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adventitious, because, though not unnatural, I do not imagine that the fenfations of fympathetic forrow, either always or immediately, give rife to this reflection. Children, and even favages, are fufceptible of pity, who think no more of claiming any merit to themfelves on this fcore, than they think of claiming merit from their feeling the natural appetites of hunger and thirst. Nay, it is very poffible that perfons may know its power and sweetness to, when, through the influence of education and bad example, they confider it as a weakness or blemish in their dif pofition, and as fuch endeavour to conceal and ftifle it. A certain degree of civilization feems to be neceffary, to make us thoroughly fenfible of its beauty and utility, and consequently, that it ought to be cultivated. Bigotry may teach a man to think inhumanity, in certain circumftances, a virtue. Yet nature will reclaim, and may make him, in fpite of the dictates of a mifguided confcience, feel all the tenderness of pity to the heretic, who, in his opinion, has more than merited the very worst that can be inflicted on him.

I ACKNOWLEDGE, that, on the other hand, when the fentiment comes generally to prevail,

that

B. I. that compaffion is in itself praiseworthy, it may be rendered a fource of much more self-fatisfaction to the vain-glorious, than reasonably it ought to yield. Such perfons gladly lay hold of every handle which ferves to raise them in their own efteem. And I make no doubt that feveral; from this very motive, have exalted this principle as immoderately as others have vilified it: Every good man will agree, that this is the cafe when people confider it as either a veil for their vices, or an atonement for the neglect of their duty. For my own part, I am inclined to think, that those who are most ready to abuse it thus, are not the most remarkable for any exercise of it, by which fociety can be profited. There is a fpecies of deception in the cafe, which it is not befide the purpose briefly to unravel.

IT hath been obferved, that fenfe invariably makes a ftronger impreffion than memory, and memory a ftronger than imagination; yet there are particular circumftances which appear to form an exception, and to give an efficacy to the ideas of imagination, beyond what either memory or sense can boaft. So great is the anomaly which fometimes difplays itfelf in human characters, that it is not impoffible to find perfons who

are

are quickly made to cry at feeing a tragedy, or reading a romance, which they know to be fietious, and yet are both inattentive and unfeeling in respect of the actual objects of compaffion, who live in their neighbourhood, and are daily under their eye. Nevertheless, this is an excep tion from the rule, more in appearance than in reality. The cafes are not parallel: there are certain circumftances which obtain in the one, and have no place in the other; and to thefe peculiarities the difference in the effect is folely imputable. What follows will ferve fully to explain my meaning.

MEN may be of a selfish, contracted, and even avaricious difpofition, who are not what we Thould denominate hard-hearted, or infufceptible of fympathetic feeling. Such will gladly enjoy the luxury of pity (as Hawkefworth terms it) when it nowife interferes with their more powerful paffions; that is, when it comes unaccompanied with a demand upon their pockets. With the tragic or the romantic hero or heroine, they moft cordially fympathize, because the only tribute which wretches of their dignity exact from them, is fighs and tears. And of these their confciences inform them, to their inexpreffible con

folation,

folation, that they are no niggards. But the cafe is totally different with living objects. Barren tears and fighs will not fatisfy thefe. Hence it is that people's avarice, a moft formidable adverfary to the unhappy, is interested to prevent their being moved by such, and to make them avoid; as much as poffible, every opportunity of know ing or feeing them. But as that cannot always be done, as commiferation is attended with be nevolence, and as benevolence itself, if not grati fied, by our giving relief when it is in our power;

• In the parable of the compaffionate Samaritan, Luke x. 30% &c. this difpofition, to shun the fight of mifery, which one is re folved not to redrefs, is finely touched in the conduct of the prieft and the Levite, who, when they efpied a perfon naked, wounded, and almost expiring on the road, are said to have paff ed by on the other fide. Indeed, in the account given of the Levite in our verfion, there is fomething, which, to me, has a contradictory appearance. He came and looked on him, and passed by on the other fide. There is not a veftige of this inconfiftency in the original, which fays fimply, ελθών και ιδων αντιπαρά 79, the meaning of which plainly is, "travelling that way, "and feeing one in this wretched plight, he kept on the other "fide of the road, and passed on." In fuch a cafe, a man who is not quite obdurate, would avoid the cutting reflection, that he knows any thing of the matter. And though he must be conscious that he knew a little, and might have known more if he would; he is glad to glofs his inhumanity even to himself, with fome pretext of hurry or thoughtlefinefs, or any thing that may conceal the naked truth, a truth which he is as averse to discover in himself, as he is to fee in another the mifery which he is determined not to relieve.

embitters

embitters the pleasure which would otherwife refult from pity, as the refufal is also attended with felf-reproach; a perfon of fuch a temper, ftrongly, and for the most part effectually refifts his being moved. He puts his ingenuity to the rack, in order to fatisfy himself that he ought not to be affected. He is certain, that the perfon is not a proper object of beneficence, he is convinced that his diftrefs is more pretended than real; or, if that cannot be alleged, the man hath furely brought it on himself by his vices, therefore he deferves to fuffer, and is nowife entitled to our pity; or at least he makes not a good use of what may charitably, but injudiciously, be bestowed upon him. Such are the common fhifts by which selfishness eludes the calls of humanity, and chooses to referve all its worthless ftock of pity for fictitious objects, or for thofe who, in refpect of time, or place, or eminence, are beyond its reach.

FOR these reasons, I am fatisfied that compaffion alone, especially that displayed on occafion of witneffing public fpectacles, is at beft but a very weak evidence of philanthropy. The only proof that is entirely unequivocal, is actual beneficence, when one feeks out the real objects VOL. I. Ꮓ

of