feffion of money is juftly forfeited by its lofs. She that has once demanded a fettlement has allowed the importance of fortune; and when the cannot fhew pecuniary merit, why fhould fhe think her cheapener obliged to purchase?

My lovers were not all contented with filent defertion. Some of them revenged the neglect which they had formerly endured by wanton and fuperfluous infults, and endeavoured to mortify me, by paying, in my prefence, thofe civilities to other ladies, which were once devoted only to me. But, as it had been my rule to treat men according to the rank of their intellect, I had never fuffered any one to wafte his life in fufpenfe, who could have employed it to better purpose, and had therefore no enemies but coxcombs, whofe refentment and refpect were equally below my confideration.

The only pain which I have felt from degradation, is the lofs of that influence which I had always exerted on the fide of virtue, in the defence of innocence, and the affertion of truth. I now find my opinions flighted, my fentiments criticifed, and my arguments opposed by those that used to liften to me without reply, and struggle to be first in expreffing their conviction.

The female difputants have wholly thrown off my authority; and if I endeavour to enforce my reasons by an appeal to the scholars that happen to be prefent, the wretches are certain to pay their court by facrificing me and my fyftem to a finer gown; and I am every hour infulted with contradiction by cowards, who could never find till lately that Melissa was liable

to error.

There

There are two perfons only whom I cannot charge with having changed their conduct with my change of fortune. One is an old curate that has paffed his life in the duties of his profeffion, with great reputation for his knowledge and piety; the other is a lieutenant of dragoons. The parfon made no difficulty in the height of my elevation to check me when I was pert, and inftruct me when I blundered; and if there is any alteration, he is now more timorous left his freedom fhould be thought rudeness. The foldier never paid me any particular addreffes, but very rigidly obferved all the rules of politenefs, which he is now fo far from relaxing, that whenever he ferves the tea, he obftinately carries me the first dish, in defiance of the frowns and whispers of the table.

This, Mr. RAMBLER, is to fee the world. It is impoffible for those that have only known affluence and profperity, to judge rightly of themselves or others. The rich and the powerful live in a perpetual masquerade, in which all about them wear borrowed characters; and we only discover in what estimation we are held, when we can no longer give hopes or fears.

I am, &c.

MELISSA.

NUMB. 76. SATURDAY, December 8, 1750.

IT

Silvis ubi paffim

Palantes error certo de tramite pellit,

Ille finiftrorfum, hic dextrorfum abit, unus utrique

Error, fed variis illudit partibus.

While mazy error draws mankind astray

HOR.

From truth's fure path, each takes his devious way;

One to the right, one to the left recedes,

Alike deluded, as each fancy leads.

ELPHINSTON.

T is easy for every man, whatever be his character with others, to find reafons for efteeming himself, and therefore cenfure, contempt, or conviction of crimes, feldom deprive him of his own favour. Thofe, indeed, who can fee only external facts, may look upon him with abhorrence; but when he calls himself to his own tribunal he finds every fault, if not abfolutely effaced, yet fo much palliated by the goodness of his intention, and the cogency of the motive, that very little guilt or turpitude remains; and when he takes a furvey of the whole complication of his character, he discovers fo many latent excellencies, fo many virtues that want but an opportunity to exert themselves in act, and fo many kind wifhes for univerfal happinefs, that he looks on himfelf as fuffering unjustly under the infamy of fingle failings, while the general temper of his mind is unknown or unregarded.

It is natural to mean well, when only abstracted ideas of virtue are propofed to the mind, and no particular paffion turns us afide from rectitude; and fo

willing

willing is every man to flatter himself, that the difference between approving laws, and obeying them, is frequently forgotten; he that acknowledges the obligations of morality, and pleases his vanity with enforcing them to others, concludes himself zealous in the cause of virtue, though he has no longer any regard to her precepts, than they conform to his own. defires; and counts himself among her warmest lovers, because he praises her beauty, though every rival steals away his heart.

There are, however, great numbers who have little recourse to the refinements of fpeculation, but who yet live at peace with themselves, by means which require lefs understanding, or lefs attention. When their hearts are burthened with the confcioufnefs of a crime, instead of feeking for fome remedy within themselves, they look round upon the reft of mankind, to find others tainted with the fame guilt: they please themselves with obferving, that they have numbers on their fide; and that, though they are hunted out from the fociety of good men, they are not likely to be condemned to folitude.

It may be observed, perhaps without exception, that none are fo induftrious to detect wickedness, or fo ready to impute it, as they whose crimes are apparent and confeffed. They envy an unblemished reputation, and what they envy they are bufy to deftroy; they are unwilling to fuppofe themselves meaner and more corrupt than others, and therefore willingly pull down from their elevations those with whom they cannot rife to an equality. No man yet was ever wicked without fecret discontent, and according to the different degrees of remaining virtue,

or unextinguifhed reason, he either endeavours to reform himself,, or corrupt others; either to regain the ftation which he has quitted, or prevail on others to imitate his defection.

It has always been confidered as an alleviation of misery not to fuffer alone, even when union and fociety can contribute nothing to refiftance or escape; fome comfort of the fame kind feems to incite wickedness to seek affociates, though indeed another reafon may be given, for as guilt is propagated the power of reproach is diminished, and among numbers equally deteftable every individual may be sheltered from fhame, though not from confcience.

Another lenitive by which the throbs of the breast are affuaged, is, the contemplation, not of the fame, but of different crimes. He that cannot justify himself by his resemblance to others, is ready to try fome other expedient, and to inquire what will rife to his advantage from oppofition and diffimilitude. He eafily finds fome faults in every human being, which he weighs against his own, and eafily makes them preponderate while he keeps the balance in his own. hand, and throws in or takes out at his pleasure circumstances that make them heavier or lighter. He then triumphs in his comparative purity, and fets himself at eafe, not because he can refute the charges advanced against him, but because he can cenfure his accufers with equal justice, and no longer fears the arrows of reproach, when he has stored his magazine of malice with weapons equally fharp and equally envenomed.

This practice, though never juft, is yet fpecious and artful, when the cenfure is directed against deVOL. V. viations

D