« ✓< J %o - 5 v X- -. ►A* bZ°\ NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE *%t Washington t\fj' ,r ■■■'*: f f V V SOLITUDE CONSIDERED WITH RESPECT TO ITS INFLUENCE UPON THE MIND AND THE HEART. WRITTEN ORIGINALLY IN GERMAN BY M. ZlMMERMANN, AULIC COUNSELLOR AND PHYSICIAN TO HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY AT HANOVER. TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH OF J. B. MERCIER. Solitude ouje treuve une douceur fecrete Lleux que j'aimai toujours, ne pourrai-je jamais, Loin du monde et du bruit, gouter l'ombrc et le £rais ? Oh! qui m'arretera fous vos fombres afyles ? Quand pourront les Neuf Sceurs, loin des cours et des villes, M'occuper tout entier------------- La Fontaine, Le Songe d'un Habitant du Mogol, L. XI. Fail* IF. Albany: printed by BARBER & SOUTHWICK, F AU S T's statue, state- street—1796. CONTE NTS. CHAP. I. Introduction - '- . CHAP. II. The general Advantages of Solitude CHAP. III. The Influence of Solitude upon the Mind CHAP. IV. The Influence of Solitude upon the Heart * misfortune it cannot alleviate, no forrow that it will not foften; that it adds dignity to' his character, and gives frefh i6 The Influence of Solitude frefh vigour to the powers of his mind; that he cannot, in any other fituation, acquire fo perfect a knowledge of himfelf; that it enlarges the fphere of attention, and ri- pens the feeds of judgment; in fhort, that it is from the influence of Solitude alone that man can hope for the fruition of unbroken pleafures and never-fading felicity. The enjoyments of aftive life may eafily be blended with the moft ordinary advantages of Solitude ; and we fhall foon difcover upon what foundations the opinions of thofe philofophers are built, who maintain that the tu- mults of the world, and the diffipation of its votaries, are incompatible with the calm exercife of reafon, the deci- fionsof a fober judgment, the inveftigation of truth, and the ftudy of the human heart. The legion of fantaftic fashions to which a man of pleafure is obliged to facrifice his time, impairs the ra- tional faculties of his mind, and deftroys the native ener- gies of his foul. Forced continually to lend himfelf to the performance of a thoufand little triflings, a thoufand mean abfurdities, he becomes by habit frivolous and ab- furd. The face of things no longer wears its true and genuine afpeft; and his depraved tafte lofes all relifh for rational entertainment or fubftantial pleafure. The in- fatuation feizes on his brain, and his corrupted heart teems with idle fancies and vain imaginations. Thefe il- lufions, however, through which the plaineft obje£t comes diftorted to his view, might eafily be difpelled. Accuftomed to a lonely life, and left to refleft in calm- nefs and fobriety, during the Jilence of the folitary hour, upon the falfe joys and deceitful pleafures which the pa- rade of vifiting and the glare of public entertainments of- fer to our view, he would foon perceive and candidly acknowledge their nothingnefs ahd infipidity : foon would he behold the pleafures of the world in their true colours, and feel that he had blindly wandered in purfuit of phantoms; poffeffing fomething in appearance, but nothing in reality. Languor on the Mind and the Heart. 17 Languor and diffatisfaction are ever the inevitable con- fequences of this ardent purfuit of entertainments and diverfions. He who has drained the cup of, pleafure to its laft drop; who is obliged to confefs that his hopes are fled, and that the world no longer contains an object worthy of his purfuit; who feels difappointments and difguft mingled with all his enjoyments; who feems afto- nifhed at his own infenfibility ; who no longer poffeffes the magic of the enchantrefs Imagination to gild and de- corate the fcene ; calls in vain to his affiftance the daugh- ters of fenfuality ; their careffes can no longer charm his dark and melancholy mind; the foft and fyren fong of luxury no longer can difpel the cloud of difcontent which hovers round his head. Behold yon weak old man ! his mind enervated and . his constitution gone, running after pleafures that he no more muft tafte. The airs of gaiety which he affefts ren- der him ridiculous. His attempts to fhine expofe him to derifion. His endeavours to difplay the wit and elo- quence of youth, betray him- into the garrulity of old age. His converfation, filled with repetitions and fa- tiguing narrative, creates difguft, and only forces the fmile of pity from the lips of his youthful rivals. To the eye of wifdom," however, that faw him through all the former periods of his life, fparkling in all the circles of folly, and rioting in the noify rendezvous of extrava- gance and vice, his character always appeared the fame. The wife man, in the midft of the moft tumultuous pleafures, frequently retires within himfelf, and filently compares what he might do with what he is doing. Sur- rounded even by the exceffes of intoxication, he affo- ciates only with thofe warm and 'generous fouls, whofe highly-elevated minds are drawn towards each other by wishes the moft virtuous and fentiments the moft fublime. The filence of Solitude has more than once given birth to enterprizes of the greateft importance and utility ; and fome of the moft celebrated aclions of mankind were C perhaps 18 The Influence of Solitude perhaps firft infpired among the founds of mufic, or conceived in the mazes of the dance. Senfible and elevated minds never commune more clofcly with themfelves than in thofe places of public refort in which the low and vulgar, abandoned to the caprice of fashion and the illufions of fenfuality, become incapable of reflection, and blindly fuller themfelves to be over- whelmed by the torrent of folly and diftraCtion. Vacant fouls are always burthenfome to their poffef- fors; and it is the weight of this burden that impels them inceffantly in the pursuits of diffipation for relief. The irrefiftible inclination by which they are carried conti- nually abroad, the anxiety with which they fearch for fo- ciety, the trifles on which from day to day they fpend their time, announce the emptinefs of their minds and the frivolous affeCtion of their hearts. Poffefling no resour- ces within themfelves, they are forced to rove abroad, and faften upon every objeCt that prefents itfelf to their view, until they find the wifhed-for harbour to proteCt them againft the attacks of .difcontent, and prevent them from reflecting on their ignoble condition. The enjoyments of fcnfe, therefore, are thus indefa- tigably followed only as a means of efcaping from them- felves. They feize with avidity upon every objeCt that promifes to occupy the prefent hour agreeably, and pro- vide entertainment for the day that is pafling over their heads : this muft ever be fome external objeCt, fome new phantom, fomething that fhall prevent them from re- maining with themfelves. The man whofe mind is suf- ficiently fertile to invent hour after hour new fchemes of pleafure, to open day after day frefh fources of amufe- ment for the lazy and luxurious, is a valuable compani- on ; indeed he is their beft, their only friend ; not that they are themfelves deftitute of ability to find fuch em- ployment as might prevent the total facrifice of time, and relieve their bofoms from the burthen of themfelves ; But having always indulged the inclination of being led continually on the Mind and the Heart. 19 continually from one new objeCt to another, the call of pleafure becomes the firft want and moft ardent wifh of their lives. From that moment they inienfibly lofe the power of acting from themfelves, and depend for every thing on thofe about them, without being able to direCt or determine the impreffions they ought to receive. This is the reafon why the rich, who are leldom acquaint- ed with any other pleafures than thofe of fenfe, are, in general, the moft miferable of men. The nobility and courtiers of France think their en- joyments appear vain and ridiculous only to thofe who have not the opportunity of partaking in them ; but I am of a different opinion. Returning one Sunday from Trianon to Verfailles, I perceived at a diftance a number of people affembled upon the terrace of the caftle, and on a nearer approach I beheld Louis the Fifteenth furrounded by his court at the windows of the palace. A man very richly dreffed, with a large pair of branchirtg antlers fattened on his head, whom they called the ftag, was purfued by about a dozen others, who compoted the pack. The purfued and the purfuers leaped into the great canal, fcrambled out again, and ran about to all parts, while the air re- founded with acclamations and clapping of handy, to encourage the continuance of the fport. " What can all this mean ?" faid I to a Frenchman who flood near me. " Sir," he replied with a very ierious countenance, " it is "for the entertainment of the court." The moft obfeure and indigent perfons are certainly happier than thefe sovereigns of the world, and their flavifh retinue, when reduced to the neceflity of adopting fuch mean and abjeCt modes of entertainment. The courtier, when he appears at a levee, outwardly affeCts the face of joy, while his heart is inwardly a prey to the moft excruciating fbrrows ; and {'peaks with the livclieft intereft of tranfaCtions in which he had no con- cern ; but perhaps it is necellary to his confequence that 20 The Influence of Solitude he fhould raife falfe appearances to the minds of his vi- fitors, who on their fide impofe equally on him in re- turn. The fuccefs, alas! of all his fchemcs affords him no other pleafure than to fee his apartments crowded with company, whofe only merit and recommendation in his eyes is a firing of hereditary titles, of perhaps no very remote antiquity or honourable origin. On this privation of the light of human reafon do the felicities of a worldly life moft frequently depend. From this dark fource fpring the inordinate pride of the haugh- ty noble, and the no lefs unbounded ambition of the fimple mechanic. Hence arife the difdain of fome, the haughtinefs of others, and the folly of all. To men of diflipated minds, who dread, beyond every other fear, the painful intrufion of a rational fentiment, thefe numerous and noify places of pub- lic refort appear like temples dedicated to their idol, pleafure. He who feeks happinefs on the couch of in- dolence ; who expends all the activity of his mind, all the energies of his heart, upon trifling objeCts; who fuffers vain and frivolous purfuits to abfbrb his time, to engage his attention, to lock up all the functions of his foul, cannot patiently endure the idea of being for one moment by himfelf. Direful condition! Is there then no occupation what- soever, no ufeful employment, no rational recreation fufficiently high and dignified for fuch a character ? Is he ofneceffity reduced to the afflicting fituation of not being able to perform a good and virtuous aCtion during the intervals of fufpended pleafure ? Can he render no fervices to friendship ? to his country ? to himfelf? Are there no poor and miferable beings, to whofe bofoms he might afford a charitable comfort and relief? Is it, in fhort, impoflible for fuch a character to become, in any way, more wife or virtuous than he was before ? The powers of the human foul are more extenfive than they are in general imagined to be ; and he who, urged on the Mind and the Heart. 21 urged by inclination, or compelled by seceffity, moft frequently exerts them, will foon find that the higheft felicities, of which our nature is capable, refide entirely within ourfelves. The wants of life are, for the greater part, merely artif cial; and although fenfual objeCtsmoft efficacioufly contribute to our pleafure and content, it is not becaufethe enjoyment of them is abfolutelyneceffary, but becaufe they have been rendered defirable by the effeCt of habit. The gratifications they afford eafily per- fuade us, that the poffefiion of them is effential to hap- pinefs; but if we had fortitude to refill: their charms, and courage to look within our own bofoms for that.felicity which we fo anxioufly expeCt to derive from external objeCts, we should frequently find a much greater variety of rcfources there dian all the objects of ienfe are capa- ble of affording. Men of fuperficial minds may indeed derive fome a- mufement from affemblies, to which the company in ge- neral refort merely to fee and to befeen : but how many women of fashion expire in fuch affemblies, under all the mortification of difappointed vanity ! how many neglected wits fullenly retire into fome obfcure corner of the room! The mind, on entering the circles of the great and gay, is apt to flatter itfelf too highly with hopes of applaufe ; to wait with too much anxiety for the promifed pleafure. Wit, coquetry, fenfuality, it is true, are, at thefe meetings, frequently exercifed with confiderable fuccefs. Every candidate difplays the little talent he poffeffes to the belt advantage ; and the leaft informed are not usfrequently confidered the moft shining characters. The eye, how- ever, may occafiosally be gratified by the fight of ob- jeCts really agreeable; the ear may liften to obfervations truly flattering. Lively thoughts and fenfible remarks now and then prevail. Characters equally aisiuble and interesting, occafionally mix among the group. We may form acquaintance with men of distinguished merit, whom wc should not otherwise have had as opportunity 22 The Influence of Solitude of knowing ; and meet with women ofeftimable qualities and irreproachable conduCt, whofe refined convcrfation ravifhes the mind with the#fame delight that their exquifite beauty captivates the heart. But by what a number of painful fcnfations muft this chance of pleafures be purchafed ! He whom a filent tor- row, a fecret difcontent, a rational difpofition prevents from mixing in the common diffipations of life, cannot fee without a figh the gay conceit, the airy confidence, the blind arrogance*, and the bold loquacity, with which thefc votaries of worldly pleafures proclaim a felicity, that leads them, almoft inevitably, to their ruin. It is, indeed, irrefiftibly laughable to obferve the ex- ceflive joy of fo many men in place, the abfurd airs of fo many old dowagers, the prefuinptuous and ridiculous fopperies of fo many hoary-headed children; but who, alas! is there, that will not grow tired even of the plea- fanteft comedy, by feeing it too frequently ? He, there- fore, who has often been an eye-witnefs of thefe fcenes, who has often yawned with fatigue in thefe temples of pleafure, and is convinced that they exhibit rather the il- lufion and appearance than the fubftance and reality of pleafure, becomes fad and forrowful in the midft of all their joys, and haftily retires to domeftic privacy, to tafte of pleafures in which there is no deceit; pleafures, which leave neither difquietude nor difiatisfaCtion behind them. An invitation to the board of Luxury, where Difeafe with leaden fceptre is known to prefide, where painful truths are blurted in the ears of thofe who hoped they were concealed, where reproach and calumny fall with- out discrimination on the beft and worft of characters, is in the eftimation of the world, conceived to confer the higheft honour and the greateft pleafure. But he who feels the divine energies of the foul, turns with abhor- rence from thofe focieties which tend to diminish or im- pair their operations. To him the fimpleft fare, with freedom and content, in the bofom of ah affectionate family, on the Mind and the Heart. 23 family, is ten thoufand times more agreeable than the rareft dainty and the richeft wine, with a fociety where politenefs impofes a filent attention to fome vain wit, from whofe lips nothing but "fatiguing nonfenfe ever proceeds. Confidence unlimited, fentiments mutually interchang- ed and equally fincere, are the only fources from which the true pleafures of fociety can fpring. The fpiritlefi* and crowded affemblies of the world, where a round of low and little pleafures fills the hour of entertainment, and pride only afpires to difplay a pomp of drefs and levity of behaviour, may perhaps afford a glimpfe of joy to light and thoughtlefs minds, eagerly impatient to remove the weight which every vacant hour accumulates.. But men of reafon and reflection, who, inftead of fenfible conver- fation, inftead of any rational amufement, find only a dull, unvaried jargon, a tirefome round of compliments, feel averfion from thefe temples of delight, and refort to them with coldnefs, diffatisfaCtion, and difguft. How tirefomevdo all the pleafures of the world appear, when compared with the happinefs of a faithful, tender, and enlightened friendfhip! How joyful do we fhake off the fhackles of fociety for that high and intimate connec- tion of the foul, where our inclinations are free, our feel- ings genuine, our fentiments unbiaffed; where a mutual confidence of thoughts and aCtions, of pleafures and of pains, uninterruptedly prevails; where the heart is led with joy along the path of virtue, and the mind con- ducted by happinefs into the bowers of truth ; where every thought is anticipated before it efcapes from the lips; where advice, confolation,fuccour, are reciprocally given and received in all the accidents and misfortunes of life ! The foul, thus animated by the charms of friendfhip, fprings from its floth and apathy, and views the irradiating beams of hope breaking on its repofe. Catting a retrofpeCtive eye on the time that has paffed, the happy pair mutually exclaim with the tendereft emotions : 24 The Influence of Soh'ide emotions : " Oh ! what pleafures have we not already " experienced, what joys have we not already felt ?' Does the tear of forrow fteal down the cheek of the one; the other, with affeCtion, wipes it tenderly away. The decpeft forrows of the one are felt with equal poignancy by the other : but what forrow can rcfift the confolation which flows from an intercourfe of hearts fo tenderly, fo intimately, fo clofely united ! Day after day they communicate to each other all that they have fees, all that they have heard, all that they feel, and every thing that they know. Time flies before them on his fwifteft pinions. The ear is never tired of the gratifications of liftening to each others converfation. The only misfortune of which they have any fear, is the greateft they can poffibly experience, the misfortune of abfence, feparation, and death. Poffeffed of fuch refined felicity, it muft not be attri- buted to aufterity of character, or incivility of mannerr, but to a venial error of imagination, if the intcrcourfes of ordinary minds no longer charm us ; if we become infenfible to their indifference, and carelefs of their a- verfion ; if, in confequence of the superiority of our joys, we no longer mix in the noily pleafures of the world, and fliun all fociety which has numbers only for its recommendation. But it is the lot of human blifs to be unliable. Of- tentimes, alas ! when we conceive our enjoyments moft certain and fecure, an unforefeen and hidden blow ftrikes, even in our very arms, the unhappy viCtim of its fate. On fuch an event all.the pleafure of our lives appears to be forever extinguifhed ; the surrounding objeCts feem defert and forlorn ; every thing we behold excites terror and difinay. The arms of friendfhip are in vain extend- ed to embrace the friend that is no more ; in vain the voice of fondnefs articulates the beloved name. The ftep, the well known flep, feems fuddenly to ftrike up- on our liftening car; but reflection interpofes, and the fancied on the Mind and the Heart. 25 fancied founds are heard no more: all is hufhed, ftill, and lifelefs: we are rendered almoft infenfible of exift- ence. Solitude appears on every fide, and the bleed- ing heart withdraws the attention of the mind from eve- ry living objeCt. The wearied fpirits, in the hour of dejeCtion, perfuade us that affection is gone, and that we are no longer capable of loving or of being beloved; and to a heart that has once tafted the fympathies of love, life, without affection, is death the moft horrible. The unfortunate being, therefore, who has experienced this mifery, is inclined to live in Solitude and die alone. In thefe reflecting moments, in this fudden tranfition from the height of happinefs to the deepeft mifery, no perfon feems anxious to offer him the fmalleft confolation, to participate in his sufferings, or to be capable of forming an adequate idea of his diftrefs: the grief, indeed, which fuch a lofs infliCts, cannot be conceived until it has been felt. It is, however, under circumftances like thefe that Solitude enjoys its higheft triumph ; it is here that all the advantages which refult from it may be fully experienc- ed ; for affliction has no wounds to which, when wifely applied, it will not give immediate eafe, and in the event completely cure. The wounds of affliCrion, it is true, admit only of a flow and gradual remedy. The art of living alone re- quires fo much initiation before it can be acquired, is fubjeCt to fuch a variety of accidents, and depends fb much upon fituations suitable to the bent of particular characters, that the mind mutt have attained a high de- gree of maturity for Solitude, before effeCts fo confider- aWe and advantageous can be expeCted from it; but he who has acquired sufficient vigour to break the galling chains of prejudice, and from his earlieft youth has felt efteem and fondnefs for the pleafures of retirement, will not, under fuch circumftances, be embarraffed in his choice. From the moment he perceives himfelf indif- D . ferent 26 The Influence of Solitude ferent to the objects which surround him, and that the gaieties of public fociety have loft their charms, he will then rely on the powers of his foul, and never be lets a- lone than in the company of himfelf. Men of genius are frequently condemned to employ- ments as difagreeable to the temper of their minds as a naufeous medicine is to an empty ftomach. Forced to toil upon fome dry and ditgufting fubjeCt, confined to a particular fpot, and utterly unable to releafe themfelves from the troublefome and impeding yoke, fuch characters feldom expeCt tranquillity on this fide of the grave ; for deprived of the opportunities of engaging in the diffipa- tions of life, every objeCt which the world prefents to their view increafes their difguft. It is not for them, they exclaim, that the young zephyrs open the budding foliage with their carefling breath ; that, the feathered choir pour fordi, in enlivening ftrains, their rural fongs ; that odoriferous flowers deck the enamelled meads. But leave thefe complainants to themfelves, give them their liberty and leisure, and you would foon obferve the na- tive enthufiafm of their minds regenerate, and fee them in the higheft region foaring with the bold wing, and pe- netrating eye of the bird of Jove. If Solitude be capable of diffipating griefs of this com- plexion, what effect will it not produce on the minds of men who have the opportunity of retiring at pleafure to its friendly fhades, who only feek for the enjoyments of a pure air* and whofe only defire is domeftic felicity ! When Antifthenes was afked, what fervice he had re- ceived from philofophy, he anfwered, " It has taught " me to fubdue myfelf." Pope fays, that he never laid his head upon his pillow without reflecting, that the moft important leffon of life was to learn the art of being happy within himfelf. It .feems to me that all thofe who are capable of living contentedly at home, and of loving every objeCt by which they are furrounded, even to the dog and the cat, have found what Pope looked for. Thofe on the Mind and the Heart. *7 Thofe pleafures and diffipations which are fought af- ter with fo much eagernefs and anxiety, have, in truth, the effeCt of producing the moft ferious reflection in our minds, when we commune with ourfelves. It is then that we learn in what the true felicity of life properly confifts, whether in the poffeffion of thofe external ob- jects which we have no power either to alter or reform, or in a due and proper regulation of ourfelves. It is then that we begin to perceive how falfe and faithlefs thofe flattering illufions prove, which feem to promife. us fo much happinefs. A lady, poffeffed of youth and beauty, wrote to me one evening on returning from a celebrated ridotto, " You obferved with what gaiety " and content I quitted the fcene. Believe me, I felt a " void fo painful in my breaft at the fight of thofe faCti- " tious joys, that I could willingly have torn the flowery " decorations from my drefs." All the pleafures of the world are nothing, if they do not render the heart more happy in itfelf, and tend to increafe our domeftic felicity. On the contrary, every fpecies of misfortune, however accumulated, may be borne by thofe who are capable of enjoying the privacy of ftudy, and the elegant recreation which books afford. To have obtained this refource, is already to have made confiderable advances towards happinefs; for it would be presumptuous to exaCt more from us than an inclina- tion to regulate the affeCtions of the heart, and to con- troul the paffions of the mind. A celebrated philofo- pher, therefore, has with great judgment obferved, that there is both pride and falfhood in pretending that man alone is capable of effecting his own happinefs. We are, however, moft certainly capable of modifying the natural difpofitions of our fouls ; we are capable of forming our taftes, varying our fentiments, directing our inclinations, of fubduing even the paffions them- felves ; and we are then not only lefs fenfible of all the wants of life, but feel even fatisfaCtion under circum- ftances 28 The Influence of Solitude ftances which to others would appear grievous and in- tolerable. Health is, without doubt, one of the moft pre- cious enjoyments man can poflefs ; and yet there are circumftances and fituations, under which even the pri- vation of it may be accompanied with real tranquillity. How many times have I returned my thanks to the Great Difpofer of human events for an indifpofition which has confined me at home, and enabled me to invigorate the weakened functions of my foul in quietude and filence! a happinefs that receded as my indifpofition quitted me. After having been obliged to drag through the ftreets of the metropolis every day of my life during a number of years, with a feeble constitution and weakened limbs, fuf- ceptible, on feeling the fmalleft cold, to the fame fenfa- tions as if knives were feparating the flefh from the bone; after experiencing day after day, in the courfe of my profeflion, forrows fo afflicting, that I offered up the gratitude of my heart with tears of joy, when it pleafed the Almighty to afford me a moment of eafe and qui- etude ; it will not be wondered that any indifpofition which occafioned my confinement should afford me in- expreflible happinefs. The phyfician whopoffeffes the leaft fenfibility, being continually employed in admi|uftering relief to the suf- ferings of others, muft, without doubt, frequently forget his own; but,alas! how often alfomuft he feel the hor- ror of his fituation where he is summoned to exercife a power not within the reach of his art, and is obliged to at- tend, notwithstanding all the bodily and mental anguifh he may personally feel. Under fuch circumftances, the difeafe which relieves the mind from the diftraCtion of anxiety, is to me a foft repofe, a pleafing Solitude, provided peevifh friends do not intrude, and politely difturb me with their fatiguing vifits. In thefe moments I pray the benediction of Heaven on thofe who negleCt to overwhelm me with their idle converfation, and, with the kindeft companion, forget to difturb me by enquiries after on the Mind and the Heart. 29 after my health. A fingle day in which I can remain quietly at home, without being obliged to receive a vifi- tor, and employ my mind on literary fubjeCts, affords me, notwithstanding my bodily pain, more real pleafure than our women of quality and men of fafhion ever felt from all theirfeaftings and entertainments. The diminution which our sufferings experience in Solitude, is initfelfa confiderable advantage; for quie- tude of mind to men, whofe duties depend on the public voice, from whom an indefatigable aCtivity is exaCted, and who unavoidably pafs their days in the midft of con- * tinued anxieties, is in effeCt tranfcendent felicity. The mind, whether of the young or of the old, no longer feels the fear of being alone when it is capable of occupying itfelf in privacy on fome ufeful or agreeable fubjeCt. If the temper fhould be foured by ill-humour, we mould endeavour to create a diverfibn of the mind by reading with fome fixed and particular defign ; and it is impoffible to read without deriving fome advantage, pro- vided we have a pen or pencil ready to mark the new i- deas as they occur, or the obfervations which illuftrate and confirm thofe we already poffefs; for unlefs we ap- ply what we learn to our own difpofitions, or the cha- racters of other, men, ftudy of every kind foon becomes fatiguing: exercife, however, will eafily lead to this habit, and then reading is perhaps one of the moft fure and certain remedies againft laffitude and difcontent. The mind having once acquired the habit of fixing its attention, is always capable of driving away unpleafant and painful ideas. The fight of a noble and interefting objeCt, the ftudy of an ufeful fcience, a piCture in which the ^various revolutions of fociety are hiftorically dif- played, and the progrefs made in any particular art, agree- ably rivet attention, and banifh the forrows of the mind. Pleafures of this defcription, it is certain, greatly tran- fcend all thofe which adminifter merely to the fenfes. I am 30 The Influence of Solitude am aware, that in fpeaking of the pleafures of the mind, fublime meditation, the profound deductions of reafon, and the brilliant effufions of fancy are in general under- ftood; but there are alfo others, for the perfeCt enjoy- ment of which neither extenfive knowledge nor extraor- dinary talents are neceffary. Thefe are the pleafures which refult from aCtivity and employment; pleafures that are equally within the reach" of the ignorant clown or learned philofopher, and which produce enjoyments no lets exquifite than thofe we firft mentioned : the ex- ertion of manual labour, therefore, ought never to be defpifed. I am acquainted with gentlemen who are in- 'ftruCted in the mechanifm of their own watches; who are able to work as painters, lockfmiths, carpenters; and who are not only furnished with almoft all the tools pro- per to every branch of trade, but know alfo how to ufe them : fuch characters never feel the leaft difquietude from the want of fociety, and are in confequence the happieft of men. The labours we experience in any art or fcience form the recreation of it; and, when carried to a certain de- gree of perfection, render man focial with himfelf, and counterbalance the greateft of moral evils. To conquer difficulties is to promote our pleafures; and every time our efforts attain to a certain point, from whence we can view with complacency the end of our labours, the foul feels an inexpreffible tranquillity and fatisfaCtion, and, be- ing contented within itfelf, feeks for no higher pleafure. The enjoyments of the heart are within the reach of all men who, free, eafy, and affeCtionate, are contented with themfelves, and pleafed with thofe about them. A- las ! how much fuperior, therefore, for this reafon, is the happinefs which a country life affords, to that deceitful felicity which is affeCted in the courts of princes, and in the brilliant circles of the great and gay; a truth feverely felt by meri of worldly pleafure, and confeffed by their frequent complaints of reftleffnefs and languour; com- plaints on the Mind and the Heart. 31 plaints unknown among the vallies of the Alps, or upon thofe mountains where innocence yet dwells, and which no vifitor ever quitted without the tribute of a tear. The fatal poifon, however, which lurks beneath the manners of luxurious cities, might eafily be avoided, by renouncing the infipid life in which the inhabitants are engaged. Virtuous aCtions convey tranquillity to the foul; and a joy equally calm and permanent accompanies the man into the clofeft receffes of retirement, whofe mind is fixed upon difcharging the duties of humanity. With what delight alfo do we dwell upon the recital of our fchool adventures, the wanton tricks of our youth. The hiftory of the early periods of our lives, the remem- brance of our plays and paftimes, of the little pains and puerile withes of our infancy, always recall to our minds the moft agreeable ideas. Ah! with what complacent finiles, with what foft regret, a venerable old man turns his eyes upon the happy asra when the incarnation of youth animated all his joys; when he entered into every enterprize with vigour, vivacity and courage; when he fought difficulties only to difplay his powers in surmount- ing them I Let us contraft the character we formerly bore with that which we at prefent poffcfs; or, by giving a freer range to our ideas, let us rather caft our thoughts upon the various events of which we have been witneffes; upon the means which the Almighty has thought proper to em- ploy in the exaltation or debafement of empires; upon the rapid progrefs which the arts and fciences have made within our own remembrance; upon the advancement of philofophy and the retreat of prejudice; upon the afcend- ancy which ignorance and fuperftition ftill maintain, not- withstanding the fublime efforts of genius to fupprefs them; upon the bright irradiations of intelleft, and the moral depravation of the heart, and we fhall foon per- ceive the clouds of languor difappear, and tranquillity, peace, and good humour prevail. 32 The Influence of .Solitude The inexpreffible felicity, that variety of delightful enjoyments, fo fuperior to the gratifications of fenfe, which Solitude affords to every reflecting mind, are ca- pable of being relifhed at every period of our live* ; in the laft decay of age as well as in the earlieft prime of youth. He who to a vigorous conftitution, a free fpirit, an eafy temper, has added the advantages of a cultivated understanding, will here experience, while his heart con- tinues pure and his mind innocent, the higheft and moft unalterable pleafure. The love of exercife animates all the faculties, of the foul, and increafes the energies of nature. Employment is the firft defire of every aCtive mind. It is the filent conlcioufnefs of the fuperiority of our nature, of the force of our intellectual powers, of the high dignity of our character, which infpire great fouls with that noble ardour which carries them to the true fublime. Conftrained by the duties of their fitua- tion to mix in the intercourfe of fociety; obliged to sub- mit, in*fpite of their inclination, to the frivolous and fa- tiguing diffipations of the world, it is in withdrawing from thefe tumultuous fcenes into the filence of medi- tation, that men become fenfible of the divine effervef- cence of their fouls, feel a wifh to break their chains, to efcape from the fervility of pleafure, and from all the noify and tumultuous joys in which they are engaged. We never feel with higher energy and fatisfaCtion, with greater comfort and cordiality, that we live, think, are reafonable beings, felf-aCtive, free, capable of the moft fublime exertions, and partaking of immortality, than in thofe moments when we shut the door againft the intru- fions of impertinence and fafhion. There are few vexations fo insupportable as thofe taftelefs vifits, thofe annoying partialities, by which a life of lazy opulence and wanton pleafure is occupied. " My thoughts," fays Roufifeau, " will only come when they pleafe, and not when I choofe." Obliged, there- fore, to wait for their arrival, the intrufion of a ftranger, or on the M&d and the Heart. 35 * or even the vifit of an acquaintance by whom he was not intimately known, was always dreadful to him. It was for this reafon alone, that this extraordinary charac- ter, who feldom experienced an hour of tranquillity un- accompanied by pain, felt fuch petulant indignation a- gainft the importunate civilities and empty compliments of common converfation, while he enjoyed the rational intercourfe of fenfible and well-informed minds with the higheft delight.* How foon, alas! the dignity of the human charaCler becomes debafed by affociating with low and little minds! How many rays of thought, precious rays I emanating immediately from the Deity upon the mind of man, are extinguished by the noxious vapours of ftag- nated life! JBut it is mediation and reflection that muft give them birth, elevate them to the heights of genius, make them fubfiftent with the nature of the human mind, and conformable to the fpirit of the human cha- racter. Virtues, to which the foul cannot raife itfelf, even in the mofl amiable of all focieties, are frequently produced by Solitude. Separated by diftance from our friends, we feel ourfelves deprived of the company of thofe who are dearer! to our hearts; and, to relieve the dreary void, we afpire to the moft fublime efforts, and adopt the boldefl refolutions. On the contrary, while we are under the protecting care of friendfhip and of love, while their kind offices fupply all our wants, and their affeCtionate embraces lock us eternally in their arms, we forget, in the blandishments of fuch a ftate, almoft the faculty of felf-motion, iofe fight of the powers of acting from ourfelves, and feldom refleCl that we may be re- duced * " I never could endure," fayi Roufleau, " the cmpry and " unmeaning compliments of common converfation; but from " conversations ufeful or ingenious, I have always felt the high- " eft pleafure, and have never refufed to partake of them." 34 The Influence ofi(HBoHtude duced to the neceffity of supporting ourfelves under the adverfities of life. To guard againft this event, there- fore, it is proper, by retiring into Solitude, to experience and rely upon the ftrength of our own powers. The foul, weakened by the ftorms of life, then acquires new vigour, fixes the fteady eye of fortitude on the frowns of adverfity, and learns to elude the threatening rocks on which the happinefs of vulgar minds fo frequently is wrecked. He who devotes his days to Solitude, finds refources within himfelf of which he had no idea, while philofophy infpires him with courage to fuftain the moft rigorous shocks of fate. The difpofition of man becomes more firm, his opi- nions more determined and correCt, when, urged by the tumults of life, he refleCts, in the quietude of his heart, on his own nature and the manners of the world. The conftitution of a verfatile and undecided character pro- ceeds entirely from that intellectual weaknefs which pre- vents the mind from thinking for itfelL Such characters confult upon every occafion the oracle of public opi- nion, fo infallible in their ideas, before they know what they ought to think, or in what manner their judgment mould be formed, or their conduCt regulated. Weak minds always conceive it moft fafe to adopt the fentiments of the multitude. They never venture an o- pinion upon any fubjeCt until the majority have decided. Thefe decifions, whether upon men or things, they im- plicitly follow, without giving themfelves the trouble to enquire who is right, or on which fide the truth lies. The fpirit of truth and love of equity, indeed, < are only to be expeCted from thofe who are fearlefs of living a- lone. Men~of diffipated minds are never the proteCtors of the weak, or the avengers of the oppreffed. Are the various and powerful hofts of fools and knaves your ene- mies ? Are you injured in your property by injuftice, or in your fame by calumny ? You muft not hope for redrefs from light characters, or for fupport from men of diffipation j on the Mind and the Heart. 35 ■difiipation ; for they only repeat the voice of error, and propagate the fallacies of prejudice. To live in Solitude, to feel ourfeves alone, only in- fpires fears, infomuch as it contributes to extinguish one corporeal power by giving birth to another. The powers of the mind, on the contrary, augment in proportion as they become more concentrated, when no perfon is u- nited to us, or ready to afford protection. To live un- difturbed, to mitigate the fuffering of prefent impref- fions, to render the mind fuperior to the accidents of life, and to gain sufficient intrepidity to oppofe the dan- ger of advcrfity, it is abfolutely neceffary to live alone. How fmoothly flows the ftream of life when we have no anxiety to enquire " Who did this?" "■ Who faid that?" How many miferable prejudices, and ftill more con- temptible paffions, has one ferious reflection fubdued ! How quickly, in fuch a fituation, that flavifh, fhameful, and idolatrous veneration for every unworthy objeCt dif- appears 1 With what noble fpirit the votaiy of Solitude fearlefsly difdahis thofe characters who conceive that high birth and ilkrftrious defcent confer a privilege to tyrannize over inferior men, to- whom they frequently afford fo many reafons to hold them in contempt. An ingenious and celebrated obferver of men and things informs us, it is in leisure and retirement alone, that the foul exalts itfelf into a fublime fuperiority over the accidents of life, becomes indifferent to the good or evil it may experience, the praife or cenfure it may receive, the life it may enjoy, or even the death it may fuffer.— It is in Solitude alone that thofe noble and refined ideas, thofe profound principles and unerring axioms, which form and fupport every great ehara&eryfare developed. Even philofophy itfelf, continues this excellent philofo- pher in his obfervations upon Cicero, and thofe deep theories upon which the fublime conduCt of the ftatefman is founded, and which enables him to perform with ex- cellence the important duties with which he is charged, are 36 The Influence of Solitude are formed in the filence of Solitude, in fome diftant re- tirement from the great theatre of the world. As Solitude, therefore, not only gives firmnefs to the characters, and propriety to the fentiments, of men, but leads the mind to a true degree of elevation; fo likewife there is no other fituation in which we fo foon acquire the important knowledge of ourfelves. Retirement connects us more clofely with our own bofoms, and we live in habits of the firicleft intimacy only with ourfelves. It is certainly poffible for men to be deliberate and wife, even amidft all the tumults of the world, efpecially if their principles be well fixed before they enter on the ftage of life; but it is much more diffi- cult to preferve.an integrity of conduCt amidft the cor- ruptions of fociety than in the fimplicity of Solitude. How many men pleafe only by their faults, and recom- mend themfelves only by their vices 1 How many pro- fligate villains and unprincipled adventurers, of infinu- ating manners, are well received by fociety, only becaufe they have learned the art of adminiftering to the follies, the weakneffes, the vices of thofe who give the lead to fafhion! How is it poffible that the mind, intoxicated with the fumes of that incenfe which Flattery burns to its honour, fhould be capable of knowing or appreciat- ing the characters of men I But, on the contrary, in the filence and tranquillity of retirement, whether we are led by inclination to the ftudy of ourfelves, awakened to re- flection by a fenfe of mifery, or compelled to think feri- oufly on our fituation, and to examine the inward com- plexion of the heart, we can learn what we are, and what we ought to be. How many new and ufeful difcoveries may be made by occafionally forcing ourfelves from the vortex of the world to the calm enjoyments of ftudy and reflection ! To accomplish this end, it is only neceffary to commune ferioufly with our hearts, and to examine out conduft with candour and impartiality. The man of worldly pleafure on the Mind and the Heart. 37 pleafure, indeed, has reafon to fhun this felf-examination, confcious that the refult of the enquiry would be extreme- ly unfavourable : for he who only judges of himfelf by the flattering opinion which others have been pleafed to cxprefs of his character, will in fuch a fcrutiny behold with furprize, that he is the miferable flave of fafhion, habit, and public opinion, submitting with laborious dili- gence, and the utmoft poffible grace, to the exaCtions of politenefs, and the authoritative demands of eftablifhed ceremony; never venturing to contradiCt the imperious voice of fafhion, however fenfelefs and absurd its dic- tates may appear; obfequioufly following the example of others, giving credit to every thing they fay, doing every thing they do, and not daring to condemn thofe pursuits which every one feems fo highly to approve. If fuch a character poffefs that degree of candour he ought, he will not only perceive, but acknowledge, that an infinite number of his daily thoughts and aCtions are infpired by a bafe fear of himfelf, or arife from a fervile complaifance to others; that in the company of princes and ftatefmen he only feeks to flatter their vanities, and indulge their caprices; that by his devotion to politenefs, he submits to become the minifter of their vices, rather than offer them the fmalleft contradiction, or hazard an opinion that is likely to give them the leaft difpleafure. Whoever with calm confideration views this terrifying piCture, will feel in the filent emotions of his heart the neceffity of occasionally retiring into Solitude, and feek- ing fociety with men of nobler fentiments and purer principles. The violent alternatives of pleafure and pain, of hope and fear, of content and mortification, inceflantly tor- ment the mind that has not courage to rife fuperior to the influence of the objeCts of fenfe. The virtues fly from the habitation of a heart that yields itfelf to firft impreffions, of a heart that is for ever obedient to the feelings of the moment, and incapable of exerting a dominion 38 The Influence of Solitude dominion over them. The virtues alfo ceafe to dwell in the bofoms of the worldly, who, following the example of the times, are guided in all their aCtions by finifter motives, and directed to every end by the mean confi- deration of fclf-rntereft either immediate or remote. To exercife even virtue itfelf with advantage and effeCt, it is neceffary to retire into Solitude ; to avoid the impedi- ments which the accidents of the paffing day may create; to eftimate, by filent examination, the true value of things, and the real merit of human aCtions. The mind, debafed by the corruptions of the world, has no idea of relinquifhing the profpeCt of prefent benefit, and making a noble facrifice of glory and of fortune. They never appreciate any aCtion by its intrinfic merit; but conduCt all their calculations upon a vile notion of lu- cre, and only affume the garb of virtue as a mean of matching fome poor advantage, obtaining fome paltry honours, or gaining fome fcrviceable credit : to thofe who, from their power and fuperiority, might, if they were equally bafe and contemptible, prejudice their in- terefts, they pay a fervile court, flatter, lie, calumniate, and cringe, and depart only to commit new bafenefs el fe where. Man difcovers with deeper penetration the extent and nature of the paffions by which he is fwayed, when he refleCts on their power in the calmnefs and filence of Solitude, where the foul, being lefs frequently fufpended between liope and fear, aCts with greater freedom. How virtuous, alas ! do we all become under the preffure of calamity ! How fubmiffive, how indulgent, how kind is man, when the finger of God chaftifes his frail- ties, by rendering his hopes delufive, and his fchemes abortive; when the Almighty Power humbles human pride, converts our wifdom into folly, our profoundeft counfels into manifeft and ftriking inftances of mad- nefs! At fuch a moment the careffes of a child, the moft diftant civility from inferiors, afford us the higheft com- on the Mind and the Heart. 39 fort. The fcene, however, prefently changes; we view misfortune under a different afpeCt, our foftnefs dies a- way, our fufferings decreafe, the foul begins to rife from its dejeCtion, we acquire a knowledge of its faculties, become indifferent to every external objeCt, and, feel- ing the extent of its powers, difcover our fuperiority over all thofe circumftances which before gave inquie- tude to fear, and alarm to weaknefs. Sheltered in the retreats of Solitude from the ex- tremes of fortune, and lefs expofed to the intoxication of fuccefs, or the depreffion of difappointment, life glides eafily along like the fhadow of a paffing cloud. Adver- fity need not here intrude, to teach us how infignificant we are in the eyes of God, how helplefs without his af- fiftance, how much our unchecked pride poifons the hap- pinefs of life, torments the heart, and becomes the end- lefs and increafing fource of human mifery; for in the calm regions of retirement, undifturbed by treacherous fondnefs, or groundlefs hate, if even hope should difap- pear, and every comfort vanifli from our view, we are ftill capable of submitting to the ftroke of fate with pa- tience and refignation. Let every one, therefore, who withes to think with dignity, or live with, eafe, feek the retreats of Solitude, and enter into friendly intercourfe with his own heart. How fmall a portion of true philofophy, with an enlight- ened understanding, will render us humble and compli- ant ! But in the mifts of prejudice, dazzled by the in- tellectual glimmer of falfe lights," every one miftakes the true path, and feeks for happinefs in the fhades of dark- nefs and the labyrinths of obfcurity. The habits of re- tirement and tranquillity can alone enable us to make a juft eftimate of men and things, and it is by renouncing all the prepoffeffions which the corruptions of fociety have implanted in the mind, that we make the firft ad- vances towards the restoration of reafon, and the attain- ment of felicity. Solitude 40 The Influence of Solitude Solitude will afford us this advantage, if-when we are there alone before God, and far retired from the ob- fervation of men, the filent language of confeience thews to us the great imperfection of our characters, and the many difficulties we have to furmount before we can attain the excellence of which our nature is capable. In fociety men mutually deceive each other: they make a parade of learning, affeCt fentiments which they do not poffefs, dazzle the obferver by borrowed rays, and in the end miflead themfelves by the illufions which they raife. But in Solitude, far removed from the guile of flattery and falfftfhood, accompanied by truth and fol- lowed by virtue, the mind enters into a clofe acquaint- ance with itfelf, forms its judgment with greater accu- racy, and feels the' ineftimable value of fincerity and finglenefs of heart. Here the poffeffion of thefe quali- ties can never prove injurious ; for in the retreats of Solitude, moral excellence is not an objeCt of either ri- dicule or contempt. We here compare the falfe appear- ances-of the world with the reality of things, and per- ceive the advantages ,they teemed to promife, and the fpecious virtues they appeared to poffefs, vanish like an airy vapour. The pride of human wit, the falfe conclu- fions of reafon, the miftakes of vanity, and the weak- neffes of the heart, are developed to the eye of impar- tiality. All that is imperfeCt in our faireft virtues, in our fublimeft conceptions, in our moft generous ac- tions, all the oftentations of felf-love, are here exhibited in their natural forms. Is it poffible to acquire fo per- fect, a knowledge of ourfelves in the world, amidft the buftle of bufinejs, and among the encreafing dangers of focial life ? To fubdue the dangerous paffions and pernicious in- clinations which agitate and miflead the heart, it is necef- fary to fix the attention on other objects, and turn our attachments to more laudable purliiits; but Solitude is the only fituation in which new fentiments and new ideas, arifing on the Mind and the Heart. 4i arifing from inexhauftible refources, inftil themfelves in- to the mind: here the foul aCts with perfeCt freedom in every direCtion, and exerts all the force and energy of which it is fufccptible. And as Solitude to the idle may mitigate the intemperance of defire; fo, on the contrary, to the aCtive it affords a complete viCtory over all the moft irregular inclinations of the heart. Snatched from the illufions of fociety, from the fnares of the world, and placed in the fecurity of retirement, we view every objeCt in its true form, as well under the dif- traCtions of misfortune, as in the pangs of ficknefs and in the anguifh of death. The vanity and emptinefs of all thofe advantages which we expeCt from external objeCts, appear in full view, and we difcover the neceffity of curbing the extravagance of our thoughts, and the li- centioufnefs of our defires. The veil of falfe appearance is removed; and he who in the world was raifed as much above others, as by his faults and vices he ought to have funk beneath them, here perceives the imperfections which flattery had concealed, and which a crowd of mi- ferable flaves had perhaps the bafenefs aud cowardice en- tirely to juftify. To acquire durable pleafures and true felicity, it is neceffary to adopt the judicious and rational philofophy which confiders life in a ferious point of view, courts en- joyments which neither time nor accident can deftroy, and looks with an eye of pity on the ftupid vulgar, agitat- ing their minds and tormenting their hearts in fplendid miferies and childifh converfations. Thole however, on the contrary, who have no knowledge of their own hearts, who have no habits of reflection, no means of employment, who have not perfevered in virtue, nor are able to liften to the voice of reafon, have nothing to hope from Solitude : their joys are all annihilated when the blood has loft its warmth, when the fenfes are blunt- L ed, and their powers diminished : on experiencing the ■ leaft inconvenience, the moft trifling reverfe of fortune, F they '42 The Injluence of Solitude they fall into the deepeft diftrefs, the moft horrid ideas fill their misds, and they are tormented with all the agita- tions of an alarmed imagination. We have hitherto only pointed out one portion of the general advantages of Solitude ; there are, however, ma- ny others which touch men more nearly. Ah! who has not experienced ks kind influence in the adverfities of life ? Who has not is the moment of cotivalefcence, in the hour of melancholy, in the age when feparation or death has deprived the heart of the intercourfes of friend- fhip, fought relief under its falutary {hades ? Happy is the being who v$ fenfible of the advantages of a religious retirement from the world, of a facred tranquillity, where all the benefits to be derived from fociety imprefs them- felves more deeply in the heart, where every hour is confecrated to the praCticeof the mild and peaceful vir- tues, and where every man, when he is on the bed of death, wifhes, he had lived L But thefe advantages be- come much more confpieuous when we compare the modes of thought which employ the mind of a folitary philofopher with thofe of a worldly fenfualift ; the tire- fome and tumultuous lifeof the one with the foft tranquilli- ty of the other ; when we oppofe the fear and horror which difturb the death-bed of the worldly-minded man with the peaceable and eafy exit of thofe pious fouls who sub- mit with resignation to the wilt of Heaven. It is at this awful moment that we feel how important it is to turn the eye inwardly upon ourfelves, and to hold a religious communion with our Creator, if we would bear the suf- ferings of life with dignity, and the pains of death with eafe. Solitude affords us the moft inconteftible advantages under the greateft adverfities of life. The convalefcent, the unfortunate, the mifanthrope, here find equal relief; their tortured fouls here find a balm for the deep and painful wounds they have received, and foon regain their priftine health and vigour. Sicknefs on the Mind and the Heart. 43 Sicknefs and affliction would fly with horror from the retreats of Solitude, if their friendly fhades did not afford them that confolation which they are unable to obtain in the temples of pleafure. The fubtile vapour which fen- fuality and intoxication fhed upon the obje&s that fur- round a ftate of health and happinefs entirely difappears .; and all thofe charms, which fubfift rather in imagination than in reality, lofe their power. To the happy every objeCl wears the delightful colours of the rofe; but to the miferable alt is black and dreadful. The two con- ditions are equally in the extreme; but neither of them difcover the errors into which they are betrayed, until the moment when the curtain drops; when the fcene changes, the illufion is diffipated. Both of them enjoy the dream, while the underftanding continues filent and abforbed. The one feels that God employs his atten- tion to the prefervation of his creatures, even when he fees them the moft abandoned and profligate; the others devote themfelves to thofe vanities and pleafures with which the fashions of the world intoxicate the mind, e- ven although at the very moment they refteCt ferioufly upon themfelves, upon their prefent fituation, their fu- ture deftiny, and the means by which alone they can be conducted to perfeCt felicity. How unhappy should we be if the Divine Providence were to grant us every thing we defire ! Even under the veiy afflictions by which man conceives all the happi- nefs of his life annihilated, God perhaps purpofes some- thing extraordinary in his favour. New circumftances excite new exertions. In Solitude and tranquillity, if we eameftly endeavour to conquer misfortune, the aCti- vity of life, which, until the moment of adverfity, had been perhaps fufpesded, fuddenly changes; and the mind regains its energy and vigour, even while it laments the ftate of inaCtion to which it conceives itfelf to be irre- trievably reduced. But 44 The Influence of Solitude But there are ftill greater advantages: if forrow forces us into Solitude, patience and perfeverance foon reftore the foul to its natural tranquillity and joy. We ought never to infpeCt the volume of futurity; its pages will only deceive us : on the contrary, we ought for ever to repeat this experimental truth, this confolatory maxim: That the objeCts which men behold at a diftance with fear and trembling, lofe on a nearer approach, not only their difagreeable and menacing afpeCt, but frequently, in the event, produce the moft agreeable and unexpected pleafures., He who tries every expedient, who boldly oppofes himfelf to every difficulty, who Hands fteady and inflexible to every obftacle, who negleCts no exer- tion within his power, and relies with confidence upon the affiftance of God, extraCts from affliction both its poi- fon and its fling, and deprives misfortune of its victory. Sorrow, misfortune, ficknefs, foon render us eafy and familiar with Solitude. How readily we renounce the world, how indifferent we become to all its pleafures, when the infidious eloquence of the paffions is filenced, when we are diftraCted by pain, oppreffed by grief, and deferted by all our powers! Under fuch circumftances we immediately perceive the weaknefs and inftability of thofe succours which the world affords; where pain is mixed with every joy, and vanity reigns throughout. How many ufeful truths, alas! does ficknefs teach even to kings and minifters, while they suffer themfelves to be deluded and impofed upon by all mankind ! The opportunity which a valetudinarian enjoys of em- ploying his faculties with facility and fuccefs in a manner conformable to the extent of his defigns, is undoubtedly fhort, and paffes rapidly away. Such happinefs is the lot only of thofe who enjoy robuft health : they alone can exclaim, " Time is my own :"—But he who labours under continual ficknefs and suffering, and whofe avocation de- pends on the public neceffity or caprice, can never fay that he has one moment to himfelf. He muft watch the fleeting on the Mind and the Heart. 45 fleeting hours as they pafs, and feize an interval of leifure when and where he can. Neceffity, as well as reafon, convinces him, that he mull, in fpite of his daily suffer- ings, his wearied body, or his haraffed mind, firmly refift his accumulating troubles; and, if he would fave him- felf from becoming the viCtim of dejeClion, manfully combat the difficulties by which he is attacked. The more we enervate ourfelves the more we become the prey of ill health; but a determined courage and obfti- nate refiftance frequently renovate our powers; and he who, in the calm of Solitude, vigoroufly wreftles with misfortune, is certain, in the event, of gaining confidera ble advantage. But under the pains of ficknefs, we are apt too eafily to liften to the voice of indulgence ; we negleCt to exer- cife the powers we poffefs; and, inftead of directing the attention to thofe objeCts which may divert diftraCtion and ftrengthen fortitude, we fofter fondly in osr bo- foms all the difagreeable circumftances of our fituation. The foul finks from inquietude to inquietude, lofes all its powers, abandons its remaining reafon, and feels, from its increafing agonies and sufferings, no confidence in its own exertions. The valetudinarian fhould force his mind to forget its troubles ; fhould endeavour to emerge from the heavy atmofphere by which he is enveloped and depreffed. By thefe exertions he will certainly find unexpected relief, and be able to accomplish that which before he conceived to be impoffible. For this purpofe, however, he muft firft difmifs the phyficians who daily vifithim to afcertain the ftate of his health ; feeling his pulfe with a ludicrous gravity, while they ferioufly fliake their heads, and perform, according to their cuftom, ma- ny other affeCted and ridiculous tricks ; but who, from a great'inclination to difcover what does not exift, un- happily never difcern the fymptoms that are moft plainly to be feen. Thefe pretenders to fcience ferve only to alarm the mind of the patient, to rivet his attention more clofely 46 The Influence of Solitude clofely to thofe very objeCts which it is his interefl to forget, and to redouble his sufferings by the beneficial danger into which they raife the moft trifling circum- ftance of'his diforder. He muft alfo avoid the company of falfe friends, and all thofe who only adminifter flattery to his frailties. He muft learn to atfiure them, that he disbelieves all that they have told him; for if the fenfa- tions they excite are thought to have any foundation in truth, his own imagination immediately superinduces a variety of gloomy phantoms and terrifying chimeras. Thus, under fituations the moft difficult to support, there itill remain refources and confolations in the bo- fom of Solitude. Are the nerves deranged ? Is the head pained by vertigos ? Has the mind no longer any power to think, the eye to read, the hand to write ? Has it become phyfically impoffible to exercife any of the functions of the foul ? In fuch a fituation we muft learn "■ to vegetate," faid one of the moft enlightened philo- fophers of Germany, when he beheld me at Hanover, in a condition which rendered me incapable of adopting any other refource. O Ga¥ve ! with what rapture I threw myfelf into your arms ! With what tranfports I heard 'you fpeak ! when you fhewed me the neceffity of learning to fupport myfelf under my accumulated cala- mities, by convincing me that you had experienced equal sufferings, and had been able to praCtife the lef- fons which you taught. The fublime Mendelfohm, during a certain period of his life, was frequently obliged to retire, when difcourf- ing on philofophical fubjeCts, to avoid the danger of fainting. In thefe moments it was his cuftom to negleCt all ftudy, to banifh labour of thought entirely from his mind. His phyfician one day afked him, " How then " do you employ your time, if you do not think ?"—" I " retire to the window of my chamber, and count the " tiles upon the roof of my neighbour's houfc." Without ' on the Mind and the Heart. 47 Without thy tranquil wifdom, O my beloved Men- delfohm ! without thy resignation to the will of Heaven, we can never reach that elevated grandeur of character, can never attain to that dignified endurance of our sufferings, can never poffefs that ftoic fortitude which places human happinefs beyond the reach of mifery, and out of the power of fate. Thy great example pours confolation into the heart; and humanity fhould behold with grateful joy the fuperiority which refignation af- fords to us, even under the fevereft of phyfical misfo *- tunes. A flight effort to obtain the fainteft ray of comfort, and a calm refignation under inevitable misfortunes, will mutually contribute to procure relief. The man whofe mind adheres to virtue, will never permit himfelf to be fo far overcome by the fenfe of misfortune, as not to endeavour to vanquish his feelings, even when, fallen into the unhappy ftate of defpair, he no longer tees any profpeCt of comfort or confolation. The moft dejeCted bofom may endure fenfations deeply afflicting, provid- ed the mind be not lazy and inactive, will exercife its attention on fome other objeCt than itfelf, and make the fmaileft effort to withdraw the foul from brooding over its torments and its forrows, by infpiring the mind with ideas of virtuous fentiments, noble aCHons, and generous inclinations. For this reafon, it is neceffary to cultivate in our minds the love of aCtivity, and, after a dutiful and entire fubmiffion to the difpenfations of Heaven, force ourfelves into employment, until, from the warmth of our exertions, we acquire a habit of alertnefs. I con- fider a difpofition to be aCtive amidft that difguft and apathy which deftroy the nerves of life, as the moft fure and efficacious antidote againft the poifon of a dejeCted fpirit, a foured temper, a melancholy mind. The influence of the mind upon the body is one of the moft confolatory truths to thofe who are the fubjeCt of habitual sufferings. Supported by this idea, they ne- ver 48 The Influence of Solitude ver permit their reafon to be entirely overcome: reli- gion, under this idea, never lofes its powerful empire in the breaft : and they are never inftruCted in the lamenta- ble truth, that men of the fiscft fenfibilities and moft cultivated understandings frequently difcover lefs forti- tude under afflictions than the moft vulgar of mankind. It is perhaps incredible, that Cainpanella fhould have been capable of deranging his mind by gloomy reflec- tions, to fuch a degree that he might have endured the tortures of the rack with lefs pain; but I can, from my own experience, affert, that even in the extremity of dif- trefs, every objeCt which diverts the attention foftens the evils we endure, and frequently drives them, unper- ceived, away. Many celebrated philofophers have by this means at length been able not only to preferve a tranquil mind in the midft of the moft poignant sufferings, but have even increafed the ftrength of their intellectual faculties in fpite of their corporeal pains. Rouffeau compofed the greater part of his immortal works under the continual preffure of ficknefs and of grief. Gellert, who, by his mild, agreeable, and inftruCtive writings, has become the preceptor of Germany, certainly found in this interesting occupation the fureft remedy againft melancholy. At an age already far advanced in life, Mendelfohm, who, although not by nature fubjeCt to dejeClion, was for a long time opprcffed by an almoft inconceivable derange- ment of the nervous fyftem, by submitting with pati- ence and docility to his sufferings, ftill maintains all the noble and fublime advantages of his youth. Garve, who had lived whole years without being able to read, to write, or to think, afterwards compofed his Tfeatife on Cicero; and in that work, this profound writer, fo circumfpeCt in all his expreffions that he would have been fenfibly affeCted if any word too emphatic had dropped from his pen, with a fpecies of enthufiafm re- turns thanks to the Almighty God for the imbecility of his . on the Mind and the Heart. 49 his conftitutios, becaufe it had convinced him of the ex- tenfive influence which the powers of the mind poffefs over thofe of the body. A firm refolution, a fteady adherence towards fome noble and interefting end, will enable us to endure the moft poignant affliction. An heroic courage is natural in all the dangerous enterprizes of ambition, and in the little croffes of life is much more common than patience; but a perfevering courage under evils of long duration, is a quality rarely feen, efpecially when the foul, ener- vated by melancholy, abandons itfelf to defpair, its moft ordinary refuge, and looks up to Heaven alone for its protection. It is this that renders melancholy the moft fevere of all the calamities of human life ; and of all the remedies againft it, there is none more efficacious than a calm and filent employment of the mind : for in Solitude the weight of melancholy is leffened by the feebleft effort, by the flighteft refinance. The moment we make it a rule never to be idle, and to bear our fufferings with patience, the keeneft anguifh of the foul flies from our refignation, yields to our fubmiffion. While we en- courage a fondnefs for aCtivity, and endeavour to impel the incumbent mifery by moderate but continued efforts, the fpirits gain new powers : a fmall victory leads to a greater conqueft ; and the joy which fuccefs infpires, immediately deftroys the notion we had entertained of endlefs forrow. If the exertions of reafon and virtue prove ineffectual againft ficknefs and ill-humour, we fhould employ the mind upon fome engaging objeCt which requires but little attention ; for the flighteft is frequently capable of fubduing the fevereft forrow. The shades of melancholy difappear, the moment we fix attention on any objeCt that interefts the mind. Of- tentimes, alas ! that extravagant defpair, that fupinenefs and apathy which rejeCts all advice, and renders us in- capable of confolation, is only a concealment of our G vexations 5° The Injtucnce of Sol dude vexations, and of confequence becomes a real malady of the mind, which it is impoffible to conquer but by a firm and conftant perfeverance. .#* To men who poffefs a fenfibility too refined, an ima- gination too ardent, to mix with comfort in the fociety of the world, and who are continually complaining of men and things, Solitude is not only defirable, but abso- lutely neceffary. He who suffers himfelf to be afflicted by that which fcarcely excites an emotion in the breafts of other men ; who complains of thofe misfortunes as fe- vere Which others fcarcely feel ; whofe mind falls into defpair unlefs his happinefs be inftantly reftored, and his wants immediately fatiofied; who suffers usceafing tor- ments from the illufions of his fancy ; who feels himfelf unhappy only becaufe profperity does not anticipate his wishes ; who murmurs againft the bleffingshe receives, becaufe he is ignorant of his real wants; who flies from one amufement to another; who is alarmed at every thing, and enjoys nothing : he, alas ! is not formed for fociety; and if Solitude have not power to heal his wounded fpirit, the earth certainly contains no remedy to cure him. Men who in other refpeCts are very rational, poffeffed of excellent hearts, of pious difpofitions, frequently fall into chfquietude and defpair, but it is almoft entirely their own fault. If their defpair arife, as is generally the cafe, from unfounded fears; if they love to torment them- felves and others upon every flight inconvenience, upon the fmalleft derangement of their health ; if they con- stantly refort to medicine for that relief which reafon alone can afford ; if they will not endeavour to reprefs the wanderings of their fancies ; if, after having support- ed the acuteft pains with patience, and blunted the great- eft misfortunes by fortitude, thev neither can nor will learn to bear the punCture of the fmalleft pin, to endure the lightefl accidents of mortal life ; they ought not to complain of the want of courage to any but themfelves: fuch on the Mind and the Heart. 51 fuch characters, who by a fingle effort of the underftand- ing might look with an eye of composure and tranquilli- ty on the multiplied and fatal fires iffuing from the dread- ful cannon's mouth, fall under the apprehenfion of be- ing fired at by pop-guns. Firmnefs, refolution, and all thofe qualities of the foul which form a ftoic hardnefs of character, are much fooner acquired by a quiet communion with the heart, than in the bufy intercourses of mankind, where innumerable difficulties continually oppofe us ; where duty, fervility, flattery, and fear, obttruCt exertion ; where every thing unites to deftroy our powers ; and where, for this reafon,; men of the weakeft minds and moft contracted notions are always more aCtive and popular, gain more attention, and are better received than men of enlarged and noble minds. / The mind fortifies itfelf with impregnable ftrength un- der the shades of Solitude againft sufferings and afflic- tion. In retirement, the frivolous attachments which fteal away the foul, and drive it wandering, as chance may direCt, into a dreary void, die away. The diftraCt- ing multiplicity of enjoyments are here renounced; we have experienced how little we want; perhaps have made fo confiderable a progrefs in the knowledge of ourfelves, that we feel no difcompofure when the Almighty chaftifes us with afflictions, humbles our proud fpirits and vain conceits, thwarts the violence of our paffions, and re- ftores us to a lively fenfe of our inanity and weaknefs. How many important truths do we here learn, of which the worldly-minded man has no idea; truths which the torrent of vanity overwhelms in his diffipated foul'! How familiarifed we become with the evils attached to a ftate of mortality, in proportion as we call the calm eye of re- flection on ourfelves and on the objeCts which surround us ! In a ftate of Solitude and tranquillity, how differ- ent every thing appears! The heart expands to the moft virtuous fentiments; the blufh of confcience reddens on the 52 The Influence of Solitude the cheek; we reach the fublimcft conceptions of the mind, adopt the boldeft refolutions, and obierve a con- duct, truly irreproachable. The unfortunate being who deplores the death of fome beloved friend, conftantly feels a ftrong defire to with- draw from the intercourfe of fociety ; while all unite to deftroy the laudable inclination. They avoid all con- verfation with the unhappy fufferer on the fubjeCt of his lofs, and think it more consolatory to surround him with a crowd of acquaintance, cold and indifferent to the event, who think their duties sufficiently difcharged by paying the tributary vifit, and chattering from morning till evening on the current topics of the town, as if each of their pleafantries conveyed a balm of comfort into the wounded heart. " Leave me to myfelf 7" I exclaimed a thoufand times, within two years after my arrival in Germany, where I loft the lovely idol of my heart, the amiable companion of my life. Her departed fpirit Hill hovers round me : the tender recolleCtion of all that the was to me, the af- flicting remembrance of all that the suffered on my ac- count, are always prefent to my mind. What purity and innocence ! What mildnefs and affability ! Her death was as calm and refigned as her life was pure and virtu- ous! During five long months the lingering pangs of diffolution hung continually around her. One day, as she reclined upon her pillow, while I read to her " The Death of Chrift" by Rammler, the cafl her eyes over the page, and filently pointed out to me the following paf- fage:—« My breath grows weak, my days are shortened, " my heart is full of affliction, and my foul prepares to " take its flight." Alas ! when I recall all thofe circum- ftances to my mind, and recolleCt how impoffible it was for me to abandon the world at that moment of anguifh and diftrefs, when I carried the feeds of death within my bofom, when I had neither fortitude to bear my afflic- tions, nor courage to refift them; while I was yet pur- sued on the Mind and the Heart. 53 fued by malice, and outraged by calumny; in fuch a fitu- ation, I can eafily conceive that my exclamation might be, " Leave me to myjelf!" . To be alone, far retired from the tumults and embar- raffments of fociety, is the firft and fondeft defire of the heart, when under fuch misfortunes, we are unhappily fituated among men who, incapable of equal feeling, have no idea of the torments we endure. How ! to live in Solitude, to relinquifh the fociety of men, to be buried, during life, in fome wild deferted country! Oh yes ! fuch a retreat affords a tender and certain confolation under all the afflictions which fatten on the heart. Such is the eternal Separation of fenfible and beloved friends ; a fep'aration more grievous and ter- rifying than the fatal period itfelf which terminates exist- ence : the heart is torn with anguifh, the very ground we tread on feems to fink beneath our feet, when this hor- rible and hidden event divides us from thofe who had for fo long a period been all in all to us in life, whofe memory neither time nor accident can wipe away, and whofe abfence renders all the pleafures of the world o- dious to our fight. Solitude in fuch an event is our on- ly refource : but to foften the grief which this eternal feparation infiiCts, to remove the forrows which prey upon the poor heart, to wipe away the tears from the cheeks, we muft, even in Solitude, contisue to employ the mind, to excite its attention to the accomplishment of fome interefting end, and lead the imagination from one objeCt to another. How many torments, alas ! are there that lie concealed from the oblervation of the world, which we muft learn to bear within our own bofoms, and which can only be fattened by Solitude and retirement! Reprefent to yourfelf an unfortunate foreigner placed in a country where every one was fufpicious of his cha- racter, borne down by misfortunes from every fide, at- tacked c very moment by defpair; who, during a long courfe 54 The Influence of Solitude courfe of years, could neither ftoop nor fit to write, with- out feeling the moft excruciating pains; in a country, where, from a fanatic prejudice, every one ftrewed thorns and briers in his path ; where, in the midft of all his afflictions, he was deprived of the objeCt which was deareft to him in the world. Yet it was in fuch a coun- try, and under thefe circumftances, that he, at length, found a perfon who extended the hand of affeCtion to- wards him ;* whofe voice, like a voice from Heaven, faid to him : " Come, I will dry up your tears, I will in- " fpire courage into your wounded heart. I will be the " kind comforter of all your sufferings, aid you to fup- t; port them, banifh the remembrance of forrow from 16 your mind, recall your fenfibilitiy to the touching " beauties of nature, and force you to acknowledge, that «• the Religion we profefs is alfo infpired by a beneficent " Deity, whofe goodnefs ftrews flowers over the paths " of life. You fhall afterwards afford affiftance to me,