The Works of Henry Fielding, vol. 12Fielding, Henry
General
The Works of Henry Fielding, vol. 12
Fielding, Henry
English literature -- 18th century
Having thus briefly considered our reader in the circumstance of a
private visit, let us now take him into a public assembly, where, as
more eyes will be on his behaviour, it cannot be less his interest to
be instructed. We have, indeed, already formed a general picture of
the chief enormities committed on these occasions: we shall here
endeavour to explain more particularly the rules of an opposite
demeanour, which we may divide into three sorts, viz., our behaviour
to our superiors, to our equals, and to our inferiors.
In our behaviour to our superiors two extremes are to be avoided;
namely, an abject and base servility, and an impudent and encroaching
freedom. When the well-bred Hyperdulus approaches a nobleman in any
public place, you would be persuaded he was one of the meanest of his
domestics; his cringes fall little short of prostration; and his whole
behaviour is so mean and servile that an Eastern monarch would not
require more humiliation from his vassals. On the other side,
Anaischyntus, whom fortunate accidents, without any pretensions from
his birth, have raised to associate with his betters, shakes my lord
duke by the hand with a familiarity savouring not only of the most
perfect intimacy but the closest alliance. The former behaviour
properly raises our contempt, the latter our disgust. Hyperdulus seems
worthy of wearing his lordship's livery; Anaischyntus deserves to be
turned out of his service for his impudence. Between these two is that
golden mean which declares a man ready to acquiesce in allowing the
respect due to a title by the laws and customs of his country, but
impatient of any insult, and disdaining to purchase the intimacy with
and favour of a superior at the expence of conscience or honour. As to
the question, who are our superiors? I shall endeavour to ascertain
them when I come, in the second place, to mention our behaviour to our
equals: the first instruction on this head being carefully to consider
who are such; every little superiority of fortune or profession being
too apt to intoxicate men's minds, and elevate them in their own
opinion beyond their merit or pretensions. Men are superior to each
other in this our country by title, by birth, by rank in profession,
and by age; very little, if any, being to be allowed to fortune,
though so much is generally exacted by it and commonly paid to
it. Mankind never appear to me in a more despicable light than when I
see them, by a simple as well as mean servility, voluntarily
concurring in the adoration of riches, without the least benefit or
prospect from them. Respect and deference are perhaps justly
demandable of the obliged, and may be, with some reason at least, from
expectation, paid to the rich and liberal from the necessitous; but
that men should be allured by the glittering of wealth only to feed
the insolent pride of those who will not in return feed their
hunger--that the sordid niggard should find any sacrifices on the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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