The Posthumous Works of Mrs Chapone Author:Hester Chapone General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1807 Original Publisher: John Murray Subjects: Literary Criticism / General Literary Criticism / European / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you ... more »buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: LETTER XV. London, Nov. S9, 1752. " And so, my dear, in ten years time I am to subscribe to the maxim of Bias, that ' the majority are wicked!' I know not indeed how far I may be influenced by my own experience of the wickedness of a few to condemn the many, but at present I do not feel as if I could ever consent to so severe a sentence. And still less can I agree with the Rambler that malignity and envy are universal passions. On the contrary, I am persuaded that benevolence and social love (however stifled and depressed, or even sometimes totally extinguished by other passions) are originally implanted in the human breast as universally as the principle of self love, which some maintain to be the only innate affection, and the only motive of our actions. I believe I was wrong in loading the poor little great- ones of the world with too large a share of the wickedness of it. I agree with you that those who, with smaller opportunities, are Vol i. r mischievous to the worst of their power, are equally guilty with a conqueror or a first minister. But I hope the spirit of mischief is not so general as you seem to suppose. If you have been a witness of some astonishing instances of fraud, ingratitude, and malice, you may counterbalance them by the exalted virtues of some within the circle of your family and friends, who do honour to the human species. Set the very good against the very bad, and allow me to persist in thinking that the majority arc between both. Either t...« less