may bear this ill sense, his actions may tend to that bad purpose; we may therefore suspect his meaning, and cannot yield him a full approbation.

3. He is wont to misname the qualities of persons or things, assigning bad appellations or epithets to good or indifferent qualities: the names of virtue and vice do so nearly border in signification, that it is easy to transfer them from one to another, and to give the best quality a bad name. Thus by calling a sober man sour, a cheerful man vain, a conscientious man morose, a devout man superstitious, a free man prodigal, a frugal man sordid, an open man simple, a reserved man crafty, one that standeth on his honor and honesty proud, a kind man ambitiously popular, a modest man sullen, timorous, or stupid, is a very easy way to detract, and no man thereby can scape being disparaged.

4. He doth imperfectly characterise persons, so as studiously to veil or faintly to disclose their virtues and good qualities, but carefully to expose, and fully to aggravate or amplify any defects or failings in them. The detractor will pretend to give a character of his neighbor, but in so doing he stifleth what may commend him, and blazoneth what may disgrace him; like an envious painter he hideth, or in dusky colors shadoweth, all the graceful parts and goodly features, but setteth out all blemishes in the briskest light and most open view. Every face hath in it some mole, spot, or wrinkle; there is no man that hath not, as they speak, some blind place, some blemishes in his nature or temper, some faults contracted by education or custom, somewhat amiss proceeding from ignorance, or misapprehension of things: these (although they be in themselves small and inconsiderable, although they are some of them involuntary, and thence inculpable, although they be much corrected or restrained by virtuous discipline, although they are compensated by greater virtues, yet these) the detractor snatcheth, mouldeth, and out of them frameth an idea of his neighbor, apt to breed hatred or contempt of him in an unwary spectator; whereas were charity, were equity, were humanity to draw the person, it, representing his qualities with just advantage, would render him lovely and venerable.

5. He is wont not to commend or allow any thing absolutely

and clearly, but always interposing some exception, to which he would have it seem liable: the man indeed, saith he, doth seem to have this or that laudable quality; the action hath a fair appearance, but then if he can, he blurteth out some spiteful objection; if he can find nothing colorable to say against it, yet he will seem to know and to suppress somewhat; but, saith he, I know what I know, I know more than I'll say ;so (adding perhaps a crafty nod or shrug, a malicious sneer or smile) he thinks to blast the fairest performance.

6. He is ready to suggest ill causes and principles, latent in the heart, of practices apparently good; ascribing what is well done to bad disposition, or bad purpose: so to say of a liberal man, that he is so from an ambitious temper, or out of a vainglorious design; of a religious man, that his constant exercises of devotion proceed not from a conscientious love and fear of God, or out of intention to please God and work out his salvation; but from hypocrisy, from affectation to gain the favor and good opinion of men, from design to promote worldly interests; this is the way of detraction. He doeth well, saith the detractor, it cannot be denied; but for what reason doeth he so? Is it not plainly his interest to do so? Doth he not mean to get applause or preferment thereby? Doth Job serve God for nought? So said the father of detracting spirits.

7. He derogateth from good actions by pretending to correct them, or to show better that might have been done in their room it is, saith he, done in some respect well, or tolerably; but it might have been done better, with as small trouble and cost he was overseen in choosing this way, or proceeding in this manner. Thus did Judas blame the good woman, who anointed our Lord's feet; 'Why,' said he, 'was not this oint. ment sold, and given to the poor?' So did his covetous baseness prompt him to detract from that performance, of which our Saviour's goodness did pronounce, that it was a good work,' which should perpetually through the whole world' pass for memorable.

8. A detractor not regarding the general course and constant tenor of a man's conversation, which is conspicuously and clearly good, will attack some part of it, the goodness whereof

is less discernible, or more subject to contest and blame; as if in a body admirably handsome, one overlooking that curious harmony, that delicate complexion, those fine lineaments and goodly features, which, running through the whole, do conspire to render it a lovely spectacle, should pitch on an eye or a nose to carp at; or as if in a town, otherwhere begirt with impreg nable defences, one should search for the weakest place, to form a battery against it.

9. In fine the detractor injecteth suggestions of every thing anywise plausible or possible, that can serve to diminish the worth of a person, or value of an action, which he would discountenance; he pryeth into every nook, he bolteth every circumstance, he improveth every pretence, he allegeth any report or rumor, he useth all the tricks imaginable to that end. Such is the nature and way of detraction; in enlarging on which I am the more sparing, because the arts and methods of detraction being in great part common with those of slander and censure, I have otherwhile in treating on those offences more fully declared them.

Now for dissuading from its practice, I shall propound to your consideration the causes whence it proceedeth, the irregularities and pravities which it involveth, the effects which it produceth; the which will appear so base and ugly, that whoever shall consider them cannot, I suppose, but loathe the daughter of such parents, the subject of such qualities, and the mother of such children.

I. The causes of detraction are,

1. Ill nature, and bad humor: as good nature and ingenuous disposition incline men to observe, like, and commend what appeareth best in our neighbor; so malignity of temper and heart prompteth to espy and catch at the worst: one, as a bee, gathereth honey out of any herb; the other, as a spider, sucketh poison out of the sweetest flower.

2. Pride, ambition, and inordinate self-love: the detractor would engross praise, and derive all glory to himself; he would be the chief, the only excellent person; therefore he would justle another's worth out of the way, that it may not endanger standing in competition with his, or lessening it by a partner

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ship; that it may not outshine his reputation, or dim it by the lustre thereof.

3. Envy a detractor liketh not to see another thrive and florish in the good esteem of men, therefore he would gladly blast his worth and virtue; his eye is evil and sore, therefore would he quench, or cloud the light that dazzleth it.

4. Malicious revenge and spite: his neighbor's good practice condemneth his bad life; his neighbor's worth disparageth his unworthiness; this he conceiveth highly prejudicial to him; hence in revenge he will labor to vilify the worth and good works of his neighbor.

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5. Sense of weakness, want of courage, or despondency of his own ability he that in any kind deemeth himself able, or confideth in his own strength and industry, will allow to others the commendation beseeming their ability; for he thinking himself in capacity to deserve the same, and as he would not lose the fruits of his own deserts, so he taketh it for equitable that another should enjoy them; to deprive another of them he seeth were in consequence to prejudice his own capacity and hope but he that feeleth himself destitute of worth, and despaireth to arrive to the credit of others, is thence tempted to disparage and defame such persons: this course he taketh as the best allay of his contemptibleness, the only solace for his defects that he can hope for; being he cannot arise to another's pitch, he would bring down that other to his; he cannot directly get any praise, therefore he would indirectly find excuse, by shrouding his unworthiness under the blame of others. Hence detraction is a sign of the weakest and basest spirit; it is an impotent and grovelling serpent, that lurketh in the hedge, waiting opportunity to bite the heel of any nobler creature that passeth by.

6. Evil conscience: a man that is conscious to himself of a solid worth and virtue, of having honest intentions, of having performed good deeds, is satisfied with the fruits of inward comfort and outward approbation, which they do yield; he therefore will scorn to seek the bettering himself by the discredit of others; he will not by so mean a practice adulterate that worth in which he feeleth sufficient complacence; he rather

doth like that others should enjoy their due commendation, as justifying his own claim thereto; he willingly payeth it, because he may justly demand it; and because withholding it from another may prejudice his own right thereto but he that is sensible of no good qualities in himself, that is conscious of no worthy actions that he hath done, to breed a satisfaction of mind, or build a reputation on, would please himself in making others as little better than himself as he can, would ground a kind of credit on the ruins and rubbish of another's fame. When he knoweth he cannot shine by his own light, he would seem less obscure by eclipsing the brightness of others, and shutting out the day from about him; conceiving that all things look alike in the dark, and that bad appeareth not bad where no good is near.

As also a good man liketh worth and virtue, because they resemble what he discerneth in himself; so evil men hate them, because they do not find themselves masters of them; they are like the fox, who said the grapes were sour, because he could not reach them; and that the hare was dry meat, because he could not catch her. A detractor therefore is always a bad man, and wanteth those good qualities which he would disparage.

7. Bad, selfish design: detraction is a common engine, whereby naughty men strive to compass their ends; when by fair means, by their own wit, industry, courage, worthy behavior, they cannot promote their interests, they cannot drive on their ambitious or covetous projects, they cannot attain that preferment or that gain which they affect, then they betake themselves to this crooked and foul way of supplanting, by detracting those whom they conceit to stand in the way of their designs. It was the first piece of wicked policy that ever was practised in the world; the Devil, by detracting from the goodness and veracity of God, (misrepresenting his intentions, and misconstruing his commands,) strove to achieve his mischievous design of seducing our forefathers; and in his footsteps his serpentine progeny (the race of malicious, envious, ambitious, covetous, and crafty politicians) do tread. It is observed to be a fault that usually haunteth courts, wherein there is competition for the favor of a prince, and the conse