pofed more rare and extraordinary, are observed to be the more ufual objects of pride and felf-conceit; and when boasted of, beget a strong fufpicion of these sentiments. It is hard to tell whether you hurt a man's charac ter most by calling him a knave or a coward; and whether a beaftly glutton or drunkard be not as odious and contemptible, as a felfish, ungenerous mifer. Give me my choice, and I would rather, for my own happiness and self-enjoyment, have a friendly, humane heart, than poffefs all the other virtues of DEMOSTHENES and PHILIP united: But I would rather pass with the world for one endowed with extenfive genius and intrepid courage, and fhould thence expect stronger instances of general applause and admiration. The figure which a man makes in life, the reception which he meets with in company, the esteem paid him by his acquaintance; all these advantages depend as much upon his good sense and judgment, as upon any other part of his character. Had a man the best intentions in the world, and were the fartheft removed from all injustice and violence, he would never be able to make himself be much regarded, without a moderate fhare, at least, of parts and understanding. What is it then we can here difpute about? if fenfe and courage, temperance and induftry, wisdom and knowledge, confeffedly form a confiderable part of perfonal merit; if a man, poffeffed of thefe qualities, is both better satisfied with himself, and better intitled to the good-will, efteem, and fervices of others, than one entirely deftitute of them; if, in fhort, the fentiments are fimilar, which arife from thefe endowments and from the focial virtues; is there any reafon for being fo extremely fcrupulous about a word, or difputing whether they be intitled. to the denomination of virtues? It may, indeed, be pretended, that the fentiment of approbation, which thofe accomplishments produce, befides its being inferior, ferior, is alfo fomewhat different from that which at tends the virtues of juftice and humanity. But this feems not a fufficient reafon for ranking them entirely under different claffes and appellations. The character of CESAR and that of CATO, as drawn by SALLUST, are both of them virtuous, in the ftricteft and moft limited fenfe of the word; but in a different way: Nor are the fentiments entirely the fame which arife from them. The one produces love; the other, efteem: The one is amiable; the other awful: We fhould wish to meet the one character in a friend; the other we fhould be ambitious of in ourselves. In like manner, the approbation which attends temperance or induftry or frugality, may be fomewhat different from that which is paid to the focial virtues, without making them entirely of a different species. And, indeed, we may observe, that these endowments, more than the other virtues, produce not, all of them, the fame kind of approbation. Good fense and genius beget efteem and regard: Wit and humour excite love and affection*. Most people, I believe, will naturally, without premeditation, affent to the definition of the elegant and judicious poet. Virtue (for mere good-nature is a fool) Is fenfe and fpirit with humanity f. What pretenfions has a man to our generous affiftance or good offices, who has diffipated his wealth in profuse expences, idle vanities, chimerical projects, diffolute pleasures, or extravagant gaming? Thefe vices (for we fcruple not to call them fuch) bring mifery unpitied, and contempt on every one addicted to them. ACHEUS, a wife and prudent prince, fell into a fatal fnare, which coft him his crown and life, after having ufed every reasonable precaution to guard himself against it. On that account, fays the hiftorian, * See NOTE [TT]. The Art of preferving Health, Book 4. rian, he is a juft object of regard and compaffion; his betrayers alone of hatred and contempt*. The precipitate flight and improvident negligence of POMPEY, at the beginning of the civil wars, appeared fuch notorious blunders to CICERO, as quite palled his friendship towards that great man. In the fame manner, fays he, as want of cleanliness, decency, or difcretion in a mistress are found to alienate our affections. For he so expreffes himself, where he talks, not in the character of a philofopher, but in that of a statesman and man of the world, to his friend ATTICUS †. But the fame CICERO, in imitation of all the ancient moralifts, when he reafons as a philofopher, enlarges very much his ideas of virtue, and comprehends every laudable quality or endowment of the mind under that honourable appellation. This leads to the third reflection which we proposed to make, to wit, that the ancient moralifts, the beft models, made no material distinction among the different fpecies of mental endowments and defects, but treated all alike under the appellation of virtues and vices, and made them indifcriminately the object of their moral reasonings. The prudence explained in CICERO'S Offices, is that fagacity, which leads to the difcovery of truth, and preferves us from error and miftake. Magnanimity, temperance, decency, are there alfo at large difcourfed of. And as that eloquent moralift followed the common received divifion of the four cardinal virtues, our focial duties form but one head in the general diftribution of his fubject . We need only peruse the titles of chapters in ARISTOTLE'S Etihcs to be convinced, that he ranks courage, temperance, magnificence, magnanimity, moVOL. II. defty, Y *POLYBIUS, lib. viii. cap. 2. + Lib. i. cap. 6. See NOTE [UU]. defty, prudence, and a manly openness, among the virtues, as well as juftice and friendship. To fuftain and to abstain, that is, to be patient and continent, appeared to fome of the ancients a fummary comprehenfion of all morals. EPICTETUS has fcarcely ever mentioned the fentiment of humanity and compaffion, but in order to put his difciples on their guard against it. The virtue of the Stoics feems to confist chiefly in a firm temper and a found understanding. With them, as with SOLOMON and the eastern moralifts, folly and wisdom are equivalent to vice and virtue. Men will praise thee, fays DAVID*, when thou doft well unto thyself. I hate a wife man, fays the GREEK poet, who is not wife to himselft. PLUTARCH is no more cramped by fyftems in his philofophy than in his hiftory. Where he compares the great men of GREECE and ROME, he fairly fets in oppofition all their blemishes and accomplishments of whatever kind, and omits nothing confiderable, which can either deprefs or exalt their characters. His moral difcourfes contain the fame free and natural cenfure of men and manners. The character of HANNIBAL, as drawn by LivVY †, is esteemed partial, but allows him many eminent virtues. Never was there a genius, fays the historian, more equally for thofe oppofite offices of commanding and obeying; and it were, therefore, difficult to determine whether he rendered himfelf dearer to the general or to the army. To none would HASDRUBAL entruft more willingly the conduct of any dangerous enterprize; under none did the foldiers difcover more courage and confidence. Great boldness in facing danger, great prudence in the midst of it. No labour could fatigue his body or fubdue his mind. Cold and heat were indifferent to him: Meat and drink *Pfalm 49. Η Μισω σοφίζ ην ο ις εκ αυτω σου. EURIPIDES. Lib. xxi. cap. 4. he he fought as fupplies to the neceffities of nature, not as gratifications of his voluptuous appetites. Waking or rest he used indifcriminately by night or by day. -These great VIRTUES were balanced by great VICES: Inhuman cruelty; perfidy more than punic ; no truth, no faith, no regard to oaths, promifes, or religion. The character of ALEXANDER the Sixth, to be found in GUICCIARDIN*, is pretty fimilar, but jufter; and is a proof, that even the moderns, where they fpeak naurally, hold the fame language with the ancients. In this pope, fays he, there was a fingular capacity and judgment: Admirable prudence; a wonderful talent of perfuafion; and in all momentous enterprizes, a diligence and dexterity incredible. But these virtues were infinitely overbalanced by his vices; no faith, no religion, infatiable avarice, exorbitant ambition, and a more than barbarous cruelty. POLYBIUS+, reprehending TIMEUS for his partiality against AGATHOCLES, whom he himself allows to be the moft cruel and impious of all tyrants, fays: If he took refuge in SYRACUSE, as afferted by that hiftorian, flying the dirt and smoke and toil of his former profeffion of a potter; and if proceeding from fuch flender beginnings, he became mafter, in a little time, of all SICILY; brought the CARTHAGINIAN state into the utmost danger; and at last died in old age, and in poffeffion of fovereign dignity: Must he not be allowed fomething prodigious and extraordinary, and to have poffeffed great talents and capacity for bufinefs and action? His hiftorian, therefore, ought not to have alone related what tended to his reproach and infamy; but also what might redound to his PRAISE and HONOUR. In general, we may obferve, that the diftinction of voluntary or involuntary was little regarded by the ancients in the moral reafonings; where they frequent Lib. i. + Lib. xi. |