"your contest, refolutely, while in purfuit of empire and dominion, expofing himself to every wound; his "eye goared, his neck wrefted, his arm, his thigh "pierced, whatever part of his body fortune fhould feize 66 on, that cheerfully relinquishing; provided that, with "what remained, he might live in honour and renown. "And fhall it be faid, that he, born in PELLA, a place "heretofore mean and ignoble, fhould be infpired with "fo high an ambition and thirst of fame: While you, "ATHENIANS, &c." Thefe praises excite the most lively admiration; but the views prefented by the orator, carry us not, we fee, beyond the hero himself, nor ever regard the future advantageous confequences of his valour.

The martial temper of the ROMANS, inflamed by continual wars, had raised their efteem of courage fo high, that, in their language, it was called virtue, by way of excellence and of distinction from all other moral qualities. The SUEVI, in the opinion of TACITUS *, drest their hair with a laudable intent: Not for the purposes of loving or being beloved: They adorned themselves only for their enemies, and in order to appear more terrible. A fentiment of the hiftorian, which would found a little oddly, in other nations and other ages.

The SCYTHIANS, according to HERODOTUS †, after fleaing the skin from the heads of their enemies, whom they had flain, dreffed it like leather, and used it as a towel; and whoever had the moft of thofe towels was moft esteemed among them. So much had martial bravery, in that nation, as well as in many others, deftroyed the fentiments of humanity; a virtue furely much more ufeful and engaging.

'Tis indeed obfervable, that, among all uncultivated nations, who have not, as yet, had full experience of † Lib. 4.

De moribus Germ.

the

the advantages attending beneficence, juftice, and the focial virtues, courage is the predominant excellence; what is most celebrated by poets, recommended by parents and inftructors, and admired by the public in general. The ethics of HOMER are," in this particular, very different from thofe of FENELON, his elegant imitator; and fuch as are well suited to an age, in which one hero, as remarked by THUCYDIDES *, could ask another, without offence, whether or not he was a robber. Such alfo, very lately, was the fyftem of ethics, which prevailed in many barbarous parts of IRELAND; if we may credit SPENCER, in his judicious account of the ftate of that kingdom +

Of the fame clafs of virtues with courage is that undifturbed philofophical TRANQUILLITY, fuperior to pain, forrow, anxiety, and each affault of adverse fortune. Confcious of his own virtue, fay the philofopher's, the fage elevates himself above every accident of life; and fecurely placed in the temple of wifdom, looks down on inferior mortals, engaged in pursuit of honours, riches, reputation, and each frivolous enjoyment. -These pretenfions, no doubt, when' ftretched to the utmoft, are, by far, too magnificent for human nature. They carry, however, a grandeur, with them, which feizes. the fpectator, and ftrikes him with admiration. And the nearer we can approach in practice, to this fublime tranquillity and indifference (for we muft diftinguish it from a ftupid infenfibility) the more fecure enjoyment

Lib. I.

+ It is a common ufe, fays he, amongst their gentlemen's fons, that, as foon as they are able to use their weapons, they ftrait gather to themselves three or four fragglers or kern, with whom wandering a while up and down, idly the country, taking only meat, he at last falleth into fome bad occafion, that shall be offered; which being once made known, he is thenceforth counted a man of worth, in whom there is courage, Y 4

fhall

fhall we attain within ourselves, and the more greatness of mind fhall we difcover to the world. The philofophical tranquillity may, indeed, be confidered only as a branch of magnanimity.

Who admires not SOCRATES; his perpetual ferenity and contentment, amidft the greatest poverty and domestic vexations; his refolute contempt of riches, and magnanimous care of preserving liberty, while he refused all affiftance from his friends and difciples, and avoided even the dependence of an obligation? EPICTETUS had not fo much as a door to his little houfe or hovel; and therefore, foon loft his iron lamp, the only furniture which he had worth taking. But resolving to disappoint all robbers for the future, he supplied its place with an earthen lamp, of which he very peaceably kept poffeffion ever after.

In antiquity, the heroes of philofophy, as well as those of war and patriotism, have a grandeur and force of fentiment, which astonishes our narrow fouls, and is rafhly rejected as extravagant and fupernatural. They, in their turn, I allow, would have had equal reafon to confider as romantic and incredible, the degree of humanity, clemency, order, tranquillity, and other focial virtues, to which, in the administration of government, we have attained in modern times, had any one been then able to have made a fair reprefentation of them. Such is the compenfation, which nature, or rather education, has made in the diftribution of excellencies and virtues, in thefe different ages.

The merit of BENEVOLENCE, arifing from its utility, and its tendency to promote the good of mankind, has been already explained, and is, no doubt, the fource of a confiderable part of that efteem, which is fo univerfally paid to it. But it will alfo be allowed, that the very softness and tenderness of the sentiment, its engaging endearments,

endearments, its fond expreffions, its delicate attentions; and all that flow of mutual confidence and regard, which enter into a warm attachment of love and friendship: It will be allowed, I say, that these feelings, being delightful in themselves, are neceffarily communicated to the fpectators, and melt them into the fame fondness and delicacy. The tears naturally start in our eyes on the apprehenfion of a warm fentiment of this nature: Our breaft heaves, our heart is agitated, and every humane tender principle of our frame, is fet in motion, and gives us the purest and most fatisfactory enjoyment.

1

When poets form defcriptions of ELYSIAN fields, where the bleffed inhabitants ftand in no need of each other's affistance, they yet represent them as maintaining a conftant intercourfe of love and friendship, and footh qur fancy with the pleafing image of these soft and gentle paffions. The idea of tender tranquillity in a pastoral ARCADIA is agreeable from a like principle, as has been obferved above *.

Who would live amidst perpetual wrangling, and fcolding, and mutual reproaches? The roughness and harshness of these emotions disturb and displease us: We fuffer by contagion and fympathy; nor can we remain indifferent fpectators, even though certain, that no pernicious confequences would ever follow from fuch angry paffions.

As a certain proof, that the whole merit of benevolence is not derived from its usefulness, we may observe, that, in a kind way of blame, we say, a person is too good; when he exceeds his part in fociety, and carries his attention for others beyond the proper bounds. In like manner, we say a man is too high-fpirited, too intrepid, too indifferent about fortune: Reproaches, which really, at the bottom, imply more efteem than many panegyrics. Sect. 5. Part 2.

Being accuftomed to rate the merit and demerit of cha racters chiefly by their useful or pernicious tendencies, we cannot forbear applying the epithet of blame, when we difcover a fentiment, which rifes to a degree that is hurtful: But it may happen,' at the fame time, that its noble elevation, or its engaging tenderness fo feizes the heart, as rather to encrease our friendship and concern for the person t

.

The amours and attachments of HARRY the IVth, during the civil wars of the league, frequently hurt his interest and his caufe; but all the young, at least, and amorous, who can fympathize with the tender paffions, will allow, that this very weakness (for they will readily' call it fuch) chiefly endears that hero, and intérests them in his fortunes.

The exceffive bravery and refolute inflexibility of CHARLES the XIIth ruined his own country, and infefted" all his neighbours: But have such splendor and greatness in their appearance, as ftrike us with admiration; and they might, in fome degree, be even approved of, if they betrayed not fometimes too evident fymptoms of madnefs and diforder.

The ATHENIANS pretended to the firft invention of agriculture and of laws; and always valued themselves extremely on the benefit thereby procured to the whole race of mankind. They also boasted, and with reafon, of their warlike enterprizes; particularly against those innumerable fleets and armies of PERSIANS, which invaded GREECE during the reigns of DARIUS and XERXES. But though there be no comparison, in point of utility, between these peaceful and military honours; yet we find, that the orators, who have wrote fuch ela

+Cheerfulness could fcarce admit of blame from its excefs, were it not that diffolute mirth, without a proper caufe or fubject, is a fure fymptom and characteristic of folly, and on that account difguftful,

borate