Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-12-29
CONCETT.
Some Notable Instances Thereof.
From Tipnincoft,a Mana1ina

Some Notable Instances Thereof.
From Lippincott's Magazine.
Even the philosophers have not shown
themselves averse to be sprinkled with the
holy water of laudation. Socrates soberly
bid his judges that they should award him
pension instead of condemning him; and
Epicurus assured his correspondent that if
he desired glory it was secured to him by
the fact that Epicnrus had thought him
worthy of being written tol
Alcibiades let all the world know that
the one purpose of his life, whether he
headed conspiracy, or plundered city,
or cut his dogs tail of, was to make q
noise and give the Athenians something
to talk about. Aristophanes, more frank
even than Cicero, made of the parGbaseS
of his comedies vehicles for the most ex-
travcgant self-praise, coolly claiming for
each successive play not only that it was
the best he had written, but that it was
also the best of its class, and not to be
equaled by any other human effort of
human wit
The anecdote has often been told of
how Cardinal Wolsey exasperated his
sovereign by writing, Geo ct meus
req. The grammatical excuse is INSULT
cient to conceal the essential arrogance
of the address. There is almost parallel
case in the history of Cotton Mather, the
American Prynne, who certainly believed
of himself all that he claimed for himself.
Some needless persons once passed the
old parson without seeming to be concious
of his distinguished presence. 'Iord, u
said Mather, Sc pray thee, help that man
to take O. due notice of Christ
Watson, the famous Bishop of Llandaff,
declared that each book he had written
was the very best work upon the subject.
''When l am dead you will not meet an
other John Hunter, said the great surgeon.
''One God, one Farinelli!n was the brief
but emphatic creed of that wonderful
musician. Montaigne has been abused
for the way in which he continually
pirates about himself, but the same
grG'lde .faddiSe of the garrulous old
essayist which so provoked the scorn of
Scaliger has won, as it deserved, the loud
encOmiums of pOsterity. MOntaigne's
egOtism, however, was of a very genial
and wholesome kind, passive and humor-
Gus, quaint and cOntemplatlYe.
Baron, styled the French Garrick, con-
tended that "the world might once
century see a Caesar, but it takes thOus-
and years to produce Baron !" But
this vanity is perhaps eXcelled by the
self-absorption of Wordsworth, who,
when informed that the next Waverly
novel was to have Rob Roy for its hero,
10 g 4
his own famous lines to Rob Roy, and
calmly said: 81 do not see what more
Mr.. Scott can have to say on the sub
ject!"
BenvenutO Cellini, whose egOtism had
that charming ndiUete which was 80 de-
lightful in the ancients, has filled his auto
biography with certificates to his ardor
as lover, his proves as a man and his
excellence as an artist, establishing the
fact that he repeatedly received super
natural encouragement, was prosecuted
by the demons, and glorifed by light
from on high that hung Respondent above
his shadow.
Button, great as he was in fact, was
greater still in his own cOnccit. ''There
are only five great geniuses in modern
times" ne exclaimed, 'sNcwton, Leib-
nitz, Bacon, Montesquieu ard myself
Richardson, the novelist, was perhaps as
fond of flattery as any man that ever
lived, and as great in his own opinion.
He surrounded himself with a circle of
female admirers, who were never weary
of listening to him nor chanting his
praise; and johnson said: ellis desire
of praise was so great that he used to give
large walls to Speaker Otslow's servants
that they might treat him with respect.
Burns, after he had dined with Glencairn,
confessed himself to have been wounded
to the soul because his LOrdship showed
$50 much attention, engrossing attention,
to the only blockhead at the table, the
whole company consisting of His Lord
ship, Dunderpate and myself.
Ii is related of distinguished Senator,
who had been in rather bad health, that
he was accOsted by a constituent during
one Of those breathleSs periods of the late
war, when the very destinies of the nation
seemed to our excited fancies TO hang
upon the fortunes of the hour.
ooh, Mr.. -, l am glad to see yOu."
said the friend; as there-hdUe you any
news?"
"Thank yOu!" responded the Senator,
with grave Sincerity Thank you; am
mich bptfpriD