There is something in modesty which ought ever strongly to prepossess
us in favour of those persons in whose nature it is interwoven; and
men of discerning and generous minds have a pleasure in discovering
it, and in bringing into notice the worthy man, who is diffident of
his merit, and cannot prevail upon himself to challenge the praise or
tribute he deserves. It is, however, to be lamented, that such patrons
are not very numerous, and that the assuming arrogance and teasing
importunities of the greedy forward man should so commonly succeed in
attaining his ends, while modesty in silence starves unnoticed, and
is for ever poor. Were men in exalted stations of life to pay more
attention to the importance of this, and endeavour to discover modest
worth, to draw merit from the shade, and virtue from obscurity, and
distribute their patronage and their favours to such only, their own
affairs, as well as those of the public, would be better managed, and
the difference between the conduct of upstart pride and sensible plain
honesty would soon shew itself in its true unvarnished colours.
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