IT

CONJUGAL HAPPINESS.

T must have been obferved by many a peripateric philofopher, that nature has fet up by her own unquestionable authority certain boundaries and fences to circumfcribe the difcontent of man: she has effected her purpose in the quietest and easiest manner by laying him under almost infuperable obligations to work out his ease, and to sustain his fufferings at home. It is there only that she has provided him with the most suitable objects to partake of his happiness, and bear a part of that burden which, in all countries and ages, has ever been too heavy for one pair of shoulders. 'Tis true we are endued with an imperfect power of fpreading our happiness fometimes beyond her limits, but 'tis for ordered, that from the want of languages, connections, and dependencies, and from the difference in education, cuftoms and habits, we lie under fo many impediments in communicating our fenfations out of our own fphere, as often amount to a total impoffibility.

SEN. JOURNEY, P. 13

LIFE,

WHAT is the life of man! is it not to shift

from fide to fide!from forrow to

forrow?-to button up one caufe of vexation;and unbutton another!

T. SHANDY, VOL. II. CHAP. 66.

TRIM'S EXPLANATION

OF THI

FIFTH COMMANDMENT.

-PRYTHEE, Trim, quoth my father,

-What do'st thou mean,by " honour

ing thy father and mother ?"

Allowing them, an' please your honour, three halfpence a-day out of my pay, when they grow old. And didst thou do that, Trim? faid Yorick.

He did indeed, replied my uncle Toby.-

Then

Then, Trim, faid Yorick, fpringing out of his chair, and taking the Corporal by the hand, thou art the best commentator upon that part of the Decalogue; and I honour thee more for it, Corporal Trim, than if thou hadst had a hand in the Talmud itself.

T. SHANDY, VOL. III. CHAP. 32.

HEALTH.

Bleffed health! thou art above all gold and treasure; 'tis thou who enlargeft the foul, -and openest all it's powers to receive inftruction, and to relifh virtue. He that has thee has little more to wish for! and he that is fo wretched as to want thee, wants every thing with

thee.

T. SHANDY, VOL. III. CHAP. 33.

"TIS

LOVE.

IS fweet to feel by what fine-fpun threads our affections are drawn together.

SEN. JOUR. P. 126.

SOLITUDE

CROW

SOLITUDE.

ROWDED towns, and bufy focieties, may delight the unthinking, and the gay-but folitude is the best nurse of wisdom.

LETTER III. TO HIS FRIENDS,

TRIBULATION.

THE way to Fame is like the way to Heaven -through much tribulation.

LETTER IX.

FRIENDSHIP.

FRIENDSHIP is the balm and cordial of life,

and without it, 'tis a heavy load not worth

fuftaining.

LETTER LXXX.

SOLITUDE

SOLITUDE.

IN folitude the mind gains ftrength, and learne to lean upon herself:-in the world it feeks or accepts of a few treacherous fupports-the feigned compaffion of one-the flattery of a fecond-the civilities of a third-the friendfhip of a fourth-they all deceive, and bring the mind back to retirement, reflection, and books.

LETTER LXXXIL

FLATTERY.

DELICIOUS effence! how refreshing art

thou to nature! how ftrongly are all its powers and all its weaknesses on thy fide! how fweetly doft thou mix with the blood, and help it through the most difficult and tortuous paffages to the heart.

SEN. JOUR, P. 210.

PERFECTION.