that venerable 'old Gentleman in Rome, after fo fignalizing a Service, without paying to him a due Refpect and Honour ?

Tho' the whole Happiness of Cornelia, Mother to the Gracchi, depended entirely on the undaunted Courage of her two Sons, yet after their Death, fhe was held in fo great a Veneration, that all the Kings, then in Alliance with the Romans, fent Ambaffadors, and Prefents to her, with as much Refpect, as they could have done to the greatest of Queens; fhe look'd with Contempt, even upon a Crown offer'd her by King Ptolomy, who would have made her his Wife, and Queen of Egypt: That Name of Mother, and of a Mother of fo Noble and Heroick Sons, which would have been obliterated by that of a Queen, made her chufe to preserve the first, as long as fhe Liv'd, tho' fhe look'd upon the other to be more Imperial and Majestick, but much less Honourable. Since then it is evident, that Parents, by the Means of their Children,are the original Source of all the Bleflings that befall a Nation; it is but Reasonable, that the Prince fhould relieve them in their Neceffities, or if they need not fuch Relief, that he should make them Partakers of his Glory.

I remember to have read of a General of anArmy, who, at his publick Entrance in Triumph into a City, took his Father with him in his Chariot, as if Nature and Fortune had render'd them infeparable.

It was a Custom with the Ancients when any Persons, who had obtain'd Garlands in the Olympick Games, died, whilst their Parents were alive, their Kindred, who atended them in their Funeral Solemnity, wore all the fame Crowns of Flowers on their Heads, fhewing by this laft Triumph, that they thought themselves obliged to Immorta

lize the Name of the Deceased, during the re maining Part of their Lives.

But what we have hitherto faid, comes far fhort of what we find related of Epaminondas,when he declared, that his Joy confifted, not fo much in that great Victory, which he had obtain❜d over his Enemies at the Battle of Leuftria, as in that he had been fo happy to Rout, and intirely Defeat them whilst his Parents were alive, to whom it was without Doubt a great Satisfaction. Now if a Father fhares the Honours with his Son, by the fame Reason a Son ought to fhare with his Father.

It will not here be amifs to fet off the Generofity of Alexander, who, at his return to Perfia, after his Expedition to the Indies, reviewing his Army, and finding he had loft a great many old Soldiers and Officers, call'd before him all their Children, to whom after he had fhew'd a great Deal of Sorrow,as it appear'd by the Tears he lhed, he order'd, as a juft Reward, that they should receive without any Diminution, the fame Pay their Fathers used to have. To this we may add the generous Repartee of a King of Spain, to a Gentle, man, who asked of him the Place of a Perfon of Quality, who had loft his Life in an Engagement. How now! Sir, faid the King to him, in a grave Tone, Do not you know he hath a Son, who in a little Time will be able to bear Arms; and ordering him to withdraw, told Him, that the greatest Service he could then do him,was to conceal his Rafbnefs and Imprudence.

CHAP.

CHAPTER XIII.

That thofe ought to live a-part, that cannot Agree together.

T

Here are natural Averfions among Trees and Plants, as well as among Men and Beasts; and this it was that engag'd a Pomgranate once, as the Emblem of Union and Agreement, to try what might be done toward the Reconciling of the Fig and the Olive; Two Plants that can hardly live in the fame Climate. The Pomgranate fell to reafoning the Matter, from the Practice of other Trees, the Scandal of the Example, and the like: But when he faw there was nothing to be done that Way, he charg'd the Fig-Tree with down-right Crofsnefs and Ill-nature. The FigTree excus'd himfelf, that the Antipathy was none of his Fault, but a fatal, and an incurable Oppofition betwixt the Two Families; it ever had been fo, and ever would be fo, and there was no Remedy.

Now whoever confiders but the very Leaves of thefe two Trees, the Shape, the Colour, the Fruit, the Taft, or the Size, the Trunk, the Bark, and the Root, c. he will find, that no two Things can be more contrary, than the One of thefe is to the Other So that the only Way to preferve them, is to keep them afunder, and he that brings them together is an Enemy to Both.

The MORAL.

We may gather from the foregoing Fable, that when two Perfons of different Humours, and In"ANO

clina

clinations, happen to be at Variance together, (as probably they can not very well hit it) found Rea foning, and gentle Argument, is not always fuffi cient to let them to rights again; and when per haps they are deaf to Reafon calmly urged, fea fonable Menaces often produce a better Effect, and prove more convincing, and prevalent: We may gather likewife, that there arife fometimes among People fuch Animofities, as may be faid to be in grain, and cannot be remov'd.

Some Grudges there be fo deeply rooted, and inveterate, that they might very rationally pafs for natural Antipathies, were not the original Occafions of them easy to be discern'd; they being generally owing, either to fome Family-Quarrel, or Law-Suit, or to fome heinous Affront highly derogatory of the Honour of one Party, or at least fo taken; or, as it often happens, to that headtrong Vice of Ambition, which frequently proves equally predominant in two Perfons of Distinction: However, though this inveterate Paffion be feemingly a remedilefs Evil, after feveral Years rageing, and feftring, yet even then fhould it not be given over for Incurable; for fince, as Experience teaches us, Remedies are found for the Plague and Leprofy, fo neither should we despair of mastering this froward Diftemper of the Mind, but rather fpare for no Pains to effect its Removal.

But if the State of the Matter be fuch, that all Remedies, when applied, prove fruitless, and the frequent Advice, and moft earnest Intreaties of Friends fall to the Ground; the best Method to be taken is, to feparate fuch jarring Neighbours,and place them at a confiderable Diftance one from the other; which done, fuch Measures may eafily be taken, as fhall effectually prevent the least Revival of old Grudges between them, the foreclofing

02

clofing all Intercourfe of Words being a great Step towards it: And in fuch a Cafe as this, we have but too much Reason to affirm, that a State of Separation is more eligible, and expedient than that of Union, which might probably produce the fame Effect, as we find in the two Trees afore. mentioned.

We cannot but be fenfible of feveral Inftances of private Gentlemen, who being near Neigh bours, which fhould more closely joyn and unite them in Interefts and Affections, and be a Means for them the better to answer the Ends of human Life, by capacitating them to enjoy the Benefits of Society more freely and frequently, do, by perverting the Ufe of it, render this very Vicinity rather a Curfe than a Blefling to themselves; by taking Occafion from thence to entertain Dif gults, and fet on Foot and foment flight Broils and Bickerings, which being multiply'd and heighten'd, by mutual Heats and Refentments, foon improve into firm and fettled Animofities, which are generally propagated on both Sides; and fo, as it were, entail'd upon the Families and perpetuated: So that if there arifes in either Family one more prudent and peaceably disposed than the reft, he muft, for Peace and Quietness Sake, even refolve to change his Neighbours, and take up with another more diftant Habitation.

It must be allow'd, that Plutarch, difcourfing about Pompey and Cæfar, very rationally urges, that it was not the private Difcord between them, as many Men thought, that caused the Civil War; but rather it was their Agreement together, who joyn'd all their Powers, firft to overthrow the State of the Senate and Nobility, and afterwards they fell out one with another, and probably' during the good Understanding between them,

they