Though a man may become learned by another's learning; he never can be wife but by his own wisdom.

He who wants good fenfe, is unhappy in having learning; for he has thereby more ways of expofing himself.

It is ungenerous to give a man occafion to blush at his own ignorance in one thing, who may perhaps excel us. in many.

No object is more pleafing to the eye, than the fight of a man whom you have obliged; nor any mufic so agreeable to the ear, as the voice of one that owns you for his benefactor.

The coin that is moft current among mankind is flattery; the only benefit of which is, that by hearing what we are not, we may be instructed what we ought to be.

The character of the perfon who commends you, is to be confidered before you fet a I value on his esteem. The wife man applauds him whom he thinks most virtuous, the reft of the world, him who is moft wealthy.

The temperate man's pleafures are durable, because they are regular; and all his life is calm and ferene, because it is innocent.

A good man will love himself too well to loofe, and his neighbour too well to win, an eftate by gaming. The love. of gaming will corrupt the best principles in the world.

CHAPTER IV.

An angry man who fuppreffes his paffions, thinks worfe than he fpeaks; and an angry man that will chide, fpeaks worse than he thinks.

A good word is an eafy obligation: but not to speak ill requires only our filence, which cofts us nothing.

It is to affectation the world owes its whole race of coxcombs. Nature in her whole drama never drew fuch a

part; fhe has fometimes made a fool, but a coxcomb is always of his own making.

It is the infirmity of little minds to be taken with every appearance, and dazzled with every thing that sparkles;but great minds have but little admiration, because few things appear new to them.

It happens to men of learning, as to ears of corn; they fhoot up and raise their heads high, while they are empty; but when full, and swelled with grain, they begin to flag and droop.

He that is truly polite, knows how to contradict with refpect, and to please without adulation: and is equally remote from an infipid complaifance, and a low familiarity.

The failings of good men are commonly more published in the world than their good deeds; and one fault of a deferving man, fhall meet with more reproaches, than all his virtues, praise fuch is the force of ill-will, and ill-nature.

It is harder to avoid cenfure, than to gain applaufe; for this may be done by one great or wife action in an age; but to escape cenfure, a man must pafs his whole life without faying or doing one ilf or foolish thing.

When Darius offered Alexander ten thousand talents to divide Afia equally with him, he answered. The earth cannot bear two suns, nor Asia two kings. Parmenio, a friend of Alexander's, hearing the great offers Darius had made, faid, Were I Alexander I would accept them. So would I, replied Alexander, were I Parmenio.

Nobility is to be confidered only as an imaginary diftinction, unless accompanied with the practice of thofe generous virtues by which it ought to be obtained. Titles of honour conferred upon such as have no perfonal merit, are at best but the royal stamp set upon base metal.

Though an honourable title may be conveyed to poftesity, yet the ennobling qualities which are the foul of great

nefs, are a fort of incommunicable perfections, and cannot be transferred. If a man could bequeath his virtues by will, and fettle his fenfe and learning upon his heirs, as certainly as he can his lands, a noble defcent would then indeed be a very valuable privilege.

Truth is always confiftent with itself, and needs nothing to help it out. It is always near at hand, and fits upon our lips, and is ready to drop out before we are aware: whereas a lie is troublesome, and fets a man's invention upon the rack; and one trick needs a great many more to make it good.

The pleasure which affects the human mind with the most lively and transporting touches, is the fense that we act in the eye of infinite wisdom, power, and goodness, that will crown our virtuous endeavours here with a happiness hereafter, large as our desires, and lasting as our immortal fouls; without this the highest state of life is infipid, and with it the lowest is a paradise.

CHAPTER V.

HONOURABLE age is not that which standeth in length of“ time, nor that is measured by number of years; but wifdom is the grey hair unto man, and unspotted life is old age.

Wickedness, condemned by our own witness, is very timorous, and being preffed with confcience, always forecafteth evil things: for fear is nothing else, but a betraying of the fuccours which reafon offereth.

A wife man will fear in every thing. He that contemneth fmall things, fhall fall by little and little.

A rich man beginning to fall is held up of his friends but a poor man being down is thruft away by his friends. When a rich man is fallen he hath many helpers: he Ipeaketh things not to be fpoken, and yet men justify him:

the poor man flipt, and they rebuked him; he spoke wifely, and could have no place. When a rich man speaketh, every man holdeth his tongue; and look, what he faith, they extol it to the clouds; but if a poor man speak, they fay, What fellow is this?

Many have fallen by the edge of the fword, but not fo many as have fallen by the tongue. Well is he that is defended from it, and hath not paffed through the venom thereof; who hath not drawn the yoke thereof, nor been bound in their bonds; for the yoke thereof is a yoke of iron, and the bands thereof are bands of brass; the death thereof is an evil death.

My fon, blemish not thy good deeds, neither ufe uncom fortable words, when thou giveft any thing. Shall not the dew affuage the heat? fo is a word better than a gift. Lo, is not a word better than a gift? but both are with a gracious man.

Blame not before thou haft examined the truth; underftand first, and then rebuke.

If thou wouldst get a friend, prove him first, and be not hafty to credit him; for fome men are friends for their own occasions, and will not abide in the day of thy trouble.

Forfake not an old friend, for the new is not comparable to him: a new friend is as new wine; when it is old thou fhalt drink it with pleasure.

A friend cannot be known in profperity; and an enemy cannot be hidden in adverfity.

Admonish thy friend; it may be he hath not done it; and if he have, that he do it no more. Admonish thy friend; it may be he hath not faid it, or if he have, that he fpeak it not again. Admonifh a friend; for many times it is a flander; and believe not every tale. There is one that flippeth in his fpeech, but not from his heart; and who is he that hath not offended with his tongue.

Whofo difcovereth fecrets, lofeth his credit, and fhall never find a friend to his mind.

Honour thy father with thy whole heart, and forget not the forrows of thy mother: how can thou recompenfe them the things they have done for thee?

There is nothing fo much worth, as a mind well inftructed.

The lips of talkers will be telling fuch things as pertain not unto them; but the words of fuch as have understanding are weighed in the balance. The heart of fools is in their mouth, but the tongue of the wife is in their heart. To labour, and to be content with that a man hath, is a fweet life.

Be in peace with many; nevertheless, have but one counsellor of a thousand.

Be not confident in a plain way.

Let reafon go before every enterprise, and counsel be< fore every action.

CHAPTER VI.

THE latter part of a wife man's life is taken up in curing the follies, prejudices, and falfe opinions he had contracted in the foriner.

Cenfure is the tax a man pays to the public for being eminent.

Very few men, properly speaking, live at present, but are providing to live another time.

Party is the madness of many, for the gain of a few.

To endeavour to work upon the vulgar with fine sense,

is like attempting to hew blocks of marble with a razor.. Superftition is the spleen of the foul.

He who tells a lie is not fenfible how great a task he undertakes: for he must be forced to invent twenty more to maintain that one.