Daily American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1852, 1852-08-03
AMERICAN TELEGRAPH.
Tns Fail,ngs OF elftea Msn.


Pope was an epieure, and would lie in bed a.
Lord Bolingbroke's for days, unless he was tolc
there were stewed lampreys for dinner, when ~
rose instantly and came TO the table Even 81
Isaac Newton gave credit 10 the idle nonsense 0
judicial astrology--he who first calculated tn
distance of the stars, and revealed the laws
motion by which the Supreme Being ORGANIZED
aud keeps in their orbits unnumbered worlds-h
who had revealed the mysteries OF the star
themselves. Dryden, Sir Isaac Newton's cotem
porary, believed in the same absurdity TIT
great Duke Of Marlborough, when visited bJ
Prince Eugene on the night before battle, when
no doubt the two generals were in consultation
upon measure that might decide the fate o. a.,
empire was heard to call his servant 70 aooou ~
for lighting up four candles IN ms 'elt LII
occasion, and was once actually seen w % tha
ssTav;atha,, y ,ieist in creed had a most extra
ordinary belief in spirits and operations Locke
.bo ,,h;Josonbar-the matter-otfact Locke, VINO
wrote and in fact established the decision oi
tbinos nv the rule Of right reason, laying down
The rule itself--he delighted IN romances and
reveIled in works of fiction. what was the great
Iord Veulum? Alas! too truly, "the wisest,
Greatest and meanest of mankind" Martin
Luther the reformer, was passionate, and struck
his friends, in the paroxysms Of his rage Car
dina Richelieu, the minister of great empire, be-
ieyed in the calculation of nativities Sir Thomas
Moore burned the hereto, to whom in his wri-
tings he gave full liberty of conscience. Alexan-
der the Great was a drunkard, and slew his friends
in his cups. Caesar sullied the glory of his tai
ents by the desire of governing his country des-
politically, and died the victim Of his ambition,
though one of the wisest, most accomplished, and
humane of conquerors. But We are travelling too
far back for examples which should be taken from
later times. Tasso believed in his good angel,
and was often observed to converse with what he
fancied was spirit or demon, which he declared
he saw Raphael, the most gifted artist the
world ever possessed died at the age OF thirty
SEVEN his constitution weakened by his irregular
living DR.. Samuel Johnson was VIGOROUSLY SUI
perstitious. Sir Christopher Wren, who built st.
Pauls Cathedral, was a believer in dreams. lie
had pleurisy once, being in Paris, and dreamed
that he was in place where palm trees grew,
and that woman in n romantic dress gave HIM
some dates. The next day he sent for some
dates in the full belief Of their revealed virtues,
and they cured him. Dr. HALEY had the same
superstitious belief Melancthon believed in
dreams or apparitions, and used to say that one
came to him in his study and told him to bid
Guyneus. his friend, to go away for some time,
as the inquisiton sought his life. His friend
went away in consequence, and thus, by accident
really saved his life. Addison was fond of the
bottle and is said to have shortened his days by
it. Burns, the poet, was hard drinker, and
there can be no doubt wore out his constitution
by his conviyiality. Goldsmith was gambler,
and the victim of the fraudulent. Prior was the
dupe of n common woman swhom he believed to
be an angel Garrick was rs vain rs any woman,
and equally loved Aattery. Knellers vanity was
such that nothing was too gross for him to swa-
low