fore if you have nothing to fay to the contrary, Alas, poor Tom! ⚫ I fhall take Will. T XXXXXXXX Your humble fervant, • BIDDY LOVELESS.' No 197. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16. Alter rixatur de lana fæpe caprina, et HOR. Ep. XVII. 1. 1. ver. 15. One ftrives for trifles, and for toys contends: < That I fhould not be trufted, right or wrong, • Or be debarr'd the freedom of my tongue, ⚫ And not bawl what I please: To part with this "I think another life too mean a price.' 4 The question is-Pray, what?—Why, which can boaft Or Docilis, or Cafter, knowing most ? EVE CREECH. VERY age a man paffes through, and way of life he engages in, has fome particular vice or imperfection naturally cleaving to it, which it will require his nicest care to avoid. The feveral weakneffes, to which youth, old age, and manhood are exposed, have long fince been fet down by many both of the poets and philofophers; but I do not remember to have met with any author who has treated of thofe ill habits men are fubject to, not fo much by reafon of their different ages and tempers, as as the particular profeffions or bufinefs in which they were educated and brought up. I am the more furprifed to find this fubject fo little touched on, fince what I am here fpeaking of is fo apparent, as not to efcape the most vulgar obfervation. The bufinefs men are chiefly converfant in, does not only give a certain caft or turn to their minds, but is very often apparent in their outward behaviour, and fome of the most indifferent actions of their lives. It is this air diffufing itfelf over the whole man, which helps us to find out a perfon at his firft appearance; fo that the moft careless obferver fancies he can fcarce be miftaken in the carriage of a feaman or the gate of a tailor. The liberal arts, though they may poflibly have lefs effect on our external mien and behaviour, make fo deep an impreffion on the mind, as is very apt to bend it wholly one way. The mathematician will take little less than demonstration in the most common discourse, and the schoolman is as great a friend to definitions and fyllogifms. The phyfician and divine are often heard to dictate in private companies with the fame authority which they exercise over their patients and difciples; while the lawyer is putting cafes and raifing matter for difputation out of every thing that occurs. I may poffibly fome time or other animadvert more at large on the particular fault each profeffion is most infected with; but fhall at prefent wholly apply myself to the cure of what I laft mentioned, namely that fpirit of ftrife and contenion in the converfations of Gentlemen of the long robe. This is the more ordinary, because these Gentlemen regarding argument as their own proper province, and very often making ready-money of it, think it unfafe to yield before company. They L 2 are are fhewing in common talk how zealously they could defend a caufe in court, and therefore frequently forget to keep that temper which is abfolutely requifite to render converfation pleasant and inÁructive. Captain SENTRY pushes this matter fo far, that I have heard him fay, He has known but few Pleaders that were tolerable company. The Captain, who is a man of good fense, but dry converfation, was laft night giving me an account of a difcourfe, in whith he had lately been engaged with a young wrangler in the law. I was giving my opinion, fays the Captain, without apprehending any debate that might arife from it, of à General's behaviour in a battle that was fought fome years before either the Templar or my felf were born. The young Lawyer immediately took me up, and by reafoning above a quarter of an hour upon a fubject which I faw he underftood nothing of, endeavoured to fhew me that my opinions were ill-grounded. Upon which, fays the Captain, to avoid any farther contefts, I told him, That truly I had not confidered those several arguments which he had brought against me, and that there might be a great deal in them. Ay, but, fays my antagonist, who would not let me efcape fo, there are feveral things to be urged in favour of your opinion which you have omitted; and thereupon begun to fhine on the other fide of the queftion. Upon this, fays the Captain, I came over to my first fentiments, and intirely acquiefced in his reafons for my fo doing. Upon which the Templar again recovered his former pofture, and confuted both himself and me a third time. In fhort, fays my friend, I found he was refolved to keep me at fword's length, and never let me clofe with him, fo that I had nothing left but to hold my tongue, and give my antagonist free leave to finile at his victory, victory, who I found, like Hudibras, could ftill change fides, and still confute. For my own part, I have ever regarded our inns of court as 'nurferies of ftatefmen and lawgivers, which makes me often frequent that part of the town with great pleasure. Upon my calling in lately at one of the most noted Temple coffee-houses, I found the whole room, which was full of young students, divided into feveral parties, each of which was deeply engaged in fome controverfy. The management of the late miniftry was attacked and defended with great vigour; and feveral preliminaries to the peace were propofed by fome, and rejected by others; the denolishing of Dunkirk was fo eagerly infifted on, and fo warmly controverted, as had like to have pro-duced a challenge. In fhort, I obferved that the defire of victory, whetted with the little prejudices of party and intereft, generally carried the argu ment to fuch a height, as made the difputants infenfibly conceive an averfion towards each other, and part with the highest diffatisfaction on both fides. The managing an argument handsomely being. fo nice a point, and what I have feen fo very few excel in, I fhall here fet down a few rules on that head, which, among other things, I gave in writing to a young kinfman of mine, who had made fo great a proficiency in the law, that he began to plead in company upon every fubject that was ftarted. Having the intire manufcript by me, I may, per-haps, from time to time, publifh fuch parts of it as I fhall think requifite for the inftruction of the British youth. What regards my prefent purpose is as follows: Avoid difputes as much as poffible. In order to appear eafy and well-bred in conversation, you may affure yourself that it requires more wit, as well as L3 more more good humour, to improve than to contradict the notions of another: But if you are at any time obliged to enter on an argument, give your reafons with the utmoft coolness and modefty, two things which scarce ever fail of making an impreffion on the hearers. Befides, if you are neither dogmatical, nor fhew, either by your actions or words, that you are full of yourfelf all will the more heartily rejoice at your victory. Nay, fhould you be pinched in your argument, you may make your retreat with a very good grace: You were never pofitive, and are now glad to be better informed. This has made fome approve the Socratical way of reasoning, where, while you fcarce affirm any thing, you can hardly be caught in an abfurdity, and thoughpoffibly you are endeavouring to bring over another to your opinion, which is firmly fixed, you feem only to defire information from him. In order to keep that temper which is fo difficult, and yet fo neceffary to preferve, you may please to confider, that nothing can be more unjust or ridiculous, than to be angry with another becaufe he is not of your opinion. The interests, education, and means by which men attain their knowledge, are fo very different, that it is impoffible they fhould all think alike; and he has at least as much reafon to be angry with you, as you with him. Sometimes to keep yourfelf cool, it may be of fervice to afk yourself fairly, What might have been your opinion, had you all the biafes of education and intereft your adverfary may poffibly have? But if you contend for the honour of victory alone, you may lay down this as an infallible maxim, That you cannot make a more false step, or give your antagonist a greater advantage over you, than by falling into a paffion. When an argument is over, how many weighty reafons does a man recollect, which his heat and violence made him utterly forget? |