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the heats of youth, or the allurements of vice, it generally breaks out and discovers itself again, as foon as difcretion, confideration, age or misfortunes have brought the man to himself. The fire may be covered and overlaid, but cannot be entirely quenched and smothered.

952. The fecrets of government ought not to be touched with unwashed hands, and expofed to the multude; for upon granting the people a privilege of debating the prerogatives of fovereign power, they will infer, naturally enough, a right and title to the controuling and over-ruling of it.

953. The true raillery should be a defence for good and virtuous works, and should only design the derision of extravagant, and the difgrace of vile and dishonourable things. This kind of wit ought to have the nature of falt, to which it is ufually compared; which preserves and keeps sweet the good and found parts of all bodies, and only frets, dries up, and destroys those humours which putrefy and corrupt.

954. Men ought to find the difference betwixt faltnefs and bitterness; for he that has a fatirical vein, as he makes others afraid of his wit, fo he had need be afraid of others memory.

955. It is the excellent property of a good and wise prince, to use war as he does phyfick, carefully, unwillingly, and seasonably.

956. Criticise upon your own actions, and then you will fee reafon enough to pardon the weakneffes of others.

957. Providence is pleased to see great and noble fouls

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ftruggling with difficulties, and often defers their reward, that it may grow greater by delay.

958. Gravity too much affected becomes comical, it is like extremities that touch, whofe middle is dignity; you cannot call it being grave, but acting the part of a grave he that studies to be fo, fhall never obtain it; either gravity is natural, or there is no fuch thing, and it is easier to defcend than afcend.

man;

959. To dispute the goodness of pleasure, as God defigned it, is to deny experiment, and contradict fenfation, which is the highest evidence a man can have of the things of this world; nay even a good man is content with hard ufage at prefent, that he may take pleafure in the other world; and though now remote from him, the thoughts of enjoying it, in due time, make him bear up against all difficulties.

960. The luxury of water, to a true thirst, is far more fweet than delicious wine to a debauched taste.

961. Love begins, and ambition ends with us, fo that we are often never freed from paffions till we die.

962. It is obferved that thofe attempts which begin with difficulty and danger, for the most part, end in honour, crowned with glory, and good fuccefs.

963. Good confciences breed great refolutions; they that least confider hazard in doing their duty, always fare the best; it is more fuccessful to be bold than wary, and no man ever profpered fo well as the refolute. Fortune is a mistress, that is fooner won by those that ruffle and force, than by fuch as proceed coldly; it will certainly be

over

overcome, if thou refift courageously; if thou neglect, it conquers.

964. He that has true fortitude is hardened against evil upon rational principles, he is fortified and guarded with reafon and confideration, that no dolorous accident, from without, is able to invade his foul, or raise violent commotions in it: In a word, he has fuch a conftant power over his irafcible affections, as not to be over-prone to be either timorous in danger, or envious in want, impatient in fuffering, angry in contempt, or malicious and revengeful under injuries and provocations; and till we have acquired this virtue, we can never be happy, either here or hereafter.

965. Prudence governs the wife, but there are but few of that fort, and the most wife are not fo at all times. Paffion governs almost all the world, and almost always. We see most things are carried on by a spirit of faction, and all factions are paffionate. Paffion is found every where, the zeal of the beft perfons is not freed from it.

966. The patriarchs before the flood, who lived nine hundred years, fcarcely provided for a few days; and we, who live but a few days, provide at leaft for nine hundred years.

967. Honefty is always the nearest way to fuccefs; what a deal of fatigue and trouble must a knave undergo ! How many tricks, flourishes and fhifts muft he use to compass his ends, when the honeft man does his business with a wet finger!

968. You are a good man, you neither court the favour, nor the refentments of favourites; you mind your

own

own business, and wholly apply yourself to your prince and duty.Mark my prophecy. You are undone.

969. As difficult as it is to get a confiderable place at court, it is much harder, yet, to make one's felf worthy of it.

970. The mifery and happiness of the whole life of mortals, are themes fcarce worth a paffion. Whatever we endure as an evil, or poffefs as a good, are both fo fhort, that as the one need not fink us to an excess of grief, fo neither does the other deserve an excess of joy.

971. I hold, in charity, no less than commerce with all forts of people that acknowledge a divine and univerfal providence, but abominate those that have the indifcretion or impudence to deny it.

972. The wifeft, most virtuous, and perfect among men, may have fome little vanity and affectation, which may lay them open to the raillery of a mimical, malicious wit.

973. Nothing pleases a man more, than to know that he has avoided a foolish action.

974. A blockhead neither comes nor goes, fits or rifes, nor is filent, nor ftands upon his legs like a man of sense. 975. God never faid to any man, Thy fins are forgiven thee, without adding, Sin no more.

976. There is but little faithfulness to be expected from afsociates in villainy, be their mutual engagements never fo folemn.

977. Riches are bleffings, if not perverted; they are the rewards of industry, and the inftruments of charity, the most amiable of all chriftian virtues.

978. A fine

978. A fine coat is but a livery, if the perfon that wears it discovers no higher fenfe than that of a footman.

979. If I have received an injury, I immediately confider whether I have deferved it or not; if I have, it is a judgment from God; if not, it is an injuftice from man, and the doer has more reafon to be ashamed of it than I.

980. Where it is poffible to repair our ill fuccess, I am wholly of opinion we ought to employ all forts of remedies; but in a fatal accident, which is never to be retrieved, I would defire to know where lies the fervice of a ridiculous affectation, in paying tears, which are at best but troublesome to those that shed them, and wholly unseasonable to those for whom they are fhed.

981. Counsel in trouble gives but small comfort, when help is past remedy.

982. Repentance without amendment, is like continual pumping in a ship, without mending the leak.

983. True devotion is the true fource of repofe, that only has a power to fupport life, and sweeten death.

984. Men lofe many things, not because the attainment is impoffible, but because they want courage to attempt them.

985. Illiterate men often perfuade more effectually than the learned, because they seem to fpeak more naturally, and from a feeling fenfe.

986. There are fome common misfortunes, which have a relation to all men, but every man has his particular fentiments of them, and fo endures, in that fense, the whole weight of his affliction fingly. But in our private

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