The WORLD was all before him, where to chufe. 'MILTON. BIBLI LONDON: THO ORL D. NUMBER I. By A DAM FITZ-A DA M. Nil dulcius eft, bene quam munita tenere Lucret. lib. 2. 4.7. To be continued every THURSDAY. THURSDAY, January the 4th, 1753. T the village of Aronche, in the province of Eftremadura (says an old Spanish author) lived Gonzales de Caftro, who from the age of twelve to fifty-two was deaf, dumb and blind. His chearful fubmiffion to fo deplorable a "misfortune, and the misfortune itself, fo endeared him to the village, that to worship the holy virgin, and to "love and ferve Gonzales, were confidered as duties of "the fame importance; and to neglect the latter was to "offend the former. "IT happened one day, as he was fitting at his "door, and offering up his mental prayers to St. Jago, "that that he found himself, on a fudden, restored to all the privileges he had loft. The news ran quickly through the village, and old and young, rich and poor, the bufy and the idle, thronged round him with congra "tulations. "BUT as if the bleings of this life were only given. us, for afflictions, he began in a few weeks to lofe the relish of his enjoyments, and to repine at the " poffeffion of those faculties, which served only to dif"cover to him the follies and diforders of his neigh"bours, and to teach him that the intent of fpeech was too often to deceive. "THOUGH the inhabitants of Aronche were as honest as other villagers, yet Gonzales, who had formed his ideas of men and things from their natures and "ufes, grew offended at their manners. He saw the "avarice of age, the prodigality of youth, the quar"rels of brothers, the treachery of friends, the frauds "of lovers, the infolence of the rich, the knavery of "the poor, and the depravity of all. These, as he "faw and heard, he spoke of with complaint; and en"deavoured by the gentleft admonitions to warn men FROM this place the story is torn out to the last paragraph; which fays, "That he lived to a comfortless "old age, defpifed and hated by his neighbours for pretending to be wifer and better than themselves; "and that he breathed out his foul in thefe memorable words, that HE WHO WOULD ENJOY MANY FRIENDS, AND LIVE HAPPY IN THE WORLD, SHOULD BE DEAF, DUMB AND BLIND TO THE FOLLIES AND VICES OF IT. IF candour, humility, and an earnest defire of instruction and amendment were not the diftinguishing characteristics characteristics of the prefent times, this fimple ftory had filenced me as an author. But when every day's experience fhews me, that our young gentlemen of fashion are lamenting at every tavern the frailties of their natures, and confeffing to one another whose daughters they have ruined, and whofe wives they have corrupted; not by way of boafting, as fome have ignorantly imagined, but to be reproved and amended by their penitential companions: when I obferve too, that from an almost-blameable degree of modefty, they accuse themselves of more vices than they have conftitutions to commit; I am led by a kind of impulfe to this work; which is intended to be a public repofitory for the real frailties of thefe young gentlemen, in order to relieve them from the neceffity of fuch private confeffions. THE prefent times are no less favourable to me in another very material circumftance. It was the opinion of our ancestors, that there were few things more difficult, or that required greater skill and address than the fpeaking properly of one's felf. But if by speaking properly be meant fpeaking fuccefsfully, the art is now as well known among us as that of printing or of making gunpowder. WHOEVER is acquainted with the writings of those eminent Practitioners in Phyfic, who make their ap-. pearance either in hand-bills, or in the weekly or daily papers, will fee clearly that there is a certain and in Variable method of fpeaking of one's felf to every. body's fatisfaction. I fhall therefore introduce my own importance to the public, as near as I can, in the manner and words of thofe gentlemen; not doubting of the fame credit, and the fame advantages. AD |