The Two Bees.

Na fine morning in May, two bees fet forward

in queft of honey, the one wife and temperate, the other careless and extravagant. They foon arrived at a garden enriched with aromatic herbs, the most fragrant flowers, and the most delicious fruits. They regaled themfelves for a time on the various dainties. that were spread before them: The one loading his thigh at intervals with provisions for the hive against the diftant winter; the other revelling in fweets, without regard to any thing but his prefent gratification. At length they found a wide-mouthed phial, that hung beneath the bough of a peach-tree, filled with honey ready tempered, and expofed to their tafte in the moft alluring manner. The thoughtlefs epicure, fpite of all his friend's remonftrances, plunged headlong into the veffel, refolving to indulge himself in all the pleasures of fenfuality. The philofopher, on the other hand, fipped a little with caution; but being fufpicious of danger, flew off to fruits and flowers; where, by the moderation of his meals, he improved his relish for the true enjoyment of them. In the evening, however, he called upon his friend, to enquire whether he would return to the hive; but found him furfeited in sweets, which he was as unable to leave as to enjoy. Clogged in his wings, enfeebled in his feet, and his whole frame totally enervated, he was but juft able to bid his friend. adieu, and to lament with his latest breath, that, though a tafte of pleasure might quicken the relish of life, an unreftrained indulgence is inevitable deftruction.

On

F we

On Ambition.

I look abroad upon the great multitude of man

kind, and endeavour to trace out the principles of action in every individual, it will, I think, feem highly probable, that ambition runs through the whole fpecies, and that every man, in proportion to the vigour of his complexion, is more or less actuated by it. It is indeed no uncommon thing to meet with men, who, by the mutual bent of their inclinations, and without the difcipline of philofophy, aspire not to the heights of power and grandeur; who never fet their hearts upon a numerous train of clients and dependencies, nor other gay appendages of greatnefs; who are contented with a competency, and will not moleft their tranquillity to gain an abundance : But it is not therefore to be concluded, that fuch a man is not ambitious: His defires may cut out another channel, and determine him to other purfuits; the motive may be, however, ftill the fame; and in thofe cafes, likewife, the man may be equally pufhed on with the defire of diftinction.

Though the pure conscioufnefs of worthy actions, abstracted from the views of popular applaufe, be to a generous mind an ample reward, yet the defire of diftinction was doubtlefs implanted in our natures as an additional incentive to exert ourselves in virtuous excellence.

Ambition, therefore, is not to be confined only to one paffion or purfuit; for as the fame humours in conftitutions otherwise differently affect the body after different manners, fo the fame afpiring principle within us fometimes breaks forth upon one object, fometimes upon another.

It cannot be doubted but that there is as great a defire of glory in a ring of wrestlers or cudgel-players, as in any other more refined competition for fuperiority.

It is a known ftory of Domitian, that after he had poffeffed himself of the Roman empire, his defires turned upon catching flies. Active and mafculine spirits, in the vigour of youth, neither can nor ought to remain at reft: If they debar themselves from aiming at a noble object, their defires will move downwards, and they will feel themselves actuated by fome low and abjec paffion. Thus if you cut off the top branches of a tree, and will not fuffer it to grow higher, it will not therefore ceafe to grow, but will quickly fhoot out at the bottom. The man indeed who goes into the world only with the narrow views of self-intereft, who catches at the applause of an idle multitude, as he can find no folid contentment at the end of his journey, fo he deferves to meet with difappointments in his way: But he who is actuated by a noble principle, whofe mind is fo far enlarged as to take in the profpect of his country's good, who is enamoured with that praise which is one of the fair attendants of virtue, and values not thofe acclamations which are not feconded by the impartial teftimony of his own mind; who repines not at the low station which Providence has at present allotted him, but yet would willingly advance himself by juftifiable means to a more rifing and advantageous ground; fuch a man is warmed with a generous emulation; it is a virtuous movement in him to with, and to endeavour, that his power of doing good may be equal to his will. The man who is fitted out by nature, and fent into the world with great abilities, is capable of doing great good or mischief in it. It ought therefore to be the care of education, to infufe into the untainted youth early notions of juftice and honour, that fo the poffible advantages of good parts may not take a bad turn, nor be perverted to base and unworthy purposes. It is the business of religion and philosophy not so much to extinguish our paffions, as to regulate and direct them to valuable, well-chofen objects. When these have pointed out to us which courfe we may lawfully

fteer,

fteer, it is no harm to fet out all our fail: If the ftorms and tempefts of adverfity fhould rife upon us, and not fuffer us to make the haven where we would be, it will however prove no fmall confolation to us in thefe circumftances, that we have neither mistaken our course, nor fallen into calamities of our own procuring.

On the Knowledge of the World.

OTHING has fo much expofed men of learning

to contempt and ridicule, as their ignorance of things which are known to all but themselves. Those who have been taught to confider the inftitutions of the schools as giving the laft perfection to human abilities, are furprised to fee men wrinkled with study, yet wanting to be inftructed in the minute circumstances of propriety, or the necessary forms of daily transaction; and quickly fhake off their reverence for modes of education, which they find to produce no ability above the rest of mankind.

Books, fays Bacon, can never teach the use of books. The student muft learn, by commerce with mankind, to reduce his fpeculations to practice, and accommodate his knowledge to the purposes of life.

It is too common for those who have been bred to fcholaftic profeffions, and paffed much of their time in academies, where nothing but learning confers honours, to difregard every other qualification, and to imagine that they shall find mankind ready to pay homage to their knowledge, and to crowd about them for inftruction. They therefore ftep out from their cells into the open world, with all the confidence of authority and dignity of importance; they look round about them at once with ignorance and scorn on a race of beings to whom they are equally unknown and equally contemptible, but whofe manners they muft imitate, and with whofe opinions they must comply, if they defire to pass their time happily among them.

To leffen that difdain with which scholars are inclined to look on the common business of the world, and the unwillingness with which they condefcend to learn what is not to be found in any fyftem of philofophy, it may be neceffary to confider, that though admiration is excited by abftrufe researches and remote discoveries,

yet