fome, or all of which causes, it happens, that the character of men, like the hiftories of the Egyptians, are to be received and read with caution;—they are generally dreffed out and disfigured with fo many dreams and fables, that every ordinary reader shall not be able to diftinguish truth from falfehood.-But allowing these reflections to be too fevere in this matter,—that no fuch thing as envy ever leffened a man's character, or malice blackened it; yet the characters of men are not eafily penetrated, as they depend often upon the retired, unfeen parts of a man's life.-The beft and trueft piety is moft fecret, and the worft of actions, for different reasons, will be fo too. Some men are modest, and seem to take pains to hide their virtues; and from a natural distance and reserve in their tempers, fcarce fuffer their good qualities to be known:-others, on the contrary, put in practice a thousand little arts to counterfeit virtues which they have not, the better to conceal thofe vices which they really have ;-and this under fair fhews of fanctity, good-nature, generofity, or fome virtue or other,-too fpecious to be feen

through, too amiable and difinterested to be fufpected. These hints may be fufficient to fhew how hard it is to come at the matter of fact-but one may go a step further,—and fay, that even that, in many cafes, could we come to the knowlege of it, is not fufficient by itself to pronounce a man either good or bad. -There are numbers of circumftances which attend every action of a man's life, which can never come to the knowlege of the world,yet ought to be known, and well weighed, before fentence with any juftice can be paffed upon him.-A man may have different views and a different sense of things from what his judges have; and what he understands and feels, and what paffes within him may be a fecret treasured up deeply there for ever.—A man, through bodily infirmity, or fome complectional defect, which perhaps is not in his power to correct,—may be fubject to inadvertencies, -to ftarts-and unhappy turns of temper; he may lie open to fnares he is not always aware of; or, through ignorance and want of information and proper helps, he may labour in the dark-in all which cafes, he may do

many things which are wrong in themselves, and yet be innocent;- -at least an object rather to be pitied than cenfured with feverity and ill-will. These are difficulties which ftand in every one's way in the forming a judgment of the characters of others.-But, for once, let us fuppofe them all to be got over, so that we could fee the bottom of every man's heart ;— let us allow that the word rogue, or honest man, was wrote fo legibly in every man's face, that no one could poffibly mistake it;-yet ftill the happiness of both the one and the other, which is the only fact that can bring the charge home, is what we have fo little certain knowlege of,-that, bating fome flagrant inftances, whenever we venture to pronounce upon it, our decifions are little more than random gueffes.-For who can fearch the heart of man?-it is treacherous even to ourfelves, and much more likely to impofe upon others. Even in laughter (if you will believe Solomon) the heart is forrowful;—the mind fits drooping whilst the countenance is gay:— and even he, who is the object of envy to those who look no further than the furface of his

eftate, may appear at the fame time worthy. of compaffion to those who know his private. receffes. Befides this, a man's unhappiness is not to be afcertained fo much from what is • known to have befallen him,—as from his particular turn and caft of mind, and capacity of bearing it.-Poverty, exile, lofs of fame or friends, the death of children, the dearest of all pledges of a man's happiness, make not equal impreffions upon every temper. You will fee one man undergo, with scarce the expence of a figh,-what another, in the bitterness of his foul, would go mourning for all his life. long:-nay, a hafty word, or an unkind look, to a soft and tender nature, will strike deeper than a fword to the hardened and fenfeless.If these reflections hold true with regard to misfortunes, they are the fame with regard to enjoyments we are formed differently,have different taftes and perceptions of things; -by the force of habit, education, or a particular caft of mind,—it happens that neither the ufe or poffeffion of the fame enjoyments and advantages, produce the fame happiness and contentment;—but that it differs in every

man almost according to his temper and complection-fo that the self-fame happy accidents in life, which shall give raptures to the choleric or fanguine man, shall be received with indifference by the cold and phlegmatic;and fo oddly perplexed are the accounts of both human happiness and misery in this world, -that trifles, light as air, fhall be able to make the hearts of fome men fing for joy;— at the fame time that others, with real bleffings and advantages, without the power of ufing them, have their hearts heavy and discontented.

Alas! if the principles of contentment are not within us,-the height of station and worldly grandeur will as foon add a cubit to a man's stature as to his happiness.

This will fuggeft to us how little a way we have gone towards the proof of any man's happiness,-in barely faying,-Lo! this man profpers in the world, and this man has riches in poffeffion.

When a man has got much above us, we take it for granted-that he fees fome glorious profpects, and feels fome mighty pleasures