matters of greater importance. You fee in elections for members to fit in parliament, how far faluting rows of old women, drinking with clowns, and being upon a level with the lowest part of mankind in That wherein they themselves are lowest, their divertions, will carry a candidate. A capacity for pofituting a man's felf in his behaviour, and descending to the present humour of the vulgar, is nerhaps as good an ingredient as any other for making a confiderable figure in the world; and if a man has nothing else, or better to think of, he could not make his way to wealth and diftinction by properer methods, than fludying the particular bent or inclination of people with whom he converses, and working from the observation of fuch their bias in all matters wherein he has any intercourse with them: for his eafe and comfort he may affure himself, he need not be at the expence of any great talent or virtue to please even those who are poffeffed of the highest qualifications. Pride in Home particular disguise or other, often a fecret to the proud man himself, is the most ordinary spring of action among men. You need no more than to discover what a man values himself for; then of all things admire that quality, but be fure to be failing in it yourself in comparison of the man whom you court. I have heard, or read, of a fecretary of state in Spain, who served a prince who was happy in an elegant use of the Latin tongue, and often writ difpatches in it with his own hand, The king thewed his fecretary a letter he had written to a foreign prince, and under the colour of afking his advice, laid a trap for his applause. The honeft man read it as a faithful counsellor, and not only excepted against his tying himself down too much by fome expreffions, but mended the phrafe in others. You may guess the difpatches that evening did not take much longer time. Mr. Secretary, as foon as he came to his own house, fent for his eldest fon, and communicated to him that the family muft retire out of Spain as foon as poffible; for faid he, the king knows I understand Latin better than he does.

This egregious fault in a man of the world, thould be a leffon to all who would make their fortunes: but a regard must be carefully had to the perfon with whom you have to do; for it is not to be doubted but a great man of common fenfe must look with fecret indignation or bridled laughter, on all the flaves who stand round him with ready faces to approve and smile at all he says in the gross. It is good comedy enough to obferve a fuperior talk ing half fentences, and playing an humble admirer's Countenance from one thing to another, with fuch perplexity, that he knows not what to facer in ap probation of. But this kind of complaifance is pecoliarly the manner of courts, in all other places you must conftantly go farther in compliance with

the perfons you have to do with, than a mere conformity of looks and gestures. If you are in a country life, and would be a leading man, a good ftomach, a loud voice, and ruftic chearfulness will go a great way, provided you are able to drink, and drink any thing. But I was just now going to draw the manner of behaviour I would advise people to practife under fome maxim, and intimated, that every one almost was governed by his pride. There was ar old fellow about forty years ago so peevish and fret ful, though a man of business, that no one could come at him: but he frequented a particular little coffee-house, where he triumphed over every body at trick-track and backgammon. The way to país his office well, was first to be infulted by him at one of those games in his leifure hours; for his vanity was to thew, that he was a man of pleasure as well as business. Next to this fort of infinuation which is called in all places, from its taking its birth in the houtholds of princes, making one's court, the most prevailing way is, by what better bred people call a present, the vulgar a bribe. I humbly conceive that fuch a thing is conveyed with more gallantry in a billet-doux that should be understood at the bank, than in gross money: but as to stubborn peo ple, who are so furly as to accept of neither note nor cash, having formerly dabbled in chymistry, I can only say that one part of inatter afks one thing, and another another to make it fluent; but there is nothing but may be diffolved by a proper mean: thus the virtue which is too obdurate for gold or paper, shall melt away very kindly in a liquid. The itland of Barbadoes, a fhrewd people, manage all their appeals to Great-Britain, by a skilful diftribution of citron-water among the whisperers about men in power. Generous wines do every day prevail, and that in great points where ten thousand times their value would have been rejected with indignation,

But to wave the enumeration of the fundry ways of applying by presents, bribes, management of people's paffions and annections, in such a manner as it thall appear that the virtue of the best man is by one method or other corruptible; let us look out for fome expedient to turn those passions and affections on the fide of truth and honour. When a man has laid it down for a pofition, that parting with his integrity, in the minuteft circumftance, is lofing so much of his very felf, self-love will become a virtue. By this means good and evil will be the only objects of dislike and approbation; and he that injures any man, has effectually wounded the man of this turn as much as if the harm had been to himself. This feems to be the only expedient to arrive at an impartiality, and a man who follows the dictates of truth and right reafon, may by artifice be led into error, but never can into guilt,

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