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True generofity is a duty as indifpenfably neceffary as those impofed upon us by law. It is a rule imposed upon us by reafon, which should be the fovereign law of a rational being. But this generofity does not confift in obeying every impulfe of humanity, in following blind paffion for our guide, and impairing our circumftances by prefent benefactions, fo as to render us incapable of future ones.

Mifers are generally characterized as men without honour, or without humanity, who live only to accumulate, and to this paffion facrifice every other happiness. They have been defcribed as madmen, who, in the midft of abundance, banifh every pleafure, and make, from imaginary wants, real neceffities. But few, very few correfpond to this exaggerated picture; and, perhaps, there is not one in whom all these circumftances are found united. Inftead of this, we find the fober and the industrious branded by the vain and the idle, with this odious appellation. Men who, by frugality and labour, raise themselves above their equals, and contribute their fhare of induftry to the common stock.

Whatever the vain or the ignorant may fay, well were it for fociety had we more of this character amongst us. In general, these close men are found at laft the true benefactors of fociety. With an avaricious man we feldom lofe in our dealings, but too frequently in our commerce with prodigality.

A French priest, whofe name was Godinot, went for a long time by the name of the Griper. He refufed · to relieve the most apparent wretchednefs, and by a skilful management of his vineyard, had the good fortune to acquire immenfe fums of money. The inhabitants of Rheims, who were his fellow-citizens, detefted him, and the populace, who feldom love a mifer, wherever he went, received him with con

tempt.

tempt. He still, however, continued his former fimplicity of life, his amazing and unremitted frugality. This good man had long perceived the wants of the poor in the city, particularly, in having no water but what they were obliged to buy at an advanced price; wherefore, that whole fortune, which he had been amaffing, he laid out in an aqueduct, by which he did the poor more useful and lafting fervice, than if he had distributed his whole income in charity every day at his door.

Among men long converfant with books, we too frequently find those misplaced virtues, of which I have been now complaining. We find the ftudious animated with a ftrong paffion for the great virtues, as they are mistakenly called, and utterly forgetful of the ordinary ones. The declamations of philofophy are generally rather exhausted on thefe fupererogatory duties, than on fuch as are indifpenfably neceffary. A man, therefore, who has taken his ideas of mankind from study alone, generally comes into the world with an heart melting at every ficti tious diftrefs. Thus he is induced by mifplaced liberality, to put himself into the indigent circumftances of the perfon he relieves.

I fhall conclude this paper with the advice of one of the Antients, to a young man whom he faw giving away all his fubftance to pretended difterfs. "It is poffible, that the perfon you relieve may "be an honeft man; and I know that you who "relieve him are fuch. You fee, then, by your "generofity, you only rob a man, who is certainly "deferving, to beftow it on one who may poffibly "be a rogue. And while you are unjust in rewarding uncertain merit, you are doubly guilty by "ftripping yourself."

SOME

....

SOME PARTICULARS

RELATING TO

FATHER FREIJO.

Primus mortales tollere contra

Eft oculos aufus, primufque affurgere contra.

LUCR.

THE HE Spanish nation has, for many centuries paft, been remarkable for the groffeft ignorance in polite literature, especially in point of natural philofophy; a science so useful to mankind, that her neighbours have ever efteemed it a matter of the greateft importance, to endeavour by repeated experiments to ftrike a light out of the chaos, in which truth feemed to be confounded. Their curiofity in this refpect was fo indifferent, that, though they had discovered new worlds, they were at a lofs to explain the phænomena of their own, and their pride fo unaccountable, that they difdained to borrow from others that inftruction, which their natural indolence permitted them not to acquire.

It gives me, however, a fecret fatisfaction, to behold an extraordinary genius now exifting in that nation, whofe ftudious endeavours feem calculated to undeceive the fuperftitious, and inftruct the ignorant: I mean the celebrated Padre Freijo. In unravelling the myfteries of Nature, and explaining phyfical experiments, he takes an opportunity of difplaying the concurrence of fecond causes in those very wonders, which the vulgar ascribe to supernatural influence.

An example of this kind happened a few years ago in a small town of the kingdom of Valencia. Paffing through at the hour of mafs, he alighted VOL. IV.

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from his mule, and proceeded to the parish-church, which he found extremely crouded, and there appeared on the faces of the faithful a more than ufual alacrity. The fun, it seems, which had been for some minutes under a cloud, had begun to fhine on a large crucifix, that ftood on the middle of the altar, ftudded with feveral precious ftones. The reflexion from these, and from the diamond eyes of fome filver faints, fo dazzled the multitude, that they unanimoufly cried out, A miracle! a miracle! whilft the priest at the altar, with feeming confternation, continued his heavenly converfation. Padre Freijo foon diffipated the charm, by tying his handkerchief round the head of one of the ftatues, for which he was arraigned by the inquifition; whose flames, however, he has had the good fortune hitherto to escape.

THE

THE BEE, N° IV.

SATURDAY,

OCTOBER 27, 1759.

MISCELLANEOUS.

WERE I to measure the merit of my prefent un dertaking by its fuccefs, or the rapidity of its fale, I might be led to form conclufions by no means favourable to the pride of an author. Should I eftimate my fame by its extent, every Newfpaper and Magazine would leave me far behind. Their fame is diffused in a very wide circle, that of fome as far as Iflington, and fome yet farther ftill: while mnine, I fincerely believe, has hardly travelled beyond the found of Bow bell; and while the works of others fly like unpinioned fwans, I find my own move as heavily as a new-plucked goofe.

Still, however, I have as much pride as they who have ten times as many readers. It is impoffible to repeat all the agreable delufions, in which a disappointed author is apt to find comfort. I conclude, that what my reputation wants in extent, is made up by its folidity. Minus juvat Gloria lata quam magna. I have great fatisfaction in confidering the delicacy and difcernment of those readers I have, and in afcribing my want of popularity to the ignorance or inattention of those I have not. All the world may forfake an author, but vanity will never forfake him.

Yet notwithstanding fo fincere a confeffion, I was once induced to fhow my indignation against the

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