4. A woman that is modeft, creates in us an awe in her comi pany, a with for her welfare, a joy in her being actually hap. py, a fore and painful forrow if diftrefs fhould come upon her, ready and willing heart to give her confolation, and a com paffionate temper towards her in every little accident of life the undergoes; and to fum up all in one word, it caufes fuch kind of angelical love, even to a ftranger, as good natured brothers and fifters ufually bear towards one another.

5. It adds wonderfully to the make of a face; and Í`have feen a pretty well turned forehead, fine fet eyes, and what your poets call, a row of pearl fet in coral, fhewn by a pretty expantion of two velvet lips that covered them (that would have tempted any fober man living of my own age, to have been a little loofe in his thoughts and to have enjoyed a pain. ful pleasure, amidit his impotency,) lofe all their virtue, all their force and efficacy, by having an ugly caft of boldness ve. ry difcernibly spread out at large over all thofe allaring fea

tures.

6. At the same time modefty will fill up the wrinkles of old age with glory; make fixty blush itfelf into fixteen; and help a green-fick girl to defeat the fatire of a falfe waggifh lover, who might compare her colour, when the looked like a ghoft, to blowing of the rose-bud, by blufhing herself into a bloom of beauty; and might make what he meant a reflection, a real compliment, at any hour of the day, in fpite of his teeth.It has a prevailing power with me whenever I find it in the fex.

7. I, who have the common fault of all men, to be very four and humorfome, when I drank my water gruel in a morning, fell into a more than ordinary pet with a maid, whom I call my nurfe, from a conftant tenderness that I have obferved her to exercife, towards me beyond all my other fervants; I perceived her fluff and glow in the face, in a manner which I could plain ly difcern proceeded not from anger or refentment of my cor. redion, but from a good natured regret, upon a fear that she had offended her grave old mafter.

8. I was fo heartily pleased, that I eafed her of the honest trouble fhe underwent inwardly for my fake; and giving her half a crown, I told her it was a forfeit due to her, because I was out of humor with her without any reafon at all. And as the is fo gentle hearted, I have diligently avoided giving her one harth word ever fince; and I find my own reward in it; for not being fo tefty as I ufed, has made me much haler and Atronger than I was before.

9. The pretty, and witty, and virtuous Simplicia, was, the other day, vifiting an old aunt of hers, that I verily believe has read the Atalantis : She took a story out there, and dreffed up an honest old neighbor in the fecond-hand clothes of scandal. The young creature hid her face with her fan at every burft and peal of laughter, and blushed for her guilty parent; by which the atoned, methought, for every fcandal that fan round the beautiful circle.

10. As I was going home to bed that evening, I could not help thinking of her all the way I went. I represented her to myfelf as fhedding holy blood every time the blushed, and as being a martyr in the caufe of virtue. And afterwards, when I was putting on my night.cap, I could not drive the thot out of my head, but that I was young enough to be married to her; and that it would be an addition to the reputation I have in the study of wisdom, to marry to fo much youth and mo. defty, even in my old age.

11. I know there have not been wanting many wicked ob. jections against this virtue; one is grown infufferably common. The fellow blushes, he is guilty. I fhould fay rather, he blush. es, therefore he is innocent. I believe the fame man that first had that wicked imagination of a blush being the fign of guilt, reprefented good nature to be folly; and that he himself was the most inhuman and impudent wretch alive.

12. The author of Cato, who is known to be one of the moft modest and most ingenious perfons of the age we now live in, has given this virtue a delicate name in the tragedy of Cato, where the character of Marcia, is firft opened to us. I would have all ladies who have a mind to be thought well bred, to think feriously on this virtue, which he fo beautifully calls the fanctity of manners.

13. Modeity is a polite accomplishment, and generally an attendant upon merit. It is engaging to the highest degree, and wins the hearts of all our acquaintance. On the contrary none are more disguftful in company than the impudent and prefuming;

14. The man who is, on all occafions, commending and speaking well of himself, we naturally diflike. On the other hand, he who ftudies to conceal his own deferts, who does jus tice to the merit of others, who talks but little of himself, and that with modefty, makes a favorable impreffion on the perfons he is converfing with, captivates their minds, and gains their esteem,

15. Modefty, however, widely differs from an aukward

bashfulness, which is as much to be condemned as the other is to be applauded. To appear fimple is as ill-bred as to be impu dent. A young man ought to be able to come into a room and address the company without the leaft embarrassment. To be out of countenance when fpoken to, and not to have an an fwer ready, is ridiculous to the laft degree.

16. An aukward country fellow, when he comes into compa ny better than himself, is exceedingly difconcerted. He knows not what to do with his hands or his hat, but either puts one of them in his pocket, and dangles the other by his fide; or per haps twirls his hat on his fingers, or fumbles with the button. If spoken to he is in a much worfe fituation; he answers with the utmoft difficulty, and nearly ftammers; whereas a gentleman who is acquainted with life, enters a room with graceful. nefs and a modeft affurance, addreffes even perfons he does not know, in an eafy and natural manner, and without the leaft embarrassment.

17. This is the characteristic of good breeding, a very neceffary knowledge in our intercourfe with men for one of inferior parts, with the behavior of a gentleman, is frequently better received than a man of fenfe, with the addrefs and manners of a clown. Ignorance and vice are the only things we need be ashamed of; fteer clear of these, and you may go into any company you will; not that I would have a young man throw off all dread of appearing abroad, as a fear of offending, or being difesteemed, will make him preferve a proper de

corum.

18. Some perfons, from experiencing falfe modefty, have run into the other extreme, and acquired the character of im pudent. This is as great a fault as the other. A well bred man keeps himself within the two, and fteers the middle way. He is eafy and firm in every company; is modeft, but not bash. ful; fteady, but not impudent. He copies the manners of the better people, and conforms to their cuftoms with ease and attention.

19. Till we can present ourselves in all companies with coolnefs and unconcern, we can never prefent ourselves well; nor will a man ever be fuppofed to have kept good company, or ever be acceptable in fuch company, if he cannot appear there eafy and unembarraffed. A modeft affurance, in every part life, is the most advantageous qualification we can possibly ac quire.

20. Inftead of becoming infolent, a man of sense, under a com

of

fcioufnels of merit, is more modeft, He behaves himself in deed with firmnefs, but without the leaft prefumption. The man who is ignorant of his own merit, is no lefs a fool than he who is conftantly difplaying it. A man of understanding avails himself of his abilities, but never boafts of them; whereas the timid and bashful man can never pash himself in life, be his merit as great as it will; he will be always kept behind by the forward and the bustling.

21. A man of abilities, and acquainted with life, will stand as firm in defence of his own rights, and purfue his plans as fteadily and unmoved as the most impudent man alive; but then he does it with a feeming modefty. Thus, manners is every thing; what is impudence in one, is only proper affurance in another; for firmnefs is commendable, but an overbearing con, duct is difguftful.

22. Forwardness being the very reverse of modefty, follow rather than lead the company; that is join in difcourse upon their subjects rather than ftart one of your own; if you have parts you will have opportunities enough of fhewing them on every topic of converfation, and if you have none, it is better to expose yourself upon a subject of other people's than on one of your own.

23. But be particularly careful not to fpeak of yourself if you can help it. An impudent fellow lugs in himself abruptly upon all occafions, and is ever the hero of his own ftory. Others will cover their arrogance with "it may feem ftrange indeed that I fhould talk in this manner of myself; it is what I by no means like, and should never do if I had not been cruelly and unjustly accufed; but when my character is attacked it is a juftice I owe to myself to defend it." This veil is too thin not to be feen thro on the first inspection.

24. Others again with more art, will modeftly boast of all the principal virtues by calling thefe virtues weakneffes, and faying, they are fo unfortunate as to fall into those weakneffes. "I can. not fee perfons. fuffer," fays one of this cast," without reliev.. ing them though my circumftances are very unable to afford it-I cannot avoid speaking truth; though it is often very imprudent;" and so on,

25. This angling for praife is fo prevailing a principle, that it frequently ftoops to the lowest object. Men will often boaft of doing that, which, if true, would be rather a difgrace to them than otherwife. One man affirms that he rode twenty miles within the hour: 'tis probably a lie; but suppose he did,

what then? He had a good horfe under him, and is a good jockey. Another fwears he has often at a fitting, drank five or fix bottles to his own fhare. Out of respect to him, I will believe him a liar; for I would not wish to think him a beast.

26. Thefe and many more are the follies of idle people, which, while they think they procure them efteem, in reality make them defpifed.

27. To avoid this contempt, therefore, never speak of yourfelf at all, unless neceffity obliges you; and even then. take care to do it in fuch a manner, that it may not be conftrued Isto fishing for applaufe. Whatever perfections you may have, be affured, people will find them out; but whether they do or not, nobody will take them upon your own word. The lefs you fay of yourself, the more the world will give you credit for; and the more you fay, the less they will believe you.

I.

I

OF CHEERFULNESS.

HAVE always prefered cheerfulness to mirth. The latter I confider as an act, the former as a habit of the mind. Mirth is fhort and tranfient, cheerfulness fixed and permanent. Thofe are often raised into the greatest tranfports of mirth, who are fubject to the greateft depreffions of melancholy on the contrary, cheerfulness though it does not give the mind fuch an exquifite gladness prevents us from falling into any depths of forrow. Mirth is like a flash of lightning that breaks thro a gloom of clouds, and glitters for a moment; cheer fulness keeps up a kind of day-light in the mind, and fills it with a steady and perpetual ferenity.

:

2. Men of auftere principles look upon mirth as too wanton and diffolute for a ftate of probation, and as filled with a cer tain triumph and infolence of heart, that is inconfiftent with a life which is every moment obnoxious to the greatest dangers. Writers of this complexion have observed, that the Sacred Per. fon who was the great pattern of perfection was never seen to laugh.

3. Cheerfulness of mind is not liable to any of these excep tions; it is of a ferious and compofed nature; it does not throw the mind into a condition improper for the prefent ftate of hu. manity, and is very confpicuous in the characters of those who are looked upon as the greatest philofophers among the heathen, as well as among those who have been deservedly cfteemed as faints and holy men among Christians.