clafs of animals. The bats and the flying fquirrels, who traverse the air by means of membranous instead of feathered wings, evidently connect quadrupeds with birds. The oftrich, the caffowary, and the dodo, who rather run than fly, form another link between the quadruped and the bird.

All the fubftances we recognize on this earth may be divided into organised and animated, organised and inanimated, and unorganised, or brute, matter. The whole of these poffefs degrees of perfection, of excellence, or of relative utility, proportioned to their stations or ranks in the universe. Change these ftations or ranks, and another world would be necessary to contain and fupport them. Beings must not be contemplated individually, but by their rank, and the relations they have to the conftituent parts of the general fyftem of Nature. Certain refults of their natures we confider as evils. Destroy thefe evils, and you annihilate the beings who complain of them. The reciprocal action of the folids and fluids conftitutes life, and the continuation of this action is the natural caufe of death. Immortality on this earth, therefore, pre-fuppofes another fyftem; for our planet has no relation to immortal beings. Every animal, and every plant, rifes, by gentle gradations, from an embryo, or gelatinous ftate, to a certain degree of perfection exactly proportioned to their feveral orders. An affemblage of all the orders of relative perfection conftitutes the abfolute perfection of the whole. All the planets of this fyf tem gravitate toward the fun and toward each other. Our fyllem gravitates toward other fyftems, and they to ours. Thus the whole uni

verfe is linked together by a gradual and almoft imperceptible chain of exiftences both animated and inanimated. Were there no other argument in favour of the UNITY of DEITY, this uniformity of defign, this graduated concatenation of beings, which appears not only from this chapter, but from many other parts of the book, feems to be perfectly irrefragable.

In contemplating Man, as the head of those animals with which we are acquainted, a thought occurred, that no fentient being, whofe mental powers were greatly fuperior, could poffibly live and be happy in this world. If fuch a being really exifted, his mifery would be extreme. With fenfes more delicate and refined; with perceptions more acute and penetrating; with a taste so exquifite that the objects around him could by no means gratify it; obliged to feed upon nourishment too grofs for his frame; he must be born only to be miferable, and the continuation of his exiftence would be utterly impoffible. Even in our prefent condition, the fameness and infipidity of objects and purfuits, the futility of pleasure, and the infinite fources of excruciating pain, are fupported with great difficulty by cultivated and refined minds. Increase our fenfibilities, continue the fame objects and fituation, and no man could bear to live.

glancing fufpicion takes poffeflion of and corrodes the heart. Those who before were united as brethren, whofe reciprocal thoughts flowed from undifguifed bofoms, and who would have exercifed mutual endearments to the advancement of mutual blifs, unhappily influenced by this mifchievous fiend, become first cool in their affections, and afterwards are transformed into irreconcileable enemies. It does not require great age and much experience to perceive that this reprefentation is juft. A curfory view of mankind will convince every obferver. This vice, one might fay, is fo black, fo mean, fo niggardly; it befpeaks fuch a little foul, both in him who cherishes it, and in him who is eafily influenced by it, that all advantages to be derived from this inftance, feem to vanish. I grant that the appearances are very unfavourable. But,

Its malicious efforts must terminate in itfelf, and its blunted arrows rebound from the shield of innocence, to its own difappointment and mortification. But the very attack may prove to be a bleffing. It is a new admonition to attend with a nicer and more anxious concern to the extenfive injunctions of virtue. A good name, and univerfal refpect, may infenfibly lead any man into a dangerous fecurity, and tend to relax his exertions in fome of the duties of life. But this affault ferves to warn him, that he will be expofed to the fire of an implacable enemy, if he once ventures out of the impregnable fortress of virtue. Thus, flander frequently contributes to the support of the very caufe which its malevolent intention was to fink into contempt or utter ruin.

deftin'd uses.'

This defpicable foul that breathes flander and defamation, this peftiferous being that spreads the most deadly contagion throughout the whole fphere of its influence, may yet be fubfervient to fome degree of good. In what refpects, it will be useful to confider.

The flanderer holds no character facred. Worth and merit, even the moft dignified, are not fecure from his fhafts. He fimiles with malignant joy whenever an opportunity offers to afperfe innocence or blacken an unfullied reputation. Indeed, the higher any one is exalted in virtue or in wifdom, the greater exertions would the flanderer make to effect his degration, and the more diabolical pleafure would he receive. But the man whofe life is marked by an uniform tenor of innocence and usefulness, can feldom receive a deep and lafting wound from the attacks of calumny.

Has this vile fiend ever had influence enough to feparate thofe hearts and endearing bands of love? Say, ye fair, whofe "fenfibility, warmth, and delicacy, are peculiarly characteriftic of, and beautify your fex," have you ever difcarded a lover, merely on account of the reprefentations of a flanderous tongue, without giving him an opportunity of vindicating himself? And has any youth torn from his heart the object which he once adored, because calumny had depreciated her virtues, aggravated her foibles, and blackened her charafter by falfe and malicious afperfions? Such an event may have taken place. But, is it not a happy circumftance,that those persons whose affections could be fo very eafily removed, were prevented by the interpofition of flander, from forming a clofer and an indiffoluble union? Where the car was fo open, and the heart fo credulous to receive every unfavourable report, is it probable that ritual confidence and endearments could long have fubfifted?

Such

Such a feparation, therefore, is much to be preferred to a union of fufpicion, difcontent, and mifery. Thus, the flanderer has the vexation to find, that he fometimes does good in fpite of all his endeavours to the contrary.

Is friendship alfo, true friendship, liable to be wounded by the attacks of flander? Is not its heavenly tempered fhield proof against all the hafts of calumny, though dipt in the gall of envy or revenge? Alas! we ought to blufh for the frailties of humanity. Friendships formed upon proper principles, and cherished for years, fometimes ftrangely diffolve. And of all the means to effect this, flander, we may boldly affert, is the moft powerful. In what cafes then, which relate to this fubject, does it answer any useful purpofe? This we shall endeavour to develope.

Men of very different difpofitions, frequently form a union of friendship. A fimilarity of fentiment, indeed, with respect to great and leading principles, both in religion and poli. tics, is perhaps neceffary. But their humours, their taftes, their paffions may be different. The one may be of a grave and contemplative turn of mind; the other inclined to wit and vivacity. The one may delight in the ftudy of the Belles Lettres; the other in abftrufe and philofophical investigations. The one may be na turally addicted to an irafcibility of temper; the other may be poffeffed of patience and good nature. In a word, may we not be bold to affirm, that a man of an envious, proud, and implacable fpirit, pofitive, overbearing, and ungenerous, may be for a time united to another, whofe character is marked for mildness, fweet pliability of temper, gentlenefs, and mercy? This may certainly be the cafe for a paffionate man may be as agreeable as any other, when he is not under the immediate influence of his paffion. Don Quixote could dif

courfe very rationally on any subje& except knight errantry, upon which, as foon as he touched, a derangement of intellect was obvious. Thus, in life, men may appear to poflefs amiability and good nature; but, once excite their predominant paffion, and immediately the tranquility of their fouls is loft. It would perhaps be refining too far to fay, that the termination of friendship between two perfons might be a happy event to one or both, when no angry paffion reigned in the breaft, and no vicious habits marked the lives of either of them: but, fince we may bestow our affections upon unworthy objects, upon perfons of turbulent tempers and illiberal minds, the fooner we discover their real character, and the fooner all connection with them is diffolved, the more favourable will it be to our trueft interefts. And lander is one of the best means to prove the fincerity, the candour, and the difinterestedness of him who profeffes friendship.

Suppofe a perfon on whom you looked as a friend, fhould hear a report, or many reports, injurious to your character; fuppofe your rival, or enemy, fhould reprefent to him your words or actions in a way you never intended, and prejudicial to his interefts; fuppofe this fame friend fhould immediately abandon himself to refentful and implacable paffions, harbour defigns of revenge, and avoid every interview which might produce a happy explanation would you not be the gainer in this inftance? Would you not difcover that his mind was not only feeble, but contemptible; not only deftitute of juftice, but untouched with a fingle emotion of dignified generofity? Would you not be happy to be disconnected from a perfon who was either too proud, too irafcible, or too mean to cherish in his bofom one fingle fuggeftion of candour, and who could therefore never

perform

perform any difinterefted fervice? A late and elegant author obferves, refpecting a friend, "it is neceffary that he have a franknefs, or opennefs of temper. He ought to be free from referve, fufpicion, or jealoufy." How much more in the prefent cafe fhould he, when a pitiful backbiter attacks the friend of his bofom, fly to him with an open heart, and ufe every endeavour to heal the wounds made by calumny, and repair the breaches occafioned by mere, and probably by falfe reprefentation? But, where this candour is wanting, no true and difinterested friendship can fubfift. And that flander which has developed the inward state of the man, and fhewn you his narrow and revengeful spirit, has furely in this cafe been of fignal utility. You are now at liberty to choose another friend, and you are taught, that only the noble, the benevolent, the generous mind, is capable of relishing the sweet and fublime delights of true friendship.

Thus it appears, that the flanderer, whom all profefs heartily to despise, is not quite fo ufelefs and unimportant a being in fociety, as might at first be imagined. Indeed, as far as we have confidered him, he is found to be inftrumental in producing the most falutary effects. But, you may fay, this, fo far from being his intention, is diametrically oppofite to it, and therefore that he deferves no credit for the good he occafions. Very well, but this does not prevent his being ufeful. He may indeed think to infufe poifon into our fouls; but if that poifon, contrary to his purpofes, thould change its nature, and operate as a wholesome medicine, ought we not to allow him ftill to adminifter it? Perhaps it may be for this benevolent purpose, that many

perfons give fuch great encouragement to the flanderer, efpecially in a private way for though his fervices are in frequent demand, yet no one dares to make use of them publicly. There are fome who accufe the fair fex of fhewing more particular partiality than ours, to the flanderer, and of contributing chiefly to his fupport. I will not speak decifively on this point: but they ought not to be too haftily accufed, fince they may lend their affiftance from the most benevolent views. Indeed, I believe we have as much merit on this fcore, as their ladyfhips; and am therefore not inclined to yield the laurel fo eafily to them; though I confefs it has been whispered, that fome of them have been fo anxious in this worthy cause, as to take the cup from the hands of the flanderer, and themfelves to adminifter the wholesome draught. I am not willing, however, to give many of them this merit.

Would it not be attempting a public benefit, if I were to open a correfpondence with fome perfons of this benevolent turn of mind, and endeavour to prevail on them to tranfmit occafional communications for these numbers? As I have the honour to be acquainted with feveral of this character, of both fexes, I am almost confident of fucceeding; and as foon as their fpeculations are prepared, they fhall make their appearance. Since their object, we may readily fuppofe, will be the promotion of peace and harmony among friends and neighbours, and the general interefts of virtue, we have no doubt of their productions being favourably received by a great number of readers. O.

March 17, 1792.

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