LITENESS, in order to facilitate the intercourse of minds, and an undisturbed commerce and converfation. Among well-bred people, a mutual deference is affected; contempt of others disguised; authority concealed; attention given to each in his turn; and an easy ftream of converfation maintained, without vehemence, without interruption, without eagerness for victory, and without any airs of fuperiority. These attentions and regards are immediately agreeable to others, abftracted from any confideration of utility or beneficial tendencies: They conciliate affection, promote esteem, and extremely enhance the merit of the person, who regulates his behaviour by them.

Many of the forms of breeding are arbitrary and cafual: but the thing expreffed by them is still the fame. A SPANIARD goes out of his own house before his gueft, to fignify that he leaves him master of all. In other countries, the landlord walks out laft, as a common mark of deference and regard.

But in order to render a man perfect good company, he must have WIT and INGENUITY as well as good-manners. What wit is, it may not be easy to define; but it is easy furely to determine, that it is a quality immediately agreeable to others, and communicating, on its first appearance, a lively joy and fatisfaction to every one who has any comprehenfion of it. The most profound metaphyfics, indeed, might be employed, in explaining the various kinds and fpecies of wit; and many claffes of it, which are now received on the fole teftimony of taste and sentiment, might, perhaps, be refolved into more general principles. But this is fufficient for our prefent purpose, that it does affect tafte and fentiment, and bestowing an immediate enjoyment, is a fure source of approbation and affection.

In countries, where men pass most of their time in converfation, and vifits, and affemblies, these companionable qualities, fo to fpeak, are of high estima

In

tion, and form a chief part of perfonal merit. countries, where men live a more domeftic life, and either are employed in business, or amuse themselves in a narrower circle of acquaintance, the more folid qualities are chiefly regarded. Thus I have often obferved, that among the FRENCH, the first queftions, with regard to a stranger, are, Is he polite? Has he wit? In our own country, the chief praise bestowed, is always that of a good-natured, fenfible fellow.

In converfation, the lively fpirit of dialogue is agreeable, even to thofe who defire not to have any share in the difcourfe. Hence the teller of long ftories, or the pompous declaimer, is very little approved of. But moft men defire likewise their turn in the converfation; and regard, with a very evil eye; that loquacity which deprives them of a right they are naturally fo jealous of.

There is a fort of harmless liars, frequently to be met with in company, who deal much in the marvellous. Their ufual intention is to please and entertain; but as men are moft delighted with what they conceive to be truth, these people mistake extremely the means of pleafing, and incur univerfal blame. Some indulgence, however, to lying or fiction, is given in humorous ftories, because it is there. really agreeable and entertaining; and truth is not of any importance.

Eloquence, genius of all kinds, even good fenfe and found reafoning, when it rifes to an eminent degree, and is employed upon fubjects of any confiderable dignity and nice difcernment; all these endowments feem immediately agreeable, and have a merit diftinct from their usefulness. Rarity, likewife, which fo much enhances the price of every thing, muft fet an additional value on thefe noble talents of the human mind.

Modesty may be understood in different fenfes, even abstracted from chastity, which has been alrea

dy

dy treated of. It fometimes means that tenderness and nicety of honour, that apprehenfion of blame, that dread of intrufion or injury towards others, that PUDOR, which is the proper guardian of every kind of virtue, and a fure prefervative against vice and corruption. But its most usual meaning is when it is oppofed to impudence and arrogance, and expreffes a diffidence of our own judgment, and a due attention and regard for others. In young men chiefly, this quality is a fure fign of good fenfe; and is alfo the certain means of augmenting that endowment, by preferving their ears open to inftruction, and making them still grasp after new attainments. But it has a farther charm to every fpectator, by flattering every man's vanity, and prefenting the appearance of a docile pupil, who receives, with proper attention and respect, every word they utter.

Men have, in general, a much greater propenfity to over-value than to under-value themselves; notwithstanding the opinion of ARISTOTLE *. This makes us more jealous of the excefs on the former fide, and causes us to regard, with a peculiar indulgence, all tendency to modefty and felf-diffidence ; as esteeming the danger lefs of falling into any vicious extreme of that nature. It is thus in countries where mens bodies are apt to exceed in corpulency, perfonal beauty is placed in a much greater degree of flenderness, than in countries where that is the moft ufual defect. Being fo often ftruck with inftances of one fpecies of deformity, men think they can never keep at too great a diftance from it, and with always to have a leaning to the oppofite fide. In like manner, were the door opened to felf-praife, and were MONTAIGNE'S maxim obferved, that one fhould fay as frankly, I have fenfe, I have learning, I have courage, beauty, or wit, as it is fure we often think fo; were this the cafe, I fay, every one is fenfible, that fuch a flood of impertinence would break

Ethic, ad Nicomachum,

break in upon us, as would render fociety wholly intolerable. For this reafon, cuftom has established it as a rule, in common focieties, that men fhould not indulge themselves in felf-praife, or even fpeak much of themselves; and it is only among intimate friends or people of very manly behaviour, that one is allowed to do himself juftice. No body finds fault with MAURICE, Prince of ORANGE, for his reply to one who asked him, whom he esteemed the first general of the age? The Marquis of SPINOLA, faid he, is the fecond. Though it is obfervable, that the felfpraise implied is here better implied, than if it had been directly expreffed without any cover or dif guife.

He must be a very fuperficial thinker who imagines, that all inftances of mutual deference are to be underftood in earneft, and that a man would be more eftimable for being ignorant of his own merits and accomplishments. A fmall bias towards modefty, even in the internal fentiment, is favourably regarded, especially in young people; and a ftrong bias is required in the outward behaviour: But this excludes not a noble pride and fpirit, which may openly dif play itself in its full extent, when one lies under calumny or oppreffion of any kind. The generous contumacy of SOCRATES, as CICERO calls it, has been highly celebrated in all ages; and when joined to the ufual modefty of his behaviour, forms a fhining character. IPHICRATES, the ATHENIAN, being accused of betraying the interests of his country, afked his accufer, Would you, fays he, have, on a like occafion, been guilty of that crime? By no means, replied the other. And can you then imagine, cried the hero, that IPHICRATES would be guilty? In fhort, a generous fpirit and felfvalue, well founded, decently difguifed, and courageoufly fupported under diftrefs and calumny, is a great excellency, and feems to derive its merit from the noble elevation of its fentiment, or its immediate agreeableness

QUINCTIL. lib. v. cap. 12.

agreeableness to its poffeffor. In ordinary characters, we approve of a bias towards modefty, which is a quality immediately agreeable to others: The vicious excess of the former virtue, namely, infolence or haughtiness, is immediately difagreeable to others: The excess of the latter is fo to the poffeffor. Thus are the boundaries of these duties adjusted.

A defire of fame, reputation, or a character with others, is fo far from being blameable, that it seems infeparable from virtue, genius, capacity, and a generous or noble difpofition. An attention even to trivial matters, in order to please, is alfo expected and demanded by fociety; and no one is furprifed, if he find a man in company, to obferve a greater elegance of dress, and more pleasant flow of converfation, than when he paffes his time at home, and with his own family. Wherein, then, confifts VANITY, which is fo juftly regarded as a fault or imperfection? It seems to confift chiefly in fuch an intemperate difplay of our advantages, honours, and accomplishments; in fuch an importunate and open demand of praise and admiration, as is offenfive to others, and encroaches too far on their fecret vanity and ambition. It is befides a fure fymptom of the want of true dignity and elevation of mind, which is fo great an ornament in any character. For why that impatient defire of applaufe, as if you were not justly intitled to it, and might not reasonably expect that it would for ever attend you? Why fo anxious to inform us of the great company which you have kept; the obliging things which were faid to you; the honours, the diftinctions which you met with; as if these were not things of course, and what we could readily, of ourfelves, have imagined, without being told of them?

DECENCY, or a proper regard to age, fex, character, and station in the world, may be ranked among the qualities which are immediately agreeable to others, and which, by that means, acquire praife and approbation. An effeminate behaviour in a man, a VOL. II. rough

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