Camden gazette and mercantile advertiser. (Camden, S.C.) 1818-1822, August 26, 1819, Image 4
POE T It Y.
? '
FROM THE FRANKLIN GAZtlTK.
v ' THE WORTH ST.ih.
Mild s(ar that mark'st, thy loniy way,
in yon expanse of cloudless blue ;
Whose gem- like form and steady ray,
Atiract the heedless peasants view,
And him .whose thoughts to unknown re
gions stray ; .
kc ? *?- J : ' '? ?>
FuU oft the warper, fortuned child,
Benighted, J* and doom to foam,
Beholds with joy^hy aspect" mild,
Thai tells* of- happiness avicVtiome, ?,
And guides him onward 'mid the trackless]
wild. " v ** ???'?? ;?
f ? v i 1 V i .
' . " f * U.- t- - 4
Oft* too, the seaJboy marks thy beam,
Wliei, ocean sleeps in peaceful calm ;
WKle o'er its breast thy peaceful gleam,
Piays wanton, and with sacred charm,
Lulls -th^rapt soul in .fancy's pleasing
- dr^K ? *
Wm j _
And, oft sweet star, at even-tidcf
When all around i? hushed to rest ;
My thoughts ascend and pensive glide,
To dPstant climes and regions blest, ?
Where wo-worn care and grief would glzd*
ly hide. / ' 1 1
And fancy whispers in mine ear, .
That those which once were here be- J
Joved ?T/ " iT- ,' ?
To friendship and affect ion dear, i
Now from this fleeting scene removed.
Repose, bright star, in thy ethereal sphere.
.w.
' li j i ^l1 - 1 ? 11 mffmmpm mm*
Alisaellaneoiis.
* ?? ? ,
* 8KBTCH OF
The publication of a.new work,
entitled "The Sketcft Book of
Geoffrey Crayon, Gejit* No. J,'*
lias been already announced, and is
ascribed to the elegant pen of our
cpuntryroan W ashington Irving, Esq.
From, the first number, >liich con
tains five distinct skstchfa, we select
the following sketch of Roscoe, dis
tinguished in the literary woild for
Us histories of the Medici family,
and his enthusiastic devotium to Ital
ian literature.?#. L American*
?In the service of mankind to be
A guardian god below ; still to employ ^
T-heanirtd'a brave ardor in heroic aims,
buch as may raiie u? o'er the grovelling
*
And make us shine forever^-that is life.
? . > lT*q*ium.
One of the first places to which a
stranger is taken into Liverpool, is the
Ath&tiSUm. It is established on
a judicious and liberal plan ; contains
a good library, and a spacious read*
ing room, and is the great literary re
sort of the place. Go there what
Ifwtr you may, Jon are sure to find it
jQfcd with grave looking {>ersonages,
deeply absorbed in the study ofl
llftwaptpers.
As I was ottce visiting this haunt
tt the learnfcd, my attention was at
tracted to a per$ou jus,! entering the
room. He was ad v anced in life, tall,
and of a form that knight once have
beeti commanding, but it was a little
bowed by time? perhaps by ;c&te.
l(e had a noble' Koinan style Of conn
tenace, and % head that would have!
pleased a painter) and1 though some
slight furrows on hit brow showed]
that. wasting thought hail been busy
there, yet kis eye tflilt beamed with
the fire of a poetic soul. There was
something hi hi* Whole appgarac*
that indicated a being of a different
order from the bustling race around
Mm. *
1 inquired his name, and was in- 1
formed that it was lloscoe. 1 drew
back with an involuntary feeling of
veneration. This, then, was an an- J
thor of celebrity; this was one ofl
those men wfobse voices had gone
forth to the rridA of the earth? with!
whose mind 1 have communed even
in the solitudes of Amertra. Amis
tometl, as we are in our country, to
know Kuropean writers only by their]
works, we caunot conceive of them.l
as of other men, engrossed by trivial
and sordid pursuits, and j >sthu^ with
the crowd of common minds in th<
tlufcty paths of life. They pass be-'
% :
fare our imagination like superior be
ings, radiant with the emanations of
their own genius, muI surroumW*
by a halo of literary* glory.
To find (lie elegant historian of the
\lediri? therefore, mingling anions
llie busy sons af trafficiat finiUihock^
ec! my poetical ideas ; out it is fron>
the very t u t u instances and situation
in ? which he has been placed, that
Mr. KosCoe derives his highest clahns
to admiration. It is interesting to
notice, how ,some minds seem almost
to create tfiemselves ; spring up un*
der every disadvantage, and working
their solitary, hut irresistible way,
through a thousaud obstacles. - jNa?
tine seems to delight" ftt disappoint
ing the cherishing assiduities of Art,
wijjdi which it would fear legitimate
dullness to maturity J and to glory iir
the "vigor and luxuriance of her
rhance productions. Hire scatters tbtf
seeds of genius U> the wiods, add
though sotae nay perifrh among the
?f tfceWorfil, and some
hoked hjr the thorns and bram
of e^rfy adversity, yet others will
now and then strike root even in the
clefts of the nick* struggle bfavety up
into sunshine, and spread over their
sterile birth-place, all the beauties of
Such has been the cfcse with' Mr.
Roscoe. ? Born in a ^ilace apparently
ungenial to the growth of titerary
wif^^fnrhm a ? pUce of trade,
or patronage; self-prompted, slef
Mistained, and almost self-taught, he
has conquered every obstacle, achiev
ed his way to eminence, and having
become oue of the ornaments of the
natiou, has returned the whole force
of hi^ talent and influence to advance
and embellish his native town,
i Indeed, it k this last trait in his
character wliicb has given him th^
greatest interest in my eyes, and indu
ced me particularly to point him out
to my countrymen. Eminent as are
his literary merits, be is but oS
among the many distinguished au
thors of this intellectual nation.?
I hey, however, live but in general
for their own Fame* or their own
pleasuies. f
private history
presents n? lesson to the yorld or,
perhaps, a humiliating erne of hu
man frailty and inconsistency. At
Vest, they are prone to steal away
from th$ bustle arid' com n ton pljtce
?f buy existence, to indulge in the
selfishness of lettered ease; and re
vel in sceues of mental, bat exclu
sive enjoyment.
Mr., ltoscoe on the contrary, lms
claimed none of tlie. accorded privi
leges of talent." He lias shut him
self np in ?o garden of thought or
Elysium of fancy ; but has gone forth
'he highways and thoroughfares
?>1 life, ho has planted bowers by
the wa> side, forthe refreshment of
Che pilgrim and the sojourner ; and
has established pure fountains, where
the tailoring man may tarn aside
from the dust and beat of the day, and
drink of the living streams of know
There > a ? daily beauty in
his life," on which mankind may
meditate and grow better. It exhi
bits ho lofty and almost useless, be*
cause inimitable example of excel
lence i but. presents a picture of active,
yet simple and writable virtues which
ire within every man's reach, but
which few men exercise, or this world
Woqld be a paradise.
I Jut his private life is peculiarly
worthy the attention of the citizens of
pur young aud busy country, where
literature and the elegant arts must
gro* up side by side Willi (lie coarser
plants of daily necessity; and must
depend fur their culture, not on the
elusive devotion of time aud wealth,
inrMie quickening rays of titled pat
muage, but on hours and seasons
bnatclied from the |>ursilit of wprldly
interest, by intelligent and public
glinted individuals.
| He has show n how much may be
lone, iu hours of leisure, hy one
Knaster s, ii it, for a place ; and bo\>
f ompletely it can give its own impress
10 surrounding objects. Like his
U iv ti Lorenzo de M<di< i.nn whom he
ems to have fixed (ii- t v e, n* on ?
tire model of untiipntv. Pu S:,s wo
Uen the history of his "ilfie \\ rij the
history of his native town, and ma tic
'-'le foundations of his fume the mon
uments of his virtue. W herever you
?;o, in Liverpool, yon |>erceive traces
of his footsteps in all that is elegam
md liberal. He found the tide of
wealth flowing- merely in the chan
uels of traffic ; he has diverted from
it invigoratiug rills, to refresh the
?*rdens of literature. By his own
example and constant exertions, lie
has brought into eftect that union of
commerce and the intellectual* pur
suits, so elegantly recommended in one
of bis latest w ritings ;* and has> par
ticularly proved how beautifully. they
may be brought to hanuouize, mid to
benefit each oilier. \Tl>e noble io&tfa
futkms for literary and scteijtiiic pur
poses, which reflect such credit ou
Liverpool, and aregivingijB impulse
to the public mind, have ntotlly been
originated, ami all effectively promis
ed by Mr. Hotcoe 1 and, when we
consider the i*|?idly increasing- opu
lence and magnitude of that town,
which |Mromise4 to vie hi commercial
im|rf>rtance With the metrojKjiis, it
u ill be perceived that, in a w akening
an ambition of mental improvement
among its inhabitant^ he has ettected
a great benefit tp the cause pf ifritish
literature. > v
In America, -tare only know Mr.
ttoscoe as the author ? in Liverpool,
he is ?|K>ken of at the banker ; and 1
was told of Ms having been nnfortu
him, as I heard some rich men ?rS
considered bim fur above the reach of
my pity* Tliose w ho liVe only for
the world, and in the wot Id, may he
cast down by th$ frowns of a<U vrvity;
but a man like Roscoe is not to he
overcome by the mutations of fortune.
Tbcgr do but drive him in upon the
resources of bis own mind, to the su
perior society of lik own thoughts,
which the best of men are apt some
times to neglect, and to roam abroad
ift search of less worthy associates,
lie i9 independent of the World
around him. He lives with antiqui*
ty and with posterity ; with antiqui
ty, iu the sw eet cotntnuniou of studi
ous retirement? and witji posterity,
in the generoti* aspiring after future
renown.. The solitude of such a
miud is its highest state of enjoyment.]
It is then visited by those elevated
meditations, which ate the proper
aliment of noble souls, and are like
manna sent from Heaven in the
wilderness of this world. '
, W bile my feelings wereyet aliVe on
the subject, it was my fortune to light
on further trace* ?f Mr. Koacoe. 1
was riding out with a ?entletn?n, to
view Uie environs of Liverpool, when
he turned off, through a gate, into
some ornamented grounds. ^ After
riding a short distance, we came to a
spacious mansion of freestone, built
in the ^Grecian style. It was not in
the purest state, yet it had an ait of
elegauce, and the situation w as de
lightful. A fine lawn slo|?ed twaj
from it, studded with clumps of trees,
so disposed as to break a soft fertile
couutry into a variety of landscapes.
I'he Mersey was seen winding; a
broad, quiet sheet of wlter through
an expanse of green meadow land,
while the Welch mountains, blending
with the clouds, rfhd melting into dis
tance, bordered tlie horizon.
This was Koscoe's favorite resi
dence during tlie days of his prospe*
rity. It had been the seat of ele
gant hospitality and literary retire
inent. The house was nov silent
und deserted. 1 saw tlie windows
Vf the Htudy, which looked out upon
the soft scenery 1 have mentioned.
The windows werO closed ? 41k1 li
brary was gone. T wo or three ill
favored beings were loitering about
the place, whom ifty fancy pictured
into ffetainers of the law. It was
like visiting some, classic fountain,
that Itad once swelled its pure waters
in a sacred shade but now dry ami
dnsty, with tlie liaard and the toad
brooding over the shattered marbles.
1 inquired after the fate. of Mr.
Rosooe's lilirary.' which had consist
ed of scarce snd foreign hook?, from
.. any of which lie had drawn tin
? A (Hire** on the opening of the Liver*
pool Institution.
jmate?als for Lis Italian histories.'
It had passed under the hammer of
the auctioneer. and was disjtersed
about the country. 'I |ie go?d ,^0
#rfp. of (ho vicinity thronged like
wreckers, to get some part of the
noble wreck that had lif^n Jtivtu ou
shore. . Did such a scene admit of
ludicrous associations, ? we uii-lit
imagine something whimsical in this
Miauge irruption luto the region of
learning. Pigmies rummaging the
armoury of a Giant, aud contendfe*
ior the possession of weapons w hichl
they could; not wield. To notice
4 knot of speculators, debating
;? Uhcalculating brow over the quarnij
iwnuiug aud, illuminated margin of
an oiisolete author; or the air of in
tonse, but Itaflkd sagacity^with
vvnicu some successful pui^cliasei' at
tempted to iiivt? iuto the black-letter
margin. he had secured:
It is a beautiful incident in the
story ot Al.r.- Uoscoe's misforiuues,
aud one that will be appreciated by
the studious jniud, that the partiug
with his Looks seems to haw touch
ed upon bis tender feelings, nud to
have beep (be only circumstance that
could provoke the notice of bis muse.
1 he scholar ouly knows how dear
these silent, yet eloqueut companions
of pure thoughts aud innocent hours,
become in the hours of adversity.
When all that is woil(Hv turns to
dross around us, these only retain
IteilLSkadyuinlue. >\ ben friends1
S'ow cold, aud the converse of iu
mates languishes into vapid civility
aud comuion 'place, these only con
tinue^ the unaltered countenance of
happier days, and cheer us with thai
hue friendship that never deceived
hope, nor deserted sorrow. f' ?
I do lmt wish to censure, but,
surely, if the people of Liverpool
bad been properly sensible of what
was due to Mr. Roscoe and to them
selves, his library would never have
beep s?ld. Good Wordly reasons,
may, doubtless, be given for the
circumstance, which it would be dif
ficult , to combat with others that
might seem merely fanciful : but it
certainly appears to me such r.n op
portunity as seldom occurs, of cheer
nig a noble miud struggling under
misfortunes, by one of the most de
licate, but explosive tokens of pub
lie sympathy. It is difficult, .how
ever, to estimate a man of genius
priperly, who is daily before our
eyes. He Ironies mingled and con
founded with other men. Hi* gn.at
qualities lose' their novelty, jind In
come too familiar with the'eommon
materials that form the basis even of
the loftiest character. > Some of Mr.
Koscoe's townmen may regard liini
merely as a man of business : others,
as a politician : all find him engaged
like themselves, in ordinary occu
pations, and surpassed, perliaps, by
themselves, onsome points of World
ly wisdom. Even the amiable and
uuosteutatious simplicity of bis cha
racter, which gives the nameless
grace to real excellence, mav cause
him to be undervalued b/ Z "
coarse minds, v ho do not know that
true worth is always Void of gi n
a?d pretension. But the man of let
ters who speaks of Liveqwol, speaks
of it. as the residence of lioscoe.
The intelligent traveller who visits
it, inquires where hoscoe is to be
He is the literary landmark
of (Me pbu*', indicating its existence
to the distant sclmlar. , Me*i?,-Hke
Pomiiey's column ' at Alexandria,
towering alone in classic dignity.
The following sonnet, addressed by Mr.
Yloscoe to his books, on parting with them,
is alluded to In the preceding article. If
nny thing can add effect to the |>ure feel*
ing and derated though there displayed, it
is the conviction, that the wU>le is no ef
fusion of fancy, but a faithful transcript
from the writer's heart.
TO MY BOOKS .
Aa one, who, destined ftom his friends to
part,
Regrets his loss, but hopes again e re
while
To share tfc?rr converse and enjey their
smite,
And tempera aa he may, affliction's dart ; !
v \
Thus, loved associates, chiefs of elder art,
Teachers of wisdom, who could otice
beguile
My tedious hours and lighten every toil
I now resign f tm ; nor wtlh fainting heart? ,
lor year*, or <'ays, or hou*. ?,
An happier seasons may their da>vn
uniolu,
Ami all your sacred fellowship restore;
\\ lien, freed from earth, unlimited its pow
ers, . ^
Miud shall with mind direct communion
liold
An ' kindred spi rt s mret to part no more
ii o- o> <* ? i ?
FROM THE AMERICA* M ATCHMAK.
?Mr. Printer?^ make no doubt
hut the charitable and humrtie ol ject
which . tlie writer here lias in view,
will iuduce you to give U*e following
an insertion in youj* valuable paper.
J have a child two years and six
months old, who has been in a very
uncommon degree . fflic ted with the
bowel oi* summer complaint ; and af
ter trying in vain the various in
scriptions of the nhvsicians. 1 was
advisedly an old lady, my neighbor,
to try a tea made of the inner rind or
Uaj'k of the black oak ; w hit h was
administered to the child in the quan
tity <f a table spoonful three times a
day ; and which has performed a
perfect cure iu three days? -1 recom
mend it to mothers to dti likewise.
Respectfully, A Mother.
jv N. IK. The tea should be swect
eued with a little sugar. ?
ECONOMY.
<'Econonty when grounded on a
proper basin, has. a present reward,
as well us the anticipation of a futuie
one ? it has it) this life all the good
which profusion would furnish, and
further, by the proper saving and ap
plication of time and money almost
infinitely extend* the sphere of use*
fulness and enjoyment ? dissipates
the contracted gloom of penury and *
unsatisfied desire,-; and displays atr
horizon rich, cheerful and animating
?Economy is by some considered as
a gift or Providence, and therefore
that no blame should lie attached to
the person who does not possess it ?
so indeed, are other virtues ; but to
urge snch a plea for their nonper
formance would he considered as ab
surd and criminal? economy, wheth
er viewed as a pleasure or a duty,
should lie diligently sought, and
when opulence is above ta obligation,
nor penury 1>eh>w it?It wilt he a *
solace to the w ise and a defence to
the simple ? It is the highway of
safety ? the veil supported arch >
which will sustain with ease the
weight of the roost numerous society.
? Domestic Troubles ? v >, .
Husbands, who suffer their feel
ings to he disturbed by reAson of
attentions paid to their wives by
other men, distrust their own' powers
to captivate, and say in strong lan
guage to the unprincipled, that their
wives are unprincipled also.
Husbands, whojprefer to pass their
time at taverns or places of revel
ling, rather than with their families,
lijf'tray ft want of those refined sensi
bilities who raise the mind atove
the vulgarities of life, and give dig
nity and consequence to social rela
tions* *
Husbands, who commuiiieato to
their wives, all their ordinary busi
ness, subject themselves to mortifica
tion, by the misuse Of that know ledge,
w hich to itself of no importance.
Husbands, who frown, when their
wive* advance ideas of their intel
lectual powers, and make them in -
reality, w hat is most to be deprecat
ed.
Husbands, who commit ope act of
incontinence, inflict a wound in the
bosom of their wives, yielding per
petual pain, and wpich subsequent
rectitude can never entirely heal.
Marriage Ceremony .
"You hromish," says old Squire
Cabel to the bridegroom, whoever
that happy one may fie, "Yon bio
mish to hap dis wdm*o for your vife."
Yes, " tint you madam hromish to
hap dis m*n for yoa husband."
Yes. ?VA\ 1 bronounce you to pe
one tesh unt one peef. Uut now I .
pooblish de bawns of dis matrimony
l>efore Got, my frow Dolly, llarry
unt de rest of de childers. Urit ash
le skripture says, vat "Wot poots Uy
? dder, let not roan poot asoOnder.
Cut now (giving the bridegroom a
L#oke in the ribs,)j?er# ieh mine tollar"