Spirits; but you fee in the lives of fuch as, one would believe, were far enough removed from the ways of Ambition. The rural Efquires of this nation even eat and drink out of vanity. A vain-glorious Fox-hunter fhall entertain half a county, for the oftentation of his beef and beer, without the leaft affection for any of the croud about him. He feeds them, because he thinks it a fuperiority over them that he does fo; and they devour him, because they know he treats them out of infolence. This indeed is Ambition in grotefque; but may figure to us the condition of politer men, whofe only purfuit is glory. When the Superior acts out of a principle of vanity, the dependant will be fure to allow it him; be caufe he knows it deftructive of the very applaufe, which is courted by the man who favours him, and confequently makes him nearer himself. But as every man living has more or lefs of this incentive, which makes men impatient of an unactive condition, and urges men to attempt what may tend to their reputation; it is abfolutely neceffary they fhould form to themselves an Ambition, which is in every man's power to gratify. This Ambition would be indepen dent, and would confist only in acting what, to a man's own mind, appears moft great and laudable. It is a purfuit in the power of every man, and is only a regular profecution of what he himself approves. It is what can be interrupted by no outward accidents; for no man can be robbed of his good intention. One of our Society of the Trumpet therefore ftarted last night a notion, which. I thought had reafon in it. It is, methinks, faid he, an unreasonable thing, that heroic virtue fhould, as it feems to be at prefent, be confined to a certain order of men, and be attainable by none but thofe, whom Fortune has elevated to the moft confpicuous tations. I would have every thing to be efteemed as heroic, which is great and uncommon in the circumftances of the man who performs it. Thus there would be no virtue in human life, which every one of the fpecies would not have a pretence to arrive at, and an ardency to exert. Since Fortune is not in our power, let us be as little as pofuible in hers. Why should it be neceffary that a man fhuld be rich, to be generous? If we meafured by the quality D 2 and and not the quantity of things, the particulars which accompany an action is what should denominate it mean or great. The highest station of human life is to be attained by each man that pretends to it: For every man can be as valiant, as generous, as wife, and as merciful, as the faculties and opportunities which he has from Heaven and Fortune will permit. He that can say to himself, I do as much good, and am as virtuous as my moft earnest endeavours will allow me, whatever is his ftation in the world, is to himself poffeffed of the highest honour. If Ambition is not thus turned; it is no other than a continual fucceffion of anxiety and vexation. But when it has this caft, it invigorates the mind; and the confcioufnefs of its own worth is a reward, which it is not in the power of envy, reproach, or detraction, to take from it. Thus the feat of folid honour is in a man's own bosom; and no one can want fupport who is in poffeffion of an honeft confcience, but he who would fuffer the reproaches of it for other greatness. P. S. I was going on in my philofophy, when notice was brought me, that there was a great croud in my antichamber, who expected audience. When they were admitted, I found they all met at my lodgings, each coming upon the fame errand, to know whether they were of the fortunate in the lottery, which is now ready to be drawn. I was much at a lofs how to extricate myfelf from their importunity; but obferving the affembly made up of both fexes, I fignified to them, that in this case it would appear Fortune is not blind, for all the lots would fall upon the wifeft and the faireft. This gave fo general a fatisfaction, that the room was foon emptied, and the company retired with the beft air, and the most pleafing grace, I had any where observed. Mr. Elliot of Saint James's Coffee-house now ftood alone before me, and fignified to me, he had now not only prepared his books, but had received a very great fubfcription already. His defign was to advertise his fubfcribers at their refpective places of abode, within an hour after their number is drawn, whether it was a blank or benefit, if the adventurer lives within the bills of mortality; if he dwells in the country, by the next poft. I encouraged the the man in his industry, and told him the ready path to good fortune was to believe there was no fuch thing. N° 203. Thursday, July 27, 1710. I Ut tu fortunam, fic nos te, Celfe, feremus. HOR. Ep. 8. lib. 1. ver. ult. As Celfus bears his happy lot, his friends R. WYNNE, From my own Apartment, July 26. T is natural for the imaginations of men, who lead their lives in too folitary a manner, to prey upon themselves, and form from their own conceptions, beings and things which have no place in Nature. This often makes an Adept as much at a lofs, when he comes into the world, as a mere favage. To avoid therefore that ineptitude for fociety, which is frequently the fault of us fcholars, and has, to men of understanding and breeding, fomething much more shocking and untractable than rufticity itself; I take care to vifit all public folemnities, and go into affemblies as often as my ftudies will permit. This being therefore the first day of the drawing of the lottery, I did not neglect spending a confiderable time in the croud: But as much a Philofopher as I pretend to be, I could not but look with a fort of veneration upon the two boys who received the tickets from the wheels, as the impartial and equal difpenfers of the fortunes which were to be distributed among the croud, who all stood expecting the fame chance. It seems at firft thought very wonderful, that one paffion fhould fo univerfally have the pre-eminence of another in the poffeffion of mens minds, as that in this cafe all in general have a fecret hope of the great ticket: And yet fear in another inftance, D 3 inftance, as in going into a battle, fhall have fo little influence, as that, though each man believes there will be many thousands flain, each is confident he himself hall efcape. This certainly proceeds from our vanity; for every man fees abundance in himself that deferves reward, and nothing which fhould meet with mortification. But of all the adventurers that filled the hall, there was one who stood by me, who I could not but fancy expected the thousand pounds per Annum, as a mere juftice to his parts and industry. He had his pencil and table-book; and was, at the drawing of each lot, counting how much a man with seven tickets was now nearer the greater prize, by the ftriking out another, and another competitor. This man was of the most particular conftitution I had ever obferved; his paffions were fo active, that he worked in the utmost stretch of hope and fear, When one rival fell before him, you might fee a fhort gleam of triumph in his countenance; which immediately vanifhed at the approach of another. What added to the particularity of this man was, that he every moment caft a look either upon the Commiffioners, the Wheels, or the Boys. I gently whifpered him, and afked, when he thought the thousand pounds would come up? Fugh! fays he, who knows that? And then looks upon a little list of his own tickets, which were pretty high in their numbers, and said it would not come this ten days. The fellow will have a good chance, though not that which he has put his heart on. The man is mechanically turned, and made for getting. The fimplicity and eagerness which he is in argues an attention to his point; though what he is labouring at does not in the least contribute to it. Were it not for fuch honeft fellows as thefe, the men who govern the rest of their fpecies would have no tools to work with: For the outward show of the world is carried on by fuch, as cannot find out that they are doing nothing. I left my man with great reluctance, feeing the care he took to observe the whole conduct of the perfons concerned, and compute the inequality of the chances with his own hands and eyes. Dear Sir, faid I, they must rife early that cheat you. Ay, faid he, there is nothing like a man's minding minding his bufrnefs himself. It is very true, faid 1; the master's eye makes the horfe fat. As much the greater number are to go without prizes, it is but very expedient to turn our lecture, to the forming juft fentiments on the subject of Fortune. One faid this morning, that the chief lot, he was confident, would fall upon fome puppy; but this Gentleman is one of thofe wrong tempers, who approve only the unhappy, and have a natural prejudice to the fortunate. But as it is certain, that there is a great meannefs in being attached to a man purely for his Fortune; there is no lefs a meanness in difliking him for his happiness. It is the fame perverfenefs under different colours; and both these refentments arife from mere pride. True greatness of mind confifts in valuing men apart from their circumstances, or according to their behaviour in them. Wealth is a diftinction only in traffic; but it muft not be allowed as a recommendation in any other particular, but only just as it is applied. It was very prettily faid, That we may learn the little value of Fortune by the perfons, on whom Heaven is pleased to beflow it. However, there is not a harder part in human life, than becoming wealth and greatnefs. He must be very well stocked with merit, who is not willing to draw fome fuperiority over his friends from his Fortune; for it is not every man that can entertain with the air of a gueft, and do good offices with the mien of one that receives them. I must confefs, I cannot conceive how a man can place himself in a figure wherein he can fo much enjoy his own Soul, and, that greatest of pleafures, the juft approbation of his own actions, as an adventurer on this occafion, to fit and fee the lots go off without hope or fear; perfectly unconcerned as to himfelf, but taking part in the good Fortune of others. I will believe there are happy tempers in being, to whom all the good that arrives to any of their fellowcreatures gives a pleafure. Thefe live in a course of fubftantial and lafting happiness, and have the fatisfaction to fee all men endeavour to gratify them. This ftate of mind not only lets a man into certain enjoyments, but relieves him from as certain anxieties. If |