I do not fay that all monarchies refemble one another in this respect: I know of in reality but one, wherein Kings are as much connected with their fubjects by their goodness, as their fubjects with them by their love; wherein the Prince knows how to temper his power with the liberty of the nation, and the nation to join the most perfect love with the exacteft obedience. Thus, the Emperor Nerva was highly com mended for this happy and rare affociation: "Quod res olim difluciabiles mifcuerit, Principatum & libertatem;" and the Romans of his time, for rendering, by their docility, his government more eafy and mild, which Tacitus has well expreffed by thofe words, "Imperii facilitatem." Every kind of government, notwith ftanding is attended with its inconveniencies; and the greatest is, that there is not one but changes and will have an end. Every thing is fubfervient to this law. The vafteft monarchies of times past are diffolved; nothing but the remembrance of them remains with the prefent, which, deftined to pafs away as they did, will be immerfed, fooner or later in the gulph wherein time swallows up all, and wherein at laft, it will be confounded and fwallowed up itfelf. If there ever was a ftate likely to fubfift always, it was undoubtedly the Roman Republic. Its very troubles and diffentions kept up motion and life in it. Contradictions, complaints, murmurings, were therein as a kind of neceffary tranfpiration to the whole body. Just like those strong and robuft oaks with lopped off branches, VOL. III. which affume more vigour from the iron they have been wounded with, its loffes, its difafters, added to its firmness, and redoubled its courage, being never less inclined to peace, than when it was unfortunate in war: yet one man brought it under subjection; and the empire he founded, after balancing for a long time on itself, and embarraffing men without ferving them, at last funk down, nothing now remaining of it but the' wreck, which floats only on the abyss of time to experience hereafter the fame destiny. We fee nations, formerly free, now reduced under the yoke of the most arbitrary power; and others, from the depths of their flavery, wishing for the glory of others. The foam of the feas rifes on their furface: why is it not apprehended, that it will alter tranquillity, and increase the danger of tempefts? Thus, notwithstanding the wifeft laws, inftability becomes the property of ftates; fo that to change little in them is, as in moft things here below, to enlarge, in fome measure, their duration. Nothing can secure them from the ravages of time; or, if there be means for effecting it, Providence reserves them to himself, and conceals them from us. Such is the unhappy repugnancy, or rather obftinate rebellion of men against the laws, that, though they should even be at liberty to give law to themselves, and, in this choice, follow only their own prejudices and affections, yet they would not be the more faithful; fo great is their inconftancy, and fo ftrong their inclination, to withdraw themselves from every fort of rule and duty. This propenfity and this inconftancy are so vifibly marked in their whole conduct, that they stifle and difavow, in as great a degree, as they pollibly can, even that natural law impreffed on their heart, which teaches them, much better than any other, both the juftice, whose rules they ought to practife, and the charms of virtue, whofe inftructions they ought to follow, by a love of reason, and without compulfion. Aaaa It From the UNIVERSAL MAGAZINE. Reflections on different Subjects of Morality, by Stanislaus, King of Poland. HEN truth offends no one, it ought to pass out of the mouth as naturally as the air we breathe. It is a matter of great astonishment, man, The virtuous are the only that that, confidering how precife, clear, do not fear to be known'; they fhew and well known the laws in all ftates themselves without affectation, and difare, there should, notwithstanding, be cover themselves without concern. an occafion, in proceffes, for fo great a number of judges, pleaders, and others, for examining, difcuffing, and clearing up the most trivial affairs. If the Courts of juftice, in deciding the differences of parties, and adjudging to one the gaining of the caufe according to equity, fhould punish at the fame time the other as state criminals, for having dared to maintain a bad cause, against the spirit of the law, and in hopes of deceiving the judges, in order to obtain from them a sentence conformable to their own defires; do we think there would be many law-fuits in the world? Such a regulation would quite banish all expenfive fophifms, refined ambiguities, useless proceedings, the fhameful conflicts of chicanery, thofe pretended oracles of the law, who for large fees are fure to give an answer to their clients mind, or who, amidit the gloomy foreft of commentaries and gloffes, of which they alone are acquainted with the paths, lead indifferently to the right or left those who have the weakness to walk in them. Thus, in fine, the laws, which are explicit enough on all the cafes that may occafion difputes, may be made more respectable. You have given me, dear Cleanthes, a very ftrange notion of those who cannot even imagine what virtue is. Can there be men who are really unacquaint ́ed with virtue? I have never feen fuch; but there are people in the world that give vice the appearance of virtue. If we believe them, to revenge an injury is to punish infolence; to calumniate a neighbour is to correct him to neglect the practices of religionis, to avoid pride and hypocrify... Several fancy that they may do evil, with the pretence that good may come from it; but, do what they canta difguife vice, it will be hideous underswhatever; colour it appears, and thofe who abandon themfelves to it will be always humbled, whenever they appear before the upright The duration of life is reckoned from the number of years one has lived; but it should be reckoned only from the use that has been made of it. Such a perfon dies at an hundred years who fearce has began to live. If with the pains we endure here be. low we were immortal, we should be the most miferable of all beings. It is fweet and pleafing to hope that we shall not live always. We may forget offences, but we feldom lose the remembrance of having been offended. It seems that all we do is but a rough draught, and that always fomething re mains to be done to make the work com. plete. Power is not always proportionate to the will. One should be confulted before the other; but the generality of men begin by willing, and act afterwards as they can. Affectation difcovers (ooner what one is, than it makes known what one would fain appear to be. Laziness is a premature death. Ta be in no action is not to live. Unforeseen pleasures are the moft agreeable. They are not anticipated by a hope that almost always falls short of its flattering ideas. gun; sin We should enjoy wifely all we poffefs, if we reflected that our enjoyment was only for a time. lo nutoleim sd? We ought to be ashamed of being wicked, if for no other confideration, than that we are not fo through inability and weakness. Every man that hould fhould use his beft endeavours to get the better of himself, would fcarce ever injure another..... W Great wants proceed from great wealth, and make riches almost equal to poverty. We feel death but once; he who fears death, dies every time he thinks of it. A mifer of fixty years old refufes himfelf neceffaries, that he might It not w want them when he is an hundred. Almost he is an all of us make ourselves unhappy by too much forecast, TH Nature does not accustom us to suffer from our infancy, but in order to teach us to fuffer. It is happy for human nature, that there are defires which cannot be fatiffied. Otherwife the mott forry man would make bimfelf master of the world. He that keeps his promife only to his own advantage, is scarce more bound than if he had promised nothing. Every promise of interest vanishes, as foon as the interest ceases. ! To mifpend time, is to lose it as much as by doing nothing. I efteem greatly the ignorance of a man, who believes and confeffes his knowledge to be confined to what he knows.ome e None are rath, when they are not seen by any body. Mantis only weak by the difproportion there is between what he can and what he is willing to do. The only way he has to increase his ftrength, is to retrench many of his defires, Intereftede benefits are fo common, that we need not be aftonished if ingratitude is not so rare. We only hate the wicked through interest. If they did us no injury, we fhould look upon them with indifference. To difcern a fault in another, we fhould not have a like in ourselves. The people most attached to life are almost always thofe who know least how toenjoyritrojov ; 1. The misfortune of the most learned is not to know that they are ignorant of what they cannot know. 11 In the clashing of opinions, the moft fimple wants only, for uniting minds, to be propofed last, to 1911em t Too much devotion leads to fanaticifin; too much philosophy to irreligion. The care we take for not fuffering, causes more torment than we should find in fupporting what we fuffer. The worst of qualifications is to be old, and to have neither judgment fior experience. 10 0100 There are people, who by striving to pafs for reafonable, make themselves more ridiculous." We meet with great difficulty in conquering pride by refifting it: how potent then must it be, when flattered? Nature lets us want nothing; but by our luxury we have created more wants for ourselves, and confequently miferies, than the has conferred gifts on us. The floweft in promifing are ufually the most faithful in performing. True merit defires to be honoured, as it honours itself. As we cannot hinder young people from being inconfiderate, we should remember that they have but a short time to be fo. The generality of mifers are very good people; they do not cease to amals wealth for others that with their death. There is not a finer thread than that which binds us to life; the leaft blaft may break it. Life is enjoyed only by bits and fcraps: every inftant terminates its extent when it exists, the past is no more, and the initant that follows is not yet. In this manner, we die without ever having been able to enjoy one inftant. We live too little for the long time we are to remain dead.1⁄2 34: -3 At the end of one generation, all will be equal between the most happy and the moft miferable, 10, 51 ai uroninigian After death, there remains no regret for life. The most melancholy of deaths is that of youth, which is for a long time regretted.. By the fame reafon that shades are neceflary in a piece of painting, modefty ought constantly to accompany merit. It gives it more force and relief. Aaaa 2 The The who mind which defigns to be filled with e virtue Pocould fain i OM MAN sit bus be can only copy it in water colours. home measure a lo with to know h thers. the JAV.OVINHOM The indolence of the all of the great borders fomewhat upon a lethargic ftate nisl di s. hn A I doubt whether a wife and fenfible man would become young fame conditions he was once fo. The prejudices of youth pass away with it. Those of old age laft only, because there is no other age to be hoped for or her. The reason why fome people fpeak fo much is, that they speak only by memory.. We must not be aftonifhed that we have fo strong an inclination to idleness; it is the natural ftate of man, labour being a punishment to him, The poor condemned to the fweat of their brow and to fatigue, upbraid nature with the floth of the rich; and the rich tormented by paffions, or devoured by difguft and irksomeness, envy the innocent pleasures of the poor. None here below find themfelves happy but in the place of others. True religion has never perhaps fuf fered fo much from the violence of its perfecutors, as from the folly and infincerity of those who reprefent it as a frightful phantom by its rigours. It is rare that love is not foolish in a foolish mind; it may be wife in a well formed heart. Let us not flatter ourfelves in having a great many friends; a fingle reverie of fortune may inform us of their number. vidence! strokes of certain pers of honour for The fatyric fons are to many those they attack. There are a authors that take to much pains with, and polish fo much their to much their writings, that all they give to the publick are nothing but mere duft and filings. The first faults alarm innocence; thofe that follow cease to fright her. Happy that innocence which has not learned to fear, or has held to her first fears. I know no real worth but that tranquil firmnefs which feeks dangers by duty, and braves them without rathnefs. I pity lefs an ignorant perfon who knows nothing, than one who knows but indifferently what he has learned. It is much better to know thoroughly, than to know a great deal. The man of understanding reasons only according to what he has learned; but the man of genius according to himfelf. We feldom compare ourfelves without giving ourselves the preference. It does not fuit all perfons to be modeit; none but great men ought to be fo. The merit of great men is not understood but by those who are formed to be fuch themselves; genius fpeaks only to genius. Great men are in vain criticized, their illuftrious qualities are fufficient to procure them revenge. Great speakers resemble thofe mufcians, who, in their airs, prefer noise to harmony. We may recover out of the darkness of ignorance, but never out of that of prefumption. We have known how to make the elements obfequious to our ingenuity, but we know not how to mafter our pas fions. Moft heroes are but brilliant fcourges that lay the earth defolate, no! on True value braves danger without neglecting refources. 916 29flot Neb A MORNING.WALK. Riches, would be little effeemed, if A they did not furnish vanity with the pleafure of having what others have not. We are in the wrong to confound tafes with paffions. Taftes are lefs quick, and pafs away; paffions are more impetuous and durable. Let us feek after our enemies in those with whom we live; others, with whom we have no acquaintance, do not think of doing us harm. To hurt with more certainty, we im'pute to those we do not love, either an excess of virtue, or faults that come nearelt to the virtues that conftitute their merit. To speak evil of a woman's rivals is a fure way of praising her. How many men are women in this refpect! Fortune, most commonly is not favourable to the upright. The foam of the feas rifes on their surface; the pearls remain at bottom. Natural equity is ftill more juft than laws. By doing nothing we ufually learn to do ill. Jealoufy would fain pafs for an excels of love, but it terrifies in faying that it loves. When Phoebus his influence lends, In the morning, purfuing their walk, Intent on the husbandman's toil; Plows, cleanfes, or fows his rich foil. Then down to the mead they would itray, Where the verdure refreshes the fight; But frequently paus'd by the way, With apt words to exprefs their delight. To the hill now their walk I pursu'd, And, as Nature's fair portrait they Where new objects new pleasure impart; view'd, This leffon they read to my heart : With these beauties, how charm'd is the eye; The profpect how varied and gay! My Strephon, thofe fcenes we efpy, Though fpeechless, inftruction convey. The fields kept fo neat and focles, Which the farmer each day doth infpect, neglect. Remind me of home, that within ith ad There fhould nought be consum'd by quo veq The ftream that glides fmoothly along, Bids me hever glides fmoothly along, paffioni witty rage If you frown I will fing a foft fong? Your anger foft words thall afwagenl *The |