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I had not mentioned this Story of my departed Friend, (Reft and Peace to his Soul !) but as a friendly Admonition to the Living, who may be tempted by the fame corrupt Views, in like Circumstances, to fall into the fame indirect Practices. Infincerity, even among the Infincere, even in Courts and High Places, is condemned as deteftable by those who practise it, but as horrid and execrable by thofe who fuffer by it. Not to distinguish a Man of real Merit, is a Mark of Ignorance; not to prefer fuch a Man, in my Judgment and Efteem, fhews a Meanness of Soul; not to endeavour to procure him the Rewards of such Merit, when I have it in my Power to do it, is an Argument of an indolent, felfifh, or envious Spirit; to refufe him my beft Affiftance, when he humbly craves it, is inhuman, ungenerous, and difhonourable. But if, unafked and unfought, I offer my Affiftance, and pretend to serve him; if my infincere Profeffions of Friendship betray him into an unhappy Dependence upon me, and a Neglect of other Applications, which might have been made with better Succefs; if I improve his unhappy Security into an Occasion of betraying him, whilst I pretend to serve him: If, not content with this, I should infult the unhappy Sufferer, make a Jeft of his Credulity, and expofe him to the Ridicule of othersI fhould abhor myself, and think I deferved to be kicked out of the Creation.

LETTER

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LETTER VII.

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S my Hopes and Fears for this World are very moderate, I endeavour to pass through it with a philofophical Indifference, rather as a filent and impartial Spectator, than as one that has any real Interest in it, or Concern about it. I often fee, with a Mixture of Indignation and Pity, the mean Shifts, the dirty Services, the abject Compliances, that are neceffary to engage the Favour of the Great, and make a tolerable Appearance among the Candidates for Wealth and Power. Selfishness, a Narrowness of Soul, and Bafenefs of Heart, are the bitter Root of this pernicious Evil. Every Man of this Make is his own firft Coufin, nearest Relation, and beft Friend; and confiders his present Portion of Interest, Wealth, and Power, in no other Light than that of an improvable Stock for the the fole Behoof and Benefit of the Proprietor, and therefore turns his whole Attention to Ways and Means of making the faid Improvements. This is his fingle View; whatever Character he affumes, whatever Profeffions he makes, all terminates in himself. All his Pretenfions to Generofity, Friendship, Honour, and public Spirit, are only thin Disguises to conceal the abject Views, and base Designs, of a selfish ungenerous Heart. Those, whom he pretends to honour with his Friendship and Confidence, in his Heart he regards only as fo many Tools, or Inftruments, neceflary for the Execution and Support of this great and important Point, to blow up an immense Bubble of Vanity, and preferve it as long as poffible from burfting. This is the true

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State and Temper of all the ambitious, the covetous, the selfish Seekers of this World, Were you to apply by yourself, or your Friends, to such a Person as a Patron, your real Character, your abfolute and perfonal Merit, whether you were a Man of Ability, Virtue, and Honour; whether you were fit to be trusted with fuch a Commiffion, to fill fuch a Poft, or execute fuch an Office, with Dignity and Courage, would be no Part of the Question; but whether he will come into Measures; whether he will obey the Word of Command; whether he be fit to answer several other Purposes, to promote the feveral Schemes he has in view, or perform any fecret Services which the Neceffity of his Affairs may require. This will be the fole Standard and Teft of this fpurious equivocal Merit. For, when the Head and Heart of a Patron are perverted by finifter Views, indirect Schemes, and felfish Defigns, he will be fure to encourage none but fuch as he is affured are both able and willing to promote the fame Views, and affift in the Execution of any favourite Scheme, which he may think neceffary for the Increase or Security of his Fortune, his Power, or his Perfon. Now, when I fee a Man facrifice his Understanding and Confcience to his Ambition or his Covetoufnefs, or be a Tool or a Slave to the felfish, partial, corrupt Schemes and Intrigues of others; in whatever Form or Figure he may appear, I confider him in no other Light than that of a Pimp, or Procurer. And I think it is hardly a Matter of Queftion, which is the moft infamous Profeffion of the two, to be a Pimp to a Man's Lufts, or to his Vanity and Ambition. The former is, indeed, in common Eftimation, reckoned the more fcandalous; but

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the latter may be more truly infamous, and much more deteftable, because the former may concern none but himself and his W-re; but the other may have fatal and execrable Confequences upon Pofterity. This fingle Confideration may account for numberlefs whimsical Promotions that have been, and may hereafter be, made in all Ages of the World. Hence it has come to pafs, that many poor Creatures, whom Nature defigned for Rat-catchers or Pedlars, have been fet in high Places, exalted above their Betters, have wallowed in Luxury and Plenty, whilft better Men have wanted Bread. If there were no terrible Confequences attending this pernicious Evil, it would be ridiculous enough to know and confider the many and peculiar Kinds and Degrees of Merit, to which fome fortunate People have owed their Promotion, in every Scene or Profeffion of Life. The being useful or neceffary to a Patron, the marrying a near Relation, or the being able to requite one good Turn with another, have always been esteemed good and laudable Reasons for Preference; but, that a Man fhould owe his Promotion purely to a wrong Turn of Head, or Corruption of Heart; to a ridiculous Caft of Face, or Set of Features, is a little whimfical and unaccountable.-I had once the Honour to be paying my Duty to a great Minifter, who, in the Hunting-feafon, was come into the Country to enjoy the Pleasure of that healthy Diverfion. At Supper he was mentioning to me, with great Marks of Approbation and Efteem, a young Clergyman, who appeared that Morning upon the Field, well mounted, fmartly dreffed, and one of the moft alert Sportfsmen he had ever seen; and concluded with faying, He is a

clever young Fellow, I muft, and will, take care of him : And, had not this reverend Sportfinan been forced, foon after, to travel into foreign Countries, in order to escape hanging in his own, which he richly deferved, he might, for aught I know, before this Time, have been

Men that have pufhed their Fortunes, and raised themselves by fuch odd and unworthy Arts, as none but the Worthlefs and Undeferving could ever practife, contract by degrees an habitual Narrowness of Soul, and a judicial Poverty of Heart, uncapable of every generous Thought, every noble and useful Defign, of injoying their Plenty and Honour, and supporting their Characters with Dignity and Ease, and employing their Intereft and Fortune for the Good and Benefit of Mankind, but raging with an insatiable Thirst and Appetite for more. Such as these are to be met with in every State of Life; little, hungry, penurious Creatures, who, though never fo full, are never fatisfied; who, though they have much more than they deferve, or know how to enjoy, are always craving for more; And what to do? Why, only to enrich fome worthlefs Booby, whilft they fuffer Men of Learning, Probity, and Honour, to ftarve.— I remember, many Years ago, a humorous mad Fellow about Town, who had the Splendida bilis to an extravagant Degree. He was, by Profeffion, a Maker and Mender of Souls. He had a Mould for the former, and a philofophical Tenter (as he called it) for ftretching the Narrow and Contracted, and extending them to their due Dimenfions. As I was one Day trudging down the Strand, I chanced to see him, in clofe Conference with that little fhriveled old Fellow,

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