well as wretched, the youth we are depicting will be entirely free: he will feel no emulation but what is virtuous and noble; and he will take no offence, when denied that confideration which, though he endeavours to deferve it, he pretends not to challenge, nor wishes to court. It may be remarked, that those who are always laying plots for importance and applaufe, have seldom any candour, being commonly difpofed to fufpect every one elfe of the fame artifices; whereas the humble and the modeft, not confcious of fuch defigns in themfelves, are not apt to impute them to others. The former are leaft of all qualified to judge of characters in which truth and nobleness unite: the latter too are frequently mistaken in their ideas of men; but always from a different cause, and almost always on the favourable fide. VOL. II T But to advance: fuppofe the fituation, rife, or employment, of our young friend obfcure. Will he be aflamed of them? Never, never, fo long as they are honeft. If any of these fubjects fhould occur where he is present, he will enter into them with the fame readinefs as into any topic that, would reflect luftre on him in vulgar eyes. If, on the contrary, he is eminent by his birth, his rank, or his profeffion, will he value himself on these merely, or exact the tribute of efteem for things which in themselves are entitled only to the forms of refpect? No: for, pray obferve, it is his invariable fyftem, not to think himfelf at all the more worthy for any exterior diftinction, or the lefs fo for the want of it, from a firm perfuafion, that nothing, but what he chooses or refuses, can justly infer either praise or blame. The fame fyftem will teach him to dread flatterers of every kind, to dread moft of all the arch-flatterer within. But, mark his generofity! he rejoices in the reputation of all fuch as he believes to deferve it; and, inftead of wishing to difparage their virtues, to aggravate their failings, or give the worst turn to their doubtful actions, he takes a real pleasure in commending them with warmth and liberality, in pleading their excuse when they are unjustly attacked, and placing their characters in the most favourable light when attempts are made to darken them. He cannot be of the opinion of those who think, that whatever honour they add to any, is just so much subtracted from themselves. He, for his fhare, often lofes fight of his own good qualities, in the complacence with which he contemplates thofe of others, and is more ambi tious that a companion, or a friend, fhall be praised than himself. View him in converfation at large. There Humility will infpire him with the trueft breeding, an unforced attention to the company, and a graceful forgetfulness of his own claims. From him you will have no cause to apprehend that pertinacious fpirit, or petulant demeanour, natural to Pride, which is fo prone to betray itself in everlasting contradiction or dispute, in eagerness to decide, to dictate, to occupy or lead the difcourfe, to eclipse or outfhine every perfon prefent. Need I fay, that these are things utterly irreconcileable with good manners; that they can never be pleafing either to the felf-love, · or the common fenfe of others; and that, unless where they are accompanied with fuperlative talents, or rather concealed in the fplendor of extraordinary understanding, wit, and eloquence, they cannot but create much difguft? From those who have no other pre-eminence, but that of higher ftation, or larger fortune, they are always offer five to minds of any independence. From equals they are abfolutely insufferable. Nor will the youth we describe affect them, in whatever fituation. So far from putting himself forward, he will readily give place to thofe with whom he converfes, and gladly afford them opportunities of being pleased with themselves, by liftening to them on their favourite topics with complaifance, as often as he can with decency, and allowing what they fay its due weight according to his best apprehenfion. As he piques himself neither on his circumftances nor his parts, if they fhould happen to be diftinguished; he condefcends, with ease, " to men of "low eftate," and of mean ability. Those acts of compaffion and meeknefs, to the poor and the defpifed, which the proud confider as a humiliation not to be endured, unless when prompted by political motives, he esteems it his glory to perform, after the example of Him "who came not to "be ministered unto, but to minister, and made himself the fervant of all," that he might infinuate goodnefs and diffuse felicity with greater fuccefs. |