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tion of friends, than Queen Elizabeth; and yet there fcarcely is any, whofe reputation has been more certainly determined by the unanimous confent of pofterity. The unusual length of her administration, and the strong features of her character, were able to overcome all prejudices; and obliging her detractors to abate much of their invectives, and her admirers fomewhat of their panegyrics, have, at last, in fpite of political factions, and what is more, of religious animofities, produced a uniform judgment with regard to her conduct. Her vigour, her conftancy, her magnanimity, her penetration, vigilance and address, are allowed to merit the highest praises; and appear not to have been furpaffed by any person who ever filled a throne: a conduct lefs rigorous, lefs imperious, more fincere, more indulgent to her people, would have been requifite to form a perfect character. By the force of her mind fhe controlled all her more active, and stronger qualities; and prevented them from running into excels. Her heroifm was exempted from all temerity; her frugality from avarice; her friendship from partiality; her enterprise from turbulency and a vain ambition. She guarded not herself, with equal care, or equal fuccefs, from lefs infirmities; the rivalship of beauty, the defire of admiration, the jealoufy of love, and the fallies of anger

Her fingular talents for government were founded equally on her temper and on her capacity. Endowed with a great command over herself, fhe foon obtained an uncontrolled afcendant over the people. Few fovereigns of England fucceeded to the throne in more difficult circumftances; and none ever conducted the government with fo uniform fuccefs and felicity. Though unacquainted with the practice of toleration, the true fecret for managing religious factions, the preserved her people, by her fuperior prudence, from those confufions in which theological controversy had involved all the neighbouring nations: and though her enemies were the most powerful princes of Europe, the moft active, the most enterprifing, the leaft fcrupulous, the was able, by her vigour, to make deep impreffions on their state; her own greatnefs meanwhile remaining untouched and unimpaired.

The wife minifters and brave men who flourished during her reign, fhare the praife of her fuccefs; but, instead of leffening the applaufe due to her, they make great addition

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to it. They owed, all of them, their advancement to her choice; they were fupported by her conftancy; and, with all their ability, they were never able to acquire an undue afcendant over her. In her family, in her court, in her kingdom, fhe remained equally miftrefs. The force of the tender paffions was great over her, but the force of her mind was ftill fuperior: and the combat, which her victory vifibly coft her, ferves only to display the firmness of her refolation, and the loftinefs of her ambitious fentiments.

The fame of this prince though it has furmounted the prejudices both of faction and bigotry, yet lies ftill expofed to another prejudice, which is more durable, because more natural; and which, according to the different views in which we furvey her, is capable either of exalting beyond measure, or diminishing the luftre of her character. This prejudice is founded on the confideration of her sex. When we contemplate her as a woman, we are apt to be ftruck with the highest admiration of her qualities and extenfive capacity; but we are also apt to require fome more foftnefs of difpofition, fome greater lenity of temper, fome of thofe amiable weakneffes by which her fex is distinguished. But the true method of eftimating her merit, is, to lay afide all thefe confiderations, and to confider her merely as a rational being, placed in authority, and intrufted with the gov ernment of mankind.

SECTION XII.

The Slavery of Vice.

HUME.

THE flavery produced by vice appears in the dependence under which it brings the finner, to circumstances of external fortune. One of the favourite characters of liberty, is the independence it beftows. He who is truly a freeman, is above all fervile compliances, and abject fubjection. He is able to reft upon himself; and while he regards his fuperiors with proper deference, neither debafes himself by cringing to them, nor is tempted to purchase their favour by difhonourable means. But the finner has forfeited every privilege of this nature. His paffions and habits render' him an absolute dependant on the world, and the world's favour; on the uncertain goods of fortune, and the fickle humours of men. For it is by these he fubfifts, and among thefe his happiness is fought; according as his paffions determine him to purfue pleasures, riches, or preferments. Having no fund within himself

whence to draw enjoyment, his only refource is in things without. His hopes and fears all hang upon the world. He partakes in all its viciffitudes; and is moved and fhaken by every wind of fortune. This is to be, in the ftricteft fenfe, a flave to the world.

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Religion and virtue, on the other hand, confer on the mind principles of noble independence. "The upright man is fatisfied from himself." He defpifes not the advantages of fortune, but he centres not his happiness in them. With a moderate fhare of them he can be contented: and contentment is felicity. Happy in his own integrity, confcious of the esteem of good men, repofing firm trust in the providence, and the promifes of God, he is exempted from fervile dependence on other things. can wrap himself up in a good confcience, and look forward, without terror, to the change of the world. Let all things fhift around him as they pleafe, he believes that, by the Divine ordination, they fhall be made to work together in the iffue for his good: and therefore, having much to hope from God, and little to fear from the world, he can be eafy in every state. One who poffeffes within himfelf fuch an establishment of mind, is truly free. But fhall I call that man free who has nothing that is his own, no property affured; whofe very heart is not his own, but rendered the appendage of external things, and the sport of fortune? Is that man free, let his outward condition be ever fo fplendid, whom his imperious paffions detain at their call, whom they fend forth at their pleasure, to drudge and toil, and to beg his only enjoyment from the cafualties of the world? Is he free, who must flatter and lie to compafs his ends; who must bear with this man's caprice, and that man's fcorn; muft profefs friendship where he hates, and respect where he contemns: who is not at liberty to appear in his own colours, nor to speak his own fentiments; who dares not be honest, left he should be poor?-Believe it, no chains bind fo hard, no fetters are fo heavy, as those which fasten the corrupted heart to this treacherous world; no dependence is more contemptible than that under which the voluptuous, the covetous, or the ambitious man, lies to the means of pleasure, gain, or power. Yet this is the boafted liberty, which vice promifes, as the recompenfe of fetting us free from the falutary restraints of virtue,

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BLAIR.

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SECTION XIII.

The Man of Integrity.

Ir will not take much time to delineate the character of the man of integrity, as by its nature it is a plain one, and easily understood. He is one, who makes it his conftant rule to follow the road of duty, according as the word of God, and the voice of his confcience, point it out to him. He is not guided merely by affections, which may fometimes give the colour of virtue to a loose and unftable character. The upright man is guided by a fixed principle of mind, which determines him to esteem nothing but what is honourable; and to abhor whatever is bafe or unworthy, in moral conduct. Hence we find him ever the fame; at all times, the trufty friend, the affectionate relation, the confcientious man of business, the pious worshipper, the public fpirited citizen. He affumes no borrowed appearance. He feeks no mafk to cover him; for he acts no ftudied part; but he is indeed what he appears to be, full of truth, candour, and humanity. In all his purfuits, he knows no path but the fair and direct one and would much rather fail of fuccefs, than attain it by reproachful means. He never fhows us a fmiling countenance, while he meditates evil against us in his heart. He never praises us among our friends; and then joins in traducing us among our enemies. We fhall never find one part of his character at variance with another. In his manners, he is fimple and unaffected; in all his proceedings, open and confiftent.

SECTION XIV.
Gentleness.

BLAIR.

I BEGIN with diftinguishing true gentleness from paffive tamenefs of fpirit, and from unlimited compliance with the manners of others. That paffive tamenefs, which fubmits without oppofition, to every encroachment of the violent and affuming, forms no part of Chriftian duty; but, on the contrary, is deftructive of general happiness and order. That unlimited complaifance, which, on every occafion, falls in with the opinions and manners of others, is fo far from being a virtue, that it is itself a vice, and the parent of many vices. It overthrows all steadiness of principle; and produces that finful conformity with the world, which taints the whole character. In the prefent corrupted state of human manners ways to affent and to

comply, is the very worst maxim we can adopt. It is impoffible to fupport the purity and dignity of Chriftian morals, without oppofing the world on various occafions, even though we should stand alone. That gentleness therefore which belongs to virtue, is to be carefully diftinguished from the mean spirit of cowards, and the fawning affent of fycophants. It renounces no just right from fear. It gives up no important truth from flattery. It is indeed not only confiftent with a firm mind, but it neceffarily requires a manly spirit, and a fixed principle, in order to give it any real value. Upon this folid ground only, the polifh of gentleness can with advantage be superinduced.

It stands opposed, not to the most determined regard for virtue and truth, but to harfhnefs and feverity, to pride and arrogance, to violence and oppreffion. It is properly, that part of the great virtue of charity, which makes us unwilling to give pain to any of our brethren. Compaffion prompts us to relieve their wants. Forbearance prevents us from retaliating their injuries. Meeknefs reftrains our angry paffions; candour, our fevere judgments. Gentlenefs corrects whatever is offenfive in our manners; and, by a conftant train of humane attentions, studies to allevi. ate the burden of common mifery. Its office, therefore, is extensive. It is not like fome other virtues, called forth only on peculiar emergencies; but it is continually in action, when we are engaged in intercourfe with men. It ought to form our addrefs, to regulate our fpeech, and to diffuse itself over our whole behaviour.

We must not, however, confound this gentle "wifdon which is from above," with that artificial courtesy, that ftudied smoothness of manners, which is learned in the school of the world. Such accomplishments, the most frivolous and empty may poffefs. Too often they are employed by the artful, as a fnare; too often affected by the hard and unfeeling, as a cover to the bafenefs of their minds. We cannot, at the fame time, avoid obferving the homage, which, even in fuch inftances, the world is constrained to pay to virtue. In order to render fociety agreeable, it is found neceffary to affume fomewhat, that may at least carry its appearance, Virtue is the univerfal charm. Even its fhadow is courted, when the fubftance is wanting. The imitation of its form has been reduced into au art; and, in the commerce of life, the first study

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