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PERSONAL DUTIES.

[Part IV.

In cultivating the personal virtues, no one thing is more indis-pensable to success, than the government of the temper and pas-sions ; among which jealousy, envy, anger, and its offspring,resentment, hatred, malice, and revenge, are the most dangerous.These passions are accustomed to disturb society enough ; butstill more will they disturb and harass, if they do not destroy, theunfortunate individual, who gives way to them.

The malignant affection, with which some ill-constituted mindsare ever disposed to view those whom they consider as competi-tors, is called jealousy , when the competitor is one who has notyet attained the height on which themselves stand, and when it isthe future advancement of a competitor that is dreaded. It isdenominated envy, when it regards some actual attainment ofanother. But the passion, varying with this mere difference ofthe present and the future, is the same in every other respect.In both cases, the wish is a wish of evil, — a wish of evil toexcellence of whatever kind. “ Wrath is cruel, and anger is out-rageous ; but who is able to stand before envy ? ” * * There areminds, to which no scene of torture is half so dreadful, no painhalf so exquisite, no sight half so disgusting, as superior virtue,excellence, and happiness. The envious man will wish all man-kind to remain in ignorance of important truths, if the most im-portant truths, that can be revealed to them, are to be the discov-ery of any other genius than his own. He will sigh over therelief which multitudes are to receive from the institutions of awise benevolence, which he was not the first to prompt. Hewill sicken at the prosperity of his country, if this prosperity ismade to enhance the glory of a rival. He will rejoice at theseverest calamities which can afflict his country, if they can beturned to the disgrace, and much more to the ruin of a rival.

One change, however, would, in a moment, dissipate all themalevolence of this gloomy and selfish spirit. It would only benecessary to drive from the earth, every thing worthy of love and

ed work would have been, no doubt, strongly characteristic of his peculiar wayof thinking on this subject. This work, too, is mentioned more than once inhis correspondence with Lord Kames, in which he explains it further ; but hisexplanation is too long to permit me to quote it. (Life of Lord Kames,by LordWoodhouselee, Vol. X. p. 372; Vol. II. p. 28.)

* Proverbs xxvii. 4,