the uncharitable Side ; which fhews human Nature to be ftrangely distorted from its original Rectitude and Innocence. The wit of Man does more naturally vent itself in Satire and Cenfure, than in Praise and Panegyrick. When Men fet themselves to commend, it comes hardly from them, and not without great Force or Straining; and if any thing be fitly faid in that kind, it does hardly relish with moft Men: But in the way of Invective, the invention of Men is a plentiful and never-failing Spring. This kind of Wit is not more easy than it is acceptable; it is greedily entertain'd, and greatly applauded: Every Man is glad to hear others abus'd, not confidering how foon it may come to his own turn, to lie down and make sport for others.

Cenfure is almost become the general entertainment of all Companies; and the great and serious business of moft Meetings and Vifits, after the neceffary Ceremonies and Compliments are over, is to fit down and backbite all the World. 'Tis a common Saying, among certain People, whofe Birth and Education fhould teach them better things, Come, let us rally all the World. And it was a very sharp Reproof given by a Man of Wit in a publick Affembly, That he was afraid to go out, left be fhould be rail'd at. 'Tis the Sauce of Conversation, and all Discourse is counted but flat and dull, which has not fomething of Piquancy in it againft fomebody. For Men generally love rather to hear Evil of others than Good, and are fecretly pleas'd with ill Reports, drinking them in with Delight: Tho' at the fame time they have fo much Juftice, as to hate those that propagate them, and so much Wit, as to conclude that thofe very Perfons will do the fame for them in another Place and Company. Efpecially if it concerns one of another Party, and that differs from us in matters of Religion. In this cafe all Parties feem to be agreed, that they do God great Service in blafting the Reputation of their Adverfaries: And tho' they all pretend to be Chriftians, and the Disciples of him who taught nothing but Kind

nefs

nefs and Meeknefs, and Charity, yet it is ftrange to fee with what a savage and murderous Difpofition they will fly at one another's Reputation, and tear it in pieces. Whatever other Scruples they may have, they make none to befpatter one another, in the most bitter and fcandalous manner.

If they hear any good of their Adverfaries with what Nicety and Caution do they receive it? How many Objections do they raise against it? And with what Coldnefs do they at last admit it? It is very well, fay they, if it be true: Ifhall be glad to hear it confirm'd; I never beard fo much good of him before: You are a good Man yourself, but have a care you be not deceiv'd. It is well, if to balance the matter, and fet things even, they do not clap fome Infirmity and Fault in the other Scale, that fo the Enemy may not go off with flying Colours. On the other fide, every Man is a good and substantial Author of all ill Reports. I do not apply this to any one fort of Men, tho' all are to blame this way. To fpeak impartially, the Zealots of all Parties have got a curvy Trick of lying for the Truth.

This has appear'd most visibly in latter times. There has a lying Spirit gone out among us, and Scandal and Zeal have made terrible Havock of our Neighbour's. Reputation. I have obferv'd, fays a reverend Father of our Church, the Priefts and Bigots of the Church of Rome, to be the ableft in this way, and to have the ftrongest Faith for a lufty Falfhood and Calumny: Others will bandy a falfe Report, and tofs it from one Hand to another; but I never knew any that would fo hug a Lye, and be fo very fond of it. Had that learned and pious Prelate been a witnefs of the fondnefs of certain Zealots of our own Days for a Lye; had he-feen how they bandy it, how they hug it, would the Papifts have been the only Party that would have deferv'd his Reproof?

Another fhrewd Sign that Ill-nature lies at the root of this Vice is, that we eafily forget the Good which is faid of others, and seldom make mention of it; but the

contrary sticks with us, lies uppermoft in our Memories, and is ready to come out upon all Occafions. And what is yet more ill-natur'd and unjust, many times, when we do not believe it ourselves, we tell it to others with this charitable Caution, That we hope it is not true. But in the mean time we give it our Pass, and venture it to take its Fortune, to be believ'd or not, according to the Charity of those into whofe Hands it comes. Those who cannot have a good Opinion of themselves, are very unwilling to have fo of any one elfe. For this Reason, they endeavour to bring Men to a Level, hoping it will be fome Juftification of them, if they can but render others as bad as themselves. It is a cruel Pleasure which fome Men take, in worrying the Reputation of others much better than themselves; and this only to divert the Company. The injury of Slander defcends to a Man's Children, because the good or ill Name of the Father is derived down to them: and many times the best he has to leave them, is the Reputation of his unblemish'd Virtue and Worth: And do we make no Confcience, to rob his innocent Children of the best part of this fmall Patrimony, and of all the Kindness that wou'd have been done them for their Father's fake, • if his Reputation had not been fo undefervedly ftain'd? Is it no Crime, by the breath of our Mouth, at once to blaft a Man's Reputation, and to ruin his Pofterity? Can we make a jest of so serious a Matter? Of an Injury fo very hard to be repented of as it ought? Because in fuch a Cafe, no Repentance will be acceptable without Reftitution, if it be in our Power; and perhaps it will undo us in this World to make it; and if we do not, will be our Ruin in the other.

Befides the injury of Slander, it is commonly a very high Provocation; and the confequence of that may be as bad as we can imagine, and may end in dangerous and desperate Quarrels. This Reason the wife Son of Sirach gives, why we should defame no Man, Whether it be, fays he, to a Friend or Foe, talk not of other Mens Lives :

For

For be bath heard and obferv'd thee: That is, one way or other it will probably come to his Knowledge, and when the time cometh he will shew his Hatred: That is, he will take the firft Opportunity to revenge

At the best, 'tis always matter of Grief to the Perfon that is defam'd; and Christianity, which is the best-na tur'd Inftitution in the World, forbids us the doing thofe things, whereby we may grieve one another. A Man's, good Name is a tender thing, and a Wound there finks deep into the Spirit,even of a wife and good Man. The more innocent any Man is in this kind, the more fenfible is he of this hard Ufage; because he never treats others fo, nor is he confcious to himself that he has deferv'd it. The consequences of this Vice are as bad, or worse to ourselves. Whoever is wont to speak Evil of others, gives a bad Character of himself, even to those whom he defires to please; who, if they be wife enough, will conclude, that he speaks of them to others, as he does of others to them. And were it not for that fond Partiality which Men have for themselves, no Man could be fo blind as not to see this. A reproachful and flanderous Speech has coft many a Man a Duel, and in that the lofs of his own Life, or the murder of another, perhaps too the lofs of his own Soul. Tho' neither of thofe great Mischiefs fhould happen, yet reproachful Language may be inconvenient enough many other ways; and no Quality does ordinarily recommend one more to the Favour and Good-will of Men, than to be free from this Vice. Every one defires fuch a Man's Friendfhip, and is apt to repose a great Truft and Confidence in him. When he is dead, Men will praise him; and next to Piety towards God, and Righteousness to Man, nothing is thought a more fignificant Commendation, than that he was never, or very rarely, heard to speak ill of any. It was a fingular Character of a certain Gentleman, He knew not what it was to give any Man an ill Word.

IGNORANCE.

I

T would be an endlefs Task should we undertake to give Instances of the great Improvements which Women have made of Education, there being hardly any Science in which fome of them have not excell'd. 'Tis very plain, therefore, that Nature has given them as good Talents as Men have, and if they are ftill call'd the weaker Sex, 'tis because the other, which affumes the name of the wifer, hinders them from improving their Minds in useful Knowledge, by accuftoming them to the Study and Practice of Vanity and Trifles.

How can they be inftructed in any folid Principles, whofe very Inftructors are Froth and Emptiness? Whereas Women, were they rightly educated, and their Minds, from their Childhood, well inform'd, they wou'd be Proof against all thofe Batteries, fee through and fcorn thofe little filly Artifices which are us'd to enfnare and deceive them. A Woman fo inftructed wou'd value herfelf only on her Virtue, and confequently be moft chary of what the esteems so much. She wou'd know that not what others fay, but what herself does, muft build her up a good Name, and be the only thing that can exalt her; the loudeft Encomium being not half fo fatisfactory as the calm and fecret plaudit of her own Mind; which moving on true principles of Honour and Virtue, wou'd not fail, on a Review of itself, to anticipate that delightful Eulogy fhe fhall one Day hear.

Whence is it but from Ignorance, from want of Understanding, how to compare and judge of Things, to

choose