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131

Virtue is a moral quality in contradistinction to an intellectual quality – it
belongs to the will – to the affections – not to the intellect understanding, – except in as far as
the intellect it conduct understanding acts upon the volition. And, this premised, a correct
estimate of Hume's desirable qualities may be much assisted by distinguishing
& grouping them under the following heads:

First – Qualities not belonging to the will but to the understanding – as Discretion, Order – Quickness of conception.

Second – Qualities of the will, but the quality being neither a virtue fr nor a vice exclusively
but either a virtue, or a vice or neutral, according to the object towards
which it is directed, – as Sociability, – Secrecy –Constancy – Mercy –Generosity

Third – Qualities which are always virtues; – but and consequently belonging
to one of the two classes – prudence or benevolence.

Fourthly – Qualities which are always virtues – modifications of, or subordinate
to the two primary classes – such as honesty – justice.

Of the first & second class

Now it is really only to in the third & fourth classes that the virtues
the undoubted virtues are to be found. Qualities there are in the
former first & second class which when allied to or associated with prudence
& benevolence may be highly important auxiliaries. That tact, for example which
has the gift of following actions to their consequences & which is
sometimes called the virtue of discretion, – how invaluable it may not
its co operation be in the morality field? So the alliance of a
sociable spirit with prudence & benevolence naturally gives to
each of them an attraction which must add to their beneficial influences – but
at the same it is clear time who fails to see that the quality called discretion depends
much on mental organization – that no efforts will introduce
into an inferior mind, a quantity of it equal to that which
directs a superior mind; while again the quality which
is called sociability, far from being a co-adjutor of virtue
may be & frequently is the companion of vice – aye & sometimes the very instrument by which vice accomplishes
her most fatal triumphs.

Identifier: | JB/015/282/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 15.
Date_1		Marginal Summary Numbering
Box	015	Main Headings	deontology
Folio number	282	Info in main headings field
Image	001	Titles
Category	linking material	Number of Pages	1
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering	f131
Penner	sir john bowring	Watermarks
Marginals		Paper Producer
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year
Notes public		ID Number	5498
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