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upon FOLL Y. by | why Men make a greater Improvement in this | Virtue, is only becauſe they are more Credulous and Eafie-natur’d; for Friends mußt be of the ſame Humour and Inclinations too, or elſe the Teague of Amity, though made with never ſo many Proteſtations, willbeſoon broke. Thus grave and moroſe Men ſeldom prove faſt Friends ; they are too captious and cenſorious, and will not bear with one another’s Infirmi| ties; they are as Eagle-fighted as may be in the Efpial of others Fauits, while they wink upon themſelves, and never mind the Beam in their own Eyes. In fhort, Man being by Nature fo prone to Frailties, fo Humourfome and Crofsgrain’d, and fo guilty of fo many Slips and Mifcarriages, there could be no firm Friendſhip . contraéted, except there be ſuch an Allowance ‘made for each other’s Defaults, which the Greeks term ’EviSu, and we may conftrue Good Nature, which is but ancther Word for Folly. And what? Is not Cupid, that firit Father of all Relation, is not he ftark Blind, that as he cannot himfelf diftinguith of Colours, fo he would make us as Mope-eyed in judging falfly of all Love-Concerns, and wheedle us into a Thinking that we are alway in the Right? Thus every Jack flicks to his own ‘Jill, every Tinkerefteems his own Trull, and the Hob-nailed Suitor prefers Foaz the Milk» maid before any of my Lady's Daughters. Theſe Things are true, and are ordinarily _-Agugh’d at, and yet however ridiculous they eem, it is hence only that all Societiesreceive . their Cement and Confolidation. D 2 Tax
