bottom, the mischief of which is seldom felt with any great force and
bitterness but by the next immediate degree; so in the most dissolute
and anarchical states there is as regular an ascent of what is called
rank or condition, which is always laying hold of the head of him who is
advanced but one step higher on the ladder, who might, if he did not too
much despise such efforts, kick his pursuer headlong to the bottom. We
will conclude this digression with one general and short observation,
which will, perhaps, set the whole matter in a clearer light than the
longest and most labored harangue. Whereas envy of all things most
exposes us to danger from others, so contempt of all things best secures
us from them. And thus, while the dung-cart and the sloop are always
meditating mischief against the coach and the ship, and throwing
themselves designedly in their way, the latter consider only their own
security, and are not ashamed to break the road and let the other pass
by them.

Monday, July 8.--Having passed our Sunday without anything remarkable,
unless the catching a great number of whitings in the afternoon may
be thought so, we now set sail on Monday at six o'clock, with a little
variation of wind; but this was so very little, and the breeze itself so
small, but the tide was our best and indeed almost our only friend. This
conducted us along the short remainder of the Kentish shore. Here
we passed that cliff of Dover which makes so tremendous a figure
in Shakespeare, and which whoever reads without being giddy, must,
according to Mr. Addison's observation, have either a very good head or
a very bad, one; but which, whoever contracts any such ideas from the
sight of, must have at least a poetic if not a Shakesperian genius.
In truth, mountains, rivers, heroes, and gods owe great part of their
existence to the poets; and Greece and Italy do so plentifully abound
in the former, because they furnish so glorious a number of the latter;
who, while they bestowed immortality on every little hillock and blind
stream, left the noblest rivers and mountains in the world to share the
same obscurity with the eastern and western poets, in which they
are celebrated. This evening we beat the sea of Sussex in sight of
Dungeness, with much more pleasure than progress; for the weather was
almost a perfect calm, and the moon, which was almost at the full,
scarce suffered a single cloud to veil her from our sight.

Tuesday, Wednesday,