His a certain day, on a fubmarine voyage, and of his willingness to take in paffengers for no more than double the price at which they might fail above water. defire was granted, and he retired to a convenient stand, in expectation of filling his ship, and growing rich in a fhort time by the fecrecy, fafety, and expedition of the paffage. Another defired to advertise the curious, that he had, for the advancement of true knowledge, contrived an optical inftrument, by which those who laid out their industry on memorials of the changes of the wind, might obferve the direction of the weathercocks on the hitherfide of the lunar world. Another wifhed to be known as the author of an invention, by which cities or kingdoms might be made warm in winter by a fingle fire, a kettle, and pipe. Another had a vehicle by which a man might bid defiance to floods, and continue floating in an inundation, without any inconvenience, till the water fhould fubfide. JUSTICE Confidered these projects as of no importance but to their authors, and therefore scarcely condefcended to examine them; but TRUTH refused to admit them into the register. Twenty different pretenders came in one hour to give notice of an univerfal medicine, by which all diseases might be cured or prevented, and life protracted beyond the age of Neftor. But JUSTICE informed them, that one univerfal medicine was fufficient, and fhe fhould delay the notification till fhe faw who could longest preserve his own life. A thousand other claims and offers were exhibited and examined. I remarked, among this mighty multitude, that, of intellectual advantages, many had great exuberance, and few confeffed any want ; of every art there were a hundred profeffors for a fingle pupil; but of other attainments, fuch as riches, honours, and preferments, I found none that had too much, but thousands and ten thousands that thought themselves entitled to a larger dividend. It often happened, that all misers, and women married at the clofe of life, advertised their want of children; nor was it uncommon for those who had a numerous offspring, to give notice of a fon or daughter to be fpared; but, though appearances promifed well on both fides, the bargain feldom fucceeded; for they foon loft their inclination to adopted children, and proclaimed their intentions to promote fome scheme of publick charity: a thousand propofals were immediately made, among which they hesitated till death precluded the decifion. As I stood looking on this scene of confusion, TRUTH Condefcended to afk me, what was my busi nefs at her office? I was ftruck with the unexpected queftion, and awaked by my efforts to answer it, NUMB. 106. SATURDAY, March 23, 1751. Opinionum commenta delet dies, naturæ judicia confirmat. CIC. Time obliterates the fictions of opinion, and confirms the decifions of nature. is neceffary to the fuccefs of flattery, that it be accommodated to particular circumftances or characters, and enter the heart on that fide where the paffions ftand ready to receive it. A lady feldom liftens with attention to any praife but that of her beauty; a merchant always expects to hear of his influence at the bank, his importance on the exchange, the height of his credit, and the extent of his traffick and the author will scarcely be pleased without lamentations of the neglect of learning, the confpiracies against genius, and the flow progress of merit, or fome praifes of the magnanimity of those who encounter poverty and contempt in the cause of knowledge, and truft for the reward of their labours to the judgment and gratitude of pofterity. An affurance of unfading laurels, and immortal reputation, is the fettled reciprocation of civility between amicable writers. To raise monuments more durable than brass, and more confpicuous than pyramids, has been long the common boast of literature; but, among the innumerable architects that erect columns to themselves, far the greater part, either for want of durable materials, or of art to difpofe them, fee their edifices perifh as they are towering to completion, and and thofe few that for a while attract the eye of mankind, are generally weak in the foundation, and foon fink by the faps of time. No place affords a more ftriking conviction of the vanity of human hopes, than a publick library; for who can see the wall crowded on every fide by mighty volumes, the works of laborious meditation, and accurate inquiry, now fcarcely known but by the catalogue, and preferved only to increase the pomp of learning, without confidering how many hours have been wasted in vain endeavours, how often imagination has anticipated the praises of futurity, how many ftatues have rifen to the eye of vanity, how many ideal converts have elevated zeal, how often wit has exulted in the eternal infamy of his antagonists, and dogmatifm has delighted in the gradual advances of his authority, the immutability of his decrees, and the perpetuity of his power? Infulting chance ne'er call'd with louder voice, Of the innumerable authors whofe performances are thus treasured up in magnificent obfcurity, most are forgotten, because they never deferved to be remembered, and owed the honours which they once obtained, not to judgment or to genius, to labour or to art, but to the prejudice of faction, the ftratagem of intrigue, or the fervility of adulation. Nothing Nothing is more common than to find men whofe works are now totally neglected, mentioned with praises by their contemporaries, as the oracles of their age, and the legiflators of fcience. Curiofity is naturally excited, their volumes after long inquiry are found, but feldom reward the labour of the search. Every period of time has produced thefe bubbles of artificial fame, which are kept up a while by the breath of fashion, and then break at once, and are annihilated. The learned often bewail the lofs of ancient writers whofe characters have furvived their works; but, perhaps, if we could now retrieve them, we should find them only the Granvilles, Montagues, Stepneys, and Sheffields of their time, and wonder by what infatuation or caprice they could be raised to notice. It cannot, however, be denied, that many have funk into oblivion, whom it were unjust to number with this despicable clafs. Various kinds of literary fame feem deftined to various meafures of duration. Some spread into exuberance with a very speedy growth, but foon wither and decay; fome rife more flowly, but last long. Parnaffus has its flowers of tranfient fragrance, as well as its oaks of towering height, and its laurels of eternal verdure. Among those whofe reputation is exhausted in a fhort time by its own luxuriance, are the writers who take advantage of prefent incidents or characters which strongly interest the paffions, and engage univerfal attention. It is not difficult to obtain readers, when we discuss a question which every one is defirous to understand, which is debated in every affembly, and has divided the nation into parties; or when We |