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with themselves; for the fame thing is render'd greater or lefs by circumstances, according to the time, place, or manner. It often happens that a thousand pence, given opportunely, does more good than a mass of treasure would at another time. For there is a great difference between giving and fuccouring: between having faved a man from ruin, or aggrandized him, by your bountiful kindness. A gift may be small, but the consequences of it very great. But what difference is there between a man's retaking what he before had given, or receiving a benefit in order to grant one? Not to return however to those points, which have been fufficiently difcuffed already, I fhall only observe that a good man in comparing benefits with injuries, will judge what is most right and fit; will always have his eye upon benefits, and will be more inclined to favour them. Now, the perfon of the receiver, whether it be of an injury, or a benefit, is of the greatest moment in this affair: for inftance; you have done me a kindness indeed in my fervant; but you have injured my father; you have preferv'd for me a fon, but you have deprived me of a fire; confequently he will purfue and examine all other circumftances, from which every comparison is formed; and if there shall appear but a fmall difference he will overlook it; or fhould the difference be great, he will pardon it, provided he can do it without the breach of piety and fidelity; i. e. if the whole of the injury appertains only to his own perfon (d).

The fum of the whole matter is this; he will be eafy and gracious in commuting; he will fuffer rather more to be fet to his account than ought to be; he will be unwilling to discharge a favour upon the confideration of a receiv'd injury; fuch his inclination, and fuch his endeavours that he may manifeft his defire not only to acknowledge a favour but to requite it. For the man judgeth wrong, who is more follicitous and glad to receive a benefit, than to confer one (e).. By how much the man is happier who pays, than he that borroweth; fo much more joyful ought the man to be who hath discharged a vast debt, incurred by benefits received, than he that lays himself under the greatest obligation in receiving them. For in this also, the ungrateful are deceiv'd, in thinking they have done a great thing, when they have repaid a

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creditor fomewhat more than his demands; and in fuppofing that benefits exact no intereft. Whereas they certainly encrease by delay of a return and fo much the more is to be paid the longer the payment has been neglected. He is ungrateful who returns a benefit, without fome addition, when it is in his power. This therefore is to be taken into the account, when we compare the things received with difbursements.

Every thing, in short, is to be done, as poffible. For this is our own good: as is thought, the concern of others.

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that we may appear as grateful and not, like an act of justice, The best part of a benefit returns the benefactor. There is no one, who hath done good to another but hath done good to himself. I do not mean that a man having been affifted will be ready to affift, or having been protected will protect, others; or because a good example returns upon him, who fets it, as bad examples generally revert upon the authors; nor does any one pity those, when they fuffer injuries, who by their actions have taught others to commit them; but because the value of every virtue fubfifts within itself. They are not practised with a view to a reward. The reward of a good action, lies in the performance of fuch an action. I am grateful, not in order to excite others to be more liberal to me, having fet fuch an example, but because it is most agreeable, and very right. I am grateful, not because it is expedient, but because it gives me delight and fatisfaction. To convince you of this I affure you, that could I not exprefs my gratitude, otherwise than by a feemingly ungrateful action, I should have recourfe to the honest counsel of an upright mind, notwithstanding in fo doing I should run the rifque of lofing a good name. No one feems to have a greater veneration for virtue, no one to be more devoted thereto, than the man who rather than make fhipwreck of his confcience is determined to hazard the reputation of a good man. Therefore, as I have before obferv'd, thou art grateful, more for thine own good than another's. For nothing but what is ordinary and common happeneth to a man, who only receives what he had given; but to you, fomewhat great, and flowing from the most happy temper of the mind, to have been grateful. For if the doing evil makes men mi

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ferable, and virtue renders them happy; and if to be grateful is virtue; though you have done nothing extraordinary, you have attained what is inestimable, the consciousness of a grateful heart, which is not attainable but by a divine and happy disposition.

The contrary affection is for ever attended with extreme infelicity. The ungrateful man will be always miferable: I except not the time prefent. Let us therefore avoid being ungrateful for our own fake, if not for the fake of others. The leaft and lighteft confequence of wickedness falls upon others, the worst and heaviest part of it stays behind and afflicts the doer. As our Attalus was wont to fay; Malitia ipfa maximam partem veneni fui bibit, malignity generally drinks the greatest part of its own poifon (f). The venom, which ferpents throw out to destroy withal, and yet retain without prejudice to themselves, is not like this: for this torments the poffeffor. The ungrateful man torments and racks himself. He hates the gift he hath accepted, for fear of the obligation of a return; and confequently undervalues it; but exaggerates and magnifies an injury. And what can be more wretched than the man who forgets a benefit, and dwells upon an injury? On the contrary, wisdom extolls a benefit, recommends it to herself, and delights in the daily commemoration of it. The pleasure the wicked enjoy in the reception of a benefit, is but one and fhort; whereas the pleasure it gives a wife man, is large and perpetual; for he not only feels delight in receiving, but in having received, which is continual and immortal. He contemns an injury, and forgets it; not through negligence, but wilfully. He takes not things in the worst light: nor does he enquire on whom to lay the blame: but rather imputes the errors and miscarriages of men to misfortune, than to malicioufnels. He takes no exceptions either to the words, or to the look of a man. Whatever happens he extenuates by fome kind interpretation, and is ever more mindful of a favour than of offence. As far as it is in his power, he fixeth his mind on fome former and better object; nor changeth it against thofe, who have once well deferved: unless the evil far furpass the former good deeds; and the difference is palpable, though he fhuts his eyes; and then goes no farther, than, to appear, after an injury, the

fame he was before he receiv'd the benefit. For when the injury is equal to the benefit, there will ftill remain some spark of benevolence in his mind. As a culprit is acquitted when the opinion of the judges is equally divided: and in all doubtful cafes, humanity is always inclined to the merciful fide: fo the mind of the wife man, where merit is equal to demerit, ceaseth to be really indebted, but ceaseth not to acknowledge an obligation; as one, who after an acquittance in full, ftill thinks himfelf in debt.

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No one however can be grateful; but who defpifeth those things that fo greatly affect the vulgar. In order to return an extraordinary favour, you must defy banishment, fhed your blood, endure want, and even fuffer innocence to be traduced, and fubject to the most unworthy reports. It cofts a man no fmall matter to be grateful. But we are apt to think nothing fo precious as a benefit when we ask it, and nothing cheaper when we have received it., Do you ask what it is that makes us forgetful of a benefit received? the defire of ftill receiving We reflect not upon what we have obtained, but upon what we still hope to obtain. We are drawn from the right path, by riches, honours, powers and the like: which are dear and precious in our opinion, but in themfelves vile and of little value. We know not to cftimate things rightly: concerning which we ought not to confult fame and report, but the nature of the things themselves. The things before mention'd have nothing really great in them, to attract our minds, but forafmuch as it is customary to admire them. For, not because they are defireable, are they praised, but because they are praised, they are coveted. And when the error of particulars hath caufed a general blindness, to this at the fame time may be refer'd any particular error. But as in fome things we believe the vulgar, let us take this alfo upon the fame credit, that nothing is more juft and honorable than a grateful mind.

All cities and nations, in the most remote and barbarous regions, will join to condemn ingratitude. The good and bad all agree in this. There are fome who prefer their pleasures: others take more delight in labour and industry; fome think pain the greatest of all evils: others

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scarce look upon it as an evil; some think riches the most fovereign good, others look upon them as the root of all evil in human life; and think that no one can be more happy than the man for whom fortune cannot find out an acceptable gift. Now various as the opinions of men are in these respects; yet all, with one mouth, as they fay, declare, that a grateful return is due to the well-deferving. In this the very rabble, however diffentient in other matters, all agree. And yet we are apt to repay favours with injuries; and the chief reason that any one gives for ingratitude, is, that it was not in his power to be fufficiently grateful. Nay, the madness of mankind is such that it is the most dangerous thing in the world to confer an extraordinary benefit. For, inafmuch as a man thinks it fcandalous not to make fome return, he wifheth his benefactor out of the world. But whofoever hath been benefited by me, let him enjoy what he hath received. I ask it not again : I infist not upon a requital. There is no hatred more pernicious than that of a man, who is afhamed of not having repaid an obligation.

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(a) Aberrent—al. non errent,—ut aliquando hæreant.] Hæfêre omnia tela haud difficili ex propinque in tanta corpora itu. Liv. 1. 27.

·Pars ad fastigia missas

Exultant hafiffe faces,-Stat. Theb. 1. 10.

non exiffe.-Gronovius.

(6) He may return the like favour; yet not make ample amends; for in a favour conferred, other things are to be confidered; as the intention of the mind; the propriety of time and place, &c. as is afterwards observed.

(c) Epictetus likewise mentions this among the philofophical paradoxes, and has bestowed a differtation on the subject, l. 11. c. 22.—Cic. de Amic. Hoc primum fentio, nifi in bonis amicitiam non effe; Let me premise this, that no friendship can fubfift but among the good. Where by good, Lipfius tells us we must understand the wife man. So Seneca, de Benef. vii. 12. Inter fapientes tantum amicitia eft; cæteri non magis amici funt, quàm focii. Friendship is only to be found among the wife; others are to be looked upon rather as companions, than friends. Cic. ib. Eft autem amicitia nihil aliud nifi omnium divinarum humanarumque rerum, cum benevolentiâ et caritate confentio. Friendship is nothing, but the complete harmony of all divine and human confiderations, with kindness and endearment. See Ep. 5.9. 35. Lipf. Manud. iii. 16.

(d) Then came Peter unto him, and said, Lord, how often shall my brother fin against me, and I forgive him? 'till feven times? Jefus faith unto him, I say not unto thee, until feven times, but until Leventy times ferven. Matth. 18. 21. Luke 17. 4

(e) It is more blessed to give than to receive. A&t. 20. 35.

(f) Thus Hicrax, the Pythagorean, Ούτω καὶ πᾶς ἄδικος, αυτὸ τῆς κακιας πρῶτος γεύεται, πpîv e's œnaus èqieras. Every unjust man has the first taste of his own malignity, before it reacheth others.

VOL. II.

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