The guests were no fooner feated, but they entered into a warm debate about the Triclinium, and the manner of Decubitus of the ancients, which Cornelius broke off in this manner.

<6

"This day, my friends, I purpofe to exhibit my "fon before you; a child not wholly unworthy "of inspection, as he is descended from a race of "virtuofi Let the phyfiognomists examine his "features; let the chirographifts behold his palm; "but above all, let us confult for the calculation "of his nativity. To this end, as the child is not vulgar, I will not present him unto you in a vul66 gar manner. He fhall be cradled in my ancient "fhield fo famous through the univerfities of Europe. You all know how I purchased that invalu"able piece of antiquity, at the great (though indeed "inadequate) expence of all the plate of our fa "mily, how happily I carried it off, and how tri"umphantly I transported it hither, to the inexpreffible grief of all Germany. Happy in every circumftance, but that it broke the heart of "the great Melchior Infipidus !"

Here he ftopped his fpeech, upon fight of the maid, who entered the room with the child. He took it in his arms and proceeded.

"Behold then my child, but firft behold the "fhield; behold this ruft or rather let me call it this precious ærugo,behold this beautiful varnifh of time, this venerable verdure of fo

many ages

In fpeaking thefe words, he flowly lifted up the mantle, which covered it, inch by inch; but at every inch he uncovered, his cheeks grew paler, his hand trembled, his nerves failed, till, on fight of the whole, the tremor became univerfal. The fhield and the infant both dropt to the ground; and he had only ftrength enough to cry out, "O "God! my fhield, my fhield !"

The truth was, the maid (extremely concerned

for

for the reputation of her own cleanlinefs, and her young master's honour,) had fcoured it as clean as her andirons *.

Cornelius funk back in a chair, the guests ftood. aftonished, the infant fquawled, the maid ran in, fnatched it up again in her arms, flew into her mistress's room, and told what had happened. Down stairs in an instant hurried all the goffips, where they found the Doctor in a trance Hungary water, hartfhorn, and the confufed noise of thrill voices, at length awakened him: when, opening his eyes, he saw the shield in the hands of the housemaid. "O woman! woman!" he cried, (and fnatched it violently from her,) "was it to thy ig

66

norance that this relic owes its ruin? where, "where is the beautiful cruft that covered thee fo long? where thofe traces of time, and fingers, as it were, of antiquity? Where all thofe beau"tiful obfcurities, the caufe of much delightful "difputation, where doubt and curiofity went hand "in hand, and eternally exercifed the fpeculations "of the learned? All this the rude touch of an ig

66

norant woman hath done away! The curious "prominence at the belly of that figure, which "fome taking for the cufpis of a fword, denomina"ted a Roman foldier; others accounting the in

fignia virilia, pronounced it to be one of the Dir "Termini; behold the hath cleaned it in like shame"ful fort, and fhewn to be the head of a nail. O my fhield! my fhield well may I fay with Ho

66 race, non bene relicta Parmula.”

The goffips, not at all inquiring into the caule of his forrow, only afked if the child had no hurt? and cried, Come, come, all is well; what has "the woman done but her duty? a tight cleanly "wench, I warrant her; what a stir a man makes "about a bason, that an hour ago, before this la*Poor Vad us, long with learned fpleen devour'd,. Can tafte no pleasure fince his fhield was fcour'd. Pope. B 3

"bour

"A

"bour was bestowed upon it, a country-barber "would not have hung at his fhop-door." "bafon!" (cried another,)" no fuch matter; it is "nothing but a paultry old fconce, with the noz"zle broke off." The learned gentlemen, who till now had stood fpeechlefs, hereupon looking narrowly on the shield, declared their affent to this lat ter opinion, and defired Cornelius to be comforted, affuring him that it was a fconce, and no other. But this, inftead of comforting, threw the Doctor into fuch a violent fit of paffion, that he was carried off groaning and fpeechlefs to bed; where, being quite spent, he fell into a kind of flumber.

CHA P. IV.

Of the fuction and nutrition of the great Scriblerus in his infancy, and of the firft rudiments of his learning.

AS foon as Cornelius awaked, he raised himself

on his elbow, and cafting his eyes on Mrs. Scriblerus, fpoke as follows: " Wifely was it faid "by Homer, that in the cellar of Jupiter are two "barrels, the one of good, the other of evil, which

he never beftows on mortals feparately, but con"ftantly mingles them together. Thus at the fame "time hath Heaven bleffed me with the birth of a «fon, and afflicted me with the fcouring of my

fhield. Yet let us not repine at his difpenfations, "who gives, and who takes away; but rather join "in prayer, that the ruft of antiquity, which he "hath been pleafed to take from my fhield, may "be added to my ion; and that fo much of it, as "it is my purpose he fhall contract in his educa

"tion, may never be destroyed by any modern polifhing."

He could no longer bear the fight of the fhield, but ordered it should be removed for ever from his eyes. It was not long after purchased by Dr. Woodward, who, by the affiftance of Mr. Kemp, incrufted it with a new ruft, and is the fame whereof a cut hath been ingraved, and exhibited, to the great contentation of the learned.

Cornelius now began to regulate the fuction of his child. Seldom did there pafs a day without difputes between him and the mother, or the nurse, concerning the nature of aliment. The poor woman never dined but he denied her fome difh or other, which he judged prejudicial to her milk. One day fhe had a longing defire to a piece of beef; and as the ftretched her hand towards it, the old gentle man drew it away, and spoke to this effect." Hadft "thou read the ancients, O nurse, thou wouldst "prefer the welfare of the infant which thou nou"rifheft, to the indulging of an irregular and vo、 "racious appetite. Beef, it is true, may confer a " robuftnefs on the limbs of my fon, but will he "betate and clog his intellectuals." While he fpoke this, the nurse looked upon him with much anger, and now and then caft a wifhful eye upon the beef." Paffion" (continued the Doctor, ftill holding the difh,) "throws the mind into too vid"lent a fermentation; it is a kind of fever of the

"

foul, or, as Horace expreffes it, a fhort madness. "Confider, woman, that this day's fuction of my, "fn may cause him to imbibe many ungovernable paffions, and in a manner fpoil him for the temper of a philofopher. Romulus, by fucking a "wolf, became of a fierce and favage difpofition; " and were I to breed fome Ottoman emperor, or "founder of a military commonwealth, perhaps I "might indulge thee in this carnivorous appetite." -What! interrupted the nurfe, beef fpoil the understanding!

derstanding! that's fine indeed-How then could our parfon preach as he does upon beef, and pudding too, if you go to that? Do not tell me of your ancients; had not you almost killed the poor babe with a difh of dæmonial black broth?" La"cedæmonian black broth, thou would fay," (replied Cornelius); "but I cannot allow the furfeit to have been occafioned by that diet, fince it was "recommended by the divine Lycurgus. No, "nurse, thou must certainly have eaten fome meats "of ill digestion the day before, and that was the "real caufe of his diforder. Confider, woman, the

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different temperaments of different nations. What "makes the English phlegmatic and melancholy, "but beef? what renders the Welfh fo hot and "choleric, but cheese and leeks? the French derive "their levity from the soups, frogs, and mushrooms? "I would not let my fon dine like an Italian, left, "like an Italian, he should be jealous and revenge"ful; the warm and folid diet of Spain may be more beneficial, as it might endue him with a profound gravity, but at the fame time he might "fuck in with their food their intolerable vice of

pride. Therefore, nurse, in fhort, I hold it re"quifite to deny you at prefent, not only beef, but "likewife whatfoever any of thofe nations eat." During this fpeech, the nurse remained pouting and marking her plate with the knife, nor would the touch a bit during the whole dinner. This the old gentleman obferving, ordered that the child, to avoid the risk of imbibing ill humours, fhould be kept from her breast all that day, and be fed with butter mixed with honey, according to a prefcription he had met with fomewhere in Euftathius upon Homer. This indeed gave the child a great loofenefs; but he was not concerned at it, in the opini nion that whatever harm it might do his body, would be amply recompenfed by the improvements of his understanding. But from thenceforth he in