founding names given them, for no other reafon but that they may be killed, and are celebrated for nothing but being knocked on the head. Γλαῦκον τε Μεδόνια τε Θερσιλοχόν τε. Glaucumque, Medontaque, Therfilochumque. Hom. Virg. The life of thefe men is finely described in holy writ by the path of an arrow, which is immediately closed and loft. up Upon my going into the church, I entertained myfelf with the digging of a grave; and faw in every fhovel-full of it that was thrown up, the fragment of a bone or skull intermixt with a kind of fresh mouldering earth that fome time or other had a place in the compofition of an human body. Upon this I began to confider with myself, what innumerable multitudes of people lay confused together under the pavement of that ancient cathedral how men and women, friends and enemies, priests and foldiers, monks and prebendaries, were crumbled amongst one another, and blended together in the fame common mafs; how beauty, ftrength, and youth, with old-age, weakness, and deformity, lay undiftinguished in the fame promifcuous heap of matter. After having thus furveyed this great magazine of mortality, as it were in the lump; I examined it more particularly by the accounts which I found on feveral of the monuments which are raifed in every quarter of that ancient fabrick. Some of them were covered with fach extravagant epitaphs, that if it were poffible for the dead perfon to be acquainted with them, he would blush at the praifes which his friends have bestowed." upon him. There are others fo exceffively modeft, that they deliver the character of the perfon departed in Greek or Hebrew, and by that means are not understood once in a twelvemonth. In the poetical quarter, I found there were poets who had no monuments, and monuments which had no poets. I obferved indeed that the prefent war had filled the church with many of these E 6 un uninhabited monuments, which had been erected to the memory of perfons whofe bodies were perhaps buried in the plains of Blenheim, or in the bofom of the. ocean. I could not but be very much delighted with feveral modern epitaphs, which are written with great elegance. of expreffion and juftness of thought, and therefore do honour to the living as well as the dead. As a foreigner is very apt to conceive an idea of the igno-. rance or politeness of a nation from the turn of their publick monuments and infcriptions, they should be submitted to the perufal of men of learning and genius. before they are put in execution. Sir Cloudefly Shovel's monument has very often given me great offence: Inftead of the brave rough English admiral, which was. the diftinguishing character of that plain gallant man, he is reprefented on his tomb by the figure of a beau, dreffed in a long periwig, and repofing himfelf upon. velvet cushions under, a canopy of state. The infcrip-. tion is answerable to the monument; for instead of celebrating the many remarkable actions he had performed in the fervice of his country, it acquaints us only with the manner of his death, in which it was impoffible for him to reap any honour. The Dutch, whom we are apt. to defpife, for want of genius, fhew an infinitely greatertate of antiquity and politenefs in their buildings and works of this nature, than what we meet with in thofe of our own country. The monuments of their admirals, which have been erected at the publick expence, reprefent them like themfelves; and are adorned with roftral crowns and naval ornaments, with beautiful, feftoons of fea-weed, fhells, and coral. But to return to our fubject. I have left the re-.. pofitory of our English Kings for the contemplation, of another day, when I fhall, find my mind. difpofed for fo ferious an, amufement. I know that entertainments of this nature are apt to raise dark and difmal thoughts in timorous minds, and gloomy imaginations; but for my own part, though I am always.. ferious, I do not know what it is to be melancholy sidan therefore take a view of nature in her deep and folemn folemn fcenes, with the fame pleasure as in her moft gay and delightful ones. By this means I can improve · myself with thofe objects, which others confider with terror.. When I look upon, the tombs of the great, every emotion of envy dies in me; when I read the epitaphs, of the beautiful, every inordinate defire goes out; when I meet with the grief of parents upon a tomb-ftone, my heart melts with compaffion; when I fee the tomb of the parents themselves, I confider the vanity of grieving for thofe whom we must quickly follow: When I fee Kings lying by thofe who depofed them, when I confider rival wits placed fide by fide, or the holy men that divided the world with their contests and difputes,, I reflect with forrow and astonishment on the little com-. petitions, factions, and debates of mankind. When I read the feveral dates of the tombs, of fome that died; yesterday, and fome fix hundred years ago, I confider that great day when we shall all of us be contemporaries, and make our appearance together.. C Saturday, Ut nox longa quibus mentitur amica, diesque Hor. Ep. 1. 1. 1. ver. 20. IMITATED. Long as to him, who works for debt, the day; T POPE. HERE is fcarce a thinking man in the world, who is involved in the bufinefs of it, but lives under a fecret impatience of the hurry and fatigue he fuffers, and has formed a refolution to fix himself, one time or other, in such a state as is suitable to the end of his being. You hear men every day in converfation profefs, that all the honour, power and riches, which they propose to themfelves, cannot give fatisfaction enough to reward them for half the anxiety they undergo in the purfuit, or poffeffion of them. While men are in this temper, (which happens very frequently) how inconfiftent are they with themselves? They are wearied with the toil they bear, but cannot find in their hearts hearts to relinquish it; retirement is what they want, but they cannot betake themselves to it: While they pant after fhade and covert, they fill affect to appear in the maft glittering scenes of life. But fure this is but juft as reasonable as if a man fhould call for more lights, when he has a mind to go to fleep. Since then it is certain that our own hearts deceive us in the love of the world, and that we cannot command ourselves enough to refign it, though we every day with ourselves difengaged from its allurements; let us not stand upon a formal taking of leave, but wean ourselves from them, while we are in the midft of them. It is certainly the general intention of the greater part of mankind to accomplish this work, and live according to their own approbation, as foon as they poffibly can: But fince the duration of life is fo uncertain, and that has been a common topick of difcourfe ever fince there was fuch a thing as life itself, how is it poffible that we should defer a moment the beginning to live according to the rules of reafon ? The man of business has ever fome one point to carry, and then he tells himfelf he will bid adieu to all the vanity of ambition: The man of pleasure refolves to take his leave at leaft, and part civilly with his miftrefs; but the ambitious man is entangled every moment in a fresh purfuit, and the lover fees new charms in the object he fancied he could abandon. It is therefore a fantaftical way of thinking, when we promise ourselves an alteration in our conduct from change of place, and difference of circumftances; the fame paffions will attend us wherever we are, till they are conquered; and we can never live to our fatisfaction in the deepest retirement, unless we are capable of living fo in fome meafure amidst the noife and bufinefs of the world. I have ever thought men were better known, by what could be obferved of them from a perufal of their private letters, than any other way. My friend, the clergyman, the other day, upon ferious difcourfe with him concerning the danger of procrastination, gave me the following letters from perfons with whom he lives in great friendship and intimacy, according to the good breeding |