rules, that there are few crimes, which meet not with an extenfive cenfure.

You have long fince learned it to be the language of paganism itself, that

"All, who act contrary to what the "reafon of things requires-who do what "is hurtful to themfelves or others, must * ftand self-condemned:" and you cannot want to be informed, in what light they are feen by those who do not share their guilt. The endeavour, therefore, of fuch imen, while they are without any purpose of amendment, will, unquestionably, be, to make their caufe as fpecious as poffible, by engaging many in its defence, and to filence cenfure, by the danger, that would arife from the numbers it would provoke. The motives to this endeavour, when duly reflected on, will fully fatisfy us, with what zeal it must be accompanied; and it may well, therefore, alarm all, on whom its power is likely to be tried-may well induce them to confider seriously, what they have to fear from it, how much their virtue may fuffer by it.

I will conclude this with a fhort ftory of the Poet Dante, for which Bayle quotes Petrarch. Among other vifits made by Dante, after his banishment from Florence, one was to the then much-famed Can, Prince of Verona.

Can treated him, at firft, with great civility; but this did not laft and by the little complaifance at length fhewn the Poet, he plainly perceived that he ceased to be an acceptable guest.

Scholars, it feems, were not Can's favourites he liked thofe much better, who ftudied to divert him; and ribaldry was by no means the difcourfe that leaft pleafed him. Sufpecting that this did not raife Dante's opinion of him, he one day took occafion to fingle out the most obnoxious of the libertine crew, that he entertained; and, after high praifes given the man, turning to Dante, he faid, I wonder how it is, that this mad fellow is beloved by us all, as giving us the pleasure which, really, we do not find in your company, wife as you are thought to be.

Sir, answered the Poet, you would not wonder at this, if you confidered, that our love of any proceeds from their manners being fuitable, and their difpofitions fimilar, Dean Bolton.

to our own.

$126. LETTER VII. SIR,

I have but one thing more to propofe to your confideration, as a diffuafive from

affociating with the vitious: and it is The way in which they, ordinarily, feel to corrupt thofe, with whom they converse.

The logic of the immoral contributes but little to increase their numbers, in comparison of what they effect by raillery and ridicule. This is their ftrength; they are fenfible of its being fo; and you may be affured that it will be exerted against you. There is nothing that cannot be jetted with; and there is nothing that we, univerfally, bear worse, than to be made the jeft of any.

What reafoning on moral fubjects may not have its force evaded by a man of wit and humour; and receive a turn, that fhall induce the lefs confiderate to flight it, as weak and inconclufive? The moft becoming practice that which is most our duty, and the importance of which to our prefent welfare is moft evident, a lively fancy eafily places in a ridiculous view, and thereby brings it into an utter neg

lect.

That reverence of the Deity, which the beft both ancient and modern writers have fo ftrongly recommended-which the wor thieft men in every age have fo carefully expreffed-which any observation of nature, any attention to our own frame fails not to inculcate, is yet, by being reprefented under the garb of fuperftition or fanaticifm, feen among us to fuch difad vantage, that many, our military gentlemen especially, appear to take a pride in fhewing themfelves divefted of it.

Conjugal fidelity, though of fuch moment to the peace of families to their intereft to the profperity of the commonwealth, that, by the laws of the wifeft and beft regulated states, the feverest punifhment has been inflicted on the violation of it, is, nevertheless, by the levity, with which fome have treated it, fo much, at prefent, flighted, that the adulterer is well received: Women, who would think it the groffeft affront to have their virtue queftioned, who affect the character of the ftricteft obfervers of decorum, fhun bim not-fhew kim the utmost complaifance. Whatever dishonour, in this cafe, falls on any, it accrues wholly to the injured perfon.

Can you affign a better reafon, why the intemperate, among the meaner people, have to prodigiously increased their num bers, than the banter they use towards fuch as they meet with difpofed to fobriety, the mockery with which they treat it,

the

the fongs and catches, with which they are to plentifully provided, in derifion of it? I cannot give you the very terms of Lord Shaffhare, as I have not his works; but I think I may be certain that there is an observation in them to this effectThat, *had the enemies to Chriflianity expofed "its firft profeffors, not to wild beaits, but to ridicule, their endeavours to flop its "progress might have had very different "ys from what they experienced.”

Had the wit of man been only concerned in the prea ting that religion, I believe the conjecture well founded. But this fuccefs could no more have affected the truth of that religion, than it leffens the worth of a public fpirit, of honefty, of temperance, that fo many have been laughed out of them that the jet made of them has octafioned their being fo rare among us.

The author of the Beggars Opera gives the true character of his Newgate tribe, when he exhibits them ludicrous on all pretences to virtue, and thus hardening each other in their crimes. It was the mot effectual means to keep up their fpirits under their guilt, and may well be julged the likelied method of bringing

sbers to fhare it.

"The Duke of Buckingham" fays a late writer," had the art of turning perfons or things into ridicule, beyond any "man of the age. He poffeffed the young King Charles II with very ill prin"ciples, both as to religion and morality, "and with a very mean opinion of his father, whofe ftiffnefs was, with him, "a fubject of rail'ery." It is elfewhere obferved, that, to make way for the ruin of the Lord Clarendon, “He often acted "and mimicked him in the King's pre"fence, walking fately with a pair of "bellows before him, for the purfe, and "Colonel Titus carrying a fire-fhovel on "his thoulder, for the mace; with which "fort of banter and farce the King was "too much delighted."

Such are the impreffions, to the difparagement of the best things, and of the best men, that may be made by burlefque and buffoonry: They can deftroy the efficacy of the wifeft precepts, and the nobleft examples.

The Monarch here fpoken of may, per haps, be thought as ill-difpofed as the wort of his favourites; and rather hu moured, than corrupted, by the fport they made with all that is, ordinarily, held Serious. Were this admitted to be true of

him-Were we to fuppofe his matural depravity not heightened by any thing faid or done before him, in derifion of virtue or the virtuous; yet the effects of his being accustomed to fuch reprefentations may be looked upon as extremely mischievous; when we may, fo probably, attribute to them the loofe he gave to his natural depravity-the little decorum he obferved

that utter careleffnefs to fave appear ances, whence fo much hurt ensued to the inorals of his people, and whereby he occafioned fuch distractioh in his affairs, fo weakened his authority, fo entirely loft the affections of the best of his fubjects; and whence that he did not experience fill worfe confequences, may be afcribed to a concurrence of circumstances, in which his prudence had no fhire.

The weakness of an argument may be clearly fhewn-The arts of the fophifter may be detected, and the fallacy of his reafoning demonftrated-To the most fubtile objections there may be given fatisfactory anfwers: but there is no confuting raillery-the acuteft logician would be filenced by a Merry Andrew.

It is to no manner of purpofe that we have reafon on our fide, when the laugh is against us: and how eafy is it, by playing with our words-by a quibble-by the lowest jeft, to excite that laugh!

When the company is difpofed to attack. your principles with drollery, no plea for them is attended to; the more ferious you fhew yourself in their defence, the more fcope you give to the mirth of your oppo nents.

How well foever we have informed ourfelves of the motives to a right conduct, thefe motives are not attended to, as often as we act: our ordinary practice is founded on the impreffion, that a former confideration of them has made; which impreffion is very liable to be weakenedwants frequently to be renewed in the fame way, that it was at firft produced.

When we continually hear our virtue bantered as mere prejudice, and our notions of honour and decorum treated as the fole effects of our pride being dexte roufly flattered-When our piety is frequently fubjecting us to be derided as childishly timorous, or abfurdly fuperflitious; we foon know not how to perfuade ourselves, that we are not more scrupulous than we need to be; we begin to question, whether, in fettling the extent of our obligations, we have fufficiently confulted the imperfections

imperfections of our nature-whether our judgment is without its bias from our fears.

Let our ferioufnefs be exhibited to us in that odd figure, which wit and humour can eafily give it; we fhall be infenfibly led to judge of it, according to its appearance, as thus overcharged; and under the difadvan tage, in which it is fhewn us: we thall, firit, feem unconcerned at the greater liberties that others take, and, by degrees, proceed to take the very fame ourfelves.

The perfon, whom we moft highly and juftly honoured, if the buffoonry of our companions were conftantly levelled at him, would foon have his worth overlooked by us; and, though we might not be brought to think of him as contemptibly as they appeared to do, our reverence of him would certainly, at length abate, and both his advice and example have much lefs influence upon us.

Of this you shall have an inftance in my

next.

I will here only add what Jamblichus mentions as practifed by Pythagoras, before he admitted any into his fchool-He enquired, "Who were their intimates" jully concluding, that they, who could like bad companions, would not be much profited by his inft. uctions.

Dean Bolton.

§ 127. LETTER VIII.

SIR,

What follows will difcharge the promise, which I made you at the conclufion of my laft.

S. was the oracle of his county; to whatever point he turned his thoughts, he foon made himself mafter of it. He entered, indeed, fo early upon bufinefs, that he had little time for books; but he had read thofe, which best deferved his perufal, and his memory was the faithful repofitory of their contents.

The helps, that he had not received from reading, he had abundantly supplied the want of, by obfervation and conversation.

The compafs of his knowledge was amazing. There was fcarce any thing, of which one in his ftation ought to be informed, wherein he appeared to be ignorant. Long experience, great fagacity, a ready apprehenfion, a retentive memory, the refort to him of all forts of people, from whom any thing could be learned, and an intimacy with fome of the worthieft perfons of every profeffion, enabled him to

speak on most points with fuch juftness and copioufnefs, as might induce you to conclude, upon firft being with him, that the topic, on which his difcourfe turned, was what he had particularly and principally attended to. Though he owned himself never to have fo much as looked into the writings of athiefts or deifts; yet, from the promifcuous company he had been ob liged to keep, and the freedom with which all spoke their fentiments to him, there was not, perhaps, a material objection to the Chriftian religion, of which he was not apprifed, and which he had not well confidered.

Senfible of his ftrength, and ever defirous to ufe it in the best of caufes—in the fervice of that truth, which operates on men's practice, and would, if attended to, rectify it throughout; he did not difcourage the moft free fpeakers: he calmly and willingly heard what they could fay against his faith, while they ufed reafon and argument; but drollery and jeft he failed not, though with great good-humour, to reprove, as a fpecies of mifrepresentation-as a fure evidence, that truth was not fought-as an artifice, to which none would apply, who were not confcious of their weakness, who did not defpair of fupporting their notions by rational proofs.

Virtue and true religion had not, perhaps, an abler advocate than this gentleman; but whatever fervice his tongue might do them, his manners, certainly, did them far greater: he convinced you of their excellency, by exhibiting to your fenfes their effects he left you no room to queftion how amiable they were when it was from their influence upon him, that be fo much engaged your esteem and affection; he proved undeniably, how much they should be our care, by being himself an inftance, how much they contributed to our happiness.

Never, certainly, did piety fit eafier up on any man Never, perhaps, was any man more esteemed by the very perfons, between whofe practice and his there was the wideft difference.

The fuperior talents he difcovered, and his readiness to employ them for the benefit of all, who applied to him, engaged alike their admiration and their love.

The obligations, conferred by him, obtained the height of complaifance towards his fon. Invitations were made the youth from all quarters; and there was not a young man of any figure near him, who

was

was not introduced to him, and directed, to pay rim particular civility. They, who fought to attach him clofeft to them by celting his humour, were never without their argaments for licensing it." True it was, this or that purfait might not be to "the tale of his father; but neither did "it fuit his years-When he was a young , he undoubtedly, acted as one; he "took the diverfions, allowed himfelf in "the gratifications, to which youth inchines: no wonder that he should now cenfure what he could not relifh-that "he thould condemn the draught, which "h's head could not bear, and be indiffe"reat to the features, which he could not distinguish without his fpectacles."

When this kind of language had abated the reverence due to fo excellent an inFructor, the buffoon interpofed ftill further to weaken his influence; gave an air of affeftation to his decorum-of hypocrisy to bis fericufnefs-of timoroufnefs to his prudence of avarice to his wife œconomy. burleiqued the advice, that he might be fupied to give, the arguments with which he was likely to fupport it, and the reproof he would naturally ufe, when he did not fee a difpofition to follow it.

Soon as the young man had attained the age, at which the law fuppofes us fufficienty difcreet, he expreffed a moft earnest defire to have an opportunity of appearing Repeated promifes were made, that if a proper allowance was fettled on him, and leave given him to chufe a place of abode, there thould not be the leaft mifmanagement; the income affigned him should anfwer every article of expence.

The fon's importunity was feconded by the food mother's, and their joint folicitations prevailed. The youth was now accefole, at all times, to the moft profligate this acquaintance: and one part of their entertainment ufually was, to fet his excellent father's maxims and manners in the most difadvantageous light. This failed rot to bring on a difregard to both-foentire a difregard to them that the whore and the card-table took up all the hours which the bottle relieved not.

Thus fell the heir of one of the worthieft of our countrymen!-It was to no purpose, that fuch an admirable example had been fet him by the perfon he was most likely to regard that fuch particular care had been taken to reafon him into a discharge of his duty-that he had been prefent, when the moft fubtile advocates for irre

ligion either were filenced, or induced to acknowledge their principles to be much lefs defenfible, than they had hitherto thought them. None of the impreffions of what had been done for him, or faid to him, or had paffed before him, could hold out against ridicule; it effaced every trace of them, and prepared him to be as bad, as his worst companions could be inclined to make him. How great a neglect of him enfued! They who had laughed him cut of the reverence due to his parent's worth, rendered him foon defpifed by all whose efteem could profit or credit him; and he died in the 70th year of his conftitution, when but in the 25th of his age.

Dean Bolton.

$128. LETTER IX. SIR,

My last gave you a melancholy inftance of the hurt done by ridicule to the heir of a molt worthy man, not many miles from you. What influence it had towards the condemnation of him, to whom the epithet of divine might, perhaps, be more properly applied, than to any one who ever lived under the fole guidance of reafon, has long, you know, been matter of difpute. I will only obferve, concerning the comic writer's ridicule of Socrates

1. That, when fuch a reprefentation could be made of fo excellent a person, it demonftrates, that no degree of worth can fecure any perfon from an attempt to deftroy his credit; and that they, whofe capacities fully enable them to difcern this worth, may be its spitefulleft enemies, and bend their wits to difparage it————

2. That, when fuch a reprefentation could be made by a man of good parts, with any confidence of fuccefs, it is, further, an evidence of the probability, that the highest and moft juft reputation may fuffer from ridicule, and that it may bring into contempt what is entitled to the greatest efteem and honour

3. That if the Athenians were so well pleafed with the means used to lessen the character of this ornament, not only to his country, but his fpecies, as to render the interpofition of a powerful party in the ftate neceffary, to prevent the poet's abufe from meeting with all the fuccefs he promifed himfelf in it; we are fully taught, what may be the pernicious effects of ingenious drollery-how much it may weaken the force of any inftruction, or any example.

Where

Where violent methods are purfued, in order to withdraw us from any religious practice or opinion; they who thus oppofe it fhewing thereby, that they look upon it as fomewhat of great importance, teach us to do the fame; and often increafe out at tachment to it-render us more earnest about it, than we otherwife fhould have been. But where fuch practice or opinion is treated as a matter of jefl--where it meets with all the flight that fcoffing and laughter can exprefs, we fcarcely know how to preferve our regard to it, as a thing of much confequence; and from efteeming it of little moment, we eafily pro ceed to judge it of none at all.

The force that is offered us, on account of our perfuafion, either occafions fuch an averfion from him, who applies to it, as prevents his having any influence upon us; or engages us in fo careful an attention to the grounds, upon which we formed our judgment, as fixes us in the refolution not to alter it. But when all paffes under the appearance of good humour-when only mirth and pleafantry are exerted againit us, we neither contract that hatred towards thofe, by whom we are thus treated, which will be our fecurity from any bad impreffions they can make upon us; nor are we excited to any examination of our principles that can confirm us in them. The freedom which our companions use, in fporting with what we have hitherto reverenced, will tempt us to conclude, that its importance is far from being obvious; nor, indeed, can it fail, unless our minds have a more than ordinary firmnefs, to raife at length fome doubt in us, whether we have not been too fanciful or too credulous. And as

“The woman, who deliberates, is loft," we may fear the man will be fo likewife, who fuffers himself to question how well founded his ferioufnefs is, merely because his affociates are continually deriding it.

Would you not; induftrioufly, keep out of the way of thofe who had power to torture you, and whom you knew ready to do it; if you would not be guided by them, but was determined to think and act as your own reafon fhould direct? Believe me, Sir, the fcoffer fhould be as much fhunned by the friend of virtue, as the inquifitor by the friend of truth. Whoever would attain or preserve a juft sense of his duty, fhould have as little intercourfe as

poffible with thofe who would difcourage fincerity who would oppofe it, either by the faggot, or the fair, of Smithfield. A very uncommon refolution is required to be fteady to the principles, from avowing which we must expect to be the heroes in a farce; though we need not apprehend that it will make us victims to the flames.

What your temper may be, I cannot affirm; but I really think that, with great numbers, drollery is not only a fpecies of perfecution, but the most dangerous kind of it: they would as foon be fcourged, as mocked; be burthened with the cross, as habited with the purple. You can scarcely be enough aware of the risk you run from being jefted with, as a visionary or a bigotas one of much whim, or very little penetration.

But enough of the inducements, that vitious companions would be under to corrupt you, and the means they would use to do it,

The care you fhould take, in the choice of your company, will be the fubject of but one letter more from Dean Bolton.

$129. LETTER X. SIR,

All I have to add, on what has lately been the fubject of my correspondence with you, will be contained in this letter. I will not lengthen it, by apologizing for it.

Might I fuppofe you fo fortified by a right difpofition, a wife education, good fenfe, and a thorough knowledge of the reasonablenefs of the practice enjoined by your religion, that every attempt to corrupt your morals would mifcarry; this hurt, however, you would be fure to find from being much in the company of vitious men, that you would be less careful to become eminently virtuous you would be lefs careful to fulfil your obligations, than you otherwife would be. While you faw others so much worse than yourself; you would not confider how much better you ought to be, than you at present are While their grofs faults were avoided, you would not confider, how much there is in you that ought to be amended.

We measure what is, in any way, commendable, by comparing our share of it with that of our neighbour: we do not re