it is remarked by Scaliger, that he very little promoted his own reputation, because he fell below the promife which his first productions had given, and in the latter part of his life feldom equalled the fallies of his youth.

It is not uncommon for those who at their first entrance into the world were diftinguished for attainments or abilities, to disappoint the hopes which they had raifed, and to end in neglect and obfcurity that life which they began in celebrity and honour. To the long catalogue of the inconveniencies of old age, which moral and fatirical writers have fo copiously difplayed, may be often added the lofs of fame.

The advance of the human mind to wards any object of laudable purfuit, may be compared to the progrefs of a body driven by a blow. It moves for a time with great velocity and vigour, but the force of the firft impulfe is perpetually decreafing, and though it fhould encounter no obftacle capable of quelling it by a fudden stop, the refiftance of the medium through which it paffes, and the latent inequalities of the fmootheft furface, will, in a fhort time, by continued retardation, wholly over-power it. Some hindrances will be found in every road of life, but he that fixes his eyes upon any thing at a distance, neceffarily lofes fight of all that fills up the intermediate space, and therefore fets forward with alacrity and confidence, nor fufpects a thousand obftacles by which he afterwards finds his paffage embarraffed and obftructed. Some are indeed stopt at once in their carcer by a fudden fhock of calamity, or diverted to a different direction by the crofs impulfe of fome violent paffion; but far the greater part languifh by flow degrees, deviate at first into flight obliquitics, and themfelves fcarcely perceive at what time their ardour forfook them, or when they loft fight of their original defign.

Wearinets and negligence are perpe tually prevailing by filent encroachments, aflifted by different causes, and not obferved till they cannot, without great difficulty, be oppofed. Labour neceffarily requires paufes of eafe and relaxation, and the delicioufnefs of eafe commonly makes us unwilling to return to labour. We, perhaps, prevail upon ourfelves to renew our attempts, but Bagerly liften to every argument for frequent interpolitions of amusement; for

when indolence has once entered upon the mind, it can scarcely be difpoffeffed but by fuch efforts as very few are willing to exert.

It is the fate of industry to be equally endangered by miscarriage and fuccess, by confidence and defpondency. He that engages in a great undertaking, with a falle opinion of it's facility, or too high conceptions of his own strength, is easily difcouraged by the first hindrance of his advances, because he had promifed himself an equal and perpetual progreffion without impediment or disturbance; when unexpected interrup tions break in upon him, he is in the Atate of a man furprised by a tempeft, where he purposed only to bask in the calm, or fport in the fhallows.

It is not only common to find the difficulty of an enterprize greater, but the profit lefs, than hope had pictured it. Youth enters the world with very happy prejudices in her own favour. She imagines herself not only certain of accomplishing every adventure, but of obtaining those rewards which the accomplishment may deserve. She is not eafily perfuaded to believe that the force of merit can be refifted by obstinacy and avarice, or it's luftre darkened by envy and malignity. She has not yet learn ed that the mott evident claims to praife or preferment may be rejected by malice against conviction, or by indolence without examination; that they may be fometimes defeated by artifices, and fometimes overborne by clamour; that in the mingled numbers of mankind, many need no other provocation to enmity than that they find themselves excelled; that others have ceased their curiofity, and confider every man who fills the mouth of report with a new name, as an intruder upon their retreat, and a disturber of their repofe; that fome are engaged in complications of intereft which they imagine endangered by every innovation; that many yield themselves up implicitly to every report which hatred diffeminates or folly fcatters; and that whoever afpires to the notice of the publick, has in almost every man an enemy and a rival; and must struggle with the oppofition of the daring, and elude the ftratagems of the timorous, muft quicken the frigid and foften the obdu- · rate, muft reclaim perverfenefs and inform ftupidity.

It is no wonder that when the pro

fpect of reward has vanished, the zeal of enterprize fhould cease; for who would perfevere to cultivate the foil which he has, after long labour, difcovered to be barren? He who hath pleafed himself with anticipated praises, and expected that he should meet in every place with patronage or friendship, will foon remit his vigour, when he finds that from those who defire to be confidered as his admirers nothing can be hoped but cold civility, and that many refufe to own his excellence, left they fhould be too juftly expected to reward it. A man, thus cut off from the profpect of that port to which his addrefs and fortitude had been employed to fteer him, often abandons himself to chance and to the wind, and glides carelefs and idle down the current of life, without refolution to make another effort, till he is swallowed up by the gulph of mortality.

Others are betrayed to the fame defertion of themselves by a contrary fallacy. It was faid of Hannibal, that he wanted nothing to the completion of his martial virtues, but that when he had gained a victory he should know how to ufe it. The folly of defifting too soon from fuccessful labours, and the hafte of enjoying advantages before they are fecured, is often fatal to men of impetuous defire, to men whofe confcioufnefs of uncommon powers fills them with prefumption, and who having borne oppofition down before them, and left emulation panting behind, are early perfuaded to imagine that they have reached the heights of perfection, and that now, being no longer in danger from competitors, they may pafs the reft of their days in the enjoyment of their acquifi

tions, in contemplation of their own fuperiority, and in attention to their own praifes, and look unconcerned from their eminence upon the toils and contentions of meaner beings.

It is not fufficiently confidered in the hour of exultation, that all human excellence is comparative; that no man performs much but in proportion to what others accomplish, or to the time and opportunities which have been allowed him; and that he who ftops at any point of excellence is every day finking in eftimation, because his improvement grows continually more incommenfurate to his life. Yet, as no man willingly quits opinions favourable to himself, they who have once been justly celebrated, imagine that they still have the fame pretentions to regard, and feldom perceive the diminution of their character while there is time to recover it. Nothing then remains but murmurs and remorse; for if the fpendthrift's poverty be embittered by the reflection that he once was rich, how muft the idler's obfcurity be clouded by remembering that he once had luftre!

Thefe errors all arife from an original mistake of the true motives of action. He that never extends his view beyond the praifes or rewards of men, will be dejected by neglect and envy, or infatuated by honours and applaufe. But the confideration that life is only depofited in his hands to be employed in obedienceto a mafter who will regard his endeavours, not his fuccefs, would have preferved him from trivial elations and difcouragements, and enabled him to proceed with conftancy and cheerfulnets, neither enervated by commendation, nor intimidated by cenfure.

HE writers who have undertaken

TH

the task of reconciling mankind to their present state, and relieving the difcontent produced by the various dif-, tribution of terrestrial advantages, frequently remind us that we judge too haftily of good and evil, that we view only the fuperficies of life, and determine of the whole by a very finall part; and that in the condition of men it frequently happens, that grief and anxiety lie hid under the golden robes of profperity, and the gloom of calamity is cheered by fecret radiations of hope and comfort; as in the works of nature the bog is fometimes covered with flowers, and the mine concealed in the bar ren crags.

None but those who have learned the art of fubjecting their fenfes as well as reafon to hypothetical fyftems, can be perfuaded by the most specious rhetorician that the lots of life are equal; yet it cannot be denied that every one has his peculiar pleasures and vexations, that external accidents operate variously upon different minds, and that no man can exactly judge from his own fenfations, what another would feel in the fame circumstances.

If the general difpofition of things be eftimated by the reprefentation which every one makes of his own ftate, the world must be confidered as the abode of forrow and mitery; for how few can forbear to relate their troubles and their diftreffes? If we judge by the account which may be obtained of every man's fortune from others, it may be concluded, that we are all placed in an Elyfian region, overspread with the luxuriance of plenty, and fanned by the breezes of felicity; fince fcarcely any complaint

is uttered without cenfure from those that hear it, and almost all are allowed to have obtained a provision at least adequate to their virtue or their understanding, to poffels either more than they deferve or more than they enjoy.

We are either born with fuch diffimilitude of temper and inclination, or receive fo many of our ideas and opinions from the ftate of life in which we are engaged, that the griefs and cares of one part of mankind feem to the other hypocrify, folly, and affectation. Every clafs of fociety has it's cant of lamentation, which is understood or regarded by none but themselves; and every part of life has it's uneafineffes, which those who do not feel them will not commiferate. An event which spreads diffraction over half the commercial world, affembles the trading companies in councils and committees, and thakes the nerves of a thousand stockjobbers, is read by the landlord and the farmer with frigid indifference. An affair of love, which fills the young breaft with inceffant alternations of hope and fear, and steals away the night and day from every other pleasure or employment, is regarded by them whofe paffions time has extinguifhed, as an amufement which can properly raise neither joy nor forrow, and though it may be fuffered to fill the vacuity of an idle moment, fhould always give way to prudence or intereft.

He that never had any other defire than to fill a cheft with money, or to add another manour to his eftate, who never grieved but at a bad mortgage, or entered a company but to make a bargain, would be aftonifhed to hear of beings, known among the polite and gay by the denomination of wits. How would he

gape

gape with curiofity, or grin with contempt, at the mention of beings who have no wish but to speak what was never spoken before; who, if they happen to inherit wealth, often exhaust their patrimonies in treating those who will hear them talk; and if they are poor, neglect opportunities of improving their fortunes for the pleasure of making others laugh! How flowly would he believe that there are men who would rather lofe a legacy than the reputation of a diftich; who think it lefs difgrace to want money than repartee; whom the vexation of having been foiled in a conteft of raillery is fometimes fufficient to deprive of fleep; and who would efteem it a lighter evil to miss a profitable bargain by fome accidental delay, than not to have thought of a smart reply till the time of producing it was pait? How little would he fulpect that this child of idlenefs and frolick enters every affembly with a beating bofom, like a litigant on the day of decifion, and revolves the probability of applaufe with the anxiety of a confpirator whofe fate depends upon the next night; and at the hour of retirement he carries home, under a fhew of airy negligence, a heart lacerated with envy, or depreffed with difappointment; and immures himself in his closet, that he may difencumber his memory at leiture, review the progress of the day, ftate with accuracy his lofs or gain of reputation, and examine the caufes of his failure or fuccefs?

Yet more remote from common conceptions are the numerous and reflefs anxieties, by which female happinets is particularly disturbed. A folitary philofopher would imagine ladies born with an exemption from care and forrow, lulled in perpetual quiet, and feasted with unmingled pleafure; for what can interrupt the content of thofe upon whom one age has laboured after another to confer honours, and accumulate immunities; thofe to whom rudenefs is infamy, and infult is cowardice; whofe eye commands the brave, and whofe fmiles foften the fevere; whom the failor travels to adorn, the foldier bleeds to defend, and the poet wears out life to celebrate; who claim tribute from every art and science, and for whom all who approach them endeavour to multiply de

lights, without requiring from them any return but willingness to be pleafed?

Surely, among thefe favourites of nature, thus unacquainted with toil and danger, felicity must have fixed her refidence; they must know only the changes of more vivid or more gentle joys; their life muft always move either to the flow or fprightly melody of the lyre of gladnefs; they can never affemble but to pleafure, or retire but to peace.

Such would be the thoughts of every man who fhould hover at a distance round the world, and know it only by conjecture and speculation. But experience will foon difcover how easily those are difgufted who have been made nice by plenty, and tender by indulgence. He will foon fee to how many dangers power is expofed which has no other guard than youth and beauty, and how easily that tranquillity is molefted which can only be fmoothed with the fongs of flattery. It is impoffible to fupply wants as falt as an idle imagination may be able to form them, or to remove all inconveniencies by which elegance refined into impatience may be offended. None are fo hard to pleafe as thofe whom fatiety of pleasure makes weary of themfelves; nor any fo readily provoked, as those who have been always courted with an emulation of civility.

There are indeed fome ftrokes which the envy of fate aims immediately at the fair. The miftrels of Catullus wept for her fparrow many centuries ago, and lap-dogs will be fometimes fick in the prefent age. The moft fathionable brocade is fubject to ftains; pinner, the pride of Bruffels, may be torn by a carclefs washer; a picture may drop from a watch; or the triumph of a new fuit may be interrupted on the first day of it's enjoyment, and all diftinctions of drefs unexpectedly obliterated by a general mourning.

Such is the state of every age, every fex, and every condition; all have their cares, either from nature or from folly: and whoever, therefore, finds himself inclined to envy another, fhould remember that he knows not the real condition which he defires to obtain, but is certain that, by indulging a vicious paffion, he must leffen that happinefs which he thinks already too fparingly bestowed.

N° CXXIX.