The Cape Fear Mercury

              ble sir i protcfl i never danced attendance icg neither was i ever yet dependent on the prornfe o^^ih asked and obtained ferae favors from perfons v j which i hall ever hold in grateful rcmernorance denied by any but one and his manner of de^b more to him and made me chink more highlyr^mh of his difpofition and goojnefs of his heart than 9 any of thole who granted my requefts hit rank was iv gfjl generally ccniiitant with hanpinefs yet he owed not his'grcatll to it but to thofe mental endowments in which alone accordi to the old satyrilt true greatnefs condfts what the request ' was when or where made or by whom denied--it matters no , it is enough that there lived a man who could feel a generous corf cern for not being abte o give afiiftancc to another who looked m to-him for it whofe virtues reveried the modern current ajj digniiied a vcty honorable appointment hi air and manrerhai in them too many indifputable marks of genuincfs for v e ctilcut or illiberal to counterfeit they gave me iuch pieafurc that i fe . n*t my difappointment and inipired me with fuch reverence fo him ttiat i hall retain the idea as long as i can retain any thing they cannot be defcribtd and if you would have any proper concep tion of them you most ask a fimilar favor of a man of a fimila difpesition and withal you murt carry lomething like jenfibili . along with you ; cth erways you will retire in all the sullennc's jj difcontent the phlegmatic never attend to the minutiae whibj nature delights in and jaundiced minds are pleafed wife nothing * •• that is clever enough ! * m i think it very trihffig :" wcrdt without meaning faid a third it is h-11 fire jonfenfe faid mr vine darting from bis chair and going towards the glafo it is not worth being in a pailion abost it aid i fmiling mr vane took no notice he adjulled lomething he found aniifs about his neck look within sir you will find many things amifs there pray adjuft tham too admired the extreme whitencfs ol his teeth wiped them withvcam i bric.hankcrchief---pulledout a final box put a black patch on a little ipeck that appeared rhhilh to tht left of his rye refurveyed his face and then throued h mfelf into his arm chair with an air of confummate feif coefequence and a look of iovereign contempt at his companions and me it is yeijr true sir they are both equally insignificant — granted sir it certainly raifes an idea much more terrific and immenfe ; and i like ideds imrtienfefo far as they ferve to expand the heart but i chi:k otherwifeof ideas terrif.c.-f terror is the noft abjeft raicallj motive in the world it chills the blood and damps the spirits ; and never was nor ever will be the parent of one generous tho c or deed «- — as a man i hate the senfation ; and as achriftian let its wretched votaries fay what they plcafe in favcr of it i re pudiate detelt and abhor it-'tis an enchiy to love and of courie to mankind ; which to the humane is e^ual to a thoufar.d ob jedioni.—you go home urmoletted because fear prevented my robbing you in the street ; but all the jefuitt sophifts and cafuifts in chriltendom fccon<!ed by the right reverend fraternities of cor fi rmxnts k ab(bl vents can never convince me that i stn one jot the ho neftcr man had chance brought us together in any dreary retreat where human veitiges arc rarely feen and no eye to behold uc but heaven which is feldom a jpon bad minds or in fome folitary cave as she whilom ditrj^to and the trojan general why dux trojajclds is ufed here inltead of pioa ieneas i have not leifdre to ten you commentators & critics will be proud of your application bat i believe the immortal author of that divins poem was a m*n of delicacy rind if i were an afiirmaitt i would add of sensibility — fioxen indeed n.uft be the heart that would n«t be animated with certain idias and melt iato tendernefi and lore in fuch a situatio , with fo beautiful a queen beside it i fpeak ss the candid ever do from my own feelings j and were my heart of that mould i would tear it out and have the names of asd -*— v or any other state jockey i who had fold or enflaved his country engraved upon it if the impreffiftn could be made and thus immortalize their infamy and iriy own in fomeihing lefs pc rifhable than adamant had we met in any of thefe devious hauats i certainly would have rifled your pockets and perhaps have cue your throat afterwards fsr one vice indulged another vice begeti virtue operttet in like manner at leaft shakefpear fays fo and furely no ptrlon of famion or tatte will dare to contraditt him ; but fliould you doubt confult experience ♦• read that again ■ i find great pleafufe in jiving ir see sec disintcrcfted humaae wert inflantly repeated — mr vane could not comprehend it it is stuff d-d stuff faid be lamping violently with both his feet - pray sir did you ever make the experiment ? this put him oat of all patience he bounced out of his chair and then out of the room consigning the writer reader printer paper and all to the devil ; who by theb it tht very worll of fatten for he ncv«r make aj>y re t«ii t)me time age a packet was left at the printing o^ice cont??n eff omz adv«htures uhi:h the writer met wyh'at an fnn where he hopped in a journey he made northerly and a tetter which concluded thus " fhould you ever think proper to publi(h them it fliould be obferved that what hands between irotch'ets thus [ ] were reflecuchs 1 made on the different occur rences and did nr>t then think proper to put them into words va jrious i know will be the cenfurts pad upon this performance but jhhofe who read with the fame temper that i write i have ifaid nooght in malice wiil jadge favorably of it and as to the tfibe of snarlers they will find me with regard to them and ■ their opinion in this and every other inftance rtore than n«o»i ■ m ij y jack careless i the criticism i quot homines totidem sententle ir 9 dref a dim to every ones palate exceeds the ingenuity of all w the cupedinar:ars that have eupedinated fmcc a certain i great lady of ancient m^oty t taught man the ciffereace be ■ t*een good and evil st bf>»«ai r e>.tle-.:en t your nt7ft obedient i am the traveller who kb u toot he liberty to fend up his name requefling adroit ly *** tance and i hope a bow and a look of welcome ■&••&*" convinced me i had nothing to do but to endeavor to lake my fclf as agreeable to them as they appeared to me ; fo krithout further ceremony i took a chair my hudihraftie fi bure attracted their attention bat not a face except one betrayed kny thing like a fneer of ridicule or contempt ( i think myfclf very happy faid i in meeting with foch g»od kompany and my requeft for admiflion proceeded not from tho mpertinent curiofity of a traveller ; but from a sociability and love for my species nich nature gave mt with this irregular e?orm rubbing my long erooked nole and pointing to my king richard back as i fpoke thefe inherent affections if 1 flay o call them give me many a pain which miianthropyfts feel not lyet i derive from them foefc pleafurable senfations that i would kruch rather part with life than with th«m 1 think it as a much j»y duty to love ray species as to worlhip their sre at orici 1««al ; and tho fome zealoirfly preach up the one and neglecl fcoth i the theory and the praftice of the other yet i cannot help thinking that we have pretty much the lame authority for both i which we have for either of them and fo far am i from fufpe&iog that any m m f s philanthropy will be fubperna'd cgainft him in that court which one day or other will pafs ientence on us all 1 fa ' crcdly believe we might without that offer up sacrifcces ari trayers to the cretan jupiter who had no ears with as mmh pro priety as to that mihcl?ul buko whom chnftians affea to a but as no man wifhes to be the thing he hates i beg i might not interrupt the amuferhent of the company and jturned my eye towards a news-paper which lay upon the table ve have juft read it faid one no repl.ed another ; it is a tri paper of very bad intelligence it gives us faid a third the laft speech and dying words of jack carelefs jack carelefs laid 1 amazed who is he ? — travellers frequently aftume napacs i(ind even characters which they have no legal claim to ; it is a . privilege how it was originally obtain'd y»ur motive monger perhaps can tell entailed on them bycuft«m ; 1 condemn the prac tice ul general yet t upon this occafion i availed mvfelf of it riot which of us can fay he never did a thing which he aftfrwaids cop - lmned^j^lf for doing ?— it is meaning jack carelefs d d rvonjj hi mr vane who fat crofs legged playing with his fwadjj knurf-box alt«rnatcly ic never took hi eyes ffa look ing-^^ntorcdly facing him unlefs now and then to fhow his contempt of ths company it is d-^-d nonfeale faid he letting ne foot fall with fome force ur»on the floor it is f«perlative ■ nonfenie indeed to play the narciflus as you do—his eyes were ill gaaing it the reprefentation of his dear perfon in the mirrtr wh«re is the proceeding part faid i taking ap the paper which i jfaw was a c f mercury ? a large bundle of them was inftantly mercy on me ! mult i trudge thro all tkis rubbiih for an anlwer to my fimpie queftion who is jack carelefs ? lafter • few pro's and con's 1 was ask'd to read him aloud |-« what a ridiculous playing upon words !" it is very little bet pfx indeed sir '* that feems to be a faint ftrokc at pope*s a r»horifm whatsver is is right i am not of your opinion sir •• what elfe can he mean r nothing perverters of mean ings that mr pope disbelieved the infallibility of mortals as fcjnuch as you or i do and that in this inftance his ideas were more and fublimated than thofc peoples are who confine or extend pt to the aclions of me are two articles of my faith from which i f-will not eafily recede ~ rcafon and belief go here hand in hand tea they ought " my life for it he ii fome difcarded co«i tier and has danced tkat swvilc attendance whkh he defcribes nothing mare proba i u pglenien t to the cafe l ear ml,l ii l \ :* . ju wilmington october 13th x770