Vol. 1. K The The Men of Pleafure, who feem the greater! Contemners of this philofophical Beauty, are forc'd often to confefs her Charms. They can as heartily as others commend Hone/ly, and are as much flruck with the Beauty of a generous Part. They admire the Thing it-felf, tho not the Means. And, if pollible, they wou'd fo or- der it, as to make Probity and Luxury agree. But the Rules of Harmony will not permit it. The Diflonancys are too ftrong. However, the Attempts of this kind are not unpleafant to obferve. For tho fome of the voluptuous are found fordid Pleaders for Bafenefs and Cor- ruption of every fort: yet others, more gene- rous, endeavour to keep meafures with Honef- ty; and underflanding Pleafure better, are for bringing it under fome Rule. They condemn this manner: they praife the other. " So far was 11 right: but further, lurong. Such a Cafe was. li allowable: but fuch a one not to be admit- " ted." They introduce a Jujlice, and an Or- der in their Pleafures. They wou'd bring Rea- Jon to be of their Party, account in fome man- ner for their Lives, and form themfelves to fome kindofCoilfonancy, and Agreement: Or fliou'd they find this impracticable on certain terms, they wou'd chufe to facrifice their other Plea- fures to thofe which arife from a generous Be- haviour.
of WIT and HUMOUR. 141 haviour, a Regularity of Conducl, and a Con- fiftency of Life and Manners: * Et verce numerofque modofque edifcere vita.
Other Occafions will put us upon this Thought: but chiefly a flrong View of Merit, in a generous* Character, oppos'd to fome detef- tably vile one. Hence it is that among Poets, the Satirifts feldom fail in doing Juftice to Vir- tue. Nor are any of the nobler Poets falfe to this Caufe. Even modern Wits, whofe Turn is all towards Gallantry and Pleafure, when bare-fac'd Villany (lands in their way, and brings the contrary Species in view, can hng in paffio- nate drains the Praifes of plain Honejly.
W h e N we are highly Friends with the World, fuccefsful with the Fair, and profperous in the poffeflion of other Beautys; we may perchance, as is ufual, defpife this fober Miftrefs. But when we fee, in the iffue, what Riot and Excefs naturally produce in the World; when we find that by Luxury s means, and for the fervice of vile Interefts, Knaves are advanc'd above us, and the f vileft of Men prefer'd before the ho- nefteft; we then behold V 1 r t u e in a new Light, and by the afliftance of fuch a Foil, can dif- K 2 cern cern the Beauty of Honejly, and the reality of thofe Charms, which before weunderuood not to be either natural or powerful.
SECT. III.
AN D thus, after all, the moft natural Beau- ty in the World is Honejly, and moral Truth. For all Beauty is Truth. True Features make the Beauty of a Face; and true Proportions the Beauty of Architecture; as true Meafures that of Harmony and Mufick. In Poetry, which is all Fable, Truth ftill is the Perfection. And whoever is Scholar enough to read the anti- ent Philofopher, or his * modern Copifls, up- on the nature of a Dramatick and Epick Poem, will eafily underftand f this account of Truth.
A Painter, if he has any Genius, under- ftands the Truth and Unity of Defign; and knows he is even then unnatural, when he follows Na- ture too clofe, and nrictly copys Life. For his Art allows him not to bring All Nature into his * The French Tranflator, no doubt, has juftly hit our Author's Thought, by naming in his Margin the excellent Bossu du Pccme Ej.ique; who in that admirable Comment and Explanation of Aristotle, has "perhaps not only fhewn himfelf the greater! of the French Criticks, but prefented the World with a View of antient Literature and juft Writing, beyond any other Modern of whatever Nation.
Piece, of WIT and HUMO UR. 143 Piece, but a Part only. However, his Piece, if it be beautiful, and carrys Truth, muft be a Whole, by it-felf, compleat, independent, and withal as great and comprehenfive as he can make it. So that Particulars, on this occafion, mull yield to the general Defign; and all things be fubfervient to that which is principal: in order to form a certain Eqfinefs of fight; a fim- ple, clear, and * united View, which wou'd be broken and difturb'd by the Expreffion of any thing peculiar or diflincl.
Now * The to 'Ewronofl-lon; as the great Matter of Arts calls it, in his Po- eticks, ck. 23- but particularly cli. 7. where he (hews, " That the to KaAon, 44 the Beautiful, or the Sublime, in thefe above-mention'J Arts, is from 44 the Expreffion of Greatnefs with Order: that is to fay, exhibiting the *• Principal or Main of what is defign'd, in the very larger! Proportions •' in which it is capable of being view'd. For when it is gigantick, tis l* in a manner out of fight, and can be no way comprehended in that 44 fimple and united View. As, on the contrary, when a Piece is of the " Miniature-kind; when it runs into the Detail, and nice Delineation of 44 every little Particular; 'tis, as it were, invifible, for the fame reafon; " becaufe the fummary Beauty, the WHOLE it-felf, connot be compre- " hended in that ONE united View; which is broken and loft by the 41 neceffary attraction of the Eye to every fmall and fubordinate Part. In 44 a poetick Syftem, the fame regard muft be had to the Memory, as in 44 Painting to the Eye. The Dramatick kind is confin'd within the con- «4 venient and proper time of aSpeclacle. The Epick is left more at large. 14 Each Work, however, muft aim at Vaftnefs, and be as great and of as 44 long duration as poffible; but fo as to becompiehended (as to the main 44 of it) by oneeafy Glance or Retrofpeft of Memory. And this the Phi- 41 lofopher calls, accordingly, the tj 'Eu^v^mihtov. I cannot better tranflate the Paffage than as I have done in thefe explanatory Lines. Tor betides what relates to mere Art, the philofophical Senfe of the Ori- ginal is fo majeftick, and the whole Treatifc fo mafterly, that when I find K3 even Now the Variety of Nature is fuch, as to diftinguifh every thing fhe forms, by a peculiar original Character; which, if ftri&ly obferv'd, will make the Subject appear unlike to any thing extant in the World befides. But this Effect the good Poet and Painter feek induftri- oufly to prevent. They hate Minutenefs, and are afraid, of Singularity; which woud make their Images, or Characters, appear capricious and fantaftical. The mere Face-Painter, in- deed, has little in common with the Poet; but, like the mere Hiftorian, copys what he fees, even the Latin Interpreters come fo fhort, I {hou'd be vain to attempt any thing in our own Language. I wou'd only add a fmall remark of my own, which may perhaps be notie'd by the Studiers of Statuary and Painting: That the greateft of the" antient as well as modern Artifts, were ever inclin'd to follow this Rule of the Philofopher; and when, they err 'd in their Defigns, or Draughts, it was on the fide of Greatnefst by running into the unfizable and gigantick, rather than into the minute and delicate. Of this Mich. Angelo, the great Beginner and Foun- der among the Moderns, and Zeuxis the fame among the Antients, may ferve as Inflances. See Pliny, lib. 35. cap. g. concerning Zeuxis, and the Notes of Father Harduin in his Edition in ufum Delphini, p. 200. on the words, Deprehenditur tamen Zeuxis, he. And again Piinv himfelf upon Euphranor, in the fame Book, cap. 11. p. 226. Doci/is «c laboriqfus, ante omnes, et in quocumque genere excellent, ac Jibi xqualis. Hie primus videiur exprejfiffe Dignitates Her own, el iijurpajje Sjmmetriam. Scd fiat univerfitate corporum exilior, capitibus articulifque grandior. Volwnina quo- flue empofuii de Symmetria et Coloribus, tc.. Vid. infra, p. 340,341, 342. in the Notes, and of WI T and HUMOUR. 145 and minutely traces every Feature, and odd Mark. 'Tis otherwife with the Men of Inven- tion and Defign. 'Tis from the many Objects of Nature, and not from a particular-one, that thofe Genius's form the Idea of their Work. Thus the belt Artifts are faid to have been in- defatigable in ftudying the beft Statues: as efteeming them a better Pvule, than the per- fecleft human Bodys cou'd afford, And thus fome * confiderable Wits have recommended the beft Poems, as preferable to the beft of Hiftorys; and better teaching the Truth of Characters, and Nature of Mankind.
Nor can this Criticifm be thought high- ftrain'd. Tho few confine themfelves to thefe Rules, few are infenfible of 'em. Whatever quarter we may give to our vicious Poets, or other Compofers of irregular and fhort-liv'd Works; we know very well that the {landing Pieces of good Artifts muft be form'd after a more uniform way. Every juft Work of theirs comes under thofe natural Rules of Proportion and Truth. The Creature of their Brain muft be like one of Nature's Formation. It muft have a Body and Parts proportionable: or the * Thus the great Mafter himfelf in his Poeticks, above cited; A<& *J K 4 very very Vulgar will not fail to criticize the Work, when it has neither * Head nor Tail. For fo Com- mon Senfe (according to jufl Philofophy) judges of thofe Works which want the Juflnefs of a Whole, and (hew their Author, however curi- ous and exact in Particulars, to be in the main a very Bungler: f Infelix operis Summa, quia ponere Totum Nefcit.
Such is poetical, and fuch (if I may fo call it) graphical or plqftick Truth. Narrative, or h f- torical Truth, mufl needs be highly eflimable; efpeciallywhenwe confider how Mankind, who are become fo deeply interefled in the Subject, have fullered by the wantofClearnefs in it. 'Tis it-felf a part oimoral Truth. To b'e ajudge in one, requires a Judgment in the other. The Morals, the Character, and Genius of an Author mufl be thorowly confider'd: And the Hiftorian or Re- later of Things important to Mankind, mufl, whoever he be, approve himfelf many ways to us; both in refpecl of his Judgment, Candor, and Difintereflednefs; ere we are bound to take any thing on his Authority. And as for % critical Truth, or the Judgment and Determination of WIT and HUMOUR. 147 nation of what Commentators, Tranflators, Paraphrafts, Grammarians, and others have, on this occafion, deliver'd to us; in the midfl of fuch variety of Style, fuch different Read- ings, fuch Interpolations, and Corruptions in the Originals; fuch Miflakes of Copifts, Tran- fcribers, Editors, and a hundred fuch Acci- dents, to which antient Books are fubjecl: it becomes, upon the whole, a Matter of nice Spe- culation; confidering, withal, that the Reader, tho an able Linguift, muft be fupported by fo many other Helps from Chronology, natural Philofophy, Geography, and other Sciences.
And thus many previous Truths are to be examin'd, and underflood, in order to judge rightly of h'florical Truth, and of the pad Acti- ons and Circumflances of Mankind, as deli- ver'd to us by antient Authors of different Na- tions, Ages, Times, and different in their Cha- racters and Interefts. Some moral and philofo- phical Truths there are withal fo evident in themfelves, that 'tvvou'd be eafier to imagine half Mankind to have run mad, andjoin'd pre- cifely in one and the fame Species of Folly, than to admit any thing as Truth, which (liou'd be advane'd againfl fuch natural Knowledge, fun- damental Reafon, and common Safe.
This This I have mention'd the rather, becaufe fome modern Zealots appear to have no better knowledge of Trut h, nor better manner of judging it, than by counting Nofes. By this Rule, if they can poll an indifferent number out of a mob, if they can produce a Set of Lancashire Noddles, remote provincial Head-pieces, or vifionary Aflemblers, to atteft a Story of a Witch upon a Broomjlick, and a Flight in the Air; they triump in the folid Proof of their new Pro- digy, and cry, Magna eft Veritas ct pmvalebit I Religion, no doubt, is much indebted to thefe Men of Prodigy; who, in fuch a clifcern- ing Age, wou'd fet her on the foot of popular Tradition; and venture her on the fame bot- tom with Parifli -Tales, and goffiping Storys of Imps, Goblins, and Demoniacal Pranks, invented to fright Children, or make Practice for com- mon Exorcifts, and Cunning-Men! For by that Name, you know, Country People are us'd to call thofe Dealers in Myflery, who are thought to conjure in an hoiujl way, and foil the Devil at his own Weapon.
And now (my Friend!) I can perceive 'tis time to put an end to thefe Rerleclions; left by endeavouring to expound things any fur- ther, I fliou'd be drawn from my way of Hu- mour, olWlT and HUMOUR. 149 mour, to harangue profoundly on thefe Sub- jects. But fhou'd you find I had moraliz'd in any tolerable manner, according to Common Senfe, and without Canting; I cou'd be fatisfy'd with my Performance, fuch as it is, without fearing what diflurbance I might poffibly give to fome formal Cenjors of the Age; whofe Dif- courfes and Writings are of another ftrain. I have taken the liberty, you fee, to laugh, up- on fome occafions: And if I have either laugh'd wrong, or been impertinently ferious; I can be content to be lauglid at, in my turn. If contrarywife I am rail'd at, I can laugh (till, as before; and with frefh advantage to my Caufe. For tho, in reality, there cou'd be no- thing lefs a laughing matter, than the pro- vok'd Rage, Ill-will, and Fury of certain zea- lous Gentlemen, were they arm'd as lately they have been known; yet as the Magiflrate has fmce taken care to pare their Talons, there is nothing very terrible in their Encounter. On the contrary, there is fomething comical in the cafe. It brings to one's mind the Fancy of thofe Grotefque Figures, and Dragon-Faces, which are feen often in the Frontifpiecc, and on the Corner-Stones of old Buildings. They feem plac'd there, as the Defenders and Sup- porters of the Edifice; but with all their Grimace, are as harmlefs to People without, as they are ufelefs to the Building within. Great Efforts Efforts of Anger to little purpofe, ferve for Pleafantry and Farce. Exceeding Fiercencfs, with perfect Inability and Impotence, makes the higheft, Ridicule.
I am, Dear Friend, Affectionately Yours fac.
TREA- ADVICE, be.
PARTI.
SECT. I.
I HAVE often thought how ill-natur'd a Maxim it was, which, on many occafions, I have heard from People of good underftand- ing; " That, as to what related to private Con- " duel, No-one was ever the better for Advice." But upon farther Examination, I have refolv'd with my-felf, that the Maxim might be admit- ted without any violent prejudice to Mankind. Vol. I. i For 154 ADVICE to an Author.
For in the manner Advice was generally given, there was no reafon, I thought, to wonder it ihou'd be fo ill receiv'd. Something there was which flrangely inverted the Cafe, and made the Giver to be the only Gainer. For by what I cou'd obferve in many Occurrences of our Lives, That which we call'd giving Advice, was properly, taking an occafion to fliew our own Wifdom, at another's expence. On the other fide, to be inftrucled, or to receive Advice on the terms ufually prefcrib'd to us, was little better than tamely to afford another the Occafion of railing himfelf a Characler from our Defecls.
In reality, however able or willing a Man may be to advife, 'tis no eafy matter to make Advice a free Gift. For to make a Gift free indeed, there mult be nothing in it which takes from Another, to add to Our-felf. In all other refpecls, to give, and to difpenfe, is Generofity, and Good- will: but to bellow Wifdom, is to gain a Maflery which can't fo eafily be allow'd us. Men willingly learn whatever elfe is taught 'em. They can bear a Mqfter inMathematicks, in Mufick, or in any other Science; but not in Under/landing and Good Senfe.
Tis the hardefl thing imaginable for an Author not to appear alTuming in this re- fpecl. For all Authors at large are, in a man- ner.
TREATISE III.
viz..
Nee TE quafweris extra.
Perf. Sat. i.
Printed firft in the Year M.DCC.X, Vol. I.
ADVICE to an Author 155 ner, profefs'd Maflers of Under/landing to the Age. And for this reafon, in early days, Poets were look'd upon as authentick Sages, for dictating Rules of Life, and teaching Manners and good Senfe. How they may have loft their Preten- fion, I can't fay. 'Tis their peculiar Happi- nefs and Advantage, not to be oblig'd to lay their Claim openly. And if whilft they pro- fefs only to pleafe, they fecretly advife, and give Inftruclion; they may now perhaps, as well as formerly, be efteem'd, with juftice, the bed and mod honourable among Authors.
Mean while: " H dictating and prefer ibing " be of fo dangerous a nature, in other Au- *' thors; what mult his Cafe be, who dictates " to Authors themfelvesV' To this I anfwer; That my Pretention is not fo much to give Advice, as to confider of the Way and Manner of advifmg. My Science, if it be any, is no better than that of a Language-Maf- ter, or a Logician. For I have taken it ftrong- ly into my head, that there is a certain Knack or Legerdemain in Argument, by which we may fafely proceed to the dangerous part of advifmg, and make hire of the good fortune to have our Advice accepted, if it be any thing worth.
My \) My Propofal is to confider of this Affair, as a Cafe of Surgery. 'Tis Practice, we all allow, which makes a Hand. " But who, on "• this occafion, will he practised on? Who will CL willingly be the firft to try our Hand, and u afford us the requifite Experience?" Here lies the Difficulty. For fuppofing we had Hofpitals for this fort of Surgery, and there were always in readinefs certain meek Patients who wou'd bear any Incifions, and be prob'd or tented at our pleafure; the advantage no doubt wou'd be confiderable in this way of J J Practice. Some Infight muff needs be ob- tain'd. In time a Hand too might be acquir'd; but in all likelyhood a very rough one: which wou'd by no means ferve the purpofe of this latter Surgery. For here, a 'Tendernefs oj Hand is principally requifite. No Surgeon will be call'd, who has not Feeling and Compaffion. And where to find a Subject in which the Operator is likely to preferve the higheft Ten- dernefs, and yet acl; with the greater! Refolution and Boldnefs, is certainly a matter of no flight Confideration.
I am fenfible there is in all confiderable Proje6ts, at firfl; appearance, a certain Air of chimerical Fancy and Conceit, which is apt to render the Projectors fomewhat liable to ridicule.
ADVICE to an Author. 157 ridicule. I wou'd therefore prepare my Rea- der againft this Prejudice; by alluring him, that in the Operation propos'd, there is nothing which can juftly excite his Laughter; or if there be, the Laugh perhaps may turn againft him, by his own confent, and with his own concurrence: Which is a Specimen of that very Art or Science we are about to illuitrate.
Accordingly, if it be objected againft the abpve-mention'd Praflice, and Art of Sur- gery, " That we can no-where find fuch a ct meek Patient, with whom we can in reality " make bold, and for whom nevert'helefs we tl are fure to preferve the greateji Tendcrnefs and " Regard:" I aftertthe contrary; and fay, for inftance, That we have each of us Our Selves to prafiife on. tl Mere Quibble! (you'l fay:) " For who can thus multiply himfelf into two " Per Jons, and be his own Subjefl? Who can lt properly laugh at himfelf, or find in his heart 41 to be either merry orfevere on fuch an oc- " cafion?" Go to the Poets, and they will prefent you with many Inftances. Nothing is more common with them, than this fort of Soliloquy. A Perfon of profound Parts, or perhaps of ordinary Capacity, happens, on fome occafion, to commit a Fault. He is con- cern'd for it. Becomes alone upon the Stage; looks looks about him, to fee if any body be near; then takes himfelf to talk, without fparing himfelf in the leaft. You wou'd wonder to hear how clofe he pufhes matters, and how thorowly he carrys on the buhnefs of Self-diJ~ J'eciwn. By virtue of this Soliloquy he be- comes two diftincl Perfons. lie is Pupil and Preceptor. He teaches, and he learns. And in good earned:, had I nothing elfe to plead in behalf of the Morals of our modern Drama- tick Poets, I fhou'd defend 'em dill againft their Accufers for the fake of this very Prac- tice, which they have taken care to keep up in its full force. For whether the Praclice be natural or no, in refpecl of common Cuftom and Ufage; I take upon me to aifert, that it is an honeft and laudable Praclice; and that if already it be not natural to us, we ought however to make it fo, by Study and Appli- cation.
"Are we togo therefore to the Stage for " Edification? muft we learn our Catechifm 11 from Poets? And, like the Players, fpeak " aloud, what we debate at any time with our- lt felves alone?" Not absolutely fo, perhaps. Tho where the harm wou'd be, of fpending fbme Difcourfe, and bellowing a little Breath and clear Voice purely upon our-felves, I can't fee. We might peradventure be lefs noify and ■^ ADVICE to an Author. 159 and more profitable in Company, if at conve- nient times, we difcharg'd fome of our articu- late Sound, and fpoke to our-felves viva voce when alone. For Company is an extreme Provocative to Fancy; and, like a hot Bed in Gardening, is apt to make our Imaginations fprout too faff. But by this anticipating Remedy of S o l 1 l o qjj y, we may effectually provide againft the Inconvenience.
WE HAVE an account in Hiflory of a certain Nation, who feem to have been ex- tremely apprehenfive of the Effects of this Fro- thinefs or Ventofity in Speech, and were ac- cordingly refolv'd to provide thorowly againft the Evil. They carry d this Remedy of ours fo far, that it was not only their Cuftorn, but their Religion and Law, to fpeak, laugh, ufe Action, geniculate, and do all in the fame man- ner when by themfelves, as when they were in Company. If you had ftol'11 upon 'era un- awares at any time, when they had been a- lone, you might have found 'era in high Dif- pute, arguing with themfelves, reproving, counfelling, haranguing themfelves, and in the moft florid manner accofiinor their own Perfons. In all likelihood they had been once a People remarkably fluent in Expreflion, much pefter'd with Orators and Preachers, and might- Vol. I. L ilv ily fubjecl: to thatDifeafe which has been fince call'd the Leprofy of Eloquence; till fome fage Legiflator arofe amongft 'em, who when he cou'd not oppofe the Torrent of Words, and flop the Flux of Speech, by any immediate Application, found means to give a vent to the loqacious Humour, and broke the force of the Diitemper by eluding it.
Our prefent Manners, I mult own, are not fo well calculated for this Method of Soli lo- qjjy, as to fuffer it to become a national Prac- tice. 'Tis but a fmall Portion of this Regimen, which 1 wou'd willingly borrow, and apply to private ufe; efpecially in the cafe of Au- thors. I am fenfible how fatal it might prove to many honourable Perfons, fhou'd they ac- quire fuch a Habit as this, or offer to praclife fuch an Art; within reach of any mortal Ear. For 'tis well known, we are not many of us like that Roman, who wifli'd for Win- dows to his Bread, that all might be as con- fpicuous there as in his Houfe, which for that very reafon he had built as open as was poffible. I wou'd therefore advife our Probati- oner, upon his firft Exercife, to retire into fome thick Wood, or rather take the Point of fome high Hill; where, befides the Advantage of looking about him for Security, he wou'd find the Air perhaps more rarefy'd, and futable to ADVICE to an Author. 161 to the Perfpiration requir'd, efpecially in the cafe of a Poetical Genius.
* Scriptorum chorus omnis amat nemus, et fugit urbes.
Tis remarkable in all great Wits, that they have own'd this Practice of ours, and generally defcrib'd themfelves as a People liable to fuf- ficient Ridicule, for their great Loquacity by themfelves, and their profound Taciturnity in Company. Not only the Poet and Philofopher, but the Orator himfelf was wont to have re- course to our Method. And the Prince of this latterTribe maybeprov'd to have been a great Frequenter of the Woods and River-Banks; where he confum'd abundance of his Breath, fuffer'd his Fancy to evaporate, and reduc'd the vehemence both of his Spirit and Voice. If other Authors find nothing which invites 'em to thefe ReceJJes, 'tis becaufe their Ge- nius is not of force enough: Or tho it be, their Character, they may imagine, will hard- ly bear em out. For to be furpriz'd in the odd Aclions, Geftures, or Tones, which are proper to fuch Afceticks, I muft own wou'd be an ill Adventure for a Man of the World. But with Poets and Philojophers 'tis a known Cafe: L 2 Aut 162 ADVICE to an Author, * Aid infanit Homo, aid vcrfus facit- Composing and Raving mud neceflarily, we fee, bear a refemblance. And for thofe Compofers who deal in Syftems, and airy Spe- culations, they have vulgarly pafs'd for a fort of Profe-Poets. Their fecret Practice and Habit has been as frequently noted: f Murmura cum jc cum et rabiofajilentia rodwit.
Both thefe forts are happily indulg'd in this Method of Evacuation. They are thought to acl naturally, and in their proper way, when they aflume thefe odd Manners. But of other Authors 'tis expecled they fhou'd be better bred. They are oblig'd to preferve a more con- verfable Habit; which is no fmall misfortune to 'em. For if their Meditation and Refvery be obflrucled by the fear of a nonconforming Mein in Converfation, they may happen to be fo much the worfe Authors for being finer Gen- tlemen. Their Fervency of Imagination may poffibly be as flrongas either the Philofopher's or the Poet's. But being deny'd an equal Be- nefit of Difcharge, and with-held from the wholefom manner of Relief in private; 'tis no ADVICE to an Author, 163 no wonder if they appear with fo much Froth and Scum in publick.
'Tis obfervable, that the Writers of Me- moirs and Essays are chiefly fubjecl to this frothy Diflemper. Nor can it be doubted that this is the true Reafon why thefe Gentlemen entertain d the World fo lavifhly with what relates to them/elves. For having had no oppor- tunity of privately converfing with themfelves, or exercifing their own Genius, fo as to make Acquaintance with it, or prove its Strength; they immediately fall to work in a wrong place, and exhibit on the Stage of the World that Praclice, which they fhou'd have kept to themfelves; if they defign'd that either they, or the World, fhou'd be the better for their Mo- ralitys. Who indeed can endure to hear an Em- pirick talk of his own Conftitution, how he go- verns and manages it, what Diet agrees bed with it, and what his Practice is with himfelf? The Proverb, no doubt, is very juft, Phyfician cure thy-Jelf. Yet mathinks one fhou'd have but an ill time, to be prefent at thefe bodily Ope- rations. Nor is the Reader in truth any bet- ter entertain'd, when he is oblig'd to adift at the experimental Difcuffions of his praclifing Author, who all the while is in reality doing no better, than taking his Phyfick in publick- L 3 For 164 ADVICE to an Author.
For this reafon, I hold it very indecent for any one to publifli his Meditations, Occqfional Reflexions, Solitary Thoughts, or other fuch Ex- ercifes as come under the notion of this felf- difcourfmg Practice. And the modelled Title I can conceive for fuch Works, wou'd be that of a certain Author, who call'd them his Cru- dity 5. 'Tis the Unhappinefs of thofe Wits, who conceive fuddenly, but without being able to go out their full time, that after many Mifcar- riages and Abortions, they can bring nothing well-fhapen or perfect into the World. They are not however the lefs fond of their Offspring, which in a manner they beget in publick. For fo publick-fpirited they are, that they can never afford themfelves the leaf! time to think in private, for their own particular benefit and ufe. For this reafon, tho they are often retir'd, they are never by themfelves. The World is ever of the Party. They have their Author- Character in view, and are always confidering how this or that Thought wou'd ferve to com- pleat (bme Set of Contemplations, or furnifh out the Common-Place-Book, from whence thefe treafur'd Riches are to flow in plenty on the neceflitous World.