degrees of malignity: but they have, I think, generally omitted that which is moft common, and perhaps, not leaft mifchievous; which, fince the moralifts have not given it a name, I shall diftinguish as the lie of vanity.

To vanity may juftly be imputed most of the falfehoods, which every man perceives hourly playing upon his ear, and, perhaps, most of those that are propagated with fuccefs. To the lie of commerce, and the lie of malice, the motive is fo apparent, that they are feldom negligently or implicitly received: fufpicion is always watchful over the practices of intereft; and whatever the hope of gain, or defire of mischief, can prompt one man to affert, another is by reafons equally cogent incited to refute. But vanity pleases herself with fuch flight gratifications, and looks forward to pleasure fo remotely confequential, that her practices raise no alarm, and her ftratagems are not eafily discovered.

Vanity is, indeed, often fuffered to pass unpursued by fufpicion, because he that would watch her motions, can never be at reft: fraud and malice are bounded in their influence; fome opportunity of time and place is neceffary to their agency; but scarce any man is abstracted one moment from his vanity; and he, to whom truth affords no gratifications, is generally inclined to feek them in falfehoods.

It is remarked by Sir Kenelm Digby," that every "man has a defire to appear fuperior to others, though it were only in having feen what they have "not feen." Such an accidental advantage, fince it neither implies merit, nor confers dignity, one would

would think should not be defired fo much as to be counterfeited: yet even this vanity, trifling as it is, produces innumerable narratives, all equally false; but more or lefs credible in proportion to the skill or confidence of the relater. How many may a man of diffusive conversation count among his acquaintances, whofe lives have been fignalized by numberless escapes; who never crofs the river but in a storm, or take a journey into the country without more adventures than befel the knights-errant of ancient times in pathless forefts or enchanted caftles! How many must he know, to whom portents and prodigies are of daily occurrence; and for whom nature is hourly working wonders invisible to every other eye, only to fupply them with fubjects of converfation!

Others there are that amuse themselves with the diffemination of falsehood, at greater hazard of detection and difgrace; men marked out by fome lucky planet for univerfal confidence and friendship, who have been confulted in every difficulty, entrusted with every fecret, and fummoned to every tranfaction it is the fupreme felicity of thefe men, to ftun all companies with noify information; to still doubt, and overbear oppofition, with certain knowledge or authentick intelligence. A liar of this kind, with a ftrong memory or brifk imagination, is often the oracle of an obfcure club, and, till time difcovers his impoftures, dictates to his hearers with uncontrouled authority; for if a publick queftion be started, he was prefent at the debate; if a new fashion be mentioned, he was, at court the first day of its appearance; if a new performance of literature draws the

attention

attention of the publick, he has patronifed the author, and seen his work in manuscript: if a criminal of eminence be condemned to die, he often predicted his fate, and endeavoured his reformation: and who that lives at a distance from the scene of action, will dare to contradict a man, who reports from his own. eyes and ears, and to whom all perfons and affairs are thus intimately known?

This kind of falfehood is generally fuccefsful for a time, because it is practised at firft with timidity and caution: but the profperity of the liar is of short duration; the reception of one ftory is always an incitement to the forgery of another less probable; and he goes on to triumph over tacit credulity, till pride or reafon rifes up against him, and his companions will no longer endure to fee him wifer than themfelves.

It is apparent, that the inventors of all these fictions intend fome exaltation of themselves, and are led off by the purfuit of honour from their attendance upon truth their narratives always imply fome confequence in favour of their courage, their fagacity, or their activity, their familiarity with the learned, or their reception among the great; they are always bribed by the prefent pleafure of feeing themfelves fuperior to those that surround them, and reciving the homage of filent attention and envious admiration.

But vanity is fometimes excited to fiction by lefs vifible gratifications: the prefent age abounds with a race of liars who are content with the consciousness of falfehood, and whofe pride is to deceive others without any gain or glory to themfelves. Of this tribe it is the fupreme pleasure to remark a lady in

the

the playhouse or the park, and to publish, under the character of a man fuddenly enamoured, an advertisement in the news of the next day, containing a minute description of her perfon and her drefs. From this artifice, however, no other effect can be expected, than perturbations which the writer can never fee, and conjectures of which he never can be informed: fome mifchief, however, he hopes he has done; and to have done mischief, is of fome importance. He fets his invention to work again, and produces a narrative of a robbery or a murder, with all the circumstances of time and place accurately adjusted. This is a jeft of greater effect and longer duration if he fixes his fcene at a proper distance, he may for feveral days keep a wife in terror for her husband, or a mother for her fon; and please himself with reflecting, that by his abilities and addrefs fome addition. is made to the miferies of life.

:

There is, I think, an ancient law of Scotland, by which leafing-making was capitally punished. I am, indeed, far from defiring to increase in this kingdom the number of executions; yet I cannot but think, that they who deftroy the confidence of fociety, weaken the credit of intelligence, and interrupt the fecurity of life; harafs the delicate with fhame, and perplex the timorous with alarms; might very properly be awakened to a fenfe of their crimes, by denunciations of a whipping-poft or pillory: fince many are fo infenfible of right and wrong, that they have no ftandard of action but the law; nor feel guilt, but as they dread punishment.

NUMB. 53. TUESDAY, May 8, 1753.

SIR,

IN

Quifque fuos patimur Manes.

Each has his lot, and bears the fate he drew.

VIRG

Fleet, May 6.

N confequence of my engagements, I addrefs you once more from the habitations of mifery. In this place, from which bufinefs and pleasure are equally excluded, and in which our only employment and diverfion is to hear the narratives of each other, I might much fooner have gathered materials for a letter, had I not hoped to have been reminded of my promife; but fince I find myself placed in the regions of oblivion, where I am no lefs neglected by you than by the reft of mankind, I refolved no longer to wait for folicitation, but ftole early this evening from between gloomy fullenness and riotous merriment, to give you an account of part of my companions.

One of the moft eminent members of our club is Mr. Edward Scamper, a man of whofe name the Olympic heroes would not have been afhamed. Ned was born to a fmall eftate, which he determined to improve; and therefore, as foon as he became of age, mortgaged part of his land to buy a mare and ftallion, and bred horfes for the courfe. He was at first very fuccessful, and gained feveral of the king's plates, as he is now every day boafting, at the ex

pence