gard in what degree, as to itself, we poffefs the good, but in how greater a degree it is poifelled by us, than by others. Among a very ignorant people, a fcholar of the lowest form will pals, both in their and his own judgment, for an adept. You would, I am fure, pronounce of any gentleman, who kept mean company, that there was little hope of his ever acting a part, which would greatly credit him: while he loved to be chiefly with thofe, who would own, and do homage to, his fuperiority; you would think him by no means likely to cultivate much real worth. And were it to be said, that you should make fuch a judgment of him, not because of any impreffion he would receive from bis companions, but because of the difpofition he fhewed in the choice of them; I fhould be glad to know, how that man must be thought affected towards religion and virtue, who could be willingly prefent, where he was fure that they would be groisly depreciated. Whoever could bear a diparagement of them, must have fo litthe fenfe of their worth, that we muft justly conclude him ill prepared for refifting the attempt, to deprive them wholly of their influence upon him. And, therefore, we may as fitly determine, from the difpofiLon evidenced by him who keeps bad company, what his morals will at length be; as we can determine from the turn of mind, difcovered by one who keeps mean company, what his figure in the world is likely to be, Thofe among us, whofe capacities qualify them for the most confiderable attainments who might raise themselves to an equality with the heroes in literature, of the last century, fit down contented with the fuperiority they have over their contemporaries acquiefce in furnishing a bare fpecimen of what they could do, if their genius were roufed, if they were to tart their abilities. They regard only the advantage they poffers over the idle and illiterate, by whom they are furrounded; and give way to their ease, when they may take it, and yet appear as conüderable in zeer times, as the learned men, we mot admire, did in their respective ages. How many could I mention, to whom nature has been most liberal of her endowments, who are barely in the lift of auLuors, who have only writ enough to fhew how much honour they would have done their country, had their application been called cut, and if their names must have been no better known than those of their acquaintance, unless their diligence had equalled their capacity. What is thus notoriously true of literary defert, is equally fo of moral: the perfons, to whom we allot a greater share of it, than has long been found in any in their ftations, how have they their fenfe of right with-held from exerting itself, by the few they meet with difpofed to animate them to any endeavour towards correcting the general depravity--by the connections they have with fuch numbers, whose rule is their inclination-by that utter difregard to duty, which they fee in moit of thofe with whom they have an intercourfe. Alas! in the very best of us, a conviction of what becomes us goes but a little way in exciting us to practice it. Solici tations to be lefs obfervant of it are, from fome or other quarter, perpetually offering themselves: and are by no means likely to be withthood, if our refolutions are not ftrengthened by the wife counfels and correfpondent examples of our affociates. "Behold! young man-You live in an "age, when it is requifite to fortify the "mind by examples of conftancy." This Tacitus mentions as the speech of the admirable Thrafea to the qualtor, fent to tell him he must die; and by whom he would have it remarked, with what com pofure he died. Nor is it only when our virtue endangers our life, as was then the case, that fuch examples are wanted. Wherever there is a prevailing corruption of manners; they who would act throughout the becoming part, must be animated to it by what they hear from, and fee in, others, by the patterns of integrity which they have before them. We are easily induced to judge fome deviation from our rule very excufable; and to allow ourfelves in it: when our thoughts are not called off from our own weakness and the general guilt: but while we are converfant with thofe, whofe conduct is as unfuitable, as our own, to that of the multitude; we are kept awake to a fenfe of our obligations our fpirits are fupported-we feel the courage that we bendla-we fee what can be done by fuch as fhare our frail nature; and we are afamed to waver, where they perfevere. Ariftotle confiders friendfhip as of three kinds; one arifing from virtue, another from pleasure, and another from intereft; but juitly determines, that there can be no true true friendship, which is not founded in virtue. The friendship contracted from pleasure or profit, regards only the pleasure or profit obtained thereby; and ceafes, when thefe precarious motives to it fail: but that, to which virtue gives birth, not having any accidental caufe-being without any dependance on humour or interefi arifing wholly from intrinfic worth, from what we are in ourselves, never fluctuates, operates fteadily and uniformly, remains firm and uninterrupted, is lafting as our lives. That which is the effential quali fication of a friend, fhould be the chief recommendation in a companion. If, indeed, we have any concern for real worth: with whom should we be more defirous to converfe, than with thofe who would accompany us, and encourage us, in the purfuit of it. The fame writer, mentioning the ufe that friends are of to us in every part of life, remarks the benefit which young men find from them to be-" That they keep "them in their duty." Had he thought, that any thing could have been urged more in beha't of friendfhip; he, undoubtedly, would have obferved it. And when fuch is the language of fo able an inftructor, and of one who guided himself in his inftructions only by the certain, the prefent advantage, that would attend a conformity to them; the leffon we have here for the choice of company muft appear worthy the notice even of thofe, who will have no other guides but reafon and nature. If to keep us fteady to our duty be the beft office that can be done us-If they, who are our friends, will be thus ferviceable to us-If the virtuous alone can be our friends, our converfation fhould be chiefly with the virtuous; all familiarity with the vitious fhould be avoided; we should confider thofe, who would deftroy our virtue, as our enemies-our very worst enemies, whilft endeavouring to deprive us of the greatest blefling, that it is in our power to obtain. Dean Bolton. $130. On Intemperance in Eating. This refpects the quantity of our food, or the kind of it: if, in either of thefe, we have no regard to the hurt it may do us, we are guilty of intemperance. From tranfgreffing in the quantity of our food, a speedier mifchief enfues than * from doing fo in the quality of it; and therein we never can tranfgrefs, without being directly admonished of it by our very conftitution. Our meal is never too large, but heavinefs comes on-the load on our ftomach is our inftant tormentor; and every repetition of our fault a caution to us, that we do not any more thus offend. A caution, alas, how unheeded by us!Crammed like an Englishman, was, Í find, a proverbial expreffion in Erasmus's days— above two hundred years ago. An error barely in the kind of our aliment gives us, frequently, no prefent alarm; and, perhaps, but a very flight one, after we have, for fome years, continued in it. In the vigour of youth, fcarce any thing we eat appears to difagree with us: we gratify our palate with whatever pleases it; feeling no ill confequence, and therefore fearing none. The inconveniences, that we do not yet find, we hope we shall always efcape; or we then propofe to ourfelves a reftraint upon our appetite, when we experience the bad effects of indulging it. With refpect to the quantity of our food; that may be no excefs in one man, which may be the moft blameable in another: what would be the height of gluttony in us, if of a weak and tender frame, may be, to perfons of much stronger conftitution, a quite temperate meal. The fame proportions of food can, likewise, never fuit fuch, as have in them difpofitions to particular difeafes, and such, as have no evils of that nature to guard againft: nor can they, further, fuit thofe, who are employed in hard labour, and thofe, who live wholly at their eafe-thofe, who are frequently stirring and in action, and those, whofe life is iedentary and inactive. The fame man may, alfo, in the very fame quantity, be free from, or guilty of excefs, as he is young or old-healthy or diseased as he accuftoms his body to fatigue, or to repofe. The influence that our food has upon our health, its tendency to preferve or to impair our conftitution, is the meafare of its temperance or excefs. It may, indeed, fo happen, that our diet fhall be, generally, very fparing, without allowing us any claim to the virtue of temperance; as when we are more defirous to fave our money, than to please our palates, and, therefore, deny ourfelves at our own table, what we eat with greediness, when we feed at the charge of others, as, like likewife, when our circumftances not permitting us, ordinarily, to indulge our appetite, we yet fet no bounds to it, when we have an opportunity of gratifying it. He is the temperate man, whofe health directs his appetite-who is beft pleafed with what beft agrees with him-who eats, not to gratify his tafte, but to preferve his life-who is the fame at every table, as at his own-who, when he feafls, is not cloyed; and fees all the delicacies before him, that luxury can accumulate; yet preferves a due abftinence amidst them. The rules of temperance not only oblige Es to abstain from what noru does, or what we are fure foon will, hurt us: we offend against them, when we avoid not whatever has a probability of being hurtful to us.— They are, further, tranfgreffed by too great nicety about our food-by much foEcitude and eagerness to procure what we o relish-by frequently eating to fati etv. We have a letter remaining of an heathen, who was one of the most eminent perions in an age diftinguished by the great men it produced, in which he expetes how uncaly it made him, to be among thofe, who placed no fmall part of their happiness in an elegant table, and wao filled themfelves twice a day. In thus defcribing temperance, let me not be understood to cenfure, as a failure therein, all regard to the food that beft pleases us, when it is equally wholefome with other kinds when its price is neither unluitable to our circumftances, nor very great when it may be conveniently procured when we are not anxious about itwhen we do not frequently feek after it when we are always moderate in its ufe. To govern our appetite is neceffary; but, in order to this, there is no neceffity, that we should always mortify it-that we should, spon every occafion, confider what is leaft agreeable to us. Life is no more to be paffed in a conflant felf-denial, than in a round of fenfual enjoyments. We fhould endeavour, that it may not be, at any time, painful to us to deny ourselves what is improper for us; and, on that as well as other accounts, it is moft fitting that we fhould frequently practife felf-denial-that we fhould often forego what would delight us. But to do this continually, I cannot fuppofe required of us; because it doth not feem reasonable to think that it should be our duty wholly to debar ourselves of that food which our palate is formed to relish, and which we are fure may be used, without any prejudice to our virtue, or our health. Thus much may fuffice to inform us, when we incur the guilt of eating intemperately. The diffuafives from it, that appear of greatest weight, are these : It is the groffeft abuse of the gifts of Providence. It is the vileft debasement of ourselves. Our bodies owe to it the most painful diseases, and, generally, a fpeedy decay. It frequently interrupts the ufe of our nobler faculties, and is fure, at length, greatly to enfeeble them. The ftraits to which it often reduces us, occafion our falling into crimes, which would, otherwife, have been our utter abhorrence. Dean Bolton. § 131. On Intemperance in Eating. To confider, firft, excefs in our food as the grofleft abuse of the gifts of Providence. The vaft variety of creatures, with which God has replenished the earth-the abundant provifion, which he has made for many of them-the care, which he has taken that each species of them should be preferved-the numerous conveniences they adminifter to us-the pleafing change of food they afford us-the fuitable food that we find, among their different kinds, to different climates, to our different ways of life, ages, conftitutions, diftempers, are, certainly, the moft awakening call to the higheft admiration, and the gratefulleft fenfe, of the divine wisdom and goodness. This fenfe is properly expreffed, by the due application of what is to gracioufly affo forded us by the application of it to thofe purpofes, for which it was manifeftly intended. But how contrary hereto is his practice, who lives as it were but to eat, and confiders the liberality of Providence only as catering for his luxury! What mifchief this luxury doth us will be prefently confidered; and, in whatfoever degree it hurts us, we to fuch a degree abuse our Maker's bounty, which must defign our good-which, certainly, is directed to our welfare. Were we, by indulging our appetites, only to make ourselves lefs fit for any of the offices of life, only to become lefs capable of difcharging any of the du ties of our ftation, it may be made evident, I that, that, in this respect likewife, our use of the Divine beneficence is quite contrary to what it requires. He who has appointed us our business here-who, by our peculiar capacities, has fignified to us our proper employments, thereby difcovers to us how far merely to please ourselves is allowed us; and that, if we do fo, to the hindrance of a nobler work, it is oppofing his intention; it is defeating the end of life, by thofe very gifts, which were bestowed to carry us on more chearfully towards it. When my palate has a large fcope for its innocent choice-when I have at hand what may moft agreeably recruit my ftrength, and what is most effectual to preferve it; how great ingratitude and bafenefs thew themfelves in the excess, which perverts the aim of fo much kindnefs, and makes that to be the caufe of my forgetting with what view I was created, which ought to keep me ever mindful of it! As the bounty of Heaven is one of the ftrongest motives to a reasonable life, how guilty are we if we abuse it to the purposes of a fenfual! Our crime muft be highly aggravated, when the more conveniences our Maker has provided for us, we are fo much the more unmindful of the task he has enjoined us-when by his granting us what may fatisfy our appetite, we are induced wholly to confult it, and make ourfelves flaves to it. Let intemperance in our food be next confidered, as the fhamefulleft debafement of ourselves. Life, as we have been wifely taught to confider it, is more than meat. Man could not be fent into the world but for quite different purposes, than merely to indulge his palate. He has an understanding given him, which he may greatly improve; many are the perfections, which he is qualified to attain; much good to his fellowcreatures he has abilities to do: and all this may be truly faid of all mankind; all of us may improve our reafon, may proceed in virtue, may be useful to our fellow creatures. There are none, therefore, to whom it is not the fouleft reproach, that their belly is their God-that they are more folicitous to favour, and thereby to strengthen, the importunity of their appetite, than to weaken and mafter it, by frequent refiftance and restraint. The reafonable being is to be always under the influence of reafon; it is his excellence, his prerogative, to be fo: whatever is an hindrance to this degrades him, reflects on him difgrace and contempt. And as our reafon and appetite are in a conftant oppofition to each other, there is no indulging the latter, withour leffening the power of the former: If our appetite is not governed by, it will govern, our reafon, and make its most prudent fuggestions, its wifeft counfels, to be unheeded and flighted. The fewer the wants of any being are, we muft confider it as fo much the more perfect; fince thereby it is lefs dependent, and has lefs of its happiness without itself. When we raise our thoughts to the Beings above us, we cannot but attribute to the higher orders of them, ftill farther removes from our own weaknefs and indigence, till we reach God himself, and exempt him from wants of every kind. Knowing thus what must be afcribed to natures fuperior to ours, we cannot be ignorant, what is our own best recommendation; by what our nature is raised; wherein its worth is distinguished. To be without any wants is the Divine prerogative; our praife is, that we add not to the number of thofe, to which we were appointed-that we have none we can avoid-that we have none from our own misconduct. In this we attain the utmost degree of perfection within our reach. On the other hand, when fancy has multiplied our neceffities-when we owe I know not how many to ourselves-when our eafe is made dependent on delicacies, to which our Maker never subjected itwhen the cravings of our luxury bear no proportion to thofe of our natural hunger, what a degenerate race do we become! What do we but fink our rank in the creation. He whofe voraciousness prevents his being fatisfied, till he is loaded to the full of what he is able to bear, who eats to the utmost extent of what he can eat, is a mere brute, and one of the lowest kind of brutes; the generality of them obferving a juft moderation in their food-when duly relieved feeking no more, and forbearing even what is before them. But below any brute is he, who, by indulging himself, has contracted wants, from which nature exempted him; who must be made hungry by art, must have his food undergo the moft unwholefome preparations, before he can be inclined to tafte it; only relishing what is ruinous to his health; his life fupported by what neceffarily fhortens it. A part this, which, when acted by him, whe has reafon, reflection, forefight given him, wants a name to reprefent it in the full of its deformity. With privileges fo far be yond yond thofe of the creatures below us, how great is our bafenefs, our guilt, if thofe endowments are fo far abuled, that they ferve as but to find out the means of more goy cor pting ourselves! Ican or quit this head, without remark g it to be no flight argument of the diftour we incur by gluttony, that nothing is more carefully avoided in all well-bred conway, nothing would be thought by fnch cre brutal and rude, than the dif covery of any marks of our having eat istemperately of our having exceeded tat proportion of food, which is proper for our nourishment. Dean Rolton. $132. On Intemperance in Eating. SECT. III. To confider, further, excefs in our food as hafening our death, and bringing on us the most painful difeafes. It is evident, that nothing contributes more to the prefervation of life, than temperance. Experience proves it to be actually fo; and the ftructure of the human body fhews that it must be fo. They who defcribe the golden age, or the age of innocence, and near a thoufand years of life, reprefent the customary food of it as the plainest and moft fimple. Whether animal food was at all ufed before the flood. is questioned: we certainly frd, long after it, that Let's making a fe is defcribed by his baking unleavened Lread. Abraham entertained thofe, whom he cafidered of fuch eminence, as that, to ufe the words of fcripture, "he ran to "meet them from the tent door, and bowed "himfelf to the ground;" Abraham's entertainment, I fay, of perfons thus honoured by him, was only with a calf, with cakes of meal, with butter and milk. Gideon's hofpitality towards the moft illatious of guests thewed itself in killing a kid of the goats; and we read that he looked upon this to be a prefent, which his prince would not difdain. Perhaps my reader would rather take a meal with fome of the worthies of profane history, than with thofe, whom the facred has recorded. I will be his introducer. He fhall be a gued at an entertainment, which was, certaly, defigned to be a fplendid one; înce it was made by Achilles for three fuch confderable perfons, as Phanix, Ajax, and Us perfons, whom he himself repre fents as being, of all the Grecian chiefs, thofe whom he moft honours. He will cafily be believed herein; for this declaration is fcarce fooner out of his mouth, than he and his friends, Patroclus and Automedon, feverally employ themfelves in making up the fire-chopping the meat, ard putting it into the pot-Or, if Mr. Pope be allowed to delcribe their tasks on this occafion. -Patreelus o'er the blazing fire which ro of porket, sheep, and goat contains: Should the blind bard be confidered as a ftroller-keeping low company, and therefore, in the feafts he makes for the great, likely more to regard the quantity of the food which he provides for them, than the kind of it: would you rather be one of Virgil's guefs, as he lived in an age, when good eating was underfoodconverfed with people of rank-knew what dishes they liked, and would therefore not fail to place fuch before them? You fhall then be the gueft of the Roman poet-Do you chufe beef, or muttonwould you be helped to pork, or do you prefer goat's-flefh? You have no ftomach for fuch fort of diet. He has nothing elfe for you, unless Polyphemus will spare you a leg or an arm of one of the poor Greeks he is eating; or unless you will join the halfdrowned crew, and take a bit of the flags, which are drefied as foon as killed; or unlefs you are a great lover of bread and apples, and in order to fatisfy your hunger, will, in the language of Afcanius, eat your table. Dido, indeed, gives Encas and his companions a molt fplendid entertainment, as far as numerous attendants constitute one; but the poet mentions nothing, that the heroes had to eat, except bread; whatever clie was got for them, he includes in the general term Dapes; which, in other parts |