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aufterely virtuous, are commonly perfons endowed with a small portion of feeling. It will perhaps be found, that they are frequently endowed with feelings the most uneafy and irrepreffible. The master, to whom probably I ought to be leaft willing to be a flave, is rather the paffionate, than the impenetrable man. The perfons here spoken of, are ufually little fubject to apathy and infenfibility. While they inflict evil upon others, or refufe their fuccour and interference, they are by no means confcious of inward complacence. They are in reality anxious to do juftice; their minds are full of secret tumult and contradiction; and it is to this caufe we are to afcribe it, if the asperity, fermenting in their own bofoms, overflow upon others. When therefore we recollect their errors, we fhall recollect them, if we are impartial, with fentiments of the most poignant regret and sympathy.

The rule that ought to govern us in our treatment of mankind in general, feems to be beft understood in the cafe of kindred and relations. Here men are commonly fufficiently aware that, though it is poffible to difpenfe affiftance with too lavish a hand, yet affiftance may often be given, in proportion to my capacity to affift, with much advantage and little chance of in

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jury. The true mode of benefiting others, is not through the medium of anguish and torture, I cannot be fure that I distinguish rightly between virtue and defect: I cannot be fure that my efforts to remove defects will be crowned with fuccefs: I am nevertheless contented to endeavour their removal by expedients of affection and kindness, but not by the intervention of rigour and aufterity. It becomes me to feek, to the extent of my power, to add to men's virtue, as well as happiness; I may allow myself, to a certain degree, in expoftulation and forrow; but I ought perhaps never, of my own mere good-pleasure, to incarcerate them in the house of correction that they may learn wisdom.

One further confideration that is of great importance on this subject, is, that the case of the man who demands my charity in the streets, is often of the most preffing nature, and is therefore no proper field for experiments. I have fometimes been told, that the existence of beggars is a reproach to the government, and that the evil must be fuffered to gain its proper height to force a remedy. But I cannot consent to lending even my paffive affiftance, to the starving men to death, that the laws may be reformed. The police of moft countries reasonably fufpends the penalties ordinarily commanded, when

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plate. He pours forth his bleffings and prayers you in fo copious a ftream, that the powers of speech feem to labour beneath the vastness of his gratitude. The bafenefs imputed to the fpaniel, is put to fhame by the vilenefs of this man. He is the most abject thing upon the face of the earth.

The true element of man is to utter what he thinks. He is indeed a man, who willingly expofes his whole foul to my obfervation. He is not fubject to the continual neceffity of weighing his words; for he has an unvarnished story to tell, and the ftory itself supplies him with eloquence. He expreffes his genuine feelings. If he is depreffed, he defcribes his misfortune in the way that he fees it. If he is rejoiced, he does not attempt to conceal his joy. He does not endeavour to appear any thing but what he is.

He walks erect, an equal among his equals. He afks of you nothing but what you ought to grant him, and he asks it with a firm tone, and an unembarraffed countenance. He is no man's flave. He is full of kindness to all, but he cannot ftoop to practise fuppleness and flattery to any. He derives his refources from himfelf, and therefore cannot be a dependent.

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the most infignificant difh for his master's table.

This monftrous affociation and union of wealth and poverty together, is one of the most astonishing exhibitions that the human imagination can figure to itself. It is voluntary however, at least on the part of the mafter. If it were compulforily impofed upon him, there is no chearfulness and gaiety of mind, that could ftand up against the melancholy fcene. It would be a revival of the barbarity of Mezentius, the linking a living body and a dead one together. It would cure the most obdurate heart of its partiality for the diftinction of ranks in fociety. But, as it is, and as the human mind is conftituted, there is nothing, however monftrous, however intolerable to fober and impartial reason, to which cuftom does not render us callous.

There is one other circumftance, the object of the fenfes, characteristic of this diftinction of claffes in the fame houfe, which, though inferior to the preceding, deferves to be mentioned. I amufe myself, fuppofe, with viewing the manfion of a man of rank. I admire the fplendour of the apartments, and the coftliness of their decorations. I pafs from room to room, and find them all fpacious, lofty and magnificent.

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when the cafe is that of a ftarving man ftealing a morfel of bread that he may eat. In the fame manner, there are fome fufferings, fo great and fo urgent, that a found morality will teach us to difpenfe with our general maxims, and, for no poffible calculation of diftant evils, to turn a deaf ear to the cries of humanity.

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