Зображення сторінки
PDF
ePub

being to whom he would recommend himself, than fuch a knowledge as can difcover the leaft appearance. of perfection in him, and fuch a goodnefs as will proportion a reward to it?

Let the ambitious man therefore turn all his defire of fame this way; and that he may propose to himself a fame worthy of his ambition, let him confid er that if he employs his abilities to the best advantage, the time will come when the Supreme Governor of the world, the great Judge of mankind, who fees every degree of perfection in others, and poffeffes all poffible perfection in himself, fhall proclaim his wrath before men and angels, and pronounce to him in the prefence of the whole creation that beft and most fignificant of applaufes, Well done, thou good and faithful fervant, enter thou into thy Mafter's joy.

SPECTATOR, Vol. IV. No. 258.

FEAR OF GOD.

LOOKING over

the late edition of Monfieur Boileau's works, I was very much pleafed with the article which he has added to his notes on the tranflation of Longinus. He there tells us, that the fublime in writing rifes either from the noblenets of the thought, the magnificence of the words, or the harmonious and lively turn of the phrafe, and that the perfect fub-lime arifes from all thefe three in conjunction together. He produces an inftance of this perfect (ublime in four verses from Athaliab of Monfieur Racine. When Abner, one of the officers of the court, reprefented to Joad the high priest, that the queen was incenfed against him, the high priest, not in the leaft terrified at the news, returns this answer:

Celui que met un frein a la fureur des flots,
Scait auffi des mechans arreter les complots.
Soumis avec respect a fa volonte fainte.

Je crains Dieu, cher Abner, & n'ai point d'autre crainte.
He who ruleth the raging of the fea, knows also how to

check the defigns of the ungodly. I fubmit myself with rever. ence to bis holy will, O Abner, I fear my God, and I fear none but him. Such a thought gives no lefs a fublimity to human nature, than it does to good writing. This religious fear, when it was produced by juft apprehenfions of a divine power, naturally overlooks all human greatness that ftands in competition with it, and extinguishes every other terror that can settle itself in the heart of man: It leffens and contracts the figure of the most exalted perfon: It difarms the tyrant and executioner, and reprefents to our minds the most enraged and the moft powerful, as altogether harmless and impotent.

There is no true fortitude which is not founded upon this fear, as there is no other principle of fo fettled and fixed a nature. Courage that grows from conftitution very often forfakes a man when he has occafion for it; and when it is only a kind of inftinct in the foul, breaks out upon all occafions without judg ment or difcretion. That courage which proceeds from the fenfe of our duty, and from the fear of offending him who made us, acts always in an uniform manner, and according to the dictates of right reafon.

What can the man fear, who takes care in all his actions to please a Being who is omnipotent? A Being who is able to cruth all his adverfaries? A Being who can avert any misfortune from befalling him, or turn any fuch misfortune to his advantage? The perfon who lives with this conftant and habitual regard to the great Superintendant of the world, is indeed fure that no real evil can come unto his lot. Bleflings may appear under the fhape of pains, loffes and difappointments, but let him have patience, and he will fee them in their proper figures. Dangers may threaten him, but he may reft fatisfied that they will either not reach him, or that if they do, they will be the inftruments of good to him. In fhort, he may look upon all croffes, and accidents, fufferings and afflictions, as means which are made ufe of to bring him to happiness. This is even the worst of that

man's condition whofe mind is poffeffed with the ha bitual fear of which I am now fpeaking. But it very often happens, that those which appear evils in our own eyes, appear alfo as fuch to Him who has human nature under his care, in which cafe they are certainly averted from the perfon who has made himfelf by this virtue, an object of divine favour. Hiftories are full of inftances of this nature where men of virtue have had extraordinary efcapes out of fuch dangers as have inclofed them, and which have feemed inevitable.

There is no example of this kind in Pagan history which more pleafes me than that which is recorded in the life of Timoleon. This extraordinary man was famous for referring all his fucceffes to Providence. Cornelius Nepos acquaints us that he had in his houfe, a private chapel, in which he ufed to pay his devotions to the goddefs who reprefented providence among the Heathens. I think no man was ever more diftinguished, by the deity whom he blindly worshipped, than the great perfon I am speaking of in feveral occurrences of his life, but particularly in the following one which I fhall-relate out of Plutarch.

Three perfons had entered into a confpiracy to affallinate Timoleon as he was offering up his devotions in a certain temple. In order to it, they took their feveral ftands in the moft convenient places for their purpofe. As they were waiting for an opportunity to put their defign in execution, a ftranger having obferved one of the confpirators, fell upon him and flew him. Upon which the other two, thinking their plot had been difcovered, threw themselves at Timoleon's feet and confeffed the whole matter. This ftranger, upon examination, was found to have understood nothing of the intended affalination, but having feveral years before had a brother killed by the confpirator, whom he here put to death, and having till now fought in vain for an opportunity of revenge, he chanced to meet the murderer in the temple, who had planted himself there for the above-mentioned purpofe. Plutarch cannot forbear on this occafion to fpeak with a kind of rapture on the schemes of Providence, which, VOL. II.

F

in this particular, had fo contrived it that the ftranger fhould for fo great a space of time, be debarred the means of doing juftice to his brother, till, by the fame blow that revenged the death of one innocent man, he preferved the life of another,

For my own part, I cannot wonder that a man of Timoleon's religion fhould have his intrepidity and firmnefs of mind, or that he fhould be diftinguished by fuch a deliverance as I have here related.

GUARDIAN, Vol. II. No. 117.

FORTITUDE.

IT is neceffary to an easy and happy life, to possess

our minds in fuch a manner as to be always well fatisfied with our own reflections. The way to this ftate is to measure our actions by our own opinion, and not by that of the reft of the world. The fenfe of other men ought to prevail over us in things of lefs confideration, but not in concerns where truth and honour are engaged. When we look into the bottom of things, what at firft appears a paradox, is a plain truth; and thofe profeffions which for want of being duly weighed, feem to proceed from a fort of romantic philofophy, and ignorance of the world, äfter a little reflection are fo reasonable, that it is direct madness to walk by any other rules. Thus to contradict our defires, and to conquer the impulfes of our ambition, if they do not fall in with what we in our inward fentiments approve, is so much our interest, and fo abfolutely neceffary to our real happiness, that to contemn all the wealth and power in the world, where they stand in competition with a man's honour, is rather good fenfe than greatness of mind.

Did we confider that the mind of a man is the man himself, we should think it the most unnatural fort of felf-murder to facrifice the fentiment of the foul to gratify the appetite of the body. Blefs us! Is it poffible, that when the neceffities of life are fupplied, a man would flatter to be rich, or circumvent to be

powerful? When we meet a poor wretch, urged with hunger and cold, afking alms, we are apt to think this a ftate we could rather ftarve than fubmit to. But yet how much more defpicable is his condition who is above neceffity, and yet fhall refign his reason and his integrity to purchafe fuperfluities? These are both abject and common beggars; but fure it is lefs defpicable to beg a fupply to man's hunger than his vanity. But custom and general prepoffeffions have fo far prevailed over an unthinking world, that thofe neceffitous creatures who cannot relifh life, without applaufe, attendance, and equipage, are fo far from making a contemptible figure, that diftreffed virtue is lefs efteemed than fuccefsful vice. But if a man's appeal in cafes that regard his honour, were made to his own foul, there would be a basis and standing rule for our conduct, and we fhould always endeavour ra ther to be, than appear honourable. Mr. Collier, in his effay on Fortitude, has treated this fubject with great wit and magnanimity. What, fays he, can be more honourable than to have courage enough to execute the commands of reafon and confcience; to maintain the dignity of our nature, and the station affigned us? To be proof against poverty, pain, and death itfelf? I mean fo far as not to do any thing that is fcandalous or finful, to avoid them? To ftand adverfity under all fhapes with decency and refolution? To do this, is to be great above title and fortune. This argues the foul of an heavenly extraction, and is worthy the offspring of the Deity.'

[ocr errors]

What a generous ambition has this man pointed to us? When men have fettled in themselves a conviction by fuch noble precepts, that there is nothing honourable that is not accompanied with innocence; nothing mean but what has guilt in it: I fay, when they have attained thus much, though poverty, pain, and death, may ftill retain their terrors, yet riches, pleasures, and honours, will eafily lofe their charms, if they ftand between us and our integrity.

What is here faid with allufion to fortune and fame, may as juftly be applied to wit and beauty; for thefe

« НазадПродовжити »