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TO HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS

PRINCE GEORGE.

May it pleafe YOUR ROYAL HIGHNESS

O grant an early protection to MORALI

TY and VIRTUE, by a favourable reception of the following APHORISMS, collected from the greatest PHILOSOPHERS, PRINCES and HEROES of antient and modern ftory, who, if living, would be glad to have their sentiments confirm'd by Your future CHOICE, and illustrated by Your future Example.

Your BIRTH, Sir, calls upon you to pursue the fame courfe of JUSTICE, PIETY, and TRUTH, which they purfued: The advantage of an EDUCATION fuitable to that BIRTH, under the immediate eye of your ROYAL PA

RENTS,

RENTS, will render the task easy: The prefent Age will exult in the Advances you make: The fame Virtues, which constitute your own Glory and Happiness, will prove the Admiration of Pofterity: And, that, in the Fulness of Time, YOUR ROYAL HIGHNESS may be numbered among the greatest, wisest and moft honoured of our PRINCES, is the constant Prayer of

YOUR ROYAL HIGHNESS's

Moft Devoted, and

Moft Obedient

Humble Servant,

Charles Palmer.

THE

PREFACE.

I Am far from pretending to vindicate this Mifcellany of APHORISMS from all objection, tho' most of the Authors, from whom they are taken, have already fecured to themselves fuch a reputation, as time will rather improve, than impair.

I expect to be charged with injustice, in not affixing the author's name to each Aphorism, &c. The reason of this omiffion is, they were originally collected for a private, and not a public use; defigning them for the perufal only of my own family, I was lefs folicitous about that exactness, which would, without doubt, have procured them a more favourable reception from my friends. Befides, to many of thefe Maxims it would be diffi cult to affign any particular author; for meeting with the fame fenfe differently expressed by

dif

different writers, I have often taken the liberty to gather from each what I liked beft, and form them into one.

This Collection may be further objected to, as confufed, not being regularly digefted under proper beads. To remedy this inconvenience was, in every attempt, found impracticable; and if it be a fault, it is certainly fuch a one as arifes not from any neglect of the compiler, but the nature of his performance, in which the diverfity of fubjects is almoft equal to the variety of Aphorifms. It is therefore fubmitted to the candor of the reader, whether that which is thought a fufficient reafon for the public appearance of this work, the use and application of moral and prudential Maxims, may not be allowed to compensate for the want of order and method.

A COL