his good Senfe hindered him from being tainted with those Party Prejudices which had bewitched his Friends. He took not up Arms for Cafar; nor did he abandon Italy, when Pompey withdrew with his Forces, and had, in outward Form, the Sanction of the Commonwealth. He faw too plainly the Ambition of both; yet he preferved his Complacence for his Friends in each Party, without fiding with either. Succefs never made them more welcome to Pomponius, nor could any Defeat leffen them in his-Esteem. When victorious he vifited them, without fharing in their Power; and when vanquished he received them, without confidering any thing but their Distress. In a few Words, he entertained no Hopes from the good Fortune of his Friends, nor fuffered the Reverse of it to chill. his Breaft with Fear. His Equanimity produced a juft Effect, and his univerfal Kindness made "him univerfally beloved.

I fancy this Picture of a Difpofition, perfectly free from political Sournefs, will have an agreeable Effect on many of my Readers; and prevent their falling into a common Mistake, that the Circumstances of public Affairs, and the Characters of public Perfons, are the propereft Topics for general Conversation: Whereas they never confider, that it is hard to find a Company, wherein fomebody or other hath not either Liking or Diftaste, or has received Injuries or Obligations from those who are likelieft to be mentioned upon fuch Occafions; and who, confequently, will be apt to put a ferious Construction on a flight Expreffion, and remember afterwards in earnest, what the Speaker

Speaker meant fo much a Jeft, as never to have thought of it more. Thefe, perhaps, may pafs with fome for trivial Remarks; but with those who regard their own Eafe, and have at all obs ferved what conduces to make Men difagreeable to one another, I flatter myself they will have more Weight.

Behaviour is like Architecture; the Symmetry of the whole pleafes us fo much, that we examine not into its Parts; which, if we did, we fhould find much Nicety required in forming fuch a Structure; though, to Perfons of no Tafte, the Rules of either Art would feem to have little Connexion with their Effects.

That true Politeness we can only call,

Which looks like Jones's Fabric at Whitehall [a];
Where juft Proportion we with Pleasure fee;
Though built by Rule, yet from all Stiffness freez
Though grand, yet plain; magnificent, not fine s
The Ornaments adorning the Defign.
It fills our Minds with rational Delight,
And pleafes on Reflexion, as at Sight.

After these Admonitions as to Religion and Politics, it is very fit we obferve another Topic of modern Difcourfe, of which it is hard to fay, whether it be more common, or more contrary to true Politenefs. What I mean, is, the reflecting on Men's Profeffions, and playing on those general Afperfions, which have been fixed on them by a Sort of Ill-nature hereditary to the World. And with this, as the third Point, which

[] Banqueting-house.

I promised to confider, shall be shut up the more ferious Part of this Essay.

In order to have a proper Idea of this Point, we muft, first of all, confider, that the chief Caufe both of Love and Hatred, is Cuftom. When Men, from a long Habit, have acquired a Facility of thinking clearly, and speaking well in any Science, they naturally think that better than any other; and this Liking, in a short Time, grows up to a warmer Affection; which renders them impatient whenever their darling Science is decried in their Hearing. A polite Man will have care of ridiculing Phyfic before one of the Faculty, talking disrespe&fully of Lawyers while Gentlemen of the Long-robe are by,or speaking contemptibly of the Clergy when with any of that Order.

Some Critics may poffibly object, That these are Solecisms of too grofs a Nature for Men of tolerable Senfe or Education to be guilty of. But I appeal to those who are most converfant in the World, whether this Fault, glaring as it is, be not committed every Day.

The strictest Intimacy can never warrant Freedoms of this Sort: and it is, indeed, prepofterous to think it should; unless we can suppose Injuries are lefs Evils when they are done us by Friends, than when they come from other hands.

Excess of Wit may oftentimes beguile:
Jefts are not always pardon'd-by a Smile.
Men may difguife their Malice at the Heart,

And feem at Eafe---tho' pain'd with inward Smart.

VOL.

I.

L

Mistaken,

Miftaken, we
we-

think all fuch Wounds, of course,

Reflexion cures.
– Alas! it makes them worse.
Like Scratches they, with double Anguish, feize,
Rankle in Time, and fefter by Degrees.,

Let us now proceed to speak of Raillery in general. Invective is a Weapon worn as commonly as a Sword, and, like that, is often in the Hands of those who know not how to use it. Men of true Courage fight but seldom, and never draw but in their own Defence. Bullies are continually fquabbling; and, from the Ferocity of their Behaviour, become the Terror of fome Companies, and the Jeft of more. This is juft the cafe with fuch as have a Livelinefs of Thought, directed by a Propensity to Ill-nature: Indulging themfelves at the Expence of others, they, by Degrees, incur the Dislike of all. Meek Tempers abhor; Men of cool Difpofitions defpife; and thofe addicted to Choler chaftife them. Thus a Licentioufnefs of Fongue, like a Spirit of Rapine, fets one Man against all; and the Defence of Reputation, as -well as Property, puts the human Species on regarding a malevolent Babler with a worfe Eye ethan a common Thief; because Fame is a Kind of Goods, which, when once taken away, can hardly be restored. Such is the Effigies of this human Serpent. And who, when he has confidered it, would be thought to have fat for the Piece?

,

It is a thousand to one my Book feels the Refentment of Draco, from his feeing his own Likenefs in this Glafs.

A

A good Family, but no Fortune, threw Drace into the Army when he was very young. Dancing, Fencing, and a fmattering of French, are all the Education either his Friends bestowed, or his Ca pacity would allow him to receive. He has been now two Years in Town, and from fwearing, drinking, and debauching Country Wenches, (the general Rout of a military Rake) the Air of St. James's has given his Vices a new Turn. By Dint of an embroidered Coat, he thrufts himself into the Beau Coffee-houfes, where a dauntless Effrontery, and a natural Volubility of Tongue, confpire to make him pafs for a Fellow of Wit and Spirit.

A baftard Ambition makes him envy every great Character; and as he has just Senfe enough to know that his Qualifications will never recom_ mend him to the Efteem of Men of Senfe, or the Favour of Women of Virtue, he has thence contracted an Antipathy to both; and by giving a boundless Loofe to univerfal Malice, makes continual War against Honour and Reputation, whereever he finds them.

Hecatilla is a female Firebrand, more dangerous, and more artfully vindictive than Draco himfelf. Birth, Wit, and Fortune, combine to render her confpicuous; while a fplenetic Envy fours her, otherwife amiable, Qualities; and makes her dreaded as a Poifon doubly dangerous, grateful to the Tafte, yet mortal in Effect. All who fee Hecatilla at a Vifit, where the Brilliancy of her Wit heightens the Luftre of her Charms, are imperceptibly deluded into a Con

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currence