I cannot deny but that the pedagogue sometimes surprises me, with the
novelty of his opinions; but they are extravagant. I have condescended,
oftener than became me, to shew how full of hyperbole and paradox they
were. Still he as constantly maintained them, with a kind of congruity
that astonished me, and even rendered many of them plausible.
But, exclusive of his obstinacy, the rude, pot companion loquacity of
the fellow is highly offensive. He has no sense of inferiority. He
stands as erect, and speaks with as little embarrassment and as loudly
as the best of us: nay boldly asserts that neither riches, rank, nor
birth have any claim. I have offered to buy him a beard, if he would
but turn heathen philosopher. I have several times indeed bestowed no
small portion of ridicule upon him; but in vain. His retorts are always
ready; and his intrepidity, in this kind of impertinence, is
unexampled.
From some anecdotes which are told of him, I find he does not want
personal courage; but he has no claim to chastisement from a gentleman.
Petty insults he disregards; and has several times put me almost beyond
the power of forbearance, by his cool and cutting replies. His oratory
is always ready; cut, dry, and fit for use; and damned insolent oratory
it frequently is.
The absurdity of his tenets can only be equalled by the effrontery with
which they are maintained. Among the most ridiculous of what he calls
first principles is that of the equality of mankind. He is one of your
levellers! Marry! His superior! Who is he? On what proud eminence can
he be found? On some Welsh mountain, or the pike of Teneriffe?
Certainly not in any of the nether regions! What! Was not he the ass
that brayed to Balaam? And is he not now Mufti to the mules? He will if
he please! And if he please he will let it alone! Dispute his
prerogative who dare! He derives from Adam; what time the world was all
hail fellow well met! The savage, the wild man o' the woods is his true
liberty boy; and the orang outang his first cousin. A Lord is a merry
andrew, a Duke a jack pudding, and a King a tom fool: his name is man!
Then, as to property, 'tis a tragic farce; 'tis his sovereign pleasure
to eat nectarines, grow them who will. Another Alexander, he; the world
is all his own! Ay, and he will govern it as he best knows how! He will
legislate, dictate, dogmatize; for who so infallible? What! Cannot
Goliah crack a walnut?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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