Friends, and his Daughter to the other, to be by him beltow'd in Marriage, entailing upon the Surviver the Care of them both. This Legacy was accepted with fo much Honour and Courtely, that their Friend being Dead, the one gave to his Daughter the fame Portion he gave his own; and the other always treated his Mother with as much Esteem and Respect as he had formerly used his

own.

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Thofe, in my Opinion, had a right Notion of Friendship, who were of Opinion, that it should out-live the Perfon belov'd. But in our Age of Envy, Avarice, and Ambition, where private Difcord is fomented, and Rapine authoriz'd, It would not be taken as a Mark of Friendship, but rather of Incivility, Rafhnefs, and Hatred, if any one fhould bequeath to his Friend, by his Will, to provide for the Neceffities of his Family. Man kind are fo far degenerated, and grown fo felfifh, that every Body is ready to receive, and scarcely one to give; and a fincere Friend may think himfelf a happy Man, when he is in a Capacity to beltow, but unhappy if reduced to ask for any Thing: He is immediately reckon❜d a troublesom Fellow, and moft People, who before profefs'd a Friendship for, Valued and Refpected him, begin to frown upon him, as soon as it appears that he stands in need of any Help or Affistance from

them.

We have now very few, I might fay none, of the fame Humour with Antipater, who lov'd thofe of his Friends beft, who took Pleasure in asking of him, and receiving Favours from his Hands. And this it was that made him fay one Day, that he had Two fincere Friends in Athens; one of which, namely Domades, all the Favours and Prefents that he could heap upon him were Y

not

not fufficient to fatisfy him; and the other, Phocion, who would not be perfwaded to accept of any. Being hard put to it to find Inftances of a generous and true Friend, or of a fincere Friendship, I fhall finifh this Section with that fine Paffage of Plutarch, who, fpeaking of Pompey the Great, fays, That he knew how to receive with Dignity and Honour, and to give without Pride and Arrogance.

CHAPTER XXI.

That Courage and Virtue may indifferently pro-ceed from every Stock, or Race.

1

N Eagle had, from feveral Year's Obferva

Avation, difcover'd that her young Ones de

generated very much from the reft of their Species; She therefore form'd a Defign, to mix the Eggs of a Raven confufedly with her own, and make but one Brood of both; hoping the might poffibly by these Means change the Strain,and perfect what Nature had been before defective in: She prov'd fuccessful in the Attempt, and tho' fhe knew not what to impute it to, whether to the Influences of her own Heat, or any other Caufe, they were no fooner hatch'd, but that they could look at the dazling Rays of the Sun fteadily and unconcern'd; when at the fame time fhe took Notice, that one of her own did nothing but peck at the reft, difcovering the Pravity of his Tafte, by preferring ftinking Carrion before the freshelt Venison. How ever try the would, whether they were genuine or no, by expofing them to the Sun; and accord ingly, taking the Opportunity of a clear Day, the obliged them to leave the Neft, when the obferv'd two young Ravens flying directly towards the Sun with one Eaglet; instead of this the others, not in a Capacity to endure the Heat thereof, tumbled into a Marsh, and there perifh'd; their Cries and Complaints had no effect upon the old Eagle, and tho' they frequently inculcated to her, that the was their Mother, yet it only extorted from her this Answer. You are not mine, I am not by any

means

means Ally'd to you, when deftitute of thofe Quali fications the Reft of your Species are poffefs'd of.

The MORAL.

What is couch'd under this Fable is very obvious; that Children of bad Morals are frequently born of Men of Merit; that wholefom Inftructions ufually correct our vicious and depraved Inclinations; that we may, in a great Measure, judge of Men's future Behaviour by their Conduct when Young; and that a Father of laudable Principles and Practice difowns his Sons, if they are ingulf'd in Vice and Debauchery.

When we see a common Soldier, animated with Courage, performing Wonders in the Field, breaking through the arm'd Squadrons of his Enemies in Purfuit of Glory, and defpifing Life itself, when in Competition with the Intereft of his Prince and Country; and when we, at the fame Time, obferve a fuperior Officer, one of Birth, at the Entrance of a befieg'd City, or immediately before the Hour of Battle, trembling at the Fear of Death, not daring to face his Foe, making Ule of various difhonourable Methods to be out of Danger, we must certainly confefs, that the former difcovers better Blood in his Veins than the latter. I hope our Judgments will never be fo prejudic'd, as to difregard Men that have behav'd themselves with Applaufe, however meanly they are defcended or celebrate the Actions of another, that has deferted his Colours, becaufe perhaps his Family hath a Coat of Arms. I am fatisfy'd, that every rational Man will judge of it in a quite different Manner, and will never eftablish This for an infallible Maxim, That the Greatness of Souls depends upon a long Train of Ancestors, and that all the com

mendable

mendable Qualifications, by which we diftinguish ourJelves from others, are entirely the Product and Confequences of our Birth.

Nobility has nothing engaging or attractive in it, when ftain'd by bafe and ungenerous A&tions, as an ancient Writer (St. Chryfoftom) has well obferv'd: That a Son fhould never value himself on the Grandeur of his Predeceffors, but that the prudent. Behaviour, and unblamable Conduct of the Son, difcovers firft the Merit of his Father, and then enhances our Efteem for him. In a Word, whatever heinous Wickedness they are guilty of, their Birth îş fo far from doing them any Service, that it exposes them the more to the Cenfure of the World; but inftead of this, Children that are confpicuous for their Virtues, will enoble their Fathers Plebeian Blood."

4

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'Tis not therefore without great Reason, that the most eminent Philofophers, and learn'd Politicians of all Ages, have unanimously agreed in this Point, that that Nobility, which owes its Original to Virtue, is far preferable to that which proceeds from Birth: I acknowledge that Birth adds no fmall Luftre to Virtue, when the fame Perfon enjoys both; and that the heroick Exploits of Ancestors adorn thofe, that fucceed them in the fame Employments, and behave themselves. with Honour, as the former did, under the Character of either a Soldier, or a Minifter of State; yet at the fame Time I am of Opinion, that if Virtue is not the Principle by which they act, their Nobility will only turn to the Reproach, and to the utter Disgrace of the whole Family. And let them not vainly imagine, that a long Succeffion of Coats of Arms can be ferviceable in any Refpect; for if it lies not in their Power to make them better Men, it neither lies in their Power to recommend them more to the World. I might