hurried away to an old friend, who profeffed himself unfufceptible of any impreffions from profperity or misfortune, and begged that he might fee me when he was more at leifure.

At fixty-seven doors at which I knocked in the first week after my appearance in a mourning dref's, I was denied admiffion at forty-fix; was fuffered at fourteen to wait in the outer room till bufinefs was dispatched; at four was entertained with a few queftions about the weather; at one heard the footman rated for bringing my name; and at two was informed in the flow of cafual converfation, how much a man of rank degrades himself by mean company.

My curiofity now led me to try what reception I fhould find among the ladies; but I found that my patron had carried all my powers of pleafing to the grave. I had formerly been celebrated as a wit, and not perceiving any languor in my imagination, I effayed to revive that gaiety which had hitherto broken out involuntarily before my fentences were finished. My remarks were now heard with a steady countenance, and if a girl happened to give way to habitual merriment, her forwardnefs was repreffed with a frown by her mother or her

aunt.

All this might be endured; but there is a clafs of mortals who think my underftanding impaired with my fortune, exalt themselves to the dignity of advice, and whenever we happen to meet, prefume to prescribe my conduct, regulate my economy, and direct my pursuits. Another race, equally impertinent and equally despicable, are every moment recommending to me an attention to my intereft, and think themfelves entitled, by their fuperior prudence, to reproach me if I fpeak or move without regard to profit.

Such, Mr. Rambler, is the power of wealth, that it commands the ear of greatness and the eye of beauty; gives Ipirit to the dull, and authority to the timorous; and leaves him from whom it departs, without virtue and without understanding, the fport of caprice, the fcoff of infolence, the flave of meanness, and the pupil of ignorance.

I am, &c.

T

HE direction of Ariftotle to thofe that ftudy politicks, is, firft to examine and understand what has been written by the ancients upon government; then to caft their eyes round upon the world, and confider by what caufes the profperity of communities is visibly influenced, and why fome are worse, and others better administered.

The fame method must be pursued by him who hopes to become eminent in any other part of knowledge. The first task is to fearch books, the next to contemplate nature. He must firft poffefs himself of the intellectual treasures which

VIRG.

DRYDEN.

the diligence of former ages has accu mulated, and then endeavour to increase them by his own collections.

The mental difeafe of the prefent generation is impatience of tudy, contempt of the great mafters of ancient wisdom, and a difpofition to rely wholly upon unaffifted genius and natural fagacity. The wits of thefe happy days have difcovered a way to fame, which the dull caution of our laborious ancestors durft never attempt; they cut the knots of fophiftry which it was formerly the bufinefs of years to untie, folve difficulties by fudden irradiations of intelli

gence,

and tranfmitting, unclouded to pofterity, that light which had been kindled by caufes out of his power. The happinefs of these cafual illuminations no man can promise to himself, because no endeavours can procure them; and therefore whatever be our abilities or application, we must submit to learn from others what perhaps would have lain hid for ever from human penetration, had not fome remote enquiry brought it to view; as treasures are thrown up by the ploughman and the digger in the rude exercife of their common occupations.

The man whose genius qualifies him for great undertakings, muft at least be content to learn from books the prefent ftate of human knowledge; that he may not ascribe to himself the invention of arts generally known; weary his attention with experiments of which the event has been long registered; and waste, in attempts which have already fucceeded or mifcarried, that time which might have been spent with usefulness and honour upon new undertakings.

But though the ftudy of books is neceffary, it is not fufficient to conftitute literary eminence. He that wishes to be counted among the benefactors of pofterity, muft add by his own toil to the acquifitions of his ancestors, and fecure his memory from neglect by fome valuable improvement. This can only be effected by looking out upon the waftes of the intellectual world, and extending the power of learning over regions yet

undifciplined and barbarous; or by furveying more exactly her ancient domi nions; and driving ignorance from the fortreffes and retreats where the skulks undetected and undisturbed. Every science has it's difficulties which yet call for a folution before we attempt new fyftems of knowledge; as every country has it's forefts and marshes, which it would be wife to cultivate and drain, before diftant colonies are projected as a neceffary discharge of the exuberance of inhabitants.

No man ever yet became great by imitation. Whatever hopes for the venc ration of mankind must have invention in the defign or the execution; either the effect muft itself be new, or the means by which it is produced. Either truths hitherto unknown must be difcovered, or those which are already known enforced by ftronger evidence, facilitated by clearer method, or elucidated by brighter illuftrations.

Fame cannot spread wide or endure long that is not rooted in nature, and manured by art. That which hopes to refift the blaft of malignity, and stand firm against the attacks of time, must contain in itself fome original principle of growth. The reputation which arifes from the detail or tranfpofition of borrowed fentiments, may fpread for a while, like ivy, on the rind of antiquity, but will be torn away by accident or contempt, and fuffered to rot unheeded on the ground.

ELPHINSTON.

we have not means of becoming acquainted with our real characters; an opinion which, like innumerable other poftulates, an enquirer finds himself inclined to admit upon very little evidence, because it affords a ready folution of many difficulties. It will explain why the greateft abilities frequently fail to promote the happiness of those who poffefs them; why thofe who can diftinguifh with the utmolt nicety the boundaries of vice and

virtue fuffer them to be confounded in their own conduct; why the active and vigilant refign their affairs implicitly to the management of others; and why the cautious and fearful make hourly approaches towards ruin, without one figh of folicitude or ftruggle for escape.

When a pofition teems thus with commodious confequences, who can without regret confefs it to be falfe? Yet it is certain that declaimers have indulged a difpofition to defcribe the dominion of the paffions as extended beyond the limits that nature affigned. Self-love is often rather arrogant than blind; it does not hide our faults from ourfelves, but per fuades us that they efcape the notice of others, and difpofes us to refent cenfures left we fhould confefs them to be juft. We are fecretly confcious of defects and vices which we hope to conceal from the publick eye, and pleafe ourselves with innumerable impoftures, by which, in reality, nobody is deceived.

In proof of the dimnels of our internal fight, or the general inability of man to determine rightly concerning his own character, it is common to urge the fuccess of the most abfurd and incredible flattery, and the refentment always raifed by advice, however foft, benevolent, and reasonable. But flattery, if it's operation be nearly examined, will be found to owe it's acceptance, not to our ignorance but knowledge of our failures, and to delight us rather as it confoles our wants than difplays our poffeflions. He that fhall folicit the favour of his patron by praifing him for qualities which he can find in himfelf, will be defeated by the more daring panegyrift who enriches him with adfcititious excellence. Juft praife is only a debt, but flattery is a prefent. The acknowledgment of thofe virtues on which confcience congratulates us, is a tribute that we can at any time exact with confidence; but the celebration of those which we only feign, or defire without any vigorous endeavours to attain them, is received as a confeffion of fovereignty over regions never conquered, as a favourable decifion of difputable claims, and is more welcone as it is more gratuitous.

Advice is offenfive, not because it lays us open to unexpected regret, or convicts us of any fault which had efcaped our notice, but because it shows us that we are known to others as well as to ourselves; and the officious moni

tor is perfecuted with hatred, not be caufe his accufation is falfe, but because he affumes that fuperiority which we are not willing to grant him, and has dared to detect what we defired to conceal.

For this reafon advice is commonly ineffectual. If those who follow the call of their defires, without enquiry whither they are going, had deviated ignorantly from the paths of wisdom, and were rushing upon dangers unforeseen, they would readily liften to information that recals them from their errors, and catch the first alarm by which destruction or infamy is denounced. Few that wander in the wrong way mistake it for the right, they only find it more smooth and flowery, and indulge their own choice rather than approve it: therefore few are perfuaded to quit it by admonition or reproof, fince it impresses no new conviction, nor confers any powers of action or refiftance. He that is gravely informed how foon profufion will annihilate his fortune, hears with little advantage what he knew before, and catches at the next occafion of expence, becaufe advice has no force to fupprefs his vanity. He that is told how certainly intemperance will hurry him to the grave, runs with his ufual speed to a new courfe of luxury, because his reafon is not invigorated, nor his appetite weakened.

The mifchief of flattery is, not that it perfuades any man that he is what he is not, but that it fuppreffes the influ ence of honeft ambition, by raifing an opinion that honour may be gained without the toil of merit; and the benefit of advice arifes commonly, not from any new light imparted to the mind, but from the discovery which it affords of the publick fuffrages. He that could withftand confcience is frighted at infamy, and fhame prevails when reafon was defeated.

As we all know our own faults, and know them commonly with many aggravations which human perfpicacity cannot discover, there is, perhaps, no man, however hardened by impudence or diffipated by levity, fheltered by hypocrify or blafted by difgrace, who does not intend fome time to review his couduct, and to regulate the remainder of his life by the laws of virtue. New temptations indeed attack him, new invitations are offered by pleasure and intereft, and the hour of reformation is

always

always delayed; every delay gives vice another opportunity of fortifying itself by habit, and the change of manners, though fincerely intended and rationally planned, is referred to the time when fome craving paffion fhall be fully gratified, or fome powerful allurement ceafe it's importunity.

Thus procrastination is accumulated on procrastination, and one impediment fucceeds another, till age fhatters our refolution, or death intercepts the project of amendment. Such is often the end of falutary purpofes, after they have long delighted the imagination, and appealed that difquiet which every mind feels from known mifconduct, when the attention is not diverted by business or by pleasure.

Nothing furely can be more unworthy of a reasonable nature, than to continue in a ftate fo oppofite to real happinefs, as that all the peace of folitude, and felicity of meditation, muft arife from refolutions of forfaking it. Yet the world will often afford examples of men, who país months and years in a continual war with their own convictions, and are daily dragged by habit, or betrayed by paffion, into practices which they clofed and opened their eyes with purposes to avoid; purposes which, though fettled on conviction, the first impulfe of momentary defire totally overthrows.

The influence of cuftom is indeed fuch, that to conquer it will require the ntmoft efforts of fortitude and virtue; nor can I think any men more worthy of veneration and renown, than thole who have burft the fhackles of habitual vice. This victory however has different degrees of glory as of difficulty; it is more heroick as the objects of guilty gratification are more familiar, and the recurrence of folicitation more frequent. He that from experience of the folly of ambition refigns his offices, may fet himfelf free at once from temptation to fquander his life in courts, because he cannot regain his former ftation. He who is enilaved by an amorous paffion, may quit his tyrant in difguft, and abfence will, without the help of reafon, overcome by degrees the defire of returning. But thofe appetites to which every place affords their proper object, and which require no preparatory mea

fures or gradual advances, are more tenacioufly adhesive; the wish is fo near the enjoyment, that compliance often precedes confideration, and before the powers of reafon can be fummoned, the time for employing them is past.

Indolence is therefore one of the vices from which those whom it once infects are feldom reformed. Every other fpecies of luxury operates upon fome appetite that is quickly fatiated, and requires fonie concurrence of art or accident which every place will not supply; but the defire of eafe acts equally at all hours, and the longer it is indulged is the more increafed. To do nothing is in every man's power; we can never want an opportu nity of omitting duties. The lapfe to indolence is foft and imperceptible, be cause it is only a mere ceffation of activity; but the return to diligence is difficult, because it implies a change from reft to motion, from privation to reality.

Facilis defcenfus averni: Netes atque dies pater atri janua ditis; Sed revocare gradum, superasque evadere ad VIRG. Hoc opus, bic labor eft.

auras,

Of this vice, as of all others, every ' man who indulges it is confcious; we all know our own ftate, if we could be induced to confider it; and it might perhaps be useful to the conqueft of all these enfnarers of the mind, if at certain ftated days life was reviewed. Many things neceffary are omitted, because we vainly imagine that they may be always performed; and what cannot be done without pain will for ever be delayed, if the time of doing it be left unfettled. No corruption is great but by long neg ligence, which can fcarcely prevail in a mind regularly and frequently awakened by periodical remorfe. He that thus breaks his life into parts, will find in himself a defire to diftinguith every stage of his existence by fome improvement, and delight himself with the approach of the day of recollection, as of the time which is to begin a new series of virtue and felicity.