CHAPTER XXVIII. That the Wicked endeavour in vain to leffen the Reputation of the Virtuous. TH Here was a certain Gardener, who got a competent Livelihood by railing Flowers, and efpecially Tulips; he had planted fome of every Sort, and used his utmoft Industry to bring them to Perfection; and in order to fet them off to a greater Advantage, he placed them in the Middle of his Garden, furrounding them with fine Rofe trees, which ferv'd as a Defence to them; and at the return of the verdant Spring, Flora adorn'd them with her most beautiful Ornaments, and checker'd them with fuch an agreeable Diverfity, that the People came from all parts of the City, to admire the wonderful Variety of the Colours, which profufe Nature had bestow'd upon them. But the Vifits, which the Ladies had been pleas'd to honour them with, had fo elevated their Minds, and flufh'd them with fuch a difdainful Pride, that a rude Blaft having unfortunately ruffled the Leaves and Buds of the Roses, the Tulips impudently began to infult them, as tho' they had been their Inferiours, crying out, You had juft Reafon indeed to take upon you here in our Prefence; truly we are forry for the Misfortune which bas befallen you, and are moved with Compassion at the deplorable Condition wherein we see you are Junk; but don't vainly imagine, that it was for any intrinfick Worth in your felves, that you were favour'd with a Place fo near us, your proper Habitation being in Fields and small Villages; the only de Ec 2 Sign fign of your being planted here, was to over-fhadow, and hedge us in; you flourish only to be made the Nofe-gays of rural Swains and Chamber-maids, but we are cultivated with the utmost Care, to be placed in the Snowy Breafts of the Eair, and to adorn the Head of a Princefs: But a Rofe, ftrugling to give his uneafy Paffion Vent, burft the Prifon of its tender Bud, and flufh'd with a Maiden Blush at the Impudence of his envious Detractor, makes this Reply Doubtless we are no way inferiour to you, and if any thing renders you Praise-worthy, know that it is not your inviting Smell, but your outward Form, which truly is Beautiful; but the Splendor thereof continues but for a Day, and the Evening deprives you both of Life and Comlinefs: Moreover, after Your Death nothing remains of you but a wither'd Leaf, void of Smell, or to speak more properly, carying with it a very difagreeable one. Whereas on the contrary, our Sweetness, which remains in us even after Death, is admir'd by Great and Small ; and if you will give your felf the Trouble to enquire where we are intombed, you will find it is in Bags of Satin, and Golden Brocade, and in the magnificent Beds of Princes, and the most auguft Emperors, hut your ufelefs Leaves are interr'd in Dung hills, and caft into the Mire of the Streets. The MORA L. This Fable teacheth us, Firft that there is no Trade whatfoever, which will not bring in a fuffi. cient Maintenance, to a diligent and careful Master. Secondly, that nothing puffeth-up a Perfon fo much as Beauty. Thirdly, that a Vain-glorious Man cannot bear to hear another Prais'd in his Prefence. Fourthly, that by Difdaining others, we forfeit all the Refpect due to ourselves. Fifthly, that that when we find our felves very much leffen'd by Slander, we ought in Honour to stand up in our own Vindication. Fire can eafily warm Water, and by that means the Heat alters its Nature; but it is out of the Power of Vice to deftroy Virtue, altho' it be her Enemy; nay, on the contrary, all the Methods, which a malicious Man makes ufe of against a righteous Perfon, ferve only to enhance his Merits, and render his Virtue more confpicuous; fo that Obloquy, Scorn, and Calumny, which are the chief Inftruments he makes ufe of to defame him, makes his Name far more illuftrious, by giving him an Opportunity of manifefting to the World his great Modesty and Patience. We daily fee, that thro' a depraved and unreafonable Humour, the Illiterate under-value those, who have made a laudable Progrefs in the Arts and Sciences: The Coward bears an irreconciliable Hatred to Men of Spirit; and those who have been brought up in a profligate Course, entertain an especial Averfion against others, whofe good Qualifications, cultivated by a liberal Education, have prov'd a continual Guard to them against all vicious Inducements. Shame and Time would prevail more with us than all the Reasons that can be alledg'd, and would correct those Vices, which are almoft grown habitual to us, by a frequent Practice, if we would follow the Dictates, and purfue the juft Sentiments of our Confciences. It is oblervable, that our modern Fops, who are ignorant of every thing, but Dreffing after the Fashion, fpeak contemptibly, thro' their own Defects, when they fall into a Difcourfe upon any great Subject; and make it their chief Study to Jeffen and vilify thofe noble and generous Actions, which they are uncapable of imitating: But had they they the Senfe and Ingenuity to confider, that while they think to revile others, they debase themselves to a far greater Degree, I'm well affur'd they would alter their Behaviour, and begin to act quite contrary; for they would easily discern, that all their bafe and ungenerous Raillery was thrown away to no Effect, and that the wife and understanding part of Mankind, whom they ftrike at, judicioufly retort their Blows upon them by a fingle Word; or if they keep Silence, they tacitly give them the Lye, by Actions worthy of the Virtue, and the Wifdom which they make publick Profeflion of: An ingenious Man confounds a Fool with a Glance of his Eye, and a Coward cannot stand against a brave Champion, who daily gives new Proofs of his Valour. Not but that there are fome, who if they fet apart fome Hours for their Diverfion, neverthelefs keep their Affairs in good order, and tho in the Winter they may fpend a few Days in the agreeable Converfation of their Friends, yet do they employ whole Campaigns in the laborious and dangerous Exercife of War. Altho' Surena was the most beautiful Prince of the Eaft, who ufed to Perfume every Part of his Body; and to render himself more amiable, he frequently Painted his Face; yet this did not prevent his engaging Craffus, whom Avarice had caufed to advance his Army into the Country of the Parthians, or his obtaining over him a Victory, as infamous to the Romans, as it was honourable to the Parthians. But left we should be too tedious; in one Word, ail thofe Perfons who have recommended themfelves to the World, by their Virtues, and have left behind them a grateful Remembrance of their Lives, either by their Sobriety, Humility and Con Continence; or by their Clemency, Charity, Friendship, or Courage, thefe are thofe beautiful Rofes, which never lofe their fweet Smell, tho' they are entirely faded: On the contrary, the Wicked, the Ignorant, and Malicious refemble thofe Tulips finely diverfified with Colours, which wither in a few Days, and leave nothing behind them but an ill Savour, when they have loft the benign Influences of the Sun, and the bounteous Gifts of Nature. But the Juft (as the Scriptures affures us) shall be bad in everlasting Remembrance, while the Vicious flourish but for a Moment, and disappear, without leaving to their Pofterity any other Tokens of themselves, than the Blemishes and Stains of their Vices. He that fhould compare the Emperor Phocas, with the Emperor Bafilus, would undoubtedly joyna Rofe with a Tulip: The Former heaped up a great Quantity of Corn in the Time of Famine, to exhauft the Subftance of his People, by felling it at an extravagant Rate; the Latter, on the contrary, continually gave Largeffes, to leffen the Dearth, and willingly fold the moft precious Things in his Kingdom, to fupport and prolong the Lives of his languifhing Subje&s. up his The Duke of Gueldres inhumanly fhut Father in Prison, that he might thereby fhorten his Days; whereas young Talbot, feeing his Father wounded before the Walls of Caftillon, would by no means be perfwaded to leave him, being defirous to be intombed with him. A certain Pagan Emperor carried with him the value of Seven Millions of Gold in precious Stones, all his Utensils were of Gold, which he never would fuffer to come to his Table Twice: And James Count of Marche, who was of the Houfe of Bourbon and King of Naples, took his leave of the World, |