Atoms. And for thefe glorious Difcoveries the Poet is beyond measure tranfported in the Praises of his Hero, as if he muft needs be fomething more than Man, only for an Endeavour to prove that Man is in nothing fuperior to Beafts. In this School was Mr. Hobbes inftructed to speak after the fame Manner, if he did not rather draw his Knowledge from an Obfervation of his own Temper; for he somewhere unluckily lays down this as a Rule, That from the Simili'tudes of Thoughts and Paffions of one Man to the Thoughts and Paffions of another, whofoever looks into himfelf and confiders what he doth when he thinks, hopes, fears, &c. and upon what Grounds; ⚫he fhall hereby read and know what are the Thoughts ' and Paffions of all other Men upon the like Occa'fions'. Now we will allow Mr. Hobbes to know beft how he was inclined; But in earnest, I should be heartily out of Conceit with my felf, if I thought my felf of this unamiable Temper, as he affirms, and should have as little Kindnefs for my felf as for any Body in the World. Hitherto I always imagined that kind and benevolent Propenfions were the Original Growth of the Heart of Man, and, however checked and overtopped by counter Inclinations that have fince sprung up within us, have ftill fome Force in the worst of Tempers, and a confiderable Influence on the beft. And, methinks, it is a fair Step towards the Proof of this, that the most beneficent of all Beings is He who hath an abfolute Fulnefs of Perfection in Himself, who gave Existence to the Univerfe, and fo cannot be fuppofed to want that which He communicated, without diminishing from the Plenitude of his own Power and Happiness. The Philofophers before-mentioned have indeed done all that in them lay to invalidate this Argument; for placing the Gods in a State of the most elevated Bleffed nefs, they defcribe them as Selfifh as we poor miferable Mortals can be, and fhut them out from all Concern for Mankind, upon the Score of their having no Need of us. But if He that fitteth in the Heavens wants not us, we ftand in continual. Need of Him; and furely, next to the Survey of the immenfe F 5 Treafu:es

For

Treasures of his own Mind, the most exalted Pleasure He receives is from beholding Millions of Creatures, lately drawn out of the Gulph of Non-existence, rejoicing in the various Degrees of Being and Happiness imparted to them. And as this is the true, the glorious Character of the Deity, fo in forming a reasonable Creature He would not, if poffible, fuffer his Image to pass out of his Hands unadorned with a Refemblance of Himself in this moft lovely Part of his Nature. what Complacency could a Mind, whofe Love is as unbounded as his Knowledge, have in a Work fo unlike Himfelf; a Creature that should be capable of knowing and converfing with a vaft Circle of Objects, and love none but Himfelf? What Proportion would there be between the Head and the Heart of fuch a Creature, its Affections, and its Understanding? Or could a Society of fuch Creatures, with no other Bottom but SelfLove on which to maintain a Commerce, ever flourish? Reafon, 'tis certain, would oblige every Man to purfue the general Happinefs, as the Means to procure and establish his own; and yet if, befides this Confideration, there were not a natural Inftinct, prompting Men to defire the Welfare and Satisfaction of others, SelfLove, in Defiance of the Admonitions of Reason, would quickly run all Things into a State of War and Confufion. As nearly interefted as the Soul is in the Fate of the Body," our provident Creator faw it neceffary, by the conftant Returns of Hunger and Thirst, those importunate Appetites, to put it mind of its Charge; knowing, that if we fhould eat and drink no oftner than cold abftracted Speculation fhould put us upon these Exercifes, and then leave it to Reafon to prefcribe the Quantity, we should foon refine our felves out of this bodily Life. And indeed, 'tis obvious to remark, that we follow nothing heartily, unless carried to it by Inclinations which anticipate our Reafon, and, like a Bias, draw the Mind ftrongly towards it. In order, therefore, to establish a perpetual Intercourfe of Benefits amongst Mankind, their Maker would not fail to give them this generous Prepoffeffion of Benevolence, if, as I have faid, it were poffible. And from whence can

we

131 we go about to argue its Impoffibility? Is it inconfiftent with Self-Love? Are their Motions contrary? No more than the diurnal Rotation of the Earth is oppofed to its Annual; or its Motion round its own Centre, which might be improved as an Illuftration of Self-Love, to that which whirls it about the common Centre of the World, anfwering to univerfal Benevolence. Is the Force of Self-Love abated, or its Intereft prejudiced by Benevolence? So far from it, that Benevolence, though a diftinct Principle, is extremely ferviceable to SelfLove, and then doth most Service when 'tis leaft defign'd.

BUT to defcend from Reafon to Matter of Fact; the Pity which arifes on Sight of Perfons in Diftress, and the Satisfaction of Mind which is the Confequence of having removed them into a happier State, are inftead of a thousand Arguments to prove fuch a thing as a difinterested Benevolence. Did Pity proceed from a Reflexion we make upon our Liablenefs to the fame ill Accidents we fee befal others, it were nothing to the prefent Purpose; but this is affigning an artificial Caufe of a natural Paffion, and can by no Means be admitted as a tolerable Account of it, becaufe Children and Perfons moft Thoughtlefs about their own Condition, and incapable of entering into the Prospects of Futurity, feel the most violent Touches of Compaffion. And then as to that charming Delight which immediately follows the giving Joy to another, or relieving his Sorrow, and is, when the Objects are numerous, and the Kindness of Importance, really inex preffible, what can this be owing to but a Confcioufnefs of a Man's having done fomething Praife-worthy, and expreffive of a great Soul? Whereas, if in all this he only Sacrificed to Vanity and Self Love, as there would be nothing brave in Actions that make the most fhining Appearance, fo Nature would not have rewarded them with this divine Pleasure; nor could the Commendations, which a Perfon receives for Benefits done upon felfifh Views, be at all more Satisfactory, than when he is applauded for what he doth without Defign; because in both Cafes the Ends of Self-Love are equally answered. The Confcience of approving

ones

ones felf a Benefactor to Mankind is the nobleft Re. compence for being fo; doubtlefs it is, and the most interested cannot propofe any thing so much to their own Advantage, notwithstanding which, the Inclination is nevertheless unfelfish. The Pleafure which attends the Gratification of our Hunger and Thirft, is not the Caufe of thefe Appetites; they are previous to any fuch Profpect; and fo likewife is the Defire of doing Good; with this Difference, that being feated in the intellectual Part, this laft, though Antecedent to Reafon, may yet be improved and regulated by it, and, I will add, is no otherwise a Virtue than as it is fo. Thus have I contended for the Dignity of that Nature I have the Honour to partake of, and, after all the Evidence produced, think I have a Right to conclude, against the Motto of this Paper, that there is fuch a thing as Generofity in the World. Though if I were under a Mistake in this, I fhould fay as Cicero in Relation to the Immortality of the Soul, I willingly err, and should believe it very much for the Intereft of Mankind to lie under the fame Delufion. For the contrary Notion naturally tends to difpirit the Mind, and finks it into a Meannefs fatal to the God-like Zeal of doing good. As on the other hand, it teaches People to be Ungrateful, by poffeffing them with a Perfuafion concerning their Benefactors, that they have no Regard to them in the Benefits they bestow. Now he that banishes Gratitude from among Men, by fo doing ftops up the Stream-of Beneficence. For though in conferring Kindneffes, a truly generous. Man doth not aim at a Return, yet he looks to the Qualities of the Perfon obliged, and as nothing renders a Perfon more unworthy of a Benefit, than his being without all Refentment of it, he will not be extremely forward to oblige fuch a Man.

N° 589. Friday, September 3.

Perfequitur fcelus ille fuum: labefactaque tandem 1&tibus innumeris adductaque funibus arbor

Corruit

SIR,

I

Ovid.

Am fo great an Admirer of Trees, that the Spot of Ground I have chofen to build a fmall Seat upon, in the Country, is almoft in the midst of a large Wood. I was obliged, much againft my Will, to cut down feveral Trees, that I might have any fuch thing as a Walk in my Gardens; but then I have taken care to leave the Space, between every • Walk, as much a Wood as I found it. The Moment you turn either to the Right or Left, you are in a Foreit, where Nature preíents you with a much more beautiful Scene than could have been raised by Art.

INSTEAD of Tulips or Carnations, I can fhew you Oaks in my Gardens of four hundred Years ftanding, and a Knot of Elms that might shelter a Troop of Horfe from the Rain.

IT is not without the utmoft Indignation, that I obferve feveral prodigal young Heirs in the Neighbourhood, felling down the most glorious Monuments of their Ancestors Industry, and ruining, in a Day, the Product of Ages.

I am mightily pleafed with your Difcourfe upon Planting, which put me upon looking into my Books. to give you fome Account of the Veneration the Ancients had for Trees. There is an old Tradition,. that Abraham planted a Cypress, a Pine, and a Cedar, and that thefe three incorporated into one Tree, which was cut down for the Building of the Temple4 of Solomon.. ISIDORUS