The Virginia Gazette

To Mr. Parks.

SIR,

T HO' Scandal was aye censured and condemned by me, as most unjust and criminal,
because it greatly conduces to destroy
that universal Love and Charity which are due to our Fellow Creatures, considered as Men and Christians: I hope (in some Measure) to give a Check to this base and ungenerous Practice, by discovering the Causes from which it arises.

The First I shall take Notice of, is Moroseness or Ill-Nature: They, who are of a candid Temper and sweet Disposition, are always apt to put the best Interpretations upon the Actions of other Men; and whatever Faults they are guilty of, if possible, they will find some Excuse to plead their Pardon: If other Men have injuriously treated them, or differ from them, in Matter of Opinion, they will not endeavour to expose their Persons, by virulent and abusive Language; but by Kindness to persuade, and by Strength of Reason, to confute the one, and to overcome the Evil of the other, with their Good. But how widely different is this Temper and Behaviour from his, who loves to invent and utter Scandal? He bears his Image and Superscription, who is the Father of Lies, and false Accuser of the Brethren; delighting to offend of malicious Wickedness: He is ever watchful to discover, and industrious to aggravate every Failure; and his Recourse to a Thousand different Arts and Shifts, to as many Ways and Means, to blast and ruin the fair Character of his Brethren: Nay, he has sometimes the Boldness to cast an odious and Shameful Reproach, even upon good Persons and Things, which so little deserve such base Treatment, that the highest Panegyrics would fall vastly short of their intrinsick Worth.

A Second Cause of Scandal, is Pride: The Man who is possessed with this cursed Leaven, this fermenting Spirit, affects such an extraordinary Splendor of Reputation, as makes him look on other Men, how deserving soever they may be, as his Foil to set himself off, or his Foot-stool whereby to rise: and therefore will suffer no Fault or Folly of others to lie hid, and concealed in Darkness, but brings it into the open Light, that by that Comparison his own Excellencies may shine with the brighter Lustre. A very ungenerous Way is this, in the proud Man, to raise his Character, by laying the Foundation of it upon the Ruin of that of other Men; and usually a very unsuccessful Way too, for it alarms the Jealousy, and provokes the Indignation of other Men to hate and despise him.

A Third Cause of Scandal, is Envy, a restless and injurious Passion: As Pride, charmed with her own imaginary Perfections, treats other Men with Disdain and Reproach, on Account of their Failures; so Envy, conscious of her own Imperfections, is exasperated against other Men, for no other Reason, but their real or apparent Excellencies. A Man, that hath no Virtue in himself, ever envieth Virtue in others; and being hopeless to attain to their Virtue and Perfection, will endeavour to be even with them, by depressing their Fortune, or blasting their good Name. Every envious Man, so far as he envies another's Virtue or Happiness, is so far tormented; and because another's Virtue or Happiness gives him Torment, he will never forget, nor forgive his Merit; but will hate his Person, and to the utmost of his Power, endeavour to make him as hateful (by all the virulent Scandal he can possibly utter against him) to the rest of Mankind, as he is to himself. And because Envy is one of the vilest, and most depraved of all the Affections, the envious Man delighteth to work subtly and in the dark, to the Prejudice of good Persons and Things, like the Devil, who sowed his Tares among the Wheat by Night.

I am,
Your Friend, and constant Reader,
JULIANA.