SELECTIONS. « PEACE be with the soul of that charitable author," says lord Shaftsbury, "who for the common benefit of his fellow authors introduced the ingen"ious way of miscellaneous writing !" Among early writers in this manner of composition the honest and ingenuous JEREMY COLLIER must be allowed to hold no mean rank. His works, we believe, are not so much read in this country, as they deserve; nor has any bookseller as far, as our knowledge extends, ever attempted to reprint them here. Should the following essays however, published by him in the year 1703, recommend his writings again to perusal, perhaps, like those of Ennius, when perused by the poet of Mantua, they may be found to contain a portion of "gold," that may yet ornament and enrich the work of some more favored modern. POPULA OF POPULARITY. OPULARITY is a courting the favor of the people by undue practices, or for unwarrantable ends. By the people I mean those, who are under the government of false reasoning, or vitious inclinations, let their condition be what it will. The popular man's designs are power, wealth, reputation, or all together. He, that is conscious how much his vanity exceeds his force, and that his merit will never carry up to his ambition, if he gets but a favorable juncture and a rising ground, to work he goes. He pretends a great concern for his country, and a more than ordinary insight into matters. Now such professions, as these, when they are set off with somewhat of gravity and figure, especially when they are recommended by a treat, are very proper to dispose an audience to hear reason. So that now he ventures to acquaint them with the secret of their privileges; that the people are the original of power; that government is always conveyed with an implication of trust and reservation; that governors are only the executors and administrators of the people's will; that in strict reasoning it is a nobler prerogative to give a Vol. II. No. I. I crown, than to wear it; that the pomp of princes is no thing, but the livery of the subjects' bounty; and that the greatness of the wages ought not to exempt them from the condition of a servant. This, with a little flourish about miscarriages and arbitrary designs, is strangely taking. He, that has such a burning zeal, and springs such mighty discoveries, must needs be an admirable patriot. What can a civil people do less, than resign themselves up to his conduct, and present him with their understandings? To come from the state to the church. He, that would be an agreeable ecclesiastic, must survey the posture of things, examine the balance of interest, and be well read in the inclinations and aversions of the generality; and then his business will be to follow the loudest cry, and make his tack with the wind. Let him never pretend to cure an epidemical distemper, nor fall out with a fashionable vice, nor question the infallible judgment of the multitude. Let him rather down with a sinking faction, charge a straggling party, and hang upon a broken rear. Let him declaim against a solitary error, and batter a public aversion, and press the people upon those extremes, to which of themselves they are too inclinable. And, when fears and jealousies become clamorous, when discontents run high, and all grows mutinous and mad; then especial care must be taken not to dilate upon the authorityof princes, or the duties of obedience. These are dangerous points, and have ruined many a good man, and are only to be handled, when there is least occasion. There are other nice though inferior cases, in which a man must guard, if he intends to keep fair with the world, and turn the penny. For the purpose, if he is in the city, he must avoid haranguing against circumvention in commerce, and unreasonable imposing upon the ignorance or necessity of the buyer. If you meddle with Diana of the Ephesians, you must expect to lose Demetrius' friendship. The dues will come in but heavily at this rate; but to be sure all the voluntary oblations in presents and respects are absolutely lost. We are a trading people, say some of us, and must have no interfering between business and religion. If the pulpits and the exchange will not agree, we must live, and there is an end of it. To proceed; if his cure lye among the lawyers, let there nothing be said against entangling property, spinning out of causes, squeezing of clients, and making the laws a greater grievance, than those, who break them. No rhetoric must be spent against defending a known injustice, against crossbiting a country evidence, and frighting him out of truth and his senses. It is granted, that touching sometimes upon these heads is the only way to improve the audience. Such plain dealing would either recover, or disarm them; reform the men, or expose the practice. But then you will say, this method goes too much to the quick. This divinity may bring the benchers upon the preacher, and make him fall under censure and discountenance. Now a person of discretion will take care not to embarrass his life, nor expose himself to calumny, nor let his conscience grow too strong for his interest upon any account. To speak generally, a popular man always swims down the stream; he never crosses upon the prevailing mistake, nor opposes any mischief, that has numbers and prescription on its side. His point is to steal upon the blind side, and apply to the affections; to flatter the vanity, and play upon the weakness of those in power or interest; and to make his fortune out of the folly of his neighbours. Not that it is a commendation to be of a morose and cynical behaviour; to run counter to the innocent humors and customs of mankind; to be coarse or unseasonable in admonition; or to avoid the good opinion of people by rustic incompliance, by peevishness, or singularity. But then neither ought a man to please another to his prejudice, to fortify him in an error by overofficiousness, and to caress him out of his safety and discretion. And after all the success is no such mighty matter. If one considers, he will find as little credit, as conscience in the purchase. For what sort of reputation must that be, which is gained by methods of infamy? To debauch men's understandings in order to procure their good word is a most admirable testimony of our worth. A blind man must needs be a fit judge of proportions and color. These patents of honor, which are granted thus by surprize, are always recalled, when the party is better advised. The esteem, gained this way, like a love potion, works more by the strength of charm, than nature; and, if ever the person recover, the hatred will be much greater, than the affection. The truth is, if there were no foul play used, or the artifice undiscovered, there would not be much to brag of; for an universal applause is seldom little less, than two thirds of a scandal. A man may almost swear he is in the wrong, when he is generally cried up. Either incapacity or prejudice, negligence or imposture, disorders the judgment of the multitude. Their understandings are often too weak, or their passions too strong to distinguish truth, or pronounce upon the right of the case. If a great man happen to make a false step, and strike out into a sudden irregularity, he needs not question the respect of a retinue. How is an exploit of this nature celebrated by the crowd, and shouted home with the pomp of a Roman triumph? In fine; to endeavor not to please is ill nature; altogether to neglect it folly; and to overstrain for it vanity and design. ON THE VALUE OF LIFE. To quarrel with the present state of mankind is an ungrateful reflection upon Providence. What if the offices of life are not so fine and great, as we can fancy; they are certainly much better, than we can challenge? What pretence could nothing have to insist upon articles? As long as the conveniences of being may, if we please, exceed the inconveniences, we ought to be thankful; for the overplus of advantage is pure, unmerited favor. He, that repines, be In cause he is not more, than a man, deserves to be less. On the other |