ten flagitiously wicked. Lothario arrogates the cha racter of a man of honour, for having defended a lady, who had put herself under his protection, from infult at the risk of life; and Aleator for fulfilling an engagement, to which the law would not have obliged him, at the expence of liberty. But the champion of the lady had first seduced her to adultery; and to preserve her from the refentment of her husband, had killed him in a duel and the martyr to his promise had paid a fum, which should have discharged the bill of a neceffitous tradesman, to a gamefter of quality who had given him credit at cards.

Such, in the common opinion, are men of honour; and he who in certain circumftances should abftain from murder, perfidy, or ingratitude, would be avoided as reflecting infamy upon his company.

In these fpeculations I exhausted my waking powers a few nights ago; and at length finking into flumber, I was immediatly transported into the regions of fancy.

As I was fitting penfive and alone at the foot of a hill, a man, whofe appearance was extremely venerable, advanced towards me with great speed; and beckoning me to follow him, began haftily to climb the hill. My mind fuddenly fuggefted, that this was the genius of Inftruction: I, therefore, inftantly rofe up, and obeyed the filent intimation of his will: but not being able to afcend with equal rapidity, he caught hold of my hand, "Linger not," faid he, "left the hour of illumina❝tion be at an end." We now afcended together, and when we had gained the fummit he stood still.

"Sur

vey the profpect," faid he, " and tell me what thou "feeft." "To the right," replied I, " is a long val

་

ley, and on the left a boundless plain: at the end of "the valley is a mountain that reaches to the clouds; and on the fummit a brightness which I cannot stedfast

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ly behold." In that valley, faid he, the difciples of Virtue prefs forward; and the votaries of Vice wander on the plain. In the path of Virtue are many afperities: the foot is fometimes wounded by thorns, and fometimes bruised against a stone; but the sky over it is always ferene; the traveller is refreshed by the breezes of health, and invigorated by the ray of cheerfulness. The plain is adorned with flowers, which gratify the fense with fragrance and beauty; but the beauty is tranfient, and the fragrance hurtful: the ground is foft and level; and the paths are so various, that the turf is no where worn away; but above is perpetual gloom; the fun is not feen, nor the breeze felt; the air ftagnates, and peftilential vapours diffufe drowfinefs, laffitude and anxiety. At the foot of the mountain are the bowers of Peace, and on the fuminit is the temple of Honour.

:

But all the difciples of Virtue do not afcend the mountain her path indeed, is continued beyond the bowers; and the last stage is the afcent of the precipice: to climb, is the voluntary labour of the vigorous and the bold; to defift, is the irreproachable repofe of the timid and the weary. To thofe, however, who have furmounted the difficulties of the way, the gates of the temple have not always been opened; nor against those by whom it has never been trodden, have they always been fhut: the declivity of the mountain on the other fide, is gradual and'eafy; and by the appointment of fate, the entrance of the temple of Honour has been always kept by Opinion. Opinion, indeed, ought to

have acted under the influence of Truth; but was foon perverted by Prejudice and Cuftom: fhe admitted many who afcended the mountain without labour from the plain, and rejected fome who had toiled up the precipice in the path of Virtue. Thefe, however, were not clamorous for admittance; but either repined in filence, or, exulting with honeft pride in the confcioufness of their own dignity, turned from Opinion with contempt and disdain; and smiled upon the world which they had left beneath them, the witness of that labour of which they had been refused the reward.

But the crowd within the temple became difcontented and tumultuous: the difciples of Virtue, jealous of an eminence which they had obtained by the utmost efforts of human power, made fome attempts to expel those who had ftrolled negligently up the flope, and been admitted by Opinion to pollute the temple and disgrace the affembly: those whose right was disputed, were, however, all ready to decide the controverfy by the fword: and as they dreaded scarce any imputation but cowardice, they treated those with great infolence who declined this decifion, and yet would not admit their claim.

This confufion and uproar was beheld by the Goddefs, with indignation and regret : fhe flew to the throne of Jupiter, and cafting herfelf at his feet, "Great ruler "of the world," faid fhe, "if I have erected a tem"ple to fulfil the purposes of thy wisdom and thy love,

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to allure mortals up the steep of Virtue, and animate "them to commmunicate happiness at the expence of "life; let it not be perverted to render vice prefump"tuous, nor poffeffed by thofe who dare to perish in "the violation of thy laws, and the diffufion of cala"mity."

H 4

No. LXI. Tuesday, June 5, 1753.

Ploravere fuis non refpondere favorem
Quæfitum meritis-

Each inly murm'ring at the unequal meed,
Repines that merit fhould reward exceed.

Hor.

PERHAPS there is not any word in the language less understood than Honour; and but few that might not have been equally mistaken, without producing equal mifchief.

Honour is both a motive and an end: as a principle of action it differs from virtue only in degree, and therefore, neceffarily includes it, as generofity includes justice and as a reward, it can be deferved only by thofe actions which no other principle can produce. To fay of another that he is a Man of Honour, is at once to attribute the principle and to confer the reward. But in the common acceptation of the word, Honour, as a principle, does not include virtue; and, therefore, as a reward, is frequently bestowed upon vice. Such indeed, is the blindness and vassalage of human reason, that men are difcouraged from virtue by the fear of fhame, and incited to vice by the hope of honour.

Honour, indeed, is always claimed in fpecious terms;" but the facts upon which the claim is founded, are of

ten

ten flagitiously wicked. Lothario arrogates the cha racter of a man of honour, for having defended a lady, who had put herself under his protection, from infult at the risk of life; and Aleator for fulfilling an engagement, to which the law would not have obliged him, at the expence of liberty. But the champion of the lady had first seduced her to adultery; and to preserve her from the refentment of her husband, had killed him in a duel and the martyr to his promife had paid a fum, which should have discharged the bill of a neceffitous tradesman, to a gamefter of quality who had given him credit at cards.

:

Such, in the common opinion, are men of honour; and he who in certain circumstances should abstain from murder, perfidy, or ingratitude, would be avoided as reflecting infamy upon his company.

In these speculations I exhaufted my waking powers a few nights ago; and at length finking into slumber, I was immediatly transported into the regions of fancy.

As I was fitting penfive and alone at the foot of a hill, a man, whofe appearance was extremely venerable, advanced towards me with great speed; and beckoning me to follow him, began hastily to climb the hill. My mind suddenly suggested, that this was the genius of Inftruction: I, therefore, inftantly rofe up, and obeyed the filent intimation of his will: but not being able to afcend with equal rapidity, he caught hold of my hand, "Linger not," faid he, "left the hour of illumina❝tion be at an end." We now afcended together, and "Surwhen we had gained the summit he stood still.

vey the profpect," faid he, " and tell me what thou "feeft." "To the right," replied I," is a long val