so fairly drawn, as immediately to drop his project, leave the army, and retire: of which whimsical relation it may be well enough observed, that a spider had enslaved the world, had not an ant obstructed his design.

UPON

N

UPON ENVY.

TO A FRIEND, R. G.

HENCE is it, my friend, that I feel it impossible to envy you, although, hereafter, your qualifications may make

whole millions do so? for, believe me, when I affirm, that I deem it much more superfluous, to wish you honours to gratify your ambition, than to wish you ambition enough to make your honours satisfactory.

IT seems a hard case that envy should be the consequence of merit, at the same time that scorn so naturally attends the want of it. 'Tis however in some measure perhaps an unavoidable (and perhaps in some sense a useful) passion in all the most heroic natures; where, refined through certain strainers, it takes the name of emulation. 'Tis a pain arising in our breasts, on contemplation of the superior advan

tages

tages of another: And its tendency is truly good, under some certain regulations.

ALL honour, very evidently, depends upon comparison; and consequently the more numerous are our superiors, the smaller portion of it falls to our share. Considered relatively, we are dwarfs, or giants; though considered absolutely, we are neither. However, the love of this relative grandeur is made a part of our natures; and the use of emulation is to excite our diligence in pursuit of power, for the sake of beneficence. The instances of its perversion are obvious to every one's observation. A vicious mind, instead of its own emolument, studies the debasement of his superior. A person, to please one of this cast, must needs divest himself of all useful qualities; and in order to be beloved, discover nothing that is truly amiable. One may very safely fix our esteem on those whom we hear some people depreciate. Merit is to them as uniformly odious, as the sun itself to the birds of darkness. An author, to judge of his own merit, may fix his eye upon this tribe of men; and suffer his satisfaction to arise in due proportion to their discontent. Their disapprobation will sufficiently

influ

influence every generous bosom in his favour and I would as implicitly give my applause to one whom they pull to pieces, as the inhabitants of Pegu worship those, that have been devoured by apes.

'TIS another perversion of this passion, though of a less enormous nature, when it merely stimulates us to rival others in points of no intrinsic worth. Το equal others in the useless parts of learning; to pursue riches for the sake of an equipage as brilliant ; to covet an equal knowledge of a table; to vie in jockeyship, or cunning at a bet. These, and many other rivalships, answer not the genuine purposes of emulation,

I BELIEVE the passion is oftentimes derived from a too partial view of our own and others' excellencies. We behold a man possessed of some particular advantage, and we immediately reflect upon its deficiency in ourselves. We wait not to examine what others we have to balance it. We envy another man's bodily accomplishments; when our mental ones might preponderate, would we put them into the scale. Should we ask our own bosoms whether we would change situa

situations altogether, I fancy self-love would, generally, make us prefer our own condition. But if our sentiments remain the same after such an examination, all we can justly endeavour is our own real advancement. To meditate this detriment either in fortune, power, or reputation, at the same time that it is infamous, has often a tendency to depress ourselves. But let us confine our emulation to points of real worth; to riches, power, or knowledge, only that we may rival others in beneficence.

A VISION