clever young Fellow, I muft, and will, take care of him: And, had not this reverend Sportsman been forced, foon after, to travel into foreign Countries, in order to escape hanging in his own, which he richly deferved, he might, for aught I know, before this Time, have been

Men that have pufhed their Fortunes, and raised themselves by fuch odd and unworthy Arts, as none but the Worthlefs and Undeferving could ever practife, contract by degrees an habitual Narrowness of Soul, and a judicial Poverty of Heart, uncapable of every generous Thought, every noble and useful Defign, of injoying their Plenty and Honour, and fupporting their Characters with Dignity and Ease, and employing their Interest and Fortune for the Good and Benefit of Mankind, but raging with an infatiable Thirst and Appetite for more. Such as thefe are to be met with in every State of Life, little, hungry, penurious Creatures, who, though never fo full, are never fatisfied; who, though they have much more than they deserve, or know how to enjoy, are always craving for more; And what to do? Why, only to enrich fome worthless Booby, whilft they fuffer Men of Learning, Probity, and Honour, to ftarve.I remember, many Years ago, a humorous mad Fellow about Town, who had the Splendida bilis to an extravagant Degree. He was, by Profeffion, a Maker and Mender of Souls. He had a Mould for the former, and a philofophical Tenter (as he called it) for ftretching the Narrow and Contracted, and extending them to their due Dimensions. As I was one Day trudging down the Strand, I chanced to fee him, in clofe Conference with that little fhriveled old Fellow,

Gripe, the Scrivener. An Interview betwixt two fuch extraordinary Perfons, I thought, must be something very particular, and I had Curiofity enough to make a Halt to fee the Event. My Friend, the Operator, happening to spy me across the Street, leaves his Patient, and steps over to me. Sir, faid he, What do you think? I have been offering that old Fellow to make him a Soul; the Dog fays, he has one already, but I can hardly believe him; I am fure, if he has, it was none of my making; and I offered to make him a Dozen better and larger than his for a Groat. Why, faid I, did you not offer to tenter his old one? Tenter him!-said he, -Rot him, I would as foon try to tenter a Cobweb,-I am fure it is fo thin, and fo rotten, it would break under my Hands, like a Piece of wet brown Paper. The Moral of this mad Speech is applicable to thousands. Qui capit, ille facit.

Mankind may be fairly divided into Patrons and Clients; fome who are able to give, and others who want to receive: Some who have Favours to bestow, and others who have Favours to afk: Some who are forced to depend upon the Affiftance and Protection of others, or make others depend upon them. The Neceffities of Mankind, and the Inequality of their Fortunes, make this Dependance neceffary; and it is the Business of Philofophy and Religion to regulate the Exercise, and direct the Management, of this Dependance, fo as to make it useful to the Public, and answer the great Purposes and Designs of Providence, which is, to make one Man's Superfluity a Relief to another's Neceffity; one Man's Strength a Support to another Man's Weaknefs; all mutually confpiring to promote the Glory of God, the Welfare of the PubVOL. I. K

lic,

lic, and the Benfit and Happiness of each other. Now, when Men of Merit, who are not always the Favourites of Fortune, are diftreffed in their worldly Circumstances, and find there is nothing to be got but by mean and dishonourable Practices, they are too often tempted to let go their Integrity, and fwim with the general Stream of Corruption, rather than ftarve with Honour and a good Confcience; for, as neither of these are marketable Commodities, no Wonder that Gold and Silver, with a good Proportion of Brafs, carry all before them; and if, under fuch Difcouragements, there be a visible Decay of Virtue, · Honour, and public Spirit, Who can wonder?

It is a Reproach to Religion, Humanity, and a liberal Education, that there fhould be found, among Men of Learning, and, in other Refpects, of fair and virtuous Characters, that Meannefs and Littleness of Mind, as to regard none but themselves; to ingrofs and inclose the whole Fountain of Favour, and exclude the Modest and Sincere from the Obfervation of thofe, who, if they knew them, might be disposed to favour and reward their Modefty and Merit; or, by vile Calumny or Mifreprefentation, traduce and expofe the Characters of those whom they envy, hate, or fear, as Rivals and Competitors. Nothing gives me a greater Idea of those two great Men, Horace and Virgil, than that they could, without Jealoufy, or Emulation, recommend and fupport each other in the Favour of the most polite and munificent Patron in Rome. They were mutually conscious of each other's Merit in their different Places; there was no Competition for Favours, nor did either of them think himfelf eclipfed or injured by any Applaufe

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plaufe or Advantages received by the other. Non ifto vivitur illic quo, tu rere, modo, is the Anfwer that either of them would have given to the Impertinents of this Age, as well as of that. These were the na⇒ tural Dictates of an open ingenuous Mind, of a large and generous Heart: But when I fee Men of excellent Understanding and eminent Learning, intent upon nothing but their own Advantage, aiming at nothing but Riches and Power, undermining, fupplanting, and betraying every Man whom they apprehend may stand in his Way, and obftruct their selfish, covetous, or ambitious Defigns, I view them in no other Light than that of religious Hucksters, or learned Stockjobbers. Let a Man's Head be ever fo full of Learning, or Cunning, of what Sort foever it be, if it be under the Direction of a little, corrupt, felfifh, covetous Heart, let their State or Employment be what it will, whether it be in Stocks or Sciences, Lottery-tickets or various Readings, whether in Libraries or Change Alley, folving Problems or cracking Nuts, publishing new Editions or finging old Ballads, reading Lectures, making Mouse-traps, or felling Turneps, they are all equally removed from all Pretenfions to true Honour, or Greatness of Mind.

God Senfe and true Honour are ever attentive to true Merit, in whatever Form or Drefs it appears, ever ready to bestow or procure due Encouragement and fuitable Rewards, to relieve the Indigent, fupport the Industrious, and raise, out of Obscurity and Want into Light and Plenty, the Modeft and Deferving, who have wanted Opportunities of appearing in the World to Advantage. I was much delighted with the graceful and generous Manner in which the late Archbishop

of Rheims (Le Tillier) introduced the celebrated Father Mabillon to Lewis XIV. Sir, faid he, I have the Honour to present to your Majesty the most learned and modeft Monk in your Kingdom. This was the Language of a great Soul, truly worthy of a Perfon of his eminent Worth and Station, who confidered his Modesty as adding Luftre and Dignity to his Learning, and making that an Introduction and Recommendation to the Royal Favour, which, without such a Patron, might have been the most likely to exclude him from it for ever.

Patronage, whether in Church or State, is the Exercife of a great Branch of Power. Power, in all its Branches and Subordinations, whether natural or political, ecclefiaftical or civil, is a Talent or Truft derived from the Supreme Fountain of Power; for the Ufes or Abuses of which, a fevere Account will one Day be required. The Nature and Ufes of this Truft are clearly implied in the very Nature of the Grant, which is, that it be exercised upon proper Objects, and in a proper Manner. All that are employed in this Truft, from the King to the petty Constable, are confidered as Ministers, Vice-gerents, and Officers, accountable to him from whom they have received it. The Prince is the immediate Minifter of God, Rom. xiii. 4. Subordinate Magiftrates are his Minifters, Deputies, or Vice-gerents, accountable to him for the Management of their refpective Provinces. The Ufes of this delegated Authority, or ministerial Power, can be no other than what are agreeable to the Nature and Will of the Supreme Lord. And these, both Reason and Revelation affure us, are to be a Terror, not to good Works, but to the Evil; Revengers

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