cannot fupply, and innumerable powers to which it cannot give employment, fhould be led to fuitable companions by particular influence; and, among many beings of the fame nature with himself, he may felect fome for intimacy and tenderness, and improve the condition of his existence, by fuperadding friendfhip to humanity, and the love of individuals to that of the fpecies. Other animals are fo formed, that they feem to contribute very little to the happiness of each other, and know neither joy, nor grief, nor love, nor hatred, but as they are urged by fome defire immediately subservient either to the support of their own lives, or to the continuation of their race; they therefore feldom appear to regard any of the minuter difcriminations which diftinguifh creatures of the fame kind from one another. But if man were to feel no incentives to kindness, more than his general tendency to congenial nature, Babylon or London, with all their multitudes, would have to him the defolation of a wilderness; his affections, not compreffed into a narrower compass, would vanish like elemental fire, in boundlefs evaporation; he would languifh in perpetual infenfibility; and though he might, perhaps, in the first vigour of youth, amufe himself with the fresh enjoyments of life, yet, when curiofity fhould cease, and alacrity fubfide, he would abandon himself to the fluctuations of chance, without expecting help against any calamity, or feeling any wifh for the happiness of others. To love all men is our duty, fo far as it includes a general habit of benevolence, and readiness of occafional N 2 cafional kindness; but to love all equally is impoffible; at least impoffible without the extinction of those paffions which now produce all our pains and all our pleasures; without the disuse, if not the abolition, of fome of our faculties, and the fuppreffion of all our hopes and fears in apathy and indifference. The neceffities of our condition require a thousand offices of tenderness, which mere regard for the fpecies will never dictate. Every man has frequent grievances which only the folicitude of friendship will discover and remedy, and which would remain for ever unheeded in the mighty heap of human calamity, were it only furveyed by the eye of general benevolence equally attentive to every misery. The great community of mankind is, therefore, neceffarily broken into smaller independent focieties; these form distinct interefts, which are too frequently opposed to each other, and which they who have entered into the league of particular governments falfely think it virtue to promote, however deftructive to the happiness of the reft of the world. Such unions are again feparated into fubordinate claffes and combinations, and focial life is perpetually branched out into minuter fubdivifions, till it termi. nates in the last ramifications of private friendship. That friendship may at once be fond and lasting, it has been already observed in these papers, that a conformity of inclinations is neceffary. No man can have much kindness for him by whom he does not believe himself esteemed, and nothing fo evidently proves esteem as imitation. That benevolence is always ftrongest which arifes from participation of the fame pleasures, fince we are naturally moft willing to revive in our minds the memory of perfons, with whom the idea of enjoy ment is connected. It is commonly, therefore, to little purpose, that any one endeavours to ingratiate himself with fuch as he cannot accompany in their amusements and diverfions. Men have been known to rife to favour and to fortune, only by being fkilful in the fports with which their patron happened to be delighted, by concurring with his tafte for fome particular fpecies of curiofities, by relishing the fame wine, or applauding the fame cookery. Even those whom wifdom or virtue have placed above regard to fuch petty recommendations, must nevertheless be gained by fimilitude of manners. The highest and noblest enjoyment of familiar life, the communication of knowledge and reciprocation of fentiments, muft always prefuppofe a difpofition to the fame inquiry, and delight in the fame discoveries. With what fatisfaction could the politician lay his schemes for the reformation of laws, or his comparifons of different forms of government, before the chemist, who has never accustomed his thoughts to any other object than falt and fulphur; or how could the astronomer, in explaining his calculations and conjectures, endure the coldness of a grammarian, who would lofe fight of Jupiter and all his fatellites, for a happy etymology of an obscure word, or a better explication of a controverted line. Every man loves merit of the fame kind with his own, when it is not likely to hinder his advancement or his reputation; for he not only best understands the worth of thofe qualities which he labours to cul, tivate, or the usefulness of the art which he practises with fuccefs, but always feels a reflected pleasure from the praises, which, though given to another, belong equally to himfelf. There is indeed no need of research and refine ment to discover that men must generally felect their companions from their own ftate of life, fince there are not many minds furnished for great variety of converfation, or adapted to multiplicity of intellec tual entertainments. The failor, the academick, the lawyer, the me chanick, and the courtier, have all a caft of talk peculiar to their own fraternity, have fixed their attention upon the fame events, have been engaged in affairs of the fame fort, and made ufe of allufions and illuftrations which themselves only can understand, To be infected with the jargon of a particular profeffion, and to know only the language of a fingle rank of mortals, is indeed fufficiently defpicable, But as limits must be always set to the excurfions of the human mind, there will be some study which every man more zealously profecutes, fome darling subject on which he is principally pleased to converfe; and he that can most inform or best understand him, will certainly be welcomed with particular regard. Such partiality is not wholly to be avoided, nor is it culpable, unlefs fuffered fo far to predominate as to produce averfion from every other kind of excellence, and to fhade the luftre of diffimilar virtues, Thofe, therefore, whom the lot of life has conjoined, fhould fhould endeavour conftantly to approach towards the inclination of each other, invigorate every motion of concurrent defire, and fan every fpark of kindred curiofity. It has been justly observed, that discord generally operates in little things; it is inflamed to its utmost vehemence by contrariety of taste, oftener than of principles; and might therefore commonly be avoided by innocent conformity, which, if it was not at first the motive, ought always to be the confequence, of indiffoluble union. NUMB. 100. SATURDAY, March 2, 1751. Omne vafer vitium ridenti Flaccus amico Horace, with fly infinuating grace, Laugh'd at his friend, and look'd him in the face; SIR, To the RAMBLER. PERSIUS. DRYPEN. AS very many well-difpofed perfons, by the una voidable neceffity of their affairs, are fo unfortunate as to be totally buried in the country, where they labour under the moft deplorable ignorance of what is tranfacting among the polite part of manN 4 kind, |