to be looked upon as a piece of natural Careleffness and Levity, rather than Fortitude. The Refolution of Socrates proceeded from very different Motives, the Consciousness of a well-fpent Life, and the Profpect of a happy Eternity. If the ingenious Author abovementioned was fo pleafed with Gaiety of Humour in a dying Man, he might have found a much nobler Inftance of it in our Countryman Sir Thomas More.

THIS great and learned Man was famous for enlivening his ordinary Difcourfes with Wit and Pleafantry; and, as Erafmus tells him in an Epistle Dedicatory, acted in all parts of Life like a fecond Democritus.

HE died upon a point of Religion, and is respected as a Martyr by that Side for which he fuffer'd. That innocent Mirth which had been fo confpicuous in his Life, did not forfake him to the laft: He maintain'd the fame Chearfulness of Heart upon the Scaffold, which he used to shew at his Table; and upon laying his Head on the Block, gave Inftances of that Good-Humour with which he had always entertained his Friends in the most ordinary Occurrences. His Death was of a Piece with his Life. There was nothing in it new, forced or affected. He did not look upon the fevering of his Head from his Body as a Circumftance that ought to produce any Change in the Difpofition of his Mind; and as he died under a fixed and fettled Hope of Immortality, he thought any unusual degree of Sorrow and Concern improper on fuch an Occafion, as had nothing in it which could deject or terrify him.

THERE is no great danger of Imitation from this Example. Mens natural Fears will be a fufficient Guard against it. I fhall only obferve, that what was Philofophy in this extraordinary Man, would be Frenzy in one who does not resemble him as well in the Chearfulness of his Temper, as in the Sanctity of his Life and Manners.

I fhall conclude this Paper with the Inftance of a Perfon who seems to me to have fhewn more Intrepidity and Greatness of Soul in his dying Moments, than what we meet with among any of the most celebrated Greeks and Romans. I meet with this Initance in the History of the Revolutions in Portugal, written by the Abbot de Vertot.

WHEN

WHEN Don Sebaftian, King of Portugal, had invaded the Territories of Muly Moluc, Emperor of Morroco, in order to dethrone him, and fet his Crown upon the Head of his Nephew, Moluc was wearing away with a Distemper which he himself knew was incurable. However, he prepared for the Reception of fo formidable an Enemy. He was indeed fo far fpent with his Sickness, that he did not expect to live out the whole Day, when the laft decifive Battle was given; but knowing the fatal Confe quences that would happen to his Children and People, in cafe he fhould die before he put an end to that War, he commanded his principal Officers that if he died during the Engagement, they fhould conceal his Death from the Army, and that they fhould ride up to the Litter in which bis Corpfe was carried, under Pretence of receiving Orders from him as ufual. Before the Battle begun, he was carried through all the Ranks of his Army in an open Litter, as they food drawn up in Array, encouraging them to fight valiantly in defence of their Religion and Country. Finding afterwards the Battle to go against him, tho' he was very near his laft Agonies, he threw himself out of his Litter, rallied his Army, and led them on to the Charge; which afterwards ended in a compleat Victory on the fide of the Moors. He had no fooner brought his Men to the Engagement, but finding himself utterly spent, he was again replaced in his Litter, where laying his Finger on his Mouth, to enjoin Secrecy to his Officers, who tood about him, he died a few Moments after in that Pofture.

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Friday,

No 350. Friday, April 11.

Ea animi elatio qua cernitur in periculis, fi Fuftitia vacat, pugnatque pro fuis ‘commodis, in vitio eft.

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Tull.

APTAIN SENTREY was laft Night at the Club, and produced a Letter from Ipswich, which his Correfpondent defired him to communicate to his Friend the SPECTATOR, It contained an Account of an Engagement between a French Privateer, commanded by one Dominick Pottiere, and a little Veffel of that Place laden with Corn, the Mafter whereof, as I remember, was one Goodwin. The Englishman defended himself with incredible Bravery, and beat off the French, after having been boarded three or four times. The Enemy ftill came on with greater Fury, and hoped by his Number of Men to carry the Prize, till at laft the Englishman finding him felf fink apace, and ready to perish, ftruck: But the Effect which this fingular Gallantry had upon the Captain of the Privateer, was no other than an unmanly Defire of Vengeance for the Lofs he had fuftained in his feveral Attacks. He told the Ipswich Man in a fpeaking-Trumpet, that he would not take him aboard, and that he stayed to fee him fink. The Englishman at the fame time obferved diforder in the Veffel, which he rightly judged to proceed from the Difdain which the Ship's Crew had of their Captain's Inhumanity: With this hope he went into his Boat, and approached the Enemy. He was taken in by the Sailors in fpite of their Commander; but though they received him against his Command, they treated him when he was in the Ship in the manner he directed. Pottiere caused his Men to hold Goodwin, while he beat him with a Stick till he fainted with Lofs of Blood, and Rage of Heart; after which he ordered him into Irons, without allowing him any Food, but fuch as one or two of the VOL. V.

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Men

Men stole to him under peril of the like Ufage: After having kept him several Days overwhelmed with the Mifery of Stench, Hunger, and Soreness, he brought him into Calais. The Governour of the Place was foon acquainted with all that had paffed, difmiffed Pottiere from his Charge with Ignominy, and gave Goodwin all the Relief which a Man of Honour would bestow upon an Enemy barbaroufly treated, to recover the Imputation of Cruelty upon his Prince and Country.

WHEN Mr. SENTREY had read his Letter, full of many other Circumftances which aggravate the Barbarity, he fell into a fort of Criticifm upon Magnanimity and Courage, and argued that they were infeparable; and that Courage, without regard to Juftice and Humanity, was no other than the Fierceness of a wild Beast. A good and truly bold Spirit, continued he, is ever actuated by Reafon and a Senfe of Honour and Duty: The Affectation of fuch a Spirit exerts it felf in an impudent Afpect, an over-bearing Confidence, and a certain Negligence of giving Offence. This is vifible in all the cocking Youths you fee about this Town, who are noify in Affemblies, unawed by the Presence of wise and virtuous Men; in a word, infenfible of all the Honours and Decencies of human Life. A fhameless Fellow takes advantage of Merit clothed with Modefty and Magnanimity, and in the eyes of little People appears sprightly and agreeable; while the Man of Refolution and true Gallantry is overlooked and difregarded, if not defpifed. There is a Propriety in all things; and I believe what you Scholars call juft and fublime. in oppofition to turgid and bombaft Expreffion, may give you an Idea of what I mean, when I fay Modefty is the certain Indication of a great Spirit, and Impudence the Affectation of it. He that writes w th Judgment, and never rifes into improper Warmths, manifeits the true Force of Genius; in like manner, he who is quiet and equal in all his Bebaviour, is fupported in that Deportment by what we may call true Courage. 'Alas, it is not so eafy a thing to be a brave Man as the unthinking part of Mankind imagine: To dare, is not all that there is in it. The Privateer we were just now talking of,

had

had Boldness enough to attack his Enemy, but not Greatnefs of Mind enough to admire the fame Quality exerted by that Enemy in defending himself. Thus his bafe and little Mind was wholly taken up in the fordid regard to the Prize, of which he failed, and the Damage done to his own Veffel; and therefore he used an honest Man, who defended his own from him, in the manner as he would a Thief that should rob him.

HE was equally disappointed, and had not Spirit enough to confider that one cafe would be laudable, and the other criminal. Malice, Rancour, Hatred, Vengeance, are what tear the Breafts of mean Men in Fight; but Fame, Glory, Conquefts, Defires of Opportunities to pardon and oblige their Oppofers, are what glow in the Minds of the Gallant. The Captain ended his Difcourfe with a Specimen of his Book-Learning; and gave us to understand that he had read a French Author on the Subject of Juftness in point of Gallantry. I love, faid Mr. SENTREY, a Critick who mixes the Rules of Life with Annotations upon Writers. My Author, added he, in his Difcourfe upon Epick Poem, takes occafion to speak of the fame quality of Courage drawn in the two different Characters of Turnus and Eneas: He makes Courage the chief and greatest Ornament of Turnus; but in Aneas there are many others which outfhine it, amongst the reft that of Piety. Turnus is therefore all along painted by the Poet full of Oftentation, his Language haughty and vain-glorious, as placing bis Honour in the Manifeftation of his Valour; Eneas fpeaks little, is flow to Action; and fhews only a fort of defenfive Courage. If Equipage and Address make Turnus appear more coutageous than Æneas, Conduct and Succefs prove Eneas more valiant than Turnus.

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