THE

OCCASIONAL WRITER.

NUMBER I.

INSCRIBED TO THE PERSON, TO WHOM ALONE IT

CAN BELONG.

I

MOST NOBLE SIR,

AM one, whofe ambition it hath been, ever fince I came into the world, to diftinguish myself as a writer; in which, I fairly confefs, I had not only the view of raising my reputation, but that of establifhing my fortune. A profpect, which feemed very reasonable in a time of general peace and univerfal affluence; in an age fo particularly polite, that it is even the fashion to appear knowing in all the elegant arts and fciences; and that to whatever branch of them a genius fhall think fit to turn himself, he is fure it will be to one that is in vogue.

The firft effays of my pen made a good deal of noife in the world: they filled foreign journals, and were tranflated into feveral languages. The Sorbonne, and both our mother Univerfities, returned me thanks for having reconciled feveral difputes, and folved

K 2

folved feveral difficulties in chronology and hiftory, which had perplexed the learned world, from the impartial Eufebius, down to the circumftantial Prideaux; my Philofophical Poems were received with the greatest applaufe; and it is well known, that if the gay part of the world read my Anti-Lucretius for amufement, the graveft divines have no tdifdained to borrow arguments from it in their difputes with the materialifts.

Animated by fuch fuccefs, in one part of my aim, I proceeded with indefatigable labor, till continual difappointments, in the other, rendered me at length more indifferent to that imaginary good, applaufe, and lefs patient of that real evil, want. I began then to compare my condition with that of feveral great authors, both antient and modern; and finding upon the comparison that they had not been better treated than myfelf, I was foon led by my reflections to difcover the true reafon of our ill fortune in the world; I was foon convinced that they and I had been on a wrong purfuit; that minifters of flate pay no refpect to the brightest talents, when they are mifapplied, and efteem all talents to be fo, which are not wholly employed about the present time, and principally dedicated to the fervice of their adminiftration; neither can I fay this proceeding is unjust, how much foever I fuffer by it.

If we write for pofterity, we must not complain that the care of rewarding our merit is left to pofterity; and if we neglect to ferve the ftate, thofe, who are appointed to prefide over it, break no rule of equity when they neglect us. Spencer has been amply recompenced by pofterity for his Fairy Queen; but the wife treasurer Burleigh declined the payment of an hundred pounds, which Queen Elizabeth ordered him, and left this admirable poet

to

to ftarve. Had Spencer applied himfelf to more ferious ftudies, had he excelled in phyfics, in metaphyfics, or even in the firft philofophy, or in theology, inftead of excelling in wit and poetry, the "amabiles infania" of Horace, his ufage would have been the fame no doubt. Even the greatest productions of thefe ftudies are but trifles in the account of a confummate ftatefman, and may properly enough be diftinguished from the others in fenfe, by the title of "infaniæ feveriores."

As it

Our English minifters, to their honor be it spoken, have at all times proceeded upon this admirable principle; the moft excellent fermons, the moft elaborate treatifes, have not been fufficient to procure the advancement of fome divines, whilst a forry pamplet or a fpiritual libel has raifed others to the highest dignities of the church. has fared with mere divinity, fo has it fared with mere eloquence: as one never caufed the divine, fo the other never caufed the lawyer, to be diftinguished. But we know that if either of them be employed in a court caufe, he never fails of making his fortune. The fame fate has attended writers of another kind; the celebrated Tatlers, and Spectators, had no reward except from bookfellers and fame. But when thofe authors made the discovery I have made, and applied their talents better, in writing the Englishman and the Freeholder, one was foon created a knight, and the other became fecretary of ftate. In fhort, without enumerating any more inftances, I may confidently affirm, that this has been the cafe from the days of Burleigh to this time; how much fooner it began to be fo, I hope, Sir, you will not give me the lei fure to enquire.

From the moment I refolved to become a flate writer, I mentally devoted myself to your fervice a

and I do it now in this public and most folemn manner. Employ me, Sir, as you pleafe; I abandon myself intirely to you; my pen is at your dif pofition, and my confcience in your keeping. Like a lawyer, I am ready to fupport the caufe, in which, give me leave to fuppofe that, I fhall be foon retained, with ardor; and, if occafion be, with fubtilty and acrimony. Like a Swifs, I will behave myfelf with equal boldness and fidelity; my pen is my fortune, and I think it as honorable to offer it, as offer my fword, without enquiring in a general battle, or in private fkirmishes, at what relation or friend I ftrike. I cancel at once all former obligations and friendship, and will moft implicitly follow your inftructions in panegyric on yourself and friends, in fatyr on your adverfaries, in writing for or against any fubject; nay, in writing for or against the fame fubject, juft as your intereft, or even your paffions, may render it expedient.

I am not ignorant that when Carneades offered to argue for virtue, and then against it, Cato proposed to drive that great philofopher and orater out of Rome. But Cato was a man of narrow principles and of too confined an understanding. He confidered virtue abstractedly, without any regard to time, to place, and to that vast variety of conjunctures, which happens in the course of human affairs. In common life, morality is no doubt neceffary, and therefore legiflators have been careful to enforce the practice of it; but whenever morality clashes with the intereft of the state, it must be, and it always has been, laid afide. These are my opinions: and it is a great comfort to my confcience to find them confirmed by the practice of fome reverend perfons, whofe examples ought to be of greater weight with me, than that of a wretched pagan. I fhall therefore fhew myself neither squeamish nor whimfical in pursuing the enterprize to which I offer my fervices, but

fhall