THere is amongst us a sort of vain and flanting Grandees, who for their own Unhappiness, and their Age’s, do but too much resemble these painted Clouds; for both the one and other are Elevated to a Station, that makes most Men look upon them, as far above them; and their Conspicuousness is often increas’d by the bright Sun-shine of the Prince’s favour, which, though it really leaves them Creatures of the same frail Nature that it found them of· does yet give them a Lustre and a Gawdiness, that much attracts the Eyes, and perhaps the Envy and Respect of those superficial Gazers upon things, that are wont to be Amus’d, if not Dazl’d, with their insignificant Out-sides. But the Parallel holds further; for as, in spight of these Clouds sublimity and conspicuousness, they are but Aëry and Unsolid things, consisting of Vapours, and steer’d by every VVind: So the fine People I am comparing them too, in spight of their Exaltation, and of all the Shew they make, are really but slight Persons, destitute of intrinsick and solid worth, and guided either by their own blind Lusts, and Passions, or else by Interests as fickle as those, (to which it will be no addition to say) or as variable as the VVind. And as these Clouds, though they seem Vast as well as High, and are perhaps able, for a while, to make the Sky somewhat Dark, have usually but a short duration, and either quickly fall down in Rain, or are quite dissipated, and made to disappear: So these Titled persons, what Shew soever their Greatness makes, do oftentimes, either by a voluntary Humility and Repentance, as it were, descend of their own accord, and, by doing of good, endeavour to expiate and make amends for their former Uselesness, if not Mischiefs; or else, after having been for a while stared at, they do (some of them more slowly, and some more abruptly) vanish, without leaving behind them any thing that can so much as entertain our Sight in the very place, where before they Ingross’d it: And this Ruine sometimes happens to the most Elevated persons, from that very Prince, whose favour made them attract so many Eyes; as Clouds are oftentimes dispers’d before Night, by the same Sun that had rais’d and gilded them in the Morning.
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