[21]
Whenever, then, people bestow anything upon1
a fellow-man to raise his estate or his dignity,
it may be from any one of several motives: (1)
it may be out of good-will, when for some reason
they are fond of him; (2) it may be from esteem,
if they look up to his worth and think him
deserving of the most splendid fortune a man can
have; (3) they may have confidence in him and think
that they are thus acting for their own interests; or
(4) they may fear his power; (5) they may, on the
contrary, hope for some favour—as, for example, when
princes or demagogues bestow gifts of money; or,
finally, (6) they may be moved by the promise of
payment or reward. This last is, I admit, the
meanest and most sordid motive of all, both for those
who are swayed by it and for those who venture to
resort to it.
1 How men are led to promote another's interests.
M. Tullius Cicero. De Officiis. With An English Translation. Walter Miller. Cambridge. Harvard University Press; Cambridge, Mass., London, England. 1913.
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