imperfections of our nature-whether our judgment is without its bias from our fears. Let our feriousness be exhibited to us in that odd figure, which wit and humour can easily give it; we shall be insensibly led to judge of it, according to its appearance, as thus overcharged; and under the disadvantage, in which it is shewn us: we shall, first, seem unconcerned at the greater liberties that others take, and, by degrees, proceed to take the very fame ourselves. The perfon, whom we most highly and justly honoured, if the buffoonry of our companions were constantly levelled at him, would foon have his worth overlooked by us; and, though we might not be brought to think of him as contemptibly, as they appeared to do, our reverence of him would certainly, at length abate, and both his advice and example have much less influence upon us. Of this you shall have an instance in my next. I will here only add what Jamblichus mentions as practised by Pythagoras, before he admitted any into his school He enquired, "Who were their intimates" -justly concluding, that they, who could like bad companions, would not be much profited by his instructions. Dean Bolton. § 127. LETTER VIII. SIR, What follows will discharge the promife, which I made you at the conclusion of my laft. S. was the oracle of his county; to whatever point he turned his thoughts, he foon made himself master of it. He entered, indeed, so early upon business, that he had little time for books; but he had read those, which beft deserved his perufal, and his memory was the faithful repofitory of their contents. The helps, that he had not received from reading, he had abundantly supplied the want of, by observation and conversation. The compass of his knowledge was amazing. There was scarce any thing, of which one in his station ought to be informed, wherein he appeared to be ignorant. Long experience, great fagacity, a ready apprehenfion, a retentive memory, the refort to him of all forts of people, from whom any thing could be learned, and an intimacy with fome of the worthiest perfons of every profession, enabled him to speak on most points with fuch jusiness and copiousness, as might induce you to conclude, upon first being with him, that the topic, on which his discourse turned, was what he had particularly and principally attended to Though he owned himself never to have fo much as look'd into the writings of atheists or deifts; yet, from the promiscuous company he had been obliged to keep, and the freedom, with which ail spoke their sentiments to him, there was not, perhaps, a material objection to the christian religion, of which he was not apprised, and which he had not well confidered. Sensible of his strength, and ever defirous to use it in the best of caufes in the fervice of that truth, which operates on men's practice, and would, if attended to, rectify it throughout; he did not discourage the moft free fpeakers: he calmly and willingly heard what they could fay against his faith, while they ufed reason and argument; but drollery and jest he failed not, though with great good-humour, to reprove, as a species of misrepresentation-as a fure evidence, that truth was not fought-as an artifice, to which none would apply, who were not conscious of their weakness, who did not defpair of supporting their notions by rational proofs. Virtue and true religion had not, perhaps, an abler advocate than this gentleman; but whatever service his tongue might do them, his manners, certainly, did them far greater; he convinced you of their excellency, by exhibiting to your senses their effelts--he left you no room to question how amiable they were, when it was from their influence upon him, that be so much engaged your esteem and affection; he proved undeniably, how much they should be our care, by being himself an inftance, how much they contributed to our bappiness. Never, certainly, did piety fit easier upon any man Never, perhaps, was any man more esteemed by the very perfons, between whose practice and his there was the widest difference. The fuperior talents he discover'd, and his readiness to employ them for the benefit of all, who applied to him, engaged alike their admiration and their love. The obligations, conferred by him, ob. tained the height of complaifance towards his fon. Invitations were made the youth from all quarters; and there was not a young man of any figure near him, who was not introduced to him, and directed to pay him particular civility. They, who fought to attach him closest to them by conjalting his humour, were never without their arguments for licenfing it, "True it was, this or that purfuit might not be to "the taste of his father; but neither did "it fuit his years-When he was a young man, he, undoubtedly, acted as one; he " took the diversions, allowed himself in "the gratifications, to which youth inclines: no wonder that he should now censure what he could not relish he should condemn the draught, which - his head could not bear, and be indifferent to the features, which he could not * diftinguith without his spectacles." that When this kind of language had abated the reverence, due to so excellent an inftructor, the buffoon interposed still further to weaken his influence; gave an air of affectation to his decorum of hypocrify to his feriousness-of timorousness to his prudence-of avarice to his wife economyburlesqued the advice, that he might be supposed to give, the arguments with which he was likely to fupport it, and the reproof he would naturally use, when he did not fee a difpofition to follow it. Soon as the young man had attained the age, at which the law supposes us fufficient ly difcrect, he expressed a most earnest detire to have an opportunity of appearing Jo. Repeated promises were made, that if a proper allowance was settled on him, and leave given him to chuse a place of abode, there inould not be the least mismanagement; the income affigned him should anfwer every article of expence. The fon's importunity was seconded by the fond mother's, and their joint folicita tions prevailed. The youth was now acceffible, at all times, to the most profligate of his acquaintance: and one part of their entertainment usually was, to set his excellent father's maxims and manners in the most disadvantageous light. This failed not to bring on a difregard to both-fo entire a difregard to them, that the whore and the card-table took up all the hours, which the bottle relieved not. Thus fell the heir of one of the worthiest of our countrymen!-It was to no purpose, that fuch an admirable example had been fet him by the perfon, he was most likely to regard that fuch particular care had been taken to reason him into a discharge of his duty-that he had been present, when the most subtile advocates for irre ligion either were filenced, or induced to acknowledge their principles to be much less defenfible, than they had hitherto thought them. None of the impreffions of what had been done for him, or faid to him, or had paffed before him, could hold out against ridicule; it effaced every trace of them, and prepared him to be as bad, as his worst companions could be inclined to make him. How great a neglect of him ensued! They who had laugh'd him out of the reverence due to his parent's worth, rendered him foon despised by all, whose esteem could profit or credit him; and he died in the 70th year of his conftitution, when but in the 25th of his age. Dean Bolton. §128. LETTER IX. SIR, My last gave you a melancholy instance of the hurt, done by ridicule to the heir of a most worthy man, not many miles from you. What influence it had towards the condemnation of him, to whom the epithet of divine might, perhaps, be more properly applied, than to any one, who ever lived under the fole guidance of reafon, has long, you know, been matter of dispute. I will only observe, concerning the comic writer's ridicule of Socrates 1. That, when such a representation could be made of so excellent a person, it demonstrates, that no degree of worth can secure any perfon from an attempt to destroy his credit; and that they, whose capacities fully enable them to difcern this worth, may be its spitefullest enemies, and bend their wits to disparage it- 2. That, when such a representation could be made by a man of good parts, with any confidence of fuccess, it is, further, an evidence of the probability, that the highest and most just reputation may fuffer from ridicule, and that it may bring into contempt what is entitled to the greatest esteem and honour- 3. That if the Athenians were fo well pleased with the means used to lessen the character of this ornament, not only to his country, but his species, as to render the interpofition of a powerful party in the ftate neceffary, to prevent the poet's abufe from meeting with all the success, he prom.fed himself in it; we are fully taught, what may be the pernicious effects of ingenious drollery-how much it may weaken the force of any instruction, or any example. Where 1 A Where violent methods are pursued, in order to withdraw us from any religious practice or opinion; they who thus oppose it shewing thereby, that they look upon it as fomewhat of great importance, teach us to do the same; and often increase our attachment to it-render us more earnest about it, than we, otherwise should have been. But where such practice or opinion is treated as a matter of jest-where it meets with all the flight, that scoffing and laughter can express, we scarcely know how to preferve our regard to it, as a thing of much consequence; and from esteeming it of little moment, we easily proceed to judge it of none at all. The force that is offered us, on account "The woman, who deliberates, is loft," Would you not, industriously, keep out possible with those who would difcourage fincerity-who would oppose it, either by the faggot, or the fair, * of Smithfield. A very uncommon resolution is required to be steady to the principles, from avowing which we must expect to be the heroes in a farce; though we need not appre-hend that it will make us victims to the flames. What your temper may be, I cannot affirm; but I really think that, with great numbers, drollery is not only a species of persecution, but the most dangerous kind of it: they would as foon be scourged, as mocked; be burthened with the cross, as habited with the purple. You can scarcely be enough aware of the risk you run from being jested with, as a vifionary or a bigot-as one of much whim, or very little penetration. But enough of the inducements, that vitious companions would be under to corrupt you, and the means they would use to do it. The care you should take, in the choice of your company, will be the subject of but one letter more from Dean Bolton. § 129. LETTER X. SIR, All I have to add, on what has lately been the subject of my correspondence with you, will be contained in this letter. I will not lengthen it, by apologizing for it. Might I suppose you fo fortified by a right disposition, a wife education, good sense, and a thorough knowledge of the reasonableness of the practice enjoined by your religion, that every attempt to corrupt your morals would miscarry; this hurt, however, you would be fure to find from being much in the company of vitious men, that you would be less careful to become eminently virtuous-you would be less careful to fulfil your obligations, than you otherwise would be. While you faw others so much worse than yourself; you would not confider, how much better you ought to be, than you at present areWhile their gross faults were avoided, you would not confider, how much there is in you, that ought to be amended. We measure what is, in any way, commendable, by comparing our share of it with that of our neighbour: we do not re Barilolomew fair, during which plays and farces were formerly, from morning to night, the entertainment of the populace. gard gard in what degree, as to itself, we possess the good, but in how greater a degree it is posressed by us, than by others. Among a very ignorant people, a scholar of the lowest form will pass, both in their and his own judgment, for an adept. You would, I am fure, pronounce of any gentleman, who kept mean company, that there was little hope of his ever acting a part, which would greatly credit him: while he loved to be chiefly with those, who would own, and do homage to, his faperiority; you would think him by no means likely to cultivate much real worth. And were it to be faid, that you should make fuch a judgment of him, not because of any impreffion he would receive from bis companions, but because of the difpofition he shewed in the choice of them; I should be glad to know, how that man must be thought affected towards religion and virtue, who could be willingly present, where he was sure, that they would be grofsly depreciated. Whoever could bear a disparagement of them, must have so little sense of their worth, that we may juftly conclude him ill prepared for refifting the attempt, to deprive them wholly of their influence upon him. And, therefore, we may as fitly determine, from the disposition evidenced by him who keeps bad company, what his morals will at length be; as we can determine from the turn of mind, discovered by one who keeps mean company, what his figure in the world is likely to be Those among us, whose capacities qualify them for the most confiderable attainments-who might raise themselves to an equality with the heroes in literature, of the lait century, fit down contented with the faperiority they have over their contemporaries - acquiefce in furnishing a hare specimen of what they could do, if the'r genius were roused, if they were to exert their abilities. They regard only the advantage they poffefs over the idle and illiterate, by whom they are furrounded; and give way to their ease, when they may take it; and yet appear as confiderable in their times, as the learned men, we mot admire, did in their respective ages. How many could I mention, to whom nature has been most liberal of her endowments, who are barely in the list of authors, who have only writ enough to fhew how much honour they would have done their country, had their application been called out, and if their names must have been no better known than those of their acquaintance, unless their diligence had equalled their capacity. What is thus notoriously true of literary defert, is equally fo of moral: the persons, to whom we allot a greater share of it, than has long been found in any in their stations, how have they their fenfe of right with-held from exerting itself, by the few they meet with disposed to animate them to any endeavour towards correcting the general depravity-by the connections they have with such numbers, whose rule is their inclination-by that utter difregard to duty, which they fee in most of those, with whom they have an intercourse. Alas! in the very best of us, a conviction of what becomes us goes but a little way, in exciting us to practise it. Solicitations to be lefs obfervant of it are, from some or other quarter, perpetually offering themselves; and are by no means likely to be withstood, if our resolutions are not strengthened by the wife counsels and correspondent examples of our affociates. "Behold! young man-You live in an age, when it is requisite to fortify the " mind by examples of constancy." This Tacitus mentions as the speech of the admirable Thrafea to the quæstor, fent to tell him, he must die; and by whom he would have it remarked, with what compofure he died. Nor is it only when our virtue endangers our life, as was then the cafe, that such examples are wanted. Wherever there is a prevailing corruption of manners; they who would act throughout the becoming part, must be animated to it by what they hear from, and fee in, others, by the patterns of integrity, which they have before them. We are easily induced to judge some deviation from our rule very excufable; and to allow ourselves in it: when our thoughts are not called off from our own weakness and the general guilt: but while we are converfant with those, whose conduct is as unsuitable, as our own, to that of the multitude; we are kept awake to a sense of our obligations-our spirits are supported we feel the courage that we behold-we fee what can be done by such as share our frail nature; and we are ashamed to waver, where they perjevere. Ariftotle confiders friendship as of three kinds; one arifing from virtue, another from pleasure, and another from intereft; but juilly determines, that there can be no true The friendship contracted from pleasure, or profit, regards only the pleasure or profit obtained thereby; and ceases, when these precarious motives to it fail: but that, to which virtue gives birth, not hav ing any accidental cause-being without any dependence on humour or interestarifing wholly from intrinfic worth, from what we are in ourselves, never fluctuates, operates steadily and uniformly, remains firm and uninterrupted, is lasting as our lives. That which is the essential qualification of a friend, should be the chief recommendation in a companion. If, indeed, we have any concern for real worth; with whom should we be more defirous to converse, than with those, who would accompany us, and encourage us, in the purfuit of it. The fame writer, mentioning the use, that friends are of to us in every part of life, remarks the benefit, which young men find from them to be-" That they keep "them in their duty." Had he thought, that any thing could have been urged more in behalf of friendship; he, undoubtedly, would have observed it. And when such is the language of so able an inftructor, and of one who guided himself in his instructions only by the certain, the present advantage, that would attend a conformity to them; the lesson we have here for the choice of company must appear worthy the notice even of those, who will have no other guides, but reason and nature. If to keep us steady to our duty be the best office, that can be done us. If they, who are our friends, will be thus serviceable to us-If the virtuous alone can be our friends, our conversation should be chiefly with the virtuous; all familiarity with the vitious should be avoided; we should confider those, who would destroy our virtue, as our enemies-our very worst enemies, whilst endeavouring to deprive us of the greatest blessing, that it is in our power to obtain. Dean Bolton. § 130. On Intemperance in Eating. This respects the quantity of our food, or the kind of it: if, in either of these, we have no regard to the hurt it may do us, we are guilty of intemperance. From tranfgreffing in the quantity of our food a speedier mischief ensues, than from doing so in the quality of it; and therein we never can tranfgrefs, without being directly admonished of it, by our very conftitution. Our meal is never too large, but heaviness comes on the load on our stomach is our instant tormentor; and every repetition of our fault a caution to us, that we do not any more thus offend. A caution, alas, how unheeded by us!Crammed like an Englishman, was, I find, a proverbial expreffion in Erasmus's daysabove two hundred years ago. An error barely in the kind of our aliment gives us, frequently, no present alarm; and, perhaps, but a very flight one, after we have, for some years, continued in it. In the vigour of youth, scarce any thing we eat appears to disagree with us: we gratify our palate with whatever pleases it; feeling no ill consequence, and therefore fearing none. The inconveniences, that we do not yet find, we hope we shall always escape; or we then propofe to ourselves a restraint upon our appetite, when we experience the bad effects of indulging it. With respect to the quantity of our food; that may be no excess in one man, which may be the most blameable in another: what would be the height of gluttony in us, if of a week and tender frame, may be, to perfons of much stronger constitutions, a quite temperate meal. The same proportions of food can, likewife, never fuit such, as have in them difpofitions to particular diseases, and fuch, as have no evils of that nature to guard againft: nor can they, further, fuit those, who are employed in hard labour, and those, who live wholly at their ease-those, who are frequently stirring and in action, and those, whose life is fedentary and inactive. The same man may, also, in the very fame quantity, be free from, or guilty of, excefs, as he is young or old-healthy or diseafed -as he accustoms his body to fatigue, of to repose. The influence that our food has upon our health, its tendency to preferve or to impair our constitution, is the measure of its temperance or excess. It may, indeed, fo happen, that our diet shall be, generally, very sparing, without allowing us any claim to the virtue of tem perance; as when we are more defirous to fave our money, than to please our palates, and, therefore, deny ourselves at our own table, what we eat with greediness, when we feed at the charge of others, as, |