The Middle Class

The Moral of the following Fable will easily discover itself, without my explaining it.

One River met another, who had been long united. He said haughtily:

I compare this Fable to the different Stations of Life. It is best for us to be satisfied with being in the Middle Class.

Most people, who are capable of philosophy, are in this class. Therefore, all Moral Philosophy should principally be addressed to them.

• The rich are too much immersed in Pleasure.
• The Poor are too occupied in providing for Necessities, to hearken to the calm Voice of Reason.

The Middle Class is happiest in many Respects. A middle-class man can, with the greatest Leisure, consider his own Happiness and reap a new Enjoyment from comparing his Situation with those above or below him.

Agur’s Prayer is sufficiently noted.

I recommend being in the middle class as it affords the fullest security for virtue.

The poor have little opportunity of exerting any other Virtue, besides those of:

• Patience
• Resignation
• Industry
• Integrity.

The rich have full employment for their:

• Generosity
• Humanity
• Affability
• Charity

When a Man is in between these 2 Extremes, he can exert:

• the former virtues towards his Superiors
• the latter towards his Inferiors.

Every moral quality which the human Soul is susceptible of may have its Turn and be called up to Action.

In this way, a Man may be much more certain of his Progress in Virtue than where his good Qualities lye dormant, and without Employment.

Friendship

The Virtue of Friendship seems principally to lie among Equals. This is why it is chiefly calculated for the middle class of Life.

Most generous men tend to envy the rich when they consider how the rich have many Opportunities to do Good.

• They make no advances in vain.
• They are not obliged to associate with those whom they have little Kindness for.
  • Whereas the poor are subject to have their Proffers of Friendship rejected.

The rich can acquire friendships easily. But they cannot be as sure of the sincerity of those friendships, as the lower classes can.

The Favours that they bestow may acquire them flattery instead of Good-will and Kindness.

A Man can be in danger of losing his Friends by obliging them too far.

I choose to be in the middle way and to have my Commerce with my Friend varied both by Obligations given and receiv’d.

I have too much Pride to be willing that all the Obligations should depend on me.

If they all depend on him, he would also have too much Pride or Complacency in my company.

The middle class is more favourable to the acquiring of Wisdom, Ability, and Virtue.

• A middle class man has a better Chance than the rich to attain a Knowledge of Men and Things.

He enters, with more Familiarity, into human Life.

• Everything appears in its natural Colours before him.
• He has more Leisure to form Observations.
• He has ambition to push him on in his Attainments.
• He knows that he can never rise to any Eminence without his own Industry.

Providence has wisely ordained the middle class as the most favourable to the improving our natural Abilities, since there is really more Capacity requisite to perform the Duties of that Station, than is requisite to act in the higher spheres of Life.

There are more natural Parts, and a stronger Genius requisite to make a good Lawyer or Physician, than to make a great Monarch.

Let us take any hereditary dynasty.

The English Kings are not the best leaders in History. From the Conquest to our current king, we have had 28 sovereigns.

Of these, 8 are Princes of great capacity:

• William the Conqueror
• Harry II
• Edward I
• Edward III
• Harry V
• Harry VII
• Elisabeth
• the late King William.

Commonly, there are not 8 out of 28, who are fitted, by Nature, to make a Figure either on the Bench or at the Bar.

Since Charles VII, 10 Monarchs have reigned in France, omitting Francis II.

Five of these were Princes of Capacity:

• Loüis XI
• Loüis XII
• Loüis XIV
• Francis I
• Harry IV

In short, proper governance requires a great deal of Virtue, Justice, and Humanity, but not a surprising Capacity.

A Pope used to say, Let us divert ourselves, my Friends, the World governs itself.

There are some critical Times, such as those in which Henry IV.

liv’d, that call for the utmost Vigour; and a less Courage and Capacity, than what appear’d in that great Monarch, must have sunk under the Weight.

But such Circumstances are rare.

Even then, Fortune does half of the Business.

The common Professions, such as Law or Physic, require equal or superior capacity to what are exerted in the higher Spheres of Life.

• The Soul must be made of still a finer Mold, to shine in Philosophy or Poetry, or in any of the higher Parts of Learning.
• Courage and Resolution are needed in a Commander.
• Justice and Humanity are needed in a Statesman.
• Genius and Capacity is needed in a Scholar.
• Great Generals, and great Politicians, are found in all countries and ages.
  • They frequently emerge even amongst the greatest Barbarians.

Sweden was sunk in ignorance when it produced:

• Gustavus Ericson, and
• Gustavus Adolphus.

Moscow was sunk in ignorance when the Czar appeared.

Carthage was sunk when it gave Birth to Hannibal.

But England must pass through a long Gradation of its Spencers, Johnsons, Wallers, Drydens, before it arrive at an Addison or a Pope.

A happy Talent for the liberal Arts and Sciences, is a Kind of Prodigy among Men.

Nature must afford the richest Genius that comes from her Hands.

Education and Example must cultivate it from the earliest Infancy.

Industry must concur to carry it to Perfection.

No Man needs be surprised to see Kouli-Kan17 among the Persians.

But Homer, in so early an Age, among the Greeks, is certainly Matter of the highest Wonder.

There has been but one Milton, divine Poet, within these hundred Years in England because people who had the Talents for Poetry could exert them.

• Only Milton could exert those Talents under greatest Disadvantages.

No one can be a Poet in 10,000 years if no one was allowed to write Verses.

If we gave importance to Genius and Capacity more than their Virtue and Usefulness to the Public, then great Philosophers would certainly be placed at the Top of human kind, over the rich.

This Character is so rare that only two in the World can lay a just Claim to it.

• For me, Galilæo and Newton far excel all the rest.
• I cannot admit any other into the same Class with them.

Great Poets can be the second most important. This Species of Genius is rare but it is much more frequent than the Newton.

• Of the Greek Poets: Homer alone seems to merit this Character.
• Of the Romans: Virgil, Horace and Lucretius
• Of the English: Milton and Pope
• Of the French: Corneille, Racine, Boileau1 and Voltaire
• Of the Italians: Tasso and Ariosto

Great Orators and Historians are more rare than great Poets.

Fortune dictates the Opportunities for:

• exerting the Talents needed for Eloquence, or
• acquiring the Knowledge needed for writing History

This is why we cannot call these Productions of Genius as more extraordinary than those of Poets.

The middle class is more favourable to Happiness, Virtue, and Wisdom.