1823.] 
notice or care.”—‘‘ The failings, fol- 
lies, nay vices, of Nelson, were mani- 
fold; but his virtues overbalanced them 
all,—his heart was as tender as his soul 
was brave.”—“ No man ever was a 
hero in private life, none ever less so 
than Lord Nelson: as a proof of it, 
when Lady Hamilton was rescued 
from the salt-water bath, (an acciden- 
tal ducking,) a scene ensued on the 
quarter-deck that would require an 
Aristophanes to do justice to. The 
admiral did not weep, but he danced, 
swore, laughed, and stamped, alter- 
nately, for ten minutes.”—‘‘ He was, 
indeed, the greatest and weakest man 
I ever knew; he had not a virtue but 
was sullied by some vice, nor a vice 
but what was embellished by huma- 
nity.”,—“ Yet this was a man of the 
strongest mind in the hour of emer- 
gency; a man of the most decided 
temper, of the most consummate pru- 
dence, of the most rapid thought.” 
Allthose, and hundreds of them still 
exist, who were personally acquainted 
with Lord Nelson’s cruise on the Italian 
coasts, where the noble admiral and 
Lady Hamilton essayed, with so much 
ambition, to represent the luxurious 
and glowing characters of Antony and 
Cleopatra, will find facts in profusion 
to substantiate the above opinions. It 
will be to diverge to another, and far 
less favourable, part of the hero’s cha- 
racter, if I make a quotation from those 
truly interesting pages which compose 
the Stephensiana. But I meditate a 
summary or general outline of the 
heroic characterfor moral use. In the 
number for January last, p. 526, Mr. 
Stephens says, “ I visited Lord Nelson 
relative to my History of the War. 
On the Neapolitan subject he was as 
impetuous in language as in gesture, 
. two or three times clapping his hand 
on his sword, and once drawing it half 
out.” Nothing could more truly indi- 
cate a mind agitated by passion and 
shame, than a conduct so unseemly, 
and so totally void of real dignity ; 
demonstrating, too, that the mind, nei- 
ther from nature or reflection, pos- 
sessed the power of regeneration. 
I would think foul scorn to be 
behind any man in the acknowledg-. 
ment of that high and inexpressible 
obligation which mankind owe to 
those ardent and enthusiastic souls, 
who nobly stand forth and offer them- 
selves a ‘voluntary sacrifice on the 
altars of their country. But is there 
no obligation due to truth? is interest, 
Remarks on the true Character of certain Heroes. 
509 
or presumed interest, all in all? and is 
the mere politician, or human carcase- 
butcher, whose only attributes are base 
cunning or brute courage, to stand 
upon the same exalted ground with 
the glorious sons of virtue and wisdom, 
and the advocates of human right? 
The senseless vulgar of all ages will 
deify any bold and confident man, who 
has sacrificed to their prejudices and 
passions, and their basest interests ; 
and there is even in the freest press, 
a slavish and hypocritical class ever 
ready to rival even the vulgar, in ser- 
vility. In adjudging the palm of 
heroism, let us observe that impartia- 
lity which is the harbinger of truth. 
Let us hold forth real examples, instead 
of imaginary models of perfection. 
And, above all things, let us proclaim 
the truth, both of the living and the 
dead, with a confidence and deci- 
sion which shall shame and set at 
nought the brow-beating attempts of 
the prejudiced and the venal. Give to 
every man his just due, convince him 
he can have no more, and it will be the 
most powerful incitement to noble 
actions. 
Is it meet that the faithless, horrible, 
and blood-cuilty, transactions at Na- 
ples, should be erased from the public 
memory, and blotted from the page of 
history ; or that such a doctrine should 
be countenanced, as that political con- 
siderations must, of force and neces- 
sity, outweigh all others? The morals 
of the world, in every age, have been 
shipwrecked, from the defect of a due 
philosophical discrimination; and, the 
example of the humane Titus, “ the 
delight of human kind,” would have 
been of far greater value to humanity, 
had he been taught, that murder did 
not change its name or nature, with 
the change of nation in the victim, 
Alfred, a friend to the church, was pro- 
claimed great and good, on the autho- 
rity of the priesthood. His actions 
doubtless warranted the first title; of 
his right to the second, we cannot be 
altogether so confident. The character 
of Henry the Great of France, has 
been eleyated by flattering and partial 
history. Our great naval and religious 
buccaneering hero, Sir Francis Drake, 
might imagine that he rendered his 
God acceptable service, by enslaving 
the African heathen; but he could not 
possibly have heen so ignorant of the 
most simple rules of right and wrong, 
and of the common charities of human 
life, as to be insensible of the commis- 
sion 
