the fuffrage of the world, must show himself in a certain degree fuperior to this fuffrage. But, though reputation will never conftituțe, with a man of wisdom and virtue, the first and leading motive of his actions, it will certainly enter into his confideration. Virtue is a calculation of confequences, is a means to an end, is a balance carefully adjusted between opposing evils and benefits. Perhaps there is no action, in a ftate of civilifation and refinement, that is not influenced by innumerable motives; and there is no reason to believe that virtue will tend to diminish the fubtlety and delicacy of intellectual fenfation. Reputation is valuable; and whatever is of value ought to enter into our eftimates. A just and reasonable man will be anxious fo to conduct himself as that he may not be misunderstood. He will be patient in explaining, where his motives have been misapprehended and mifconftrued. It is a spirit of falfe bravado that will not defcend to vindicate itself from mifrepresentation. It is the refuge of indolence; it is an unmanly pride that prefers a miftaken fuperiority to the promotion of truth and usefulness. Real integrity ought not indeed to be fore and exafperated at every petty attack. Some things will explain themselves; and in that cafe defence appears idle and injudicious. A de A defence of this fort is an exhibition of mental disease, not an act of virtue. But, wherever explanation will fet right a fingle individual, and cannot be attended with mifchief, there explanation appears to be true dignity and true wifdom. ESSAY the fuffrage of the world, muft show himself in a certain degree fuperior to this fuffrage. But, though reputation will never conftituțe, with a man of wisdom and virtue, the first and leading motive of his actions, it will certainly enter into his confideration. Virtue is a calculation of confequences, is a means to an end, is a balance carefully adjufted between oppofing evils and benefits. Perhaps there is no action, in a state of civilifation and refinement, that is not influenced by innumerable motives; and there is no reason to believe that virtue will tend to diminish the subtlety and delicacy of intellectual fenfation. Reputation is valuable; and whatever is of value ought to enter into our estimates. A juft and reasonable man will be anxious fo to conduct himself as that he may not be misunderstood. He will be patient in explaining, where his motives have been misapprehended and mifconftrued. It is a spirit of falfe bravado that will not defcend to vindicate itself from mifreprefentation. It is the refuge of indolence; it is an unmanly pride that prefers a miftaken fuperiority to the promotion of truth and usefulness. Real integrity ought not indeed to be fore and exasperated at every petty attack. Some things will explain themselves; and in that cafe defence appears idle and injudicious. A de A defence of this fort is an exhibition of mental disease, not an act of virtue. But, wherever explanation will fet right a single individual, and cannot be attended with mifchief, there explanation appears to be true dignity and true wisdom. ESSAY fions of Plato, and the arrangements of Aristotle, have no longer a place but in the brains of a few dreaming and obfcure pedants. Poetry itself however affords but an uncertain reputation. Is Pope a poet? Is Boileau a poet? Thefe are queftions ftill vehemently contested. The French defpife the tragic poetry of England, and the English repay their fcorn with fcorn. A few scholars, who are difpofed to reft much of their reputation on their Greek, affirm Sophocles to be the greateft dramatic author that ever exifted, while the generality of readers exclaim upon him as fecble in paffion and barren in intereft. The unlearned are astonished what we can find to be fo greatly charmed with, in the imitative genius of Virgil, and the fententious rambles of Horace. The reputation of Shakespear endures every day a new ordeal; while fome find in him nothing but perfection, and others are unable to forgive the occafional obfcurity of his ftyle, pedantry of his language, meannefs of his expreffions, and difproportion of his images. Homer has ftood the test of more than two thoufand years; yet there are hundreds of no contemptible judges who regard his fame as illgrounded and ufurping. They are mortally offended with the ridiculoufnefs of his mythology, the barbarifm of his ethics, and the inco herence |