degrees of malignity: but they have, I think, generally omitted that whch is most common, and, perhaps, not least mischievous; which, fince the moralifts have not given it a name, I fhall diftinguish as the lie of vanity.

t

To vanity may justly be imputed moft of the falfehoods, which every man perceives hourly playing upon his ear, and, perhaps, moft of thofe that are propagated with fuccefs. To the lie of commerce, and the lie of malice, the motive is so apparent, that they are feldom negligently or implicitly received: fufpicion is always watchful over the practices of intereft; and whatever the hope of gain, or defire of mischief, can prompt one man to affert, another is by reafons equally cogent incited to refute. But vanity pleases herself with fuch flight gratifications, and looks forward to pleasure fo remotely confequential, that her practices raise no alarm, and her ftratagems are not easily discovered.

Vanity is, indeed, often fuffered to pass unpursued by fufpicion, because he that would watch her motions, can never be at reft: fraud and malice are bounded in their influence; fome opportunity of time and place is neceffary to their agency; but scarce any man is abftracted one moment from his vanity; and he, to whom truth affords no gratifications, is generally inclined to feek them in falfehoods.

It is remarked by Sir Kenelm Digby," that every "man has a defire to appear fuperior to others,

though it were only in having feen what they have "not feen." Such an accidental advantage, fince it neither implies merit, nor confers dignity, one would

would think fhould not be defired fo much as to be counterfeited: yet even this vanity, trifling as it is, produces innumerable narratives, all equally falfe; but more or less credible in proportion to the fkill or confidence of the relater. How many may a man of diffufive converfation count among his acquaintances, whofe lives have been fignalized by numberlefs escapes; who never cross the river but in a ftorm, or take a journey into the country without more adventures than befel the knights-errant of ancient times in pathlefs forefts or enchanted caftles! How many must he know, to whom portents and prodigies are of daily occurrence; and for whom nature is hourly working wonders invifible to every other eye, only to fupply them with fubjects of converfation!

Others there are that amufe themselves with the diffemination of falfehood, at greater hazard of detection and difgrace; men marked out by fome lucky planet for univerfal confidence and friendship, who have been confulted in every difficulty, entrusted with every fecret, and fummoned to every tranfaction: it is the fupreme felicity of thefe men, to ftun all companies with noify information; to ftill doubt, and overbear oppofition, with certain knowledge or authentic intelligence. A liar of this kind, with a ftrong memory or brifk imagination, is often the oracle of an obfcure club, and, till time difcovers his impoftures, dictates to his hearers with uncontrouled authority; for if a publick queftion be ftarted, he was present at the debate; if a new fashion be mentioned, he was at court the first day of its appearance; if a new performance of literature draws the

attention

attention of the publick, he has patronised the author, and feen his work in manufcript; if a criminal of eminence be condemned to die, he often predicted his fate, and endeavoured his reformation: and who that lives at a distance from the scene of action, will dare to contradict a man, who reports from his own eyes and ears, and to whom all perfons and affairs are thus intimately known?

This kind of falsehood is generally fuccessful for a time, because it is practifed at first with timidity and caution: but the profperity of the liar is of fhort duration; the reception of one ftory is always an incitement to the forgery of another lefs probable; and he goes on to triumph over tacit credulity, till pride or reafon rifes up against him, and his companions will no longer endure to fee him wifer than themfelves.

It is apparent, that the inventors of all these fictions intend fome exaltation of themselves, and are led off by the purfuit of honour from their attendance upon truth: their narratives always imply fome confequence in favour of their courage, their fagacity, or their activity, their familiarity with the learned, or their reception among the great; they are always bribed by the prefent pleasure of seeing themselves fuperior to those that surround them, and receiving the homage of filent attention and envious admiration.

But vanity is fometimes excited to fiction by lefs visible gratifications: the prefent age abounds with a race of liars who are content with the consciousness of falsehood, and whofe pride is to deceive others without any gain or glory to themselves. Of this tribe it is the fupreme pleasure to remark a lady in

the

the playhouse or the park, and to publish, under the character of a man fuddenly enamoured, an advertisement in the news of the next day, containing a minute defcription of her perfon and her drefs. From this artifice, however, no other effect can be expected, than perturbations which the writer can never fee, and conjectures of which he never can be informed: fome mifchief, however, he hopes he has done; and to have done mifchief, is of fome importance. He fets his invention to work again, and produces a narrative of a robbery or a murder, with all the circumftances of time and place accurately adjusted. This is a jeft of greater effect and longer duration': if he fixes his fcene at a proper distance, he may for feveral days keep a wife in terror for her husband, or a mother for her fon; and please himself with reflecting, that by his abilities and addrefs some addition is made to the miferies of life.

There is, I think, an ancient law of Scotland, by which leafing-making was capitally punished. I am, indeed, far from defiring to increase in this kingdom the number of executions; yet I cannot but think, that they who deftroy the confidence of fociety, weaken the credit of intelligence, and interrupt the fecurity of life; harafs the delicate with fhame, and perplex the timorous with alarms; might very properly be awakened to a sense of their crimes, by denunciations of a whipping-poft or pillory: fince many are fo infenfible of right and wrong, that they have no ftandard of action but the law; nor feel guilt, but as they dread punishment,

NUMB. 53. TUESDAY, May 8, 1753.

SIR,

IN

Quifque fuos patimur Manes.

Each has his lot, and bears the fate he drew.

VIRG.

Fleet, May 6.

N confequence of my engagements, I addrefs you once more from the habitations of mifery. In this place, from which business and pleasure are equally excluded, and in which our only employment and diverfion is to hear the narratives of each other, I might much sooner have gathered materials for a letter, had I not hoped to have been reminded of my promife; but fince I find myself placed in the regions of oblivion, where I am no less neglected by you than by the rest of mankind, I refolved no longer to wait for solicitation, but stole early this evening from between gloomy fullennefs and riotous merriment, to give you an account of part of my companions.

One of the most eminent members of our club is Mr. Edward Scamper, a man of whofe name the Olympic heroes would not have been afhamed. Ned was born to a small eftate, which he determined to improve; and therefore, as foon as he became of age, mortgaged part of his land to buy a mare and ftallion, and bred horfes for the course. He was at first very successful, and gained feveral of the king's plates, as he is now every day boasting, at the ex

pence