pest, hurrried away by the waves, and often overset. The angry man is his own severest tormentor his breast knows no peace, while his raging passions are restrained by no sense of either moral or religious duties: what would be his case, if his unforgiving examples were followed by his all-merciful Maker, whose forgiveness he can only hope for, in proportion as he himself forgives and loves his fellow-creatures, thro' the merits and blood of the blessed Jesus. An injury unanswered, in course grows weary of itself, and dies away in a voluntary re morse. Think, when you are enraged at any one, what would probably become your sentiments, should he die during the dispute. Reconcili ation is the tenderest part either of friendship or love. The sacrificing of our anger to our interest, is oftentimes no more than the exchange of a painful passion for a pleasurable. 1040 AMBITION and AVARICE. AMBITION and Avarice are the two elements that enter into the composition of all crimes. Ambition is boundless, and avariée insatiable. He that spares in every thing is a niggard; and he who spares in nothing is profuse; neither of which can be generous or liberal. Pitiful! that a man should so care for riches, as if they were his own, yet so use them, as if they were another's, that when he might be happy in spending them-will be miserable in keeping them; and had rather, dying, leave wealth to his enemies, than when alive relieve his friends. Interest speaks all manner of languages, and acts all sorts of parts. Virtues are lost in interest, as rivers in the sea. History tells us of illustrious villains, but there never was an illustrious miser in nature. What madness is it for a man to starve himself to enrich his heir, and so turn a friend into an enemy! for his joy at your death will be proportioned to what you leave him. The tallest trees are most in the power of the winds, and ambitious men of the blasts of fortune. Great marks are soonest hit. The most laudable ambition is, to be wise, and the greatest wisdom to be good. We may be as ambitious as we please, so we aspire to the best things. Many thro' pride or ambition ruin their fortune and family, by expense and equipage, making themselves little by striving to be great, and poor by trying to look rich. It is very strange that no estimate is made of any creature except ourselves, but by its Broper qualities. He has a magnificent house, B so many thousand pounds a year, is the common way of estimating men, tho' these things are only about them, not in them, and make no part of their character. Honors, monuments, and all the works of vanity and ambition, are demolished and destroyed by time; but the reputation of wisdom is venerable to posterity. When blind ambition quite mistakes her road, And downward pores for that which shines above, Substantial happiness, and true renown, BEAUTY. THER HERE is nothing that gives us so pleasing a prospect of human nature, as the contemplation of wisdom and beauty. Beauty is an overweaning, self-sufficient thing, careless. of providing itself any more substantial ornament; nay, so little does it consult its own interest, that it too often defeats itself by befraying that innocence which renders it lovely e f and desirable. As therefore virtue makes a beautiful woman appear more beautiful, so beauty makes a virtuous woman really more virtuous. It is, methinks, a low and degrading idea of that sex, which was created to refine the joys, and soften the cares of human nature, by the most agreeable participation, to consider them merely as objects of sight. This is abridging them of their natural extent of power, to put them upon a level with their pictures. How much nobler is the contemplation of beauty heightened by virtue, and commanding our esteem and love, while it draws our observation? How faint and spiritless are the charms of the coquette, when compared with the real loveliness of innocence, piety, good humor, the irresistible charms of modesty unaffected,-humanity, with all those rare and pleasing marks of sensibility; virtues, which add a new softness to her sex; and even beautify her beauty. Nothing (says Mr. Addison) can atone for the want of modesty and innocence, without which, beauty is ungraceful, and quality contemptible. Let a woman be decked with all the embellishments of art and care of nature; yet if boldness is to be read in her face, it blots all the lines of beauty. The plainer the dress, with greater lustre does beauty appear; virtue is the greatest ornament, and good sense the best equipage. An inviolable fidelity, good humour, and complacency of temper in a woman, outlive all the charms of a fine face, and make the decays of it invisible. It is but too seldom seen, that beatiful persons are otherwise of great virtue. No beauty hath any charms equal to the inward beauty of the mind. A gracefulness in the manners is much more engaging than that of the person; the former every one has the power to attain to in some measure, the latter is in no one's power,-is no internal worth, and was the gift of God, who formed us all. Meekness and modesty are the true and las ting ornaments. Virtue's the chiefest beauty of the mind, a Beauty inspires a pleasing sentiment, which prepossesses people in its favor. Modesty has great advantages, it sets off beauty, serves as a veil to ugliness. The misfortune of ugliness is, that it sometimes smothers and buries much merit; people do not look for the engaging qualities of the head and heart in á forbidding figure. 'Tis no easy matter when merit must make its way, and shine through a disagreeable outside. Without virtue, good sense, and sweetness |