Page:A discourse upon the origin and foundation of the inequality among mankind (IA discourseuponori00rous).pdf/236

 it daily caues among the innumerable Pretenders whom it engages in the ame Career. I could hew that it is to this Itch of being poken of, to this Fury of ditinguihing ourelves which eldom or never gives us a moment's Repite, that we owe both the bet and the wort things among us, our Virtues and our Vices, our Sciences and our Errors, our Conquerors and our Philoophers; that is to ay, a great many bad things to a very few good ones. I could prove, in hort, that if we behold a handful of rich and powerful Men eated on the Pinnacle of Fortune and Greatnes, while the Crowd grovel in Obcurity and Want, it is merely becaue the firt prize what they enjoy but in the ame Degree that others want it, and that, without changing their Condition, they would ceae to be happy the minute the People ceaed to be mierable.