heart, as rather to encrease our friendship and concern for the perfon t.

The amours and attachments of HARRY the IVth of FRANCE, during the civil wars of the league, frequently hurt his intereft and his caufe; but all the young, at, leaft, and amorous, who can fympathize with the tender paffions, will allow, that this very weakness (for they will readily call it fuch) chiefly endears that hero, and interests them in his fortunes.

The exceffive bravery and resolute inflexibility of CHARLES the XIIth ruined his own country, and infefted all his neighbours; but have fuch fplendor and greatness in their appearance, as ftrikes us with admiration; and they might, in fome degree, be even approved of, if they betrayed not fometimes too evident fymptoms. of madness and diforder.

The ATHENIANS pretended to the first invention of agriculture and of laws; and always valued themselves extremely on the benefit thereby procured to the whole race of mankind. They alfo boafted, and with reason, of their warlike enterprizes; particularly against those innumerable fleets and armies of PERSIANS, which invaded GREECE during the reigns of DARIUS and XERXES. But though there be no comparifon, in point of utility, between thefe peaceful and military honours; yet we find, that the orators, who have writ such elaborate panegyrics on that famous city, have chiefly triumphed in difplaying the warlike atchievements. LySIAS, THUCYDIDES, PLATO, and ISOCRATES discover, all of them, the fame partiality; which, though con

+ Cheerfulness could scarce admit of blame from its excess, were it not that diffolute mirth, without a proper cause or subject, is a sure symptom and characteristic of folly, and on that account disgustful,

demned

demned by calm reason and reflection, appears fo natural, in the mind of man.

It is obfervable, that the great charm of poetry confifts in lively pictures of the sublime paffions, magnanimity, courage, difdain of fortune; or thofe of the tender affections, love and friendship; which warm the heart, and diffuse over it fimilar fentiments and emotions. And though all kinds of paffion, even the most disagreeable, fach as grief and anger, are obferved, when excited by poetry, to convey a fatisfaction, from a mechanism of nature, not easy to be explained: Yet those more elevated or fofter affections have a peculiar influence, and please from more than one caufe or principle. Not to mention, that they alone intereft us in the fortune of the perfons reprefented, or communicate any esteem and affection for their character.

And can it poffibly be doubted, that this talent itself of poets, to move the paffions, this PATHETIC and SUBLIME of fentiment, is a very confiderable merit; and being enhanced by its extreme rarity, may exalt the perfon poffeffed of it, above every character of the age in which he lives? The prudence, addrefs, fteadiness, and benign government of AUGUSTUS, adorned with all the fplendor of his noble birth and imperial crown, render him but an unequal competitor for fame with VIRGIL, who lays nothing into the opposite scale but the divine beauties of his poetical genius.

The very fenfibility to thefe beauties, or a DELICACY of tafte, is itself a beauty in any character; as conveying the pureft, the most durable, and most innocent of all enjoyments.

These are some inftances of the feveral fpecies of merit, that are valued for the immediate pleasure, which they communicate to the perfon poffeffed of them. No views

of utility or of future beneficial confequences enter into this fentiment of approbation; yet is it of a kind fimilar to that other fentiment, which arifes from views of a public or private utility. The fame focial fympathy, we may obferve, or fellow-feeling with human happiness or mifery, gives rife to both; and this analogy, in all the parts of the present theory, may juftly be regarded as a confirmation of it.

SECTION VIII.

OF QUALITIES IMMEDIATELY AGREEABLE to OTHERS.

S the mutual shocks, in fociety, and the oppofitions of interest and felf-love have conftrained mankind to establish the laws of justice; in order to preferve the advantages of common affiftance and protection: In like manner, the eternal contrarieties, in company, of men's pride and felf-conceit, have introduced the rules of GOOD-MANNERS or POLITENESS; in order to facilitate the intercourfe of minds, and an undisturbed commerce and conversation. Among well-bred people, a mutual deference is affected: Contempt of others difguifed: Authority concealed: Attention given to each in his turn: And an easy stream of conversation maintained, without vehemence, without mutual interruption, without eagerness for victory, and without any airs of fuperiority. These attentions and regards are immediately agreeable to others, abstracted from any confideration of utility or beneficial tendencies:

It is the nature, and, indeed, the definition of virtue, that it is a quality of the mind agreeable to or approved of by every one, who confiders or contemplates it. But fome qualities produce pleasure, because they are useful to fociety, or useful or agreeable to the perfon himself; others produce it more immediately: Which is the cafe with the clafs of virtues here confi dered.

They conciliate affection, promote esteem, and extremely enhance the merit of the perfon, who regulates his behaviour by them.

Many of the forms of breeding are arbitrary and cafual: But the thing expreffed by them is ftill the fame. A SPANIARD goes out of his own houfe before his gueft, to fignify that he leaves him master of all. In other countries, the landlord walks out laft, as a common mark of deference and regard,

But, in order to render a man perfect good company, he must have WIT and INGENUITY as well as goodmanners. What wit is, it may not be eafy to define; but it is eafy furely to determine, that it is a quality immediately agreeable to others, and communicating, on its firft appearance, a lively joy and fatisfaction to every one who has any comprehenfion of it. The moft profound metaphyfics, indeed, might be employed, in explaining the various kinds and fpecies of wit; and many claffes of it, which are now received on the fole teftimony of taste and sentiment, might, perhaps, be refolved into more general principles. But this is fufficient for our prefent purpose, that it does affect tafte and fentiment, and bestowing an immediate enjoyment, is a fure fource of approbation and affection.

In countries, where men pass moft of their time in converfation, and vifits, and affemblies, thefe companionable qualities, so to speak, are of high eftimation, and form a chief part of perfonal merit. In countries, where men live a more domeftic life, and either are employed in bufinef, or amufe themselves in a narrower circle of acquaintance, the more folid qualities are chiefly regarded. Thus, I have often obferved, that, among the FRENCH, the first questions, with regard to a stranger, are, Is he polite? Has he wit? In our own country, the chief

praise