found them not generally to promise much greater fidelity as they advance in life; for I obferved that what they gained in steadiness they lost in benevolence, and grew colder to my interest as they became more diligent to promote their own. I was convinced that their liberality was only profufeness, that, as chance directed, they were equally generous to vice and virtue, that they were warm but because they were thoughtless, and counted the support of a friend only amongst other gratifications of paffion.

My refolution was now to ingratiate myself with men whose reputation was established, whose high flations enabled them to prefer me, and whofe age exempted them from fudden changes of inclination. I was confidered as a man of parts, and therefore easily found admission to the table of Hilarius, the celebrated orator, renowned equally for the extent of his knowledge, the elegance of his diction, and the acuteness of his wit. Hilarius received me with an appearance of great fatisfaction, produced to me all his friends, and directed to me that part of his discourse in which he most endeavoured to difplay his imagination. I had now learned my own intereft enough to fupply him opportunities for fmart remarks and gay faldies, which I never failed to echo and applaud. Thus I was gaining every hour on his affections, ill unfortunately, when the affembly was more plendid than ufual, his defire of admiration prompted him to turn his raillery upon me. I ore it for fome time with great fubmiffion, and uccefs encouraged him to redouble his attacks; it laft my vanity prevailed over my prudence, I etorted his irony with fuch spirit, that Hilarius, unaccustomed

unaccustomed to refiftance, was disconcerted, and foon found means of convincing me that his purpose was not to encourage a rival, but to fofter a parafite.

I was then taken into the familiarity of Argutio, a nobleman eminent for judgment and criticism. He had contributed to my reputation by the praises which he had often beftowed upon my writings, in which he owned that there were proofs of a genius that might rise to high degrees of excellence, when time, or information, had reduced its exuberance. He therefore required me to confult him before the publication of any new performance, and commonly propofed innumerable alterations, without fufficient attention to the general defign, or regard to my form of style, and mode of imagination. But these corrections he never failed to prefs as indifpenfably neceffary, and thought the least delay of compliance an act of rebellion. The pride of an author made this treat-* ment infufferable, and I thought any tyranny easier to be born than that which took from me the use of my underflanding.

My next patron was Eutyches the statesman, who was wholly engaged in publick affairs, and feemed to have no ambition but to be powerful and rich. I found his favour more permanent than that of the others, for there was a certain price at which it might be bought; he allowed nothing to humour, or to affection, but was always ready to pay liberally for the fervice that he required. His demands were, indeed, very often fuch as virtue could not eafily confent to gratify; but virtue is not to be consulted when men are to raife their fortunes by the favour of the great. His

measures

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measures were cenfured; I wrote in his defence, and was recompensed with a place, of which the profits were never received by me without the pangs of remembering that they were the reward of wickedness, a reward which nothing but that neceffity, which the consumption of my little estate in these wild purfuits had brought upon me, hindered me from throwing back in the face of my corruptor.

At this time my uncle died without a will, and I became heir to a small fortune. I had resolution to throw off the fplendor which reproached me to myself, and retire to an humbler state, in which I am now endeavouring to recover the dignity of virtue, and hope to make fome reparation for my crime and follies, by informing others, who may be led after the fame pageants, that they are about to engage in a course of life, in which they are to purchase, by a thousand miferies, the privilege of repentance.

I am, &c.

EUBULUS.

NUMB. 28. SATURDAY, June 23, 1750.

Illi mors gravis incubat,

Qui, notus nimis omnibus,

Ignotus moritur fibi.

To him, alas, to him, I fear,

The face of death will terrible appear,
Who in his life, flatt'ring his senseless pride,
By being known to all the world befide,
Does not himself, when he is dying, know,
Nor what he is, nor whither he's to go.

IH

SENECIA

COWLEY.

HAVE fhewn, in a late effay, to what errors men are hourly betrayed by a mistaken opinion of their own powers, and a negligent infpection of their own character. But as I then confined my observations to common occurrences, and familiar fcenes, I think it proper to inquire how far a nearer acquaintance with ourselves is necessary to our preservation from crimes as well as follies, and how much the attentive study of our own minds may contribute to fecure to us the approbation of that being, to whom we are accountable for our thoughts and our actions, and whofe favour must finally constitute our total happiness.

If it be reasonable to estimate the difficulty of any enterprise by frequent miscarriages, it may justly be concluded that it is not easy for a man to know himself; for wherefoever we turn our view, we fhall find almost all with whom we converse so nearly as to judge of their sentiments, indulging more favourable conceptions of their own virtue than they have been able to imprefs upon others, and congratulating themselves upon degrees of excellence, which their fondest admirers cannot allow them to have attained.

Those

Those representations of imaginary virtue are generally confidered as arts of hypocrify, and as fnares laid for confidence and praife. But I believe the fufpicion often unjust; thofe who thus propagate their own reputation, only extend the fraud by which they have been themselves deceived; for this failing is incident to numbers, who feem to live without defigns, competitions, or pursuits; it appears on occafions which promife, no acceffion of honour or of profit, and to perfons from whom very little is to be hoped or feared. It is, indeed, not eafy to tell how far we may be blinded by the love of ourselves, when we reflect how much a fecondary paffion can cloud our judgment, and how few faults a man, in the first raptures of love, can discover in the perfon or conduct of his mistress.

To lay open all the fources from which error flows in upon him who contemplates his own character, would require more exact knowledge of the human heart, than, perhaps, the most acute and laborious obfervers have acquired. And fince falsehood may be diverfified without end, it is not unlikely that every man admits an imposture in some respect peculiar to himself, as his views have been accidentally directed, or his ideas particularly combined.

Some fallacies, however, there are, more frequently infidious, which it may, perhaps, not be ufelefs to detect, because though they are grofs, they may be fatal, and because nothing but attention is neceffary to defeat them.

One fophifm by which men perfuade themselves that they have thofe virtues which they really want, is formed by the fubftitution of fingle acts VOL. I. I

for