 to Dr. JOHNSON—continually made himself wretched lest the world should fancy him to be the son of nobody; yet I appeal to any one if the fighting hero had been the offspring of a beggar, and the writing hero the heir of a king, whether one would have cut throats, or the other
'lisped numbers'
in greater perfection. Neither of these could conquer his favourite foible, which it is admirable to remark proceeded in the warrior from hope, and in the poet from fear. This imaginary honour in one, and blot in the other, nothing could efface; for vainly did ALEXANDER's

mother ridicule the preposterous folly of her son, saying,
'hush, hush, my dear boy, you don't consider you are bringing me into a scrape, for if you talk so loud about being the son of Jupiter, you will make Juno angry with me:'
—and equally unsuccessful were the efforts of POPE's friends, who it is said told him it was ridiculous to lament that he was the son of a tradesman, when the father of ESCHINES, the Socratic philosopher, was but a sausage-maker.

A hundred instances may be adduced, perhaps a thousand, to prove upon what cobweb qualities the very essence of a hero often depends; but none I believe can be found stronger than those I have given. Let us then settle the dispute in this way: Let all matters relative to Charles Hazard, which are totally dependant upon chance, be considered as out of his power to alter or amend, and all qualities, good, bad, or indifferent, which are the result of his serious reflections, be understood as his act and deed, and censured or praised accordingly.
Charles had been left from his infancy in the quiet and unwearied pursuit of every useful and elegant accomplishment. All these advantages had been procured for him at home, under a tutor who certainly had some taste, and a father who had more;

both of whom were perfectly well satisfied with his progress. His ardour had been so unremitting, that perfection, by the help of perseverence, seemed to be within his reach. I therefore left him to himself, for why should I interrupt him in the midst of so laudable a career?—especially when those very advantages are good recommendations to the reader.
Having untied him, however, a little from his mother's apron strings, I shall now fairly trust him to the bent of his inclination:—and this for several good reasons:—one is, that my veracity as a historian obliges me to it, for Standfast declared
