"Let no man anticipate uncertain profits."

"Let no man fquander against his inclination."

Ditto, ditto, ditto.

FAVOUR.

Favours of every kind are doubled when they are speedily conferred.

Rambler, v. 4, p. 188.

FANCY.

The fanciful sports of great minds, are never without fome advantage to knowledge.

Life of Sir T. Browne, p. 267.

G.

GENIUS.

True genius is a mind of large general powers, accidentally determined to fome particular direction.

Life of Cowley.

Genius is powerful when invested with the

glitter of affluence.

Men willingly pay to
for-

fortune that regard which they owe to merit, and are pleased when they have an opportunity at once of gratifying their vanity, and practising their duty.

Life of Savage.

Whoever is apt to hope good from others, is diligent to please them; but he that believes his powers ftrong enough to force their own way, commonly tries only to please himself.

Life of Gay.

Men have fometimes appeared of fuch tranfcendant abilities, that their flightest and moft curfory performances, excell all that labour and ftudy can enable meaner intellects to compofe. As there are regions of which the fpontaneous products cannot be equalled in other foils, by care and culture. But it is no lefs dangerous for any man to place himfelf in this rank of underftanding, and fancy that he is born to be illuftrous without labour, than to omit the care of hufbandry, and expect from his ground, the bloffoms of Arabia.

There are men who feem to think nothing fo much characteristic of genius, as to do common things in an uncommon way; like Hudibras, to tell the clock by Algrebra, or like the lady in Dr. Young's Satires, " to drink tea by ftratagem."

Ditto, v. 1, p. 202.

Great powers cannot be exerted but when great exigencies make them neceffary. Great exigencies can happen but feldom, and therefore thofe qualities which have a claim to the veneration of mankind, lie hid, for the most part, like fubterranean treasures, over which the foot paffes as on common ground, till neceffity breaks open the golden cavern.

Ditto, ditto, p. 287.

It seems to have been in all ages, the pride of wit to fhew how it could exalt the low, and amplify the little. To fpeak not inadequately of things really, and naturally great, is a task not only difficult but difagreeable, because the writer is degraded in his own eyes by ftanding in comparifon with his fubject, to which he can hope to add nothing from his imagination. But it is a perpetual triumph of fancy to expand a scanty theme, to raife glittering ideas from obfcure properties,

and

and to produce to the world an object of wonder, to which nature had contributed little. To this ambition, perhaps we owe the Frogs of Homer, the Gnat and the Bees of Virgil, the Butterfly of Spencer, the Shadow of Woverus, and the Quincunx of Browne.

Life of Sir Thomas Browne, p. 266.

GOVERNMENT.

Governments formed by chance, and gradually improved by fuch expedients as the fucceffive difcovery of their defects happened to suggest, are never to be tried by a regular theory. They are fabricks of diffimilar materials, raifed by different architects upon different plans. We must be content with them as they are; fhould we attempt to mend their difproportions, we might eafily demolish, and with difficulty rebuild them.

Falfe Alarm, p. 24.

In all political regulations, good cannot be complete, it can only be predominant.

Western Islands, p. 208.

No fcheme of policy has, in any country yet brought the rich on equal terms into

courts of judicature. Perhaps experience, improving on experience, may in time effect it.

Ditto, p. 215.

To hinder infurrection by driving away the people, and to govern peaceably, by having no fubjects, is an expedient that argues no great profundity of politics. To foften the obdurate, to convince the mistaken, to mollify the refentful, are worthy of a statesman; but it affords a legiflator little felfapplaufe to confider, that where there was formerly an infurrection, there is now a wilderness.

Ditto, p. 224.

The general story of mankind will evince, that lawful and fettled authority is very feldom refifted when it is well employed. Grofs corruption, or evident imbecility, is neceffary to the fuppreffion of that reverence, with which the majority of mankind look upon their governors, or those whom they see furrounded by fplendour, and fortified by

power.

Rambler, v. I, p. 301.

No government could fubfift for a day, if fingle errors could justify defection.

Taxation no Tyranny, p. 62.

Government is neceffary to man; and

when