[Illustration]
"Yes, my dear (answered Mr. Willock, turning over the leaf), it is
beautiful, because it expresses a good passion, and one that is very
grateful to the mind--the passion of _Admiration_. Do you recollect how
delighted you all were when you were on the sea-coast, and saw the sun
rising above the horizon, and the ships sailing before the wind? what
you then felt was _Admiration_. In the passion of _Admiration_, the mind
is occupied with pleasing thoughts, usually accompanied with love,
esteem, or veneration for the object; and these sensations that give
such a pleasant turn to the features. In this passion (according to Le
Brun), the eyebrow rises; the eye opens a little more than ordinary;
the eyeball, equally between the eyelids, appears fixed on the object;
the mouth half opens; and to this disposition of features, astonishment
only exaggerates a little.
"My dear children," cried Mr. Willock, "I would wish you, as often
as possible, to indulge this passion, as it leads to many
virtues.--_Admiration_ of the objects of nature brings us to the
contemplation of an almighty God, who has filled the universe with
the innumerable wonders of creation; and, indeed, it is the whole
work of _Admiration_ to prove our dependence on him, and his great
power and goodness; for it is impossible, when we view the sun, the
moon, and the numberless stars, the wide ocean, and the extensive
landscapes covered with pasture, and with herds and flocks, not to
reflect, how great and infinitely wise must be the Author of all.
This face of Le Brun, you may observe, appears occupied in some such
contemplation. It is almost the face of devotion.
"Let us see, my dear children, what then are the most worthy objects of
_Admiration_: They may be principally classed,
"_Admiration_ of the beauty and order of the universe.
"_Admiration_ of the power and goodness of the Almighty, who created all
things.
"_Admiration_ of the structure of the human frame, of its strength and
powers, and of the animal world.
"_Admiration_ of the goodness of Providence.
"_Admiration_ of the effects of virtue, particularly of industry.
"_Admiration_ of worth, of courage, genius, talent, and of the works of
art.
"_Admiration_ of the beauty and order of the universe, is the first in
which we become engaged. We see, you know, my dears, the same blessed
sun, the fountain of heat, light, and life, return to us every
day:--clouds may sometimes obscure it, but it soon appears again, to
convince us that its presence is ordered by the Creator, to cherish the
animal world, and every plant and flower that grows. If it is night, and
we view the stars, what can we conjecture but that they must be placed
in the firmament by an Almighty hand? and it is this reflection that
occasioned one of our poets, Dr. Young, to say,
"_An undevout astronomer is mad_;" because he could not believe that any
person who had his senses would not pause with Admiration, and adore the
Being who created these wonders of the heavens. "Go to the window, my
dear William," said Mr. Willock, "and look at them for a moment; they
have just begun to appear."
William went to the window, and all the rest of the young people
followed him. Mr. Willock named to them some of the principal stars;
they were quite delighted; and when he described to them the course of
the planets, and that for many thousand years the same order had been
preserved, their faces showed the disposition of features which belong
to _Admiration_.
After they had perused the stars for a little time, Mr. Willock called
their attention again to the picture. "Let us now, my dear children,"
said he, "consider what must be the power and goodness of the Almighty,
who created all these things; what can we conceive of the hand that
could fix a ball of fire in the heavens, of the magnitude of the sun?
but our _Admiration_ increases when we reflect, that it is that fire
which occasions the plant and the herb to grow. You know, that in the
winter the ground is bare; but when spring appears, and when the sun
approaches to us, it revives nature; and the seed which has been sown
may then be seen sprouting its green heads above the earth: and the
same source it is which gives food to man. How good is all this! and do
you not think that it calls upon us to be devout, that is, to love God,
and to desire to follow his commandments, that the Almighty, who has
given us so many blessings, may continue to bless us with his
Providence, in all we do?
"The next object of our _Admiration_," said Mr. Willock, "is ourselves;
for as David says in the Psalms, 'We are fearfully and wonderfully
made;' and is it not true? Observe, William, the formation of the eye,
the curious make of the fingers, the strength of the muscles; how the
blood circulates through your veins; and then the powers of your mind;
how you can think, how you can reason upon what you hear and see. Is not
all this matter of _Admiration_?
"If," continued Mr. Willock, "we go a step lower, and survey the animal
creation, our _Admiration_ will yet be great: whether we examine the
mighty mammoth, the skeleton of which you saw at the exhibition the
other day, or the little hummingbird, which was shewn you at the museum,
still you must admire. It is true, that we admire also the works of man;
but if we do, they will only bring us back, after all, to think of that
great power which gave to human beings such capacities.
"The goodness of Providence ought to be the next great object of our
_Admiration_, which has fixed on such an order and regularity in the
universe, that it sheds a constant and continual blessing and benefit on
mankind, by the rotation of the seasons, by rains which water the earth,
and by an autumn sun to ripen the corn, and give us a plentiful harvest.
"And, in addition to this general providence, which is for the benefit
of all mankind, the good, by whom I mean those who love God, may rely on
a providence that will guard, protect, and bless them through the day.
Therefore, when you rise in the morning, pray sincerely for that
protection, and you may depend upon having it. Judge Hale, who was a
very good man, used to say, 'that he could always calculate upon the
successes of the next week, by the attention he had paid to the duties
of the Sunday; for,' said he, 'whenever I have passed that day in
admiration of the goodness of God, and have prayed sincerely for his
assistance, I have always found success to follow in my temporal
affairs.' And this subject, he said, he had not considered lightly, but
had been convinced of it from experience.
"But you must not, my dear children, if you have this reliance upon the
goodness of God, ever doubt it, or give way to mistrust, although you
may meet in your future life with crosses and vexations; because, though
you may meet with them, if you have had such a dependence, you may be
sure they are for the best, and because you cannot tell what is the best
for your own happiness. God Almighty is your heavenly father, as I may
be your father on earth; and he loves you with the same care, only with
more knowledge and _power_ to bless and protect you. Now it may have
happened, that when you have wished to take a walk in a warm summer's
day, that I may have forbid it, and that you may have been, of course,
greatly grieved and disappointed; but when in the cool of the evening I
have invited you to taste the refreshing air, you have been much better
pleased; you have discovered my reasons for having forbid it before;
that then it was ill timed, that you might have over-heated yourselves,
and have caught cold; that it would be more pleasant in the evening, and
that I could then spare time to accompany you. Think then, my dear
children, how much more should you yield to the disappointments God
Almighty may place in your way; and when they happen, make yourselves
happy with the best of all comforts, that it is from his goodness.
Besides, when you come to read more of history, and to grow up, and
notice the changes that take place in the lives of your acquaintance,
you will find, that what appears as the severest misfortune, may be the
means of bringing great good. You remember the history of Joseph, in the
Bible; and pray recollect that beautiful story through life. Joseph's
brethren, you know, who envied him, conspired against his life; but his
brother Reuben said, '_do not let us kill him_:' however, they cast him
into a pit in the wilderness, and left him. Now their belief was, that
he would perish; for they never thought that their cruelty would be the
very cause that would bring him to great honour and preferment.--And it
is thus that the evil designs of the wicked are made to produce good,
instead of harm, to the very objects of their hatred. You recollect that
a company of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead, with the camels, bearing
spicery, and palm, and myrrh, which they were going to carry down to
Egypt, bought him of his brethren, drew him out of the pit, carried him
away with them, and sold him to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, and a
captain of the guard. God Almighty inclined Potiphar to show kindness to
Joseph, and he advanced him: but a second, and greater misfortune was to
happen to Joseph, to produce him still greater good. He is falsely
accused by Potiphar's wife, and thrown into prison, where was also the
butler and baker of Pharaoh. God supplies him with wisdom to interpret
their dreams; he is sent for by Pharaoh, and gives him counsel; the king
promotes him, and makes him ruler over his house. But a yet more
extraordinary work of Providence was to be performed; Joseph was to be
the means of saving the lives of his brothers, who had conspired against
him. There was a great famine in the land of Canaan, where his father
and brothers dwelt; and Jacob sent his ten sons to Egypt for corn; but
as he had loved Joseph, and was afraid some mischief would happen to
Benjamin, he did not send him with them; he was, however, asked for by
Joseph, who pretended not to know his brothers, and whom they could not
recollect in his greatness. They were sent back for Benjamin.
"I am sure that you recollect in what manner Joseph entertained his
brothers on their return; that he forgave them in his heart; that he
relieved them from the horrors of famine; that the only rebuke he used,
when he parted with them, was of the most gentle kind--'_See that you
fall not out by the way_.'
"Now, my dear children, reflect upon this history, and how many times
Joseph appeared to have cause to complain of the hardness of his lot;
and yet it all led to honour and promotion; and this should teach you to
do the best you can, in whatsoever situation you may be placed, and to
depend on God, who is the great object of your _admiration_, for the
rest.
"The next deserving objects of our _admiration_ are the effects of
virtue, and particularly of Industry.--Virtue never fails to give
blessings to mankind; thus it is, that the good are always the most
happy. Industry has the same blessing attending it, and the recompence
is of the most delightful nature, as it gives the means of acquiring
many comforts, and the power of doing a great deal of good. Your mamma
can tell you a very pleasant story of the good effects of industry, over
indolence, or despair." At this intimation, all the young party directed
their eyes to Mrs. Willock, and "Pray, mamma, do oblige us," was
repeated by two or three of them at the same time.
Mrs. Willock, who was not only a very elegant and well-educated woman,
but extremely good-natured, smiled at the eagerness of her young
friends, and began
_The Story of the Two Gardeners._
"There were two market gardeners, who were also neighbours, and lived
somewhere near the village of Hammersmith. It happened, that the early
crops of peas, raised by these two poor men, were in one morning killed
by a severe frost.--One of the gardeners, a very short time afterwards,
having occasion to pass by the gate of his friend, called in to condole
with him on their mutual misfortune. 'Ah,' cried he to the other, 'how
unfortunate have we been, neighbour! do you know that I have done
nothing but fret ever since my disaster: but, bless me, what is here?
you have a fine healthy crop of peas saved from the frost.'--'Not so,'
cried the other.--'What are they then?' said he. 'Why,' returned the
other gardener, 'these are what I sowed immediately after my
loss.'--'What, coming up already?' cried the fretter.--'Yes.'--'Bless
me, how is that?'--'Why, while you was fretting, I was working, that's
all.'--'What, and don't you fret when you have a loss?'--'To be sure I
do.'--'Well, how then?'--'Why, though I do fret, I always put it off
until after I have repaired the mischief.'--'Lord, why then you have no
occasion to fret at all.'--'True,' replied the industrious gardener,
'and that is the very reason, the less one frets, the better.'
"I am sure, my dears, that I need not tell you the moral of this little
fable, because I am _sure_ that you have all of you good sense enough to
find it out: but as you may like to hear it from me, I will tell it
you--_That the pleasantest reflection you can have of a misfortune is,
that you have been able, by your industry, to repair it._ And it is
really astonishing, my dear children," continued she, "how many
mischiefs might be _repaired_ by a little trouble and industry."
"_Admiration_ of worth, courage, genius, talent, and of the works of
art, is the next of which," continued Mr. Willock, "we have to speak.
_Admiration_ of worth is, among good minds, very grateful, for they are
always pleased to find excellence; and in this country you may indulge
the passion at any time, by reading the works of great authors, such as
Locke, Addison, Sir Richard Steel, Doctor Johnson, and others, wherein
you will have to admire an excellent moral, and a pure and elegant
language.
"_Admiration_ of courage is another pleasant sensation, though attended
with a portion of pain. It was this kind of _Admiration_ which was felt
by Philip king of Macedon, when his son Alexander seized hold of the
bridle of Bucephalus, who was so wild and unmanageable, that no one had
been able to mount him, and softly letting fall his cloak, threw himself
upon his back in one leap, and animating him with his voice, put him in
full speed, to the astonishment of every one present. Philip, with tears
of joy and _Admiration_ in his eyes, exclaimed--'My son, seek a kingdom
more worthy of thee, for Macedon is below thy merit.'
"_Admiration_ of genius and talent may be often indulged. The many
curious pieces of mechanism that may be seen daily, are objects worthy
of _admiration_; but perhaps the most extraordinary of any to a young
mind is a ship, when it is considered, that within its space several
hundreds of persons traverse immense oceans, and sail to places many
thousand leagues distant."
"I should like very much to go on board a ship," said Henry, while his
father had paused a moment to take a pinch of snuff.
"I intend," answered Mr. Willock, "that you and your brothers shall go
to-morrow on board the Rainbow man of war, the captain of which is my
particular friend: and if you do, I think your faces will express
something more than simple _Admiration_. Suppose we look at the next
picture; will not your looks be more like it than this? for (said he, as
he turned over the leaf) it is
ADMIRATION with ASTONISHMENT.
[Illustration]
"You may observe, that the motions which accompany this passion are more
lively and stronger marked, the eyebrows more elevated, the eyes more
open, the eyeball further from the lower eyelid, and more steadily
fixed; the mouth is more open; and all the parts in a much stronger
emotion; but, lest you should be too much inclined to stare and gape, I
will tell you a story of two schoolfellows, which is
_The History of Bill Vacant and Henry Hawk's-eye_.
"Bill Vacant and Henry Hawk's-eye were schoolfellows of much about the
same age. Henry Hawk's-eye was a clever, intelligent boy, who was always
seeking after knowledge, and taking great pains to acquire it. When he
saw any thing new or curious, he was not contented with wishing that he
knew what it was, but he always set to work seriously to find out every
thing about it; and if it was a piece of mechanism, how it was made.
Bill Vacant, on the other hand, always looked as if he was very deeply
engaged in thought, when the truth was, that he was not; all the time,
thinking of any thing at all. Bill Vacant was always wondering; he would
wonder two or three times a-day what a clock it was?--what he should
have for dinner?--whether it would be fine on the morrow?--whether he
should go to see his grandmother at Christmas? or something equally
uninteresting. If he saw any curious piece of workmanship, he would
wonder how it was made, but would be satisfied with wondering; his mouth
therefore was always wide open with _Astonishment_, but was never filled
with instruction, which he would not be at the pains to gather: his was
not '_The fond attentive gaze of young Astonishment_,' mentioned by the
poet Akenside, who wrote a charming book, which you must read some day,
called 'The Pleasures of the Imagination.' Bill Vacant was always
gazing, it is true, but to very little purpose; he was not only
ignorant, but likely to continue so all his life; and so it turned out;
for Henry Hawk's-eye having reflected that his father was not rich, and
that he would have to get his own living in the world, bent his thoughts
towards a profession, and fixed upon the law. Henry was presently a
student in the Temple, and paid so much attention to his studies, that
he very soon became much resorted to to draw pleadings; and it was not
many years before he made a handsome fortune. Bill Vacant, whose
friends also had nothing to give him, was all this time wondering what
would be the best line that he could embark in; but as he was ignorant
of every thing, he found it so difficult to determine, that day
succeeded day in slothful idleness. One instant he would commence
merchant; the next he would go to sea; then he would volunteer his
services in the army; in either of which lines, if he had had
perseverance, he might have in a measure succeeded. The truth was, that
poor Bill Vacant was always wondering what would be the best for him,
when, in fact, he had better have taken up any thing than have wondered
any longer about it. However, unhappily for him, he continued wondering
all his life; and when he was old and poor, all that he had to wonder at
was, that other people had succeeded in the world so much better than
himself.
"Such," my dear children, "is the difference between _Admiration_, and
that void of thought which occasions us to wonder without a desire of
improvement. Never, therefore, lose your time in wondering; but the
instant you are at a loss to know any thing, inquire and study till you
find it out, and master it. You may sometimes be led wrong,
notwithstanding all your care; but do not grieve although you may; for a
steady sure friend, called Experience, will step in to make you full
amends."
There was now an interval between the entertainments Mr. Willock had
promised his children, for tea and coffee were brought in, with fruit;
when, after taking each a cup of tea, and some strawberries, the young
people retired to rest, highly gratified with the entertainment of the
evening.
_The Party to Weymouth._
The next day presented a fine clear sky, and the young people were told
to get themselves in readiness to go in the barouche to Weymouth; but
Mrs. Willock being rather indisposed, was not of the party. There is not
any thing more pleasant than the preparation in these cases; all was
bustle and expectation. They were to go on board a ship--what a
delightful excursion!
At length the time arrived--they were at Weymouth--they saw the ships
at anchor--nay more, they saw the king and royal party going on board
the yacht. The ships were manned; the water was as smooth as milk. Mr.
Willock had taken care to carry with him, for the amusement of the young
people, the Passions of Le Brun, which he took out of his pocket as they
were going on board the Rainbow, in the captain's barge, that had been
sent for them.
Henry was delighted--"Only, sir," said he to his father, "look what a
number of men in blue jackets and white trowsers are standing upon the
sails!"--"Those people, my dear," said he, "are our gallant defenders,
our brave English tars; they do not stand, as you call it, on the sails,
but on the yards, to which the sails are fastened, or bent."--"Dear
sir," interrupted William, "what beautiful boat is that?"--"That, my
dear boy," said he, "is the barge in which is our dear sovereign, King
George the Third. There he is!--do you not see him?--Here (said he,
opening the book of Passions), look at this; this expresses the
sentiment you ought to feel; it is