better grace than we do, who, at the lofs of a prime ac quaintance, ftrive to give him new and false praise, and to make him quite another man, when we have loft fight of him than he appeared to be when we faw him, as if regret was a matter of inftruction, or that tears, by washing our underftanding, cleared it. For my part, I henceforth quit claim to all favourable characters the world fhall be difpofed to give of me; not because I shall be worthy of them, but because I shall be dead. If any one afks another, what concern have you in this fiege? "The interest of "example, he will fay, and of the com Vain objects of mere imaginations, without determine the human mind. mon obedience due to my prince; I reality,trike and "aim at no profit from it whatsoever; "and for honour, I know what a small "fhare of it can redound to fuch a private man as I "am: I have in this neither paffion nor quarrel." See him however but the next day, and you will find him quite another man, chafing, and red-hot with rage, in his line of the battle, for the affault. It is the glittering of fo much steel, the fire and noise of our cannon and drums that has infused this fresh rancor and hatred into his veins. A frivolous cause you will fay: how is it a caufe? There needs none to put the mind in agitation. A mere whimfy, without body and without fubject, governs and puts itin motion. Let me think of building caftles in Spain, my imagination fuggefts to me conveniencies and pleafures, with which my foul is really pleased and delighted. How often do we torment our minds with anger or forrow by fuch fhadows, and plunge ourselves in fantastic paffions, which alter us both body and foul? What aftonifhed, fleering, and confused grimaces, do fuch idle notions excite in our countenances? What fallies and agitations do they create, both of the members and the voice? Does it not feem that this individual man has falfe notions from a crowd of others, with whom he has dealings, or fome devil within him that perfecutes him? Inquire of yourself where is the object of this change? Is there any thing in nature, man excepted, which nothing fuftains, over which noVOL. III. F thing thing has any power?* Cambyfes, for only having dreamt in his fleep that his brother was to be one day king of Perfia, put him to death, though he was a brother that he loved, and always confided in t. Ariftodemus, king of the Meffenians, killed himself, out of a fancy that a certain howling of his dogs was an ill omen . And king Midas did the fame, because he had dreamt fome difagreeable dream. It is taking life at its just value to abandon it for a dream. Hear nevertheless how thefoul triumphs over the wretchedness and weakness of the body, and its being liable to all injuries and alterations: and truly it has reason to speak thus of it. O prima infelix fingenti terra Prometheo! Oh! 'twas for man a most unhappy day In framing bodies he had not the art To form the mind, the first and nobleft part. CHAP. V. On fome Verfes of Virgil. SEFUL meditation is the more em copious and folid. Vice, death, poverty, Gay reflections age. The English tranflator, (Mr. Cotton) for want of having feen Angelier's edition of Montaigne in 4to, anno 1588, has mistaken the fenfe of this paffage, by wording it thus, "Is there any thing but us in na"ture, but fubfifting nullity, over which it has power?" A phrafe unintelligible, and only quoted left many of his readers fhould be led into the fame mistake. Herodot. lib. iii. p. 196. Plutarch's Treatife of Superftition, chap. 9. I Id ibid. § Propert lib. iii. el, 5 ver. 7. and and diftempers, are fubjects that are both grave and grievous. It is neceffary for the mind to be well furnifhed with the means of fubftaining and combating evils, and inftructed in the rules of a good life, and a right belief; and it fhould be often rouzed and excercised in this noble study. But, in an ordinary foul, this must be by relaxing fometimes, and with moderation; for, if continually bent to it, it will grow ftupid. In my youth I found it neceffary to put myself in mind, and to folicit myself to keep to my duty. Gaiety and health, they say, do not agree quite fo well with thefe ferious and wife difcourfes. I am at this prefent time in another ftate. The terms of old age only give me too much warnings, preach to me, and make me grow wifer. From an exceffive sprightliness, I am funk into exceffive gravity, which is worfe. For that reafon I now fuffer my fancy to run wild for the purpose, and fometimes employ my mind in wanton and juvenile thoughts, with which it diverts itfelf. I am of late but too reserved, too grave, and too fedate. Every day, at thefe years, admonishes me to be cool and temperate. This body of mine avoids irregularity, and dreads it. It is now its turn to guide my mind towards a reformation. This too governs in its turn, and more roughly and imperiously than the other. It does not let me reft an hour, either fleeping or waking, from some instruction concerning death, patience, and repentance. I now deny myself temperance, as I did formerly pleasure; for it draws me too far back, and even to a degree of ftupidity. Now I would fain be my own mafter in every refpect. Even wisdom has its excefs, and has as much need of moderation as folly; therefore left I fhould wither, dry up, and over-burden myfelf with prudence, in the intervals, which my infirmities allow me, Mens intenta fuis ne fiet ufque matis . Left that my mind fhould evermore be bent, ↑ Ovid de Trift. lib. iv. eleg. 1. ver. 4. I gently decline it, and turn away my eyes from the ftormy and cloudy fky that I have before me; which, thanks be to God, I confider without fear, but not without meditation and debate; and amufe myself with the remembrance of the days of my youth, --animus quod perdidit, optat, Atque in præterita fe totus imagine verfat ‡. The mind longs to regain what it has loft, Was it not the meaning of Janus's double face, to fignify that childhood fhould look forward, and old age backward? Let years drag me on as they may, but it shall be backward. As long as my eyes are able to review that beautiful feafon, which is expired, I now and then turn them that way. Though it is gone out of my bloodveffels, yet I am not willing to root the image of it out of my memory. -boc eft, Vivere bis, vitâ poffe priore frui | The man lives twice, who can the gift retain Old men fhould be prefent at the pastimes and exercifes of the youth. Plato prescribes to old men to be prefent at the exercifes, dancings,and fports of youth, that they may be pleafed to fee in others that activity and beauty of the body, which in themselves is no more; and that they may recal to mind the gracefulness and bloom of that flourishing ftage of life and he requires that, in those recreations, they afcribe the honour of the victory to the young man who has given the best, and the most diverfion and joy to the company. I ufed formerly to mark dull gloomy days as extraordinary; thofe are now my ordinary ones, and the extraordinary are the ferene, bright days. I am ↑ Petronius, p. 90. of the Paris edition, 1587. Martial lib. x. epig. 23, ver. 7. ready And take every ready to leap out of my fkin for joy, as much as if I had received a new favour when I had not a right to one. With whatever vain fancies I pleafe myfelf, I cannot fometimes force one poor fmile from this wretched body of mine. I am only merry in conceit, and, as in a dream, to divert by ftratagem thé chagrin of old age: but furely it would require another remedy than a dream. A weak ftruggle of art againft nature. It is a great folly to lengthen and anticipate human inconveniencies, as every body does. I had rather be old, though it be for a lefs time than to be old before I am really fo . I feize on even the least occafions of pleasure that come in my way. I know well, by hear-fay, feveral forts of pleafures, which are prudent, manly and honourable; but opinion has not power enough over me to give me an appetite for them. I covet not fo much to have them gallant, magnificent and pompous, as I do to have them delightful, eafy to come at, and ready at hand. A natura difcedimus: populo nos damus, nullius rei bono autori ¶; "we abandon nature to follow the popular tafte, from which no "good comes." My philofophy is in action, in natural and prefent practice, very little in fancy. What a leafure fhould I take in playing at cob-nut, or whipping a top! Non penebat enim rumores ante falutem †. He was too wife Idle reports before his health to prize. opportunity of enjoying plea fure. Pleasure is a quality of very little ambition. It thinks itself rich enough, without any mixture of reputation with it, and is beft pleafed in obfcurity. That young man who should pretend to a palate for wine and fauces, ought to be whipped. There was nothing which I lefs knew Senec. epift. 99. Cicero's Treatife of old Age, ch. 10. †This. is a very pleasant application of a grave verfe, quoted out of Ennius by Cicero de Offic. lib. i cap. 24. where that poet speaking of Fabius Maxmus, fays, that, while he was acting for the public good, he was indifferent to every thing that was faid at Rome to run down his conduct. |