Selected quad for the lemma: love_n
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A80828
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Critical remarks upon the adventures of Telemachus son of Ulysses· Translated from the French.
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1700
(1700)
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Wing C6960A; ESTC R224553
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20,327
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48
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of God inspire him to paint forth a Lye with a laborious Pencil in the Colours of Truth Had the Author wrote in Verse he could not have been altogether excusable but there might have been less Cause to blame him 'T is true that he could never have escap'd the Reproach of having mis-spent his leisure Hours in having dishonour'd his Profession and having interrupted mystical Contemplation by vain Amusements But in short the Reader having perceiv'd the Stile of the Fiction could have been in no danger of a Surprize 't would have been taken for a Sport of Wit and Devotion incompatible with innocent Diversion But to counterfeit an idolatrous Historian to compose a Romance representing Truth under the Fabulous Action of Persons exclaim'd against in Pulpits and exploded in private Confessions truly the Operation was not mystical neither does it savour at all of the Interiour Man Stop a little say you you run too fast What! d' you rank Telemachus among the Cassandra's Claelia's Cyrus's and Astrea's Yes without Question Where would you have had me plac'd him better I must confess that Wedlock is not the thing that is aim'd at there But it is not for that Reason your devout People have thunder'd down these sort of Books If Romance be a Serpent the Venom lies not in the Tayl it always ends in Conjugal Union Nothing is more Civil nor more Natural Where lies the Poyson then Is it not in the Intrigues and tender Movements the amorous Impatiences and Copulations obtain'd with so much Mystery carry'd on with so much Secrecie perform'd with so much Passion and in a Word in the Management of their Amour How could an Amorous Commerce be describ'd after a more sensible Manner then it is done in Telemachus What is there wanting to delight a Reader who has a tender Heart The Declarations the Rendezvouzes the Ejaculations of Impatience usual in other Romances are they not to be found there 'T is true there is no revealing there of secret Favours But as you very well know Romantick Lovers are much more discreet then Common Lovers for their Authors will not let them commit an Error They are not like the French who never think ' emselves fully happy unless they publish their good Fortune to all the World besides that Telemachus might steal something from his dear Nymph and never let Men know of it No Sir call me Obstinate and Incredulous as long as you please I will never agree to the Sentiments of the Public The Public notwithstanding all the Respect that I owe it is a Backbiter 'T is not possible that a Mystic should be such an Artist in making Love tho' it was a pure Amour intended only to lawful Enjoyment There is too great an Opposition between Sacred and Prophane Love Sacred Love is without Interest and without return of Reward on the other side Prophane Love is not satisfi'd with the Pleasure of Loving his Generosity is interested there must be a Reciprocal Return of Body and Soul What likelihood then that a Prelate swallow'd up in the Disinterestment of Divine Love should understand so well the petty Traffic of Lovers A Quietist lives at Rest without Action bur two Hearts that love each other are always in Motion No believe me 't is not the great Arch-Bishop who is the Author of Telemachus and could I write with so much ease as I have Veneration for his Merit I would stoutly undertake his Defence and write his Apology though I ran the hazard of having the Lye given me by all that knew the contrary But to return to my Text for I perceive that I swerv'd a little too far from it 't is yet more contrary to good Sence that such a sublime judicious Wit so exact and wonderful in his Relish should bethink himself in our Age to continue the Rhapsodie of Homer and gives us in Prose a true Ogliopodrido of Poetrie Pardon me the Expressions for here it is that I find my Wrath a little inflam'd insomuch that I could wish my self Proctor General of the Nation that I might have the Liberty to prosecute the Author I would summon him to appear before the Tribunal of Good Sence that he might be fairly and duly condemn'd to stand in a white Sheet with a Torch in his Hand for the Honour of the French with a Prohibition never to relapse and put his Country-Men under the Temptation of changing Wit like the the Fashions and to quit a good Tast for a bad Relish What d' ye laugh You talk at your ease with your Dutch Flegm But 't is in good earnest that I am angry at this Minute and without any other Form of Process I condemn Telemachus that is in my Study to be burnt by all the common Hangmen of France How Telemachus that was compos'd for the Education of the Duke of Burgundy You mistake sure The Author had another Design in his Head As he has a great deal of Wit he had a mind to sport with the Inconstancy of France and to divertise himself alone behind the Curtain Do not you call my Conjecture a Vision I ground it upon the Success of the Work and if the Author had built upon that Platform he would have had all the Reason in the World to have been sa tisfi'd with his Design 'T is in Matter of Wit the French strive to excel other Nations in judging soundly of another Man's Works They flatter themselves that they enjoy by a certain Priviledge that happy Penetration which makes them distinguish Solidity from false Lustre Never till now did they push on so far this pretended Delicacy of theirs I know not whether it be with you in your Boggs as it is here But 't is a Pleasure at Paris to see the Booksellers Shops full of a Number of Censurers who decide the Fate of Books like Oracles and tell ye with an erected Eyebrow this creeps that clambers We are come off from these Simplicities why should the Press be sully'd with such nasty Sotticisms Men are become altogether Men they are no longer pleas'd with any thing but what is Natural and Judicious we desire something that may instruct us not amuse us Yet would you think it Sir these rigorous Judges are the greatest Adorers of Telemachus Those lofty Wits take a singular Delight to see the Sun come forth from the Bosom of his Amorous Theirs bound from the Arms of his Mistris to get into his Coach at his leisure make his Tour about the World drawn by his Free-breathing Streeds Aurora appears charming to them in her Dewie Waine Dewie Wain Mark that Dew is nothing but drops of Water that fall from the Skie Nevertheless those Drops make a Waggon How Natural that is Venus goes to kiss her Darling Papa and conjures him with Tears in her Eyes that he will be pleas'd that Telemachus may suffer himself to be debauch'd The good Papa is mollifi'd and but for cruel Destinie that gives him Laws he would consent
the preservation of Liberty Good Pleasure full Power and Soveraign Authority depended upon all these Heads and when Abuses were to be reform'd or Money was to be rais'd to supply the Publick Necessities the Royal Majesty was expos'd to Affront or Refusall Our Prudent Father of his Country has pluck'd up all these Mischiefs by the Roots as a prudent Head of a Family ought to do he has made himself Master of the whole By that means his Kingdom is like a House well regulated where the Father disposing of the whole Estate retains every body in Order in Subjection and in their Duty Do we see any discontented Prince under Lewis the Great betake himself to Arms to do himself Justice Do we see Governors draw whole Provinces after 'em contrary to the Interest of the Sovereign Do we behold Seditious Libels presented in an Assembly by the People's Deputies Do we hear of any sharp and Stinging Remonstrances from a Parliament So far from it that the Ambition of Princes is calm'd the Governors are submissive the Parliaments set open their Registers the People have no more to do but to open their Purses absolute Power spreads its Influences every where and every body libes in peace under his own Fig-tree This Sir is that which among the Heroes is call'd seeking the Temporal good of the People You Dutchmen with your shadow of Liberty have no mind to agree to this You look upon all us as Slaves and Beggars 'T is true our People are not so fat as yours nor our Country Peasants so rich But if Murders and insurrections should happen among you is it not true that you would wish to be in our places Besides you are not to imagine that our Prince heaps up abundance and draws it to himself to make a benefit of it but to be a good Steward and a just Dispenser of it Do you not see that he labours still under the same Necessities that his Edicts observe their Course and that tho' he be actually at peace he is constrain'd to augment the Taxes What does he do say you with those prodigious Numbers of Millions that go every Year into his Coffers He generously divides a Part to those who have the Honour to serve him and principally to those notable Head-pieces that manage the Finances He maintains sormidable Armies that make him the Arbiter of the Laws and the Terror of his Neighbours He enlarges his Palaces and makes Embellishments there that surpass even wonder it self He reforms Nature by levelling Hills and digging new Rivers Has he not need of Immense Summs for those incomparable Beauties who had Charms sufficient to engage his Heart and oft refresh'd him wearied with the Toils of Government How many Cities purchas'd How many Spies maintain'd abroad I say nothing of his famous Trafficking at Constantinople which if it were not the most famous of all was yet the most beneficial to France There is no need for me to inform ye at this time how our great King has sought and still seeks the Spiritual Welfare of his Subjects you that are an Obstinate Heretick know it too well but the hardness of your Heart will not permit you to reap the Benefit of it and this Pious Monarch stays but till the day of Judgment to reproach you with it Mentor would have a King be just ours is so He has made Restitution in earnest and restor'd to every one the best part of what belong'd to him Just do you say to his People Yes juster then to his Enemies The same is Lewis the Grand If we understand by Justice that which is rendred in Tribunals never Prince was so exactly careful in his Administration He has turned out and turn'd in all Officers of all sorts and sifted their Employments He has created new ones in Superior and Inferior Jurisdictions and if the Judges are the Eyes of a Prince as some will have it it may be said without Flattery that Lewis the XIV is the most quick-sighted among Monarchs If we mean Justice that a King ought to render himself to his Subjects 't is that which our Prince never fail'd of The French love Money and when they have it can never live at quiet they love Honour and feed ' emselves with it What has our Prince done He has taken away their Money and given 'em Quiet and Honour in Exchange Is not the one better then the other The French love their Trade but as a good Catholick People they love their Religion better The King has spoil'd Trade but he has exterminated Hugnenotism have the People any reason to complain You shall hear a French Peasant that can hardly pay his Taxes chatting after his Rustical Manner over a Pint of Wine of the King's Conquests and Victories and then is he in his Kingdom I hold an even Wager he would not change his Condition with one of the Burgo-Masters Had you seen in the time of the War our Beggars dancing about a Bonfire you would agree with me that Poverty becomes a French Man and that it is but Justice to reduce him to that Condition But lastly one convining Proof of the King 's great Justice is that the People never complain You who so regularly read the Gazette have you ever observ'd that the People cry out for Bread or that they murmur'd at the scarcity of Money or pasted up Pasquils injurious to the Court 'T is true the Gazetters and News Papers mention some such thing sometimes but as we are not oblig'd to keep Faith with Hugnenots so there is as little reason to credit ' em Mentor declaims against unjust War Is there any such The Right of War is authoriz'd by the Possession of all Ages Alexander is not quoted in History for a Robber nor the Romans for Usurpers were it so the Pulpits would not ring so often as they do with their Names and the Preachers would have a care how they suly'd their Sacred Eloquence by extolling every Day thd Noble Actions of those famous Conquerors The King made use of this Right as another would have done His Majesty has extended his Frontiers he has conquer'd Cities and Provinces and acting with more sincerity then those ancient Lords of the World who took all and restor'd nothing the King has restor'd more then he took and has kept nothing but what he could not restore But who told these Interpreters of Telemachus that our King ever undertook an unjust war Let 'em consult all the Declarations of War that have been publish'd since the King's Marriage I am sure they will not find one that does not contain a great deal of Reason That concerning bad Satisfaction which one of our illustrious Deserters explain'd among you with his usual Delicacy is may be the weakest of all But they who penetrate the Reasons of that bad Satisfaction agree that the Complaint was not altogether ill grounded You see then that Telemachus is not more happy in his Mysterious Part then in his Designs and his Stile But to give something to the Publick I suppose with them that Mentor's Politicks are the Reverse of the Government and that 't is that which has caus'd the disgrace of the A. Bishop of Cambray Do you not believe with my self that Mentor's King is a Fantastic King and that if Princes would reign according to the Memoirs of that old Dr. Minerva must have descended to the Earth to overturn the World If a King should observe all those divine Precepts he would become a Victim to his People and his Condition would be worse then that of a private Person I wish all Nations one of Mentor's Prince but where will you find him Mentor would have a King without Infirmities and Passions Is this possible King 's being Masters and always Flesh and Blood 't is impossible but that they should be subject to notorious Vices An ambitious King ruines his People by War A voluptuous Prince can give no good Example A covetous King will suck the Blood of his Subjects A Heart of Iron will never be mov'd to Compassion A proud and despotick Prince will domineer over all Mankind A Prince prejudicated with a false Zeal will persecute to death and so of other Defects 'T is for the People to lay down their Necks and bear the Burden These Sir are the General Remarks which I have made in Reading your Telemachus You will hence conclude that there is no great Matter in the Piece or that I am but a Novice in these Matters However I shall comfort my self with a full Perswasion that I have said nothing but what is true and with the delight which I shall take in having obey'd your Orders If you think fit burn this little Epistle and take a special Care that no Refugee may see it Those Gentlemen never love the Apologists of our Court and as I have a great Esteem for their Perseverance I should be very much troubled to incur their Displeasure Farewel Sir you know I am yours ad Aras Focos The rest by the Porter Paris c. FINIS