low, that they estimate at too low a rate those attainments in which they are allowed to excel. In judging at least of those around us, we are, I am afraid, too apt to undervalue fuch as may be deficient in any particular in which we have acquired eminence, however respectable such perfons may otherwife be. The man of letters looks down with a conscious fuperiority on the man of business engaged in the ordinary affairs of life: The men of the world, on the other hand, feeling the importance of their own occupations, confider the pursuits of literature as at best but a finer fpecies of diffipation, a mere pastime, leading to no end, and attended with no confequence.

This fort of mutual contempt is vifible in every rank and condition of life; and even the beft, the most moderate, and the most culti vated minds, are not, perhaps, altogether exempted from it. Mr. Hume, in his History of England, expreffes himself in the following terms: "Such a fuperiority do the pursuits of

literature poffefs above every other occupa❝tion, that even he who attains but a medio"crity in them, merits the pre-eminence above "thofe that excel the moft in the common and "vulgar profeffions." It is not my object at prefent to inquire how far this opinion be well or ill founded: Allowing it to be juft, what muft

muft Mr. Hume's station be in the feale of excellence? That question, I am persuaded, his gentle modesty hardly permitted him to confider. It is well known that Mr. Hume, a few years before his death, received a pension of 2001. a year. It might have been amusing at the time, to confider the oppofite ideas entertained by the givers and the receiver of that penfion. In the pride of present power, and amidst the self-importance fostered by perpetual adulation, the minister and his minions might view with a certain degree of contempt a man on whom they were beftowing fo paltry a recompence: On the other hand, the author, while receiving this mark of favour, and expreffing his gratitude for it, might not be able to check the rising thought, that his name would live for ever, ranked with thofe whose envied lot it had been, to inform, to enlighten, to delight mankind; while his patrons, distinguished only by rank or station, were buried in oblivion with the common herd of kings, minifters, and statesmen, whose names posterity reads with the moft perfect indifference, of whom little more is commonly known, than that they lived and died at fuch and fuch a period. Of this idea Mr. Hume himself gives a fine illustration. Talking of the little regard paid to Milton when alive, "Whitlocke,” says he,

"men

" mentions one Milton, as he calls him, a blind "man, who was employed in tranflating a << treaty with Sweden into Latin. Thefe forms

"of expreflion are amusing to us, who confider "how obfcure Whitlocke himself, though Lord "Keeper and Ambassador, and indeed a man "of great abilities and merit, has become in "comparison of Milton."

When Lord Keeper Whitlocke expreffed himfelf in those terms, he must have felt a confcious fuperiority over one Milton, employed to tranflate the Swedish treaty into Latin. But if we may guefs at what paffed in the mind of Milton while employed in that humble service, it is not improbable, that if ever he was led to eftimate his own merit in comparison with that of Whitlocke, a juft fenfe of his own fuperior excellence might teach him, that, though conftrained by fituation to fubmit to a drudgery fo unworthy of him, yet ftill he was by nature intitled to a place in the Temple of Fame far above his employer; and he might perhaps enjoy, by a fort of anticipation, that ample justice which posterity has done him. Such examples may convey a useful leffon to the great, may teach them to smooth somewhat of their "creft"ed pride," and to treat with more obfervance and regard, than they are often disposed to do,

men

men equal to them by nature, perhaps fuperior in Nature's best and choiceft gifts.

Of the last species of weakness taken notice of in this paper, the credit we take for the talents we poffefs, the reafon feems obvious enough, that partiality to ourselves, and our own poffeffions, which runs through every circumstance of life. Of the first, our defire to be remarked for talents to which we have no proper claim, the reason may, I think, be drawn from the period of life at which it commonly takes its rife. Our real endowments were ours, or began to be attained, at an early age, when we were but little liable to the impreffions of vanity or felf-conceit; but the new and imperfect acquirements on which men are apt very abfurdly to plume themselves, begin after the habit of vanity is formed, which appropriates to itself every acquifition, however trifling, which its poffeffor may happen to make.

But whatever may be the cause of fuch weakneffes, no doubt will be entertained of their exiftence. It will readily be acknowledged, that men are apt to fall into thofe two oppofite and feemingly contradictory extremes, when they think of themfelves and of others. hand, the childish vanity of new acquirements leads us to overlook thofe talents which in rea

On one

lity we poffefs, and to value ourselves on those to which we have little or no pretenfion; yet when we come to form a judgment of our own merit, in comparison with that of our neighbours, we are apt to despise every person who is deficient in any one particular in which we excel. We ought, however, to recollect, that to aim at univerfal excellence is a vain and fruitlefs attempt, which feldom fails to expofe even men of the most fuperior talents to deserved ridicule: And, if this be allowed, it must follow, that it is no lefs unjuft than ungenerous, to despise others for the want of a particular quality or accomplishment which we may happen to poffefs; because it is extremely probable that we may be equally deficient in some article, perhaps more important and more useful to mankind, in which they have attained a high degree of excellence.

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