and to fill his mind not only with fecret comfort and refreshment, but fometimes with rapture and tranfport. He triumphs in his agonies, whilft the foul fprings forward with delight to the great object which he has always had in view, and leaves the body with an expectation of being re-united to her in a glorious and joyful refurrection.

I fhall conclude this Effay with those emphatical expreffions of a lively hope, which the Pfalmift made ufe of in the midft of those dangers and adverfities which furrounded him; for the following paffage had its present and perfonal, as well as its future and prophetic fenfe. I have fet the Lord always before me: Because he is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth : my flesh alfo fhall reft in hope. For thou wilt not leave my foul in bell, neither wilt thou fuffer thine holy one to fee corruption. Thou wilt fhew me the path of life: in thy prefence is fulness of joy, at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

C

ᎢᏳ

Τι μλὺ γὰρ γένῷ ἐσμέν

SIR,

To the SPECTATOR.

T has been ufual to remind perfons of rank, on great occafions in life, of their race and quality, and to what expectations they were born; that by 'confidering what is worthy of them, they may be withdrawn from mean purfuits, and encouraged to laudable undertakings. This is turning Nobility into a principle of virtue, and making it productive of merit, as it is under'ftood to have been originally a reward • of it.

·

It is for the like reafon, I imagine, that you have in fome of your fpecula tions afferted to your readers the Dignity of Human Nature. But you cannot be infenfible that this is a contro'verted doctrine; there are Authors who confider human nature in a very different view, and books of maxims have ⚫ been written to fhew the Falfity of all • Human Virtues. The reflexions which

are

are made on this fubject ufually take • fome tincture from the tempers and • characters of thofe that make them. • Politicians can refolve the most shining actions among men into artifice and defign; others, who are foured by difcontent, repulfes, or ill ufage, are apt to miftake their fpleen for philofophy; ⚫ men of profligate lives, and fuch as find themfelves incapable of rifing to any ⚫ diftinction among their fellow creatures, are for pulling down all appearances of merit, which feem to upbraid them and Satirifts defcribe nothing bur deformity. From all thefe hands • we have fuch draughts of mankind as ⚫ are reprefented in thofe burlefque pictures, which the Italians call Caracaturas; where the art confifts in preferving, amidst diftorted proportions ⚫ and aggravated features, fome diftinguishing likeness of the perfon, but in • fuch a manner as to transform the moft agreeable beauty into the moft odious • monster.

It is very difingenuous to level the beft of mankind with the worst, and for the faults of particulars to degrade ⚫ the whole fpecies. Such methods tend.

not only to remove a man's good opinion of others, but to destroy that reverence for himself, which is a great guard of innocence, and a fpring of

• virtue.

It is true indeed that there are furprifing mixtures of beauty and deformity, of wisdom and folly, virtue and 'vice in the human make; fuch a difparity is found among numbers of the fame kind, and every individual, in fome inftances, or at fome times, is fo unequal to himself, that man feems to be the most wavering and inconfiftent Being in the whole creation. So that the question in morality, concerning the dignity of our nature, may at first fight appear like fome difficult queftions in natural Philofophy, in which 'the arguments on both fides feem to be ' of equal ftrength. But as I began with confidering this point, as it relates to action, I fhall here borrow an admirable reflexion from Monfieur Pafchal, which I think fets it in its proper light.

It is of dangerous confequence, fays he,. to reprefent to man bow near he is to the "level of beasts, without fhewing him at the

Jame

fame time his Greatness. It is likewife dangerous to let him fee his Greatness • without his Meannefs. It is more dangerous yet to leave him ignorant of either; but very beneficial that he should be made fenfible of both. Whatever imperfections we may have in our nature, it is the bufinefs of religion and virtue to rectify them as far as is confiftent with our present state. In the mean time, it is no fmall encouragement to generous minds to confider that we shall put them all off with our mortality. That fublime manner of falutation with which the Jews approached their Kings,

'O King, live for ever!.

may be addreffed to the lowest and moft defpifed mortal among us, under all the infirmities and diftreffes with which we fee him furrounded. And • whoever believes the Immortality of the Soul, will not need a better argument for the dignity of his nature, nor a ftronger incitement to actions fuitable • to it.

I am naturally led by this reflexion to a fubject I have already touched up