82 HISTORY of th SOCIETY. 
eres Sig Mr Smitu’s opinion concerning the nature of Virtue, is in- 
; volved in his Theory concerning the principle of moral appro- 
bation. The idea of virtue, he thinks, always implies the idea 
of propriety, or of the fuitablenefs of the affection to the obje& 
which excites it; which fuitablenefs, according to him, can be 
determined in no other way than by the fympathy of impartial 
f{pectators with the motives of the agent. But ftill he appre- 
hends, that this defcription of virtue is incomplete; for al- 
though in every virtuous action propriety is an effential ingre- 
dient, it is not always the fole ingredient. Beneficent ations 
have in them another quality, by which they appear, not only 
to deferve approbation, but recompenfe, and excite a fuperior 
degree of efteem, arifing from a double fympathy with the mo- 
tives of the agent, and the gratitude of thofe who are the objects 
of his affeCtion. In this refpe&, beneficence appears to him to 
be diftinguifhed from the inferior virtues of prudence, vigilance, 
circumfpection, temperance, conftancy, firmnefs, which are al- 
ways regarded with approbation, but which confer no merit. 
This diftin@tion, he apprehends, has not been fufficiently at- 
tended to by moralifts ; the principles of fome affording no ex- 
planation of the approbation we beftow on the inferior virtues ; 
and thofe of others accounting as imperfectly for the peculiar 
excellency which the fupreme virtue of beneficence is acknow- 
ledged to poffefs. 
Sucu are the outlines of Mr Smiru’s Theory of Moral Sen- 
timents ; a work which, whatever opinion we may entertain of 
the yuftnefs of its conclufions, muft be allowed by all to be a 
fingular effort of invention, ingenuity and fubtilty. For my own 
part, I muft confefs, that it does not coincide with my notions 
concerning the foundation of Morals; but I am convinced, at 
the fame time, that it contains a large mixture of important 
truth, and that, although the author has fometimes been mifled 
by too great a defire of generalizing his principles, he has had 
3 the 
