élo ig né de

la fatyre. Je conviens b ien du relic aVcc vous , que

trouver le plan d'

un morqeau dc p celi c L yrique, efl:‘

tm

letters toAug ufins“, itmutt have happehed before the lat! quan-

cl of the ale

uni virt. According to Bentley f , whofe opinion you adept, Horace. wrote

the third book of his ode s in the forty- fecond and forty

- third years of his

ag e ; that ia in the (even hundred and twentycleig hth and revenhundred and

twenty- ninth years of Rome . An apolog y for Aug ufius

‘ debaucheries

nvritten (even years after they happened, could have only fervcd to revive the

memory of enormities , which the policy of that prince and the g ratitude of

the Romans had long config ned to oblivion. 2 . Aug ul'

tus (upped with

e1m m md womw , who, as well as himfelf, were adorned with the

emblem of divinities. The poet fesa d Aug ufius at the table of the g ods,

purportsMore “Raf ; but can we real'

onably {uppofe that he meant to

place the re the companion: of his fealt‘

? This would have been to render

thc honour too oommon; and'

his paneg yric would have deg enerated into a fad

tire. Ing ree with you, that it is rather defirable thannecefi'

ary to difcom the

0 Suet.‘

L . ii. c. 70 . 1' Bentley inPre fab ad Horst.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

wm ns '

rom m m.

thrcenée. Maia -la colere do people s’appaife avec la

meme'

faeilité qu’

elle s'

elt allutnéc . ll mépriferoit les

menaces d'

un tyranfurieux mais les cceurs des tyrans fa

font quelquefois laiflé fléchir. ll entendroit fans frémir

lo bruit des tempetes fourdes aux cris des malheureux .

Mais la fortune a fot fimye les viélimes 5 la fureur

tles flots : Eg al zi j up iter, iln’

encraindroit pas la foudre.

lc i l‘

imag ination s’

arréte en tremblant. Elle craint pour

le poéte une chiite foible onoutrée ; elle ne lent point

d’

imag e fupérieure au courroux du maitre des Dieux et

des hommes . Avec quelétonnementadmire- t- elle le g

‘

énie

da poéte, quand elle lit, Il recevra fans fourciller le

a choc de l’

univers 6croulé, on} one meme defimélionde

voit envelop per, les hommes , les élémens , et les

Dieux eux Je m’

arrété . Pent- 8m ces reflex .

ions vous ennuyent : en cc can, c'

efi ma faute . J'

aurai

eependantremplimonbut, qui étoitde faire voir le po intde

vile foua lequelje confidére l’

érudition la'

plus g rande .

Comme

fhry of a mad muliitude ; but this popular rag e is ofienappeafed as eafily as

t: is k indled. nc‘

m u del'

pife the threats of a furious tyrant : but the

hw nof tyranta fometimes relent of compafiion. He would hear without

terror the rag ing texnpefi, which overpowers the cries of the wretched ; but

fortune has oftentefcued viftime from the boilierouawaver. He would not

dread the thunder of Jupiter z here the trembling imag ination paufcs , fear

ing lea the poet lhould either finlt into meannefs , or fwell into bombafi ; be

eaufe it feeme impofible to conceive a bolder imag e than the enrag ed mailer

of g ods and men. But our fea r is converted into admiration, when we

read he would fultain unterrified the cratning {hock of the univerfe,

by which the elements , men. and God: are involved in one common

I flop here, let} my refletlions mould tire you ; which, if theydo, it mufi be my fault. I (hall have attained, however, my purpofe ,

which was to (how the point of view under which I confida , the molt pro

found erudition. Reg arded as a mean or inarument, it men'

ts our hig hefi

PlimL . vi. Epifl. 20.

3 3 5 m as'

rom moat

aifé de faire voitou’elle eli des plus confom es i Tint ing }

dc la lang ue, et it la vérité de lhifioire: L es m ilieu”

g rammairiens reconnoill’

ent aujourdhui, que les Latins,faute d

’

une forme moyenne i leurs verbes , fe fimtIouvent

fe rvi des participes d'

une terminaifonpaliive dans un(ens

afl if‘. (Lu

’ainli ils out d itj uram ,Mm, pour dire

qui j uram’

I, qui punim'

t. Ontrouvememefl rag ratur dans

cc lens, clans Velleius lui- meme AMfig/iar, poure x primer l

’

aéiionde Druid s, ne doit pas étonn'

er. L'

hif

toire ell ég alement favorable i notre contaion. Drui ds

(fuivantTacite)arrive ancamp des rebelles I. Seaordresfontmeprilds, les ofl

'

res deviennent fufpeaes . L es foldats

le tiennent prifOnnier dans le camp, ils outrag ent {es amis ,ils ne chemhent qu

’

unprétex te pour commenoer ie car

nag e queldang er pour l'

a perfonne l Sibi m ifitia tamre.

On connoit la févdrite de la difeipline Romaine. L es

chefs 6toient pour les foldats , tles dieux leurs ordrea,

tles oracles . Qpel rcnverfement de toutes ces max im

es !

the correaionmay be proved to be Equally cohformable to the analog y of

the“

Latin tong ue , and ag reeable to the truth of biliary. The belt enm

marians acknowledg e that the Latin, not having a middle voice , admits of a

pafiive participle in an na ive fig nification'. Thus , fau na , purine , (omeo

time! denote qui j oins/if, g al mis fit. We find ”ag ar- r ufed in d i s

meaning by Velleius himfelf Fufus may therefore , without impropriety.

denote the afiion of Dntfus. B iliary all'

o {fl ours this correa ion. A c .

cording toTacitus, whenDrul'

us arrived inthe camp of the rebels , his o r’

ders were dil’

obeyed. his ofi'

ers fufpea ed, the foidiers made him prifone r,

they inlulted his friends , and Waited only for a pretence to beg inthe (laug hter

Such were the dang ers that threatened his perfoni Sidim ip ria tenure. The

feverity of the Roman dil’

tipline'

i s well known. The g enerals were the g ods

of the foldiers, and their orders received as oracles. But ancient max im

Were now overturned ; and the {edition of the Pannonianleg ions ereated a

Burman ad Veil. Patere. L . ii. c. 97. Petite» . ad Sana.Mine" . 1.

i. c . i s. m4.

t Tu ia L h fi m k .

cm arl

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

. :m m mm . N th,

mtt'e pays 11'

t p as fam e m am a m u ifimi d es

inc urs moim g vofliéms que loouéa'

es l Jememontrewi:indig ne de .

g es bienfaits, s'

ils ne m'

aroientw infiairé - l;

Plus rite comm ifl'

ance. Aujowd‘bui que la S uede,

la nai -tille é l’

ahti des loix , u’

ex ig e de fenenians que dcfeutir leur bonheur, je puig

‘

faus l’

ofi'

enfeg jetter u re

g ard fur le pays de Vaud, muns um p atrie, me rejuuirw e J u g s de [es am u g es , ct comp atir i fez m utt .

Votre d im : efihczu , vowe termit fert'

fle vo us am

pour le c ommerce intérieur des facilites, donti l ac tion?

qu’

a‘

; vous d e p rofit“. Mais je confida e p lutét les habi

tans, que Phabitntion. 011 vs chercher les p hilofiop hes 5MM. Paris attire dons [on fain tons oeux qui .n’

ai

ment que ); douoeurde la foeiété. Von-e pays le eéde i

ces doux cap itales .’ li oft élles brillent ; mais « p endant

il réunit tons lean avautag esMifs ; ile fi1c feul of;

tout i la b ia onnfe penfer, et onfache vivre . Que vous

“a qua- ui la liberté zetprivés d

’

elle, toutvousmanque ,Cette

and u al'

um ana uug ht me mqre refined morflt thm our m I ihoula

prove myfelf unworthy of this g oodnel

'

t, did it not lnfph'e mfl tfith the The

lief} g ratitude : and now that: Sweden, mjoying trutqullfity under the pm

mltion of lawc, requires nothing from its fubjeat hut amatd'

e tat'

their

happimfi, I may direa thy atteqtioa, without offence, to the Pi t: dc d ,

Y oumay a line climate, afiertile fon, and hxvem euianfiu fitweommeree, fi'

qm which g reat benefit mig ht be derived. But l tonfidu' the

mu m d m'

m by the allutementx ot'

peflmed heiety . Wm

m ow. thoug h infefiqr tothofe espiuls , yet mfim inm m fure their

Me adqzntag es z fim lt is the nd y mmry wb fi inhm , wlfl eMlfi flk fifl lr fl wmomwmmM W h itman

infl ates-t”MW of lt, youhm lot youtm.

19. a mm mm

Cette verité vous furprend, ellc vous blefl'

e . Pouvalr

dire que nous ne fommes pas libres , me repondez vous ,

p rouve que nous le fommes . 11 lo prouveroit peutiétre,

fi j’écrivois 7; Laufanne , ou plutot laméme ilm: prouve

roit tien. Vos maitres connoifi'

ent lama x ime da CardinalMaz arin, de vous laifl’

er parler, pounfique vous les laifiez

ug ir. Ainfi le proeés n'

efl po int encone jug é .

S i j’éerivois pour le peuple je m

’

addrefl'

erois 3 {es p af

fions ; je le ferois fouvenir de cette max ime de tous le s

tems , que dans les républiques , ceux qui font libres , {bu t

p lus libres , et ceux qui font efclaves , plus efclaves qu ep anont ailleun. Maia avec unami tel que vous , je nedois chercherque la vérité , ct n

’

employer que la taifou .

Q uad je compare votre état avec celui de vos woifins ,

c’efi avec plaifir que je le prononce heureux . Tm

votre lac ct vos montag nes , vous trouverez panout on

people dig ne d unmeilleur fort fa raifonabrutie p ar la

thperttition, le patrimoine de (es péres , et ls fruit de {on

enim , “ we m mt fim io a p oof of our liberty. lf l wrote at LauMtbe ngm m ld hsve weig ht ; yet even thete, it would not he

ounvincing s fls your p afleu g re pot ig nonnt of CardimlMaz azine’

t max im,

und ue sytlhn‘ to allow yoq mtalk , pmy ided you allow them to sa , {o that

(he procefs is not yet determhed.

lf l wpote for the pwpk l ww li fpa k to their pafliom, md hold a ln o

g mg e npu ts d inqll ag es , cha under‘rppublic s. that: who m free are more

free , tnd tlwfe who m mflayed , are more euflaved, thanunder any other form

9 0'

w g ot with a friend like you I would feek only the p u im

of tmth. sqd employ only the arg uments of m fon, Whea l commyour sondidonwith thqt of fw ounding nations, l g an fix emly coog nmlm

you onyuur happinefs. Whm 'ct y c quit the ne ig hbouthood of your lak e

w moumim, we find mcn who, thoug h worthy of a inter face, “

timed h m w abfifi furqfiitioq s whofcw mmdMum-n th

{ri b

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

g e u m x s TO ANDmom

w e. Qeelqnes événemene, lee de g ree, ci la tent

cit ies arriére' fiefe fe formérent dea fiefs , ofi le clerg fi

acquit (les term feig neutiales , 01) Ice ville: achetérent

leurs afi'

ranchifl'

emeha. y apporterentde lég eree diflérences .Mai: le fond de cctte confiimtionefi demeuré dans tontes

lee revolutions , ct tiende plus libre que cc fonds . Ces

jours , et partout ils étoient les memes .

Je vous entends , mon ami , qui m’

interrompez . Jetom ai emote, me (lites- vous , avec patience : maie que

voulu - vous oonclure de cc tableau de notre g ouverne

ment ? Bienon mal eonfimit, nous n'

en refi'

entons que

des efi'

ets falutaires , et vos oonfeile, vos eats , auroientde

la peine i nous dég ofiter de nonmag ifirats anciens, pour

nous faire efi'

ayet dies noum utés .

Anétez ,Monfieur je vous ai parlé enhomme libre,et vous me repondez clans le lang ag e

'

de la.

fervimd e .

Enconvenant pour unmomentde Von-

e boo

hear, de qui le tenez vous ? de la confiitution? Vous

n’ofez

cma m u mam dw m m mm m orwwhich one fief came to hne on lnother. the neqnifidon of lordfiiiys

'

hy the

ele g y, and the purchzfe of franchifel by citier ; allthefe einumflanees oeea.

W hat fiig ht difi'

erencu inthe g rw nd - worlt of the eonfiitntion, whichM t bly founded on : tirm balir of liberty. The then. their

memben, and theit rig ht» were invariably maintained ; remaining uniformly

the l'

une nt all tim u, end inall phees.

l think tlu t l hm yon. my friend. intermydng me. Hitherto, you fey,

I beve lifiened ba you with patience ; butwhat is yonr conelofion frew thin

pifinre nf m g ovemment ? Wlutever defeat thm m y be initl prineiplet ,

Q t have experienced it: falntnry confequences ; and the m and afl'

emhlia

“m m rp m h eomm d. willnot a filymtk e enbolifiz our m ieu mag if.

meieh inorder to try innovatim

lt io time , Sir, to paufc ; l fpoke to you u became a freemm, end you

nnfwet me in the hnm e of finery. h t m edmit fur nmoment yourMy; towbom do yoo owe it ? Youwill w a rm , to the eonfiim

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

m w ww w w

fla mm dee étahlififeuens ntileu, et de fi g u o

loix , hfi

o

mfig ion, k s m k a km 1emmm 1a m a

m y rm et la pence, new w e

sex es

W mm nm c de m Il e trt m itre d -nh yr de Vnnd depeie l

'

eu i 53 6 . Qgsm je confiden ce

wm m u 3mm. l’

Aflg letemz, I.Made, on

rw , f at de n pnae a a w u“

umétoient les mémes p ays qne ceua i portene

m uons . m m mm m im m'i g qnor-ans , éeuhi c 3 et de pdnm rhh es . j e vnis dec vil

u muym w m a u fm a fim a fimm etrics eni ehnmln fertilee . ” Mee k e r-e

minifires , nnlk nti quam , nu m d olbm , nne

l liz i beih , endbWitt, unM inoamaum , om op éré

ces m illet . perfp eaévc dn Payene Vand n’efi

fiance; L es em la y man, {ma de ea res

le prince fculi

pent donne:

nullcs

“ 3Mu fnon an peam ie refim d, he will he coneinmlly end nfefully

m e a d na icnlum. h a n dle meeits of the fenaee of Bem hy

m m Th u mbu r ot’

thir fenate hm been -M of the hi

s

a vm m nr w m m nd fin m me mm fix . Win-m e

m m q m m mu h m a yi of m mlpnnahnd, nnd 0ctmeny, we a nfem dy rmap ne that thq were the fame m n

triu with thofe refpefi ively ltnown at prefent by the fame m es . TheirM ~ u m nm , m w w w m m

i ched t thelr dd cm have beeome cieier, and their forefis m m with

p lint h-near. Thefe wonders have been efi'

efied by their prineee tnd

m :

and a Fu dexi ek W illiam The ecmpm tive condition of the Pai'

a de Vnnd

w thofi m ‘

rm m dou net prefent fo’

plu fing a pfl m Thereu m mt m , fiz m w m w m pfim¢

afly cm hefiow r the conntry is fiill deflitute of m mm e md mannfic

mmr m hw m d my pmjefl r fit m fimfi e m m i n

fee

EDWARDGIBBON arg ues . 40:

nullee manufaanres , nnls pmjets utiles poe t ic payer no

eng ourdifi'

cmem g eneral qui reg se pencut. (De pendant

les p rinces dont je viens dc parler n’

avo ient que dee momcns pour ces objets , oil les Bernois ont cu dcs fidclcs .

Gate n’

anroient- ils pas t’

a it, ces g rands hammer , rarement

tranquilles fur le trdne, (i pendant deux . ccns donz e ans ,ils n

'

eull'

ent eu que des voifins p ac ifiqnes , et des peuples

fauna s j e m’

en rapporte i vous meme . Ind ique z moi

quelqne etablill'

ement vraiment mile que vous devie z at:

fountain. Maia ne m’

indiquez pas l’

acadélnie de L ane

fauna, fondée par des vnce dc devotion, dans la chalene

d’

nne reformation, neg lig ée depuis , ct toujours academic ,

quoiqu‘

an d ignc mag ifirat de cette Ville , p ropofi t do

l’érig er en univerfité .

Non cc n’

efi point une p olitique peneclairée qui fait

ag ir vos maitres . Je conno is trop leur hab ile té. Maisnumonarque aime ég alement tons fcs fnjets . L es citoyens

d’une ville capitale voyeur an contraire d

‘

un ocil jaloux

l’

ag landifl'

cmcnt des p rovinces . S i ellcs s’

éld’

vent, d i fent

ils , nous tombons . Nos ég ales pour les lumiérce et les

Q.

fee nothh hot the m let ot‘

annniverfalMy. Ya h Pi-ineeu bon

mendoned hed bet momem for em xdng tlr ir m - defip » ; them e

of Betn hne hzd ag u . Whet benefite mig ht not thofe patrietie kln‘e‘

hne confened’

en their fohjefih if, infiead ot‘

hsving their thmnee eootio

the- advantag e of having loyal fiabjefl s i md peeifie neig hbours ? l apped tn

yourfelf'

; point ont a ting le d efe l efinblifismw t which the Painde Vaud owee

to the Qwere ig nry of Bem , but clo noc tell me of the m demy et’

bwfinney

founded on matives ot’

reli g im dnring the en! ol refermation, but linw

totally ne g leaed, thw g h a m ethymag ittnco of that city peopofd the lsud- e

nhle defig nof erefiing lt iato annniu rfity.

Y onr mafiers ere net thm g h ig nennee. Ther m not deficient, L

knowdn politicalMildew , But while a prince treats width impartial hountrall his fubjefi r, the citizens of an afifirocratical capital are apt to behold with

ju im fy the improvement of the provinces Their elevation they think ,

mnft pdve the may for their den i al ; and if they become their equal

inpoint of ltnowledg c md riches , they Will foon be tempted, they imag in

V e t . I. s D m

4b : LETTERS To AND FROMrichefi

'

cs , ellcs voudroicnt bicntot l’

é‘

tre enp ouvoir. Rap

pellc z vous Pan 1685 . L a mauv aife p olitique dc Leuis

XIV . e x patria la p anic la plus indufirieufe do for. fujctsunc multitude fe réfug ia dans It: pays de V aud . ll étoit

p rochain, il étoit Francois . 113 no demandoient qu’

un

a z ile , ct l’

auro ient p ayé eu p o ids do For p ar les rict cs ,

cc les alts plus p recieu x que les richcfl'

es , qu’

ils vous ap

p orto ient. Mais ici la politique paniaic des B ernois

s’é zmuvantn. S i nous faifons participer ces fug itifiz i

notre droit dc Bo urg eoific , Ia fortune nous ferncom- lmunc ; mais comment élever de s mortels au rang de s

dieux ? S i nous les laifl'

ons confondus parmi nos fujets ,nos fuie ts rccueilleront lo fruit dc leur indufirie .

"Ils

conclurent cnfinavcc l’

ambafl’

adeur dc Porfcnna

Qx’ilvautmieux , qu

’unroi fur Ie mine afl

’

ermi

Commande 5 dcs fujcts , malheureux , mais foumis ,

G 3 : d'

avoir 5. dompter, anfeindc l'

abondance ,

D’

unp cuplc trop heureux l’

indocile arrog ance .

"

no afpire at an equality with thcmfclves in power. Recal to memory the

year one thonl'

and fix hundred and eig hty- five ; when the wretched policy of

Louis the Fourteenth drove from their country the mofi: induftrious portion

of his lubjefi s , many of whom foug ht refug e inthe Pai'

s dc V aud ; ancig h

booting difirifl , and (peak ing their own lang uag e . They requefied only

anafylum, the benefit of which they would richly have repaid by the wealth

which they carried with them, and their ik ill inmanufaétures , tlillmore va

loable . But the narrow policy of B’

em took the alarm. If we mak e

thefe mencitizens of Bern, their inoerefis will coincide with our own. Bot

“ is it fit that mortals thould be raifed bo the rank of Gods ? lf they

are mix ed with the mafs of our fuhjea s , our fubjefi s will be enriched by

their indufiry.

" They concluded therefore , w ith the ambafi'

adors of Por

fenna that it was more défirable for a prince to g overn a poor but {uh

mifiive people , than to contend with thc unruly paflions of menpampered

3 ‘ by prufperityt’i

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

LETTERS '

ro rnomcrites qu

’ils pourroient, nonti la verite par le fer et le hen,

mais par les menaces ct les privationq cl‘crnp loi.Ehfoutenant les droits dc l

'

humanité, is: n’

outre point.les max imes de la tolerance .

_Ie venitbienque le mag if.

tratne diflribue les récomp cnfcs du‘public, g l

u’

d, ceux qui

enfcig ncnt la relig ion du public . Je ni'

c lui défens paamémc dc contenir dans le lilcnce ces novateurs crop hard ia;

qui voudroicnt éclairer le peuple fut a ttains obj ets of!

l'

erreur (s it {onbonhcur. Meir que le fouvq ain,fe p r?

tant avec chale ur aux minuties théolo g iq ues , décide deg

quefiions qu'

on ne peut decider, afl'

urétnent ilefl ah

{urde . Qu’impofant des confcfiions de {oi ilue laifl

‘

c a

des pafieurs vieillis clans lo minifiere , et qui nuc nandoient qu

’

i fe taire , que lo choix du menfong e. onde lamend icité, afl

'

urément il ell 1nJufle Maw-

la.perfécution

cefi'

a F -Qg i la.

fitcefl'

cr ? Un fentiment dc honte ? les

larmes des fujets ? ou bienla ,

crainte qu’

infpira l’

entre

prife d'

unDave] , enthoufiafle ii citvrai , mais enthoufialic

pour le bien_ public ? Encorememe ii reg ne i .

L aul'

anne

une inquifitionfourde. L es noms d’

Arminien, et de Socimen

end inquifimn, defigned mmak e as many hypoerites as poflible, not h1deed byfire and fword , but by threats and depofttionfrom 0fitc .

ln fupg orting the rig htr ofmzn, l would not carry too fzr the mn imaof noleration. xc is juft that public rewards ihouid be befiowed only onthofe

who teech the relig ion of the puhlic ; and thofe bold innovators , who would

impa t a dang erout lig ht to the peoPleJ may very pmperly be refirained bythc arm of the mag ittnte. But it furely is abfurd , that the fovereig nfitould

interferb in theolog ic minutiz , and tak e part warnfly in quefiiem whieh

m incepahle of being decided. 1: 15 particularly unju ft, thzt he emu

impofe eonfefliom ot‘

fitith on old minim who wifll to avoid difputation;lm ing them the miferahle alternative ot

’

falfehood or beg g ary. But thie

perfecution haa now eu fed. Whtt put anend to it ? lt was not jhm e ,

nor the tears of the people , but the boldnefs of Davd , thatmeritotious mtbufiatt. Even to the prefent day, a fecret inquifition m a xim u mfine s wbere the namu of Armirfian and Socinlanm ofien mentioned h

EDWARD omaonErqatu : 4p ;

nien rémplifl'

ent encore ces lettre; on) de tree.

honnétes

g ens rendent compte i leurs p roteéieurs des , fentimens de

leurs concitoyens ; et c’eit fuivant ces indices que les

places fe diflribuent.

Je vie'

ns ; nonp as d’

épuifer, mais d’ind iquer quelques

d éfauts q ui fc trouvent dans votre‘

p uill'

ance lég illative .

Pafi'

ons'

a l’ex écutrice . Celle ~ c i cit la force publique,

comme l'

autre ell Ia volonté publique . Maia un feul

corps , nu feul homme, p ent délibérer ct decider pour

toute une nation.

’II no p eut tout feul ag ir pour ellc.

L’

adminiflration p olitique, compofée d’

unnombre infini

dc! branches , veut qu’

un g rand nombre d’

ofi ciers , foum‘

is

les uns aux autres , s’

emp loyent d faire jouer la machine5 laque

‘

lle lo maitre ne peut que donne'

r lo mouvement

g eneral. L es honneurs, et les avantag es , que les lois

attachent aces emplois , doivent étre ouVerte atous les

c itoyens , que leurs talens et leur education ont mis en

état de les remplir. L es fardeaux leur font communs 5

tous’

, les récompenfes doivent l’

étre aufli . Un g ouverne

mentmonarchique fatisfait aifement 5. ces jufies prétenfi~

thc letteti written by very honefi peoPle to their patrons of Bern; and oficea

m olten g ivenor'

withheld according to the reports made of the relig ious tenet!

of the candidates .

Having made there firiéturea on your leg iflature, which by no means ex

hmfi the.

fubjefi , I proceed to confider the defects of your e xecutive power;which it the public force, as the leg iflature oug ht to be the public will: But

{ ting le council, or a ting le man, may deliberate and refolve for 5 whole

nationt'

the ex ecutive power, onthe contrary, requires the ex ertions of many :a it is computed of a g reat variety of brancher, many ofi oers, fuoordinam

one no'

the'

otber, mutt actuate the aim : parts of the machine , co which

the chief mag iitrate can only communicate the firfi'

g eneral movement. The

h onors and emoluments leg ally attached to foch offices , oug ht to be open

to all thofe citiz ens who are prepetly qualificd for difcharg ing them. Each

individual“

, as he bears a (bare of the public burdens , is entitled alfo to a

fla re of the public rewards . This juli arrang ement is ealily maintained in

m achine ; when, with the ex ception of a few courtiers, who, by being

continually

406 LETTERS TO ANDmom

cm . A l'

rx ception de quelques courtifans , qui ap p ro

chent la p crfonne du p rince d'

al'

l'

ez p rés , pour fubli itu e r

la flatterie aux fervices , tous fes fujets lui font é g aux .

Dé lqu'

unhomme a du mérite , ou, ii l'

onveut de la fa ‘

veur, onh e lui demande point s’

il ell Normand on Pro

vencal. D’

Epernon. étoit Gafcon R ichelieu, Champ e

noia ; Maz arin, Romain. Mais dans les republiques

atillocratiques , les fouverains compofés de toute une ville

veulentGtrc lég iflatcurs en corp s , ct p artag er entre eux en

detail tous les emplois confidérables . L es talens , les lu

miéres , dans votre Pays , font inutiles pour quiconq ue

n'

efi pas né Bernois , ct dans unantic fens ils fontég ale

ment inutiles pour qui l’

efi. L e fujet fe voit condamné

p ar fa naifi'

ance i camper dans une honteufe obfcurité . L e o

dél’

cfpo ir lc faifit ; ii né g lig e cc qui ne le p eutmener a.

rien, et le g rand homme ne devient qu‘un homme ag ré

ble . S i je parlois de faire participer les fujets aux Bailliag es , les Bernois crieroient nu facrilég e ; les Bailliag es

continually about the prince‘

s perfon, have an opportunity of fubfiituting

flattery infiead of re al fcrviccs , all the inhabitants of the k ing dom are created

with comparative equity . In France , provided a man has court- favour

or merit, the quellion is never allted whether he comes from Provence or

Normandy. D‘

Epernon was born in Gafcony ; Richlieu, in Champag ne ;Mau rine, in Rome . But in ariftocratical republics , the citizens of one

townare not contented with being fovere ig ns tolleflively, unlefs they indi

vidually appropriate all ofiices of honotir or emolument. In the canton of

Berntalents and information are not of the fmalleft ufe to any one who is

not bornin the capital ; and in another fcnfe they are ufelei'

s to thofe born

there ; becaul‘

c they mji make their way without them. Their fubjcfl s in

the Pai r de V aud are condemned , by the clrcumfiances of their birth, to a

condition of {baneful obfcurity. They naturally become, there fore , a prey

to defpair ; and ne g ledling to cultivate talents which they cannever enjoyanOpportunity to difplay, thol

'

o who had'

capacities for becoming g reat men are

c ontented with mak ing themfclyes ag reeable companions . Should I propofe

that the fubjefls obtained a rig ht to hold the lucrative employments c f

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

w as we ANDmom

n'

ics i leum Hautcs Puifl'

ap ces , c: promit dc per-um

qu’

oncu fit toujours dcs recruza dam lea f s états . Seize

compag nies émientdcfiinécs aux Berno'

ts , a les fountain

p anag coicm 3 c Icon fujc ts les huit auttc compag nies ,

dont ondaig ooit laifi'

cr l'

cntré'

c cu m i a m: ci ainfi 1

nc fuppo fcr 1c créd itdcs Bernois qn’ég al i cd ui dcs fnjeta,

pour pawcnir i ces huit demiérc s compag nies , cc pen

p lc roi en pofl'

édcroit toujours ving t, fur ving t quarto.

l a p roportion ca honnété, 15 Ton faitattcntion qu’

i l y a.

dam 1c C antonprés dc centmillc hommcs to 6mde parts:

lcs am en, dont il n’

y en a pas huit ccns , bourg eo is dc

c c . B’ailleurs les perils bourg eo is , a qui cc nom (cu!

infpirc dc la fiené, aimcntmieux croup ir dam la mifétc i

BCmC, '

qUC dc fc fain: par leur travail unétat vraiment

rcfpcfl ablc . Ainfidans tomes ces troupes , jc dome qu'

ow

puifi‘

c trouver c inquante c ois qui nc fo icnt p as oflic icra.

Ces malheurs , me dites vous , nc font quc pour les g en

tilshommcs ; c'

cfi i dite, pour la panic la plus refpcaa

ble,

b al m “ mtbair flish WM .Mpmnifcd thatchty flwuld fl.

W NM QW Mh fic-k tm im But dm commmd of

fim of thok cm iu wu appmpf imd by thc ciflzm of Bem, md d wM l

m m ufi m m bctm thcm md thch lnbjefl s in the

ma n tra , Oo tht b ppofidnm thzm thst thc inwcfi of bmh claffa of

t w wmumnlnhc fom dmpwpk wmobwn fowout of tbc eig ht. and twenty out Of thc wbol: (w ary- four. This pmportionm a d c m c w cafiomblc, whcn is is g od jdertd that inthc cmtonthu c

m abovcm bundled W m fitmm amm oi whom fa md yeig ht

bombed lu dtiunt “Bern Bcfidct. the poorer cbfi'

cs of citizm , proud

W ef dfi tidq pmfinmln‘ in idkmfa at lcm to honounbk n a tion:

m a ma they mu m lhdr condition. l doubt. mm ,

Whether fifiy cidum of Ba n. wlmut not ofiim s. willbc found in axe wholcd d utchttmpt,

Thcfc inconvmieud ct. you will (cli ma x ; only filt hy m of amuy ;“ is to b y, by theMu fpca ablr, but m m p ttionoh bc

community;

H e, unis h mains nombreufe, des citoyens . Ils s’

éva

m il e-mt dang ces max imes g énérales eteg alcs que vous

venez d’établir. L ; tyrannie de vos Baillie s’

y évanohit

ellc anfli ? L e peuple , nomfi chef i l’humanité, enfem

tout le jong .

’

Je no vous conterai po int des hifioires do

1mm Opprefi ons . Votwme chicaneriez fur la vérité des

faim, ct puis vous me d iriez , qu’

il no faut jamais conclure du particulier ou g énéral, ct vous auriez raifon. 11

m tmieux faire fentir l’

étendue do lent pouvoir, et laillor

i votre connoifl'

ance da coeur humain, zi jug er cle l’ufag e

qu'

ilo enfont. Chaque Ba illi ell 5 la fois chef de la juf .

ticé, de la millice , des finances . et dc la rélig ion. Comme

jug e , il décide fans ap peljufqu’

i la lomme dc centfrancs ,

fimme use: modique pour vous , mais qui fait la foxtune

d’

un payfan et il déc ide feul, car les all’

cfl'

curs n'

ont

p as voi x pondérative . Il donne , on p lutot il vend,

p eefque tou s les emplois dans foo bailliag e . S i l’

on

v ent appeller dc fcs lintence s , iln’

y a p lus ue tribunal i

Moudon; il faut aller i Berne, ct quel p aytan veut fe

luincr

a mmunity ; and they difappezr amidfi the g eneral equity and hnpmia‘

lify

of the public adminiltntion. But does the tyranny of theMfifis difappear

alfo ? The people, a name (0 dear to humanity, feel the full‘

weig ht of

their opprcflion. I will not have reconrfe to particola ex amples ; bccanfe

you mig ht call in quefiion the authenticity of fafis , or objee'

t with reafoo ,

that g eneral conclufions are not to be drawn from particular p’finc iples . I

Dull be contented with pointing out the ex tent of their power, and‘

leave to

your ownknowledg e of human nature to infer the abol‘

cs with which it mutt

be accompanied. Inhis own diltriét every bailiff is at the head of relig ion,

of the law, the army, and the finances . A s judg e , he amides, without appeal,

all caufes to the amount of anhundred frank s ; a (um of little imponance

to a g entleman, butwhich often mak es the whole fortune of“

a peanut ; and

he decides alone, for the voice of his aflcfl'

o'

s has not any weig ht in the

(tale . He confers , or rather he fells, all the employments in his diflriét.‘

When the injured party wiihes to appeal from his fentence , as there is no

court of jufiice ntMoudon, he is oblig ed to remove the caufe t e m; andMW

no LETTERS TO AND FROMminer a la pourl

'

uite de la jullice ? S’il cherche encore a

false p unir fort tyran. il demande l’eurrée en confeil.

L’

Avoyer l’aceonde, peut étrc avec beaucoup de difi culté, et

5 force de fatig ues et de depenfes ii p arvient 5, pouvo ir

p laider devant untribunal lié avee fonbaillif p ar le fang ,

et plus encore par une conformité de lot-fairs , ou d

’

intéréts .

Votre pays ell 6puil'

6 par les impots , tout modiques

qu'

ils font. Dévelop pons cette idée . Pendant que le s pays

les plus riches de l’

Eump e s’

abyment de depeni'

ca et de

d cttes , et mettent ence uvre des moyens qui feroient trem

bler lo p lus hardi d illipateur, lo Canton de Berne eh lo

feul qui amafl'

e tles tréfors . L e fecret de l’état efi fi bien

g ardé , qu’ilell dimcile de le deviner. S tanion, ambafi

'

a

d eur d’

Ang leterrc i Berne , qui avoit nnefp rit d’obfervm

tionet de g randes fac ilités pour lo b ieninformer, ellimoit,

ii y a quarantc ans , les fommes qu’

ilavoir dans les fonds

p ublies de L ondres i trois cens milles livres fierling , on

feptmillions , et tout cc qui étoit rellé dans le trefor do

Berne, ou dil'

persé dans les autres banques de 1’

Europe, a

disc

bow few peal'

ants can boas this expenee ? But if his eag ernefs to punit iis

tyrant carries himthither, it is not without many difi culties onhis part that

the Avoyer, or chief mag illrste, g rants him admiflion into the council; where,

after all his trouble and ex pence , he is finally allowed to plead his caul’

e be

fore a tribunal, the members of which are conneéled with his opprefl'

or by the

ties of blood, and tlillmore by a confimnity of interefls and crimes .

Your tax es ,’

moderate as they are , ex hauft the country. This obfervstion

requires to be ex plained. While the g reat k ing doms of Bumps , loaded

with ex penses and debts , are driven to ex pedients which would alarm the

wildert prodig al, Bern is the only {late which has amafl'

ed a larg e treafure .

The ferret has been fo well kept, that it is not cafy to al'

certainits amount.

S ianyan, the Britith envoy at Bern, a man inquil’

itive and polfefied of

g ood means of information, ettimated forty years ag o the money belong ing

t’ that republic, in the Eng lilh funds , at three hundred thoul

'

and pounds , or

k renmillions of Swifs livres ; and the fums remaining in the treafury of

Bern, or difperfcd throug h the other bank s or fund s of Europe , at eig hteen

hundred

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

41 3 LETTERS TO AND FROM{e d ifperfer dans les banques

'

publiques , ct précaires

de l’

EurOpe , p our an un jour une proyc a 1’

inlidélité

d’un commie, on i l’amhition d

'

un conquer-

ant. (fette

p erte continuelle des efpéc es éteint l’indullrie, e

'

mpéche

eout efl'

ort, qui ne fe pent faire fans arg ent, et appauvrithfinfibk memle pays .

Tels font vos maux ,Monlieur. Eh bien! me répondez vous , n

’

avc z vous fondé nos playw que pour CR 5 1

g rir Ia douleur ? l confcilnous donnez vous ? Aucun,fi vous ne m

’

ave z pas deji prevenu. 11y a une woye que

je p uis vous confe iller, c’

cfi celle de la remontrance . Maisi] y a des maux tellement enracinés dans la confiitution

d'

unétat, que Platonlui méme h’

ex’

it p as efpéré du fnccés

p our une p areille deputation. Ne tiendront ils p as contre

les remontrances , eux qui ont p u tenir contre deux cens

ans de fidélité et de fervices ? I1 y a unautrc remede plus

p rompt, plus entier, plus g lorieux Guillaume Tellvous

I’

cfit oonfe illé ; mais je ne vous Ie confeille point. ] efais que l

'

efprit da citoyen, comme celui de lacharité ,inufl

'

rc beaucoup , ct efpére long tems . Iloonno‘

lt'

les mal

hears

w dlfpesf’ed thcoug h the precarious bmks of linrope , co hecome ene dty a

prey to the knavery of a clerk , or the amhitionof a conquemr. This conti

nual ahforption of l'

pecie ex ting uiflaes indulkm deadcne em y enta pfife thlt

requires the aid of money, and g radually inapoveriflles the cmnrry.

Thefe, Sirfl are your hardlhips. But I- think you willfay tome , Hm

you thus probed our wounds merely to mak e us feel their fmart ? What

advice do you g ive None , unlcfs you hm aheady anticipated

it. Iwould indeed advifc you to remonltrate. But there are eviis fo deeply

moted in g ot emments , that Plato him{elf wouid defpair of curing them.

t t could you cx pefi to obtainfrom thofe mailers by remonttrances, who

have nmained during two ccnnu ies infmfible to the merit of'

your faithful fer.

rit es ? There is anothcr remedymom prompg more perfea , and more g losi .

m W illiam Tell would have prefcrihed in l do not. I know that the fpirit

of a g ood citiz enis, lik e that of charity, long - fufi'

ering , and hoping all thin“.

’fhc cit zcn is in the rig ht; fince ils: knows the crils refidting from his l'

ub.

EDWARD GIBRON c pfim.

heurs attaches it la foumiflion. ll ig nore ceux que la ré

finance poun'

oitentrainer. Vous , quime connoifi'

ez ,Monfieur, vous fave; comb ienje rcfp eéle c es princ ipes amis

de la pain; et des hommes . Tribunféditieux , je ne cher

sbscrai jamis 55 fainfecqw at; p eup le.

16,ioug dc Panto

fi‘lé; pour he condninl? (ing lurmug c, 5. 1a fédition de la

“edition, of. h’

anarchie ct do l’anarchiq pent- étre, nu def

Cependant, aver; 1a fianchifeg qui a , p artout conduit,ma.

phrase, je vain.détruire quelque s , monllres de Romans,

quix ous peng eut eHrayer. Qi e vous préfériez le patti

d e l’entreprife on, £ 619 } du,repos , je vo udrois que ce fli t la.

sp ifpn, etnonlo pcéjug e, qui vous diéifit cc parti.

L es Bernois ont les droits fur votre obéifi'

ancc ; vous

m isus e dc zlfiunfaire une ipiuflice en“

la retim to

W , but. know: not. thc ,. g reater a ils whichmig htbe produced hy his tefinance. You know me toot well to he, i g norant how much l refpea thofe

p rinc iples , fo friendly to the intenefis of peace and of human k ind. I will

never, inthe lang ua g e ofia [editions tribune , perfuade the people ooNth-k c at?

the yoke .ot‘

authority, that they ,

may, prpcced frommnm ormieditioa. from

Y et, with the freedom which has hitherto g uided my pen, I will endeavourto deftroy fume g iants of romance , whichmig ht otherwife infpire you with

-vain

terror. W hetheryou prefer the road twhold enterprifemncautious tepofq l with

that reafon, notprejudice, wouldMate your’

; hoice.

Thew sifirm Oi Bsm havemig ht 1:0. .m m owing you 5m in

do them wrong inwithholding it.

LETTERS TO AND FROMN°

. X.

Mr . Guano »: toMf r . PORT EN .

Lnu snx rtz , 175 6.

FEAR no reproaches for your ne g lig ence , however g reat

for your filence , however long . I love you too wellto mak e you any. Nothing , inmy op inion, is fo ridicu

Ions as fome k ind of friends , wives , and lovers , who

look onno crime lo heinous , as the letting flip a poll:

without writing . The charm of friendlhip is libertyand he that would dellroy the one, dellroys , without

deli g ning it, the better half of the other . I compare

friendfhip to charity, and letters to alms ; the lafl fig

nifics nothing without the firfi, and very often the lirlt

is very lirong , althoug h it does not (how itfelf by the

other . It is not g ood- will

'

which is wanting , it is onlyop portunities or means . However, one month— two

months— three months— four months— I beg annor to be

ang ry, but uneafy, for fear fome acc identhad hap pened to

you. I was oftenonthe point ofwriting , butwas alwaysflopped by the hopes of hearing from you the nex t poll.

Belides , not to flatter you, your ex cufe is a very bad one .

1 3 1: came! entertain me 6] your letter-

r . I think I oug ht

to know that better thanyou and I allure you that one

of your plainfincere letters entertains me more than the

molt polilhed one ofPliny or C icero .

’

T is your heart

fpeak s , and 1 1601: onyour heart as much better in its

way thaneither of their heads .

Out of p ure politenefs I oug ht to talk of ii ‘i

i “ it it before myfclf. I was fome hours with him in

this place , that is to fay, almoll allthe time he was here .

I find him always1“ ’l‘ ‘l

always g ood-natured ,

always amufing , and always trifling . I allted him fome

quellions about Italy ; he told me , he hurried out of

it as foon as he could , becaufe there was no French

comedy, and he d id not love the Italian opera . I let1 m?

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

LETTERS TO ANDmoat

chines nex t fpring in order to come over". I (hall

write the llrong ell, and atthe fame time the mok dutiful'

letter I can ima g ine to my father . If all tbat produm

no edeél, I don’

t know whatI cando .

Y ou talk to me of my coulinBllifon'

s wedd ing but

you dont fay a word of who fine is married to. Is it

Elliot ? Thoug h you have not feenmy father yet, I fup

p o fe you have heard of him. Hdw was hc in town ?

H is wife, was lhe with him ? Has marriag e produced

any chang ement inhis way of living i“ Is he to be al

ways arBeriton, or will he come up to L ondoninwin

ter ? Pray have you ever feenmy mother- ine law, or heard

any thing more of her chandler Compliments to everybody that mak es me compliments ; to the Gilberts , to

the Comarqucs , to L ord Newnham, 8m. Whenyou fee

the Comarques ag ain, alk them if they d id not know, at

Putney,Monficur la Vabre , and his daug hters : p erhap s

you know them yourfelf. I favv them lately in this

country ; one of them very well married .

The Eng lilhmanwho lodg es inour honfe , is little fo

ciable at leal’t fo r a reafonable perlon. My health always g ood, my

i

llud ies p retty g ood . I underfland Gree k

p retty well. I have evenfome k ind of corre fpondence

with feveral learned men, withMr. . Crevier of Paris ,

withMr. Breiting er of Zurick , and withMr. Allamand,a clerg ymanof this country, the molt reafonable divine

I ever knew. Do you never read now I am a little

p iqued that you fay nothing of S ir Charles Grandifon

if you have not read ityet, read itfor my fak e . Perhap s

C larifi’

a doe s not encourag e you ; but, in my op ini

on, it is much fuperior to Clarill'

a . When you have

read it, read the letters ofMadame de S evig né to her

daug hter ; I dont doubt of their being tranflated into En

g lilh . They are p roperly what I called inthe be g inning

' Thic tter is a curiour fpecimenof the deg ree inwhichMr. Cibhonhadloa the I-Ing lilh lang nag e in a lhort time.

EDWARD GIBBON El‘

quire.'

417

ofmy letter, letters of the heart ; the natural ex prefions

o f amother’

s fondnels reg ret at their be ing at a g reat

d illance from one another, and continual fchemes to g et

tog ether ag ain. All that, won’

t it p leafe you There is

{carce any thing elfe in fix whole volumes : and not

withlland ing that, few people read them without find

ing them too lbort. Adieu my p aper is at an end. I

don’

t dare tellyou to write foon. Do it, however, if

you can. Y ours affe&ionately,

E. Gtaaorv.

N°. XI.

Rev. Dr; Wannont vx to EDW A RD G I B BON Eff.

D EA R S IR , W amm o'r ou , nm ér dn tx o

’

r ou , lice. 7th, 1758.

IHAVE read nothing for fome time (and I k ept readingonllill)that has g ivenme Io much pleafure as your let

tervvhichIrece ived by the lall polt.‘

I rejoice atyour returnto your country, to yourfather,and to the g ood principles of

truth and real'

on. H ad I inthe leali ful'

peé'

led your de

fig nof leaving us , I fhould'

immediately have p ut you

upon reading Mr. Chilling worth’s Relig ion of Proteli

ants ; any one p ag e of which is worth a library of Swifs

divinity. It will g ive me g reat pleafure to fee you at

Wafhing ton; where I am, I thank God, very well and

very happy. I defire my refpeéls toMr. Gibbon; and

am, with very g reat reg ard, dear S ir,

Y ourmoltall'

célionate humble fervant,

Tao . W ALe ann a.

Tutor toMr. Gibbonwhenhe firltwent toMag dalenColleg e, Oxford.Von. I.

418 flatt ens ro g mnmom

N°. XII.

Mr . 6 1 3 3 0 14 to his FATHER .

DE A R S l R , 1766.

N addrefs inwriting , from a perfonwho has the

pleafure of be ing with you every day, may ap“

p ear ling ular. However, I have preferred this method ,

as uponpaper I canlpeak without a b'

lut'

h, and be heard

without interruption. If my letter d ifpleafes you, im

pute it, dear Sir, only to yourfelf. Y ou have treated me ,

nor lik e a fan, but lik e a friend . Canyou be l'

urprifed

that Ilhould communicate to a friend , all my thoug hts ,

and all my defires ? Unlefs the friend approve them,

let the father never know them ; or at leali, let him‘

k now at the fanfe time, that however reafonable, how

ever elig ible, my fcheme may appear to me , I would ra

ther forg et it for ever, thancaufe him the flig htell unea

lincfs .

W hen I firfi returned to Eng land , attentive to my fu

ture interell, you were fo g ood as to g ive m‘

e hop es of a

feat inparliament. This feat, itwas fuppofed would be

an e x pence of hfteen hundred pounds . This deli g n

flattered my vanity, as it mig ht enable me to fhine in

fo ang uli an. afi'

cmbly. It flattered a nobler p allion; I

p romifed myl'

elf that by the means of this feat Imig ht

be one day the infirument of Ionic g ood to my counny

But I foon perceived how little a mere virtuous inclina

tion, unallilted by talents , could contribute towards that'

g reat end ; and a very lhort ex amination difcovered to

me, that thole talents had not fallento my lot. Do not,

dear S ir, impute this declarationto a falle modelty, the

meanell fpecles of pride . Whatever elfe I may be ignotant of, I think I know myfelf, and lhall always en

d eavour to mention my g ood qualities without vanity,

and my defeéls without repug nance . I lhall fay nothing

of

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

4m LETTERS TO AND FROM3 title, honourable in itfclf, but which I mull fbamwith every fellow that can lay out fifteen hundred

pounds ? Belides , dear S ir, amerchandifc is of little va

lue to the owner, whenhe is refolved not to fell it.

Ifhould affrontyour penetration, did Inot fuppofe you

now fee the dri ft of this letter. It is to appropriate to

another ufe the funwith which you dellined to bring me

into p arliament; to employ it, not inmak ing me g reat,but in rendering me happy. I have oftenheard you fay

yourfelf, that the allowance you had beenfo indulg ent as

to g rantme, thoug h very libe ral in reg ard to your ellate ,

was yet but fmall, whencomp ared with the almufl necef

fary ex travag ancies of the ag e . Ihave indeed found it fo,

notwithl'

tand ing a g ood deal of oeconomy, and an e x

curption from many o f the common cx penfes of youth.

This , dear S ir, would be a way of fupplying thefe dc

li ciencies , without any additional ex pence to you.—B ut I

forbear. - lf you think my propofals rcafonable , you want

no entreaties to eng ag e you to comply withthem 3 if other

wife, allwill be without effea .

All that I amafraid of, dear S ir, is , that I lhould fecm

not fo much alk ing a favo ur, as this really is , as ex aélinga debt. After all I canfay, you will llill remainthe bell

judg e of my g ood , and your ownc ircumllanccs . Perhap s,lik e mall landed g entlemen. an addition to my annuity

would fuit you better, thana fum of money g iven at

once ; perhaps the firm itl'

elf may be too conliderable .

Whatever you fhall think proper to bellow uponme, or in

whatever manner, will be received with equal g ratitude.

I intended to tiop here ; but as I abhor the lcall ap

p earance o f art, I think it will be better to lay openmywhole fcheme at once . The unhappy war whichnow de

folatcs 'Burope, willoblig e me to defer fecing France tilla

peace . But that rcafoncan have up influence up onItaly,

.a country which every fcholar mull long to fee ; fhould

you

EnwaRb GIBBON Efquire.‘

42:

you g rantmy requefi, and not difapprove of my manner

of employing your bounty, ‘

I would leave Eng land this

Autumn, and pafs the W inter at L aufanne, withM. de

Voltaire and my old friends . The armies no long er oh

firuél my p afl'

ag e, and it mull b e indifierent to you, whe

ther I am at L aufanne or at L ondonduring the Winter,fince I {hallnot be at Beriton. Inthe S p ring I wouldcrofs the Alp s , and after fome Ray in Italy, as the war

muttthenbe terminated , returnhome throug hFrance ; to

live happ ily with you and my d ear mother. I amnow

two ~ and ~ twenty ;'a tour mull tak e up a confiderable time,

and thoug h I believe you have no thoug hts of fettling me

foon, (and I am fure I have not,) yet fo many thing s mayintervene, that the man who does not travel early, runs a

g reat rifle of not travelling at all. But this part of my

icheme, as well as the whole , I fubmit entirely to you .

Permitme, dear S ir, to add , that I do not k now whe"

ther the complete compliance with my wil'

hes c ould iti

creafe my love and g ratitude but that I am very fure, noxefufal could diminilh thofe fentiments with which I {hallalways remain, dear S ir,

Yourmoltdutifuland obedient(onand fervant,E. G re g ory junior,

4a LETTERS TO AND mom

N°. XIII.

Mr .MAL L BT toMr . Graao st.

nu n an,

ICOULD not procure you a tick etfor the coronation,without p utting you to the“e x pence of ten g uineas .

But I now fend you fometh ing more valuable, which will

coll you only a g roat. Whenwill your father or you be

intown? De fire B eck et to fend me one of your book s ,well bound , for myfelf : all the other cop ies I g ave away,as Duk e Defenany drunk out tendoz enof L ord Boling

brok e'

s Champa g ne inhis abfence— to your honour and

g lory. Ineed not tellyou thatI am,moli afl

'

eélionately,

theMajor’

s and your

Turnover, read , and be delig hted . veryhumble fervant,L et yourInher too read . D.MALLET .

J'

ai lu avec autant d’avidite que de fatisfafl ion le bon

et ag réable ouvrag e, d'

ont l'

auteur m'

a fait p réfent. Je

p arle comme (iM. Gibbonne m'

avoit pas loué, et méme

unp eu trop fort. J'ai lnle livre d

’uncitoyendu monde ,

d'

unveritable homme de lettres , qui les aime pour ellesmemes , fans ex ceptionni prevention, et qui jointabean

coup

I read with as much eag ernefs as pleafure the ex cellent and ag reeable worlt

with wh'

rch the author prefented me . I fpeak n ie . Gibbon had not

praifed me , and that too warmly. His work h that of a realmanof letters ,

who~ loves them for their own fake , without ex ception or prejudice ; and

who uniuee with much talent the more precioua g itt of g ood fenfe , and

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

m LETTERS fro AND ‘

R QM

N°. XIV .

Geo . s u S e or 'rm. to EDW ARD Granonjwt.

SUPPOS ING you fettled tnquarters , dear Sir, Iobey

your commands , and fend my thoug hts, re lating to the

purfii it of yourmathematicalundies . You to ld me , you

had read Clairaut’

s Alg ebra, and the three Britbooks g f

l'Hop ital

’

s Conic Seélions . You did not mention the

Element: o f Geometry you had pe rufed . Whatever theywere, whether Euclid

'

s, or by fome other, you will do

well, if you have not ap plied yourfelf thatWay for fometime pail, to g o over them ag ain, and render the conclu

li ons familiar to your memory . Y ou may defer, howe

ver, a very critical inquiry into the principles and reafon

ing ol'

g eometers , till Dr. S implon’s new editionof Eu

clid (now in the p reis)appears . Iwould have you fiudythat book well 3 inthe

” mean time recap itulate Clairaut

and l’

i -Iopital, in far as you have g one , and '

then g o

throug h the remainder of the marquis'

s book with care .

The fifth -book will be an introduction to the Analx fi dc:

f rgfinimmt pa in; to which Iwould advife you to proceed ,

after finilhing the Conic Sections . The Infinimmt painmaywant a comment C roufaz has writtenone, but it is

a wretched p erformance : he d id not underfland the firl’t

p rinciples of the feience he undertook to illufirate , and

hi s g eome try fhcws, that he did not underfland the Era:

princ iples of g eometry.rI

‘

here 18 a poflhumous work ofM. V arig non’

s , called Ecleircifipwyu fur fals e ly/2 dc:Infinimmt petite. Paris ,

‘1725 , am. This will he often

of ufe to you . However, itmuftbe -owned, thatthe no

tionof the Irg/z'

fl iw nt petite, or Infid t‘

g/imab , as

‘

we call

them, is too hold anaii'

umption, and too remote from the

p rinciples of the ancients, ourmailers;ing eometry ; andhas

EDWARD GIBBON fifquire. 415’ha s g ivena handle to an ing enious author (Berk eley,i ate b ifhop of Cloyne)to attack the lOg ic of the modern

m athematicians . He has been anfwered by many, but

b y none fo clearly as byMr.Maclaurin, inhis Plux io ne, (2 vols . in4to,) where you willmeetwith a collee

tionof the moft valuable d ifcoveries inthe mathematical

a nd phyli co- mathematical fc iences . I recommend this

a uthor to you ; but whether you oug ht to read him im~

m ed iately afterM. de l’

Hop ital, may be a quefiibn. I

think you may be fatisfied at firftwith read ing his introd uélion, and chap . 1 . book I. of the g rounds of theMethod of Flux ions , and thenp roceed to chap . 12 . of

the fame book , §49 5 to 5 0 5 inclufive, where he treats

o f theMethod of Infinitefimals, and of the L imits of

R atios . Y ou may then read chap . 1 . book II. 697

to s 714inclufive ; and this you may do immediately all

t er reading the hi ll feéi ion of the Andy/2 do: infim’

mmt

y eti” or if you pleafe , you may p oftpone a criticalen

q u iry into the principles of Infinitefimals and Flux ions ,

till you have feenthe ufe and application of this doc

trine in the drawing of Tang ents , and in finding theMax ima andMinima o f GeometricalMag nitudes . Aa

m l. dc: infin. pct. 5 2 and 3 .

Whenyou have read the be g inning of l’

Hopital'

s 4thfeél. to fecl. 65 incluli ve, you may readMaclaurin’

s

chap . 2, 3 , and 4; where he fully ex plains the natureo f theic hig her orders of Flux ions , and applies the notion

to g eometricalfig ures . Your p rinciple s be ing thenfirmlyellablifhed, you may finifhM. de l

’

Hop ital.

Y our

'

nex t liep mull be to the inverie method of Flux i

ons , called by the French calm] integ rals'Monfieur do

Boug ainville has g iven us a treatife upon this fuhjeél,Paris,

'

1754, 4to . under the title Trait? da calcul integ ral

pour firm’

r ale/hit: a I’

Anafr/é dc: z'

nfim’

mmt pa in. Y ou.

fhould have it; but thoug h he ex plains the methods hi

therto

LETTERS TO AND FROMther-to found out for the deterinination of Fluents fi'

ont

g ivenFlux ions , or inthe Frenchhyle, paw frown les inta

g mles dc: difermce: Jenni es yetas he has not ihowo the ul'

e

and applicationof this doélrine , as de l’

Hop italdid, with

refpeél to that part which he treats of,M. de ~Boug ain~

ville'

s book is , for that real'

on, not To well fuited to bo

g inners as could be wifhed . Y ou may therefore take

C arré’

s hook in4to, p rinted atParis , 1700 , and entitled,Mel/lode pour laMgfure dc: Surfim , &c . par 1’Application

do Calm] integ ral. Only I mull cautionyou ag ainll de

p end ing upou him inhis fourth feélioh , where he treats

of the centre of ofcillationandpercuilion; he having madefeveral millak es

'

there , asM. deMairan has fhewn, p .

1 96 .Mean. de l'

flcad. Royale des Sciences , ed it, Paris , 173 5 .

After Carré, you may read Boug ainville'

.

I have recommended French authors to you, becaufe

you are a thoroug h matter of that lang uag e , and beca‘

ufe,

b y their lindying ite and'

clearnefs of ex prellion, they{eem to me bell adapted to be g inners . Our authors are

o ften profound and acute, but the ir laconifms , and ne

g le& of ex p refiion, oftenp erplex be g inners . I ex ceptMr.Maclaurin, who is very clear but thenhe has foch a

wall variety ofmatter, that a g reat p art of his book is , onthataccount, too difficult for a be g inner. I mig ht recommend o ther authors to you, as a courfe of elements ; fo r

infiance , you mig ht readMr. Thomas S implon’

s Geome

try, Alg ebra, Trig onometry, and Flux ions all which

c ontain a g reat variety of g ood thing s . In his Geome

try he departs from Euclid without a fii flicient reafon.

However, you may read him after Dr. Robert S imiou’s

Euclid, or tog ether with it, and~

tak e notice of what is

new inThomas S impfon. H is Alg ebra you may joinw ith C la iraut ; and the rather that Clairauthas beenip at

mg of p articular p roblems, and has , belides , omitted fey etalufefulapplications ofAlg ebra. § impfon

’

s Flux iops

may

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

423 LE'

IT ERS TO AND FROM3 g ood deal of knowled g e . Inaflronomy I recommendM. loMonnicr’

s nitutim Aflrommz‘

g uer , in4to . Paris )

1 746. It is a tranllationfrom Keil’

s Altronomical L ec

tures , but with confidcrable additions . Y ou fhould alfo

have Callini’s Element d

’

Aflronomr'

e, 2 vols . 4to . As no

the pbyfical caufes of the celefiial motions , after having

readMaclaurin’

s account of S ir Ifaac Newton’

s philofo

p hical Difcoverics ,’and Dr. Pemberton’s V iew of S ir

Haae'

s Philofophy, you may read the g reat author him

illi"

,with the comment. B ut if you readMaclaurin’

s

Flux ions throug hout, you will find many points of S ir

Ifaac’s philofophy well ex plained there . The theory of

lig ht and colours lhould be fiudicd inS ir Ifaac himfelf, in

the Eng lilh ed itionof his Op tics , 8vo. there is a branch

o f the optical fc iences which I have not mentioned , thatis , Perfp efl ive. Dr. Brook Taylor

’

s is the bell fyflem,

b ut his flyle and c x prcflion is embm afled and obfcure .

L'

Abbé de la Caille has alfo g ivena g ood treatil'

e of For

ipeélive, at the end of his Optique : thefe are of ufc to

p ainters ; b ut the theory of mathematical proje&ion in

g eneral is more c x tenfive , and has beenwelltreated of by

o ld. writers , Clavius , . Ag uillonius, Tacquet, and De

Chules and latelyM. de la Caille has g ivena memoir

among thofc of the Acad . Roy . dc: Science: of Paris , m o

far I: calculdc: proj et‘lionr en g eneral. This fubjeét

is necefl'

ary for the underflanding of the theory of maps

and. planifpheres . Mathematic ians have alfo applied

their art to the theory of rounds and mufic . Dr. Smith’s

H armonics is the p rincipal book of the k ind .

Thus have I g ivenyou fome accountof the. princ ipal

elementary authors in the d ifferent branches of mathe

matical knowled g e, and it were much to be willied that

we had a complete infiitution, or courfe , of allthe ic thing s

of a moderate fiz e, which mig ht ferve as anintroduction

to all the g ood orig inal authors . W olfius attempted this 3his

EDWARD GIBBON Efquire. mh is intentionwaslaudable , buthis book is {0 fullof errors

o f the ptefs , befides fome of his own, that Icannotrecom

m end himto a beg inner . H e mig ht be nfed occafionally

f e r the {ig nificationof terms , and for many hil’torical faéis

relating to mathematics and , befides , may be confidcmd

a collector of problems , which is ufeful.B elidcs the books I have mentioned , itmig ht be of ufe

to you to haveM.Montucla’

s Hifloire d c:Mathemah'

gws ,

in4to . 2 vols . Y ou.will there find a hifiory of the pro

g re fs of the mathematical fc iences , and fome account of

the princip al atuhors relating to this fubjeéi .

I mentioned to you inconverfation, the fup erior e le g anceo f the antientmethod of demonfiration. If you incline to

e x amine this p o int, after be ing well retfed in Euclid,

you may proc eed to Dr S imfon’

s Conic S ec-lions ; and‘

to form an idea of the antient analyfis of method of in

v efiig ating the folution of g eometrical problems , read.

Euc lid’

s Data , which Dr. S imfon will'

publifh, sog c

ther with his new ed ition of Euclid and then re ad his

L oci Plam'

,in 4to . The eleg ance of the method of the

anc ients is confefl'

ed but it fee rns to require the remem

brance of a g reatmultitude of p rop ofitions , and incom

p licated problems it does not i cem probable that it canbe

e x tended fo far as the alg ebraic method .

N°. XV.

EDW ARD G IB BON Efgw’

rc toMrs . GtB BoN , Beriton.

DEAR MADAM, Pants , February the 132th. 3 763 .

OU remember our ag reement,— lhort and frequ ent

letters . The firfl part of the treaty you b ave'

no

doubt o f my obferving . I 'htnk o ug ht not to leave you

any of the fecond . A pr pas m treaty : o ur definitive

one was fig ned here yellerday, and ttns morning the Duke

of Bridg ewate’

r andMr. Neville went for L ondon withthe news of it. The p lcnip otcnti

'

arics fat up till ten

o’

c lock

43 0 L ETTERS TO AND FROMo

'

clock inthe morning at the ambafi'

ador of S pain’s ball,

and thenwent to fig nthis treaty, which reg ulates the fate

of Europe .

Paris , inmolt refpeéls , has fully anfwered my ex p ec

tations . I have a number of very g ood acquaintance,

which increafe every day ; for. nothing is fo eafy as the

mak ing themhere .

' Inliead of comp laining of the want

of them, I beg inalready to think of mak ing a choic e .

Nex t Sunday, for infiancc , I have only three invitations

to dinner. Eithe r in the houfes you.

are already acquaint

ed, you meetwith people who all: you to come and fee

them, or fome of your friends offer themfelves to intro

duce you. When p eak o f thefe conne& ions . I meanchiefly for dinner and the evening . S upp ers , as yet, I am

p retty much a flrang er to, and I fancy thall continue fofor Paris is . d ivided into two fpecies , who have but little

communicationwith each other. The one , who is chiefly

conneaed with the menof letters , dine verymuch athome ,

are g lad to fee their friends , and p als the evening s till

aboutnine, inag reeable and rational converfation. The

others are the molt fafhionablc, fup innumerous p arties ,

and always play, or rather g ame; both before and after

flip per. Y ou may ealily g uels which fort fuits me bett

Indeed,Madam, we may fay whatwe pleafe of .the frivbllty of the French, but ] do afl

'

ure you, that in a fortnig ht

p all'

ed at Paris , I have heard more converfation worth

remembering , and feen more menof letters among the

p eople of fal'

hion, thanI had done in two or three winters

inL ondon.

Among fi my acquaintance I cannot help mentioningM.

H elvetius , the author b f the famous book dc I’

Efir m. Imet him at d inner atMadame Geofl

'

r in’

s , where he too k

g reat notice of me , made me a v ifit B CXt day, has ever

fince treated me, not ina polite but a friendly manner .

B efides be ing a fenlible man, an ag reeable comp anion,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

43, LETTERS TO ANDmom

I have now pafi‘

ed nearly a month inthis place , and I

canfay with truth, that it has anfwered lny molt fang uinc

e x peéiations . The building s of every k ind , the libraries,

the p ublic diverfions , tak e up a g reat p art of my time ;and I have already found feveral houfes , where it is both

very eafy and ag reeable to be acquainted . L ady H ervey’

s

recommendationtoMadame Geofi'

rinwas a mofi e x cellent

one. H er houfe is a very g ood one ; reg ular dinners there

every Wednefday, and the bell company of Paris , inmen

of letters and p eople of fafhion. It was at her houfe I

connea ed'

myfelf withM. H elvetius , who, fromhis heart,

his head , and his fortune, is amo&valuable man.

At his houfe I was introduced to the Barond’

Olbach,

who is a man of p arts and fortune, and has two d inners

e very week . The other houfes I am known in, are the

Duchefs d’

Aig uillon’s ,Madame la‘

Comtefl'

e de Froulay’

s ,Madame du Bocag e,Madame Boyer,M. loMarquis deMirabeau, andM. de Foucemag n. All these p eople have

their difl'

erent merit ; in fome I meet with g ood d innersinothers , foc ieties for the evening ; and inall, g ood fenfe,

entertainment, and civility ; which, as I have no favoursto afk

, or bufinefs to tranfaa: with them, is fuflicient for

me . Their menof letters are as afi'

able and communica

tive as I ex peéled . My letters to them did me no harm,

butwere very little necefi'

ary. My book had beenof g reatferv ice to me, and the compliments I have rece ived upon

itwould mak e me infufl'

erably vain, if I laid any tirel'

s on

them. W henI tak e notice of the civilities I have receiv

ed, 1mufi tak e notice too of what I have feen of a con

trary b ehaviour. Y ou know how much I always b uilt

upon the Count de C aylus he has not b eenof the Ie afi

ufe to me . W ith g reat difi culty I have feen him, and

that is all. I do not, however, attribute his behaviour to

p ri de, or diflike to me, but folely to the man’

s g eneral

charaéier, which feems to be a very odd one . De la

Matte,

EDWARD oms onsame. 433

Matte,Mrs . .Mallet’s friend, has behaved very drily tome , thoug h I hard d inedwith him twice . But I canfor

g ive htm a g reat deal, inconfideration of his having in

troduced me toM. d‘

Ang ny (Mrs .Mallet’

s Ion.) H er

menare g enerally ang els or devils ; but here I reallythink , without being very prone to admiration, that (he

has faid very little too much of him. As far as I can

jud g e, he has certainly an uncommon deg ree of und er

tiand ing and knowled g e , and, I believe, a g reat fund of

honour and probity. We are very much tog ether, and I

think our intimacy feems to be g rowing into a friendlhip .

Ne x t Sunday we g o to Verfailles the k ing's g uard is

done by a detachment from Paris , which is relieved everyfour days ; and as he g oes uponthis command , it is a

very g ood occation forme to fee the palace .

‘I iball not

ne g le&, at the fame time , the op portunity of informingmyfelf of the French difcipline .

The g reatnews atprefcnt is the arrival of a very e x tra

ordinary perlbn from the Ille of France inthe Bali ln

dies . Anobfcure Frenchman, who was lately come into

the ifland, be ing very ill, and g iven over, faid, that be

fore he d ied he muli difcharg e his confcience of a g reat

burdenhe had uponit, and declared to feveral people, he

was the accomplice ofDamien, and the very perfonwhoheld

the horfes . Unluck ilyforhim, themanrecovered after this

declaration, was immediately fent prifoner to Paris , and

is julllanded at Port l’

Orient, fwmwhence he is daily ex

pea ed here, to unravel the whole mytiery of that dark af

fair. This tiory(whichatfirti was laug hed at)hasnowg ainedentire credit, and Iapprehendmullbe founded onreal faéi .

A lady ofMifs Caryll's acquaintance has delired me to

convey the inclofed letter to her. Y ou willbe fo g ood as

to fend it over to L ady—bolt. I hope l need fay nothing

of my fentiments toward s our friends at Beriton, nor of

my read inefs to ex ecute any of their commands here .

I am, dear S ir, mallafl'

eéiionately yours ,Von. I. a F E. Gannon.

m LETTERS To AND FROMN°

. XVI} .

Mr. GIB I ON toMr. B onne rn at L aufanne.

DEAR HOLROYD, Bonotu nw lu m p s ,May the l6th, 1764.URRY of running about, time tak enup with fee ing

places , are . 8 m. &c . are e x cellent e x cufes ; but I

fancy you ‘

will g ods thatmy laz inefs and averlionto writ

ing tomy bell friend are the realmotives , and -Iam afiaid

you willhave g urll'

ed rig ht.

W e are at this minute in a meltmag nificent palace, in

the middle of a vall lak e ; rang ing about fuites of rooms

without a foulto interrupt us , and fecluded from theMtof the unfvu le . We iballfit down ina momentto fuppe r

attended by all the Count'

s houfehold. This is the linefide of the medal turn to the reverfe . We are g ot here

wet to thethin5 we have trawlcd aboutfine g ardens which

rainand fog s p revented our feeing ; and if to- morrow

does not hold up a little better, we lhallbe infome doubt

whether we can fay we have feen thcfe famous iflandts .Guile fays yes , and I fay no . The Count is nothere ;wehave our fopper from a p aultry hed g e alehoufe, (ex cufe

the bull,) and the fervants have offered us beds inthe p alace, purfuant to their mali er

’

s directions.

I hardly think you will lik e Turin3 the court is old and

dull and in that country every one {bllows the ex ample

of the court. The p rincipal amufcment feems to be ,

driving about inyour coach inthe evening , and bowing ,to

the p eople you meet. If you g o while the RoyalFamilyis there, you have the additional pleafure of flopping to

falute them every time they pafa. Ihad that advantag e

fifteen times one afternoon. We were p tefented to a ladywho k eep s a p ublic afl

‘

embly, and a very mournful one it

is the few womenthat g o to itare each tak enup by theirc icilbeo ; and a poor Eng lifhman, who canneither talk

Piedmontdis

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

436 LETTERS T0 AND FROMwere mere fpefiators , as itwas not worthwhile to endea

vour atforming conneélions for fo very few days . I think

you will be furprifed at the g reat church, but infinitely

more fo at flue re g iment of Baden, which is inthe citadel.

S uch Readinefs , fuch alertnefs in the men, and fuch

ex aélnels in the officers , as e x ceeded all my ex peaa

tions . Nex t Friday 1 ib all fee the re g iment reviewed by

General Serbelloni . Perhap s I may write a particular

letter about it. FromMilan we p roceed to Genoa, and

thence to Florence . Y ou flare— But really we find it fa

inconvenie irtto travel like mutes , and to lofe a number of

curious thing s for wantof being able to 2813 our eyes with

our tong ues , thatwe have refumed our orig inal plan, and

leave V enice for nex tyear. I think I {hould advife you

to do the fame .

Mi ran, hilay 18th, 1 764,

T annex tmorning was not fair, but however we were

able to tak e a view of the iilands , which, by the help of

fome imag ination, we conclude to be a very delig htful,

thoug h not an enchanted place . I,

would certainly advife

you to g o there fromMilan, which you may very well

p erform ina day and half. Uponour return, we found

L ord T inley and fome other Eng lilh in their way toV e

nice. We heard a melancholy p iece of news from them

Byng died at Bolog na a few days a g o of a fever. I am

fure you will be all very forty to hear it.

W e ex pe& a volume ofnews fromyou inrelationto L a0

fanne, and in p articular to the alliance of the Duchefs

with the Frog . Is it already concluded H ow does the

bride look after her g reat revolution Pray embrace her

and the adorable, if you can, in both our names ; and

afl'

ure them, as well as allthe Spring“, thatwe talk of

them very often, but particularly of a S unday ; and that

we are £0 d ii'

confolate, that we have neither of us com

0 The fociety of young hdia mentiooed ia the um oin.

menced

EDWARD GIBBON Elquire 43 7

neaoed ctcitbeos as yet, whatever we may do atFlorence .

W e have drank the Duchefs’s health, not forg etting the

little womanon the top ofMount Cenis , inthe middleo f the L ag oMag g iore, k c. &c . I ex peétfome account:o f the faid little woman. Who is my fuccefl

'

or ? I thinki“ had beg an to fupplant me before I went.

'

I

e x pectyour anfwer at Florenc e, andyour perfonatRome ;which the L ord g rant. .Anmn.

N°. XVIII.

Mr. G I B BON to .Mr . Hocnor p , at Berlin.

DEAR HOLROYD, Bu r row, Oétober 3m,

HY did I not leave a letter lbr you atMarfeillesFor a very plain reafon: becaufe I did .not

. g o

toMarfeillcs . But, as you have mofi jud icionfly add ed,why did not I fend one ? Humph. [ own that non

p lufi'

es me a little . However, heark en to my hifiory.

After revolving a variety of p lans , and fuiting them at

well as pollible to time and financ es . Guife and l a;

lafi ag reed to pafs fromV enice to L yons , fwim down

the Rhone, wheel round the fouth of France, and em

bark atBourdeaux . Alas ! At L yons I received letters

which convinced me that I oug ht no long er to deprive

my country of one of her g reatefi ornaments . Unwil

ling ly I obeyed , leftGuife’

to ex ecute alone the remain

tier of our plan, p aired about ten delicious days at Pa

ris , and arrived in Eng land about the end of June .

Guife followed me about two months afterwards , as I

was informed b y an epiflle fromhim, which, to his

g reat afioniihtnent, I immediately anfwcred . Y ou per;

éeive there is fiillfome virtue among fi men. Exmpb‘

g ra

tifi, your letter is dated ,V ienna, Oéiober 12th, 1765 ; it

made its app earance at Beriton, W ednel’

day evening ,

October the 29 th. I am at this prefent writing , fittinginmy library, onThurfdaymorning , betweenthe hours

of

43 8 LETTERS TO AND FROM‘

of twelve and one . I have ventured to fitppofe you

Rill' at Berlin ; if not, I prefume you tak e care

that your letters fhould follow you. This idealmarch

to Berlin is the only one I can mak e at p refent.‘

I am

under command ; and were I to talk of a third fallyas yet, Iknow fome certainpeople who would think it

jufl as rid iculous as the third fally of the renowned

DonQuix ote . All I ever hoped for was ,'

to be able to

tak e the field p nce more , after lying quiet a couple of

years . I mull own that your ex ecuting your tour inlo

complete a manner g ives me a little felfilh If I

mak e a fummer’

s efcape to Berlin, I cannot hope for

the companionI flattered myfelf with. I am lbrry how

ever I have laid Io much ; b ut as it is d ifi cult to en

creafe your Honour’

s proper notions of your ownperice

tions , Iwill e’

enlet it Rand . Indeed I owed you fame

thing for your account of the favourable reception myboolc has met with. I fee there are people of .tafte

atV ienna, and no long er wonder at your lik ing it. S ince

the court is fo ag reeable, a thoroug h reformationmull

have tak enplace . The llifl'

ne fs of the Aulirianetiquette ,

and the haug hty mag nificence of the Hung arianprinces ,muft have g iven way to more civiliz ed notions . You

have (no doubt) informed you rfclf of the forces and te

venues of the emprefs . I think.(however unfalhiona

bly)we always cfieemed her . H ave you loll or improved

that op inion. Princes , lik e p iantes to be admired , mull

be few in their p roper po int of view,which is oftena

p retty diflant one. I am afraid youwill find it peculi

arly fo at Berlin.

Ineed not defire you to pay a mullminute attention to

the Aufirianand Prufliand ifc ipline . Y ou have beenhit

b y a mad-ferjeant as well as myfelf; and whenwe meet,

we fhall runover every p articular which we canapp rove,

blame, or imitate . §ince my arrival, I have afl'

umed the

aug ufl

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

herfelf imntediately.“ What airs l g ive myfelf in dc.

loolced uponeig hthundred as the fummitofmy wifltes .

”

IMMthis tedious fcrawl. Letme hear from you :

Imink l dek rve it. Believe me, Dear Holroyd, [ flu te

finallyourpleafuree, and feel all yourmis fontunes . Poor

Boltonl l faw it inthe newfpap er. Is Ridleywith you ?

I fufpea not : but if he is , afi'

ure him l do notforg ethim

thoug hhe does me. Ad ieu ; and believe mmmofi af

fefiionately yours,E. GIBSON junior.

N°. XIX.

Enwu tnGlBBONfi/i .MJ . Hon o r »M.

DEAR HOLROYD. Bu t-rots , April 29 , 1 167.

IHAPPENED tomig ht to {tumble upona very odd

p iece of intellig ence inthe S t. James’

s Chronicle it

related to the marriag e of a ce rtainMonfieurOlroy’, for

merly Captainof Human. I do not know how it came

into my head that this Captain of Hufl'

ars was not

unknown to me, and that he mig ht poflibly be an

acquaintance of yours . If l am not miftak en inmyconje&ure, p ray g ive my confplirnents to him, and

tell him fromme , that I am at leafi as wellpIeafed that

he is married as if Iwere fo myfelf. Affure him, howe

ver, that thoug h as a philofophcr lmay prefer celibacy,

yet as a politician I think ithi g hly proper that the fpe

c ies fhould be propag ated by the ufualmethod aH'

ure

him eventhat I am convinced, that if celibacy is c x po fed

to fewer milcrie s , marriag e canalone p romife real happ i

nefs , fince domcllic enjoyments are the fonteo o f every

other g ood. May fuch happ incfs , which is bellowed onThe m e wa fo fpek lnthe uw

fpapeu .

u LETTERS TO AND FROMplace itfelt; (which was thatof his relidence ,) will g ive

me many a painfulmoment. I know nothing would bet

ter raife my fp irits thana vili t fromyou the requetl mayappear unfeafonable , but I think I have heard you fpealco f anm l: you had near Southampton.

'

At all events , I

hope you will fnatch a moment to write to me, and g ive

me fome account of your p rofeni lituationand future de

fig ns . As you are now fettered , I fhould capeei you

willnot be foch a In}: nubiqoe‘, as you have beenfiuce

your arri val inEng land . I Ray at Southarwtonfrom the

firfi to the twenty- e ig hth ofMay, and then propofe

mak ing a fhort vifit to town: if you are any where in

the neig hbourhood of it, you may depend upon feerngme . I {hall then concert meafures for feeing a

little more of you ne x t winter, than I have lately done ,as I hope to tak e a pretty long fpell in town. I fup p ok

Guife has often fallen in your way he has never once

writtento me, nor I to him in the countrywe wantma

terials , and inL ondonwe want time . I oug ht to xecol

leél, that you even want time to read my unmeaning{er-awl. Believe, howevermydear Holroyd , that it is the

fincerc ex preflionof a heart entirely yours .

N°. XX .

a n n G ts s o rt Efg da J . B . HO LROYD E/g .

um . nou or

'

o, Bu rr ow, Oflober us, 1769 .

RECEIVED your ag reeable miffive abouttwo days

ag o and am g lad to find that, after all your errors ,

you are at lall a fettled man. I do molt lincerely reg ret

that it 18 nor inmy power to obey your immed iate fum

mons . Some very particular bolinefs willnot at prefent

p ermit me to be long abfrnt from Beriton. The fame

bufine fs will carry me to town, about the ftx th of nex t

The metto ot'

the reg iment called aoytl Fertile", inwbic rJ -lolroyd

month.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

EDWARD crs soN man. 345

N°. XXIII.

En‘wannGranorr Efg . to ] . B. Hans on» Efi.

MOST RESPECTABLE SOUTH SAXON, Bu rr-

omNov. 18, Int.

T would ill because me to repro ach a dilatory co rrefi

pondent ; 231i: tiller-irGraccho: defedt

'

tr’

onc g uarantor

e fp ec ially when that correfpondent had g ivenme hopes

o f undertak ing a very troublel'

ome e x ped ition for my{ole advantag e . Y et thus much l may fay, that I am

o blig ed very foonto g o to townuponother bolinei'

s , which

in that hope, Ihave hit herto deferred . If bynex t S undayI have no anfwer, or if I hear that your journey to Den

b arnis put. 05 fine die, or to a long day, I fhallonMond ay fet 06

"

for L ondon, and wait your future willwith

fi fth, hope, and cha rity . Ad ieu.

N°. XXIV .

EowAnD GraaonE/‘

g . to JO HN B a x anHonnornEfg .ShCfi eld - Piace .

LONDON. 1772.

THE ludden chang e from the fobriety of Shefi eld

Place to the irreg ularities of this town, and to the

wick ed company of W ilbraham, Clark e , Damer, 8te .

having derang ed me a g ood deal, I am forced to employone of my fecretaries to acquaint you with a p iece of

news I know nothing about myfelf. It is certain, fome

e x traordinary intellig ence is arrived this morning from

Denmark , and as certainthat the levee was fuddenly pre

vented by it. The particulars of that intelli g ence are va

rioufly and obfcurely told . It is laid , that the k ing had

railed a little phyiician to the rank of minilier and Ganymede ; luch a mad adminifirationhad l

'

o difg ulled all the

nobility,

no LETTERS TO AND FROMnobility, that the fleet and army had rofe , and (but up the

k ing in his palace. La Reine /2 traw e mlli e la deda u ;

it is reported that [he is confined, but whether in confe

quence of the infurreclion, or fome other caufe , is not

ag reed. Such is the roug h draft of anafl’

air thatnobody

yet underflands . Embrafl'

ez de m pmMore, at I: refit

Graa o rs .

Etplus bah - W rmsx ansm, S ec .

N°. XXV .

EDW ARD GrnaonEfi. to J . B r H ou tor o Ej’

g .

Boonu’t, to o

'

clock ,Monday nig ht, Feb. 3 , 1773 .

ILOVE, honour, and refpeél, every member of Shef

field - Place evenmy g reat enemy*Datch, towhom you

will pleafe to convey my fincere wifhes , that noj impletcnmay wa it onhim at d inner, that his wife p apamay no t

{how him any p iElures , and that his muchwiler mamma

may chainhim hand and foot, in dire& contradiaionto

Mag ma Ghana and the bill of rig hts .

It is difficultto write news , hecaufe there is none . Par

liament is perfectly . quiet ; and I think that Barre, who

is joft now playing at whill inthe room, willnot havee x ercife of the lung s , ex cep t, perhap s , ona mellag e

much talk ed of, and foonex peéled , to recommend it to

the wifdom of the Houfe of commons to p rovide a p

p er future remedy ag ainfi the imp roper marriag es of the

young er branches of the Royal Family. The noife of’l‘ i“ is fublided, but there was fome foundationfor

it.‘ ’F "

s ex pences in his bold enterpriz e were

yetunpaid by g overnment. The hero threatened, afi

’

umed

the patriot, received a fop , and ag a infunk into the cour

tier. As to‘

Denmark , it feems now that the k ing , who

was totally unfit for g overnment, has only paired from

the hands of his ~ queenwife , to thofe of his queenmo

The name by which thc ehild called himlklf.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

“a LETTERS TO ANDmom

ported by Lord Gower, happened by a punéiilio to dith

btig e Lord Craven, who told us lattnig ht, that he had not

quite 90001. a-

year in that county, and who has let upPig ot ag ainfihim. Y ou may fuppofe we allwill: for Got

Almig hty ag ainll: thatblack devil.

l am forty your Journey 18 deferred . Comp liments to

Dutch. As he 18 now in durance, g reat minds forg ivethe ir enemies, and I hope he may be releafed by thi s time .

-Coming , S ir. Adieu .

Y ou fee the Princefs of W . is g one . Hans Stanleyfays , it is believed the Emprefs (b eenhas tak enthe fame

N°. XXVII.

EDW ARD Gras ou Efg . to J. B . Homor D Efi.

DEAR HOLROYD, Lennon, Feb. 3 3 , x7yz .

THE papers and plans arrived fal

'

e intownlafi nig ht,and will be inyour hands intheir intafi virg inh ate

-ina day or two . Confider themat lcifure, if thatword

is known inthe rurallife . Unite, divide, but (above all)my} . Bring them to Londonwith you : I wait your orders nor (hall I, for fear of tumbling , take a fing le lieptillyour arrival, which, on m y accounts , I hope willnot be long deferred .

Clouds tiillhover over the horiz onofDenmark . The

public circumliances of the revolutionare related, and , I

undetfiand , very cx aélly inthe foreig npap ers. The fecrct

fpring s o f i t(tillremainunknown. The townindeedfeems

at prefentquite tired o f the fubjeéi . The Princefs'

s death,

her character, and what{he left, eng rofs the converfation.

She d ied without a will; and as her faving s were g ene

rally difpofed of in charity, the (mall remains o f her

perfonal fortune willmak e a trifling objectwhendividedamong her children. Her favourite the Princefs of B .

very properly infiiled on the k ing‘

s immediately fealing“P

EDWARD orsaonEthane. us

up au tne papmno feeure her from the idle reports

which would he fo readily fwallowed by the g reat Eng lif-h

montter. ‘

The bulinefs of L ord and Lady’H '

is finally eompronik d, by me arbitration of the Chan

He g ives her raool. a-

year

feparate maintenance, and 1 5 001. to fet out with : but

u her ladylhip is now a ncwface, her hufband , who has

already befiowed onthe p ublic feventy young beauties,

has conceived : violent buthopelefs p amonfor his'

chatio

m ic”. q e a n n ' e o n w o e fi n n tv s w e w

e e e at s to s o a Lord Chefierfield is dying COW ]oppofttions fubfide Adieu.

Entirely yours .

N°. XXVIII.

DEAR HOLROYD, Feb n , ma.

Q Q Q Q O Q O Q QO Q Q Q ' Q O QQ Q

HOWEVER, notwithiianding my indig nation, I will

employ five minutes intelling you two or three recentp ie

ces ofnews .

1 . Charles Fox is commenced p atriot, and is already

attemp ting to pronounce the words, country, lfl'm'ty, corrup

tion, 8m ; withwhat fuccefs , time‘

willdifcover. Y eller

day he relig ncd the admiralty. The iiory is, that he

could not prevailonminiflry to join with him in his in

tended repeal of the marriag e a&, (a favourite meafure of

his father, who oppofed it from its orig in,)and that Char

les very judicioufly thoug ht L ord Holland'

s friendfhip im

ported himmore thanLord North'

s .

a . Y etlerday the marriag e mell'

ag e came to bothRoufta

of Parliament. Y ou will fee the words of it in the pa

pers : and, thanks to the fubmiflive p iety of this fellion,

h ig hoped mag w u e nn o o n e r o u s.

VOL . I. a G

’

45 0 LETTERS TO‘

AND FROM3 . To day the Houfe of Commons was employed ina

very odd way. Tommy Townfhend moved , that the

fermonof Dr. Knowell, who preached before the Honfe

onthe 3 0th of January, id eji, before the Speak er and

fourmembers ,)ihould be burnt by the commonhang man,as containing arbitrary, tory, hig h

- flowndoéirines . The

H oufe was nearly ag reeing to the motion, till they recol

leéied that they had already thank ed the Preacher for his

ex cellentdifcourfe , and ordered it to be p rinted . Knowell’

s

book fe iler is much oblig ed to the R ig ht Honourable

Tommy Townfhend .

.W hendo you coine to town I wantmoney, and am

tired o f flick ing to the earth by Inmany roots . Embnflnedc ma part, Ste . Adieu

Ever yours .

N°. XXIX.

EDW ARD Gu s on .E/gm’

rc toMrs . G rs s ort, Beriton.

D E A R MA DAM, Lennon,March z r, r773 .

HAVE advanced with fome care and fome fuccefs in

g aining anidea of the L enboroug h eiiate . The tenants

are at will, and, from a compai ifonof my rents with the

neig hbouring ones , p articularly L ord there is

g reat probability that my chate is much under- let. Myfriend Holroyd , who is amod invaluable counfellor, is

{i rong ly of that op inion. S ir “ is juti come

home . I am forty to fee many alterations , and little im

provement. From anboueti wild Eng lilh buck , he is

g rowna philofopizer . L ord O d ifpleafcs every

body by the afl'

eétationof confequence : the young baronet

d ifg ufls no leis by the afi'

eéiationof wifdom. H e fpeak s

inibort fentences , quotesMontag ue, feldom fmiles , neverlaug hs , drink s only water, profefi

'

es to command his

pailions , and intends to marry infive months . The two

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

43 : LETTERS TO AND IKOMN°

. XXXI.

EDW ARD Glas on£fm toMrs . Hon or » , Sm ar’

Bau m , ou r Pem inu n, “antena ta l ,

“A DAM, Mtbe nth ml .

THERE is not any eventwhich could have ah

’

efied me

with g reater furprife and deeper concern, than the

news inlafl nig ht'

s paper, of the death of our poor li ttle

amiable friendMatier Holroytl, whom I loved , not onlyforhis parents

'

fake , but for his own. Should the news

be true , (for evenyet I indulg e fome faint hopes , what

mufi be the ditirefs of our friends at Shemeld ! I fotruly fympathife with them, that rknownhthow to write

to Holroyd butmuii beg to be informa lof the date of

the family by a line from you. Ihave fome eosnpany and

bufmcfs here, butwould g ladly quit them, If I had the

lead reafon to think that my p refence at S hefield would

afford comfort or fatisfaéi ionto the man in the world

whom Ilovc and eileem moti I amMadam, yourmoftob edient humble Servant, &c .

XXXII

EDWARD Gru nt: E/g sr'

re to J. B . Honno vD Efiw’

m

MY DE A R H O L R O Y D, Br arr on, July the 3 0th, r773 .

IT was my intentionto feto ut for Sheffield as foonas I

rece ived your affeéting letter, and I hoped to have

beenwith you as to day butwalk ing vcry .carelefsly ycf

torday morning , I fell down, and p ut out a fmall bone in

my ancle. I am now under the S urg eon’

s hands , but

think , and molt earneflly hop e, that this little accident

w illnot delay my journey long er thanthe middle ofnex tweek . I fhare , and wifh I could alleviate, your feeling s .

I be g to be remembered toMrs . Holroyd . I am, mydear Holroyd, molt truly yours .

EDWARD GIBBON Efquire. 45 ;

N9. XXXIII.

EDW ARD G IB BON Efgm’

re toMrs . Graao x , Beriton;

manMAM. ser va n t -F uel : Am“ l772t

ISET out at for yefierday morning from Uppark , and

g ot to Brig hthelmlione about two ; a very thin feafon,

every body g one to S pa. In the evening I reached this

place . My friend ap pears , as he ever,will, ina lig ht

truly refpeélable concealing the molt ex quifite fufiering s

under the {how of compofure, and even cheerfulneis, and

attempting , thoug h with. little fuccefs , to confirm the

weaker mind of his partner. I find, my friend ex prefl'

es

{0 much uneafinefs at the idea of my leaving him

ag ainfoon, that I cannot refufe to pafs the month here .

IfMr. Scott, as I fuppofe, is at Beriton, he has himfelf

too hig h a fenfe of friendl'

hip not to e x cufe my ne g lectinghim. I had fame hopes of eng ag ingMr. andMrs .

l

Hol

royd to mak e anex curfionto Portfmouth, Ille of W ig ht,S outhampton, 8m. inwhich cafe they would fp end a few

days at Beniton. A fodden refolution was tak en lafi:

nig ht in favour of the tour. We fetp ut,Mr. andMrs .

Holroyd ,Mr. Fauquier, and myfelf, nex t Thurfday’

and fhalldine at Beriton the following day, and (lay there,

moltprobably, three or four days . A farm- hoo fe, without

eitherc or houfe k eeper, will afford but ind ifferent en

tertainment ; but we mufl ex e'

rt, and they mull ax on/2.Our tourwilllalt about a. fortnig ht , afterwhichmy friend

prefl'

es me to returnwith him, and tn his prefent fituationI (hall be ata lofs how to refufe him.

I am, dearMadam, Bg e. &c . are,

reru ns r o am) FROM

N°. XXXIV .

Dr . HunD (now Eff/tap of Worcetler)toMr . Graao x .

Tnuaenn on, Ang ina 3 9th, 1773 .

OUR very eleg antletter on the antiqhity and authen

ticity of the Book of Daniel, (jull now received,)finds me here, if not without leifure, yet without book s ,and therefore in no conditionto enter far into the depths

of this controverfy ; which - indeed is the lefa necefl'

ary,

as every thing that relates to the fubjeéi will come of

courfe to be confidercd by my learned fuccefl'

ors inthe

new lefl ure . For as the p rophec ies of Danielmak e an

important link inthat chain, which, as you fay, Ira: h en

Id downfrom ha m to earth, (but not by the author of

the late fermons , who broug ht into view only what he

had not invented,) the g rounds onwhich their authority

retls will, withoutdoubt, be carefully ex amined, and, as

I fuppofe , firmly Chablifhed .

B ut inthe mean time, and to mak e at leafi fome fmail

returnfor the civility of your addrefs to me , I beg leaveto trouble you with two or three fhort remark s , fuch as

occur to me onread ing your letter .

Y ourmain difficulties are thefe two I . That the ao ~

thor of the book of Daniel is too clear for a pmphct; as

appears from his prediflionof the PerfxanandMacedonian affairs : and, 2. too fabulous for a contemporaryhifiorian as is cy ident, you fuppofe, from his millak es ,

p articularly inthe ftx th chapter,

1 . The firtl of thefe d ifficulties is anex traordinary one .

For why may not p ro phecy, if the infp irer think fit, be

as clear as billory S crip tural prophecy, whence your idea

of

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

EDWARD canonEfquirs .‘

957

r. Y ou thiuk it ttrang e thatDaniel, or any othcr man,

fiould be promoted to a fecret ofice of ltate, jor bis/wl

But here, hell, you forg et that Jofeph was thus pro

meted. for the fame reafon. Or, if you object to thi s in

fiance, whatfhould hinder the -

promotioneither of Jofephor Daniel, (when the ir Grill in divination had once

broug ht them to the norice and favour of their feve

reig n, ) for what you call ma t- low accompb‘

fflxmm ?

For fuch afl'

uredly both thefe g reat menpofl'

ell’

ed, if we

may believe the plainpart of the ir tiory, which afi'

crts of

Jofeph, and indeed proves , that he was inno common

de g reeMr mand will} ; and of Daniel, that anex cellent

flaritm s fiod h fim ; nay, that hc bd h oa k dg e mdfi zl

in alllmming mtd nq/dom, over and above his wrdnflaadfisg

fu ell ed/ionsMM . Inlhort, S ir, thoug h princes

of old mig ht not mak e it a rule to chufe their minilicrs

out of the ir foorhfayers , yetne ither would thei r be ing

foothfayers , if they were otherwife well acCOtnplifhed,

p revent them from being miniflers . Juli as inmodern

times , thoug h churchmenhave not often, I will fuppo fc ,

been made aficers of hate , even by bi g otted princes ,

be eaufe they were churchmen ; yetne ither have they been

always ex cluded from ferving tn thofe Rations whenthey

have beenfo und eminently qualified for them.

2 . Y our nex t e x ception is , that a combination could

{carce have been formed inthe courtof Babylonag ainl’t

the favourite miniti er, (t houg h fush faa ions are common

in other courts , ) be caufe the courtie rs of Darius msfilaw apprehended that the piety af D-mid would be afiertrdIna m

’

mrub u: inrnpg/ition; of which they had four a re

cent inltance. And here , S ir, you e x patiate with a little

too much comp lacency onthe tirang e indifi'

erence which

the ancientworld fhewcd to the g iftof miracles . Y ou do

LETTERS TO ANDmom

not, I dare fay, ex p eéi a ferions anfwer to this charg e 5“

or if you do , it may be enoug h to obferve , what I am

fure your own reading and ex perience mutt have rend ered

very familiar to you, that the firong efi belief, or convie

tion of the mind , perpetually g ives way to the inflamed

fe lfifh paflions and that, whenmenhave any fcheme of

interefl or reveng e much at heart, they are not refirained

from p urfuing it, thoug h the fcafi'

old and the ax e Rand

before them infull view, and have perhaps be enfireamingbutthe day before with the blood of other Rate - criminals .

I alk not, Whethermiracles have ever afiually ex ilied , but

whether you do not think that multitude s have beenfirmly

perfuaded of their e x ifience ; and yet their ind ifl'

erence

about them, is a faétwhich I read ily concede to .

Y our third criticifm is direfl ed ag ainft what is faid of

the law of the Mode: and Perfiam, tlzat it Allard /z not

W bCrC I find nothing to admire , but the e x treme ri g our

o f Aliatic defp otifin. For I conlider this irrevocabilityof the law, whenonce promulg ated by the fovereig n, notas contrived to be a check onhis will, but rather to (hew

the irreli fiible and fatal courfe of it. And this idea wa s

{0 much cherilhed by the d efpo ts of Perfia, that, rather

than revok e the iniquitous law, obtained by furpriz e,

for ex terminating the Jews , Ahafuerus took the p art, as

we read in the book of Efiher, (and as BaronMantel?quieu, I remembe r, obferves ,) to permit the -Jews to defend themfelves ag ainfl the ex ecution of it ; whence we

fee how confident this law is with the d eterminationof the

judg es , quoted by you from Herodotus , that it was‘3 lawful for the king to do whatever he played ? for weunderhand thathe d id

—

not pleafe that this law, whenonce

d eclared by him, fhould be altered .

Y ou add under this head, May I not afl'

ert that the

Greek writers , who have'

fo cop ioufly treated of the

afl'

aixs

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

46s LETTERS TO AND FROMIon, while he himfelfwas profecnting his other conquefis

at a diliance . Any of theic thing s is fuppofable enoug h

and I would rather admit any of them thanreject the ex

p rel'

s , the repeated , the circumllantial .tellimony of a not

confell’

edly fabulous hiliorian.

Afier all, S ir, I fhould forfeit, I know, your g ood op i

nion, if I did not acknowled g e that fome , at leah, of

thei'

e circumflances are fuch as one ihould not, perhaps ,"

e x peéi at firfl li g ht. But then fuch is the conditionof

thing s here ; and what is true in human life, is not al

ways , I had almofi faid, not often, thatwhich was pre

vioully tobe ex pected ; whence anordinary romance is ,they fay, more probable thanthe bell hiilory.

But lhould any or all of thefe c ircumliances convince

you p erfealy, that fome deg ree of error or fia ionis to be

found inthe book of Daniel, itwould be too prec ip itate

to conclude r that therefore the whole book was t of“

no

'

all

or rany way re

lated to him, came to be put tog ether'in [he fame vo

lume : but the:

detea ion of fuch milalliance could not

allefi the prophecies ; certainlynot thol'

e ofDaniel, which

re l’

pec'

t the latter- times for thefc have anintrinlic evidence

in themfelves , and allert the ir own authenticity, inp ro

portionas we fee , or have reafon to admit the aecom

plilhment of them.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

EDW ARD - GIBB ON Efqnire.

E, Gram s:W renI. 11, Hum or»

cm Hill-ROY? » 3 15mm» 055 is) 1 37:

AMMarrived, as wellas yonrfelf, atmyambut with very different intention. Youwill ever te

main3 big ot to thofe rufiic deities ; I PKOPPfe tO abjufrthemfoon, and to reconcile myfelf to

'

thecatholic church

c ondou.

Iamfq happy, fa e grquifitelyhappy, atfeeling fo manymountains takenOff my “ins iders , thatI canbrave; yourindig mfim: and CV? “Ch; three- forked lig htning of Jup iter

himfdfi My reafons for tak ing {0 unwarrantable atiep

(ap proved of by Hug onin)were no unmanly defpondency(thopg h it daily became more amateur howmuch the

farmwould filthy. bath in reality and in reputation, bym tr ycar

-

‘t Jn n a a s n l : a a a

'

o

I fee pleafure butnot'

ufe ina cong refs, therefore decline it.I know nothig g as yet of

'

3 purchafer, and , ean only g ive

youfulland unlimited powers. if youthink itnecell‘

ary,

let me know'

when you fell but, however, do as yogi

plcafe .

I am finoc rely g lad to hearMrs . H. is better. Stillthink Bath would full her. She, and you too , I fizar, rather want

“

the phyfic of the mind, thanof the body.

'

I‘

ell

pi 6 fomcthing about yourfelf. If, among a c rowd‘qf

acquaintances , one friendcanafford you any comfort, Iam

quite atyour fervice . Once more, adiep.

VOL . I.

ass L ETTER S T O AND FROM

N° XXXVI.

EDW ARD GrnaonEfizdre to J . Hou tovnq uire.

DEAR HOLROYD. Pan -MA L L . rrthDec. 177“

Y this time , I fuppofe you returned to the 121mfields o f Shcfi eld. The country (I do notmean

any particular reflex ions on Sufl'

ex ) mufl be vailly plea

fant at this time of the year ! For my own part, the pu

nifhment of my fins has at leng th overtaken me . On

Thurfday the third of Dec ember, inthe prefent year of

our L ord one thoufand (even hundred and feventy- two ,

betweenthe hours of one and two inthe afie rnoon, as Iwas c roliing St. James

’s church-

yard, I (tumbled , and

ag ainfilmined my foot but, alas 1 after two days p ainand

confinepient, a horrid monfter, yeleped the g oat, made me

a {hort viiit ; and thoug h he has now taken his leave , Iam fullof apprehenfions

‘

thathe may have liked my com

pany well enoug h to callag ain.

The parliament, after a few foft murmurs , is g one to

llcep , to awake ag ain after Chrifimas , fafely folded in

L ord No rth’s arms . The town is g one into the country ,

and I propofe 'a i/{ting Slzgflz

'

e/d about Sunday fe’nnig ht, if

by that time Ican g etmy houfehold preparations (1 have

as g o od as takenL ady Rous’s leafe inBentinck - flreet) in

any forwardnefs . Shall 1 ang le for Bai t .9 No news flir.

ring , ex cept the Duchefs of G .

’s pre g nancy c ertainly de

clared.i‘? ‘l‘

called onme the othe r day, and has

takenmy planw ith him to confider it he flill w ifhes to

defer to fpring ; talk s of bad roads , and is vety abfo

lute . l remonflrated, éut want to b row whether I amrefuemit. Adieu. Godfrey Clarke, who is writing near me ,be g s to be remembered. The lavag e is g oing to hunt

fox es inNorthamptonfhire , Ox fordlhire, Glouceflerlhire,

are . Y ours fincerely.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

$68 LETTER S TO A ND PROM, are .

EDW ARD G IBBON Efqm'

n is J. HOLROYD Eq'

re.

DEAR HOLROYD. January 12. 1773

ENBOROUGH is no more ! acted

like a j ew , and I dare fay now repeats it. In his

room found me a be tter man, a rich, bmtilh,boucfl horfe~ dealer, who has g ot a g reat fortune by ferv.

ing the cavalry. OnThurfday he faw Lcnboroug h, 00Friday came to townwith and this morningat nine o

’

clock we firuck at after am y hardbattle . As times g o , I am not difl

'

atisfied. andthe new Lord of L enboroug h (byname * 41064w ith me ; and thoug h we did not (peak the fame lea g ues-s

yet by the help of fig ns , fuch as that of putting about thebottle , the natives fee-med wellfatisfied.

. The whole wo rld is g o ing downto Pmlfmomh, whenthey w illenjoy the pleafures of fmokc , (wife, heat, badlodg ing s , and ex penfive reckoning s. For my ownpart.

I have firmly refilled importunity, declined parties, and

mean to pafa the bufy week tn the foft retirementof myb a rg e de Bentmclt fireet. Y efterday the Ball India (3001 9

pany pofrtively refufed the loan: a noble refolution, could

they g et money any where elfe . They are violent and

itwas moved, and the motionheard w ith form de g ree of

approbation, thatthey fhould abandonIndia to L ordNorth,

SujehDowlah, or the Devil, if he chofe to take it.

Adieu.

O F THE F IR ST VOLUME .