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No. 172.,

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1711.

Non sclùm scientia, quæ est remota à justitiâ, calliditas potius quàm sapi ntia est appellanda; verùm etiam animus paratus ad periculum, si suâ cupid tate, non utilitate communi, impellitur, audaciæ potius nomen habeat, quàm fortitud ris.

PLATO APUD TULL.

"As knowledge, without justic, ought to be called cunning, " rather than wisdom; so a mind prepared to meet danger, "if excited by its own eagerness, and not the public good, "deserves the name of audacity, rather than of fortitude."

GENIUS AND LEARNING TO BE ESTIMATED BY THEIR APPLICA ΓΙΟΝ.

THERE can be no greater injury to human society than that good talents among men should be held honourable to those who are endowed with them without any regard how they are applied. The gifts of nature and accomplishments of art are valuable, but as they are exerted in the interests of virtue,* or governed by the rules of honour. We ought to abstract our minds from the observation of an excellence in those we converse with, till we have taken some notice, or received some good information of the disposition of their minds ; otherwise the beauty of their persons, or the charms of their wit, may make us fond of those whom our reason and judgment will tell us we ought to abhor.

When we suffer ourselves to be thus carried away by

mere

* In literary productions, this has generally, in the course of time, been the case; works of scepticism in religion, and immorality, have soon been consigned to oblivion, whilst works of a contrary description, though not more ingeniously, nor elegantly composed, have stood the test of many ages.

the same suspicions and sentence that JOSEPH had before him, on the 1 ke occasion. Nor would HEROD rest here; but accused her with great vehemence of a design upon his life, and by his authority with the judges had her publicly condemned and executed. HEROD Soon after her death grew melancholy and dejected, retiring from the public administration of aff irs into a solitary forest, and there abandoning himself to all the black considerations, which naturally arise from a passion made up of love, remorse, pity, and despair. He used to rave for his MARIAMNE, and to call upon her in his distracted fits; and in all probability would soon have followed her, had not his thoughts been season-bly called off from so sad an object by public storms, which at that time very nearly threatened him.

L.

NO.

No. 172.,

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1711.

Non sclùm scientia, quæ est remota à justitiâ, calliditas potius quàm sapientia est appellanda; verùm etiam animus paratus ad periculum, si suâ cupid tate, non utilitate com.nuni, impellitur, audaciæ potius nomen habeat, quàm fortitud ris.

PLATO APUD TULL.

"As knowledge, without justic, ought to be called cunning, "rather than wisdom; so a mind prepared to meet danger, "if excited by its own eagerness, and not the public good, "deserves the name of audacity, rather than of fortitude."

GENIUS AND LEARNING TO BE ESTIMATED BY THEIR APPLICA ΓΙΟΝ.

THERE can be no greater injury to human society than that good talents among men should be held honourable to those who are endowed with them without any regard how they are applied. The gifts of nature and accomplishments of art are valuable, but as they are exerted in the interests of virtue,* or governed by the rules of honour. We ought to abstract our minds from the observation of an excellence in those we converse with, till we have taken some notice, or received some good information of the disposition of, their minds; otherwise the beauty of their persons, or the charms of their wit, may make us fond of those whom our reason and judgment will tell us we ought to abhor.

When we suffer ourselves to be thus carried away by

mere

In literary productions, this has generally, in the course of time, been the case; works of scepticism in religion, and immorality, have soon been consigned to oblivion, whilst works of a contrary description, though not more ingeniously, nor elegantly composed, have stood the test of many ages.

mere beauty, or mere wit. OMNIAMANTE, with all her vice, will bear away as much of our good-will as the most innocent virgin, or discreet matron; and there cannot be a more abject slavery in this world, than to doat upon what we think we ought to condemn. Yet this must be our condition in all the parts of life, if we suffer ourselves to approve any thing but what tends to the promotion of what is good and honourable. If we would take true pains with ourselves to consider all things by the light of reason and justice, though a man were in the height of youth and amorous inclinations, he would look upon a coquette with the same contempt, or indifference, as he would upon a coxcomb. The wanton carriage in a woman would disappoint her of the admiration which she aims at; and the vain dress or discourse of a man would destroy the comeliness of his shape, or goodness of his understanding. I say the goodness of his understanding, for it is no less common to see men of sense commence coxcombs, than beautiful women become immodest. When this happens in either, the favour we are naturally inclined to give to the good qualities they have from nature, should abate in proportion. But however just it is to measure the value of men by the application of their talents, and not by the eminence of those qualities abstracted from their use: I say, however just such a way of judging is, in all ages as well as this, the contrary has prevailed upon the generality of mankind. How many lewd devices have been preserved from one age to another, which had perished as soon as they were made, if painters and sculptors had been esteemed as much for the purpose, as the execution of their designs? Modest and well-governed imaginations have by these means lost the representations of ten thousand charming portraitures, filled with images of innate truth, generous zeal, courageous faith, and tender humanity; instead of which, satyrs, furies, and monsters, are recommended by those arts to a shameful eternity.

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The unjust application of laudable talents is tolerated, in the general opinion of men, not only in such cases as are here mentioned, but also in matters which concern ordinary life. If a lawyer were to be esteemed only as he uses his parts In contending for justice, and were immediately despicable when he appeared in a cause which he could not but know was an unjust one, how honourable would his character be? And how honourable is it in such among us, who follow the profession no otherwise, than as labouring to protect the injured, to subdue the oppressor, to imprison the careless debtor, and do right to the painful artificer? But many of this excellent character are overlooked by the greater number; who affect covering a weak place in a client's title, diverting the course of an inquiry, or finding a skilful refuge to palliate a falsehood: yet it is still called eloquence in the latter, though thus unjustly employed: but resolution in an assassin is according to reason quite as laudable, as knowledge and wisdom exercised in the defence of an ill cause.

Were the intention stedfastly considered, as the measure of approbation, all falsehood would soon be out of countenance and an address in imposing upon mankind, would be as contemptible in one state of life as another. A couple of courtiers making professions of esteem, would make the same figure after breach of promise, as two knights of the post convicted of perjury. But conversation is fallen so low in point of morality, that, as they say in a bargain, let the buyer look to it; so in friendship he is the man in danger, who is most apt to believe. He is the more likely to suffer in the commerce, who begins with the obligation of being the more ready to enter into it.

But those men only are truly great, who place their ambition rather in acquiring to themselves the conscience of worthy enterprises than in the prospect of glory which attends them. These exalted spirits would rather be secretly the authors of events which are ser

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