all modefty, and laugh at disgrace; who, though perjured, ftigmatized, and sentenced as convicted rogues, thieves, or traitors, to lose their ears, be whipped, branded, called, pointed at, and hiffed, like Ballio, the bawd in Plautus, glory in their fhame. The times unhappily produce many fuch shameless characters, who, like Therfites, — clamour in the throng, "Loquacious, loud, and turbulent of tongue, "Aw'd by no fhame, by no respect controul'd, "In scandal busy, in reproaches bold;" and who may be truly faid to poffefs "a wall of brafs;" but of a different kind from that which Horace recommends, when he says Be this thy fort and brazen wall, To have a conscience clear within, Modefty is the brighteft badge of merit; and every ingenuous man, jealous of his reputation, feels a deep and deadly wound inflicted by the fhafts of calumny and difgrace. Life and fortune are no confiderations with him when placed in competition with the lofs of character. The leaft * Hor. Epift. ift. joy of his life, calumny the language of his tongue, and his fole delight another's ruin. The temporary gratification of pleasure forms fome excufe for the committal of other fins; but envy admits of no excufe or palliation. Gluttony may be fatisfied, Anger appeafed, and Hatred fubdued; but Envy is a stubborn weed of the mind, which even the culture of philofophy can feldom fubdue. It is, however, a disease incident to our very nature*. Saul and David†, Cain and Abelt, felt its influence: Rachel envied the happiness of her sister§; and the brethren of Jofeph were urged by this vice to fell him to the company of Ishmaelites, who came from. Gilead, with fpices, in their way to Egypt. Habbakuk repined at others good. Domitian, jealous that a private man fhould be so much glorified, fpited Agricola for his worth; and Cecinna was envied by his fellow-citizens because he was more richly adorned. Women are not entirely free from this infirmity: they feel the paffions of love and hatred always in extreams, and cannot endure a rival either in finery or affection, but, like Agrippina, if they see a neighbour richer in dress, neater in attire, more * Infitum mortalibus a natura recentem aliorem fælicitatem ægris oculis intueri. Tacitus, lib. 2. + Pfalm 37. Genefis. Gen. 30. Gen. 37. their hearts*, as Tacitus informs us was the cafe with the Roman ladies with refpect to Solonina, the wife of Cecinna, with whom they were much offended, merely becaufe fhe had a finer horfe and more fplendid furniture+. Myrfine, an Athenian lady, was murdered by her jealous rivals, becaufe fhe excelled them in beauty‡; and our fair country-women, in their various affemblies and fashionable coteries, feel, if they would candidly confefs it, no very pleafing fenfations at the fight of a rival beauty, nor exprefs any very fincere approbation of her fuperiority either in drefs or charms, of which every village yields abundant examples. them, confternationis pleni affectus, affections full of defperate amazement. There is, indeed, no perturbation more frequent, no paflion more common, than EMULATION. MAN: A potter emulates a potter, A beggar emulates a beggar, A singing man his brother*. Every fociety, corporation, and private family, is full of it; for it takes hold of all descriptions of perfons, from THE PRINCE to THE PLOUGHeven goffips are infected with it: and there is scarcely a company of three, without there being some fiding, faction, and emulation between two of them; or fome jarring, private grudge, or heart-burning, amongst them all. Scarcely two private gentlemen can live near each other in the country, except they be related by blood or marriage, but there is fome emulation betwixt them, their wives, children, friends, followers, or fervants: fome contention about wealth, quality, precedency, or other matter of the like nature; in the indulgence of which, like the frog in the fable, who burst itself * Καὶ κεραμολις κεραμε κοτέει καὶ τέκτονι τέκλων, Καὶ πλεχος ωχῶ φθονέει καὶ ἀοιδος ἀριθῶ. HESION in |