other Places, are little there, as well as other People.

The Prince gives to the Great ones at Court, an Air of State, Pride, and Mastery, for them to retail to their Inferiors. They are the very Apes of a King, and pay him a great Veneration and Refpect, because they expect the fame from other People.

A Man is never Impudent by Choice, but by Complexion; it is a Vice to be fo but then 'tis a Natural one; and by Confequence, he that is not born Impudent, muft of neceffity be Modeft, and can hardly pafs from one of thefe Extreams to the other. Therefore 'tis a very unprofitable Counfel to fay to a Man, Be but Impudent, and you'll certainly fucceed: A forc'd Imitation would make him Mifcarry. Upon the whole matter, nothing goes a greater way toward the making of one's Fortune at Court, than true and natural Impudence.

There must be Knaves at Court with the Great ones and Prime Ministers, tho' never fo well affected; but then 'tis a nice point, dextroufly to manage and improve them to advantage. There are occafions where none but they can ferve a Prince's Turn. Honour, Vertue, Confcience, are indeed fair and Valuable at all times, but very of ten unprofitable and useless Qualities. What is a Man of Honour good for upon fome Exigencies?

Of all thofe who flock to Court and crowd a Prince's Anti-chamber, there are but a Few who truly Honour and Reverence him in their Hearts. A great number pay him their Attendance out of Ambition, or Intereft, but a greater still out of a ridiculous Vanity, or foolish Impatience of being feen at Court,

If

If we confider how the Looks of the Prince is the only Felicity of a Courtier, who makes it ftill his whole application and study to see him, and be feen by him. We will in fome measure understand how the fight of God will make all the Glory and Happiness of the Bleffed.

You depend for a Concern no lefs just than of great Importance, upon the mutual Agreement of two courtiers; one of them tells you, I agree to it with all my Heart, provided he may have fuch a one's Confent. And this, tells you, he'll not be against it, if he can but be affured by word of Mouth, of the Intentions of the other; and fo they keep you upon the Tenters whole Months and Years in a courfe of useless pursuits. I am at my Wit's end, fay you, and cannot imagine how it can be fo difficult to bring two Perfons together I understand the whole Bufinefs, and dare confidently affure you, that they have been together already.

He that follicits an Employment for another, does it with the Confidence of one that demands Juftice; but he who acts any thing for himself fpeaks with the Confufion and Trouble of one that begs a Pardon.

There are occafions at Court, where Plain-dealing and Simplicity, are the beft Game a Man can play.

If you be in Favour, any Conduct will fucceed with you, you'll never be guilty of any Faults, all manner of ways will bring you to your Mark, otherwife, all things will fall crofs to you; every inconfiderable flip will be aggravated into an unpardonable Fault, every Path will lead you wide your Aim.

of

If a Man that lives at Court, do not caution himself against the Snares that are continually laid to turn him into Ridicule, he will often wonder how a man of much Wit, can be a Laughingftock to Fools.

A Man that has lived a confiderable time in the ftir and bustle of Court Intrigues, can never be happy any where elfe; any other fort of Life is dull and languishing to him.

It goes against the grain with a Man of Parts and Merit, to be a conftant and clofe Courtier, tho' out of a confideration very different from that which the World generally thinks. He has as much Honour and Veneration for his Prince, as any of those who crowd his Anti-Chamber; but he is too modeft to believe he does him any Good, by making a Leg, or prefenting him with his Face as he goes by; He is rather apt to think that he importunes him, and has need of all the Reafons he can draw, either from Custom or his Duty, to refolve to go to Court. On the contrary, a Selfconceited vain Fop finds a Pleafure in fhewing himfelf, and makes his Court with the more Confidence; that he fancies that the Great ones have as good an Opinion of his Perfon, as he himself has.

'Tis a Court Mafter-piece to draw Chefnuts out of the Fire with other People's Fingers, and to Complement a Man into a poft of Honour, on purpose to have him Knock'd o'th' Head in't.

There is nothing at Court, but a perpetual Commerce and Exchange of falfe Friendship, pretended Honesty, feeming Confidence, and affected Gratitude: And that Man who gives Realities inftead of Shews, profeffes himself, and is accounted as great a Bubble, as one that gives good Money, where Counterfeit paffes for current Payment. I

Thofe

Those who have lived and have been Great at Court, do often think they wifh to Retreat, when there is no fuch thing; and in truth, they feldom retire, but when they cannot ftay; juft as Gamefters throw away the Dice, when they have no Money left to play on.

The Contempt of Favourites is nothing elfe but the love of Favour: The vexation we refent for our being excluded, iş in fome measure foftned and allay'd, by undervaluing thofe that are in Pof feffion. And we deny to pay them our Refpects, not being able to take that away from them, which makes them refpected by all the World befides.

The Court is the Imperial Seat of Ambition; all other Paffions, even Love itfelf, and all Laws truckle under her; and there are no forts of Unions, but she can both knit together, or feparate.

There are few Courtiers, but what fuffer a Change in their Reputation twice a Year, either by the fickleness and inftability of other Men's Opinions, or the diverfity of their own Con

duct.

A Favourite will fooner find an Adorer, than a true Friend.

There are few Favourites that keep in Favour to the laft; either because Princes grow weary of their Favourites when they have nothing to beftow on them: Or that Favourites themfelves grow weary of the Court when they expect nothing more from it.

Courts would foon be turned into Defarts, and Kings left by themselves, if men were once rid of Vanity and Intereft; but moft People are contented to be Slaves at Court, fo they may domineer elsewhere.

There

There is no other Study, but how to please in the Court of Princes, because there a Man makes his Fortune by rendring himself agreeable. Hence it comes that Courtiers are fo polifh'd. On the contrary, in Towns and Republicks, where Men manage their Affairs by Labour, the laft of their Cares is to Pleafe, and 'tis that which renders them fo Clownish.

The Wheels, the Springs, the Movements, all is hidden in a Watch, and nothing to be seen except the Needle, which infenfibly goes round. This is the Image of a Courtier, and fo much the truer, that after many fair fteps, he often returns to the fame point from whence he first fet out.

If Favour places a Man above his Equals, his Fall places him below them.

That Man that has feen the Court, has feen the faireft and beautifulleft part of the World; and if he can despise the Court after he has feen it, he can as well defpife all the World.

The Town makes a Man naufeate the Country; the Court creates a difguft for the Town. The Court it felf puts a Wife Man out of conceit with it, and gives him a hankering after Privacy and Retirement.

A Favourite has no Retinue; he is without Engagements, without Ties: He may be furrounded with a crowd of Relations and Creatures, but he is contiguous to nothing, he ftands by himself.

An old Courtier of good Senfe and Memory, is a Treasure of an ineftimable Value. He is full of Tranfactions and Maxims; in him we find the History of the Times, adorned with many Curious Circumstances, not to be found any where elfe, and of him we may learn Rules for the conduct of our Affairs and Manners, which are fo I 2

much