Providence, in the very Frame of his Soul, would not fubject him to fuch a Paffion as would be useless to the World, and a Torment to himself. WERE not this Defire of Fame very strong, the Difficulty of obtaining it, and the Danger of lofing it when obtained, would be fufficient to detera Man from so vain a Purfuit. How few are there who are furnifhed with Abilities fufficient to recommend their Actions to the Admiration of the World, and to distinguish themselves from the rest of Mankind? Providence for the most part fets us upon a Level, and obferves a kind of Proportion in its Difpenfations towards us. If it renders us perfect in one Accomplishment, it generally leaves us defective in another, and feems careful rather of preferving every Person from being mean and deficient in his Qualifications, than of making any fingle one eminent or extraordinary. AND among those who are the moft richly endowed by Nature, and accomplished by their own Industry, how few are there whofe Virtues are not obfcured by the Ignorance, Prejudice or Envy of their Beholders? Some Men cannot difcern between a noble and a mean Action. Others are apt to attribute them to fome false End or Intention; and others purposely mifrepresent or put a wrong Interpretation on them. But the more to enforce this Confideration, we may observe that those are generally most unsuccessful in their Pursuit after Fame, who are most defirous of obtaining it. It is Salluff's Remark upon Cato, that the lefs he coveted Glory, the more he acquired it. MEN take an ill-natur'd Pleasure in croffing our Inclinations, and disappointing us in what our Hearts are most fet upon. When therefore they have discovered the paffionate defire of Fame in the ambitious Man (as no Temper of Mind is more apt to fhew it felf) they become fparing and referved in their Commendations, they envy him the Satisfaction of an Applaufe, and look on their Praises rather as a Kindness done to his Perfon, than as a Tribute paid to his Merit. Others who are free from this natural Perverseness of Temper, grow weary in their Praises of one, who fets too great a Value on them, left they should raise him too high in his own imagination, and and by confequence remove him to a greater Distance from themselves. BUT further, this Defire of Fame naturally betrays the ambitious Man into fuch Indecencies as are a leffen, ing to his Reputation. He is ftill afraid left any of his Actions fhould be thrown away in private, left his Deferts fhould be concealed from the Notice of the World, or receive any Disadvantage from the Reports which others make of them. This often fets him on empty Boafts and Oftentations of himself, and betrays him into vain fantaftick Recitals of his own Performances: His Difcourfe generally leans one Way, and whatever is the Subject of it, tends obliquely either to the detracting from others, or the extolling of himself. Vanity is the natural Weakness of an ambitious Man, which exposes him to the secret Scorn and Derifion of those he converfes with, and ruins the Character he is fo induftrious to advance by it. For tho' his Actions are never fo glorious, they lofe their Luftre, when they are drawn at large, and fet to fhow by his own Hand; and as the World is more apt to find Fault than to commend, the Boast will probably be cenfured when the great Action that occafioned it is forgotten. BESIDES, this very Defire of Fame is looked on as a Meanness and Imperfection in the greatest Character. A folid and fubftantial Greatness of Soul looks down with a generous Neglect on the Cenfures and Applaufes of the Multitude, and places a Man beyond the little Noife and Strife of Tongues. Accordingly we find in our felves a fecret Awe and Veneration for the Character of one who moves above us in a regular and illuftrious Course of Virtue without, any Regard to our good or ill Opinions of him, to our Reproaches or Commendations. As on the contrary, it is ufual for us, when we would take off from the Fame and Reputation of an Action, to ascribe it to Vain-Glory, and a Defire of Fame in the Actor. Nor is this common Judgment andOpinion of Mankind ill founded; for certainly it denotes no great Bravery of Mind to be worked up to any noble Action by fo felfish a Motive, and to do that out of a Defire of Fame, which we could not be prompted to by a difinterested Love to Mankind, or by a generous Paffion for the Glory of him that made us. THUS THUS is Fame a Thing difficult to be obtained by all, but particularly by those who thirst after it, fince moft Men have fo much either of Ill-nature, or of Wariness, as not to gratify and footh the Vanity of the ambitious Man, and fince this very thirst after Fame naturally betrays him into fuch Indecencies as are a leffening to his Reputation, and is it felf looked upon as a Weakness in the greatest Characters. IN the next place, Fame is eafily loft, and as difficult to be preferved as it was at firft to be acquired. But this I shall make the Subject of a following Paper. No. 256. Monday, December 24. Φήμη γάρ τε κακὴ πέλεται κούφη μὲν ἀεῖραι TH Hef. "HERE are many Paffions and Tempers of Mind which naturally difpofe us to deprefs and vilify the Merit of one rifing in the Efteem of Mankind. All those who made their Entrance into the World with the fame Advantages, and were once looked on as his Equals, are apt to think the Fame of his Merits a Reflection on their own Indeserts; and will therefore take Care to reproach him with the Scandal of fome paft Action, or derogate from the Worth of the prefent, that they may ftill keep him on the fame Level with themselves. The like Kind of Confideration often stirs up the Envy of fuch as were once his Superiors, who think it a Detraction from their Merit to see another get Ground upon them and overtake them in the Pursuits of Glory; and will therefore endeavour to fink his Reputation, that they may better preserve their own. Those who were once his Equals envy and defame him, because they now see him their Superior; and those who were once his Superiors, because they look upon him as their Equal. the BUT further, a Man whose extraordinary Reputation thus lifts him up to the Notice and Observation of Mankind, draws a Multitude of Eyes upon him that will narrowly rowly infpect every Part of him, confider him nicely in all Views, and not be a little pleased when they have ta ken him in the worst and most difadvantagious Light. There are many who find a Pleasure in contradicting the common Reports of Fame, and in spreading abroad the Weakneffes of an exalted Character. They p''ifh their ill-natured Discoveries with a fecret Pride, and applaud themselves for the Singularity of their Judgment which has fearched deeper than others, detected what the rest of the World have over-looked, and found a Flaw in what the Generality of Mankind admires. Others there are who proclaim the Errors and Infirmities of a great Man with an inward Satisfaction and Complacency, if they difcover none of the like Errors and Infirmities in themselves; for while they are expofing another's Weakneffes, they are tacitly aiming at their own Commendations, who are not fubject to the like Infirmities, and are apt be tranfported with a secret kind of Vanity, to fee themfelves fuperior in fome Respect to one of a fublime and celebrated Reputation. Nay, it very often happens, that none are more industrious in publishing the Blemishes of an extraordinary Reputation, than fuch as lie open to the fame Cenfures in their own Characters; as either hoping to excuse their own Defects by the Authority of fo high an Example, or raifing an imaginary Applause to themselves for refembling a Person of an exalted Reputation, though in the blameable Parts of his Character. If all these fecret Springs of Detraction fail, yet very often a vain Oftentation of Wit fets a Man on attacking an established Name, and facrificing it to the Mirth and Laughter of thofe about him. A Satyr or Libel on one of the common Stamp, never meets with that Reception and Approbation among its Readers, as what is aimed at a Perfon whose Merit places him upon an Eminence, and gives him a more confpicuous Figure among Men. Whether it be that we think it fhews greater Art to expose and turn to Ridicule a Man whofe Character feems fo improper a Subject for it, or that we are pleased by fome implicit Kind of Revenge to see him taken down and humbled in his Reputation, and in fome Measure reduced to our own Rank, who had fo far raised himself above us in the Reports and Opinions of Mankind. THUS gentle Ufage? It is the common Vice of Children to run too much among the Servants; from fuch as are educated in these Places they would fee nothing but Lowliness in the Servant, which would not be difingenuous in the Child. All the ill Offices and defamatory Whispers, which take their Birth from Domesticks, would be prevented, if this Charity could be made univerfal; and a good Man might have a Knowledge of the whole Life of the Perfons he defigns to take into his House for his own/ Service, or that of his Family or Children, long before they were admitted. This would create endearing Dependencies; and the Obligation would have a paternal Air in the Mafter, who would be relieved from much Care and Anxiety from the Gratitude and Diligence of an humble Friend attending him as his Servant. I fall into this Difcourfe from a Letter fent to me, to give me Notice that fifty Boys would be cloathed and take their Seats (at the Charge of fome generous Benefactors) in St. Bride's Church on Sunday next. I wish I could promise to my felf any Thing which my Correfpondent feems to expect from a Publication of it in this Paper; for there can be nothing added to what fo many excellent and learned Men have faid on this Occafion: But that there may be fomething here which would move a generous Mind, like that of him who writ to me, I fhall tranfcribe an handsome Paragraph of Dr. Snape's Sermon on these Charities, which my Correfpondent enclosed with his Letter. THE wife Providence has amply compenfated the Dif advantages of the Poor and Indigent, in wanting many of the Conveniencies of this Life, by a more abundant Provifion for their Happiness in the next. Had they been higher born, or more richly endowed, they would have wanted this Manner of Education, of which those only enjoy the Benefit, who are low enough to fubmit to it; where they have fuch Advantages without Money, and without Price, as the Rich cannot purchase with it. The Learming which is given, is generally more edifying to them, than that which is fold to others: Thus do they become more exalted in Goodness, by being depressed in Fortune, and their Poverty is, in Reality, their Preferment. T Thursday |