EXCURSION TO THE REALMS BELOW. 79 



Menipp. This very circumftance then muft incapa- 

 citate him ! 



L It cannot be otherwife, becaufe he allows him- 

 felf to be led by his heart, inftead of being guided by his 

 judgement. The former does not concern himfelf 

 about what particular perfons may fuffer by the rule he 

 has laid down for the good of the whole : the latter, 

 on every occalion, facrifices the greater advantage of 

 the whole to the removal of thofe particular evils that 

 come to his knowledge, and to the doing of that par- 

 ticular good which is requeued of him. The former 

 is fatished with being feared within and without his 

 kingdom ; the latter would fee himfelf beloved by all 

 around him. The moft infallible means of acquiring 

 love is affability ; a monarch who complies with every 

 thing that is prayed for of him, would fee none but 

 c hear f ul countenances about him, and, like Titus, 

 holds the day for loft, in which he has not made at 

 leaft one perfon happy, will be ftyled by his courtlings 

 the joy and delight of the human fpecies ; all that al- 

 ready have obtained what they wanted of him, or frill 

 hope to obtain it, will giv r e him this glorious title; 

 verfe-makers and profe-makers will extoll his good-na- 

 ture to the fides : and yet nothing has fo great a ten- 

 dency as this goodnature, to reduce the mightier! em- 

 pire, in the fpace of one generation of men, to nothing. 

 Good Titus's greater!: advantage was, that his reign was 

 but two years long. Had he attained to the fame pe- 

 riod with Auguftus, he would either have feen himfelf 

 forced to adopt other maxims, or the roman empire 

 would have fallen a facrifice to his good-nature. 



Menipp. 



