The New Hampshire Gazette Newspaper, August 14, 1761, Page 1

4 FRIDAY, AvucusT 14. 1761. THE - New-Hampfhire T Gontaining the Frefbeft Advices, The Evils of Idlenefs ; from The CONNOISEUR, No. 131. § O other difpofition or turn of mind fo totally unfits a man for all the focial B8 cfices of life as indolence. Anidle man is a mere blank in the creation, he feems made for no end, and lives 2 tono purpofe. He cannot engage him- felf in any employment or profeffion, bessufe he will never have diligence enough to follow it ; he can fuccecd in no undertaking, for he will never’purfue it ; he muft be a bad hufband, father, and relation, for he will not take the leaft pains to preferve his wife, children,and family from ftarving ; and he muft be a worthlefs friend, for he would not draw his hand from his bofom, though to preveat the diftrution of the univerfe. Ifheis bora poor he will remain {o all his life, which will probably end ina ditch or at the gallows ; if he embarks in trade he will be a bankrupt ; and if he “is a perfon of fortune, his, ftewards will acquire immenfe eftates, and himfelf per- haps will die in the Fleer. It fhould be confidered that nature did not bring us into the world in a ftate of perfettion, but has left us in a capacity of improvement, which fhould feem to in- timate that we fhould labour to render ourfeives excel- lent. Very few are fuch abfolute ideots, as not to be able to become at lealt decent, if not eminent, in their feveral ftations, by unwearied and keen application : nor are there any pofleft of fuch tranfcendant genius. and abilities, as to render all pains and diligence ua- neceffary. Perfeverance will overcome difficalties, which at firft appear infuperable ; and it is amaging to confider, how great and numerous obftacles may be re- moved by a continual attention to aoy particular peint, I will not mention here the trite example of Demofibenes, who got over the greateft natural impediment to oratory, but content myfelf with a more modern and familiar inftance. Being at Sadler’s Wells a few nights ago, I could not but admire the furprifing feats of aivity there exhibited, and at the fame time refle€ted what incredible pains and labour it muft bave coft the per, formers to arrive at the artof writhing their bodies into fach various and unnatural contortions. But I was moft tiken with the ingenious artift, who after fixing two bezlls to each foot, the fame number to each hand, with great propriety placing a cap and bells on his head, played feveral tunes, and went through as regular triple peals and Bob Majors, as the boys at Chriff Church hofpital ; all which be effc&ted by the due jerking of his arms and legs, and nodding his head backward and forward. If this artift had taken equal pains to em- ploy his head in another way, he might perhaps have been as deep a proficiet in numbers as Fededia Buxton, or at leaft a tolerable modern rhimer, of which he is now no bad emblem : and if cur fine ladies would vfe equal diligence they might fathion their minds as fuc- cefsfully as Madan Catherina difterts her body. There is n@: in' the world a more ufelefs idle animal, thar he who contents himfelf with being merely a gentleman. He has an efate therefore he will not endeavour to acquire knowledge : he is not to labour in any vocation, therefore he will do nothing. Bui the misfortune is, that there is no fuch thing in nature as negative virtue, and that abfolute idlenefs is impractica ble. He who does no good, will certainly do m.{chief; and the mind, if it is not ftored with aleful knowledge, will neceflarily become a magazine of nonfenfe and trifles. Wherefore a gentleman, tho’ he is not obliged ta rife to open his fhop or work at his trade, may always find fome ways of employing his time to advantage. It he makes no advances in wifdom, he will become more and more a {lave to folly ; and he that daes no- thing becaufe he has nothing te do, will become vicious and abandoned, or at beft, ridiculous and contemptible. There is not 2 more melancholy obje&, than a man of an honeft heart and fise natural abilities, whofe good qualities are thus deftroyed by indofence. Such a per- fon is a conftant plague to ail his friends and acquaint- ance, with all the meaons in his power of adding to their happinefs ; and fuffers himfelf to rank among the loweft charatters, when he might render himfelf confpicuous among the higheft. Nubudy is more univer(ally be- Joved, and more univerlally avoided than my friend Carele/s. beneficent aflion ; and a man of unthaken integrity, or whom it is impeffible to depend. With the beft head and the beft heart he regulates his conduét in the moft abfurd manner, and frequently injures his friends ; for awhoever negleéts to do juftice to himfeif, muft inevita. bly wrong thofe with whom he is connefied ; and it -aged 6o. He is a humane man, who never dida NuMms. 254 [Wuxs fince this Papeg is by no means a true maxim, that an idle man hurts nobody bat himfelf. Virtue then is not to be confidered in the light of mere innocence, or abftaining from harm, but as the exertion of faculties in doing good : as 7isus, when he had let a day flip, undiftinguthed by fome att of virtue, cried out, ‘I have lofta day.” If we regard our time in this light, how maiy days fhall we lock back upon as irretrievably loft ; and to how narrow a compafs would fuch & method ¢/ calculation frequently reduce the longett life ? If we were to number our days accordingly as we have applied them to virtue, it wonid occafion ftrange revolutions in the manner of reckoning the ages of men. We fhould {ee fome few men arrive at a good old age in the prime of their youth, and meet with feveral young fellows of four(core. Agreeable to this way of thinking, I remember to have met with the epitaph of an aged man four years old ; dating his exiftence from the time of his refor- mation ;from evil courfes. Infcriptions on moft tomb flones commemorate no acs of virtue performea by the perfon who lie under them, but only record that they were born one day and died another. But I would fain have thofe people, whofe lives have been ufelefs, . rendered of fome fervice after their deaths, by affording leffons of inftruction and morality to thofe they leave behind them. Wherefore I could wifh; that in every ?lrifh feveral acres were marked out for a new and pacious burying. ground, in which every perfon, whofe remains are there depofited, fhould have a fmall ftone laid over them, reckoring ‘their age according to the manner in which they have improved or abafed the time allotted them in their lives, Infuch circamftances, the plate ona coffin might be the higheft pancgyric which the deceafed could receive ; and a little fquare ftone, infcrihed with Ob. Aan. Z'rat. 85. would be a nobler eulogium than all the lapidary adulation of modern epitaphs. In a burying ground of this nature, aliowing for the partiality of furvivers, which would certainly point out the moft brilliant aftions of their dead friends, we might perbaps fee fome infcriptions not much uslike the following : Here lie the remains of a celebrated beauty, aged 50, who died in the fifth year of her ape. She was born in her 18th year, and was uatimely killed by the fmall pox in her twenty third. Here refts in eternal fleep the mortal part of L. B. a free thinker, aged 88, an infant.—He came into the warld by chance in the year and was annibilated in the firft year of his age. Here continus to rot the bones of a noted buck, an embryo, who never fhewed any figns &f life,and after 23 years was {o totally putrified,that he could not be kept above ground any longer. Here lies the {woln carcafe of a bon companion, who was born ina dropfy in the 4oth year of bis age: He lingered in this condition till he was obliged to be tap- ped, when he relap(cd into his former condition, and died in the 2d year of his age, and the 23d of hisdrink- ing. sHere lies Jjaac Da Coffa, aconvert from Judaifm, He wasborn and chriftened in his 61ft year, and died in the true faith in the 3d year of his age. Here is depofited the body of the celebrated Beau 7 awdry, who was born at court in the year———on a birtbnight, and died of grief in hisfecond year, upon the court’s going into mourning. Here rots 4. B flill born, whodied of a fright on the 20th of May 1756. Here refts from his labours the brave Gen. B. who died about the hundredth year of his age, older than Metbufeiab. B O S T O N, Auguftio. Tuefday Capizin Stacey arrived at Marblehead in 38 Days friom Lifbon, by whom we have a London Print of the z6th of May laft, which contains Accounts received in England from the Forces at the Artack on Belleifle : The whole of which wasnot reduced, when the Cutter left that 1fland, as ha: been mentioned lately in the Papers :—But as only the Citadel remained, according to the laft Intelligence, there is no doubt the whole Garrifon, with the Ifland muft foon after have furrender'd. N APLES, Arilé. THE followirg is a Tranflation of tbe Turkifh Manifefto againft the Maltefe : ‘¢ By the mighty, powerful, grand Sultan Ofman, &c. st 8k H E great Amurath, illaltrions Suitan of ok % the Turks, our predeceflor, and well- EO) T 2% beloved Brother, of immortal memory, 795185 484 748 4% had conceived the defign of Wrellil}g ‘th'c litke Rock of the Knights of Malta from the Chrifti- was firft Publith’d. GAZETTE Foreign and Domeflick. - ans, and deftroying their fhips, which cover and in- feft our {c2s ; bu: death fraiched him - ¢ff, and pre- vented hic project from taking effe@®. To us he left it in charge by his will, to fee his defign put: in ex- ecution. Perbaps we fhoud havedeterred (he En- terprize, had we not been obliged to it by ou- julk wrath againit thefe Knights and theit ABE I'TORS ; the behaviour of whom, in regard to cur fhips, is but too thocking. Therefore, taking a quick and lawfal refolution, we ordain by this prefent ordonarce, thag our fubjcts appear ac Conflantinople in moon of March, with their gaileys, and their other armed veffels ; and that all the thips in our arferals be ready at the fame time, that we.may embark our army, in order that it may imprint terror in the univerfe ; that the whole Chriftian world may feel our juft indignation ; and that by our invincible power may be made the laft maflacre of the Chriftians, &c. Hague, May 17. The different Advices receiv- ed this Day from Italy bring, that the Venetians be- ing apprehenfive that the Military Preparations car- rying on by the Turks may partly be defizned againlt them, have come to a Refolution to augment their Land Forces to 60000 Men, and of making pro< portionate Addition ta their Navy. Madrid, April 28. Advices from Vigo, bring, that a French Frigate, named the Buffoor, had bro’t into that Port three Englifh Vefiels very richly laden. There are Letters from Venice which mention the Death of Don John Didedo, a Senator, in the 104th Year of his Age. L O N D O N, May 24 Among the various Letters we have received from Belleifle, we have received the following Anecdote of Lord Pultency, who was marching with his Company to the general Attack of Fort Palais, but being greatly galled by a Battery which tock his Men in Flank, turned about and told them to follow him, for they muft take that Place before they proceeded, ctherwife shey fhould all be cut off 5 accordingly he lcdthemen 3 and they tosk the Place Sword in Hand. Another mentions, that M. St. Croix having put Col. Crauford, and the reft of the Eaglith Prifoners, in that Part of FortPalais where the Englith weré going to make their general Attack, {fent General Hodgfon Word of it, and that he had no other Place of Safety to put them in; the Englih General remorftiated againft fuch an unprecedented A&, and after feveral Meflages between them came to this Determination, that for every Englithman which fhould be killed in the Fort, if he fucceeded, he would immediately hang up three Frenchmen. Another likewife informs us that in the Sally the French made upon their Troops, M. St. Croix could not get his Men to march out till he had made them three Parts drunk. i. It is faid the French are fo alarmed at Port L’ Orient and all along the Coafts of France, being left almoft without Troops,that feveral of the principal In- habitants have abfolutely moved their moft valuable Effetts. And itis farther faid, that they bave addrefl- ed the Moft Chriftian King, to recall fome of his Forces to guard their Coafls, in the ftrongeft Terms. Breft, May 8. We imagine that Admiral Kepple's Fleet will difappear from before Belleifle the fuft North Weft Wind. That Commander well knowing that the Addition of 400 Mouths muft make a confiderable Hole in the Provifions of the Citadel of Palais, will not permit the Englith Troops that have been taken Pri- foners to be removed to Vannes or elfewhere, though ftrongly follicited there to by M. de Saint Croix, nei~ ther will he allow of Surgeons being fent into the Ifland to drefs the wounded Euglith, fo fufpicious he is of the Artifices of our Nation. [ And mot without @ Reafon. ] We are ftill Mafters of the Iflands of Hedie and Hunar, the laft of which is within four Leagues of Belleifle, 2and was fruitlefly attempted to be blockaded by the Englith Fleet im 16g7. There are but 5o Men in the fortified Places of thofe two Iflands, bnt they are from their Situation inacceflible. Vannes, May 11. The frefheft Advices from Bel- leifle fay, that 150 Men have pafied over from Croific to that Ifland, and near 400 from Morhiban., Itis intended alfo to fcnd over about 2000 more in Fithing Barks, capable of containing 100 Men each. Thefe Troops land in a Place, called Mer Sauvage, which the Englith fhips cannot enter ; and are drawn out of the Garrifons of the Ports Louis and L’Orient, which are {upplied again by thofe ftationed in the more in- land Parts. All our Vefle's, as well Men of War as flatbottomed Boats and Prames, are preparing to fet out for the lame Piace, :