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scruple to fay, that he thinks M rality is capable of demonstration as well as the Mathematics.

I know no two words that have been more abused by the different and wrong interpretations which are put upon them, than those two, modesty and afssurance. To say, such a one is a modest Man, sometimes indeed passes for a good character; but at present is very often used to signify a fheepish aukward fellow, who has neither good-breeding, politeness, nor any knowledge of the world.

Again, A man of affurance, tho' at first it only denoted a person of a free and open carriage, is now very usually applied to a profligate wretch, who can break through all the rules of decency and morality without a blush.

I shall endeavour therefore in this essay to restore these words to their true meaning, to prevent the idea of modesty from being confounded with that of sheepishness, and to hinder impudence from paffing for affurance.

If I was put to define modesty, I would call it, the reflexion of an ingenuous mind, either when a man has committed an action for which he cenfures himself, or fan. cies that he is exposed to the cenfure of others.

For this reason a man truly modest is as much fo when he is alone as in company, and as fubject to a blush in his closet, as when the eyes of multitudes are upon him.

I do not remember to have met with any instance of modesty with which I am so well pleased, as that celebrated one of the young prince, whose father, being a tributary king to the Romans, had several complaints laid against him before the fenate, as a tyrant and oppreffor of his fubjects. The prince went to Rome to defend his father, but coming into the senate, and hearing a multitude of crimes prov'd upon him, was so oppreffed when it came to his turn to speak, that he was unable to utter a word. The story tells us, that the fathers were more moved at this instance of modesty and ingenuity, than they could have been by the most pathetic oration; and, in short, pardoned the guilty father for this early promise of virtue in the

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I take affurance to be the faculty of possessing a man's fe'f, or of saying and doing indifferent things without any uneasiness or emotion in the mind. That which generally gives a man affurance is a moderate knowledge of the world, but above all a mind fixed and determined in itself to do nothing against the rules of honour and decency. An open and affured behaviour is the natural consequence of such a resolution. A man thus armed, if his words or actions are at any time misinterpreted, retires within himself, and from a confciousness of his own integrity, affumes force enough to despise the little cenfures of ignorance or malice.

Every one ought to cherish and encourage in himself the modesty and assurance I have here mentioned.

A man without assurance is liable to be made uneafy by the folly or ill-nature of every one he converses with. A man without modesty is lost to all sense of honour and virtue.

It is more than probable, that the prince abovemen. tioned poffefsed both these qualifications in a very eminent degree. Without assurance he would never have undertaken to fpeak before the most august assembly in the world; without modesty he would have pleaded the cause he had taken upon him, tho' it had appeared ever fo fcandalous.

From what has been said, it is plain, that modesty and affurance are both amiable, and may very well meet in the fame person. When they are thus mixed and blended together, they compose what we endeavour to express when we fay modest afssurance; by which we understand the just mean between baflıfulness and impudence.

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I shall conclude with observing, that as the fame man may be both modest and assured, so it is also possible for the fame perfon to be both impudent and bashful.

We have frequent instances of this odd kind of mixture in people of depraved minds and mean education; who tho' they are not able to meet a man's eyes, or pronounce a fentence without confufion, can voluntarily commit the greatest villanies, or most indecent actions.

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Such a person seems to have made a resolution to do ill even in spite of himself, and in defiance of all those checks and restraints his temper and complexion feem to have laid in his way.

Upon the whole, I would endeavour to establish this maxim, That the practice of virtue is the most proper method to give a man a becoming afsurance in his words and actions. Guilt always feeks to shelter itself in one of the extremes, and is sometimes attended with both.

X

N° 374

Friday, May 9.

Nil actum reputans. fi quid fupereffet

et agendum.
Luc. lib. z. v. 657-

He reckons not the past, while ought remain'd Great to be done, or mighty to be gain'd. ROWE.

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a name.

HERE is a fault, which, though common, wants It is the very contrary to procraftination: As we lose the present hour by delaying from day to day to execute what we ought to do immediately; so most of us take occafion to fit ftill and throw away the time in our poffeffion, by retrospect on what is paft, imagining we have already acquitted ourselves, and established our characters in the fight of mankind. But when we thus put a value upon ourselves for what we have already done, any farther than to explain ourselves in order to affift our future conduct, that will give us an over-weening opinion. of our merit to the prejudice of our present industry. The great rule, methinks, should be to manage the instant in which we stand, with fortitude, equanimity, and moderation, according to mens respective circumstances. If our past actions reproach us, they cannot be atoned for by our own fevere reflexions so effectually KS

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as by a contrary behaviour. If they are praise-worthy, the memory of them is of no use but to act suitably to them. Thus a good present behaviour is an implicit repentance for any miscarriage in what is past; but present slackness will not make up for past activity. Time has swallowed up all that we contemporaries did yesterday, as irrevocably as it has the actions of the antediluvians: But we are again awake, and what shall we do to-day, today, which passes while we are yet speaking? Shall we remember the folly of laft night, or refolve upon the exercise of virtue to-morrow? Last night is certainly gone, and to-morrow may never arrive: This instant make use of. Can you oblige any man of honour and virtue? Do it immediately. Can you visit a fick friend? Will it revive him to fee you enter, and suspend your own ease and pleasure to comfort his weakness, and hear the impertinencies of a wretch in pain? Don't stay to take coach, but be gone. Your mistress will bring forrow, and your bottle madness: Go to neither Such virtues and diverfions as these are mentioned because they occur to all men. But every man is sufficiently convinced, that to fufpend the use of the present moment, and refolve better for the future only, is an unpardonable folly. What I attempted to confider, was the mischief of fetting fuch a value upon what is past, as to think we have done enough. Let a man have filled all the offices of life with the highest dignity till yesterday, and begin to live only to himself to-day, he must expect he will in the effects upon his reputation be confidered as the man who died yesterday. The man, who diftinguishes himself from the rest, stands in a press of people; those before him intercept his progress, and those behind him, if he does not urge on, will tread him down. Cafar, of whom it was faid, that he thought nothing done while there was any thing left for him to do, went on in performing the greatest ex. ploits, without affuming to himself a privilege of taking rest upon the foundation of the merit of his former actions. It was the manner of that glorious captain to write down what scenes he passed through, but it

was rather to keep his affairs in method, and capable of a clear review in cafe they should be examined by others, than that he built a renown upon any thing that was past. I shall produce two fragments of his, to demonftrate, that it was his rule of life to fupport himself rather by what he should perform, than what he had done already. In the tablet which he wore about him the fame year in which he obtained the battle of Pharfalia, there were found these loofe notes for his own conduct: It is supposed, by the circumstances they alluded to, that they might be fet down the evening of the fame night.

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My part is now but begun, and my glory muft 'be sustained by the use I make of this victory; ' otherwise my loss will be greater than that of Pompey. Our personal reputation will rise or fall as we • bear our refpective fortunes. All my private ene'mies among the prisoners shall be spared. I will forget this, in order to obtain fuch another day. • Trebutius is ashamed to see me: I will go to his tent and be reconciled in private. Give all the men ' of honour, who take part with me, the terms I of'fered before the battle. Let them owe this to their • friends who have been long in my interests. Power ' is weakened by the full use of it, but extended by 'moderation. Galbinius is proud, and will be fervile ' in his present fortune: let him wait. Send for Stertinius: He is modeft, and his virtue is worth gaining. I have cooled my heart with reflexion, and am fit to rejoice with the army to-morrow. He is a popular general who can expose himself like a private man during a battle; but he is more popular who can rejoice but like a private man after a victory.'

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What is particularly proper for the example of all who pretend to industry in the pursuit of honour and virtue, is, that this hero was more than ordinarily folicitous about his reputation, when a common mind would have thought itself in security, and given itself a loose to joy and triumph. But though this is a very great inftance of his temper, I must confess I am more taken

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