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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60881	A discourse concerning generosity	Somers, John Somers, Baron, 1651-1716.	1693 (1693)	Wing S4640; ESTC R221638	48,520	157

A DISCOURSE Concerning Generosity LONDON Printed by H. Clark for Iames Adamson at the Angel and Crown in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1693. THE PREFACE SInce we find 't is so difficult a thing to engage Men to the sincere Love and Practice of Vertue and Goodness It is but reasonable that we make use of all manner of proper ways and means which may be deemed serviceable to that end No Consideration that has any weight should be omitted nor any fit Argument or Motive left untoucht It is necessary to make our Attempts upon all those Principles of the human Nature from which Men are wont to act especially those which are of great force and influence upon them and to offer such Arguments and Motives as are suited to work upon each of those Principles respectively Some Principles indeed do operate in Men more powerfully than others But that need not hinder us from endeavouring by proper Arguments and Motives to work upon those which are less powerful Since none of the Principles of Action which Men naturally have were put into them in vain We know that the Affections or Principles of Hope and Fear are of vast and universal influence upon Mens Actions Religion could not easily subsist without an appointment of Rewards and Punishments Nor could the consideration of Rewards and Punishment have such force upon Men as it has but that it is suited to operate vehemently upon two powerful Principles in them to wit their Hope and Fear And hence it comes to pass that nothing is more effectual to retain Men within the bounds of their Duty than the prospect they have of Reward for the observation and of Punishment for the violation of it And this shews that 't is upon very good reason that the Scriptures do chiefly apply and insist on Arguments drawn from this Topick to engage Men to Vertue and Piety and that Divines and Preachers have usually taken the same Method But my Design at present is of a somewhat different nature And because the Topick of Rewards and Punishments has been and is copiously and fully treated on by Divines To them I shall leave it To whose Province it seems more especially to belong But besides Hope and Fear there are some other Principles within us of which great use may be made in order to engage us to the love and practice of Vertue Particularly from the natural sense we have of Honour and Shame we may likewise draw good and forcible Motives to Vertue And by adding the Motives we draw from them to those which are wont to be drawn from the other Principles that are in us we may bring our selves under a more powerful Obligation to do our Duty This is what I propose to my self in this Discourse Wherein I do not go about to detract from much less wholly to exclude those Arguments or Motives which are fetch'd from the consideration of Rewards and Punishments or from any other just Topick But leaving them upon their own bottom am endeavouring to reinforce them with those additional Arguments and Motives which result from the Principles that are in us of Honour and Shame I would engage Men to Vertue and Goodness by working upon their natural Principles of Self-esteem and Ambition and of Honour and Shame And therefore doubt not but I shall be thought to act in concert with those who likewise design to engage Men to Vertue by Arguments and Motives calculated to work upon Mens Hope or Fear or any other of their natural Principles And since Men are of various Dispositions and not only different Persons but even the same Persons at different times do act upon various Motives It may be hoped that the greater variety of just Motives are made use of the better success may ensue and that if the Arguments or Motives of the one sort do not take fast hold of Men those of the other sort peradventure may And I confess I found my self the more willing to engage my Pen on this Subject because Generosity is not usually taken notice of so much as perhaps it ought and I conceive deserves to be There is but little mention for ought I can find made of it either in the Systems of Moralists or the Instructions of ordinary Preceptors and Tutors And that if I am not mistaken is a defect necessary to be in some measure supplied Since Generosity is a Principle extreamly useful and of so very extensive a Nature that it does in a sort pervade the whole Body of Morality as I hope to shew by and by In the mean time I think my self obliged to acknowledge That I am indebted to the Learned and Ingenious Des Cartes for that which is indeed the Ground-work of this Essay I have followed as exactly as I could the lively tho' short Description which he has given of Generosity and some times chuse to make use of his words not being able to find others better or indeed so good But whether I have improved any of the Hints which he has given or represented them to advantage that I must submit to the Judgment of others since it is neither needful nor proper for me to determine in the Case The Argument it self I must confess is great and noble and requires a better Head and Genius than I am Master of to handle it justly But if I have attempted a thing above my Pitch I am sure I have done it with a good Intention Nor can I upon the Matter blame my self for the Vndertaking Since the cause of Vertue seems to demand an Attempt of this nature and the Persons best qualified have not that I know engaged in it so fully and particularly as might be wish'd Vpon that Account I am persuaded the Sincerity of my intention in this Matter which I steadfastly avow and of which I believe there will be no reason to doubt will entitle me to the Excuse of candid People for the meanness of my Performance And I allow my self to hope that as course as the Picture is which I present you with it will serve to make the Original appear very Amiable Imprimatur Ra. Barker Reverendissimo in Christo Patri ac D no. D no. Johanni Archiepiscopo Cant. a Sacris Feb. 15 1692 3. A DISCOURSE Concerning Generosity WE live in an Age wherein there are great pretensions made to Religion and no less to Honour And as these two are in themselves excellent Things so I must confess 't is a great satisfaction to me that they continue to bear so general a Reputation in the World It cannot indeed be wondred that Things which are both excellent in their Nature and likewise of universal Esteem should be the Objects of most Mens aim and ambition since it s very natural it should be so But if Men were as well agreed what is most truly and properly meant by the Terms Religion and Honour as they are agreed that these two things deserve their Esteem and Prosecution we might hope for some

the Nobility and Gentry so they ought to be of great weight with them It is true that the most solid Obligations of all to Generosity are those which result from the Nature of Things and which concern all Men equally of whatever degree For 't is undoubtedly more honourable to imitate God Almighty himself than the most vertuous and excellent Men that ever were And there are stronger Reasons to engage Men to a generous and vertuous Behaviour which may be fetch'd from the nature of Vertue it self than any that arise barely from the consideration of secular Dignity and Eminence or the Example of Ancestors Nevertheless where there are concurrent Reasons some of higher others of lower Obligation they ought all to be allowed their just force and all made use of to engage Men to honourable and vertuous Courses since all the Arguments of both sorts which can be brought are commonly found hardly effectual for that purpose But as Generosity is a Principle of acting very much becoming Persons of elevated Character and great Fortunes and they have additional Arguments above many other Men to engage them to the practice of it So it is easie to discern that the practice of it is like to be more illustrious in them and more beneficial to the World than the practice of the same in Men of inferiour Condition The Vices of great Men are more conspicuous than those of meaner Folks And so are their Vertues Their Character and Station is more Publick and their Example both of greater force and of more diffused Influence And the greater is their Power of doing either good or hurt They have commonly many Tenants Clyents and Dependents to whom their Generous Behaviour is like to bring great Advantage and the contrary great Mischief and Damage And perhaps the well or ill-being in the World of these People must be in great measure owing to the generous or ungenerous disposition of their Patrons So that it must needs be of very diffusive Benefit for Men who have high Characters or great Commands who are Governours of Territories or Lords of great Demeans or who have great Offices and Entrustments in the State and in Proportion for others of lesser Quality or Power to be of a true and generous Temper And this will be not only of great Ornament but likewise of great use to themselves It will gain them the Affection and Esteem of their Dependants and Neighbours and likewise their Prayers and good Wishes it will give them Power and Sway in their Countries it will engage all that know them to stand by them and render them all the good Offices they can In short it will procure them the satisfaction and pleasure of Mind that attends generous and worthy Actions in this Life and the Rewards of Vertue in the future Life It would moreover be of great Advantage to the Publick if Men in their several Professions and Employments would pursue this Principle more exactly And the more reputable a Mans Profession is he has in a sort the greater Obligation upon him so to do Thus for Instance a Generous Lawyer would think it dishonourable to betray a Cause he is entrusted in to plead in a Cause after he is fully satisfied 'tis unjust with that warmth and application which is due only to a just one to give Advice with a regard rather to his own Profit than either to the Law or the Suitors Benefit to blow the Coals of Contention or encourage litigious and frivolous Suits which he knows before-hand will be of no Fruit to the Party or in more just or colourable Causes to spend the Clients Mony unnecessarily in skirmishing and playing of Prizes about Matters wherein Justice or the Merits of the Cause are nothing concerned to apply the Law to the contriving or defending of Frauds and Oppressions or pervert it to the hurt or ruin of the innocent and honest Person whom it is ordained to protect These things and such like a Generous Man whether he be of higher or lower Character in the Profession will think himself obliged to avoid as dishonourable nourable and base And the same Principle will influence the Physitian and Men of other Professions in their respective Employments And likewise the Merchant and Tradesman in his Dealings and Commerce It would be a means to restrain Men from the injurious Arts of Monopoly and Exaction from Lying Dissembling and other insidious and ill Practices that are too often used in buying and selling And as the several ill Practices before mentioned are dishonourable in themselves contrary to the Rules of Sincerity and Justice and prejudicial to the good Order and Prosperity of the Publick So the Vertues opposite thereunto which Generosity is suited to produce are both excellent in themselves and likewise of great benefit to the Publick Nor is there indeed any Body of so inferiour a Station in the Common-wealth but what is capable of acting in some measure by this Principle The meanest Artificers and Countrymen have a Reputation as well as other Men and are concerned to preserve it inviolate They are all under the Laws of Vertue and Decorum They have all a Freedom of Nature and can resolve to use it for the best Purposes And sometimes are found to act upon better and nobler Principles than Men of Character and Education It must be confess'd that Generosity does not consist in bearing the Port of a Gentleman or making a Figure in the World It is compatible with all Conditions of Human Life And is indeed more effectually demonstrated by submitting to a mean Fortune for the sake of Honesty and Vertue than by seeking a higher Character or Station at the Price of good Conscience or Discretion It is exercisable by all Men in their several Degrees whether they be in higher or lower Capacity and serves to distinguish Men by their Minds and Spirits rather than by their external Character or Station Particularly it may be exercised in the state of Marriage or single Life of Mastership or Service of Travel or Residence of Plenty or Penury in Offices Judicial or Ministerial in Employments Civil or Military in Peace or in War in Victory or Defeat in Honour or Disgrace in Health or Sickness in Safety or Danger It is of use to preserve Peace and good Understanding between Domesticks and Kinsfolks between Neighbours and Townsmen and People that have mutual Intercourse by engaging Men to that Civility Complaisance and Decency of Deportment which is of great force to prevent Quarrels or Mis-understandings and the ill Consequences of them by deterring Men from a sordid or provoking Carriage towards one another by cureing or preventing that Envy and Ill-nature which too often happen between Men of the same Callings or of the same Families or Neighbourhoods and which sometimes produce mischievous Effects It will help to give a Sweetness and Ornament to Conversation And make Friendships and Correspondencies delightful orderly and lasting In a word there is no