— De gustibus non est disputandum ;—that is, there is no disputing against Hobbyhorses ; and for my part, I seldom do; nor could I with any sort of grace, had I been an enemy to them at the bottom; for happening, at certain intervals and changes of the moon, to be both fiddler and painter, according as the fly stings:—Be it known to you, that I keep a couple of pads myself, upon which, in their turns, (nor do I care who knows it) I frequently ride out and take the air;—though sometimes, to my shame be it spoken, I take somewhat longer journies than what a wise man would think altogether right.—But the truth is,—I am not a wise man;—and besides am a mortal of so little consequence in the world, it is not much matter what I do: so I seldom fret or fume at all about it: Nor does it much disturb my rest, when I see such great Lords and tall Personages as hereafter follow;—such, for instance, as my Lord A , B , C , D , E , F , G , H , I , K , L , M , N , O , P , Q , and so on, all of a row, mounted upon their several horses;—some with large stirrups, getting on in a more grave and sober pace;⸺others on the contrary, tucked up to their very chins, with whips across their mouths, scouring and scampering it away like so many little particoloured devils astride a mortgage,—and as if some of them were resolved to break their necks.⸺So much the better—say I to myself;—for in case the worst should happen, the world will make a shift to do excellently well without them; and for the rest,⸺why⸺God speed them⸺e’en let them ride on without opposition from me; for were their lordships unhorsed this very night—’tis ten to one but that many of them would be worse mounted by one half before tomorrow morning.
Not one of these instances therefore can be said to break in upon my rest.⸺But there is an instance, which I own puts me off my guard, and that is, when I see one born for great actions, and what is still more