The liar, and only the liar, is invariably and univerfally defpifed, abandoned, and difowned: he has no domestic confolations, which he can oppofe to the cenfure of mankind; he can retire to no fraternity, where his crimes may ftand in the place of virtues; but is given up to the hiffes of the multitude, without friend and without apologift. It is the peculiar condition of falfehood, to be equally detefted by the good and bad: "The devils," fays Sir Thomas Brown, " do not tell lies to one another; "for truth is neceffary to all focieties: nor can the "fociety of hell fubfift without it."

It is natural to expect, that a crime thus generally detefted should be generally avoided; at least, that none fhould expofe himself to unabated and unpitied infamy, without an adequate temptation; and that to guilt fo easily detected, and fo feverely punished, an adequate temptation would not readily be found.

Yet fo it is, that in defiance of cenfure and contempt, truth is frequently violated; and fcarcely the moft vigilant and unremitted circumfpection will fecure him that mixes with mankind, from being hourly deceived by men of whom it can scarcely be imagined, that they mean any injury to him or profit to themselves; even where the fubject of converfation could not have been expected to put the paffions in motion, or to have excited either hope or fear, or zeal or malignity, fufficient to induce any man to put his reputation in hazard, however little he might value it, or to overpower the love of truth, however weak might be its influence.

The cafuifts have very diligently distinguished lies into their several claffes, according to their various

degrees of malignity: but they have, I think, generally omitted that which is moft common, and, perhaps, not leaft mifchievous; which, fince the moralifts have not given it a name, I fhall diftinguith as the lie of vanity.

To vanity may jufly be imputed moft of the falfehoods, which every man perceives hourly playing upon his ear, and, perhaps, moft of thofe that are propagated with fuccefs. To the lie of commerce, and the lie of malice, the motive is fo apparent, that they are feldom negligently or implicitly received : fufpicion is always watchful over the practices of intereft; and whatever the hope of gain, or defire of mifchief, can prompt one man to affert, another is by reafons equally cogent incited to refute. But vanity pleafes herself with fuch flight gratifications, and looks forward to pleasure fo remotely confequential, that her practices raife no alarm, and her fratagems are not eafily difcovered.

Vanity is, indeed, often fuffered to pass unpursued by fufpicion, because he that would watch her motions, can never be at reft: fraud and malice are bounded in their influence; fome opportunity of time and place is neceffary to their agency; but fearce any man is abitracted one moment from his vanity; and he, to whom truth affords no gratifications, is generally inclined to feek them in falfehools.

It is remarked by Sir Kenelm Digby," that every "man has a defire to appear fuperior to others, "though it were only in having feen what they have "not iten." Such an accidental advantage,, fince it neither implies merit, nor confers dignity, one Would

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would think fhould not be defired fo much as to be counterfeited: yet even this vanity, trifling as it is, produces innumerable narratives, all equally false; but more or less credible in proportion to the skill or confidence of the relater. How many may a man of diffufive converfation count among his acquaintances, whofe lives have been fignalized by numberless escapes; who never cross the river but in a ftorm, or take a journey into the country without more adventures than befel the knights-errant of ancient times in pathlefs forefts or enchanted caftlés! How many must he know, to whom portents and prodigies are of daily occurrence; and for whom nature is hourly working wonders invifible to every other eye, only to fupply them with fubjects of conversa

tion!

Others there are that amuse themselves with the diffemination of falfehood, at greater hazard of detection and difgrace; men marked out by fome lucky planet for universal confidence and friendship, who have been confulted in every difficulty, entrusted with every fecret, and fummoned to every tranfaction it is the fupreme felicity of these men, to stun all companies with noify information; to ftill doubt, and overbear oppofition, with certain knowledge or authentic intelligence. A liar of this kind, with a strong memory or brifk imagination, is often the oracle of an obfcure club, and, till time difcovers his impoftures, dictates to his hearers with uncontrouled authority; for if a publick queftion be started, he was prefent at the debate; if a new fafhion be mentioned, he was at court the first day of its appearance; if a new performance of literature draws the

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attention of the peblick, he has patronifed the author, and feen his work in manuscript; if a criminal of eminence be condemned to die, he often predicted his fate, and endeavoured his reformation: and who that lives at a diftance from the fcene of action, will dare to contradict a man, who reports from his own eyes and ears, and to whom all perfons and affairs are thus intimately known?

This kind of falfehood is generally fuccefsful for a time, because it is practifed at first with timidity and caution: but the profperity of the liar is of fhart duration; the reception of one story is always an incitement to the forgery of another lefs probable; and he goes on to triumph over tacit credulity, till pride or reafon rifes up against him, and his companions will no longer endure to fee him wifer than themfelves.

It is apparent, that the inventors of all the fe fictions intend fome exaltation of themfelves, and are led off by the purfuit of honour from their attendance upon truth: their narratives always imply fome confequence in favour of their courage, their fagacity, or their activity, their familiarity with the learned, or their reception among the great; they are always bribed by the prefent pleafure of feeing themfelves fuperior to those that surround them, and receiving the homage of filent attention and envious admiration.

But vanity is fometimes excited to fiction by lefs vifible gratifications: the prefent age abounds with a race of liars who are content with the consciousness of fallehood, and whofe pride is to deceive others without any gain or glory to themselves. Of this tribe it is the fupreme pleasure to remark a lady in

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the playhouse or the park, and to publish, under the character of a man fuddenly enamoured, an advertisement in the news of the next day, containing a minute defcription of her perfon and her dress. From this artifice, however, no other effect can be expected, than perturbations which the writer can never fee, and conjectures of which he never can be informed: fome mischief, however, he hopes he has done; and to have done mischief, is of fome importance. He fets his invention to work again, and produces a narrative of a robbery or a murder, with all the circumftances of time and place accurately adjusted. This is a jeft of greater effect and longer duration if he fixes his fcene at a proper distance, he may for several days keep a wife in terror for her husband, or a mother for her fon; and please himself with reflecting, that by his abilities and addrefs fome addition is made to the miferies of life.

There is, I think, an ancient law of Scotland, by which leafing-making was capitally punished. I am, indeed, far from defiring to increase in this kingdom the number of executions; yet I cannot but think, that they who deftroy the confidence of fociety, weaken the credit of intelligence, and interrupt the fecurity of life; harafs the delicate with fhame, and perplex the timorous with alarms; might very properly be awakened to a fenfe of their crimes, by denunciations of a whipping-poft or pillory: fince many are so infenfible of right and wrong, that they have no standard of action but the law; nor feel guilt, but as they dread punishment.