which refult from the right Exercise of them; one would think it almost impoffible, for Creatures fo endowed and fo bless'd, to mifapply fuch Faculties, and pervert fuch Opportunities, to the very oppofite Ufes; to make those Powers, which in their open and natural Tendency invite us into a School of Improvement, into an Affembly of Pleasure, into all poffible Offices of mutual Benevolence and Friendship, a Source of Debate and Discord, of Hatred and Variance, Strife and Envying.

How we are drawn into this Conduct, what are the Caufes of this perverse Behaviour, is an Inquiry of great Importance to us, and well worth our engaging in; the more particular and minute we are in tracing the Causes of this Malady, the better able shall we be to administer a proper Remedy. VOL. II.

Pride

Pride mix'd with Envy, has been ufually affign'd, as the principal Caufe of our delighting in leffening the Reputation, and blafting the good Name of others. And moft certain it is, that Pride and Envy have a real Intereft, and enjoy a great Satisfaction, in lowering those who are placed above them, and removing those who ftand in their Way, intercept their Views, and retard their Progrefs. Envy and Pride are Affections which cannot be concealed, and it is as open, that they are great Promoters of Scandal. In Confirmation of this, we may obferve, that our Malevolence is always keenest against those who are our Rivals or Competitors in any Particular; and that we are never forward to expose any Failing in others which we are conscious to our felves that others may obferve in us; in thefe Inftances, we rather put on the Ap

pearance

pearance of Good-nature, and vindicate thofe Follies, and that even in Men whom we hate, which we our felves are liable to; because this is an indirect Vindication of our felves. A very ingenious Writer, who compares human Life to a Race, and undertakes to describe all the Paffions of Mankind, from the Circumftances of a Race, fays, that Pride is an Endeavour to be foremost, and Envy a flopping one who has out run us. And it must be allowed, that a very common Artifice to effect this, is Scandal and Defamation. But we must not affign these as the only Caufes of this Conduct. For we find Men frequently vilifying those who are not above or Before them, from whom they are in no fort jealous of any Competition. In thefe Cafes therefore, Envy can no ways be concern'd, and fome other Cause must be inquired after.

And here we seem to be moved by a Defire of pleasing others, of entertaining the present Company agreeably, of making them and our felves appear confiderable; for whilst we are expofing any Weaknesses in others, which we our felves, and the Perfons we converse with, are exempt from, we are tacitly displaying our own, and their Eminence; and, with great Subtlety, model Scandal into a very pleasant Species of Flattery; which all fwallow greedily, tho' it is not particularly addrefs'd, or directly apply'd to any. And that this is really the Cafe, will be evident from this Observation, that whenever we make those beneath us the Subject of our Railery, we always fingle out the Want of those particular Accomplishments, for which we more especially value our felves. If we value our felves for our Understanding in any Particular, then the Ignorance and Blunders of

others

others in that very Particular; if for our Riches, then the Poverty of others; if for our Drefs, or Mein, or Stature, or any other Particular, then the Defects of others in that Particular, shall become our darling Subject of Scandal and Ridicule.

So that you fee, and may in all Instances experience, when our Malevolence is directed against those above us, by Pride and Envy; we attack them in those things in which they excel us: and when it is directed against those beneath us, we attack them in the Particulars in which we excel them.

But Scandal is too various to be limited to these two Kinds, or to proceed wholly from the Caufes before affign'd. In order therefore to see further into its Compofition, we may obferve, that all the Retailers of Scandal, of which one or more are to be found in every Place, who make it Q3 their