The New Hampshire Gazette And Historical Chronicle

No Man is faultless. He's the best
That has the fewest, and the least.

When we reflect upon the Frailties of Mankind, and the innumerable Temptations with which we are daily surrounded, in Our present imperfect State of Things, we should consider the Faults of Men with a generous Pity; and when we reflect, how liable we all are to commit Errors, and how often we stand in Need of the kind and benevolent Indulgence of the World around us, we ought to cast the Mantle of Charity over our Neighbours failings:-- If every Man was to be a Judge in his own Cause, and had the executive Power of Punishing, the World would be thrown into Confusion, and in a short Time ruined by doing imaginary Justice: If Ignorance and Illnature may condemn & execute at Discretion, if Malice and Resentment may on every pretence Act without Controul, ( and that when glorious LIBERTY is the reigning Topic of the Times ) such an Indulgence may be a most dangerous Instrument to unhinge Society; Men of quick and violent Passions, who are suddenly in a Flame, who can bear but little, and pardon Nothing, will then have a full Swing for resentment of only imaginary Injuries. A Word or Look misunderstood or misapplied immediately disconcerts such Men. and the Omission of a little Ceremony is an insupportable Affront; they make no Allowances for mistakes undesignedly committed, or the innocent Freedoms of Friendship, or for the Indecency of sudden Temper, but upon the most trivial Injury they seek an immediate Redress; they expect their Claim to Popularity, (though obtained through a Disguise) is a sufficient Obligation upon the People to please their Humours, gratify their Pride and to resent their Affronts: they presuppose the Minds of the Populace in their Favour; they magnify a Fault beyond all Proportion, and swell every Omission of Respect into an open Assault, and while they are under these haughty Mistakes, all Crimes are Capital, where their Privileges are concerned, and Nothing less then the Ruin of their Neighbour will satisfy for only an indecent Expression, or some insignificant Provocation: If Men under these Prejudices are suffered to be Judges in any Cause where they are themselves Interested, what is to be expected from their Sentence but a rigorous Execution, and even their most intimate Friends do not escape the Jaws of their devouring and distrustful Dispositions.-

It is not so with the generous Man, he will overlook that Fault In another, which he would not pardon in himself; his good Nature is willing to Excuse, and interpret Offences in the best Sense, and always urges the Reasons for Forgiveness as far as they will bear; he considers that cruel Abuses and injurious Treatment are often the Occasion of a Man's speaking rashly and unadvisedly; he regards the Happiness of his Fellow Creatures and governs himself by Sympathy and Affection; he Delights not in giving Pain or Punishment, and when he receives an Affront in a private or even public Character, either from his Friend or from his Enemy, he unbosoms his Mind and exposes the Impropriety and Nature of the Offence, and upon the least Acknowledgement is even more ready to Pardon than his Opponent can be to commit, and when he forgives, he most assuredly forgets the Injury.

How different is the Conduct of the implacable and vindictive Man ? he is not satisfied with an Acknowledgement of a Fault, no, not even tho he tells his Enemy, he forgives him, he fails not to repeat the Charge, and upon every opportunity seeks his Destruction: he discovers the weakness of his Mind and a Temper nothing short of infernal Malice; he takes a Pleasure in hearing any Thing Said to the Disadvantage of his supposed Enemy, and catches at ev'ry pitiful Rumor and greedily sucks in ev'ry blasting Report, and discharges the venomous Load in ev'ry Company he meets with, and sacrifices that Character with secret Malice, which he has openly professed a Friendship for; such a savage and inhospitable Disposition is the most unbeloved Quality-all the Advantages of Person, all the Improvements of Nature, or the most overgrown Fortune can never make amends for it : When such a Man is once known to have no Principles of real Friendship and Generosity, Nothing of Sweetness or Balm in his Blood ; when these Things appears, he'll find as few Friends as he deserves, and little Love will be lost between him and his Neighbours.