Virtue in particular Perfons, that Omnipotence will make bare its holy Arm in the Defence of the one, or Punishment of the other. It is fufficient that there is a Day fet apart for the hearing and requiting of both according to their respective Merits.

THE Folly of afcribing temporal Judgments to any particular Crimes, may appear from feveral Confiderations. I fhall only mention two: First, That, generally speaking, there is no Calamity or Affliction, which is fuppofed to have happened as a Judgment to a vicious Man, which does not fometimes happen to Men of approved Religion and Virtue. When Diagoras the Atheist was on board one of the Athenian Ships, there arofe a very violent Tempeft: upon which the Mariners told him, that it was a juft Judgment upon them for having taken fo impious a Man on board. Diagoras begged them to look upon the rest of the Ships that were in the fame Distress, and asked them whether or no Diagoras was on board every Veffel in the Fleet. We are all involved in the fame Calamities, and subject to the fame Accidents: and when we fee any one of the Species under any particular Oppreffion, we fhould look upon it as arifing from the common Lot of human Nature, rather than from the Guilt of the Person who fuffers.

ANOTHER Confideration, that may check our Presumption in putting fuch a Conftruction upon a Misfortune, is this, that it is

impoffible for us to know what are Calamities and what are Bleflings. How many Accidents have paffed for Misfortunes, which have turned to the Welfare and Profperity of the Perfons in whofe Lot they have fallen? How many Difappointments have, in their Confequences, faved a Man from Ruin? If we could look into the Effects of every thing, we might be allowed to pronounce boldly upon Bleffings and Judgments; but for a Man to give his Opinion of what he fees but in part, and in its Beginnings, is an unjustifiable Piece of Rashnefs and Folly. The Story of Biton and Clitobus, which was in great Reputation among the Heathens, (for we fee it quoted by all the ancient Authors, both Greek and Latin, who have written upon the Immortality of the Soul,) may teach us a Caution in this matter. These two Brothers, being the Sons of a Lady who was Priestess to Juno, drew their Mother's Chariot to the Temple at the time of a great Solemnity, the Perfons being abfent who by their Office were to have drawn her Chariot on that Occafion. The Mother was fo tranfported with this Inftance of filial Duty, that The petitioned her Goddess to bestow upon them the greatest Gift that could be given to Men; upon which they were both caft into a deep Sleep, and the next Morning found dead in the Temple. This was fuch an Event, as would have been conftrued into a Judgment, had it happen'd to the two Brothers after

an

an Act of Difobedience, and would doubtless have been reprefented as fuch by any ancient Hiftorian who had given us an Account of it. O

N° 484 Monday, September 15.

Neque cuiquam tam ftatim clarum ingenium eft, ut poffit emergere; nifi illi materia, occafio, fautor etiam, commendatorque contingat. Plin. Epift.

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No Man's Abilities are fo remarkably shining, as not to stand in need of a proper Opportunity, a Patron, and even the Praifes of a Friend, to recommend them to the notice of the World.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

O

F all the young Fellows who are in their Progrefs thro' any Profeffion, none seem to have fo good a Title to the Protection of the Men of Eminence in 'it as the modeft Man; not fo much because his Modesty is a certain Indication of his Merit, as becaufe 'tis a certain Obstacle to the producing of it. Now, as of all Profeffions this Virtue is thought to be more particularly unneceffary in that of the Law than in any other, I fhall only apply myself to the Relief of fuch who follow this Pro'feffion with this Difadvantage. What aggra

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vates the matter is, that thofe Perfons who, 'the better to prepare themselves for this Study, have made fome Progrefs in others, have, by addicting themselves to Letters, 'increased their natural Modefty, and confequently heighten'd the Obstruction to this fort of Preferment; fo that every one of these may emphatically be faid to be fuch a one as laboureth and taketh pains, and is ftill 'the more behind. It may be a Matter worth difcuffing then, Why that which made a Youth fo amiable to the Ancients, should 'make him appear fo ridiculous to the Mo'derns? and, Why in our days there should be

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Neglect, and even Oppreffion of young Beginners, inftead of that Protection which was 'the Pride of theirs? In the Profeffion spoken of, 'tis obvious to every one whose Attendance is required at Westminster-Hall, with 'what difficulty a Youth of any Modesty

has been permitted to make an Observation, 'that could in no wife detract from the Me⚫rit of his Elders, and is abfolutely neceffary ' for the advancing his own. I have often 'feen one of these not only molested in his • Utterance of fomething very pertinent, but even plunder'd of his Question, and by a ftrong Serjeant fhoulder'd out of his Rank, which he has recover'd with much difficulty and confufion. Now as great part of the Business of this Profeffion might be difpatched by one that perhaps

Abeft

Abeft virtute diferti

Meffala, nec fcit quantum Caufellius Aulus.

Hor. Ars Poet.v. 370

wants Meffala's pow'rful Eloquence,

And is lefs read than deep Caufellius.

ROSCOMMON.

young

'fo I can't conceive the Injuftice done to the Publick, if the Men of Reputation in this 'Calling would introduce fuch of the ones into Business, whofe Application to this Study will let them into the Secrets of it, as much as their Modesty will hinder them from the Practice: I fay, it would be laying an everlasting Obligation upon a young Man, to be introduc'd at firft only as a Mute, till by this Countenance, ⚫ and a Resolution to fupport the good Opi⚫nion conceiv'd of him in his Betters, his

Complexion fhall be fo well fettled, that 'the Litigious of this Ifland may be fecure of 'his obftreperous Aid. If I might be indulged to speak in the Stile of a Lawyer, I ' would fay, That any one about thirty Years of Age might make a common Motion to the Court with as much Elegance and Propriety as the most aged Advocates in the · Hall.

'I CAN'T advance the Merit of Modefty by any Argument of my own fo powerfully, as by inquiring into the Sentiments 'the greatest among the Ancients of different