journal of a voyage to lisbon-第3节

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strange　if　such　writers　as　these　should　be　found　extremely

common；　since　nature　hath　been　a　most　parsimonious　distributor　of

her　richest　talents；　and　hath　seldom　bestowed　many　on　the　same

person。　　But；　on　the　other　hand；　why　there　should　scarce　exist　a

single　writer　of　this　kind　worthy　our　regard；　and；　whilst　there

is　no　other　branch　of　history　（for　this　is　history）　which　hath

not　exercised　the　greatest　pens；　why　this　alone　should　be

overlooked　by　all　men　of　great　genius　and　erudition；　and

delivered　up　to　the　Goths　and　Vandals　as　their　lawful　property；

is　altogether　as　difficult　to　determine。　　And　yet　that　this　is

the　case；　with　some　very　few　exceptions；　is　most　manifest。　　Of

these　I　shall　willingly　admit　Burnet　and　Addison；　if　the　former

was　not；　perhaps；　to　be　considered　as　a　political　essayist；　and

the　latter　as　a　commentator　on　the　classics；　rather　than　as　a

writer　of　travels；　which　last　title；　perhaps；　they　would　both　of

them　have　been　least　ambitious　to　affect。　　Indeed；　if　these　two

and　two　or　three　more　should　be　removed　from　the　mass；　there

would　remain　such　a　heap　of　dullness　behind；　that　the　appellation

of　voyage…writer　would　not　appear　very　desirable。　　I　am　not　here

unapprised　that　old　Homer　himself　is　by　some　considered　as　a

voyage…writer；　and；　indeed；　the　beginning　of　his　Odyssey　may　be

urged　to　countenance　that　opinion；　which　I　shall　not　controvert。

But；　whatever　species　of　writing　the　Odyssey　is　of；　it　is　surely

at　the　head　of　that　species；　as　much　as　the　Iliad　is　of　another；

and　so　far　the　excellent　Longinus　would　allow；　I　believe；　at　this　day。



But；　in　reality；　the　Odyssey；　the　Telemachus；　and　all　of　that

kind；　are　to　the　voyage…writing　I　here　intend；　what　romance　is　to

true　history；　the　former　being　the　confounder　and　corrupter　of

the　latter。　　I　am　far　from　supposing　that　Homer；　Hesiod；　and　the

other　ancient　poets　and　mythologists；　had　any　settled　design　to

pervert　and　confuse　the　records　of　antiquity；　but　it　is　certain

they　have　effected　it；　and　for　my　part　I　must　confess　I　should

have　honored　and　loved　Homer　more　had　he　written　a　true　history

of　his　own　times　in　humble　prose；　than　those　noble　poems　that

have　so　justly　collected　the　praise　of　all　ages；　for；　though　I

read　these　with　more　admiration　and　astonishment；　I　still　read

Herodotus；　Thucydides；　and　Xenophon　with　more　amusement　and　more

satisfaction。　　The　original　poets　were　not；　however；　without

excuse。　　They　found　the　limits　of　nature　too　straight　for　the

immensity　of　their　genius；　which　they　had　not　room　to　exert

without　extending　fact　by　fiction：　　and　that　especially　at　a　time

when　the　manners　of　men　were　too　simple　to　afford　that　variety

which　they　have　since　offered　in　vain　to　the　choice　of　the

meanest　writers。　　In　doing　this　they　are　again　excusable　for　the

manner　in　which　they　have　done　it。





Ut　speciosa　dehine　miracula　promant。





They　are　not；　indeed；　so　properly　said　to　turn　reality　into

fiction；　as　fiction　into　reality。　　Their　paintings　are　so　bold；

their　colors　so　strong；　that　everything　they　touch　seems　to　exist

in　the　very　manner　they　represent　it；　their　portraits　are　so

just；　and　their　landscapes　so　beautiful；　that　we　acknowledge　the

strokes　of　nature　in　both；　without　inquiring　whether　Nature

herself；　or　her　journeyman　the　poet；　formed　the　first　pattern　of

the　piece。　　But　other　writers　（I　will　put　Pliny　at　their　head）

have　no　such　pretensions　to　indulgence；　they　lie　for　lying　sake；

or　in　order　insolently　to　impose　the　most　monstrous

improbabilities　and　absurdities　upon　their　readers　on　their　own

authority；　treating　them　as　some　fathers　treat　children；　and　as

other　fathers　do　laymen；　exacting　their　belief　of　whatever　they

relate；　on　no　other　foundation　than　their　own　authority；　without

ever　taking　the　pains　or　adapting　their　lies　to　human　credulity；

and　of　calculating　them　for　the　meridian　of　a　common

understanding；　but；　with　as　much　weakness　as　wickedness；　and　with

more　impudence　often　than　either；　they　assert　facts　contrary　to

the　honor　of　God；　to　the　visible　order　of　the　creation；　to　the

known　laws　of　nature；　to　the　histories　of　former　ages；　and　to　the

experience　of　our　own；　and　which　no　man　can　at　once　understand

and　believe。　　If　it　should　be　objected　（and　it　can　nowhere　be

objected　better　than　where　I　now　write；＇12＇　as　there　is　nowhere

more　pomp　of　bigotry）　that　whole　nations　have　been　firm　believers

in　such　most　absurd　suppositions；　I　reply；　the　fact　is　not　true。

They　have　known　nothing　of　the　matter；　and　have　believed　they

knew　not　what。　　It　is；　indeed；　with　me　no　matter　of　doubt　but

that　the　pope　and　his　clergy　might　teach　any　of　those　Christian

heterodoxies；　the　tenets　of　which　are　the　most　diametrically

opposite　to　their　own；　nay；　all　the　doctrines　of　Zoroaster；

Confucius；　and　Mahomet；　not　only　with　certain　and　immediate

success；　but　without　one　Catholic　in　a　thousand　knowing　he　had

changed　his　religion。



＇12＇　At　Lisbon。





What　motive　a　man　can　have　to　sit　down；　and　to　draw　forth　a　list

of　stupid；　senseless；　incredible　lies　upon　paper；　would　be

difficult　to　determine；　did　not　Vanity　present　herself　so

immediately　as　the　adequate　cause。　　The　vanity　of　knowing　more

than　other　men　is；　perhaps；　besides　hunger；　the　only　inducement

to　writing；　at　least　to　publishing；　at　all。　　Why　then　should　not

the　voyage…writer　be　inflamed　with　the　glory　of　having　seen　what

no　man　ever　did　or　will　see　but　himself？　　This　is　the　true　source

of　the　wonderful　in　the　discourse　and　writings；　and　sometimes；　I

believe；　in　the　actions　of　men。　　There　is　another　fault；　of　a

kind　directly　opposite　to　this；　to　which　these　writers　are

sometimes　liable；　when；　instead　of　filling　their　pages　with

monsters　which　nobody　hath　ever　seen；　and　with　adventures　which

never　have；　nor　could　possibly　have；　happened　to　them；　waste

their　time　and　paper　with　recording　things　and　facts　of　so　common

a　kind；　that　they　challenge　no　other　right　of　being　remembered

than　as　they　had　the　honor　of　having　happened　to　the　author；　to

whom　nothing　seems　trivial　that　in　any　manner　happens　to　himself。



Of　such　consequence　do　his　own　actions　appear　to　one　of　this

kind；　that　he　would　probably　think　himself　guilty　of　infidelity

should　he　omit　the　minutest　thing　in　the　detail　of　his　journal。

That　the　fact　is　true　is　sufficient　to　give　it　a　place　there；

without　any　consideration　whether　it　is　capable　of　pleasing　or

surprising；　of　diverting　or　informing；　the　reader。　　I　have　seen　a

play　（if　I　mistake　not　it　is　one　of　Mrs。　Behn's　or　of　Mrs。

Centlivre's）　where　this　vice　in　a　voyage…writer　is　finely

ridiculed。　　An　ignorant　pedant；　to　whose　government；　for　I　know

not　what　reason；　the　conduct　of　a　young　nobleman　in　his　travels

is　committed；　and　who　is　sent　abroad　to　show　my　lord　the　world；

of　which　he　knows　nothing　himself；　before　his　departure　from　a

town；　calls　for　his　Journal　to　record　the　goodness　of　the　wine

and　tobacco；　with　other　articles　of　the　same　importance；　which

are　to　furnish　the　materials　of　a　voyage　at　his　return　home。　　The

humor；　it　is　true；　is　here　carried　very　far；　and　yet；　perhaps；

very　little　beyond　what　is　to　be　found　in　writers　who　profess　no

intention　of　dealing　in　humor　at　all。　　Of　one　or　other；　or　both

of　these　kinds；　are；　I　conceive；　all　that　vast　pile　of　books

which　pass　under　the　names　of　voyages；　travels；　adventures；

lives；　memoirs；　histories；　etc。；　some　of　which　a　single　traveler

sends　into　the　world　in　many　volumes；　and　others　are；　by

judicious　booksellers；　collected　into　vast　bodies　in　folio；　and

inscribed　with　their　own　names；　as　if　they　were　indeed　their　own

travels：　　thus　unjustly　attributing　to　themselves　the　merit　of　others。



Now；　from　both　these　faults　we　have　endeavored　to　steer　clear　in

the　following　narrative；　which；　however　the　contrary　may　be

insinuated　by　ignorant；　unlearned；　and　fresh…water　critics；　who

have　never　traveled　either　in　books　or　ships；　I　do　solemnly

declare　doth；　in　my　own　impartial　opinion；　deviate　less　from

truth　than　any　other　voyage　extant；　my　lord　Anson's　alone　being；

perhaps；　excepted。　　Some　few　embellishments　must　be　allowed　to

every　historian；　for　we　are　not　to　conceive　that　the　speeches　in

Livy；　Sallust；　or　Thucydides；　were　literally　spoken　in　the　very

words　in　which　we　now　read　them。　　It　is　sufficient　that　every

fact　hath　its　foundation　in　truth；　as　I　do　seriously　aver　is　the

ease　in　the　ensuing　pages；　and　when　it　is　so；　a　good　critic　will

be　so　far　from　denying　all　kind　of　ornament　of　style　or　diction；

or　even　of　circumstance；　to　his　author；　that　he　would　be　rather

sorry　if　he　omitted　it；　for　he　could　hence　derive　no　other

advantage　than　the　loss　of　an　additional　pleasure　in　the　perusal。



Again；　if　any　merely　common　incident　should　appear　in　this

journal；　which　will　seldom　I　apprehend　be　the　case；　the　candid

reader　will　easily　perceive　it　is　not　introduced　for　its　own

sake；　but　for　some　observation