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Article MEMOIRS OF THE LATE COLONEL FREDERICK. ← Page 3 of 4 →
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Memoirs Of The Late Colonel Frederick.
him of the goods of fortune , which he was very unfit to acquire , being intirely estranged from the spirit of an age , divided between the pursuit of pleasure , a taste for trifles , and an immoderate desire to attain riches and honours at any rate whatsoever . He did not seek to intrude himself on the great , to intrigue , and to make one in every company and festival ; on the contrary , serious and recollected , he retired within himselfthere to dwell with virtueof which he made no
, , parade , because he preferred the solidity of the one to the emptiness of the other . He was plain in his proceedings , reserved in his manner , and sparing of his words : he used to say , that it is useful to know every tiling , though it is neither expedient nor civil to tell all . that one knows ; Omnia scire , non omnia exequi , was his favourite maxim . He was inclined to independenceincapable of sacrificing
, to meanness , and of purchasing favour by offering incense to the foibles of grandeur and opulence : he courted merit only , and his whole study was to excel in the duties of humanity , and to render himself worthy of esteem , leaving , to others the care of doing him justice . He honoured learning , and dedicated his days to it : he set
up for an author , he endeavoured to get a subsistence by his pen in his time of distress and calamity , and even taught for some time the Latin , Italian , and Spanish languages , the better to support his own children , and assist his unfortunate father . He did not brave his fate with haughtiness , but he bore it with fortitude and courage ; he was never heard to complain of Providence ; nor to reproach mankind , or attribute to them the cause of his misfortunes and necessities . For
, whatever wrongs he suffered , he never let resentment enter into his heart ; knowing that if it once gets possession , it cannot be driven cut at will . In a word , he submitted himself with a perfect resignation , and a mind ever uniform , to the decrees of heaven . To shew still more this submission , and accommodate himself in every respect to his present statehe cast off the tinsel of vain titlesand would bear no
, , other than his christian name , of which he made a sirname . By this he was willing also to obviate the ridicule and contempt which nobility , fallen fromits greatness , is almost ever exposed to ; and to decorate himself with his own qualities alone ; the only patrimony of which neither the rage of fortune , nor the malice of men , could deprive him .
The following account of Theodore , his father , is extracted from the memoirs of Corsica , written by . Frederick . ' Theodore lost his liberty for having- attempted to defend that of the Corsicans : he was confined in a shameful prison , where he suffered a thousand indignities , without murmuring ; he knew the inutility of complaints , mid the necessity of submitting to his fate . Without sceptrewithout dominionwithout possessionswithout friends
, , , , lie found resources only in Providence , and in the . tender affection of his son , who came over to England to accompany him . to Corsica , whither Theodore had flattered himself he should return by the help of Great Britain . ¦ ' Theodore , besides the little helps that his son afforded him ,
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Memoirs Of The Late Colonel Frederick.
him of the goods of fortune , which he was very unfit to acquire , being intirely estranged from the spirit of an age , divided between the pursuit of pleasure , a taste for trifles , and an immoderate desire to attain riches and honours at any rate whatsoever . He did not seek to intrude himself on the great , to intrigue , and to make one in every company and festival ; on the contrary , serious and recollected , he retired within himselfthere to dwell with virtueof which he made no
, , parade , because he preferred the solidity of the one to the emptiness of the other . He was plain in his proceedings , reserved in his manner , and sparing of his words : he used to say , that it is useful to know every tiling , though it is neither expedient nor civil to tell all . that one knows ; Omnia scire , non omnia exequi , was his favourite maxim . He was inclined to independenceincapable of sacrificing
, to meanness , and of purchasing favour by offering incense to the foibles of grandeur and opulence : he courted merit only , and his whole study was to excel in the duties of humanity , and to render himself worthy of esteem , leaving , to others the care of doing him justice . He honoured learning , and dedicated his days to it : he set
up for an author , he endeavoured to get a subsistence by his pen in his time of distress and calamity , and even taught for some time the Latin , Italian , and Spanish languages , the better to support his own children , and assist his unfortunate father . He did not brave his fate with haughtiness , but he bore it with fortitude and courage ; he was never heard to complain of Providence ; nor to reproach mankind , or attribute to them the cause of his misfortunes and necessities . For
, whatever wrongs he suffered , he never let resentment enter into his heart ; knowing that if it once gets possession , it cannot be driven cut at will . In a word , he submitted himself with a perfect resignation , and a mind ever uniform , to the decrees of heaven . To shew still more this submission , and accommodate himself in every respect to his present statehe cast off the tinsel of vain titlesand would bear no
, , other than his christian name , of which he made a sirname . By this he was willing also to obviate the ridicule and contempt which nobility , fallen fromits greatness , is almost ever exposed to ; and to decorate himself with his own qualities alone ; the only patrimony of which neither the rage of fortune , nor the malice of men , could deprive him .
The following account of Theodore , his father , is extracted from the memoirs of Corsica , written by . Frederick . ' Theodore lost his liberty for having- attempted to defend that of the Corsicans : he was confined in a shameful prison , where he suffered a thousand indignities , without murmuring ; he knew the inutility of complaints , mid the necessity of submitting to his fate . Without sceptrewithout dominionwithout possessionswithout friends
, , , , lie found resources only in Providence , and in the . tender affection of his son , who came over to England to accompany him . to Corsica , whither Theodore had flattered himself he should return by the help of Great Britain . ¦ ' Theodore , besides the little helps that his son afforded him ,