145 17, 27. I have faid ye are God's, and the children of the most High. Pf. 86. 6. Partakers of the divine nature, ii Pet. 1. 4. Sen. de Prov. c. I. Vir bonus eft Dei proximus. Ep. 92. Quid eft autem cur non exiftimas in eo divini aliquid exiftere, qui Dei pars eft? Cic. Tufc. II. Humanus animus decerptus ex mente divina.---Hor. Sat. II. 2. 79. Divinæ particula auræ. Quis poffet cœlum, nifi cœli munera poffet Et reperire Deum nifi qui pars ipfe Deorum eft. Manilius. Or find out God, but who of God is part?-- Vid. Ep. 31. (N. d.) Lipf. Phyfiol. III. Diff. 8. ye (c) Sacer intra nos fpiritus fedet,---observator et cuftos.] Nebuchadnessar speaking of Daniel, ways, In whom is the spirit of the holy Gods. Dan. 4. 8. And thus the Evangelift to all good Christians; God shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive because it feeth him not, neither knoweth, but know bim, for he dwelleth with you, and fhall be in you. John 14, 17. The Apoftle frequently to the fame purpose, His Spirit dwelleth in you. Rom. 8. 11.---Know ye not that ye are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 1 Cor. 3, 16. 6, 15. That good thing which was committed unto thee, keep, by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us. 2 Tim. 1. 14. God is a difcerner of the thoughts, and intents of the heart, neither is there any creature that is not manifeft in his fight. Heb. 4, 12. I know their works and their thoughts, faith the Lord. If. 66, 18. (d) If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God deftroy; for the Temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. 1 Cor. 3. 17. as in the foregoing verfe, quoted above. Hereby know we, that we dwell in God, and God in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. 1 John 4, 3. And, as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the fons of God. Rom. 8, 14. Wherefore, grieve not the holy Spirit, whereby ye are fealed to the day of redemption. Ephef. 4. 30. (e) Quis Deus incertum eft] habitat Deus. Virg. 8. 352. here makes abode What God,--not known, but fure it is a God. See Ep. 73. (N. g.) (f. g.) Lucos, atque in iis filentia ipfa adoramus. Plin. 12. 1. We venerate the groves and their awful filence. He mentions likewife the river Clitumnus, and the lake Vadimon, nulla in hoc navis, facer enim eft; in which no fhip is allowed to fail, for it is facred, &c. Vid. Lipf. ad Tac. Ann. 14. (b) The conftant boaft of the Stoics. See above, and Ep. 31. (N. d.) (i.) Sic eft faciendum ut contra univerfam naturam nihil condemnamus, et eâ tamen confervatâ propriam fequamur. Cic. Off. 1. We ought to manage fo as never to counteract the general system of nature; but having taken care of that, we are to follow the fway of our conftitution. Quæ ea eft? in nobis ratio. Quid autem eft ratio? (Sen. Ep. 66.) Naturæ imitatio. Quid eft fummum bonum ? Ex naturæ voluntate fe gerere. Vid. Loc. (N. a.) Lipf. Manud. II. Diff. 17. VOL. I. U EPISTLE EPISTLE XLII. There is fcarce to be found a good Man. You are perfuaded, you fay, Lucilius, that fuch a one is a good man: believe me, a good man is not foon accomplished, nor so easily known. Whom do you think I here call a good man? One but of the second class; for, of the first, you will scarce find such a phoenix in a thousand years (a). No wonder; great things appear but in diftant ages. Mean and ordinary things are the common produce of Fortune; but it is their scarcenefs that recommends all excellencies. The man you point out, is very far from being what he profeffes; and if he really knew what a good man was, he would by no means think himself one at prefent; and perhaps despair of ever arriving to that honour. He has a bad opinion, you fay, of all bad men. What then? even bad men have the fame. Nor is there a greater punishment of wickedness, than that it displeaseth itself, and all that are concerned with it. You also alledge, that he abbors those who infolently abuse the authority and power they are entrusted with; yes, and would do the fame thing had he the same power. The vices of many lie concealed in their imbecility (b): they would dare as great things, did their strength fuffice, as they, whom a more profperous fortune hath expofed to view: they only want the proper inftruments for difplaying their iniquity: fo, even venemous ferpents may be fafely handled, while benumbed with cold; not that they now want venom; but it is frozen up, and confequently inactive. Cruelty, and ambition, and luxury, in divers perfons, want nothing more than the favour of Fortune to make them attempt as bad offices as the basest men: give them their full scope, and you will eafily perceive their inclination. You remember, when you told me, that you had now got such a one in your power, and could treat him as you pleased; my answer was, that he was light and volatile, and that you had not hold of his foot foot but of his wing: I was mistaken; you had hold indeed of a quill, but it was flipped out, and he fled.c) You know what pranks he played afterwards, and what mischiefs he intended for you, that were more likely to fall upon his own pate. He did not fee, that he was himself rushing upon the dangers, which he defigned for others: he did not confider, how burthenfome those very things would prove, which he wished to enjoy, although they were not superfluous. This then is principally to be observed concerning those things which we affect and labour after with great industry; either that there is no advantage in them, or more disadvantage. Some things are altogether superfluous; and fome but of little value. We do not foresee this, and think we have those things for little or nothing, which we pay moft dearly for from hence appears our stupidity, we look upon those things only as bought, for which we pay down our money; and fancy we receive those gratis, for which we pay no less than our very felves: what we should be unwilling to buy, were we to give our house for it, or a pleasant and fruitful farm, we are ready to purchase, with anxiety, with danger, with the lofs of liberty and time: fo that nothing seems of fo little value to man, as man himself. In all our defigns therefore and affairs, we should act as when we apply to a merchant's factor for wares, we must confider the price that is fet upon what we intend to purchase; we oftentimes pay a high price for what we think costs nothing I could mention many things which having been agreed for and received, have extorted from us our liberty; things, which if we were not in the poffeffion of, we should still be masters of ourselves. Weigh these things therefore with yourself; not only when the queftion relates to gain, but also when it relates to lofs: may fuch a thing be loft? Certainly, as it was merely cafual; and you will live as well without it now, as before: Have you had it long in poffeffion? you may the more easily spare it, being fatiated: bave you had it but a little while? you lose it, almost before you had time to relish it: have you less money? you have the less trouble: have you lefs favour? you will be less envied: look into those things, which drive us almost to madness; and which we cannot part from but with a flood of tears: you will find, that it is not any real loss, that gives you all this uneafiness, but only the opinion of lofs: no one really feels that they are gone, but only thinks fo: he that truly poffeffeth himself, hath loft nothing; but how few enjoy fo goodly a poffeffion? ΑΝΝΟΤΑΤΙΟΝ S, &c. (a) Plutarch (de Pugn. Stoic.) juftly obferves, that there is not, nor ever was a man, who had reached to what the Stoics call perfect wisdom; they talk indeed of fuch a one, but he is only to be found in idea: as Cicero has painted a perfect orator, though no fuch had ever existed. See Ep. 16. (N. a.) (b) The late Mr. Donaldson, a friend and neighbour observed to me, that he did not think it improbable that Mr. Gray had this paffage in his eye when he wrote those excellent lines in his Elegy on a Country Church-yard. Perhaps in this neglected fpot is laid Some heart, once pregnant with celestial fire; But Knowledge to their eyes her ample page, Chill penury reprefs'd their noble rage, And froze the genial current of the soul, &c. (c) Te non pedem ejus tenere, fed pennam, mentitus fum; plumâ tenebatur. Malherbe has given this metaphor another turn, that inftead of taking hold of his foot, you only took hold of his fleeve; which he flipped from and fled. The perfon here intended is fuppofed to be the adversary mentioned in Ep. 24 OU On Report; and Confcience. You wonder, Lucilius, how I came to be so particularly informed of your affairs; who could poffibly tell me your thoughts, which you had disclosed to no one? He who knows almost every thing, Rumour. What What then, you fay, am I of fuch confequence as to be the fubject of rumour ? It may be fo; but there is no reason why you should judge of yourfelf from what is faid of you here (at Rome) but what is faid of you where you dwell. Whatever is eminent in a neighbourhood is of consequence, where it is eminent: but greatness has no certain measure; comparison either raifes or depreffeth it. A veffel that feems large in a river, looks very little in the wide ocean. The rudder is large in one fhip, and fmall in another: though you think not so highly of yourself, you are really a great man in the province where you dwell: how you live, how you fup, how you fleep, is enquired after, is known. You must live therefore with the more care, and circumfpection; and esteem yourself a happy man, when you can thus live, as it were, in public; when the roof and the walls indeed cover you, but do not hide you whereas there are many who think themfelves happily enclofed therein, not that they may live more fafely, but that they may fin more fecretly. I will tell you how to judge of the morals of men: you will scarce find any one who dares to live with open doors: it is felf-consciousness, not pride, that sets the porter there: we live, as if we were. in fear of being caught, or feen, unawares: but what avails it to hide ourselves, and escape the eyes and ears of men? a good confcience calls 7 a crowd around it, undismayed; a bad one even in folitude is anxious and uneafy (a). If what you do be just and honourable, let all the world know it; if it be vile and scandalous, what fignifies that no one knows it, when you know it yourself? Wretched art thou, O man, who despisest this witness (b)! ANNOTATIONS, &c. (a) It is finely faid by Tertullian, Nullum maleficium fine formidine eft, quia nec fine confcientia fui. There is no evil doing but what is attended with dread, because there is none but what is attended by confcience. (b) Polybius.-ORDERS TWS STа μäρTUS X. T. λ. There is no evidence fo formidable, no judge fo fevere, as confcience that fits upon the mind of every evil doer. Confcientia mille teftes.- Juv. 13. 192.-Cur tamen hos tu Mens habet attonitos, et furdo verbere cædit, Occultum |