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but also with the fantastic and capricious behaviour of the Passions who are the managers and directors of this theatre, (for as to Reason the patentee, he is known to be a very idle fellow, and seldom to exert himself) may most probably have learned to understand the famous nil admirari of Horace, or 5 in the English phrase, to stare at nothing.

A single bad act no more constitutes a villain in life, than a single bad part on the stage. The passions, like the managers of a playhouse, often force men upon parts, without consulting their judgement, and sometimes without any regard to their 10 talents. Thus the man, as well as the player, may condemn what he himself acts; nay, it is common to see vice sit as awkwardly on some men, as the character of Iago would on the honest face of Mr. William Mills.

Upon the whole then, the man of candour and of true 15 understanding, is never hasty to condemn. He can censure an imperfection, or even a vice, without rage against the guilty party. In a word, they are the same folly, the same childishness, the same ill-breeding, and the same ill-nature, which raise all the clamours and uproars both in life, and on the 20 stage. The worst of men generally have the words rogue and villain most in their mouths, as the lowest of all wretches are the aptest to cry out low in the pit.

XXIV

MORAL REFLECTIONS BY JOSEPH ANDREWS

I have often wondered, sir, said Joseph, to observe so few instances of charity among mankind; for tho' the goodness 25 of a man's heart did not incline him to relieve the distresses of his fellow-creatures, methinks the desire of honour should move him to it. What inspires a man to build fine houses, to

purchase fine furniture, pictures, clothes, and other things at a great expence, but an ambition to be respected more than other people? Now would not one great act of charity, one instance of redeeming a poor family from all the miseries of 5 poverty, restoring an unfortunate tradesman by a sum of money to the means of procuring a livelihood by his industry, discharging an undone debtor from his debts or a gaol, or any such like example of goodness, create a man more honour and respect than he could acquire by the finest house, furniture, 10 pictures or clothes that were ever beheld? For not only the object himself, who was thus relieved, but all who heard the name of such a person must, I imagine, reverence him infinitely more than the possessor of all those other things: which when we so admire, we rather praise the builder, the 15 workman, the painter, the laceman, the taylor, and the rest, by whose ingenuity they are produced, than the person who by his money makes them his own. For my own part, when I have waited behind my lady in a room hung with fine pictures, while I have been looking at them I have never once thought 20 of their owner, nor hath any one else, as I ever observed; for when it hath been asked whose picture that was, it was never once answered the master's of the house, but Ammyconni, Paul Varnish, Hannibal Scratchi, or Hogarthi, which I suppose were the names of the painters: but if it was asked, who 25 redeemed such a one out of prison? who lent such a ruined tradesman money to set up? who cloathed that family of poor little children? it is very plain, what must be the answer. And besides, these great folks are mistaken, if they imagine they get any honour at all by these means; for I do not 30 remember I ever was with my lady at any house where she commended the house or furniture, but I have heard her at her return home make sport and jeer at whatever she had before commended and I have been told by other gentlemen in

livery, that it is the same in their families: but I defy the wisest man in the world to turn a true good action into ridicule. I defy him to do it. He who should endeavour it, would be laughed at himself, instead of making others laugh. Nobody scarce doth any good, yet they all agree in praising those who 5 do. Indeed it is strange that all men should consent in commending goodness, and no man endeavour to deserve that commendation; whilst, on the contrary, all rail at wickedness, and all are as eager to be what they abuse." This I know not the reason of; but it is as plain as daylight to those who converse 10 in the world, as I have done these three years. "Are all the great folks wicked then?" says Fanny. To be sure there are some exceptions, answered Joseph. Some gentlemen of our cloth report charitable actions done by their lords and masters, and I have heard Squire Pope, the great poet, at my lady's 15 table, tell stories of a man that lived at a place called Ross, and another at the Bath, one Al- Al- I forget his name, but it is in the book of verses. This gentleman hath built up a stately house too, which the 'squire likes very well; but his charity is seen farther than his house, tho' it stands on a hill, 20 ay, and brings him more honour. It was his charity that put him upon the book, where the 'squire says he puts all those who deserve it; and to be sure, as he lives among all those great people, if there were any such, he would know them. This was all of Mr. Joseph Andrews's speech which I could 25 get him to recollect, which I have delivered as near as was possible in his own words, with a very small embellishment.

XXV

[HIGH PEOPLE AND LOW PEOPLE]

Be it known then, that the human species are divided into two sorts of people, to wit, high people and low people. As by high people, I would not be understood to mean persons literally born higher in their dimensions than the rest of the 5 species, nor metaphorically those of exalted characters or abilities; so by low people I cannot be construed to intend the reverse. High people signify no other than people of fashion, and low people those of no fashion. Now, this word fashion, hath by long use lost its original meaning, from which at pres10 ent it gives us a very different idea: for I am deceived, if by persons of fashion, we do not generally include a conception of birth and accomplishments superior to the herd of mankind; whereas in reality, nothing more was originally meant by a person of fashion, than a person who drest himself in the 15 fashion of the times; and the word really and truly signifies no more at this day. Now the world being thus divided into people of fashion, and people of no fashion, a fierce contention arose between them, nor would those of one party, to avoid suspicion, be seen publicly to speak to those of the 20 other; though they often held a very good correspondence in private. In this contention, it is difficult to say which party succeeded for, whilst the people of fashion seized several places to their own use, such as courts, assemblies, operas, balls, &c. the people of no fashion, besides one royal place 25 called his Majesty's Bear-garden, have been in constant possession of all hops, fairs, revels, &c. Two places have been agreed to be divided between them, namely the church and the playhouse; where they segregate themselves from each other in a remarkable manner: for as the people of fashion exalt

themselves at church over the heads of the people of no fashion; so in the playhouse they abase themselves in the same degree under their feet. This distinction I have never met with any one able to account for; it is sufficient, that so far from looking on each other as brethren in the Christian 5 language, they seem scarce to regard each other as of the same species. This the terms strange persons, people one does not know, the creature, wretches, beasts, brutes, and many other appellations evidently demonstrate; which Mrs. Slipslop having often heard her mistress use, thought she had also 10 a right to use in her turn and perhaps she was not mistaken; for these two parties, especially those bordering nearly on each other, to wit the lowest of the high, and the highest of the low, often change their parties according to place and time; for those who are people of fashion in one place, are 15 often people of no fashion in another: and with regard to time, it may not be unpleasant to survey the picture of dependance like a kind of ladder; as for instance early in the morning arises the postillion, or some other boy which great families no more than great ships are without, and falls 20 to brushing the clothes, and cleaning the shoes of John the footman, who being drest himself, applies his hands to the same labours for Mr. Second-hand the squire's gentleman; the gentleman in the like manner, a little later in the day, attends the squire; the squire is no sooner equipped, than 25 he attends the levee of my lord; which is no sooner over, than my lord himself is seen at the levee of the favourite, who after his hour of homage is at an end, appears himself to pay homage to the levee of his sovereign. Nor is there perhaps, in this whole ladder of dependance, any one step 30 at a greater distance from the other, than the first from the second so that to a philosopher the question might only seem whether you would chuse to be a great man at six in