name, befides the fin he commits, is bound to make reparation, though different, according to the diverfity of the flanders; for no man can enter into heaven with other mens goods, and amongst all exterior goods, that of a good name is most precious. 690. It is a fad thing when men have neither wit enough to fpeak well, nor fenfe enough to hold their tongue; this is the foundation of all impertinence. 691. Wife men are the better and politer for travelling, but fools the worse. 692. It is very hard to hit a certain temper and mediocrity of freedom with perfons above us, fo to be easy and plain with them, as to become an instrument of their diverfion and entertainment, without being any way offenfive, or breaking in upon the honour and respect due to their quality. 693. Agreeableness is arbitrary, but beauty is fomething more real, and independent upon the palate and opinion. 694. The difference between an amorous lady, and a coquet, is, that the first is for being loved, and the other only for paffing for handsome and lovely: The one defigns to engage us, and the other only to pleafe us: the intriguing woman paffes from one amour to another fucceffively, the coquet has feveral amufements at once: paffion and pleasure are predominant in the firft, and vanity and levity in the other. Gallantry is a weakness of the heart, or, perhaps, a defect of constitution; but a coquetish humour is an irregularity, or debauchery of the mind. To conclude, an amorous woman makes herself to be feared, and a coquet to be hated. 695. Ik 695. It is ftrange to find in fome womens hearts fomething more quick and ftrong than the love of men; I mean ambition, and the paffion of gaming: Such women make men chafte; they have nothing of their fex but the petticoat. 696. He is much more to be valued that has got an estate by his industry, than he that has loft it by his negligence. 697. If at any time you are preffed to do a thing hastily, be careful; fraud and deceit are always in haste, diffidence is the right eye of prudence. 698. A man in publick affairs is like one at sea, never in his own difposal, but in that of winds and tides. 699. Because you find a thing very difficult, do not presently conclude that no man can mafter it; but whatever you observe proper and practicable by another, believe likewise within your power. 700. As love of reputation is a darling paffion of great men, so the defence of it, in this particular, is the business of every man of honour and honesty; we should run on fuch an occafion, as if a publick building was on fire, to the relief of it; and all who fpread or publish any fuch deteftable pieces as traduce its merit, fhould be used like incendiaries. It is the common cause of our country to fupport the reputation of those who preferve it against invaders, and every man is attacked in the perfon of that neighbour who deferves well of him. 701. Ladies, fome of them of the first quality, heretofore, have been fo far from thinking it any abafement, to charge themselves with the instruction of their own children, that, to their immortal honour, they have made it part of their business to affift in that of other people's, particularly those who were likely to be of confequence to the commonwealth. I inftance only in the famous Cor-. nelia, the mother of the Gracchi, and Aurelia, the mother of Auguftus, who did this for the noblemen of Rome, to whom they had no relation, but that of their common country. These high examples fhould prevail with the ladies of our age (who call themselves chriftians) to employ fome of their vacant hours, and pains, if not on others, at least on their own offspring. 702. There is no work despicable, because it is mean; if it be honest and neceffary, it is honourable; I am rendered important to the creation by ferving its neceffities. It has been mentioned, in old time, that princeffes did not disdain the distaff and needle. The golden age is painted as a pastoral one, when the kings of the earth tilled the ground, and the princes kept sheep. 703. They that are fo ridiculous as to value themselves meerly upon their quality, do, in a manner, flight that very thing that gave them their quality, fince it is only the virtue of their ancestors that first ennobled their blood. 704. In the bufinefs of war, it is a nice diftinction, that which is betwixt a heroe and a great man, fince all military virtues do equally contribute to the making of both. Nevertheless it may be faid, that it is the character of the first, to be young, bold, daring, refolute, and fearless, amidst the greatest dangers; and that the other's chief qualifications are, a great judgment, a fagacious forecast, a vaft ability, and a confummate experience. Alex ́Alexander was perhaps but a heroe, but Cæfar was a great man. 705. Philofophy eafily conquers and triumphs over past and future evils; but the prefent ones triumph over philofophy. 706. The Philofophers, and Seneca among the reft, did not remove men's faults by their precepts, but only improved them by the setting up of pride; fo that their virtues (as a father of the church has it) were but glittering vices. 707. Natural things never fatiate: who was ever weary of looking on fields, rivers, flowers, heavens, &c? But artificial things, as pictures, gardens, houses, and the like, glut with two or three times looking on them. 708. Strong defires are commonly attended with fears proportionable. Let a man defire wisdom, and if he once get that with, it is likely he may never be troubled with another. 709. Plato hearing it was afferted by fome perfons, that he was a very bad man; "I fhall take care, faid he to live fo, that no body fhall believe them." 710. Nothing bestows so much beauty on a woman, as modefty; even Venus herself pleafes moft, when fhe appears in a figure withdrawing herself from the eyes of the beholders, in a fhy, retiring posture. 711. Life is otherwife in God, than in the creatures; in him originally, in them derivatively; our life is in him, but his is in himself. 712. Anger is one of the paffions which is occafioned by furprize; for a man is not angry at a common thing, and and to which he is accustomed; for this reafon, the dearer thofe are to us, that put us in a paffion, the more violent it is. 713. It difgufts much to talk low in converfation; fuch as are excluded these mysteries, have reason to think you talk of them, or else despise them. 714. Solomon always ufed the word fool as a term of the fame fignification with unjust, and makes all deviation from goodness, and virtue, to come under the notion of folly. 715. Those who are apt to blafon others faults, fhew they have either little confidered their own, or else find them fo great, that they are forced to the art of reverfion, and seek in the infamy of others, to drown their own. 716. A decent action in preaching is very commendable; it being certain that the lifeless, motionless gefture of the generality of preachers, is the occafion that many of their fermons mifs of their intended effect. 717. Every author almost has some beauty or blemish remarkable in his ftile; and every reader a peculiar taste of books, as well as meats: fome affect a grave, fome a florid ftile; fome eafinefs and plainnefs, others ftrength and politeness; but the fecret of writing, is the mixing all these in so just a proportion, that every one may taste what he likes, without being difgufted at its contrary. 718. Volatileness of thought is very pernicious to true science; it is a fault which people of warm imaginations, and active spirits are apt to fall into; such a temper is readily difpofed to receive errors, and well qualified to propagate them, especially if volubility of speech be joined to it. 719. The great mistake of fome noblemen, is, that they upon their nobility as a character given them by nature. Q2 720. There look |