the carelessness with which he attended to his admonitions, and the little attention which he paid to his advice. Individuals have indeed arisen in many countries, who were qualified by their abilities to lead their countrymen forward in the race of improvement-in that race, by the means of which, those blessings which are truly valuable are alone to be obtained; in teaching them to elevate themselves above the minor objects, which too much engross the attention of the greater portion of their fellow-men; in shewing them that liberty of thought and liberty of conduct, which can alone arise from a consciousness of their importance in the scale of being, are the objects which are, above all others, worthy of their pursuit; and, that setting themselves free from superstitious reverence and enslaving notions, they should be bent upon the attainment of something above those debasing objects, which keep the spirit bound, and the mind fettered; but who have, notwithstanding, been the most constant deviators from the path of rectitude, who have been most prone to wander along unhallowed and unconsecrated ground, and who have the most given themselves up to the allurements and fascinations of evil. There have been those, who, according to the original constitution of their nature, appear as though they were really fated to trample under foot all those systems which have in any way tended to keep men chained by the iron bands of despotism, and by the still more enduring fetters of perfidy and fraud, which have been but too often the instruments which tyrants have used to enslave them, but who have nevertheless joined with the advocates of these systems to strengthen the yoke which has been formed, and to add more permanent and lasting power to the evils which uniformly attend them. have been too perversely inclined to attempt such a task, that the evil has been wrought, which has so often desolated the world; but it has been by those, who, covering the natural deformity of their character by a fair disguise, have proclaimed themselves the friends of virtue and of freedom. Such characters, by assuming to themselves qualities utterly incompatible with their nature, have made those qualities the means of raising them in the opinion of others, and have then employed their elevation to trample upon the victims of their fraud; and, claiming kindred and alliance with those illustrious devotees of liberty with whom they have not one thing in common save the semblance of goodness, have cajoled mankind into the belief that they too were the worshippers of liberty, and have made that belief the instrument of treading under foot every thing which has been esteemed sacred and venerable. Many again there have been, who, unconsciously perhaps, were the supporters of the most pernicious state of things, from a want of that firmness and decision which ought to be the characteristic of every man; who, unable of themselves to stem the torrent of destruction, which may be rolling over a state, contribute unwarily, by their own imprudent conduct, to add to its violence; and who, possessed of too little vigour to oppose themselves singly to the errors which may be prevalent in society, furnish a fresh incentive to their increase, by lending an appearance of sanction to them. It is humiliating to witness the illustrious and philosophical Tully, the sport of every breeze which flitted across the commonwealth of Rome-the successive victim, from his own want of openness, and the pursuit of a straight-forward conduct, unawed by power, of almost every faction that Could we, in fact, draw aside the veil reigned during his life; at one time lending which conceals the inotives of action; were his talents to the support of the cause of we able to pull off the mask from that nu- Pompey, and at another time to that of merous order of men who have pretended Cæsar, according as the one party possessed at least to be the benefactors of their fellow- a predominance over the other. With the beings, which hides from our notice those exception, indeed, of one or two of his springs of conduct by which they were orations, such as those against Cataline and actuated, and prevents our inspection of Antony, most of them exhibit indications that source from whence their actions origi- of all that timidity, which is always an nated, we should find that, in the great accompaniment of the man of a vacillating majority of instances, those who have most disposition; indications, indeed, of that seemed to be the friends of human kind, servile flattery, and that gross worship of have in reality most wanted the essential power, which are uniformly felt by him ingredients of friendship, and exhibited the who has too little stability to act an indemost powerful regard to their own aggran-pendent part, unprejudiced by feeling, and dizement. It is not by those only who unbiassed by personal considerations. have been the most capacitated for improving the condition of the species, but who 97.-VOL. IX. Whoever feels a veneration for the name of Cicero,-and surely no one, possessed D of any portion of taste, can fail to do so,must be anxious mainly to look at him as a philosopher and as a theoretical statesman, subtracting from his notice all those deviations in practice from the path of consistency, of which this eloquent man was guilty, during the course of his political life. Few men of the age in which he lived were better acquainted with the proper theory of government; had cultivated more successfully a rational and enlightened system of philosophy; and none certainly more capable of investing with beauty the abstractions which they had formed. As long as taste and sensibility shall continue to exist, so long will the writings of Cicero be esteemed the models of elegance. Looking, however, at this great man as one who was called upon by the voice of his country to act a consistent part in the mighty struggles which then awaited the republic, we are obliged to pass a very different judgment upon him, from that which we form concerning him when viewed as a philosopher. Those feelings which should always be repressed in a public man, triumphed over his patriotism; and, though he may have had an ardent attachment to his country, and a desire to promote her welfare, personal considerations swayed him, who was fitted by his talents to guide the republic safely through the internal contests in which she was then engaged, and to avert the dangers which threatened her. Interesting, however, as is the contemplation of the lives of statesmen, and well calculated as they are to warn those, who may be hereafter placed in the same circumstances, from foundering upon the rocks on which they were wrecked, there is a species of biography, which, though perhaps less attended to, is more fitted to become generally beneficial, and likely to be followed with more extensive influence. It is not the less true because it has been oftentimes remarked, that the characters who have most benefited mankind, and improved the condition of the species, have been-not those who have blazoned their names by conquest, and who, to spread abroad the lustre of their achievements, have not scrupled to violate all the duties of humanity, and to burst asunder all those ties which have been imposed upon the race for the purpose of linking them together in one common brotherhood,-but they have been those who have exerted all their talents to tame down that nature which so often arises in order to assert the dominion of vice. They have been those, who have bent all their energies to make those virtues shine forth with greater splendour than they otherwise would, cast into the shade as they continually are by the prejudices and passions which are incident to human nature; those who, forsaking the pursuits of ambition, and the paths of that which is falsely termed glory, have employed all their talents towards improving the moral condition of their fellow-beings, and towards dispelling those thick clouds of error and prejudice, which serve so much to obstruct their mental vision. If it be lawful to bend the knee to any thing human, it surely arises in that case, where we see a man attempting to mitigate the evils attendant upon this life, and trying to counteract the baneful and pernicious effects of vice, by the more salutary influence of virtue. But strong as may be the principles which lead to the adoption of such excellent conduct as this, it is painful to see how comparatively useless the efforts which are used on these occasions frequently are, and the strong probability there always is, that they will terminate in nothingness and vanity. Should, however, even such be the case, one who contemplates it with attention will not fail to derive valuable and important information therefrom. Surely he must be dead to all the finer emotions of the mind, who can see without interest the manner in which that spirit of goodness, which takes its rise from the principle of virtue, is first kindled, and afterwards kept on fire; the way in which "he that has light within his own clear breast," can elevate himself above that regard to the opinions of the world, which are but too often the source whence spring many of the actions which are here looked upon as honourable and useful; and the means by which he that has made wisdom his choice, can abstract himself from all association with those more grovelling pursuits which characterize the many, and, looking abroad upon the face of things, can "follow the even tenor of his way," regardless of every thing which might tend to interrupt his progress, to shut out from his sight the scene of beauty and loveliness which his fancy may have lighted up, and by seeking an alliance with which he might in any way have his prospects obscured or his vision darkened. It will indeed be found, in looking back upon those who have best accomplished the end for which they were called into existence, that there was something more animating to cheer them forward through the scenes of this life, than are to be obtained from the idle applause of the world; something more inspiring than all that admiration which may be obtained by a suc can be dishonourable to rational creatures. Pretending, perhaps, that they have the attainment of truth in view, and that, in retiring from the bustle of the world, they are anxious to consecrate their time to the service of wisdom, and to free mankind of the darkness which hangs over their minds, they have been mainly solicitous, even in privacy, to attract attention, and, by eccentricity of thought, and a new though irrational system of judgment, to draw upon themselves the notice of those whom they, notwithstanding, affect to hold in derision. cessful course of enterprise and ambition; | all the vagaries and inconsistencies which something, in fact, more satisfactory and soothing to the mind, than any thing which can be gathered from the short-lived pleasures which in this state so much engage the attention. It will be seen, that it was by cultivating a habit of retirement from this too busy stage of life--such a retirement, however, as left them not without the means of doing good to their fellowbeings-that they cherished that virtue which always shrinks from the gaze of vulgar eyes; that they took those lessons of wisdom, which are here only valuable; that they pushed forward in the career of improvement, inattentive to the giddy and illusive objects which surrounded them, and looked forward to a more noble recompense for their pains, and a brighter satisfaction in the contemplation of their misfortunes, than a consciousness of being the mere subjects of wonder and admiration could possibly afford. They seek the seclusions of solitude, because "Wisdom's self Oft seeks to sweet retired solitude, Where, with her best nurse, Contemplation, She plumes ber feathers, and lets grow her wings." They indulge in the privacy of retreat, because it is there they can look abroad on the immensity of the creation, and contemplating themselves as beings who were called into life in order that they might be subservient to the promotion of good, can best perform there the parts which are allotted to them. There have been many speculations respecting the nature of man, and many questions with regard to his having been from his original constitution a social being; but it should never be forgotten, in every argument upon this subject, that society does not necessarily imply that he must mix with all the follies and all the vanities which distinguish the far greater portion of men, but that he is called upon to join in society only so long as the members of it strive to outvie one another in the attainment of goodness and of truth, and continue to reach after that which is truly honourable and glo rious. It is impossible, however, to shut our eyes to the fact, that the pleasures of solitude have been greatly abused, and that it is the retiring from the more active engagements of life which has sometimes given occasion to the fostering of evil. Many have been the philosophers, who, secluding themselves from all intercourse with their fellow-beings, have given themselves up to It will in truth be sometimes found, that even he who has published himself as the enemy of ostentation and the observer of humility, and who has declared himself to be engaged in the pursuit of virtue for its own sake, has no other object in view than the gratification of his own pride in all that he does; that self is the idol at which he falls down; that this is the shrine at which he pays his devotions; that this is the altar at which he is the most constant attendant, and at which he tarries longest. It is his own self that is the centre of his system; there it is that all his desires meet, and all his wishes end; and, provided he can but obtain the means of gratifying this desire, he cares little if all beside fall a sacrifice to the accomplishment of his schemes, and become the mode of elevating him, although at the expense of their own absolute ruin. Calm and tranquil as may be thought the retreat of some who have given themselves out as philosophers, it would be found, with many of them, that retirement has been the scene where they have been the most actively engaged, and where they have most failed in reaching the peace and solitude which they anticipated. There it is, perhaps, where they have been most busily employed in devising plans to obtain the greatest reputation for wisdomin plotting a method to ensure the prostration of the minds of their fellow-creatures in reverence of their superior knowledge, and thus be best able to bind the understandings of others in the fetters which their ingenuity had forged, and to keep their intellects chained down to those objects alone, which they might deem it fit to present to their notice for inquiry. Regardless as they may appear to have been of the calamities of life, it will be found that few lamented them more violently, and repined at them more grievously. Every thing which intercepted the homage they would wish to obtain, was a source of misery, for which they had nothing to solace them an occasion of despondency, which all their | haps, upon the first sight, be disposed to pretended philosophy could not enable them to overcome. Retirement, the natural tendency of which is to purify the mind, and to rid it of all those associations which are calculated to debase it, and to render it worse than useless, has been the place where they have most cherished all those passions and ill-constituted feelings which are at once the bane and disgrace of human nature. Even the lives of literary men-of men who really have made the acquisition of knowledge their aim, and who have truly sequestered themselves in solitude for no other purpose, but that they might obtain it in a more pure and refined state than that in which it is possessed by the greater portion of mankind,-have many times manifested a total disregard of the benefits which are the proper results of knowledge, and of the excellences to which it should conduct its possessors. To tame down prejudices; to overcome that spirit of domination and rule which all are so prone to exert in questions concerning the rights of conscience; to master those feelings in the breast, which so often incline one man to assume the prerogative of judging, as if he were infallible, in matters which properly can alone interest him for whom he is desirous of exercising his judgment,-might seem the natural and necessary effects of extensive knowledge. But, even upon scholars, sometimes, information, instead of having the effect of liberalizing the mind, and furnishing it with the means of forming enlarged and capacious conceptions, has the very contrary effect, and serves only to confirm the bigotry which it had before imbibed, and to strengthen the prejudices which it had previously formed. Founded, however, upon such claims as these, many have arisen as the censors of others, and have affected to dole out to them the exact meed of praise and censure to which they were entitled. But it must be confessed, that all are not such. Some there are, who "have unassuming lived, and died neglected," but who have been the characters that were justly deserving of imitation, and the narratives of whose lives are the most fitted for imparting instruction. To watch the progress of genius, and observe the process by which talent develops itself in those who have no other claim to attention than their abilities, can never be an uninteresting task to the reflective and contemplative man. In seeing how many flowers there are who 66 are born to blush unseen, and waste their fragrance in the desert air," he may, per indulge in discontent at the allotments of providence, and think them unequal and unjust but, even if he look not beyond the confines of this state, if he simply regard the feelings of those whom he deems unequally recompensed, he will find, for the most part, that the neglects which they experience, and the sorrows they endure, are more than compensated by that inward satisfaction and peace of mind, of which they are the subjects. Placed in a state where so much misery awaits every one that enters it, his certainly should seem the most enviable lot, who can tell how to assuage the ills which he may encounter, by reflection and meditation; who is acquainted with a way of hushing into calmness every emotion which would lead to unwarrantable conclusions with respect to the dispensations of the Deity; who knows how to meliorate that bitterness of spirit, which, more or less, is the portion of every one; and who carries about with him a principle which will serve at all times to soften every perturbation, and alleviate every painful feeling. To a person who is anxious to "vindicate the ways of God to man," there will always appear, even in the lives of those who may seem to have been most the sport of fortune and the creatures of chance, something excellent and valuable in their condition, which was more than sufficient to counterbalance the evils with which they may have had to struggle. It is only to those who, shutting their eyes to every thing in the situation of man which has a tendency to diffuse happiness and tranquillity, take into view only those parts of that situation which may appear to be mixed up with calamity, that the conduct of the Deity will seem harsh and mysterious. It will be well, however, if, from the exhibition of the leading traits of character which have distinguished the many eminent characters of every kind that have existed, their posterity would learn instruction. Many are the temptations to error; many are the incentives that present themselves, to induce them to wander from the right course; and, perhaps, these evils cannot be more effectually guarded against, than by looking back upon the fates of those who have gone before. The allurements to lead astray are indeed not less numerous than in former days; the path of error lies still before us, enlarged and made more broad, perhaps, than formerly, by the multitudes that have since and are still continuing to travel in it; its gates are still thrown wide open, inviting us to enter, and, if once any con Let mankind learn, then, from the accumulated wisdom of ages; and, whenever tempted to turn aside, and depart from the path of rectitude and duty, remember how others have succeeded in their deviations; and, from a contemplation of the misfortunes which have attended those in their wanderings, supply themselves with a principle, if they can do so by no other means, which shall deter them from acting in the like manner, and bringing upon themselves those calamities which they who have gone before so painfully experienced. London, 6th Nov. 1826. PHILOMATHES. METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. (NO. V.) (Continued from Col. 1114, vol. viii.) WHEN it was said, that a tendency to dryness in summer might be anticipated from the occurrence of drought in February and March, it ought to be added, that this state of the atmosphere by no means needs carry with it any remarkable disposition to warmth. An east wind is that which commonly introduces long drought in this country; and if this occur in March, it has usually led observers to anticipate a favourable succeeding season; by which is to be understood, refreshing showers in spring, and a calm and occasionally showering summer. But an east wind, occur when it will, is commonly bleak, and never warm; and hence a mistake may perhaps occur, that it requires some explanation to guard against. If the month of March, instead of being merely dry, become very fine and warm, the wind being very gentle, and passing daily from east through the south to west with the sun, returning to the north at night, and altogether resembling the summer solstice more than the vernal equinox, great fear may be entertained that summer is come too soon. And while ignorant people are congratulating themselves that the season, having set in early, will probably continue long, the careful observer will with much reason apprehend, that a gloomy and moist season is about to succeed. These anticipations have often been realized; and it is from observation and experience, that we learn those lessons of wisdom which guide us in our inquiries into the phenomena of nature. The most stormy summer and autumn the writer ever remembers, was introduced by phenomena that are deserving of record; for, though less stormy seasons may be anticipated from less distinctly marked appearances, the recurrence of these at another period should lead us to anticipate a similar character of the season. From February of that year, (1824,) the atmosphere had shewn great disposition to the preponderance of a windy sky; though, perhaps, what might be denominated storms may not have occurred more frequently than at other periods. At that time, May 26, it was noted: "Last night the wind was hard from all points; much rain, cold, thunder, and lightning, at sea, though not here. On three of our fishing-boats, a few miles at sea, while under sail, a luminous meteor formed on the mast-head. It formed in the wake of a fourth boat, about as far astern as a man might reach. It appeared to be about as large as a man's head, and rolled after the boat, keeping at the same distance, for half an hour. The wind was at south-east, and the boat was going by the wind. It did not descend from the air to this position, but formed there; and was not extinguished gradually, but in an instant. The colour was red as blood. In one instance, it formed in the boat; in another, on the iron prong that passes over the bow. In one instance, a column of light was seen, about as high as the boat's mast, and resting stationary on the water. The colour of all these meteors was alike→→→ a deep red."-This account is taken from the description of the men, some of whom had been conversant with similar appearances in the Mediterranean, where they are termed corpo santo; but none remembered ever to have seen the like in the British seas. When a season of a very decisive character has occurred, as, for instance, a stormy one, it is not uncommon to expect, that, as the year approaches to the time when such weather is the necessary accompaniment of the season, a cessation will take place; for it is argued, the disposition must by this time be exhausted; and, as the summer has been placed in such an unnatural state as to be subject to perpetual storm, the autumnal equinox will be unnatural too, and therefore afford a respite. This, however, is by no means the case; and a windy summer has been followed by still severer tempests to so late a period as December. |