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Show 8 The Art of Travelling. thefe Qpalifications, that a Man becomes a Proteus in foreign Countries, and knows how to transform himfelf into the lhape of others, and {o to conceal his own. And by confequence mufl: needs reap advantage by all the good he fees or hears, which is agreeable to his Character, and the Capacity of his Mind. I fay, he fhould have a lively, but obfequious Imagination, which may pafs for a Paradox among fuch as judg haftily, juft as they feel their Fancies touch'd; and fuppoling a lively Imagination can never be obfequious without loling its Vivacity at the fame time, Tbe Art of Travelling; , Statefmen are extremely crafty, and know how to dodg with a Stranger, efpecially when they fee in him a great Vivacity and Eagernefs to receive what they tell him. Thefe Artifices are us'd in all Nations more or K lefs according to the degree of their Refinement and Subtilty :, Therefore the intelligent Traveller mufl: imitate the cunning Hunter, who fometimes makes as if he did not fee his Game, merely to furprize it the more eafily: He mull: make as if he did not hear fome things, and as if he underflood much lefs, and difcover'd nothing at all; from whence one of' thefe two things mui'c neceflarily follow, either that will tell mel require an impoliibility : 'tis there« he willbe fuppos'd to be ignorant and Itupid, which fore convenient to undeceive 'em by a fenlible Com- will render him lefs fufpeéted, and occafion a new Explication of the matter difcourfed of in more parifon. When one that feeks for Game fees {ome- thing move in a Bulh, his firl‘t motion is to put himfelf in a pofture to lhoot; but if he difcharges im- mediately without any further Obfervation, he may well be counted rafh, and his precipitancy will fpoil his Defign: whereas if he has prudence and patience, he'll obferve what 'tis that ftirs, and endeavour to difcover what Game may be in the Bulb, which way it came, and whither it goes, which gives him the greater advantage to direct his Aim, f0 that his {hot can hardly mifs. There's no Comparifon can be more juft and applicable to the cafe in hand. A Traveller that has a mind to make fome Difcoveries in the Myfteries of State-Policy, is prying and obferving with an Afiivity like that of one who is feeking after Game 5 every thing that appears more than ordinary ought to ftri-kehi‘s Mind f0 as to C)? cite his Attention : but nothing ought to determine him but his Reafon, and a due application of the Principles of Policy; he fhould fee and hear, and take a meafure of every thing, withOutimaginin‘é', he has got any thing till he has meafur'd itwi'sh‘ that profound Dilculhon l have been commenm‘nf~ fr. ‘5; it aclerzi open and intelligible terms; or elfe that the Per- fon he converfes with, will immediately give another turn to the Subject in hand by different Expreflions, and the variety of Terms cannot choofe but give fome light into what he would conceal or difguife. He may alfo learn fomewhat from the common report of a Province or City, to inform him what is the predominant Genius of a Nation, or of the Court that governs it, only with this difference, that what he is told of the Spirit of any Nation, is generally l and almof'c infallibly true; whereas the Idea that is given of a Court is almofl: always falfe; to that 'twould be a kind of Miracle if ever it fhould happen to be true. There is in the Voice of the Publick a certain tract of Truth, Simplicity, lngenuity and Sincerity, which keeps the Multitude either from being eafily deceiv'd themfelves, or from deceiving others 3 and fo much the more, be- caufe (as Origen fays) God, the firi‘t ~Caufe of all things, has referv'd only this way to make an impremom |