454 
II U M 
Aft of fubmiflion.—-With thefe humilities they fatisfied the 
young king, and by their bowing and bending avoided 
the prefent ftorin. Davies. 
Humility is that habit of mind which inclines to 
think of ourfelves hot more highly than w'e ought to 
think, but to think foberly. It excludes not a proper 
fenfe of our own right, whether by this be underltood 
what belongs to us by claims llriftly legal, or what we 
are entitled to expeft in confequence of the (filiation we 
polfefs in fociety, or of thofe becoming decencies which 
humanity and civilization have eftablilhed, as due in dif¬ 
ferent degrees from one man to another. Humility is by 
no means to be confounded with that meannefs of fpirit 
which fubmits to indignity for fear of incurring the re¬ 
fen tment of the perfon by whom it is offered, or aban¬ 
dons duty when perfonal detriment Hands in oppofition 
to the confcientious and vigorous difcharge of it. On 
the contrary, this virtue will induce us to prefer duty to 
every perfonal confideration, and refill:, in a becoming and 
temperate manner, every degradation -which tends to ob- 
ftruft our utility by diminifhing our influence. 
Humility, direfting the mind to God, perceives and ac¬ 
knowledges the infignificance, the bafenefs, and the ag¬ 
gravated guilt, of every human being, before his Creator. 
Turning our view towards our fellow-men, it recognifes 
that equality of right and obligation, which, according to 
the diverfity ofrelations and circumftances, fubfifts among 
all mankind ; but allb admits and refpefts every occurring 
in (lance of merit, in any individual. As often as our 
own qualities and virtues are the fubjefts of confidera¬ 
tion, humility difpofes us rather to cherifh the fuggef- 
tions of modeft diffidence, and the feelings of confcious 
deleft, than to entertain the felf-flattery of prefumption 
and the audacity of arrogance. 
From this general defcription of the virtue in queftion, 
we already perceive, that it implies a juflmefs and eleva¬ 
tion of fentiment, and a certain tone of magnanimity, 
that dignify the foul in which they exift. It evinces en¬ 
largement of conception, and freedom from the fetters of 
felfiflinefs. It proves that its pofiefibr can expatiate be¬ 
yond the contrafted circle of his own qualities, can view 
w'ith the difcrimination of impartiality the merits of others, 
weigh them in the fame balance with his own, and allow 
the former their full value, even when the latter mull buf¬ 
fer by the companion; and has fixed, in his mind, fuch a 
Itandard of excellence, as far furpafles any human attain¬ 
ment. Real worth is the objeft of his regard, and, where- 
ever he finds it, he honours it, though in the lowed 
condition, and in circumftances the molt unprofperous. 
Hence, the humble man thinks meanly of his own quali¬ 
fications, not becaufe his ideas flow in a (hallow ftream, 
and in a narrow channel, but becaufe his conceptions 
fwell to fuch a height, and are capable of fuch expanfion, 
that his own importance is funk, as it were, and loit amidft 
greater confiderations. Such a perfon is, therefore, pof- 
feffed of real dignity, and greatnefs of mind, to which 
the proud man is an entire ftranger. It requires both- a 
lound judgment, and no common degree of moderation 
and firmnefs, to reprefs the impulfes of felf-love, in fuch 
a manner as to give to our own qualities no moreivalue 
than they ought in reafon to pofiefs. So difficult is tiiis 
attainment, that it is doubtful whether it has ever been 
completely found in any charafter merely human. To 
yield to the fuggeftions of pride, to fuller the imagina¬ 
tion to be filled with her fantaftic images, and the under- 
llanding blinded by her fafcination, requires no exertion, 
no ability whatever. The weaker, the more ignorant and 
vicious, a perfon is, the more eafily and completely he 
runs the courfe which this paflion prefcribes. But* the 
cultivation of humility is a work that demands great dif- 
cernment of the refpeftive claims of thofe that furround 
us, the faculty of comparing them with our own, a judi¬ 
cious eftiiiiation of merit, and refolution to bend the vio¬ 
lence and obftinacy of felfilh paffions to the nature and 
reafon of things. Thefe energies of mind, and their 
H U M 
effefts on conduft, command efteern, enfure benevolence 
and attachment, and evince a charafter, not only amiable 
in itfelf, but ufeful to mankind. Every thing focial, ge¬ 
nerous, and exalted, is much more to be expefted from 
this, than from the oppofite difpofition. Is any perfonal 
hardfliip to be buffered, any facnfice made, for the public 
good ? The perfon who confiders liimfelf as unimpor¬ 
tant, in comparifon of the focial body, will be more ready 
to exhibit fuch inltances of magnanimity, than he whole 
chief objeft is his own exaltation. Is it neceflary, for the 
peace of fociety, to relinquifli a favourite fcheme or te¬ 
net, or, at lead, not to prefs it with a dogmatical fpirit of 
contention i He, who is diffident of his own judgment 
is much more likely to adopt fuch a meafure, than the 
man who fuppofes his own opinions to be (lamped with 
the mark of infallibility, and who is impelled to main¬ 
tain them by the intolerant fpirit of bigotry and pride. 
Is it defirable, for the-common interell, to accomplifh a 
reconciliation between contending parties ? He, who is 
not inflamed with that refentment which wounded felf- 
fufiiciency infpires, will more readily ftep forward to meet 
his opponent, in the temper of pacification, than the man 
who confiders the rejeftion of exorbitant claims as atro¬ 
cious injuftice, and refiftance to infolence as an unpar¬ 
donable crime. 
While the humble man thus poffeffes fo much internal 
by not fooliihly grafping at external dignity, he is alfo 
exempt from thofe meanneffes which are infeparable from 
the purfuits of pride. He is not obliged to have recourfe 
to thofe defpicable devices which are often praftifed in 
order to obtain oftentatious advancement, nor is he fub- 
jeft to thofe debating emotions which are the refillt of 
difappointed ambition. He is free from the bondage of 
adulation, equally degrading to the flatterer, and the per¬ 
fon who is pleafed with flattery ; between whom there is 
fuch mutual dependence, that it is difficult to deter¬ 
mine who of the two is the greateft (lave. In (hort, in 
whatever light we confider the humble difpofition of 
meek-eyed humility, we find it produftive of the nobleft 
fuperiority, and the mod folid independence. 
HUMIvIATU', f in botany. See Datura Metel. 
HUM'MEL’s TOWN, a town of the American States, 
in Dauphine county, Pennfylvania, fituated on the Couth 
fide of Swetara creek -. fix miles north of Middletown, ten 
eaft-by-north of Harriftmrg, and one hundred weft-north- 
weft of Philadelphia. 
HUMME'LIUS (John), an eminent German mathema¬ 
tician, born at Memmingen in 1518. He received his 
early education in his native place, and, as lie boon difco- 
vered a partiality for mathematical purfuits, he was fent 
to the univerfity of Strafburg, where he diftinguiflied him- 
felf fo much by his application and proficiency, that the 
ableft mafters in that feminary took delight in communi¬ 
cating to him their information. In 1544 he returned to 
Memmingen, and was appointed minifterof Bleffe, a town 
in the neighbourhood of that city. Here he continued 
his favourite purfuits with all the ardour which a proper 
attention to his minifterial duties permitted. When the 
Interim was enforced by the emperor Charles V. Humme- 
lius refufed to fubfcribe to it, and was banifhed ; but af¬ 
terwards his (kill in the mathematics recommended him to 
the favour of that prince, who bellowed on him high 
marks of his efteern. In 1553, the emperor raifed him to 
the dignity of count palatine, at the time when he filled 
the chair of mathematical proteffor at Leipfic. Some time 
before, he had predated to that prince, at Bruffels, a 
clock of his invention, conftrufted in a Angular and in¬ 
genious manner. Hummelius alio invented leveral uieful 
mathematical inftruments, and added valuable improve¬ 
ments to others known before his time. He died in'1562,, 
when only forty-four years of age, leaving behind him 
many ingenious mathematical works. 
HUM'MER,/ That-which hums; an applauder. Ainf- 
zvortk. 
HUM'MET (The), a fmall ifland in the Englifh 
Channel, 
