Mortified and indignant at the reception of his great labour by the cold-hearted scepticism of little minds, and the maliciousness of idling wits, he, whose fortitude had toiled through a life of difficulty and danger, could not endure the laugh and scorn of public opinion; for BRUCE there was a simoon more dreadful than the Arabian, and from which genius cannot hide its head.

Yet BRUCE only met with the fate which MARCO POLO had before encountered; whose faithful narrative had been contemned by his contemporaries, and who was long thrown aside among legendary writers.[A] [Footnote A: His stories of the wealth and population of China, which he described as consisting of _millions_ obtained for him the nickname of _Marco Milione_ among the Venetians and other small Italian states, who were unable to comprehend the greatness of his truthful narratives of Eastern travel.

Upon his death-bed he was adjured by his friends to retract his statements, which he indignantly refused.

It was long after ere his truthfulness was established by other travellers; the Venetian populace gave his house the name _La Corte di Milioni_: and a vulgar caricature of the great traveller was always introduced in their carnivals, who was termed _Marco Milione_; and delighted them with the most absurd stories, in, which everything was computed by millions .-- ED.] HARVEY, though his life was prolonged to his eightieth year, hardly lived to see his great discovery of the circulation of the blood established: no physician adopted it; and when at length it was received, one party attempted to rob Harvey of the honour of the discovery, while another asserted that it was so obvious, that they could only express their astonishment that it had ever escaped observation.

Incredulity and envy are the evil spirits which have often dogged great inventors to their tomb, and there only have vanished .-- But I seem writing the "calamities of authors," and have only begun the catalogue.
The reputation of a writer of taste is subject to more difficulties than any other.