his master thinks fit to employ him. When I faw him he held a candle in this obfequious posture. I was very well pleased with the cobler's invention, that had so ingeniously contrived an inferior, and stood a little while contemplating this inverted idolatry, wherein the image did homage to the man. When we meet with such a fantastic vanity in one of this order, it is no wonder if we may trace it through all degrees above it, and particularly through all the steps of greatness. We eafily fee the abfurdity of pride when it enters into the heart of a cobbler, though in reality it is altogether as ridiculous and unreasonable wherever it takes poffeffion of a human creature. There is no temptation to it from the reflection upon our being in general, or upon any comparative perfection, whereby one man may excel another. The greater a man's knowledge is, the greater motive he may seem to have for pride; but in the fame proportion as the one rifes the other finks, it being the chief office of wisdom to discover to us our weaknesses and imperfections.

As folly is the foundation of pride, the natural fuperftructure of it is madness. . . . It is an admirable reflection in Terence, where it is faid of a parafite, Hic homines ex ftultis facit infanos. "This fellow," fays he, "has an art of converting fools into madmen." When I was in France, the region of complaisance and vanity, I have often observed that a great man, who has entered a levee of flatterers, humble and temporate, has grown fo infenfibly heated, by the court which was paid him on all fides, that he has been quite distracted before he could get into his coach.

However, I reaped this benefit from it, that I refolved to guard myself against a paffion which makes fuch havoc in the brain, and produces so much disorder in the imagination. For this reafon, I have endeavoured to keep down the fecret fwellings of refentment, and stifle the very first suggestions of self-esteem, to establish my mind in tranquillity, and over-value nothing in my own, or in another's, poffeffion.

For the benefit of fuch whofe heads are a little turned, though not to fo great a degree as to qualify them for the place

of which I have been now speaking, I fhall affign one of the fides of the college which I am erecting for the cure of this dangerous diftemper.

The most remarkable of the perfons whofe disturbance arifes from pride, and whom I shall use all poffible diligence to cure, are fuch as are hidden in quite contrary habits and difpofitions. Among fuch I fhall, in the firft place, take care of one who is under the most subtle fpecies of pride that I have obferved in my whole experience.

This patient is a perfon for whom I have a great respect as being an old courtier, and a friend of mine in my youth. The man has but a bare fubfiftence, just enough to pay his reckoning with us at the Trumpet, but, by having spent the beginning of his life in the hearing of great men and perfons of power, he is always promifing to do good offices to introduce every man he converses with into the world; will defire one of ten times his fubftance to let him fee him fometimes, and hints to him that he does not forget him. He answers to matters of no confequence with great circumfpection, but, however, maintains a general civility in his words and actions, and an infolent benevolence to all whom he has to do with. This he practices with a grave tone and air; and though I am his fenior by twelve years, and richer by forty pounds per annum, he had yesterday the impudence to commend me to my face, and tell me," He fhould be always ready to encourage me."

The next perfon I fhall provide for, is of a quite contrary character, that has in him all the ftiffnefs and infolence of quality without a grain of sense or good nature to make it either refpected or beloved. His pride has infected every muscle of his face; and yet, after all his endeavours to fhew mankind that he contemns them, he is only neglected by all that fee him, as not of confequence enough to be hated.

For the cure of this particular fort of madness, it will be necessary to break through all forms with him, and familiarize his carriage by the ufe of a good cudgel. It may likewise be of great benefit to make him jump over a stick half a dozen times every morning.

A third, whom I have in my eye, is a young fellow whose

lunacy is fuch that he boasts of nothing but what he ought to be ashamed of...

There are feveral others whose brains are hurt with pride, and whom I may hereafter attempt to recover, but shall conclude my present lift with an old woman, who is just dropping into her grave, that talks of nothing but her birth. Though he has not a tooth in her head the expects to be valued for the blood in her veins, which the fancies is much better than that which glows in the cheeks of Belinda, and fets half the town on fire.

As it has been the endeavour of these our labours, to extirpate from among the polite or bufy part of mankind all fuch as are either prejudicial or infignificant to society, so it ought to be no lefs our study to fupply the havoc we have made by an exact care of the growing generation. But when we begin to inculcate proper precepts to the children of this ifland, except we could take them out of their nurse's arms, we fee an amendment is almost impracticable, for we find the whole fpecies of our youth, and grown men, is incorrigibly prepoffeffed with vanity, pride, or ambition, according to the refpective pursuits to which they turn themselves, by which means the world is infatuated with the love of appearances inftead of things. Thus the vain man takes praise for honour, the proud man ceremony for refpect, the ambitious man power for glory. These three characters are, indeed, of very near resemblance, but differently received by mankind. Vanity makes men ridiculous, pride odious, and ambition terrible. The foundation of all which is, that they are grounded upon falfehood; for, if men, instead of studying to appear confiderable, were in their own hearts poffeffors of the requifites for esteem, the acceptance they otherwife unfortunately aim at, would be as infeparable from them as approbation is from truth itself. By this means they would have fome rule to walk by, and they may ever be affured that a good cause of action will ever receive a suitable effect. It may be a useful hint in fuch cafes for a man to ask of himself whether he really is what he has a mind to be thought? If he is, he need not give himself much further anxiety. What will the world fay? is the

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common question in matters of difficulty, as if the terror lay wholly in the fense which others, and not we ourselves, shall have of our actions. From this one fource arife all the impostors in every art and profeffion, in all places, among all perfons, in conversation as well as in business. Hence, it is that a vain fellow takes twice as much pains to be ridiculous as would make him fincerely agreeable.

Can any one be better fashioned, better bred, or has any one more good nature than Damafippus ? But the whole scope of his looks and actions tends fo immediately to gain the good opinion of all he converses with, that he lofes it for that only reafon. As it is the nature of vanity to impose falfe fhows for truth, fo does it alfo turn real poffeffions into imaginary ones. Damafippus, by affuming to himself what he has not, robs himself of what he has.

There is nothing more necessary to establish reputation than to fufpend the enjoyment of it. He that cannot hear the fense of merit with filenfe, muft of neceffity destroy it; for fame being the general mistreff of mankind, whoever gives it to himself, infults all to whom he relates any circumstances to his own advantage. . . . But fome minds are fo incapable of any temperance in this particular, that on every second in their discourse, you may observe an earnestness in their eyes which shows they wait for your approbation, and perhaps the next instant cast an eye on a glass to see how they like themselves. Walking the other day in a neighbouring inn of court, I faw a more happy and graceful orator than I ever before had heard or read of. A youth of about nineteen years of age was in an Indian night-gown and laced cap, pleading a cause before a glass. The young fellow had a very good air, and feemed to hold his brief in his hand, rather to help his action than that he wanted notes for his further information. When I first began to obferve him I feared he would foon be alarmed, but he was fo zealous for his client, and fo favourably received by the court, that he went on with great fluency to inform the bench, that he humbly hoped they would not let the merit of the caufe fuffer by the youth and inexperience of the pleader, that in all things he fubmitted to their candour,