yet, for the most part, with regard to its fingle acts, elective and voluntary. We may certainly, without injury to our fellow-beings, allow in the diftribution of kindness fomething to our affections, and change the measure of our liberality according to our opinions and profpects, our hopes and fears. This rule therefore is not equally determinate and abfolute with respect to offices of kindness, and acts of liberality, because liberality and kindness, abfolutely determined, would lofe their nature; for how could we be called tender, or charitable, for giving that which we are positively forbidden to withhold? Yet even in adjusting the extent of our beneficence no other measure can be taken than this precept affords us; for we can only know what others fuffer or want, by confidering how we fhould be affected in the fame ftate; nor can we proportion our affiftance by any other rule than that of doing what we should then expect from others. It indeed generally happens that the giver and receiver differ in their opinions of generofity; the fame partiality to his own intereft inclines one to large expectations, and the other to fparing diftributions. Perhaps the infirmity of human nature will scarcely fuffer a man groaning under the preffure of diftrefs, to judge rightly of the kindness of his friends, or think they have done enough till his deliverance is completed; not therefore what we might wish, but what we could demand from others, we are obliged to grant, fince, though we can easily know how much we might claim, it is impoffible to determine what we fhould hope. But But in all enquiries concerning the practice of voluntary and occafional virtues, it is fafeft for minds not oppreffed with superstitious fears to determine against their own inclinations, and secure themselves from deficiency, by doing more than they believe strictly neceffary. For of this every man may be certain, that, if he were to exchange conditions with his dependent, he should expect more than, with the utmost exertion of his ardour, he now will prevail upon himself to perform; and when reason has no fettled rule, and our paffions are ftriving to mislead us, it is furely the part of a wife man to err on the fide of fafety. NUMB. 82. SATURDAY, December 29, 1750. Omnia Caltor emit, fic fiet ut omnia vendat. SİR, To the RAMBLER. MART T will not be neceffary to folicit your good-will by any formal preface, when I have informed you, that I have long been known as the most laborous and zealous virtuofo that the present age has had the honour of producing, and that inconveniencies have been brought upon me by an unextinguishable ardour of curiofity, and an unfhaken perfeverance in the acquifition of the productions of art and nature. It was observed, from my entrance into the world, that I had fomething uncommon in my dif pofition, pofition, and that there appeared in me very early tokens of fuperior genius. I was always an enemy to trifles; the playthings which my mother beftowed upon me I immediately broke, that I might discover the method of their ftructure and the causes of their motions; of all the toys with which children are delighted I valued only my coral, and as foon as I could speak, afked, like Pierefc, innumerable questions which the maids about me could not refolve. As I grew older I was more thoughtful and ferious, and inftead of amufing myfelf with puerile diverfions, made collections 'of natural rarities, and never walked into the fields without bringing home ftones of remarkable forms, or infects of fome uncommon fpecies. I never entered an old houfe, from which I did not take away the painted glafs, and often lamented. that I was not one of that happy generation who demolished the convents and monafteries, and broke windows by law. Being thus early poffeffed-by a tafte for folid knowledge, I pafled my youth with very little difturbance from paffions and appetites, and having no pleasure in the company of boys and girls, who talked of plays, politicks, fashions, or love, I carried on my enquiries with inceffant diligence, and had amaffed more ftone, moffes, and fhells, than are to be found in many celebrated collections, at an age in which the greatest part of young men are studying under tutors, or endeavouring to recommend themselves to notice by their dress, their air, and their levities. When I was two and twenty years old, I became, by the death of my father, poffeffed of a fmall eftate in land, with a very large fum of money in the publick funds, and must confess that I did not much lament him, for he was a man of mean parts, bent rather upon growing rich than wife. He once fretted at the expence of only ten fhillings, which he happened to overhear me offering for the sting of a hornet, though it was a cold moist fummer, in which very few hornets had been feen. He often recommended to me the ftudy of phyfick, in which, said he, you may at once gratify your curiofity after natural history, and increase your fortune by benefiting mankind. I heard him, Mr. Rambler, with pity, and as there was no prospect of elevating a mind formed to grovel, fuffered him to please himself with hoping that I should some time follow his advice. For you know that there are men, with whom, when they have once fettled a notion in their heads, it is to very little purpose to dispute. Being now left wholly to my own inclinations, I very foon enlarged the bounds of my curiofity, and contented myself no longer with fuch rarities as required only judgment and industry, and when once found, might be had for nothing. I now turned my thoughts to Exoticks and Antiques, and became fo well known for my generous patronage of ingenious men, that my levee was crowded with vifitants, fome to feelmy mufeum, and others to increase its treasures, by felling me whatever they had brought from other countries. I had always a contempt for that narrownefs of conception, which contents itself with cultivating fome fingle corner of the field of fcience; I took the whole region into my view, and wifhed it of yet greater extent. But no man's power can be equal to his will. I was forced to proceed by flow degrees, degrees, and to purchase what chance or kindness happened to prefent. I did not however proceed without fome defign, or imitate the indifcretion of thofe, who begin a thousand collections, and finish none. Having been always a lover of geography, I determined to collect the maps drawn in the rude and barbarous times, before any regular furveys or juft obfervations; and have, at a great expence, brought together a volume, in which, perhaps, not a fingle country is laid down according to its true fituation, and by which, he that defires to know the errors of the ancient geographers may be amply informed. But my ruling paflion is patriotifm: my chief care has been to procure the products of our own country; and as Alfred received the tribute of the Welch in wolves heads, I allowed my tenants to pay their rents in butterflies, till I had exhaufted the papilionaceous tribe. I then directed them to the pursuit of other animals, and obtained, by this eafy method, most of the grubs and infects, which land, air, or water can fupply. I have three fpecies of earthworms not known to the naturalifts, have difcovered a new ephemera, and can fhew four wafps that were taken torpid in their winter quarters. I have, from my own ground, the longest blade of grafs upon record, and once accepted, as a half year's rent for a field of wheat, an ear containing more grains than had been feen before upon a fingle ftem. One of my tenants fo much neglected his own intereft, as to fupply me, in a whole fummer, with only two horse flies, and those of little more than the common fize; and I was upon the brink of feizing for arrears when his good fortune threw a white |