upon all; his stock must be exhausted who is always giving: but goodness, humanity, and justice, are perpetual and general benefits, whose source is never dry, and from which no person whatsoever is excluded. It is a great advantage to have an happy genius improved by study and reflection, a fruitful and inexhaustible variety of charms and graces for all sorts of men in every condition, and of every character. [f] To know how to apply them, to blend and diversify them, that every one may find something in them wherein himself is concerned; to dispense the common marks of goodness and affection to all, by carrying an agreeable [g] air in the countenance, which, by a kind of mute, but public eloquence, wins and charms whoever has to do with it; such gentle and popular behaviour, instead of being injurious to the dignity of great men, serves to exalt and render it more estimable. [h] Comitate & aliquiis officia provocans, incorrupto ducis honore, says Tacitus, speaking of the most amiable prince that ever was.

We cannot too often make youth read the beautiful discourses, which Livy and Plutarch put into the mouth of Paulus Emilius, after his victory, which teach us how a prince should bear bad fortune, and what reflections we ought to make in great prosperity. I shall here give a part of them.

[i] Perseus, when he appeared for the first time before his conqueror, threw himself in an humble posture at his feet, and dropped several cowardly expressionis and unworthy supplications, which Paulus Æmiliu could neither suffer nor hear, but looking upon hin with a countenance full of sorrow and indignation "Wretch that you are, says he to him, why do you "acquit fortune of the greatest, reproach, you coul "throw upon her, or why justify her by such actions as shew that you deserve your misfortunes, an

** attracts the respect of its enemies, and that meanness of spirit, how successful soever it may be, ac"quires only contempt from the Romans." However, he raised him up, and, giving him his hand, committed him to the custody of Tubero.

He then returned to his tent with his sons, his sonsin-law, and some young officers of his army, where, after he had reflected some time, without speaking; at last breaking silence," Is it possible, says he, my {"children, that a man should be so far blinded by off prosperity, as to swell with pride, and set a value "upon himself for having conquered nations, ruined "cities, and subdued kingdoms? Can we think, af"ter the great example that fortune has just given all "soldiers, of the inconstancy of human affairs, that there is any thing permanent and solid in her greatest favours? At what time can we flatter our'fselves that we are secure, since we have frequently "the most to fear in the very moment of victory; and "the fatal destiny which overthrows one to-day and another to-morrow, in the very height of joy, often 66 prepares for us the severest disgraces? When a few " minutes have sufficed to pull down the throne of - Alexander, who had attained the highest degree of power, and subjected the greatest part of the world; and we now see his successors, who but a while ago were encompassed with formidable armies, reduced "to the necessity of receiving their bread every day from the hands of their enemies; shall we presume " to believe our good fortune constant and durable, " and superior to the vicissitudes of the world? For you, my children, the uncertainty of what the gods prepare for us, and of the issue of a fortune that "now smiles upon us, should moderate the excesses

abius, were adopted into other families; and of the vo others, which were the hopes of his, the one died our days before his triumph, and the other three days fter it. There was no person whatever but was inardly affected with so mournful, an accident, and let all some tears at the fate of the unhappy, father. Paulus Æmilius alone, suppressing his grief, expressed constancy which made him appear still greater than ver, He told the people, that terrified with reflecting pon such unheard-of success, and expecting some reat reverse of fortune, he had besought the gods to et it rather fall upon his own family than upon the epublic. "Fortune, added he,, by placing my tri'umph between the funerals of my two children, as though she meant to divert herself with human Fevents, fills me indeed with trouble and sorrow, but ascertains a full security to my country, having emptied all her quiver upon me. She has taken a 'pleasure in exposing the conqueror and the conquered alike, as a spectacle to all mankind; with 'this difference however, that the conquered Perseus 'has still his children, the conqueror Paulus. Æmilius none remaining, But the public happiness 'alleviates my grief for my domestic misfortunes.". It is easy to judge how greatly such a citizen, so ull of love and zeal for his country, was lamented afer his death. It was then they knew how far he had carried the generous contempt he always expressed for iches, which might be called his prevaling virtue. This great man, who was descended from one of the noblest and most ancient families of Rome, descended of a house that had been honoured with the highest offices and employments; this conqueror of Macedon,

1

who

its says Plutarch, so much as by a single drachma.

These were the sentiments of the ancient Romans; 'nor was this noble disinterestedness the virtue of Paulus Emilius alone, but that of his whole family, and, I might add, of almost all the great men of his time. When he had made himself master of the prodigious treasures which Perseus had scraped together, all the present he gave his son-in-law Tubero, was a silver cup of five ounces weight. Plutarch observes, that this cup was the first piece of silver plate that came into the Ælian family, and it was necessary that virtue and honour should introduce it a last.

12. FABIUS MAXIMUS.

[m] Polybius admirably describes the character of Fabius in few words; when relating what he thought of him after the great action by which he saved Minucius his rival and enemy, he says, that the Romans then evidently saw how great an advantage the prudence of a general, and a firm well grounded judgment have over the rashness and senseless presumption of a mere soldier. What indeed is principally to be admired in Fabius, and properly constitutes the general, are a prudent foresight, profound reasoning, a plan pursued, a design formed, not rashly, but upon fixed and ce principles, σρατηγική πρόνοια, καὶ λογισμὸς νανοχής. ; upon which quality [n] Polybius, in another place, makes the success of great actions to depend; Bar Civ v The wрárly to weledir; and which Fabius him

ἐὰν ἐν

[k] 1 Bis millies centies HS. ærario contulit. Vell. Paterc. Liv. i

sum

discharged from all taxes till the war between Anthony and Octavius. amount Plut.

capillions of the to five twenty

[m]

Pag: 225. French money. 12 duplo Ca[] Pag. 551. [The people of Rome were

self says, ought to be the prevailing virtue in a general, [o] propediem effecturum, ut sciant homines, bono imperatori haud magni fortunam mómenti esse, mentem rationemque dominari. "We sought so to "conduct ourselves, as to shew men, that not for tune, but a sound mind and understanding are the "guides of a good general."

To this first virtue Fabius added a second, still more peculiar to him, which was a firm adherence to the resolution he had once taken upon good reasons; a constancy which no future accident was capable of shaking, yos ésús. And Plutarch expresses himself almost in the same terms, by saying, that Fabius constantly persisted in his first designs and resolutions, nor could any thing alter his steadiness. Hannibal, who was a good judge of merit and military knowledge, soon did justice to Fabius, and began to fear, [p] says Livy, when he saw that the Romans had sent a general against him, who made war not by accident, but by principle and rule; qui bellum ratione non fortund gereret.

To comprehend aright the prudence of Fabius, we must take a view of the condition of the two armies. Hannibal had twice beaten the Romans. His troops, full of ardour and courage, were eager for battle. They were in an enemy's country, in want of money and provisions, their numbers daily decreasing, and all communication with Carthage cut off, so that they could have no supplies from thence. And thus their only refuge lay in victory. As for the Romans, the two preceding defeats had almost entirely discouraged them, and they were afraid to look the Carthaginians in the face. To lead them to battle in this disposition. was in effect to carry them to slaughter. It was ne cessary by slight skirmishes to dispel their fears gradually; to restore their courage; to fill them with confidence; and enable them to support their ancien reputation. Besides, they wanted for neither provision nor troops, and had supplies of every thing ready a [o] Liv. lib. xxii. n. 25. [p] Ib. n. 23.

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