Person whom it befalls, that not only Sylla the Dictator, but feveral of the Roman Emperors, as is ftill to be feen upon their Medals, among their other Titles, gave themfelves that of Felix or Fortunate. The Heathens, indeed, feem to have valued a Man more for his Good-fortune than for any other Quality, which I think is very natural for those who have not a strong Belief of another World. For how can I conceive a Man crowned with many distinguishing Bleffings, that has not fome extraordinary Fund of Merit and Perfection in him, which lies open to the Supreme Eye, tho' perhaps it is not discovered by my Obfervation? What is the Reafon Homer's and Virgil's Heroes do not form a Refolution, or ftrike a Blow, without the Conduct and Direction of fome Deity? Doubtlefs, because the Poets efteemed it the greateft Honour to be favoured by the Gods, and thought the best Way of praifing a Man was to recount those Favours which naturally implied an extraordinary Merit in the Perfon on whom they de fcended.

THOSE who believe a future State of Rewards and Punishments act very abfurdly, if they form their Opinions of a Man's Merit from his Succeffes. But certainly, if I thought the whole Circle of our being was concluded be tween our Births and Deaths, I should think a Man's GoodFortune the Measure and Standard of his real Merit, fince Providence would have no Opportunity of rewarding his Virtue and Perfections, but in the prefent Life. A virtuous Unbeliever, who lies under the Preffure of Misfortunes, has reason to cry out, as they fay Brutus did a little before his Death, O Virtue, I have worshipped thee as a Subftantial Good, but I find thou art an empty Name.

BUT to return to our first Point: Tho' Prudence does undoubtedly in a great Measure produce our good or ill Fortune in the World, it is certain there are many unfore feen Accidents and Occurrences, which very often pervert the finest Schemes that can be laid by Human Wisdom. The Race is not always to the Swift, nor the Battle to the Strong. Nothing less than infinite Wisdom can have an abfolute Command over Fortune; the highest Degree of it which Man can poffefs, is by no means equal to fortuitous Events, and to fuch Contingencies as may rise in the Prosecution of our Affairs. Nay, it very often hap

pens,

pens, that Prudence, which has always in it a great Mixture of Caution, hinders a Man' from being fo fortunate as he might poffibly have been without it. A Perfon who only aims at what is likely to fucceed, and follows clofely the Dictates of Human Prudence, never meets with thofe great and unforeseen Succeffes, which are often the Effect of a Sanguine Temper, or a more happy Rashness; and this perhaps may be the Reason, that according to the common Obfervation, Fortune, like other Females, delights rather in favouring the young than the old.

UPON the whole, fince Man is fo fhort-fighted a Creature, and the Accidents which may happen to him so various, I cannot but be of Dr. Tillotson's Opinion in another Cafe, that were there any Doubt of a Providence, yet it certainly would be very defirable there fhould be fuch a Being of infinite Wisdom and Goodness, on whofe Direc tion we might rely in the Conduct of human Life.

IT is a great Prefumption to afcribe our Succeffes to our own Management, and not to esteem our felves upon any Bleffing, rather as it is the Bounty of Heaven, than the Acquifition of our own Prudence. I am very well pleafed with a Medal which was ftruck by Queen Elizabeth, a little after the Defeat of the invincible Armada, to perpetuate the Memory of that extraordinary Event. It is well known how the King of Spain, and others who were the Enemies of that great Princefs, to derogate from her Glory, afcribed the Ruin of their Fleet rather to the Violence of Storms and Tempefts, than to the Bravery of the Englife. Queen Elizabeth, instead of looking upon this as a Diminution of her Honour, valued herself upon fuch a fignal Favour of Providence, and accordingly in the Reverfe of the Medal above-mentioned, has reprefented a Fleet beated by a Tempeft, and falling foul upon one another, with that Religious Infcription, Aflavit Deus &· diffipantur. He blew with his Wind, and they were Scattered.

IT is remarkable of a famous Grecian General, whose Name I cannot at prefent recollect, and who had been a particular Favorite of Fortune, that upon recounting his Victories among his Friends, he added at the End of feveral great Actions, And in this Fortune had no Share. After

which it is observed in Hiftory, that he never profpered in any Thing he undertook.

AS Arrogance, and a Conceitedness of our own Abilities, are very shocking and offenfive to Men of Senfe and Virtue, we may be fure they are highly difpleafing to that Being who delights in an humble Mind, and by feveral of his Difpenfations feems purpofely to fhew us, that our own Schemes or Prudence have no Share in our Advancements.

SINCE on this Subject I have already admitted feveral Quotations which have occurred to my Memory upon writing this Paper, I will conclude it with a little Perfian Fable. A Drop of Water fell out of a Cloud into the Sea, and finding itself loft in fuch an immenfity of fluid Matter, broke out into the following Reflexion:

Alas!

What an infignificant Creature am I in this prodigious Ocean of Waters; my Existence is of no Concern to the Universe, I am reduced to a Kind of Nothing, and am less than the least of the Works of God.' It fo happened that anOyfter which lay in the Neighbourhood of this Drop, chanced to gape and fwallow it up in the midft of this its humble Soliloquy. The Drop, fays the Fable, lay a great while hardning in the Shell, 'till by Degrees it was ripen'd into a Pearl, which falling into the Hands of a Diver, after a long Series of Adventures, is at prefent that famous Pearl which is fixed on the Top of the Perfian Diadem.

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N° 294. Wednesday, February 6.

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·Difficile eft plurimum virtutem revereri qui femper fecunda fortuna fit ufus. Tull. ad Herennium.

NSOLENCE is the Crime of all others which every Man is moft apt to rail at; and yet is there one Refpect in which almost all Men living are guilty ofit, and that is in the Cafe of laying a greater Value upon the Gifts of Fortune than we ought. It is here in England come into

Our

our very Language, as a Propriety of Distinction, to say, when we would fpeak of Perfons to their Advantage, they are People of Condition. There is no doubt but the proper Ufe of Riches implies that a Man fhould exert all the good Qualities imaginable; and if we mean by a Man of Condition or Quality, one who, according to the Wealth he is Mafter of, fhews himself juft, beneficent, and charitable, that Term ought very deservedly to be had in the highest Veneration; but when Wealth is ufed only as it is the Support of Pomp and Luxury, to be rich is very far from being a Recommendation to Honour and Refpect. It is indeed the greatest Infolence imaginable, in a Creature who would feel the Extreams of Thirst and Hunger, if he did not prevent his Appetites before they call upon him, to be fo forgetful of the common neceffity of Human Nature, as never to caft an Eye upon the Poor and Needy. The Fellow who escaped from a Ship which ftruck upon a Rock in the Weft, and join'd with the Country-People to deftroy his Brother Sailors, and make her a Wreck, was thought a most execrable Creature ; but does not every Man who enjoys the Poffeffion of what he naturally wants, and is unmindful of the unfupplied Diftrefs of other Men, betray the fame Temper of Mind? When a Man looks about him, and with regard to Riches and Poverty beholds fome drawn in Pomp and Equipage, and they and their very Servants with an Air of Scorn and Triumph overlooking the Multitude that pafs by them; and, in the fame Street, a Creature of the fame Make crying out in the Name of all that is Good and Sacred to behold his Mifery and give him fome Supply against Hunger and Nakedness; who would believe these two Beings were of the fame Species ? But fo it is, that the Confideration of Fortune has taken up all our Minds, and, as I have often complained, Poverty and Riches stand in our Imaginations in the Places of Guilt and Innocence. But in all Seasons there will be fome Inftances of Perfons who have Souls too large to be taken with popular Prejudices, and while the reft of Mankind are contending for Superiority in Power and Wealth, have their Thoughts bent upon the Neceffities of those below them. The Charity-Schools, which have been erected of late Years, are the greatest Inftances of publick Spirit the Age has produced:

The

produced: But indeed when we confider how long this Sort of Beneficence has been on Foot, it is rather from the good Management of those Inftitutions, than from the Number or Value of the Benefactions to them, that they make fo great a Figure. One would think it impoffible, that in the Space of fourteen Years there should not have been five thousand Pounds bestowed in Gifts this Way, nor fixteen hundred Children, including Males and Females, put out to Methods of Industry. It is not allowed me to speak of Luxury and Folly with the fevere Spirit they deferve; I fhall only therefore fay, I fhall very readily compound with any Lady in a Hoop-Petticoat, if the gives the Price of one half Yard of the Silk towards Clothing, Feeding and inftructing an innocent helpless Creature of her own Sex in one of these Schools. Consciousness of fuch an Action will give her Features a nobler Life on this illuftrious Day, than all the Jewels that can hang in her Hair, or can be clustered in her Bofom. It would be uncourtly to speak in harsher Words to the Fair, but to Men one may take a little more Freedom. It is monftrous how a Man can live with fo little Reflexion as to fancy he is not in a Condition very unjust and difproportioned to the rest of Mankind, while he enjoys Wealth, and exerts no Benevolence or Bounty to others. As for this particular Occafion of these Schools, there cannot any offer more worthy a generous Mind. Would you do an handfom thing without Return? do it for an Infant that is not fenfible of the Obligation: Would you do it for publick Good? do it for one who will be an honeft Artificer: Would you do it for the Sake of Heaven? give it to one who shall be inftructed in the Worship of him for whofe Sake you gave it. It is methinks a moft laudable Inftitution this, if it were of no other Expectation than that of producing a Race of good and ufeful Servants, who will have more than a liberal, a religious Education. What would not a Man do, in common Prudence, to lay out in Purchase of one about him, who would add to all his Orders he gave the Weight of the Commandments to enforce an Obedience to them! for one who would confider his Mafter as his Father, his Friend, and Benefactor, upon the easy Terms, and in Expectation of no other Return but moderate Wages and

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gentle