roduct
of so many eminent philosophers. The Turks, and all the other refuse of
Mahometism, pretend they profess the only true religion, and laugh at
all Christians for superstitious, narrow-souled fools. The Jews to
this day expect their Messias as devoudy as they believe in their first
prophet Moses. The Spaniards challenge the repute of being accounted
good soldiers. And the Germans are noted for their tall, proper stature,
and for their skill in magick. But not to mention any more, I suppose
you are already convinced how great an improvement and addition to the
happiness of human life is occasioned by self-love: next step to
which is flattery; for as self-love is nothing but the coaxing up
of ourselves, so the same currying and humouring of others is termed
flattery.

[Illustration: 206]

Flattery, it is true, is now looked upon as a scandalous name, but it is
by such only as mind words more than things. They are prejudiced against
it upon this account, because they suppose it justles out all truth and
sincerity? whereas indeed its property is quite contrary, as appears
from the examples of several brute creatures. What is more fawning than
a spaniel?

And yet what is more faithful to his master? What is more fond
and loving than a tame squirrel? And yet what is more sporting and
inoffensive? This little frisking creature is kept up in a cage to play
withal, while lions, tigers, leopards, and such other savage emblems of
rapine and cruelty are shewn only for state and rarity, and otherwise
yield no pleasure to their respective keepers.

There is indeed a pernicious destructive sort of flattery wherewith
rookers and sharks work their several ends upon such as they can make
a prey of, by decoying them into traps and snares beyond recovery: but
that which is the effect of folly is of a much different nature; it
proceeds from a softness of spirit, and a flexibleness of good humour,
and comes far nearer to virtue than that other extreme of friendship,
namely, a stiff, sour, dogged moroseness: it refreshes our minds when
tired, enlivens them when melancholy, reinforces them when languishing,
invigorates them when heavy, recovers them when sick, and pacifies them
when rebellious: it puts us in a method how to procure friends, and how
to keep them; it entices children to swallow the bitter rudiments of
learning; it gives a new ferment to the almost stagnated souls of old
men; it both reproves and instructs principles wi