Part 20

XLVII. But to resume the thread of our discourse, what we have just finished saying being rather an addition to, or digression from, our main or principal subject. The hypocrites we mentioned last, are such as conceal their malice under the cloak or pretence of zeal; but there are others, who are such at their own expence, because in order to appear virtuous they punish themselves, by abstaining from many things their appetites prompt them to desire; whereas all the cost of the first sort, is defrayed at the expence of their neighbour’s honour. It is true that this rule admits of some exceptions, for there are those so malignant, who, to wound with certainty another’s fame, would many times commit a violence on their own inclinations. They would abstain from the external exercise of those vices which they point out in others, be it ever so painful to them, in order that they may censure them with the greater freedom. Unhappy passion! Detestable hypocrisy!

SECT. VIII.

XLVIII. There remains for us to say something on two particulars, by the intervention of which, vice is frequently reverenced as virtue: The first is the exterior resemblance of certain vices to certain virtues; for as every virtue is placed between two vicious extremes, many of these last wear the appearance of the first. Thus prodigality often passes for liberality, rashness for valour, obstinacy for firmness, cunning for prudence, and pusillanimity for moderation. It is also the same with respect to many other things.

XXIX. The second is, the material commission of an act, abstracted from the turpitude of the end it was done to answer. If we were to explore the motives that intervene in an infinite number of actions, which are right to outward appearance; we should perceive, they were derived from indirect principles, and performed to answer perverse purposes. It is very common for one vice to be an obstacle to the external operation or execution of another. This man is continent to avoid spending his money; that, because he is terrified by the danger of the enterprize. In the first, continence is the child of avarice; in the second, of pusillanimity. This one puts on the shew of humility, because he is a candidate for favour and promotion; another, to avoid the exposing himself to a quarrel. In the first, humility springs from ambition, in the second it is derived from cowardice. Much, more might be said on these two heads; but, as the subject matter of them has been largely treated of in various other books, we shall rest the thing here, and content ourselves with the slight observations we have already made.

END OF VOL. I.

ERRATUM.

P. 11. 1. 1. _read_ matter; for he declares, [Transcriber’s note: rather than “matter, he declares”].

FOOTNOTES.

[1] Feyjoo, in the supplement to his Teatro Critico, says, the relation of the Earl of Leicester’s being guilty of the horrid crime of murdering his wife in order to remove all impediments to his marrying Queen Elizabeth, which he had entertained hopes of doing, was taken from Nicholas Sanders, and another person whose name he has forgot; he says further, he has since found reason to doubt the truth of that accusation, and condemns the mistaken zeal of Sanders, who he owns was much addicted to give credit to any thing he heard against the enemies of the Catholic Religion. He declares that Protestants have the same right to natural justice as Catholics, and that they should not be positively and unjustly charged with crimes, upon false rumours, or dubious reports.

[2] The son of Pope Alexander the sixth.

Transcriber’s Notes

References to “Theatrico-Critico” corrected to “Teatro Critico”

The erratum is corrected in place.

Obvious typographical errors have been silently corrected. Variations in hyphenation and accents have been standardised but all other spelling and punctuation remains unchanged.

Numbering errors/omissions from the original are left unaltered. As such there are missing/skipped section numbers and paragraph numbers in the text.

Italics are represented thus _italic_.