wonders why she does not bring Mifs more into the world; and when he comes home in vapours, I am certain that fhe has heard either of my beauty or my wit, and expect nothing for the enfuing week, but taunts, menaces, contradiction, and reproaches.

Thus I live in a state of continual perfecution, only because I was born ten years too foon, and cannot stop the courfe of nature, or of time; but am unhappily a woman before my mother can willingly ceafe to be a girl. I believe you would contribute to the happinefs of many families, if, by any arguments or perfuafions, you could make mothers afhamed of rivalling their children; if you could fhew them, that though they may refuse to grow wife, they must inevitably grow old; and that the proper folaces of age are not mufick and compliments, but wifdom and devotion; that thofe who are fo unwilling to quit the world, will foon be driven from it; and that it is therefore their intereft to retire while there yet remain a few hours for nobler employments.

PARTHENIA.

ว

THE

RAMBLER.

NUMBER LVI.

LONDON, Saturday, September 29. 1750.

Valeat res ludicra, fi me,

Palma negata macrum, donata reducit opimum.

HOR.

N

Othing is more unpleafing than to find that others have received offence when none was intended, and that pain has been given to those who were not guilty of any provocation. As the great end of fociety is mutual beneVOL. III.

D

ficence,

ficence, a good man is always uneafy when he finds himself acting in oppofition to the purposes of life; because though his confcience may eafily acquit him of malice prepenfe, of fettled hatred, or contrivances of mischief; yet he feldom can be certain, that he has not failed by negligence, or indolence; that he has not been hindered from confulting the common intereft by too much re gard to his own ease, or too much indifference with respect to the happiness of others.

:

Nor is it neceffary, that, to feel this uneafiness, the mind fhould be extended to any great diffusion of generofity, or melted by any uncommon warmth of benevolence for that prudence which rifes from obfervation of the world, and a quick fenfibility of private intereft, will eafily direct us to fhun needlefs enmities; fince there is no man whose kindness we may not fome time want, or by whofe malice we may not fome time fuffer.

I have therefore frequently looked with refentment and wonder, and now and then with pity, at the thoughtleffnefs and folly with which fome alienate from themselves the affections of all whom chance, or bufinefs, or inclination brings in their way. When we see a man pursuing fome darling intereft, without much regard to the opinion of the world, though we may justly confider him as corrupt and dangerous, we are not long in difcovering his motives; we fee him actuated by paffions which are hard to be refifted, and deluded by appearances which have dazzled ftronger eyes. But the greatest part of those who fet mankind at defiance by hourly irritation, and who live but to infufe malignity and multiply enemies, have no

hopes

hopes to cherish, no defigns to promote, nor any expectations of attaining power by infolence, or of climbing to greatnefs by trampling on others. They give up all the fweets of private kindnefs, and all the fatisfaction of general regard, for the fake of peevishness, petulance, or gloom; by neglect of the common forms of civility, and breach of the established laws of converfation.

Every man muft, in the walks of life, have met with men of whom all speak with cenfure, though they are not chargeable with any crime; and whom none can be perfuaded to love, though no reafon can be affigned why they fhould be hated; and who, if their good qualities and actions fometimes force a commendation, have their panegyric always concluded with confeflions of diguft; "He is a good man, but I cannot like him." Surely fuch men have fold the esteem of the world at too low a price, fince they have loft one of the rewards of virtue, without gaining the profits of wickedness.

This ill economy of fame is fometimes the effect of ftupidity. Men whofe perceptions are languid and fluggish; who lament nothing but loffes, and feel nothing but a blow; who are often at a difficulty to guefs by what means they have encompaffed themfelves with enemies, though they lived in total neglect of all thofe arts by which men are endeared to one another: they comfort themfelves, that they have lived irreproachably; that no man can charge them with having endangered his life, or diminished his poffeffions; and therefore conclude, that they fuffer by fome invincible fatality, or impute the malice of mankind to ignorance or D 2 envy.