CHAP. XIII. Adorn'd with all that Heav'n or earth could give MILTON. HOW doubly dreadful is Death, when it hurries away an affrighted and unprepared foul from all the fplendour and pomp of earthly greatnefs; from noble manfions; elegant gardens; beautiful and extenfive parks; numerous attendants; large poffeffions; and all the bright circle of fublunary grandeur! "And muft I leave thefe? Curfe upon my fate; must I leave all these? faid the noble Publio, as, ftretched upon the bed of difeafe, he lay ftruggling with unconquerable pain, 'like a wild bull in the net; impatient and restless under the hand of Omnipotence, as the untamed lion, in the toils of the Lybian hunter. Yes, Publio, thou must leave all thefe; and, proud and vain as thou hast been of thy titles and honours; as much elevated as thou haft thought thyfelf above thy fellow mortals, thou must now at length experience that death levels all diftinctions, and ftrikes at thee with as cruel unconcern as he ftrikes at the meanest peafant, who toils in the neighbouring fields.* Why will men forget this obvious truth? Surely if the rich and noble would bear it in mind, it would be a powerful check against every motion of pride, and would inftantly crush the leaft appearance of elation. If we look to this world only, how fuperior are the advantages which the great and wealthy enjoy, how infinitely fuperior to thofe which the poor and mean poffeis? But if we look beyond the prefent fcene, nay, if we look only on the parting moment, how great advan tages have the serious poor over the thoughtless rich? Mors æquo pulfat pede pauperum tabernas, H 2 HOR. Poverty Poverty denies to men the enjoyment of almoft every thing which the wealthy call convenient and comfortable; much more of what they call elegant and pleafurable. But poverty difengages the affections from this tranfitory fcene, and depriving men of the enjoyment, renders them more indifferent to their continuance in the world. He who has nothing to leave behind him, must be fuppofed to quit the ftage with infinite less regret, than he who is furrounded with every thing that can elevate the defires, or delight the heart of man.* Now if we were fteady to our Chriftian principles, and fixed in our purfuits of the bleffings of eternity, doubtlefs, in this view, poverty would be very far from being esteemed an evil. But let us not conceal the truth; there is often more of envy and chagrin in our ftrictures on wealth and greatnefs, than a real contempt of these idols, or a true Chriftian renunciation of them. And it is to be feared, that our remarks refpecting their poffeffors, are frequently ftretched beyond the line of truth. It is a point, of which long experience and clofe obfervation have left me no room to doubt, that the great are not the happy: I mean, that true felicity, and an exalted ftate, have no natural and neceffary connection. Yet am I equally fatisfied that the poor are not happy. If the disturbing, anxious, and higher paffions, moleft the repofe of the former, the chagrining and vexatious paffions fufficiently ruffle the quiet of the latter. In great goodness and condefcenfion to his creatures, the Allwife Difpofer of all things hath made happiness peculiar to no ftate, and attainable in all; it is a plant which * Hence the rich may learn not to defpife the poor, while the poor are taught not to envy or covet the riches of the afAuent, the honours of the nobles, or poffeffions of the great. Remember, man, the univerfal Caufe POPE. will thrive in every foil, though fome may be more kindly to it than others: I have feen it blooming in all the verdure of the most flourishing palm tree, in the fplendid palace of the noble: I have feen it fresh, beautiful, and fragrant in the lowly dwelling of the peaceful and contented cottager. For the true Chriftian is the happy man; and he who is indeed a Chriftian, will find peace and joy, whether in a cottage or a palace. What could have deprived the gay, the young, the noble, the ingenious, and moft accomplished Altamont, of happiness fuperlatively pleating? Had he but known and practifed the precepts of that divine religion, whofe excellence is fufficiently marked by the name of him who revealed it,-Jefus Chrift, the eternal Son of God! Every earthly blifs crowded around the noble young man, fedulous to prefent themfelves; and anxious to offer their fweets to his acceptance; elegant manfions, highly furnifhed with all that art could beftow, were ready provided for him; parks beautified with the fineft lawns, and most extenfive profpects ftretched themfelves around him; ample eftates were in his poffeffion, fufficient to fupply every neceffity, and fufficient for calls of magnificence, liberality, and charity: and Heaven had bleffed him with a mind capacious of the largest enjoyments, and with fenfe equal to the most elegant refinements. Happy peculiarity-Heaven had bleffed him alfo with an amiable confort, whofe virtuous endearments were themselves fufficient to have conftituted folid blifs; and in whofe love, fcarce a man exifts, who would not have thought himself crowned with his heart's full content. Ah! wretched Altamont,-the want of that Chriftian virtue which alone will felicitate, robbed thee of the enjoyment of all these blessings, and brought thee in early youth to an untimely death; thy foul undone, thy fortune ruined, thy wife broken-hearted, and thy orphan beggared! Ah vain and worthlefs nobility! What availed to thy miferable remains, the nodding plumes and the efcutcheoned hearfe, with all the pomp of funeral folemnity! Here thou lieft mouldering in the H 3 velvet velvet-clad coffin; and I, fo much beneath thee in ftation, can weep thy fad fate, and commiferate thee, thou fallen fon of greatness ! O ye nobles of the earth, confider and be wife. Nobility without virtue, is but a polished fhaft, more quick and keen to deftroy; adorned with Chriftian faith, 'tis a coronet of gold, graceful and honourable to the brow; it will dignify you in time, and add honour to your greatest honours in eternity. So thought the incomparable lady, whofe fad relics I view with joy; and am tranfported to find in this doleful vault an infcription like the following over her honoured remains. Let us perufe it, and leave it to our reader's reflections. "Here refts the body of Mary, Countess of &c. who departed this life, &c. whom it were unpardonable to lay down in filence, and of whom it is dif ficult to fpeak with juftice. For her juft character will look like flattery, and the leaft abatement is an injury to her memory."t In every condition of life fhe was a pattern to her fex; appeared miftrefs of thofe peculiar qualities, which were requifite to conduct her through it with honour, and never failed to exert them in their proper feafons, to the utmost advantage. She was modeft without affectation, eafy without levity, and referved without pride. She knew how to ftoop without finking, and to gain people's affections without leffening their regard. She was careful without anxiety, frugal without parfimony; not at all fond of the fuperfluous trappings of greatnefs, yet abridged herfelf of nothing which her quality required. Her piety was exemplary, her charity univerfal. *Greatnefs alone in virtue's understood; None's truly great but he who's truly good. She She found herself a widow in the beginning of her life, when the temptations of honour, beauty, youth, and pleafure, were in their full ftrength; yet fhe made them all give way to the intereft of her family, and betook herself entirely to the matron's part.* The education of her children engroffed all her care; no charge was fpared in the cultivation of their minds, nor any pains in the improvement of their fortunes. In a word, he was truly wife, truly honourable, and truly good. More can scarce be faid; and yet he who faid this, knew her well, and is well affured, that he has faid nothing which either veracity or modefty would oblige him to fupprefs."+ CHAP. XIV. Why all this toil for triumphs of an hour? YOUNG. FROM the vault, where reft the precious remains of the great and noble, I afcended into the church, and was immediately led to that part of the facred edifice, which is dedicated to the memory of thefe illuftrious perfonages! What fuperb monuments! what elaborate decorations! what pompous infcriptions! what high founding epitaphs! one would imagine from a perufal of thefe, that all the fons and daughters of this noble houfe, like thofe mentioned in another facred *Few widows in the prefent day, God knows, deserve this character, or ftrive to imitate fo praife-worthy an example. The reader may be affured of the truth of what is here delivered, as this character was penned by that excellent prelate Dr. Hough, formerly Bithop of Worcester. place, |