t And there forlorn, defpairing, hid, I'll lay me down and die : • Thou shalt not thus,' the hermit cry'd, Turn, Angelina, ever dear, 6 My charmer, turn to fee Thy own, thy long loft Edwin here, Thus let me hold thee to my heart, And fhall we never, never part, O thou-my all that's mine! No, never from this hour to part, • The figh that rends thy constant heart, ON ON DIGNITY OF MANNERS. THE HERE is a certain dignity of manners abfolutely neceffary, to make even the most valuable character either respected or refpectable. Horse play, romping, frequent and loud fits of laughing, jokes, waggery, and indifcriminate familiarity, will fink both merit and knowledge into a degree of contempt. They compose at most a merry fellow; and a merry fellow was never yet a respectable man. Indiscriminate familiarity either offends your fuperiors, or else dubs you their dependent, and led captive. It gives your inferiors, just, but troublesome and improper claims of equality. A joker is near a-kin to a buffoon; and neither of them is the leaft related to wit. Whoever is ad mitted or fought for, in company, upon any other account than that of his merit and manners, is never respected there, but only made use of. We will have fuch a one, for he fings prettily; we will invite fuch a one to a ball, for he dances well; we will have such a one at fupper, for he is always joking and laughing; we will afk another, because he plays deep at all games, or because he can drink a great deal. These are all vilifying distinctions, mortifying preferences, and exclude all ideas of esteem and regard. Whoever is had (as it is called) in company, for the fake of any one thing fingly, is fingly that thing, and will never be confidéred in any other light; confequently never respected, let his merits be what they will. This dignity of manners, which I recommend fo much to you, is not only as different from pride, as true courage courage is from bluftering, or true wit from joking, but is abfolutely inconsistent with it; for nothing vilifies and degrades more than pride. The pretenfions of the proud man are oftener treated with fneer and contempt, than with indignation: as we offer ridiculoufly too little to a tradefman, who afks ridiculously too much for his goods; but we do not haggle with one who only afks a just and reasonable price. Abject flattery and indifcriminatę affentation degrade as much as indifcriminate contradiction and noify debate difguft. But a modeft affertion of one's own opinion, and a complaifant acquiefcence in other people's, preserve dignity. Vulgar, low expreffions, awkward motions and addrefs, vilify, as they imply either a very low turn of mind, or low education, and low company. Frivolous curiofity about trifles, and a laborious attention to little objects, which C 4 which neither require nor deferve a moment's thought, lower a man: who from thence is thought (and not unjustly) incapable of greater matters. Cardinal de Retz, very sagaciously, marked out Cardinal Chigi for a little mind, from the moment that he told him he had wrote three years with the fame pen, and that it was an excellent good one still. A certain degree of exterior ferioufnefs, in looks and motions, give dignity, without excluding wit and decent cheerfulness, which are always ferious themselves. A conftant fmirk upon the face, and a whiffling activity of the body, are strong indications of futility. Whoever is in a hurry, fhews that the thing he is about is too big for him. Hafte and hurry are very different things. I have only mentioned fome of thofe things which may, and do, in the opinion of the world, lower and fink |