Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1802-08-21
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forgives, where he, may with jcaice
| reent and his whole conduit is directed
by the noble ien,iments Ct his own unvi.
| riated heart iursr and more erupuicus
guides dian the laws Of the land, which,
tsiag calculated for the generality Of man
kind, mutt nece fairly be mere reafaint
upon vices in general, than an invitation
and reward Of particular virtues. ID Ba'
,heie extenGye and compound notions OF
! honor have been long contracted and re.
| duced to the Jingle ore Of pcrfonal courage.
Among the Romans homer meant no more
than contempt of dangers ard deaths in
the iervicc, whether jpH or unjuif, ct
their country. Their frcceGors and con-
querers, tie Golhs ard Vandals, who
did not deal much in complex ideas, FIN.
pl.hed thoie of honor, and reduced them
to this plain and imp!e one, Of fighting
! for hghtins's fake, upon any or al, no
matter what occaGons.
Oar rre(lnt mode of honor is fane-
| what more compounded, as will appear
by the true caaratter, which | lhall now
give, of fashionable man Of honor.
\ gontl, man, which is new the eenteel
fyncuymcus term fox MN ct honor ard
which may b:..dehrei 70 be man, who
with to!erable iuit of clothes, watch,
fnaf box, &c. &c. ahtr,s himfelfio be a
gentleman fwears with energy, thar he
will &c treated as fnch. and that he will
cut the th-oat of any one vino ,pre!umcs TO
fay the contrary, NUT like his Gothic an
ceftcrs, lie ready for, and rather deiirous
ola Jingle combat. And ifby proper
degree Of wrong headednels he provokes
it, he is only 70 much the more jealous
of his honor, and mole Of gentleman.
He may lie with IMMUNITY, if he is
neither detected nor acculed Of it; for it
is not the lie he tells, but tie lie lie is
sold of that difhonors h;m. In that cafe
he demonfrates his veraci,y by his fword,
or his piAols, and either kills, or is killed,
with tie greaseit honor.
He may abu(e and hsrve his own
wife, daughters or filters ard he may fe-
duce thofe OF other men, particularly his
friends, with inviola,e honor, becaule, as
81, John Brute very juay obierves, he
wears fword.
By the laws of honor he is not obliged
to:pay hisGeryants orhis tradeimen for as
they are pack Of faounerels, they cannot
without infolence demand their due ct a
gentleman : but be may -punttually pay
his gaming debts TO tie iharPers, who
have cheated him for ,hqlc debts are
really debts ofhonor.
He is under one difagreeable rearaint ;
for he NUT nor cheat at play, unlefs in a
horiematch But yet he may with great
honor detraud in an caice, or betray a
rruf. !
In public affairs, he may, not only with
honor but even with fonr degree of luare
be under ore administration turbulent
patriot, oppodng the beA neafures, and
ur der another fervile courtier, promot-
ing the WORT, provided a very lucrative
confederation be known 70 be the motive
of his converhon Tor in that cafe the
point of honor tcas Gnsly upon the
quantum.
From thefe pIcmiies, which ,h-morc
they are contidered, the truer they will
be found, isappears, tia, there are ba'
two things, which man Of tive Meet no.
nor may no, do, which arc declining f~.
gle combat, and ek eating at play. Strange!
that virtue clould be 70 difficult, and ho-
nor, its fupsrior, 70 eafy to attain to.
The unintermed herd of mankind are
governed by words and names, which
they implicitly receive, without either
knowing or aiking their meaning. Even
he philoiophicsi and religious controver-
Ges, for the la1t three or four hundred
years, have turned snsch more upon words
| and names, unafcertaineI and miiunder-
tood, than upon things fairly fa,ed. The
polite world, to fave tine ard trouble, re-
| ccive, adopt, and ufe words, in the fgni.
! fica,ion OF the day; not having leiihse
nor inclination to examine and analyze
them, and tn US often miaed by POUNDS,
aud net always iecured BY fenie, they are