ciliation, and Hered poured out his whole foul to her in the warmeft protestations of love and conftancy; when a-midst all his fighs and languishings she atked him, whether the private orders be left with bis uncle Jofeph were an inftance of fuch an inflamed affection. The jealous king was immediately roufed at fo unexpected a queftion, and concluded his uncle must have been too familiar with her, before he would have difcovered fuch a fecret. In short, be put his uncle to death, and with difficulty prevailed upon himself to spare Mariamne. AFTER this he was forced on a fecond journey into Egypt, when he committed his lady, to the care of Schemus, with the fame private orders he had before given his uncle, if any mifchief befel himself. In the mean while Mariamne fo won upon Sobemus by her presents and obliging converfation, that the drew all the fecret from him, with which Herod had entrusted him; fo that after his return, when he flew to her with all the transports of joy and love, she received him coldly with fighs and tears, and all the marks of indifference and averfion. This reception sostirred up his indignation, that he had certainly flain her with his own hands, had not he feared he himself should have become the greater sufferer by it. It was not long after this, when he had another violent return of love upon him; Mariamne was therefore fent for to him, whom he endeavoured to foften and reconcile with all poffible conjugal careffes and endearments; but the declined his embraces, and answered all his fondness with bitter invectives for the death of her father and her brother. behaviour fo incenfed Herod, that he very hardly refrained from striking her; when in the beat of their quarrel there came in a witness, fuborned by fome of Marianne's enemies, who accused her to the king of a design to poifon him. Herod was now prepared to hear any thing in her prejudice, and immediately ordered her servant to be ftretched upon the rack; who in the extremity of his tortures confest, that bis mistress's aversion to the king arose from fomething Sohemus had told her; leur as for any defign of poisoning, he utterly disowned the least knowledge of it. This confeffion quickly proved fatal to Sohemus, who now lay under the fame fufpicions and fentence that Jofcph had before him on the like occafion. Nor would Herod reft here; This here; but accufed her with great vehemence of a design upon his life, and by his authority with the judges had her publicly condemned and executed. Herod foon after her death grew melancholy and dejected, retiring from the public ad ninistration of affairs into a folitary forest, and there abandoning himself to all the black confiderations, which naturally arife from a pasion made up of love, remorse, pity and despair. He used to rave for his Mari amne, and to call upon her in his distracted fits; and in all probability would foon have followed her, had not his thoughts been seasonably called off from fo fad an object by public storms, which at that time very nearly threatened him. No 172. Monday, September 17. L Non folum fcientia, quæ est remota a justitia, calliditas potius quam fapientia eft appellanda; verum etiam ani-mus paratus ad periculum, si sua cupiditate, non utilitate communi, impellitur, audaciæ potius nomen habeat, quam fortitudinis. PLATO apud TULL. As knowledge, without justice, ought to be called cunning, rather than wisdom; so a mind prepared to meet danger, if excited by its own eagerness, and not the public good, deserves the name of audacity, rather than of courage. T HERE can be no greater injury to human society, than that good talents among men should be held honourable to those who are endowed with them, without any regard how they are applied. The gifts of nature and accomplishments of art are valuable but as they are exerted in the interefts of virtue, or governed by the rules of honour. We ought to abstract our minds from the obfervation of any excellence in those we converfe with, till we have taken fome notice, or received some good information of the disposition of their minds; otherways the beauty of their perfons, or the charms of their wit, may make us fond of those whom our reafon and judgment will tell us we ought to abhor. WHEN we fuffer ourselves to be thus carried away by mere beauty, or mere wit, Omniamante, with all her vice, will bear away as much of our good-will as the most innocent virgia or difercet matron; and there cannot be a more abject flavery in this world, than to dote upon what we think we ought to condemn; yet this must be our condition in all the parts of life, if we fuffer ourselves to approve any thing but what tends to the promotion of what is good and honourable. If we would take true pains with ourselves to confider all things by the light of reafon and juftice, tho' a man were in the height of youth and amorous inclinations, he would look upon a coquette with the fame contempt or indifference as he would upon a coxcomb: the wanton carriage in a woman would difappoint her of the admiration which the aims at; and the vain dress or difcourse of a man would deftroy the comeliness of his. shape, or goodness of his understanding Ifay, the goodnefs of his understanding, for it is no less common to fee men of fenfe commence coxcombs, than beautiful women become immodeft. When this happens in either, the favour we are naturally inclined to give to the good qualities they have from nature should abate in proportion. But however just it is to measure the value of men by the application of their talents, and not by the eminence of those qualities abstracted from their ufe; Ifay, however juft such a way of judging is, in all ages as well as this, the contrary has prevailed upon the generality of mankind. How many lewd devices have been preferved from one age to another, which had perished as foon as they were made, if painters and sculptors had been esteemed as much for the purpose as the execution of their designs? Modest and well-governed imaginations have by this means loft the reprefentations of ten thoufand charming portraitures, filled with images of innate truth, generous zeal, courageous faith, and tender humanity; instead of which, fatyrs, fusies, and monfters are recommended by those arts to a shameful eternity. as THE unjust application of laudable talents is tolerated. in the general opinion of men, not only in fuch cafes are here mentioned, but alfo in matters which concern ordinary life. If a lawyer were to be esteemed only as he ufes his parts in contending for juftice, and weie immedia ately ately difpicable when he appeared in a cause which he could not but know was an unjust one, how honourable would his character be? And how honourable is it in fuch among us, who follow the profeffion no otherways, than as labouring to protect the injured, to fubdue the oppreffor, to imprifon the careless debtor, and do right to the painful artificer? But many of this excellent character are over looked by the greater number who affect covering a weak place in a client's title, diverting the course of an inquiry, or finding a skilful refuge to palliate a falshood: yet it is still called eloquence in the latter, though thus unjustly employed; but resolution in an affaffin is according to reafon quite as laudable, as knowledge and wisdom exercised in the defence of an ill cause. WERE the intention stedfastly confidered, as the meafure of approbation, all falshood would foon be out of countenance; and an address in impofing upon mankind, would be as contemptible in one state of life as another. A couple of courtiers inaking profeffions of esteem, would make the faine figure after breach of promise, as two knights of the poft convicted of perjury. But converfation is fallen fo low in point of morality, that as they say in a bargin, Let the buyer look to it; fo in friendship, he is the man in danger who is most apt to believe: he is the more likely to fuffer in the commerce, who begins with the obliga-tion of being the more ready to enter into it. BUT those men only are truly great, who place their ambition rather in acquiring to themselves the confcience of worthy enterprizes, than in the profpect of glory which attends them. These exalted spirits would rather be fecretly the authors of events which are serviceable to mankind, than, without being fuch, to have the public fame of it. Where therefore an eminent merit is robbed by artifice or detraction, it does but increase by such endeavours of its enemies: the impotent pains which are taken to fully it, or diffuse it among a croud to the injury of a single perfon, will naturally produce the contrary effect; the fire will blaze out, and burn up all that attempt to finother what they cannot extinguish. THERE is but one thing neceffary to keep the poffeffion of true glory, which is, to hear the opposers of it with patience, and preserve the virtue by which it was acquired. When B 3 When a man is thoroughly perfuaded that he ought neither to admire, with for, or purfue any thing but what is exactly his duty, it is not in the power of feafons, perfons or accidents, to diminish his value. He only is a great man who can neglect the applaufe of the multitude, and enjoy himfelf independent of its favour. This is indeed an arduous task; but it should comfort a glorious spirit that it is the highest step to which human nature can arrive. Triumph, applaufe, acclamation, are dear to the mind of man; but it is still a more exquilite delight to fay to yourfelf, you have done well, than to hear the whole human race pronounce you glorious, except you yourself can join with them in your own reflections. A mind thus equal and uniform may be deferted by little famionable admirers and followers, but will ever be had in reverence by fouls like itself. The branches of the oak endure all the feafons of the year, though its leaves fall off in autumn; and these too will be restored with the returning foring. T No 173. Tuesday, September 18. Remove fera monftra, tuæque OVID. Met. 1. 5. v. 261. Remove that horrid monster, and take henca- Na late paper I mentioned the project of an ingenious author for the erecting of feveral handicraft prizes to be contended for by our British artifans, and the influence they might have towards the improvement of our feveral manufactures. I have fince that been very much furprized by the following advertisement which I find in the poft-boy of the IIth inftant, and again repeated in the poft-boy of the 15th. Ο be |