sons which have no
manner of alliance, and can for that reason have no other effect than
making both parties justly ridiculous. What pretence is there in Nature
for me to write to a great man, and tell him, "My lord, because your
Grace is a duke, your Grace's father before you was an earl, his
lordship's father was a baron, and his lordship's father both a wise and
a rich man, I, Isaac Bickerstaff, am obliged, and could not possibly
forbear addressing to you the following treatise." Though this is the
plain exposition of all I could possibly say to him with a good
conscience, yet the silly custom has so universally prevailed, that my
lord duke and I must necessarily be particular friends from this time
forward, or else I have just room for being disobliged, and may turn my
panegyric into a libel. But to carry this affair still more home, were
it granted that praises in dedications were proper topics, what is it
that gives a man authority to commend, or what makes it a favour to me
that he does commend me? It is certain, that there is no praise valuable
but from the praiseworthy. Were it otherwise, blame might be as much in
the same hands. Were the good and evil of fame laid upon a level among
mankind, the judge on the bench, and the criminal at the bar, would
differ only in their stations; and if one's word is to pass as much as
the other's, their reputation would be much alike to the jury.
Pliny,[279] speaking of the death of Martial, expresses himself with
great gratitude to him for the honours done him in the writings of that
author; but he begins it with an account of his character, which only
made the applause valuable. He indeed in the same Epistle says, it is a
sign we have left off doing things which deserve praise, when we think
commendation impertinent. This is asserted with a just regard to the
persons whose good opinion we wish for; otherwise reputation would be
valued according to the number of voices a man has for it, which are not
always to be insured on the more virtuous side. But however we pretend
to model these nice affairs, true glory will never attend anything but
truth; and there is something so peculiar in it, that the very self-same
action done by different men cannot merit the same degree of applause.
The Roman, who was surprised in the enemy's camp before he had
accomplished his design, and thrust his bare arm into a flaming pile,
telling the general, there were many as determined as himself who