PRIDE unbecoming a Low State.

HUMILITY and PRIDE.

Umility is confiftent with greatnefs. For it is not always a fign of Pride, when perfons of fuperior birth, fortune and quality move in a A fphere above the vulgar, living in magnificence, delicacy, and fplendor. This is the natural and lawful confequence of wealth and honour, neceffary to preserve both that refpect and dignity which is due to it, and that order and regularity proceeding from a diftinction of perfons, without which a ftate could not B look comely, nor government fubfift. Greatnefs is indeed apt to turn the brain, begetting Pride with all its bad attendants, fuch as Vanity, Luxury, Arrogance, Unmercifulness, and Oppreffion. But where Virtue and Prudence are, there is alfo Humility, with a train of the like ufeful and amiable good qua lities, even in the midst of much wealth and power. For the honour of our nation be it spoken, as a courteous and condefcending deportment is not a rare fight among our perfons of the best breeding and quality, fo, as it were in a grateful return, nothing is more ta- D king among the people, nor more excites them to a true love and respect for their fuperiors, and to just applaufe and commendation. Humility (if it be only a discreet, undefigning condefcenfion, and not a bafe proftitution of order and dignity) is a rich metal mingled with fome useful alloy, a jewel of ineftimable value fet in gold, and a bright picture of the best master render'd more attractive of the eye, by being hung in a proper and agreeable contrait of fhade.

351

from a too high value which they let upon themselves? and what is that but great pride? Don't they know and confider, that thankfulness to benefactors for every kindnefs and relief, even the leaft, is a duty; and that ingratitude is convincing proof both of an impolitic head, and vile temper ?

a

But as the pride of the vulgar confifts in a defire to live above their ftation and capacity, fo there is another fort which difcovers itself in an affectation of living below it. By an odd prepofterous fingularity, fome gentlemen make Pride itself (and the worst fort of Pride too) appear in the dress and difguife of Humility. Don Jofepho Scrubbino, the ufurer, affects a flovenly plainnefs and beggarly meannefs in every thing; his garments, his manner of Cdrefs, the furniture of his houfe, and economy. He conceals his riches, degree, and condition, on purpofe to have it the more observ'd and talk'd of, and. himself the more gaz'd and pointed at. He clownishly refules thofe very falutations and ceremonies of common civility, which he expects from others, flighting and deriding thofe perfons who are fo regular and prudent, as, by conforming to the good manners and innocent customs of the world, and by living according to their birth and ftation, to endeavour to avoid the two extremes of vain prodigality and fordid avarice.

E
This diftinétion of pride into two
forts, the natural and high (as I may
I call it) and the low and affected, was
formerly made by the cynic philofo-
pher. For, feeing at the town Olym-
pia feveral young fellows dressed in
fpruce and rich veftments, when a more
modeft habit would have better become
them, he laugh'd out, and faid, This
is nothing less than great pride. Ano-
ther time, falling into the company of
fome Lacedæmonians, who, in the other
extreme, wore ragged and dirty cloaths,
This (faid he) is a different fort of
pride, but much greater than t'other.
G
And yet indeed no man had more of it
than himself.

On the other hand, this good habit of the mind may often be wanting in low and deprefs'd fortune, where one F fhould expect to find it most, there being fometimes feen more haughtiness and difdain under a ruffet coat than a, filk gown. But, as Pride in a gentle-" man is offenfive, in a beggar 'tis abominable; yet we daily fee as many inftances of it in those who live upon charity, as in those who beftow it; and an alms fhall frequently be afk'd and receiv'd with more affurance and infoIence than 'tis either given or deny'd. Nothing is more common among the poor vulgar than diffatisfaction and unThankfulness, even for benefits receiv'd, and where their unreasonable requests H are not granted, or even their bare expectations not anfwer'd, with what malice and impudence do they murmur and revile But doth not all this proceed

ther the moft skilful and exact mathematician now alive is able to give us the true depth of our atmosphere, much lefs to ascertain the depths of the others; and if so, these fame atmospheres may ftretch, for ought we know, monly fuppos'd to do. and, on that account, farther into the firmament than they are com

may detract not a little from the magnitude of the space, that is made as it were another world.

of mankind, a plain and impudent intimation, that fuch perfons as Antifthenes think themselves much wifer and better than all others? And is not this immense pride and monstrous vanity? and don't they difcover that pride of heart, by a- A voiding in this manner the ufual outward tokens of it? Let fuch well confider the genteel rebuke, which the prince of old gave to the felf-conceited philofopher, who was treading upon the marble pavement with great infolence and contempt: Thou, Diogenes, B proper bounds. The writing about fuch abtrampleft upon the pride of Alexander, but with a much greater pride of thy W. C.

own.

Mr URBAN,

WE

E are told by the advocate for darknefs (p. 248) that fpace is a nonentity. I am not of his mind: for though Mr C Lock, as Bayle obferves, believ'd he could not define it, yet he took it for a pofitive being. Therefore, according to him, 'tis no nonentity. As space borders on different atmospheres, it must likewife have diftinct parts; for it would be abfurd to fay, that this part which borders on one atmosphere is the fame with that which confines on another. It may be obferv'd too, that as this extended being furD rounds the atmospheres, it resembles the property of place; viz. the holding or containing fomething in it.

In purfuance of this, let me add, that as fpace, with refpect to its parts, is faid to be a container, it may, in the fame respect, be faid to be contain'd. For, befides the spaces that

Though the last notion may feem romantic and vain, I take it to be as probable as fome notions about fubftance and matter, a plenum and a vacuum; as alfo about the difference between air and æther, and about fettling their

frufe points, tho' ever fo ingenious, has a dash of uncertainty in it; the reafon is, because men's ideas are frail and imperfect.

With regard to darkness, the writer says (p. 278) Yet, as darkness is a privation of light, it cannot, properly fpeaking, be a compound, but only light diminish'd or leffen'd, to appearance, for want of matter to reflect it. But all this flourish no more fhews perfpicuity in it than the immenseness of one thing, in comparifon to the fmallness of another, infers univerality. In fine, either darknets is a being, or not a being; if it is not a being, it can exift no where but in mind, and if it is a being, the question is, whether it can exist in our author's nonentity. LUCIUS.

P.S. Thus much for space, &c. the noti ons about which are perhaps as true as that affuming one about the mixture faid to be made at the verge or borders of the enlighten'd atmosphere.

Mr URBAN,

EN your book for May p. 222, is a

lie without the borders of the atmospheres, there are spaces likewife within the atmospheres themselves, and, in conjunction with the extraneous spaces, are parts or portions of space fis taken in general, and is the univerfal space properly fo called, if I may term it fo. Now as fpace, thus taken in general, is part of the univerfe, compos'd of earth, water, air, and fire, it muft needs have relation to one or more F of these, and fo be capable of receiving light, in fome parts of it at leaft. From hence, I think, it refults that the darkness-hater feems to be in the right, when, by way of interrogation (not of begging the question) he cries (p. 165) How can a thing (as fpace for exam

ple) be faid to be wholly dark, when fome parts of it are light? Thefe are the parts G or portions which he afterwards mentions, as being enlighten'd by the heavenly bodies.Therefore, if the atmospheres are partly light and partly dark, which, I fuppofe, will not be denied, the fpaces therein muft in fome fort be fo likewife. But if fpace has no relation to the elements, and, as diftinct from them, is light in none of its parts, it must be I don't H know what, and I don't know where.

As men's ideas and their objects are freently not conformable to each other, and Conjectures often pals for proofs and de

ons, there is fome room to doubt whe

quere upon Hops, French Beans, and other climbing plants in England, all which (the querift fays) always follow the fun I am certain they do not. For there is no climbing plant, or French bean, but will always climb the as the hop doth from Eaft to Weft, and flick, or pole from the Weft to the East, will not be forced any other way, and if thofe plants will grow in South latitude, he may be aflur d the hop will follow the fun, and the other plants go against the fun. [Can a reafon be given for this difference?] As for the height they will climb, it is not according to the diflance from the Equator, but according to the foil they grow in; for hops do not climb the pole fo high in fome places as in others. Tho' not a quarter of a mile apart: As to the virtue of a hop, it is altogether according to the land it grows upon; for instance, thofe hops that grow in Worcestershire, Herefordfrire, &c. have not the virtue as the hop that groweth in Kent or Surry. Kent, July, I am, Sir, &c. 25, 1748.

S. O.

of 603733 65. 4 d. according to the cuftoni houfe rates, which are fet very low. An immenfe fum! We often complain of the want of trade and employment for our people, but the faid lift is a proof that we have no fuch reafon to complain; fince it appears, to A our great reproach, that we confume above 600,000 pounds yearly, in fuch foreign commodities, as we are able to raile or make ourselves, which would give employment to great numbers of poor. And our neglect herein is the more inexcufable, as foreign goods on B Importation, pay from 10 to 15 per Cent in duties and other charges, which thofe of our own growth or manufacture are entirely free from. The faid imports at a medium for 3 years, ending the 25th of March 1743, amounted to 472,447. in value yearly, which fhews an increase of 131,286 pound yearly, for the 3 last years against us. And tho' in fome articles the imports decreased, yet in feveral they increafed, viz. in coals 15,000 1. hops 6000 beer and ale 2400 cheele 2000 /. iron 8000 l. cambrick 14007. filks 3000 /. but in corn above 100,000 D pounds yearly at a medium. The article corn, which comprehends wheat, Rower, barley and malt, amounted for the year 1744, to 32,249 1. but in 1745, it rofe to 351,1227. and in 1746, to 132,818%. fo that in the two laft years we imported corn to the value of 483.9404

E

And as it generally happens, that in every 8 years we have two years of fcarcity of grain, we find to our great misfortune, that whatever fpecie we get by trade in a courfe of fome years, is in one year fwept away to fupply us with the neceflaries of life. So that we always F labour either under a want of money to carry on our domeftick trade, or of corn for the maintenance of our people.

It may be of use to lay lifts of this kind from time to time before the publick, to direct and encourage the indufry of thofe, who are willing to contribute their endeavours, to fupply ourfelves at an cafier rate, with the like commodities, which we pay fo dear for to other countries.

G

Two thirds of all our imports are brought from England, they generally exceed 600,000. yearly, and in fome years 7 or 800,000l. and at the H fame time above 400,000/. is remitted from Ireland to England yearly (for which no value is returned) to pay those who live in England, and have eftates,

ployments and peptions in Irelandi

And when a fcarcity of corn happens by bad harvests, we are then in the utmost diftrefs to purchase corn, and at the fame time to answer those other demands. No country receives fo much benefit from another as England doth from Ireland; this is manifelt from the conftant remittances of vaft fums yearly to England, and by Ireland's purchafing yearly fo great a value of Englife commodities, all fully manufactured. England has generously encouraged the linen manufacture of Ireland, and it is obvious that it is the real intereft of England to do fo; fince that encouragement has not only diverted the Irish from all thoughts of profecuting the woollenmanufacture, but has alfo enabled Ireland to purchase the goods of England to a great value, and make thofe large remittances in fpecie yearly to that kingdom, which could not be done but by the fale of Irifh linens there: but if, by any means or accident, the current fpecie of Ireland, which is but barely fufficient to carry on her domestic trade, hould be drawn away, in fuch cafe. the trade of Ireland would fall to ruin for want of that neceflary vital, and thereby Ireland would be difabled from maintaining its forces, and would be fo far from being a benefit to England, that it would become a burden to her, to maintain its military and civil establishment, as was the cafe in feveral former reigns, when the commerce of Ireland funk to nothing. Whatever wealth the Irish gain by any article of trade, that doth not directly interfere with the trade of England, is fo much gain to England, fince every fuch acquifition is fure to center there at laft ;*and therefore it is the interest of England to encourage and promote the industry and labour of Ireland, which never fails to increase the wealth and power of England; and is the cafe of all diftaht provinces with refpcct to their mother countries, which always increase in power in proportion as their provinces flourifh.

*

[This can only be true whileIreland conti nues to import the manufactured commodities of England. For if Ireland furnishes itself with what is now imported from hence, the wealth thence arifing will center there; and with this view, the following premiums are certainly offered by the Dublin Society: It may alfo be asked, Whether, if the poor of Ireland are thus employed, a proportioned number muft not be discharged from their marine, and the trades thereon depending: and if their employment will not then be lefs advantageous to Crat nation']

A LIST