fense of them by long and ignominious patience. Inftead of palliating remedies, let us ufe the incifionknife and the cauftic, fearch the wound to the bottom, and work an immediate and radical cure.

The recalling of former misfortunes ferves to fortify the mind against latter. He muft blufh to fink under the anguifh of one wound, who furveys a body feamed over with the fcars of many, and who has come victorious out of all the conflicts wherein he received them. Let fighs and tears, and fainting under the lightest strokes of adverse fortune, be the portion of those unhappy people whofe tender minds a long course of felicity has enervated while fuch, as have paffed through years of calamity, bear up, with a noble and immoveable conftancy, against the heaviest. Uninterrupted mifery has this good effect, as it continually torments, it finally hardens.

Such is the language of philofophy and happy is the man who acquires the right of holding it. But this right is not to be acquired by pathetic difcourfe. Our conduct can alone give it us: and therefore, inftead of prefuming on our ftrength, the fureft method is to confefs our weakness, and, without lofs of time, to apply ourfelves to the study of wisdom. This was the advice which the oracle gave to Zeno *, and there is no other way of fecuring our tranquillity amidst all the accidents to which human life is expofed. Philofophy has, I know, her Thrafos, as well as war and among her fons many there have been, who, while they aimed at being more than men, became fomething less. The means of preventing this danger are eafy and fure. It is a good rule to examine well before we addict ourfelves to any fect: but I think it is a better rule, to addict ourselves to none. Let us hear them all, with a perfect indifferency on which fide the truth

* Diog. Laert.

lies:

lies and, when we come to determine, let nothing appear fo venerable to us as our own understandings. Let us gratefully accept the help of every one who has endeavored to correct the vices, and ftrengthen the minds of men; but let us chufe for ourfelves, and yield univerfal affent to none. Thus, that I may instance the fect already mentioned, when we have laid afide the wonderful and furprifing fentences, and all the paradoxes of the Portique, we fhall find in that fchool fuch doctrines as our unprejudiced reafons fubmits to with pleasure, as nature dictates, and as experience confirms. Without this precaution, we run the rifque of becoming imaginary kings, and real flaves. With it we may learn to affert our native freedom, and live inde pendent on fortune.

In order to which great end, it is neceffary that we stand watchful, as centinels, to discover the fecret wiles and open attacks of this capricious goddefs, before they reach us. Where the falls upon us unexpected, it is hard to refift; but thofe who wait for her, will repel her with eafe. The fudden invafion of an enemy overthrows fuch as are not on their guard; but they who forefee the war, and prepare themselves for it before it breaks out, ftand, without difficulty, the firft and the fierceft onfet. I learned this important leffon long ago, and never trufted to fortune even while fhe feemed to be at peace with me. The riches, the honors, the reputation, and all the advantages which her treacherous indulgence poured upon me, I placed fo, that fhe might fnatch them away without giving me any disturbance. I kept a great interval between me and them. She took them, but fhe could not tear them from me. No man fuffers by bad fortune, but he who has been deceived by good. If we grow fond of her gifts, fancy that they belong to us,

* Sen. De con. ad Hel.

and

and are perpetually to remain with us, if we lean upon them, and expect to be confidered for them; we fhall fink into all the bitterness of grief, as foon as thefe falfe and tranfitory benefits pafs away, as foon as our vain and childish minds, unfraught with folid pleasures, become deftitute even of thofe which are imaginary. But, if we do not fuffer ourselves to be tranfported by profperity, neither fhall we be reduced by adverfity. Our fouls will be of proof againft the dangers of both thefe ftates: and, having explored our ftrength, we fhall be fure of it; for in the midst of felicity, we fhall have tried how we can bear misfortune.

It is much harder to examine and judge, than to take up opinions on truft; and therefore the far greatest part of the world borrow, from others, thofe which they entertain concerning all the affairs of life and death. Hence it proceeds that men are fo unanimoufly eager in the purfuit of things, which, far from having any inherent real good, are varnished over with a fpecious and deceitful glofs, and contain nothing anfwerable to their appearances t Hence it proceeds, on the other hand, that, in those things which are called evils, there is nothing fo hard and terrible as the general cry of the world threatens. The word exile comes indeed harsh to the car, and ftrikes us like a melancholy and execrable found, through a certain perfuafion which men have habitually concurred in. Thus the multitude has ordained. But the greateft part of their ordinances are abrogated by the wife.

Rejecting therefore the judgment of those who determine according to popular opinions, or the first appearances of things, let us examine what

*Dum unufquifque mavult credere, quam judicare, nunquam de vita judicatur, femper creditur. Sen. De vita beat.

Sen. De con. ad Hel.

exile really is *. It is then, a It is then, a change of place; and, left you should fay that I diminish the object, and conceal the most shocking parts of it, I add, that this change of place is frequently accompanied by fome or all of the following inconveniencies; by the lofs of the eftate which we enjoyed, and the rank which we held; by the lofs of that confideration and power which we were in poffeffion of; by a feparation from our family and our friends; by the contempt which we may fall into; by the ignominy with which those who have driven us abroad, will endeavor to fully the innocence of our characters, and to juftify the injuftice of their own conduct.

All these shall be spoke to hereafter. In the mean while, let us confider what evil there is, in change of place, abstractedly and by itself.

To live deprived of one's country is intolerable f. Is it fo? How comes it then to pass that fuch numbers of men live out of their countries by choice? Obferve how the streets of London and Paris are crowded. Call over thofe millions by name, and afk them, one by one, of what country they are: how many will you find, who, from different parts of the earth, come to inhabit thefe great cities, which afford the largest opportunities, and the largest encouragement, to virtue and to vice? Some are drawn by ambition, and fome are fent by duty; many refort thither to improve their minds, and. many to improve their fortunes; others bring their beauty, and others their eloquence, to market. Remove from hence, and go to the utmoft extremities of the Eaft or the Weft: vifit the barbarous nations of Africa, or the inhofpitable regions of the North: you will find no climate fo bad, no coun

*Sen. De con. ad Hel.

2

Ibid.

try

try fo favage, as not to have fome people who come from abroad, and inhabit there by choice.

Among numberlefs extravagancies which have paffed through the minds of men, we may juftly reckon for one, that notion of a fecret affection, independent of our reason, and fuperior to our reafon, which we are fuppofed to have for our country; as if there were fome phyfical virtue in every fpot of ground, which neceffarily produced this effect in every one born upon it.

"Amor patriæ ratione valentior omni *.”

As if the heimyei was an univerfal diftemper, infeparable from the conftitution of a human body, and not peculiar to the Swifs, who feem to have been made for their mountains, as their mountains feem to have been made for them t. This notion may have contributed to the fecurity and grandeur of ftates. It has therefore been not unartfully cultivated, and the prejudice of education has been with care put on its fide. Men have come in this cafe, as in many, from believing that it ought to be fo, to perfuade others, and even to believe themselves that it is fo. Procopius relates that Abgarus came to Rome, and gained the efteem and friendship of Auguftus to fuch a degree, that this emperor could not refolve to let him return home: that Abgarus brought feveral beafts, which he had taken one day in hunting,, alive to Auguftus: that he placed in different parts of the Circus fome of the earth which belonged to the places where each of thefe animals had been caught; that as foon as this was done, and they were turned loofe, every one of them ran to that corner where his earth lay: that Auguftus, admiring their fentiment of love for their country

*Ov. De Ponto, El. iv.

+ Card. Benti. Let.