efully to expose and to
aggravate their defects or failings.

Like an envious painter, he hides, or in shady colours depicts, the
graceful parts and goodly features, but brings out the blemishes in
clearest light, and most prominent view. There is no man who has not
some blemish in his nature or temper; some fault contracted by education
or custom; something amiss proceeding from ignorance or misapprehension
of things. These (although in themselves small and inconsiderable) the
detractor seizes, and thence forms a judgment calculated to excite
contempt of him in an unwary spectator; whereas, were charity to judge
of him, he would be represented as lovely and excellent.

5. _He does not commend or allow anything as good without interposing
some exception to it._ "The man, indeed," he says, "does seem to have a
laudable quality; his action has a fair appearance;" but, if he can, he
raises some spiteful objection. If he can find nothing plausible to say
against him, he will _seem_ to know and to suppress something. He will
say, "I know what I know; I know more than I'll say;" adding, perhaps, a
significant nod or strong expression, a sarcastic sneer or smile, of
what he cannot say in words.

"Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer,
And, without seeming, teach the rest to sneer;
Willing to wound, and yet afraid to strike,
Just hint a fault, and hesitate dislike."

6. _He suggests that good practices and noble dispositions are probably
the effects of sinister motives and selfish purposes._ As, for instance,
a liberal man, in his gifts is influenced by an ambitious spirit or a
vain-glorious design; a religious man, in his exercises of devotion, is
influenced by hypocrisy, and a desire to gain the good opinion of men,
and to promote his worldly interests. "He seems to be a good man," says
the detractor, "I must admit; but what are his reasons? Is it not his
interest to be so? Does he not seek applause or preferment thereby?
_Doth Job serve God for nought?_" So said the father of detractors more
than two thousand years ago.

7. _He detracts from good actions by attempting to show their defects_,
or to point out how they might have been much better. "In some respects
they are excellent and praiseworthy; but they might have been better
with no more labour and pains. Pity that a thing, when done, is not done
to the best of his ability." Thus Judas blamed the good woman who
anointed the Saviour's feet. "Why,