vain-glory, and a defire of fame in the actor. Nor is this common judgment and opinion of mankind illfounded for certainly it denotes no great bravery of mind to be worked up to any noble action by fo selfish a motive, and to do that out of a defire of fame, which we could not be prompted to by a difinterested love to mankind, or by a generous paffion for the glory of him that made us.

I hus is fame a thing difficult to be obtained by all, but particularly by thofe who thirst after it, fince moft men have fo much either of ill nature, or of wariness, as not to gratify or footh the vanity of the ambitious man, and fince this very thirft after fame naturally betrays him into fuch indecencies as are a leffening to his reputation, and is itself looked upon as a weakness in the greatest characters.

In the next place, fame is eafily loft, and as difficult to be preferved as it was at firft to be acquired. But this I fhall make the fubject of a following paper.

No 256 Monday, December 24.

φήμη γάρ τε κακὴ μέλεται κέρη μὲν αεῖραι
Ρέα μάλ', αργαλέη δὲ φέρειν

Defire of fame by various ways is croft,
Hard to be gain'd, and eafy to be loft.

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HERE are many paffrons and tempers of mind which naturally difpofe us to deprefs and villify the merit of one rifing in the esteem of manAll those who made their entrance into the world with the fame advantages, and were once looked on as his equals, are apt to think the fame of his merits a reflexion on their own indeferts; and will therefore take care to reproach him with the scandal of fome paft action, or derogate from the worth of the prefent, that they may ftill keep him on the fame level with themselves. The like kind of confideration often stirs up the envy

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of fuch as were once his fuperiors, who think it a detraction from their merit to fee another get ground upon them and overtake them in the pursuit of glory; and will therefore endeavour to fink this reputation, that they may the better preferve their own. Thofe who were once his equals envy and defame him, because they now fee him their fuperior; and those who were once his fuperiors, because they look upon him as their equal. But farther, a man whofe extraordinary reputation thus lifts him up to the notice and observation of mankind draws a multitude of eyes upon him that will narrowly inspect every part of him, confider him nicely in all views, and not be a little pleased when they have taken him in the worst and moft difadvantageous light. There are many who find a pleasure in contradicting the common reports of fame, and in spreading abroad the weaknesses of an exalted character. They publish their ill-natured discoveries with a fecret pride, and applaud themselves for the fingularity of their judgment which has fearched deeper than others, detected what the reft of the world have overlooked, and found a flaw in what the generality of mankind admires. Others there are who proclaim the errors and infirmities of a great man with an inward fatisfaction and complacency, if they discover none of the like errors and infirmities in themfelves; for while they are expofing another's weakneffes, they are tacitly aiming at their own commendations, who are not fubject to the like infirmities, and are apt to be transported with a secret kind of vanity to fee themselves fuperior in fome refpects to one of a fublime and celebrated reputation, Nay, it very often happens, that none are more induftrious in publishing the blemishes of an extraordinary reputation, than fuch as lie open to the fame cenfures in their own characters, as either hoping to excufe their own defects by the authority of fo high an example, or raifing an imaginary applaufe to themselves for refembling a perfon of an exalted reputation, though in the blameable parts of his character. If all these fecret fprings of detraction fail, yet very often a vain oftentation of wit fets a man on attacking an established name, and facrificing it to the mirth and laughter of those about him. A fatire or a libel on one of the common

common ftamp, never meets with that reception and approbation among its readers as what is aimed at a perfon whofe merit places him upon an eminence, and gives him a more confpicuous figure among men. Whether it be that we think it fhews greater art to expose and turn to ridicule a man whofe character feems fo improper a fubject for it, or that we are pleafed by fome implicit kind of revenge to fee him taken down and humbled in his reputation, and in fome measure reduced to our own rank, who had fo far raised him felf above us in the reports and opinions of mankind.

Thus we fee how many dark and intricate motives there are to detraction and defamation, and how many malicious spies are fearching into the actions of a great man, who is not, always, the beft prepared for fo narrow an infpection. For we may generally observe, that our admiration of a famous man leffens upon our nearer acquaintance with him: and that we feldom hear the defcription of a celebrated perfon, without a catalogue of fome notorious weakneffes and infirmities. The reafon may be, becaufe any little flip is more confpicuous and obfervable in his conduct than in another's, as it is not of a piece with the reft of his character, or because it is impoffible for a man at the fame time to be attentive to the more important part of his life, and to keep a watchful eye over all the inconfiderable cir cumftances of his behaviour and converfation; or becaufe as we have before obferved, the fame temper of mind which inclines us to a defire of fame, naturally betrays us into fuch flips and unwarineffes as are not incident to men of a contrary difpofition.

After all it must be confeffed, that a noble and triumphant merit often breaks through and diffipates thefe little fpots and fullies in its reputation; but if by a miftaken purfuit after fame, or through human infirmity, any falfe ftep be made in the more momentous concerns of life, the whole fcheme of ambitious defigns is broken and difappointed. The smaller ftains and blemishes may die away and difappear amidst the brightness that furrounds them; but a blot of a deeper nature cafts a fhade on all the other beauties, and darkens the whole character. How difficult therefore is it VOL. IV.

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to preferve a great name, when he that has acquired it is fo obnoxious to fuch little weaknesses and infirmities as are no fmall diminution to it when discovered, especially when they are fo induftriously proclaimed, and aggravated by fuch as were once his fuperiors or equals; by fuch as would fet to fhew their judgment or their wit, and by fuch as are guilty or innocent of the fame flips or mifconducts in their own behaviour?

But were there none of these difpofitions in others to cenfure a famous man, nor any fuch mifcarriages in himself, yet would he meet with no fmall trouble in keeping up his reputation in all its height and fplendor. There must be always a noble train of actions to preferve his fame in life and motion. For when it is once at a ftand, it naturally flags and languishes. Admiration is a very fhort lived paflion, that immediately decays upon growing familiar with its object, unless it be still fed with fresh difcoveries, and kept alive by a new perpetual fucceffion of miracles rifing up to its view. And even the greatest actions of a celebrated perfon labour under this difadvantage, that however furprising and extraordinary they may be, they are no more than what are expected from him; but on the contrary, if they fall any thing below the opinion that is conceived of him, though they might raife the reputation of another they are a diminution to his.

One would think there fhould be fomething wonderfully pleafing in the poffeffion of fame, that, notwithstanding all thefe mortifying confiderations, can engage a man in fo defperate a purfuit; and yet if we confider the little happiness that attends a great character, and the multitude of difquietudes to which the defire of it fubjects an ambitious mind, one would be ftill the more furprised to see so many reftlefs candidates for glory.

Ambition raises a fecret tumult in the foul, it inflames the mind, and puts it into a violent hurry of thought: It is fill reaching after an empty imaginary good, that has not in it the power to abate or fatisfy it. Moft other things we long for can allay the cravings of their proper fenfe, and for a while fet the appetite at reft: But fame is a good fo wholly foreign to our na

tures,

re tures, that we have no faculty in the foul adapted to it, nor any organ in the body to relish it; an object of defire placed out of the poffibility of fruition. It 21 may indeed fill the mind for a while with a giddy kind of pleasure, but it is fuch a pleasure as makes a man reftlefs and uneafy under it; and which does not fo much fatisfy the present thirft, as it excites fresh defires, and fets the foul on new enterprises. For how few ambitious men are there, who have got as much fame as they defired, and whofe thirst after it has not been as eager in the very height of their reputation, as it was before they became known and eminent among men ? There is not any circumftance in Cafar's character which gives me a greater idea of him, than a faying which Cicero tells us he frequently made ufe of in private conversation, That he was fatisfied with his share of life and fame. Se fatis vel ad naturam, vel ad gloriam vixife. Many indeed have given over their pursuits after fame, but that has proceeded either from the difappointments they have met in it, or from their experience of the little pleafure which attends it, or from the better informations or natural coldnefs of old age; but feldom from a full fatisfaction and acquiefcence in their prefent enjoyments of it.

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Nor is fame only unfatisfying in itself, but the defire of it lays us open to many accidental troubles which those are free from who have no fuch a tender regard for it. How often is the ambitious man caft down and disappointed, if he receives no praife where he expected it? Nay how often is he mortified with the very praises he receives, if they do not rise so high as he thinks they ought, which they feldom do unlefs increased by flattery, fince few men have fo good an opinion of us as we have of ourselves? But if the ambitious man can be fo much grieved even with praise itself, how will he be able to bear up under fcandal and defamation? For the fame temper of mind which makes him defire fame, makes him hate reproach. If he can be tranfported with the extraordinary praises of men, he will be as much dejected by their cenfures. How little therefore is the happiness of an ambitious man, who gives every one a dominion over it, who thus fubjects himself to