NUMB. 174. SATURDAY, November 15, 1751. Fænum habet in cornu, longe fuge, dummodo rifum Yonder he drives-avoid that furious beaft: At whole expence; nor friend nor patron spares, HOR. FRANCIS. To the RAMBLER. Mr. RAMBLER, THE HE laws of focial benevolence require, that every inan fhould endeavour to affift others by his experience. He that has at last escaped into port from the fluctuations of chance, and the gufts of opposition, ought to make some improvements in the chart of life, by marking the rocks on which he has been dashed, and the fhallows where he has been ftranded. The error into which I was betrayed, when cuftom first gave me up to my own direction, is very frequently incident to the quick, the fprightly, the fearlefs, and the gay; to all whofe ardour hurries them into precipitate execution of their defigns, and imprudent declaration of their opinions; who feldom count the cost of pleasure, or examine the diftant confequences of any practice that flatters them with immediate gratification. I came forth into the crowded world with the ufual juvenile ambition, and desired nothing beyond the title of a wit. Money I confidered as below my care; for I faw fuch multitudes grow rich without understanding, that I could not forbear to look on wealth as an acquifition eafy to industry directed by genius, and therefore threw it afide as a fecondary convenience, to be procured when my principal wish fhould be fatisfied, and the claim to intellectual excellence univerfally acknowledged. With this view I regulated my behaviour in publick, and exercised my meditations in folitude. My life was divided between the care of providing topicks for the entertainment of my company, and that of collecting company worthy to be entertained; for I foon found, that wit, like every other power, has its boundaries; that its fuccefs depends upon the aptitude of others to receive impreffions; and that as fome bodies, indiffoluble by heat, can fet the furnace and crucible at defiance, there are minds upon which the rays of fancy may be pointed without effect, and which no fire of fentiment can agitate or exalt. It was, however, not long before I fitted myfelf with a set of companions who knew how to laugh, and to whom no other recommendation was neceffary than the power of ftriking out a jeft. Among those I fixed my refidence, and for a time enjoyed the felicity of disturbing the neighbours every night with the obftreperous applause which my fallies forced from the audience. The reputation of our club every day increased, and as my flights and remarks were circulated by my admirers, every day brought new folicitations for admiffion into our fociety. Το AN To fupport this perpetual fund of merriment, I frequented every place of concourfe, cultivated the acquaintance of all the fashionable race, and paffed the day in a continual fucceffion of vifits, in which I collected a treasure of pleafantry for the expences of the evening. Whatever error of conduct I could difcover, whatever peculiarity of manner I could obferve, whatever weakness was betrayed by confidence, whatever lapfe was fuffered by neglect, all was drawn together for the diverfion of my wild companions, who, when they had been taught the art of ridicule, never failed to fignalize themselves by a zealous imitation, and filled the town on the enfuing day with scandal and vexation, with merriment and fhame. I can scarcely believe, when I recollect my own practice, that I could have been so far deluded with petty praife, as to divulge the fecrets of truft, and to expofe the levities of franknefs; to waylay the walks of the cautious, and furprise the fecurity of the thoughtless. Yet it is certain, that for many years I heard nothing but with defign to tell it, and faw nothing with any other curiofity than after fome failure that might furnish out a jeft. My heart, indeed, acquits me of deliberate malignity, or interested infidioufnefs. I had no other purpose than to heighten the pleasure of laughter by communication, nor ever raifed any pecuniary advantage from the calamities of others. I led weaknefs and negligence into difficulties, only that I might divert myself with their perplexities and diftreffes; and violated every law of friendship, with no other hope than that of gaining the reputation of fmartness and waggery. I would I would not be understood to charge myself with any crimes of the atrocious or deftructive kind. I never betrayed an heir to gamesters, or a girl to debauchees; never intercepted the kindness of a patron, or fported away the reputation of innocence. My delight was only in petty mischief, and momentary vexations, and my acuteness was employed not upon fraud and oppreffion, which it had been meritorious to detect, but upon harmless ignorance or absurdity, prejudice or mistake. This enquiry I pursued with fo much diligence and fagacity, that I was able to relate, of every man whom I knew, fome blunder or miscarriage; to betray the most circumfpect of my friends into follies, by a judicious flattery of his predominant paffion; or expofe him to contempt, by placing him in circumstances which put his prejudices into action, brought to view his natural defects, or drew the attention of the company on his airs of affectation. The power had been poffeffed in vain if it had ne ver been exerted; and it was not my custom to let any arts of jocularity remain unemployed. My impatience of applause brought me always early to the place of entertainment; and I feldom failed to lay a scheme with the fmall knot that firft gathered round me, by which fome of those whom we expected might be made fubfervient to our fport. Every man has fome favourite topick of converfation, on which, by a feigned seriousness of attention, he may be drawn to expatiate without end. Every man has some habitual contortion of body, or established mode of expreffion, which never fails to raise mirth if it be pointed out to notice. By premonitions of these parti particularities I fecured our pleasantry. Our companion entered with his usual gaiety, and began to partake of our noify cheerfulness, when the converfation was imperceptibly diverted to a fubject which preffed upon his tender part, and extorted the expected fhrug, the customary exclamation, or the predicted remark. A general clamour of joy then burst from all that were admitted to the ftratagem. Our mirth was often increased by the triumph of him that occafioned it; for as we do not haftily form conclufions against ourselves, feldom any one fufpected, that he had exhilarated us otherwise than by his wit. You will hear, I believe, with very little furprize, that by this conduct I had in a fhort time united mankind against me, and that every tongue was diligent in prevention or revenge. I foon perceived myself regarded with malevolence or diftruft, but wondered what had been discovered in me either terrible or hateful. I had invaded no man's property; I had rivalled no man's claims; nor had ever engaged in any of those attempts which provoke the jealousy of ambition, or the rage of faction. I had lived but to laugh, and make others laugh; and believed that I was loved by all who careffed, and favoured by all who applauded me. I never imagined, that he who, in the mirth of a nocturnal revel, concurred in ridiculing his friend, would confider, in a cooler hour, that the fame trick might be played against himself; or that, even where there is no fenfe of danger, the natural pride of human nature rises against him, who by general cenfures lays claim to general fuperiority. |