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NUMB. 129. TUESDAY, June 11, 1751.

Nunc, o nunc, Dadale, dixit,
Materiam, qua fis ingen:ofus, babes.
Poffidet in terras, et poffidet æquora Minos:
Nec tellus noftra, nee patet unda fuga.
Refat iter cælo: cœlo tentabimus ire.

Da veniam capto, Jupiter alte, meo.

Now, Dedalus, behold, by fate affign'd,
A task proportion'd to thy mighty mind!
Unconquer'd bars on earth and fea withstand;
Thine, Minos, is the main, and thine the land.
The fkies are open-let us try the skies:
Forgive, great Jove, the daring enterprize.

Mo

OVID.

ORALISTS, like other writers, instead of cafting their eyes abroad in the living world, and endeavouring to form maxims of practice and new hints of theory, content their curiofity with that fecondary knowledge which books afford, and think themselves entitled to reverence by a new arrangement of an ancient fyftem, or new illuftration of established principles. The fage precepts of the first inftructors of the world are tranfmitted from age to age with little variation, and echoed from one author to another, not perhaps without fome loss of their original force at every repercuffion.

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I know not whether any other reason than this idleness of imitation can be affigned for that uniform and conftant partiality, by which fome vices have hitherto escaped cenfure, and fome virtues

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wanted recommendation; nor can I discover why else we have been warned only against part of our enemies, while the reft have been fuffered to steal upon us without notice; why the heart has on one fide been doubly fortified, and laid open on the other to the incurfions of errour, and the ravages of vice.

Among the favourite topics of moral declamation, may be numbered the miscarriages of imprudent boldness, and the folly of attempts beyond our power. Every page of every philofopher is crowded with examples of temerity that funk under burdens which fhe laid upon herself, and called out enemies to battle by whom she was destroyed.

Their remarks are too juft to be difputed, and too falutary to be rejected; but there is likewife fome danger left timorous prudence fhould be inculcated, till courage and enterprise are wholly repreffed, and the mind congealed in perpetual inactivity by the fatal influence of frigorifick wisdom.

Every man should, indeed, carefully compare his force with his undertaking; for though we ought not to live only for our own fakes, and though therefore danger or difficulty fhould not be avoided merely because we may expose ourselves to mifery or difgrace; yet it may be justly required of us, not to throw away our lives upon inadequate and hopeless defigns, fince we might, by a juft estimate of our abilities, become more ufeful to mankind.

There is an irrational contempt of danger, which approaches nearly to the folly, if not the guilt, of fuicide; there is a ridiculous perfeverance in impracticable schemes, which is justly punished with

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with ignominy and reproach. But in the wide regions of probability, which are the proper province of prudence and election, there is always room to deviate on either fide of rectitude without rufhing against apparent abfurdity; and according to the inclinations of nature, or the impreffions of precept, the daring and the cautious may move in different directions without touching upon rashness or cowardice.

That there is a middle path which it is every man's duty to find, and to keep, is unanimoufly confeffed but it is likewife acknowledged that this middle path is fo narrow, that it cannot easily be difcovered, and fo little beaten, that there are no certain marks by which it can be followed: the care therefore of all thofe who conduct others has been, that whenever they decline into obliquities, they should tend towards the fide of safety.

It can, indeed, raife no wonder that temerity has been generally cenfured; for it is one of the vices with which few can be charged, and which therefore great numbers are ready to condemn. It is the vice of noble and generous minds, the exuberance of magnanimity, and the ebullition of genius; and is therefore not regarded with much tenderness, because it never flatters us by that appearance of softnefs and imbecility which is commonly necessary to conciliate compaffion. But if the fame attention had been applied to the fearch of arguments against the folly of prefuppofing impoffibilities, and anticipating fruftration, I know not whether many would not have been roufed to usefulness, who, having been taught to confound prudence with temerity, never

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ventured to excel, left they fhould unfortunately fail.

It is neceffary to diftinguifh our own intereft from that of others, and that diftinction will perhaps affift us in fixing the juft limits of caution and adventuroufness. In an undertaking that involves the happiness or the fafety of many, we have certainly no right to hazard more than is allowed by those who partake the danger; but where only ourfelves can fuffer by miscarriage, we are not confined within fuch narrow limits; and ftill lefs is the reproach of temerity, when numbers will receive advantage by fuccefs, and only one be incommoded by failure.

Men are generally willing to hear precepts by which ease is favoured; and as no refentment is raised by general representations of human folly, even in those who are most eminently jealous of comparative reputation, we confefs, without reluctance, that vain man is ignorant of his own weakness, and therefore frequently prefumes to attempt what he can never accomplish; but it ought likewise to be remembered, that man is no less ignorant of his own powers, and might perhaps have accomplished a thousand designs, which the prejudices of cowardice reftrained him from attempting.

It it obferved in the golden verfes of Pythagoras, that Power is never far from neceffity. The vigour of the human mind quickly appears, when there is no longer any place for doubt and hesitation, when diffidence is abforbed in the fenfe of danger, or

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overwhelmed by fome refiftlefs paffion. We then foon discover, that difficulty is, for the most part the daughter of idleness, that the obftacles with which our way feemed to be obftructed were only phantoms, which we believed real, because we durft not advance to a close examination; and we learn that it is impoffible to determine without experience how much conftancy may endure, or perfeverance perform.

But whatever pleasure may be found in the review of diftreffes when art or courage has furmounted them, few will be perfuaded to wish that they may be awakened by want or terrour to the conviction of their own abilities. Every one fhould therefore endeavour to invigorate himself by reafon and reflection, and determine to exert the latent force that nature may have repofed in him, before the hour of exigence comes upon him, and compulfion fhall torture him to diligence. It is below the dignity of a reasonable being to owe that strength to neceffity which ought always to act at the call of choice, or to need any other motive to industry than the defire of performing his duty.

Reflections that may drive away despair, cannot be wanting to him who confiders how much life is now advanced beyond the ftate of naked, undif ciplined, uninftructed nature. Whatever has been effected for convenience or elegance, while it was yet unknown, was believed impoffible; and therefore would never have been attempted, had not fome, more daring than the reft, adventured to bid

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