The artful and fraudulent ufurpers of distinction generally deferve greater feverities than ridicule and contempt; for they feldom content themselves with empty praife, but are inftigated by paffions more pernicious than vanity. They confider the reputation which they endeavour to establish as neceffary to the accomplishment of some subsequent defign, and value praise only as it may conduce to the fuccefs of avarice or ambition.

The commercial world is very frequently put into confufion by the bankruptcy of merchants, that affumed the splendour of wealth only to obtain the privilege of trading with the flock of other men, and of contracting debts which nothing but lucky cafualties could enable them to pay; and, after having fupported themselves a while by a tumultuary magnificence of boundless traffic, fink at once into poverty, and drag down those whom their equipages had induced to truft them.

Among those wretches who place their happiness in the favour of beings whom only high titles or large eftates fet above themselves, nothing is more common than to boaft of confidence which they do not enjoy; to fell promifes which they know themfelves unable to perform; and to reimburse the tribute which they pay to fome more profperous flave, from the contributions of meaner dependants,

whom

F

E

whom they can amufe with tales of their influence, and hopes of their folicitation.

Even among fome who are too thoughtless or volatile for avarice or ambition, may be often found a fpecies of falfehood more detestable than the levee or exchange can fhew. There are men who boaft of debaucheries, of which they never had the addrefs to be guilty; ruin by lewd tales the characters of women to whom they are scarcely known, or by whom they have been rejected; and destroy, in a drunken frolic, the happiness of families, blaft the bloom of beauty, and intercept the reward of virtue.

But there are other artifices of falsehood, which, though utterly unworthy of an ingenuous mind, are yet not to be ranked with these flagitious enormities, and against which it is not neceffary to incite the vengeance of fanguinary justice, as they may be adequately punished by detection and laughter. The traveller, who defcribes cities which he has never feen; the fquire, who, at his return from London, tells of his intimacy with nobles to whom he has only bowed in the park or the coffee-houfe; the author, who entertains his admirers with stories of the affiftance which he gives to wits of a higher rank; the city-dame, who is careful to introduce the mention of her vifits at great houses where she happens to know the cook-maid, are furely fuch harmless

harmless animals as truth herfelf may be content to defpife without defiring to hurt them.

par

But of the multitudes who complain of the tiality of mankind, who see the honours which they endeavour to obtain given to others, and difplay their own merits only to feel more acutely the fting of neglect, a great part are wholly innocent of deceit, and are betrayed by their own ignorance or credulity, to that fcorn with which the univerfal love of praise incites us all to drive feeble antagonifts out of our way.

Few men furvey themfelves with fo much feverity, as not to admit fome prejudices in their own favour, which an artful flatterer may gradually ftrengthen, till wishes for any particular qualification fhall be improved to hopes of attainment, and hopes of attainment to belief of poffeffion. Such flatterers every one will find who has power to reward their affiduities. Wherever there is wealth, there will be dependance and expectation; and wherever there is dependance, there will be an emulation of fervility.

Many of the follies which provoke general eenfure, are the effects of vanity; which, however it might have wantoned in the imagination, would never have dared the public eye, had it not been animated and emboldened by flattery; for, I be

lieve,

lieve, whatever difficulty there may be in the knowledge of ourselves, scarcely any one fails to suspect his own imperfections, till he is elevated by others to confidence. Almost every man is naturally modeft and timorous: but fear and shame are uneafy fenfations; and whofoever helps to remove them, is received with kindness.

Turpicula was born the heirefs of a large estate; and having loft her mother in her infancy, was committed to the care of an aunt, whofe misfortunes had reduced her to accept any terms on which fhe could be decently fupported. The fondness of Turpicula's father would not fuffer him to truft her at a public school; but he took care to hire domestic teachers, and bestowed on her all the accomplishments which wealth could purchase. But how many things are neceffary to happiness which money cannot obtain? Turpicula, by this fcheme of education, was fecluded from all with whom she could converfe on terms of equality; and heard none of thofe intimations of her defects, which envy, petulance, or anger produce among children, where they are not afraid of telling what they think.

Turpicula faw nothing but obfequioufnefs, and heard nothing but commendations; for none ever approached her who did not consider it as their intereft to please. None are fo little acquainted with the ruling paffions of the heart, as not to know

that

that woman's first wish is to be handsome, and that, by confequence, the readiest method of obtaining her kindness is to praise her beauty. Turpicula had a diftorted shape and a dark complection; but the impudence of adulation ventured to tell her of the fprightliness of her air, the vivacity of her eyes, the commanding dignity of her motion, and the foft enchantment of her fmile. Poor Turpicula was eafily convinced that she was the delight or torment of every eye; and that all who ventured to gaze upon her, felt the fire of envy or love. She therefore neglected the culture of an understanding which would have supplied the defects of her form, and applied herself wholly to the decoration of her perfon; for fhe confidered that more could judge of beauty than of wit, and was, like the reft of mankind, in hafte to be admired. The defire of conqueft naturally led her to all the lifts in which beauty fignalizes her power. She glittered at court, she fluttered in the park, she talked loud in the front-box; and, after a thousand experiments of her charms, which always ended in mortification, was at last convinced, that she had been flattered, and that her glass was honester than her maid.

N° 190.