126 ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book II. 



Now, tlic Scnfe of Honour is founded upon the Senfe of Beau- 

 ty ; for it proceeds from an opinion, that we are poffcired of a cer- 

 tain Beauty and Dignity of charader, which demands refped from 

 others. If a man has great ftrength and elevation of Mind, he wil! 

 not be very folicitous to have this opinion of himfelf confirmed by 

 the teflimony of others ; he will be fatisfied with the honour he gives 

 to himfelf. And this is the cafe of the proud Man : But by far the 

 greater part of Mankind are not proud, but •vain ; and they defire 

 that the good opinion they have of themfelves fhould be con- 

 firmed bv the opinion of others ; and thence comes the defire of 

 Praife, which is fo univerfal a paflion. 



From the Senfe of Honour, and Defire of Praife, proceeds the paf- 

 fion of Anger, one of the ftrongeft paffions belonging to the Hu- 

 man Nature. This paflion arifes, when we not only do not meet 

 with the Praife from others which we think we deferve, but when 

 we are treated by them with negled or contempt *. 



Revenge 



• See Arlftotle upon the fubjeil of Anger; Rhetorica, lib 2. cap 2 — where 

 he has given a very accurate ilefiriitio'i of Anger, and explained and diftinguiflied 

 all the caufes ■which produce it, and which all refolve into honour offended, or, 

 in one word, affront: For we muft diftinguifh betwixt injury and aflront: A man 

 may fufFer great injuries and lofs, for which he will grieve very much, but not be 

 affronted or angry. It was not the lofs of.Brifeis, that made Achilles angry with A- 

 gamemnon ; but it was W u^itrc* A;^*'*' »<'^" "lo-Ui — and again becaufe he 

 treated him tirn ■»■"•« aTiftrim ^iT<»»«irTii>. — In (hort, his anger rofe from the 

 fenfe of his own dignity and worth, to which Agamemnon had fliown no regard. 

 Having mentioned Arirtotlc's Rhetoric, I would recommend very much to the fludy 

 of the learned reader this 2d Bock of it, concerning the P.-.fllons and Charadlers of 

 Men, as containing more of what is called the Knowledge of the World than any 

 book I ever read. And, in general, I would recommend the Moral and Political wri- 

 tings of Plato and Ariftotle, as the bed fchool in which a man can learn this Sci- 

 ence of the If^crld ; for it is with the World, as it is with other things, we fhall 

 never be perfect in the Pradice of it, unlefs we know likewife the Science. , 



