2 wrong Meffage to one of the Servants, he flew into fuch a Rage, that he fwept down a dozen TeaDishes, which, to my Misfortune, flood very con• venient for a Side Blcw. 'I then remov'd all my China into a Room which he IN fhort, Sir, whenever he is in a Paffion he is angry at every thing that is brittle; and if on fuch Occafion he had nothing to vent his Rage upon. I do not know whether my Bones would be in Safety. Let me beg of you, Sir, to let me know whether there be any Cure for this unaccountable Difemper, or if not, that you will be pleafed to publish this Letter: For my Husband having a great Veneration for your Writings, will by that means know you do not approve of his Conduct. No. 564. I am, Your most humble Servant, &c. Wednesday, July 7 Adfit I Regula, peccatis quæ pœnas irroget æquas : T is the Work of a Philofopher to be every Day fubduing his Paffions, and laying afide his Prejudices. I endeavour at leaft to look upon Men and their Actions only as an impartial Spectator, without any Regard to them as they happen to advance or cross my own private Interet. But while I am thus employedmy felf, I cannot help obferving, how thofe about me fuffer themselves to be blinded by Prejudice and Inclination, how readily they pronounce to every Man's Character, which they can give in two Words, and make him either good for nothing, or qualified for BIBL No. 564. every thing. On the contrary, thofe who fearch thoroughly into human Nature, will find it much more difficult to determine the Value of their Fellow-Creatures, and that Mens Characters are not thus to be given in general Words. There is indeed no fuch thing as a Perfon intirely good or bad Virtue and Vice are blended and mixed together, in a greater or lefs Proportion, in every one; and if you would fearch for fome particular good Quality in its moft eminent De. gree of Perfection, you will often find it in a Mind, where it is darkned and eclipfed by an hundred other irregular Paffions. MEN have either no Character at all, fays a celebrated Author; or it is that of being inconfiftent with themselves. They find it eafier to join Extremities, than to be uniform and of a Piece. This is finely illuftrated in Xenophon's Life of Cyrus the Great. That Author tells us, that Cyrus having taken a moft beautiful Lady named Panthea, the Wife of Abradatus, committed her to the Cuftody of Arafpas, a young Perfan Nobleman, who had a little before maintain'd in Difcourfe, That a Mind truly virtuous was incapable of entertaining an unlawful Paffion. The young Genleman had not long been in Poffeffion of his fair Captive, when a Complaint was made to Cyrus, that he not only follicited the Lady Panthea to receive him in the Room of her abfent Husband, but that finding his Entreaties had no effect, he was preparing to make use of Force. Cyrus, who loved the young Man, immediately fent for him, and in a gentle Manner reprefenting to him his Fault, and putting him in Mind of his former Affertion, the unhappy Youth, confounded with a quick Senfe of his Guilt and Shame, burst out into a Flood of Tears, and fpoke as follows, OH Cyrus, I am convinced that I have two Souls. Love has taught me this Piece of Philofophy. If I had but one Soul, it could not at the fame time pant after Virtue and Vice, wish and abhor the fame thing. It is certain therefore we have two Souls. When the good Soul rules, I undertake noble and virtuous Actions; but when the bad Soul predominates, I am forced to do Evil. All I can fay at prefent is, that I find my good Soul, encouraged by your Prefence, has got the better of my bad. I know not whether my Readers will allow of this Piece of Philofophy; but if they will not, they muft confefs we meet with as different Paffions in one and the fame Soul, as can be fuppofed in two. We can hardly read the Life of a great Man who lived in former Ages, or converse with any who is eminent among our Contemporaries, that is not an Inftance of what I am faying. BUT as I have hitherto only argued against the Partiality and Injustice of giving our Judgment upon Men in Grofs, who are fuch a Compofition of Virtues and Vices, of Good and Evil; I might carry this Reflection ftill further, and make it extend to most of their Actions. If on the one Hand, we fairly weighed every Circumftance, we should frequently find them obliged to do that Action we at first Sight condemn, in order to avoid another we should have been much more displeased with. If on the other Hand we nicely examined fuch Actions as appear more dazling to the Eye, we should find most of them either deficient and lame in feveral Parts, produced by a bad Ambition, or directed to an ill End. The very fame Action may fometimes be fo oddly circumftanced, that it is difficult to determine whether it ought to be rewarded or punish'd. Thofe who com piled the Laws of England were fo fenfible of this, that they have laid it down as one of their first Maxims, It is better fuffering a Mifchief than an Inconvenience, which is as much as to fay in other Words, That fince no Law can take in or provide for all Cafes, it is better private Men fhould have fome Injuftice done them, than that a publick. Grievance should not be redreffed. This is ufually pleaded in Defence of all thofe Hardships which fall on particular Perfons in particular Occafions, which could not be forefeen when a Law was made. To remedy this however as much as poffible, the Court of Chancery was erected, which frequently mitigates and breaks the Teeth of the common Law, in Cafe of Men's Properties, while in Criminal Cafes there. is a Power of pardoning still lodg'd in the Crown. Note NOTWITHSTANDING this, it is perhaps impoffible in a large Government to diftribute Rewards and Punishments ftrictly proportioned to the Merits of every Actions. The Spartan Commonwealth was indeed wonderfully exact in this Particular; and I do not remember in all my Reading to have met with fo nice an Example of Justice as that recorded by Plutarch, with which I fhall clofe my Paper for this Day. THE City of Sparta being unexpectedly attacked by a powerful Army of Thebans, was in very great Danger of falling into the Hands of their Enemies. The Citizens fuddenly gathering themselves into a Body, fought with a Refolution equal to the Neceffity of their Affairs, yet no one fo remarkably diftinguished himfelf. on this Occafion, to the Amazement of both Armies, as Ifadas the Son of Phabidas, who was at that Time in the Bloom of his Youth, and very remarkable for the Comeliness of his Perfon He was coming out of the Bath when the Alarm was given, fo that he had not Time to put on his Clothes, much lefs his Armour ; however tranfported with a Defire to serve his Country, in fo great an Exigency, fnatching up a Spear in one Hand, and a Sword in the other, he flung himself into the thickeft Ranks of his Enemies. Nothing could withstand his Fury; in what Part foever he fought he put the Enemies to Flight without receiving a fingle Wound. Whether, fays Plutarch, he was the particular Care of fome God, who rewarded his Valour that Day with an extraordinary Protection, or, that his Enemies, ftruck with the Unufualnefs of his Drefs, and Beauty of his Shape, fuppofed him fomething more than Man, I shall not determine. THE Gallantry of this Action was judged fo great by the Spartans, that the Ephori, or chief Magiftrates, decreed he should be prefented with a Garland; but as foon as they had done fo, fined him a thousand Drach mas, for going out to the Battle unarmed. Friday, Deum namque ire per omnes Terrafque, tra&ufque maris, cælumque profundum. Virg. Was Yesterday about Sun-fet walking in the open I Fields, 'till the Night infenfibly fell upon me, I at first amused my felf with all the Richnefs and Variety of Colours, which appeared in the western Parts of Heaven: In proportion as they faded away and went out, feveral Stars and Planets appeared one after another, 'till the whole Firmament was in a Glow. The Blueness of the Ether was exceedingly heightened and enlivened by the Seafon of the Year, and by the Rays of all thofe Luminaries that paffed through it. The Galaxy appeared in its molt beautiful White. To compleat the Scene, the full Moon rofe at length in that clouded Majefty, which Milton takes Notice of, and opened to the Eye, a new Picture of Nature, which was more finely fhaded, and difpofed among fofter Lights, than that which the Sun had before difcovered to us. As I was furveying the Moon walking in her Brightness and taking her Progrefs among the Conftellations, a Thought rofe in me which I believe very often perplexes and difturbs Men of ferious and contemplative Natures. David himself fell into it in that Reflection, When I confider the Heavens the Work of thy Fingers, the Moon and the Stars which thou haft ordained, what is Man that thou art mindful of him, and the Son of Man that thoa regardeft him! In the fame Manner when I confidered that infinite Host of Stars, or, to fpeak more philofophica ly, of Suns, which were then fhining upon me, with thofe innumerable Sets of Planets or Worlds, which were moving round their refpective Suns; when I still enlarged the Idea, and fup pofed |