The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-12-30
ConccIt-Somc Notable INSTANCES
Thereof.

rom IlIItIIi'ts : - - 'I''i -
Even the philosophers have net show
themsclve. averse to be snrinklcd with thu
holv.wafcr Of laudation. Socrates sobcril
told his Judges that they should award nm
n ncnsion instead of condcmnin@ him anc
Enicurus assured his correspondent that J
he desired glory il was secured to him by
he fact that Epicurus bad thought hin
worthy of being written to! AlcibiadcS lei
nh the world know that the one purpose o.
his life. whether he headed n conspiracy, OF
numbered n CITY, or cut his dogs tai on
was to make 4 noise and give the Atfeh1ahs
something to talk about. A~r!~tonhancs'
more frank even than Cicero. made oil the
uorcb0scs Of his comedies vehicles for inc
most e~xtravaCant scif-pralSe, cool,T cIal'n,
ING for each successive play not only that 1t
was the best he had written, but that i was
also the best Of lis class, and not to he
conaIlcd BY any other human effort OF hui
man wit.
The anrrdote has often been told Of how
Cardinal Woiscv cXa~pcrated his sovereign
bv writing - EGo ct mems rer.' I'll" gram
maIiral excuse is insufficient t" conceal The
essential arrogance Of the address. Jhnrc
is almost :: parallel case in the history OF
Cotton Mathpr. the American Prynnc, VINO
certainly believed of himself all that he
claimed for himself. Some hccdlcSss per
sons once passed the old parson without
secm;n" TO be conscious Of bis distinguish
ed presence. "Lord." said Mathcr. 81
pray thee help that man 10 take 4 due no.
tee Of Christ ~
Watson, the famous Bishop Of LANDAU,
declared that each book he had written was
thc verv best work upon that subject.
When I am dead YOU will not meet an
other John Hunter" said the great sur
econ. Zone God. one Farinelli!' was the
brief but emphatic creed Of that wonderful
musician. Montaicuc has been abused for
the war in which he continually pTatcs
about himself. hut the same GrdnGe .IddG1SC
of the %garruIous old c>sayiSt which so pro-
yokcd the srorn Of Sca!ircr las won, aS IL
deserved, the loud cncomium> OF postc:lly.
Montaigne'S c@otiSm, however. was OF Il
very genial and wholesome klnd' I,&s..'Vc
and humorous, quaint and c~outcmpialiTc.
styled the French Garrich, contend
ed that 1.-THE world might once Il century
SEQ I Caesar, but il takes 4 thousand years
10 produce Il Baron,S Hlt this vanity Is
nrrhaps excelled by the s"i!-ahsorption Of
Wordsworth, who, when informed that the
next Wavnrlcv novel was 10 have Rob Roy
for its hero, took down Il volume Of his
verses. read his own famous lines 10 Rob
Roy, and calmly said al do not sec what
more Mr.. Scott can have To say on the sub
lect e.,
Eonvcnuto C"ll;ni, whose egotiSm bad
nuic,ts which was 50 delightful III the ai!-
clients, has filed his autobiography with Ger.
~t;ticates to his ar1or as Il lover, lis proves
as u man, and his excellence as an artist
establishing the fact ltlat lie repeat
edly received supernatural encourage
was prosecuted by the demons: Hnd
e~loriticd by Il light from on high That hung
rcsDlcnGcnt above his shadow.
Button. great as he was in iacl, was
Greater still in his WI c%onccit. "Ihelc
arc ONLY five great goniuscs III modern
cXrlaimed-'> Newton, Lc:hnltZ,
Bacon, N"ntcSquieu, and myself. ifleh-
ar,Son, the novelist, was perhaps * fond o!
battery as any man that ever lived. and =:
treat in his own opinion. lie s~nrr"u"dcd
himself with Il circle OF female admirers,
who we're never Weary Of listening 10 iilm
nor chanting his praise =; and Johnson silo
- his desire Of praise was 80 great ihat ne
used to give lar"c wells TO Speaker cA%t"W :
servants that they might treat him Wi h
respect" Burns, after lie had dinci WItil
tilcncairn. confessed himself 10 have been
wounded TO the soul because his LordShlp
showed $50 much attention, c1%roS>ihg
attention, to the only bioclihead II The tth!c,
the whole company consisting vi lis Lord
ship. Dundc.pate, and myself