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38 A PANEGYRICK
People are beſt gull’d and impoſed upon.
F or farther, what City would ever ſubmit
to the rigorous Laws of ‘Plato, to the fevere
Injunétions of .4rz/fotle ? Or the more unpracti¬
cable Tenets of Socrates? No, thefe would
have been too ftreight and gauling, there not
being Allowance enough made for the Infir¬
mitiesof the People.
To pafs to another Head, what was. it
made the Decéé foforward to offer themfelves
up as a Sacrifice for an Atonement, to the
Angry Gods, to refcue and ftipulate for their
indebted Country ?
Waar made Curtius; ona like Occafion
defperately to throw away his Life, but only
Fain-glory, that is condemn'd, and unanimoully
voted for a main Branch of. Folly by, all Wife
Men? What is more unreaſonable and foppifh,
(ſay they) than for any Man, out of Ambition
to fome Office, to bow, and ſcrape, and cringe
to the gaping Rabble, to purchafe their, Fa¬
vour by Bribes and Donatives, to have their
Names cry’d up in the Strects, to be carry d
about as it were for a fine Sight upon the Shoul¬
ders of the Crowd, to have their Æffigzes carved
in Brafs, and put up in the Market-place for &
Monument of their Popularity? Add to this
the Affeftation of new Titles and Diftinélive
Badges of Honour; nay, the very Deifying
of fuch as were the moft Bloody Tyrants.
Thefe are fo extreamly ridiculous, that there
is need of more than one Democrztius to laugh
at ‘em. And yet hence only have been
occafion’d thofe Memorable Atchievements of
Heroes, that have fo much employ’d the Pens
f many Laborious Writers. Ir