and among many beings of the same nature with himself, he may felect fome for intimacy and tendernefs, and improve the condition of his existence, by fuperadding friendship to humanity, and the love of individuals to that of the fpecies. Other animals are fo formed, that they seem to contribute very little to the happiness of each other, and know neither joy, nor grief, nor love, nor hatred, but as they are urged by fome defire immediately fubfervient either to the fupport of their own lives, or to the continuation of their race; they therefore feldom appear to regard any of the minuter difcriminations which diftinguifh creatures of the fame kind from one another. But if man were to feel no incentives to kindness, more than his general tendency to congenial nature, Babylon or London, with all their multitudes, would have to him the defolation of a wilderness; his affections, not compreffed into a narrower compafs, would vanish like elemental fire, in boundless evaporation; he would languish in perpetual infenfibility, and though he might, perhaps, in the first vigour of youth, amufe himfelf with the fresh enjoyments of life, yet, when curiofity fhould ceafe, and alacrity fubfide, he would abandon himself to the fluctuations of chance, without expecting help against any calamity, or feeling any wish for the happiness of others. To love all men is our duty, so far as it includes a general habit of benevolence, and readiness of occafional kindness; but to love all equally is impoffible; at leaft impoffible without the extinction of thofe paffions which now produce all our pains and all our pleafures; without the difufe, if not the abolition, of some of our faculties, and the. fuppreffion fuppreffion of all our hopes and fears in apathy and indifference. The neceffities of our condition require a thoufand offices of tenderness, which mere regard for. the fpecies will never dictate. Every man has frequent grievances which only the folicitude of friendship will difcover and remedy, and which would remain for ever unheeded in the mighty heap of human calamity, were it only furveyed by the eye of general benevolence equally attentive to every mifery. The great community of mankind is, therefore, neceffarily broken into fmaller independent focieties; these form diftinct interefts, which are too frequently oppofed to each other, and which they who have entered into the league of particular governments falfely think it virtue to promote, however deftructive to the happiness of the rest of the world. Such unions are again feparated into fubordinate claffes and combinations, and focial life is perpetually branched out into minuter fubdivifions, till it terminates in the laft ramifications of private friendship. That friendship may at once be fond and lasting, it has been already obferved in thefe papers, that a conformity of inclinations is neceffary. No man can have much kindnefs for him by whom he does not believe himself esteemed, and nothing fo evidently proves esteem as imitation. That benevolence is always ftrongest which arifes from participation of the fame pleafures, fince we are naturally moft willing to revive in our minds the memory of perfons, with whom the idea of enjoyment, is connected. It is commonly, therefore, to little purpose, that any one endeavours to ingratiate himself with fuch as he cannot accompany in their amusements and diverfions. Men have been known to rise to favour and to fortune, only by being fkilful in the fports with which their patron happened to be delighted, by concurring with his tafte for fome particular fpecies of curiofities, by relifhing the fame wine, or applauding the fame cookery. Even thofe whom wisdom or virtue have placed above regard to fuch petty recommendations, must nevertheless be gained by fimilitude of manners. The highest and nobleft enjoyment of familiar life, the communication of knowledge and reciprocation of fentiments, muft always prefuppofe a difpofition to the fame inquiry, and delight in the fame difcoveries. With what fatisfaction could the politician lay his schemes for the reformation of laws, or his comparisons of different forms of government, before the chemift, who has never accustomed his thoughts to any other object than falt and fulphur; or how could the aftronomer, in explaining his calculations and conjectures, endure the coldness of a grammarian, who would lofe fight of Jupiter and all his fatellites, for a happy etymology of an obfcure word, or a better explication of a controverted line. Every man loves merit of the fame kind with his own, when it is not likely to hinder his advancement or his reputation; for he not only best understands the worth of thofe qualities which he labours to cultivate, or the usefulness of the art which he practises with fuccefs, but always feels a reflected pleasure from the praifes, which, though given to another, belong equally to himself. There There is indeed no need of research and refinement to discover that men must generally select their companions from their own ftate of life, fince there are not many minds furnished for great variety of conversation, or adapted to multiplicity of intellectual entertainments. The failor, the academick, the lawyer, the mechanick, and the courtier, have all a caft of talk peculiar to their own fraternity, have fixed their attention upon the fame events, have been engaged in affairs of the fame fort, and make use of allufions and illuftrations which themfelves only can understand. To be infected with the jargon of a particular profeffion, and to know only the language of a fingle rank of mortals, is indeed fufficiently defpicable. But as limits must be always fet to the excurfions of the human mind, there will be fome study which every man more zealously profecutes, fome darling fubject on which he is principally pleafed to converfe; and he that can most inform or best understand him, will certainly be welcomed with particular regard. Such partiality is not wholly to be avoided, nor is it culpable, unless fuffered fo far to predominate as to produce averfion from every other kind of excellence, and to shade the luftre of diffimilar virtues, Those therefore, whom the lot of life has conjoined, fhould endeavour conftantly to approach towards the inclination of each other, invigorate every motion of concurring defire, and fan every spark of kindred curiofity. It has been justly obferved, that difcord generally operates in little things; it is inflamed to its utmost vehemence by contrariety of taste, oftener than of principles; and might therefore commonly be avoided by innocent conformity, which if it was not at first the motive, ought always to be the confequence of indiffoluble union. NUMB. 100. SATURDAY, March 2, 1751. Omne vafer vitium ridenti Flaccus amico Horace, with fly infinuating grace, Laugh'd at his friend, and look'd him in the face; As PERSIUS, DRYDEN, S very many well difpofed perfons, by the unavoidable neceflity of their affairs, are fo unfortunate as to be totally buried in the country, where they labour under the moft deplorable ignorance of what is tranfacting among the polite part of mankind, I cannot help thinking, that, as a publick writer, you fhould take the cafe of these truly compaffionate objects under your confideration. These unhappy languishers in obfcurity fhould be furnished with fuch accounts of the employments of people of the world, as may engage them in their feveral remote corners to a laudable imitation; or, at leaft, fo far inform and prepare them, that if by any joyful change of fituation they fhould be fuddenly tranfported into the gay fcene, |