cannot rife to any great degree, but by the concurrence of blandifhment, or the fufferance of tameness. The wretch who would fhrink and crouch before one who fhould dart his eyes upon him with the fpirit of natural equality, becomes capricious and tyrannical when he fees himself approached with a downcaft look, and hears the soft addresses of awe and fervility. To thofe who are willing to purchase favor by cringes and compliance, is to be imputed the haughtiness that leaves nothing to be hoped by firmnefs and integrity.-Rambler. FORTITUDE. IN ftruggling with misfortunes LET' fortune empty her whole quiver on me. WITH fuch unfhaken temper of the foul And lofes all her firmnefs.-Rowe. THO' plung'd in ills, and exercis'd in care, When prefs'd by dangers, and befet with foes, FORTUNE. FORTUNE fometimes affumes a rugged brow, Pretend to rule, and spoil the world's affairs. I'll fling her back all her vain gewgaw things; The man that meddles with cold iron ? Than, in events of war, Dame Fortune.--Hudibras. EXAMPLES need not be fought at any great diftance, to prove that fuperiority of fortune has a natural tendency to kindle pride, and that pride feldom fails to exert itself in contempt and infult. This is often the effect of hereditary wealth, and of honors only enjoyed by the merit of others.-Johnfon. FROM faction and violence in the caufe of liberty, which disgrace the cause itself, and give advantage to the favorers of arbitrary power, I most anxiously diffuade all who love mankind and their country. Faction and violence are defpotic in the extreme. They bring all the evils of tyranny, without any confolation, but that they are ufually tranfient; whereas tyranny is durable. They deftroy themfelves, or are deftroyed by force in the hands of a fuperior power. In cither cafe, much is loft to the cause of liberty; becaufe the perfons who have been betrayed by their pallions into exceffes, were probably fincere; and if they had been alfo difcreet and moderate, would have been effectual as well as zealous promoters of the public good. It is certain, that very honest men are very apt to be betrayed into violence by their warmth of temper. They mean good, and do ill. They become the inftruments of difpaffionate knaves; and are often led into extravagances by the very party against whom they act, in order that they may be expofed, and become obnoxious to ceníure. Wisdom is gentle, deliberate, cautious. Nothing violent is durable. I hope the lovers of liberty will fhew the fincerity of their attachment by the wifdom of their conduct. Tumultuary proceedings always exhibit fome appearance of infanity. A blow ftruck with blind violence may inflict a wound or a bruise, but it may fall in the wrong place; it may even injure the hand that gives it, by its own ill-directed force.-Spirit of Defpotifm. FRIEND. AS fire and water are of common ufes, Affistance find-Who'd be without a friend?-Wandesford. A franger to the facred laws of friendship, Whom generous fentiments could never warm. To the full tempeft's rage expos'd together, Outbrave the billows, and deride their tumult.-Frow de. FRIENDSHIP. FRIENDSHIP's dear ties for gen'rous fouls were made, Our guardian angel's but a faithful friend.-Savage. Το open For life's fure medicine is a faithful friend.-Tracy. Piety, valour, and paternal love Form the arifing pile: the other virtues Candour, beneficence, and moral trust, Are fuperftructures, and adorn the dome.-Havard. A TREACHEROUS friend is the most dangerous enemy; and both religion and virtue have received more real difcredit from hypocrites, than the wittieft profligates or infidels could ever caft upon them. Nay, farther, as these two in their purity, are rightly called the bands of civil fociety, and are indeed the greatest of bleffings; fo, when poisoned and corrupted with fraud, pretence, and affectation, they have become the worst of civil curfes, and have enabled men to perpetrate the most cruel mischiefs to their own species.— Fielding. THE firmness and conftancy of a true friend is a circumftance fo extremely delightful to perfons in any kind of diftrefs, that the diftrefs itself, fif it be only temporary, and admit of relief) is more than compenfated, by bringing this comfort with it. Idem. SO many qualities are neceffary to the poffibility of friendfhip, and fo many accidents must concur to its rife and its continuance, that the greateft part of mankind content themfelves without it, and fupply its place as they can with interest and dependence.-Rambler. MANY have talked in very exalted language of the perpetuity of friendship; of invincible conftancy and unalienable kindness and fome examples have been feen of men who have continued faithful to their earlieft choice, and whofe affections have predominated over changes of fortune and contrariety of opinion. But thefe inftances are memorable, because they are rare. The friendship which is to be practised or expected by common mortals, muft take its rife from mutual pleafure, and mut end when the power ceafes of delighting each other.-Idler. THE most fatal difeafe of friendship is gradual decay, or diflike, hourly increafed by caufes too flender for complaint, and too numerous for removal. Thofe who are angry may be reconciled: those who have been injured may receive a recompenfe; but when the defire of pleafing, and willingness to be pleafed, is filently diminished, the renovation of friendfhip is hopeless; as when the vital powers fink into languor, there is no longer any ufe of the phyfician.- Idem. THERE are few fubjects which have been more written upon, and less understood, than that of friendship. To follow the dictates of fome, this virtue, inftead of being the affuager of pain, becomes the fource of every inconvenience. Such fpeculatifts, by expecting too much from friendship, diffolve the connexion, and, by drawing the bands too closely, at length break them. Almost all our romance and novel-writers are of this kind; they perfuade us to friendships, which we find impoffible to fuftain to the laft: fo that this fweetner of life, under proper regulations, is by their means, rendered inacceffible or uneafy. It is certain, the best method to cultivate this virtue is by letting it, in fome measure, make itself a fimilitude of minds or studies, and even fometimes a diverfity of purfuits, will produce all the pleasures that arise from it. The current of tenderness widens,, as it proceeds; and two men imperceptibly find their hearts warm with goodnature for each other, when they were at firft only in pursuit of mirth or relaxation. Friendship is like a debt of honour; the moment it is talked of, it lofes its real name, and affumes the more ungrateful form of obligation. From hence we find, that thofe who regularly undertake to cultivate friendship, find ingratitude generally repays their endeavours. That circle of beings, which dependence gathers round us, is almoft ever unfriendly; they fecretly wish the terms of their connexions more nearly equal; and, where they even have the most virtue, are prepared to referve all their affections for their patron, only in the hour of his |