[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.It is the best head joinedto the best heart.It is the most perfect wisdom combined with the most perfectvirtue.It constitutes very nearly the character of the Academical or Peripateticsage, as the inferior prudence does that of the Epicurean.Mere imprudence, or the mere want of the capacity to take care of one s-self,16is, with the generous and humane, the object of compassion; with those of lessdelicate sentiments, of neglect, or, at worst, of contempt, but never of hatred or in-dignation.When combined with other vices, however, it aggravates in the highestdegree the infamy and disgrace which would otherwise attend them.The artfulknave, whose dexterity and address exempt him, though not from strong suspi-cions, yet from punishment or distinct detection, is too often received in the worldwith an indulgence which he by no means deserves.The awkward and foolishone, who, for want of this dexterity and address, is convicted and brought to pun-ishment, is the object of universal hatred, contempt, and derision.In countrieswhere great crimes frequently pass unpunished, the most atrocious actions be-come almost familiar, and cease to impress the people with that horror which isuniversally felt in countries where an exact administration of justice takes place.VI.i 195The Theory of Moral Sentiments Adam SmithThe injustice is the same in both countries; but the imprudence is often very dif-ferent.In the latter, great crimes are evidently great follies.In the former, theyare not always considered as such.In Italy, during the greater part of the sixteenthcentury, assassinations, murders, and even murders under trust, seem to have beenalmost familiar among the superior ranks of people.Caesar Borgia invited fourof the little princes in his neighbourhood, who all possessed little sovereignties,and commanded little armies of their own, to a friendly conference at Senigaglia,where, as soon as they arrived, he put them all to death.This infamous action,though certainly not approved of even in that age of crimes, seems to have con-tributed very little to the discredit, and not in the least to the ruin of the perpe-trator.That ruin happened a few years after from causes altogether disconnectedwith this crime.Machiavel, not indeed a man of the nicest morality even for hisown times, was resident, as minister from the republic of Florence, at the court ofCaesar Borgia when this crime was committed.He gives a very particular accountof it, and in that pure, elegant, and simple language which distinguishes all hiswritings.He talks of it very coolly; is pleased with the address with which Cae-sar Borgia conducted it; has much contempt for the dupery and weakness of thesufferers; but no compassion for their miserable and untimely death, and no sortof indignation at the cruelty and falsehood of their murderer.The violence andinjustice of great conquerors are often regarded with foolish wonder and admi-ration; those of petty thieves, robbers, and murderers, with contempt, hatred, andeven horror upon all occasions.The former, though they are a hundred times moremischievous and destructive, yet when successful, they often pass for deeds of themost heroic magnanimity.The latter are always viewed with hatred and aversion,as the follies, as well as the crimes, of the lowest and most worthless of mankind.The injustice of the former is certainly, at least, as great as that of the latter; butthe folly and imprudence are not near so great.A wicked and worthless manof parts often goes through the world with much more credit than he deserves.Awicked and worthless fool appears always, of all mortals, the most hateful, as wellas the most contemptible.As prudence combined with other virtues, constitutesthe noblest; so imprudence combined with other vices, constitutes the vilest of allcharacters.VI.i 196The Theory of Moral Sentiments Adam SmithSection IIOf the Character of the Individual, so far as it can affect theHappiness of other PeopleIntroductionThe character of every individual, so far as it can affect the happiness of other1people, must do so by its disposition either to hurt or to benefit them [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]