310 Original Anecdotes.-Count de THE CI-DEVANT COUNT DE This nobleman was one of Louis XVI's Aides de Camp, and remained in the Thuilleries during the attack of the palace, converted into a fortrels by that part of the Noblee which had not emigrated, but remained firmly attached to what they deemed their intereft, and, perhaps, their duty. After the melancholy cataftrophe that ensued, this officer repaired to England, where he expected to be received with open arms; but he now execrates the day that he left his native country. When alt his Louis d'ors were expended, he endeavoured to procure fabfiftence by means of his pen; but failed, as he was entirely ignorant of our vermcular tongue, and his own is not fo generally understood in this metropolis, as to reward a French author for his labours. I met him one day, merry as ufual, and to the full as jocular as ever, refpecting his own misfortunes; but yet there was an air of chagrin in his countenance, a fqualidnefs in his looks, and a degree of negligence, if not mifery, in his drefs, that betokened indigence. After a few minutes converfation, I learned, that my furmifes were but too true; for he told me frankly, that being reduced in point of circumstances, and having a turn for mechanics from his early youth, he was determined to convert his former attachment into a trade, and gain his livelihood by the faw and the plane. On expreffing my furprife, he affured me that he did not blush at fuch a fituation, but, on the contrary, took credit to himfelf for his refolution of living independent of his friends. "But by what means are you to fecure this independence ?" Loyaleinent, comme un charpentier!" And on faying fo, he folicited to be employed by me. I refpect the misfortunes of a man whom I efteem, while I differ with him in opinion! the forrows, even of an enemy, ought to be held facred; and I poffels too much delicacy, to mention the name of a nobleman, who has become the victim of a blind attachment to royalty. The count de. is not the only perfon of rank and family, who has been reduced to the most humiliating fituation, in confequence of a fimilar partiality. A ci-devant duke is faid to be in partnership with his former cook, in an ordinary, at Hamburgh, where he himself acts as a traiteur. A oi-devant princefs lodges in a two-pair of stairs room, in my own neighbourhood. A female, one of the baute Nobleffe, has just received, with gratitude, a few caps and gowns for her children, from a friend of mine; and, finally, a near relation of my own has, within thefe few weeks, actually purchased a Farren-ftitch gown, wrought by the hands of a lovely comteffe, who once figured away amidst all the fplendour of the luxu rious and diffolute court of Versailles. If we are to give credit to an English newspaper, no less than thirty-three priefts have died of want, in confequence of their allowance being withdrawn. Many of the monks, in the primitive ages, were obliged by their inftitutions to learn trades, in order to contribute to their own fupport? and I myself know, that three or four French priests have fettled in the neighbourhood of Hampftead, where they earn fufficient to maintain themselves comfortably. Their chief employment is in toys, jewelry, &c. I have feen fome gold ear-rings, finifhed by them, in a manner that would do no difcredit to our best workmen. A prieit lately refufed a prefent, although offered to him in the moft polite manner, faying, that he maintained himself by means of a turning loom. On the other hand, a ci-devant profeffor at the Lyceum affured me, that on returning from Wandfworth, he was unable to país the Thames at Batterfea, because he had not a halfpenny to pay the toll, and was actually obliged to go round by Westminster-bridge, where there is not any tax levied on paffengers. NECKER, A native of Geneva, a banker of Paris, and for fome time partner to an eminent merchant of London (Louis Texier). This celebrated man was deftined to rife from the defk of a 'compting-houfe, to one of the highest employments in Europe, that of minifter of finance to the French monarchy. Vanity, egotifm, oftentation; thefe are faid to be his failings; but, on the other hand, a good husband, a good father, a good citizen;---he is in poffeffion of all the public and private virtues. If he evinces lefs ability than his rival, Calonne, be it remembered, that he can boaft of a fpotlefs integrity. Sufpicion has never blafted his fair fame, with the charge of unaccounted millions. A man of bufinefs in office, a philofopher in difgrace; he never allowed himself to be elevated or depreffed, by either the fimiles or frowns of a king; he ftill remembered that he was a citizen of Geneva ! He, however, experienced a variety of mortifications, for which he indemnified 1796.] Original Letter of Warburton. himfelf, perhaps, by the hope of proving ferviceable to mankind.---Old Maurepas never allowed him to fit in his prefence. To the preponderance of the Tiers Etat, produced entirely by his means, France is indebted for her Revolution; but for this, the nation would have relapsed into fervitude, and the crown being hors de page, into defpotifm. He was once banifhed, and once recalled from the country of his adoption; his laft, perhaps, final retreat, was voluntary on his part. He refides at prefent at Capelle, a lordship purchased by him, and fituated within the territory of Berne. Geneva would fcarcely be a fecure afylum for him; at least, it would not have been fo formerly. pa Necker has written on religion, morals, finance, and government. His wife, formerly mademoiselle Curchod, the daughter of a cure of the reformed religion, who, after his exile from France, relided at Craffy, in the Pays de Vaud, was greatly admired by Gibbon, the hiftorian, about thirty years fince; but his love, which does not appear to have been very violent, eafily yielded to the admonitions of ternal prudence. She is allowed to be a moft amiable and virtuous woman. His daughter, madame de Stael, is married to the minister plenipotentiary from Sweden, to the French Republic. She has written many political tracts, and gave fome good advice to the coalefced powers, about eighteen months fince; but on her return to Paris, the was denounced by Legendre, as entertaining views hoftile to the commonwealth. This inftantly put an end to her political converfaziones, for the court of Sweden finds its neutrality too profitable to rifk it by any difpute with the French Republic. "Newarke, Of, 6th, 1738. "I rec'd yours of ye 3d inftant. I am far from having a worfe opinion of you for your modefty and ingenuity in owning those deficiencies that are common to all young people, Only fome 31 have not the fenfe to fee it, and others are too proud to own it, which makes them blockheads for their whole life. "I am forry you leave College, becaufe I apprehend that if you could get a fellowship and a curacy in the neighbourhood it would be advantageous to you on many accts to refide fome years in the University. But this perhaps you This may contrive hereafter. "Your apprehenfions as to your fermons are rightly grounded. This is the method I would advise you to. Take fome of the best approved writers on particular points of morality and divinity whether in the form of fermons or no. If in that form, then abridge them; if not in that form, caft them into it. is eafily done, and very usefully done, for it will enter you into the method of compoting. At the fame time, buy a book of Beveridges, in 4 vols. 8vo. which is a fynopfis of a great number of Sermons, the fkeleton of fermons, in which only the heads of the difcourfe are methodically given in order to be filled up. It was published, I think, for the ute of young clergymen. This will further inftruct you, as you may apprehend, in the method of compofing. When you have used thefe two ways, alternately, as occafion ferves for fome time, you will have, of courte, acquired fome notion of compofition. Then begin now and then, though but feldom, to make a fermon entirely your own. And to give you a true taffe of thefe compofitions, you can't do better than read over often Swift's Letter to a Young Gentleman, lately entered into holy orders; you will fee by this, what a good fermon fhould be. But the difficulty ftill remains how to make one, It confifts of 3 pts the language, the art, or method of the difcourie, and the fubject matter. As to the last, it is the product of much knowledge and reflec tion. For the language, the three best writers we have to form a ftile upon, are Addifon, Tillotfon, and Clarendon's Hif tory of ye Rebellion. And as to the art and method of a difcourfe, I know no book, fo good as Quintilian; and he who would compofe mafterly, fhould perpetually read his Inftitutes, Leigh's Critica Sacra, is a small book in 4to. of about 4s. price. It is a kind of Lexicon to the New Teftam. I did not mean the Collection of Critics, which is not for your ufe at prefent. Only Į would have you obferve, it is in vain to think of making any real progrefs in letters without books, and a prudent fcholar would always contrive to moderate his 312 Warburton's Advice to a young Clergyman. his expences of other kinds, in order to fupport this. You would certainly fave much, in buying your books at the beft ħand. And, I believe, you can have them no where near fo cheap, as at Mr. Gyles, againft Gray's Inn, a great bookfeller Holborn. If you think fit to employ Mim, who is my particular friend, the mentioning me as recommending you to him, will, I am fure, engage him to treat you in the beft manner; and a letter to him, when you want any books, will be fufficient. "I think the ftudy of the New Teft. and of Theology, fhould be carried on together, as I marked out to you. Claffical learning is + Heb. neceffary for understanding the fcriptures; but it is a large extenfive study. You must make yourfelf well acquainted with the beft Greek and Latin writers, as Homer, Plato, Xenophon, Herodotus, Thucidides, Plutarch, Lucian, Aristophanes, Sophocles, Euripides, Tully, Livy, Tacitus, Quintilian, Plautus, Terence, Horace, Virgil, Juvenal, and Pliny. Thefe fhould be ftudied with the best Lexicons and Dictionarys; as Stephens Greek and Latin Thefaurus's; Conftantine's Lex: Budæus Comment. on ye Greek tongue; Nizolius; Brifonius de Verb; Sign; Suidas. And likewise, with the best Grammarians, + Here two or three words are obliterated. [May as Caninius's Hellenifins, Sanctius's Minerva with Perizonius's Notes, Scaliger de caufis linguæ Latine, Linacre De emendata Structura Latini Sermonis, & Popma de Differentüs Verborum. Then you may read Le Clerk's Ars Critica, and go to the ftady of the best critics; fuch as Jof. Scaliger, J. Cafaubon, Lipfius, Turnebus, &c. but above all, Dr. Bentley, and BP Hare, who are the greatest men, in this way, that ever were.. But more of this, as you proceed in your ftudies. A common-place-book is ufeful, when one knows what to common-place, but that cannot be, till after one has confiderably improved one's knowledge. And to write down trite or trifling paffages is but lofs of time. "I am, your affured Friend "You should never let a day pafs without reading fomething in Lat. and Greek, more or lefs! I don't know whether you understand French. No language can be more useful to a scholar, nay more neceffary; the best books in allarts and sciences being wrote in that tongue. You may eafily learn it yourfelfe without a mafter, for you do not want to fpeak, but to understand it.” "To the Rev. Mr. W. Green, A. B. Clare-Hall, in Cambridge.” ORIGINAL ear, Or eats his ambrofia up. Queen Juno, who fears from rough play a mishap, Keeps peacocks with rainbowy tails; And when she's difpos'd to grudge Saturn his nap, Their fcreaming or screeching ne'er fails. Fair Venus moft willingly coaxes the doves, That coo, woo, and wed on her wrist; The fparrow, her chambermaid Aglae loves, As often is fondled and kift. Minerva, too proud to seem pleas'd with a trifle, Profeffes to keep her old owl, Apollo above stairs, a first-rate young blood, road, A principal part of his fun is. 'Tis fabled or known he inftructed a fwan, One fpring, to outwhiftle a blackbird, Which fings the Caftalian ftreamlet upon, Like any Napolitan lack-beard. Lyceus in India purchas'd a pair Of tygers delightfully pyball'd, At Pluto's black gate, in a kennel at reft, So quiet, fo fteady, fo guarded, and flow, MONTHLY MAg. No. IV. POETRY. So fully content with himself and his lord, No butler of mine is to lack. So large is his rump, fo piano his pace, An afs fuch as this all my wishes would fill; ney's fame STANZAS, [May To hufh the mother's fhrick, the fick man's groan, And bear the fuff'rers, trembling to the So when this mighty orb, in dread alarm, ODE TO TRAGEDY. HAIL, fifter of the fable stole! 'Tis thine to meliorate the foul, And groans beneath oppreffion's rod; torn. Oh, wife viciffitudes of fate below! The frantic eye, the hurrying pace, Above the rankling rage of death and time. See Virtue finks beneath the villain's hand! Successful Murder hails his bloody band! moft tremendous storm, on the 26th Janu-Warm from the heart in which he liv'd alone! WHILE o'er the reeling wreck, the favage ftorm 'Tis paft; ftill virtue claims thy care, Till tears of forc'd contrition ceafeless flow, Oh goddess of the tear-fwoln eye! |