MART.

SIR,

TO THE RAMBLER.

AVING by feveral years of con

a great number of principles and ideas, and obtained by frequent exercile the power of applying them with propriety, and combining them with readiness, I refolved to quit the univerfity, where I confidered myself as a gem hidden in the mine, and to mingle in the crowd of publick life. I was naturally attracted by the company of those who were of the fame age with myself; and Ending that my academical gravity convibuted very little to my reputation, applied my faculties to jocularity and burkfque. Thus, in a thort time, I had heated my imagination to such a state of activity and ebullition, that upon every occafion it fumed away in burits of wit, and evaporations of gaiety. I became on a fudden the idol of the coffee-houfe, was in one winter folicited to accept the prefidentfhip of five clubs, was dragged by violence to every new play, and quoted m every controverfy upon theatrical merit; was in every publick place furrounded by a multitude of humble auditors, who retailed in other places of refort my maxims and my jefts, and was boafted as their intimate and companion by many who had no other pretenfions to my acquaintance, than that they had drank chocolate in the fame room.

You will not wonder, Mr. Rambler, that I mention my fuccefs with fome ap. pearance of triumph and elevation. Perhaps no kind of fuperiority is more flat tering or alluring than that which is conferred by the powers of converfation, by extemporaneous fprightlinefs of fancy, copioufnefs of language, and fertility of fentiment. In other exertions of genius, the greater part of the praife is unknown

over regions which pay no tribute. The colloquial wit has always his own radiance reflected on himself, and enjoys all the pleasure which he bettows; he finds his power confeffed by every one that approaches him, fees friendship kindling with rapture, and attention fwelling into praife.

The defire which every man feels of importance and esteem, is fo much gratified by finding an affembly, at his entrance, brightened with gladness and hushed with expectation, that the recollection of fuch distinctions can scarcely fail to te pleafing whenfoever it is innocent. And my confcience does not reproach me with any mean or criminal effects of vanity; fince I always employed my influence on the fide of virtue, and never facrificed my understanding or my religion to the pleafure of applaufe.

There were many whom either the defire of enjoying my pleafantry, or the pride of being thought to enjoy it, brought often into my company; but I was careffed in a particular manner by Demochares, a gentleman of a large eftate, and a liberal difpofition. My fortune being by no means exuberant, inclined me to be pleased with a friend who was willing to be entertained at his own charge. I became by daily invitations habituated to his table; and, as he believed my acquaintance neceffary to the character of elegance which he was defirous of eftablishing, I lived in all the luxury of affluence, without expence or dependence, and pafled my life in a perpetual reciprocation of pleasure, with men brought together by fimilitude

of

of accomplishments, or defire of improvement.

But all power has it's fphere of activity, beyond which it produces no effect. Demochares being called by his affairs into the country, imagined that he fhould increafe his popularity by coming among his neighbours accompanied by a man whofe abilities were fo generally allowed. The report prefently spread through half the country that Demochares was arrived, and had brought with him the celebrated Hilarius, by whom fuch merriment would be excited as had never been enjoyed or conceived before. I knew, indeed, the purpose for which I was invited; and as men do not look diligently out for poffible miscarriages, was pleafed to find myfelf courted upon principles of interett, and confidered as capable of reconciling factions, compofing feuds, and uniting a whole province in focial happinefs.

After a few days (pent in adjusting his domestick regulations, Demochares invited all the gentlemen of his neighbourhood to dinner, and did not forget to bint how much my prefence was expected to heighten the pleasure of the feaft. He informed me what prejudices my reputation had raifed in my favour, and reprefented the fatisfaction with which he should fee me kindle up the blaze of merriment, and should remark the various effects that my fire would have upon fuch diverfity of matter.

This declaration, by which he intended to quicken my vivacity, filled me with folicitude. I felt an ambition of fhining, which I never knew before; and was therefore embarraffed with an unusual fear of difgrace. I pafled the night in planning out to myself the converfation of the coming day; recollected all my topicks of raillery, propofed proper fubjects of ridicule, prepared finart replies to a thoufand questions, accommodated answers to imaginary repartees, and formed a magazine of remarks, apophthegms, tales, and illuftrations.

The morning broke at laft in the midft of thefe bufy meditations. I rofe with the palpitations of a champion on the day of combat; and, notwithstanding all my efforts, found my fpirits funk under the weight of expectation. The company foon after began to drop in, and every one, at his entrance, was inroduced to Hilarius. What concep

tion the inhabitants of this region had formed of a wit, I cannot yet difcover; but obferved that they all feemed, after the regular exchange of compliments, to turn away difappointed; and that while we waited for dinner, they caft their eyes firft upon me, and then upon each other, like a theatrical affembly waiting for a shew.

From the uneafinefs of this fituation I was relieved by the dinner; and as every attention was taken up by the bufinefs of the hour, I funk quietly to a level with the rest of the company. But no fooner were the dishes removed, than inftead of cheerful confidence and familiar prattle, an univerfal filence again fhewed their expectation of fome unufual performance. My friend endea、 voured to roufe them by healths and questions, but they answered him with great brevity, and immediately relapsed ́ into their former taciturnity.

I had waited in hope of fome opportunity to divert them, but could find no pats opened for a fingle fally; and who can be merry without an object of mirth? After a few faint efforts, which produced neither applaufe nor oppofition, I was content to mingle with the mais, to put round the glafs in filence, and folace myself with my own contemplations.

My friend looked round him; the guests stared at one another; and if now and then a few fyllables were uttered with timidity and hesitation, there was none ready to make any reply. All our faculties were frozen, and every minute took away from our capacity of pleating, and difpofition to be pleafed. Thus paffed the hours to which fo much happinefs was decreed, the hours which had, by a kind of open proclamation, been devoted to wit, to mirth, and to Hilarius.

At laft the night came on, and the neceflity of parting freed us from the perfecutions of each other. I heard them, as they walked along the court, murmuring at the lofs of the day, and enquiring whether any man would pay a fecond visit to a house haunted by a wit..

Demochares, whofe benevolence is greater than his penetration, having flattered his hopes with the fecondary honour which he was to gain by my fprightlinefs and elegance, and the affection with which he fhould be followed for a perpetual banquet of gaiety,

was

was not able to conceal his vexation and refentment, nor would easily be convinced, that I had not facrificed his interest to fullennefs and caprice, and ftudiously endeavoured to difguft his guests, and fuppreffed my powers of delighting, in obitinate and premeditated filence. I am informed that the reproach of their ill reception is divided by the gentlemen of the country between us; fome being of opinion, that my friend is deluded by an impoftor, who, though he has found fome art of gaining his favour, is afraid to speak before men of more penetration; and others concluding, that I think only London the proper theatre of my abilities, and difdain to exert my genius for the praife of rufticks.

I believe, Mr. Rambler, that it has

fometimes happened to others who have the good or ill fortune to be celebrated for wits, to fall under the fame cenfures upon the like occafions. I hope therefore that you will prevent any mifreprefentations of fuch failures, by remarking, that invention is not wholly at the command of it's poffeffor; that the power of pleafing is very often obftructed by the defire; that all expectation leffens furprize, yet fome furprize is neceffary to gaiety; and that those who defire to partake of the pleasure of wit must contribute to it's production, fince the mind stagnates without external ventilation, and that effervescence of the fancy which flashes into tranfport can be raised only by the infusion of diffimilar ideas.

'L' • in the progrefs of which we are perpetually changing our fcenes: we firft leave childhood behind us, then youth, then the years of ripened manhood, then the better and more pleaf⚫ing part of old age.' The perufal of this paffage having incited in me a train of reflections on the ftate of man, the inceffant fluctuation of his wifhes, the gradual change of his difpofition to all external objects, and the thoughtleffnefs with which he floats along the ftream of time, I funk into a flumber amidst my meditations, and on a fudden found my ears filled with the tumult of labour, the fhouts of alacrity, the fhrieks of alarm, the whistle of winds, and the dash of waters.

IFE,' fays Seneca, 'is a voyage,

My aftonishment for a time repreffed my curiofity; but foon recovering my

OVID.

ELPHINSTON.

felf fo far as to enquire whither we were going, and what was the caufe of fuch clamour and confufion, I was told that they were launching out into the ocean of life; that we had already paffed the ftreights of infancy, in which multitudes had perithed, fome by the weakness and fragility of their veffels, and more by the folly, perverfenefs, or negligence, of thofe who undertook to fteer them; and that we were now on the main fea abandoned to the winds and billows, without any other means of fecurity than the care of the pilot, whom it was always in our power to choose among great numbers that offered their direction and affittance.

I then looked round with anxious eagernefs; and firft turning my eyes behind me, faw a stream flowing through flowery islands, which every one that