tunes, it is faid, made them divide with their conqueror the attention of the Roman people. The fight of the royal children, whofe tender age rendered them infenfible of their fituation, ftruck the spectators, amidst the public rejoicings and profperity, with the tendereft forrow and compaffion. The King appeared next in the proceffion; and feemed like one confounded and aftonished, and bereft of all fentiment, by the greatnefs of his calamities. His friends and minifters followed after him. As they moved along, they often caft their eyes upon their fallen fovereign, and always burst into tears at the fight; their whole behaviour demonftrating that they thought not of their own misfortunes, but were occupied entirely by the superior greatnefs of his. The generous Romans, on the contrary, beheld him with difdain and indignation, and regarded as unworthy of all compaffion the man who could be fo mean-fpirited as to bear to live under fuch calamities. Yet what did thofe calamities amount to? According to the greater part of historians, he was to spend the remainder of his days, under the protection of a powerful and humane people, in a state which in itself should seem worthy of envy, a ftate of plenty, eafe, leifure and fecurity, from which it was impoffible for him even by his own folly to fall. But he was no longer to be furrounded by that admiring mob of fools, flatterers, and dependants, who had formerly been accuftomed to attend upon all his motions. He

was

never to barter your liberty for the lordly fervitude of a Court, but to live free, fearless, and independant? There feems to be one way to continue in that virtuous refolution; and perhaps but one. Never enter the place

from whence fo few have been able to return; never come within the circle of ambition; nor ever bring yourself into comparison with those masters of the earth who have already engroffed the attention of half mankind. before you.

Of fuch mighty importance does it appear to be, in the imaginations of men, to stand in that fituation which fets them most in the view of general fympathy and attention. And thus, place, that great object which divides the wives of aldermen, is the end of half the labours of human life; and is the cause of all the tumult and bustle, all the rapine and injuftice, which avarice and ambition have introduced into this world. People of fenfe, it is faid, indeed defpife place; that is, they defpife fitting at the head of the table, and are indifferent who it is that is pointed out to the company by that frivolous circumstance, which the fmalleft advantage is capable of overbalancing. But rank, diftinction, preeminence, no man despises, unless he is either raised very much above, or funk very much below, the ordinary standard of human nature; unlefs he is either fo confirmed in wifdom and real philofophy, as to be satisfied that, while the propriety of his conduct renders him the juft object of approbation, it is of

little confequence though he be neither attended to, nor approved of; or so habituated to the idea of his own meannefs, fo funk in flothful and fottifh indifference, as intirely to have forgot the defire, and almost the very wifh, for fuperiority.

WE

CHA P. III.

Of the ftoical philofophy.

WHEN we examine in this manner into the ground of the different degrees of eftimation which mankind are apt to beftow upon the different conditions of life, we fhall find, that the exceffive preference, which they generally give to fome of them above others, is in a great measure without any foundation. If to be able to act with propriety, and to render ourselves the. proper objects of the approbation of mankind, be, as we have been endeavouring to show, what chiefly recommends to us one condition above another, this may equally be attained in them all. The nobleft propriety of conduct may be supported in adverfity, as well as in profperity; and though it is somewhat more dif ficult in the firft, it is upon that very very account. more admirable. Perils and misfortunes are not only the proper fchool of heroism, they are the only proper theatre which can exhibit its virtue to advantage, and draw upon it the full applause of the world. The man, whofe whole

H 2

whole life has been one even and uninterrupted course of profperity, who never braved any danger, who never encountered any difficulty, who never furmounted any distress, can excite but an inferior degree of admiration. When poets and romance-writers endeavour to invent a train of adventures, which fhall give the greatest luftre to thofe characters for whom they mean to interest us, they are all of a different kind. They are rapid and fudden changes of fortune, fituations the most apt to drive thofe who are in them to frenzy and distraction, or to abject defpair; but in which their heroes act with fo much propriety, or at leaft with fo much spirit and undaunted refolution, as ftill to command our esteem. Is not the unfortunate magnanimity of Cato, Brutus, and Leonidas, as much the object of admiration, as that of the fuccefsful Cæfar or Alexander? To a generous mind, therefore, ought it not to be as much the object of envy? If a more dazzling fplendor feems to attend the fortunes of fuccefsfol conquerors, it is because they join together the advantages of both fituations, the luftre of profperity to the high admiration which is excited by dangers encountered, and difficulties furmounted, with intrepidity and valour.

It was upon this account that, according to the ftoical philofophy, to a wife man all the different conditions of life were equal.. Nature, they faid, had recommended fome objects, to our choice, and others to our dif

approbation.