Sect. 8. and in this also he propounded himself imitable by us. For if Innocence itfelf did fuffer fo great Injuries and Difgraces, it is no great Matter for us quietly to receive all the Calamities of Fortune, and Indifcretion of Servants, and Mistakes of Friends, and Unkindneffes of Kindred, and Rudeneffes of Enemies, fince we have deserved these and worfe, even Hell itself.

5. If we be tempted to Anger in the Actions of Government and Difcipline to our Inferiors (in which Cafe Anger is permitted fo far as it is prudently inftrumental to Government, and only is a Sin when it is exceffive and unreafonable, and apt to difturb our own Difcourfe, or to exprefs itself in imprudent Words or violent Actions) let us propound to ourfelves the Example of God the Father, who at the fame Time and with the fame Tranquility decreed Heaven and Hell, the Joys of bleffed Angels and Souls, and the Torments of Devils and accurfed Spirits: And at the Day of Judgment, when all the World fhall burn under his Feet, God fhall not at all be inflamed, or fhaken in his effential Seat and Centre of Tranquility and Joy. And if at first the Caufe feems reafonable, yet defer to execute thy Anger till thou mayft better judge. For as Phocion told the Athenians, who upon the firft News of the Death of Alexander were ready to revolt, Stay a while; for if the King be not dead, your Hafte will ruine you; but if he be dead, your Stay cannot prejudice your Affairs, for he will be dead to-morrow as well as today. So if thy Servant or Inferior deferve Punifhment, flaying till to-morrow will not make him innocent; but it may poffibly preferve thee fo, by preventing thy ftriking a guiltless Perfon, or being fu rious for a Trifle.

6. Remove from thyfelf all Provocations and Incentives to Anger; efpecially, 1. Games of Chance and great Wagers. * Patroclus killed his Friend, the Son of Amphidamus, in his Rage and fudden Fury, rifing upon a crofs Game at Table. Such alfo are *Ηματι τῷ ὅτε παίδα κατέκτανον Αμφιδάμαντο Νέμο, ἐκ ἐθέλων, ἀμφ' ἀπαγάλοισι χολωθείς, Iliad. 4.

petty

non multis

Sect. 8. petty Curiofities and worldly Bufiness and Carefulnefs about it: But manage thyfelf with Indifferency, or Contempt of thofe external Things, and do not fpend a Paffion upon them; for it is more than they are worth. But they that defire but few Things Qui pauca can be croffed but in a few. 2. In not heaping up requirunt, with an ambitious or curious Prodigalty any very cu- excidunt, rious or choice Utenfils, Seals, Jewels, Glaffes, pre-Plaut. cious Stones; because thofe very many Accidents which happen in the fpoiling or Lofs of thefe Rarities, are in Event an irresistible Caufe of violent Anger. 3. Do not entertain nor fuffer Tale-bearers: For they abuse our Ear firit, and then our Credulity, and then steal our Patience, and it may be for a Lie; and if it be true, the Matter is not confiderable; or if it be, yet it is pardonable. And we may always efcape with Patience at one of thefe Outlets: Either, 1. By not hearing Slanders, or 2. By not believing them, or 3. By not regarding the Thing, or 4. By forgiving the Perfon. 4. To this Purpofe alfo it may ferve well, if we chufe (as much as we can) to live with peaceable Perfons, for that prevents the Occafions of Confufion: And if we live with prudent Perfons; they will not eafily occafion our Disturbance. But because thefe Things are not in many Mens Power, therefore I propound this rather as a Felicity than a Remedy or a Duty, and an Art of Prevention rather than of Cure.

7. Be not inquifitiye into the Affairs of other Men, nor the Faults of thy Servants, nor the Mistakes of thy Friends; but what is offered to you, ufe according to the former Rules, but do not thou go out to gather Sticks to kindle a Fire to burn thine own Houfe. And add this; if my Friend faid or did well in that for which I am angry, I am in the Fault, not he; but if he did amifs, he is in the Mifery, not I: For either he was deceived, or he was malicious, and either of them both is all one with a miferable Perfon, and that is an Object of Pity, not of Anger.

8. Ufe all reasonable Difcourfes to excufe the Faults of others, confidering that there are many Circum$ 2 Atan.

Sect. 8. ftances of Time, of Perfon, of Accident, of Inadvertency, of Infrequency, of Aptnefs to amend, of Sorrow for doing it; and it is well that we take any Good in Exchange for the Evil done or fuffered.

9. Upon the rifing of Anger inftantly enter into a deep Confideration of the Joys of Heaven, or the Pains of Hell For Fear and Joy are naturally apt to appease this Violence.

:

A

10. In Contentions be always paffive, never active, upon the defenfive, not the affaulting Part; and then alfo give a gentle Anfwer, receiving the Furies and Indifcretions of the other like a Stone into a Bed of Mofs and foft Compliance; and you fhall find it fit down quietly: Whereas Anger and Violence make the Contention loud and long, and injurious to both the Parties.

11. In the Actions of Religion be careful to temper all thy Inftances with Meeknefs, and the proper Inftruments of it: And if thou beeft apt to be angry, neither fast violently, nor entertain the too forward Heats of Zeal, but fecure thy Duty with conftant and regular Actions, and a good Temper of Body with convenient Refreshments and Recreations.

12. If Anger arifes fuddenly and violently, first reftrain it with Confideration, and then let it end in a hearty Prayer for him that did the real or feeming Injury. The former of the two ftops its Growth, and the latter quite kills it, and makes Amends for its monstrous and voluntary Birth.

Remedies against Anger, by Way of Confideration.

1. Confider that Anger is a profeffed Enemy to Counfel; it is a direct Storm, in which no Man can be heard to speak or call from without: For if you counfel gently, you are defpifed; if you urge it and be vehement, you provoke it more. Be careΚαὶ μανθάνων μεν οἷα δραν ful therefore to lay up beforeμέλλω κακά, θυμὸς δὲ κρείσων hand a great Stock of Reafon τῶν ἐμῶν βολευμάτων. Medea and prulent Confideration, that like a befieged Town you may be provided for,

and

and be defenfable from within, fince you are not
likely to be relieved from without. Anger is not to
be fuppreffed but by fomething that is as inward as
itfelf, and more habitual. To which Purpofe add,
that, 2. Of all Paffions it endeavours moft to make
Reafon ufelefs. 3. That it is
an univerfal Poyfon,.
of an infinite Object: For no Man was ever fo a-
morous as to love a Toad, none fo envious as to re-
pine at the Condition of the miferable, no Man fo
timorous as to fear a dead Bee, but Anger is trou
bled at every Thing, and every Man, and every Ac-,
cident, and therefore unlefs it be fuppreffed, it will
make a Man's Condition refflefs. 4. If it proceeds
from a great
Cause, it turns to
Fury; if from a finall Caufe, it

14.

Ὀθυμὸς φίνων αἴτιον, συμφο is Peevifhnefs: And fo is als eiς σύμμαχον βλάβης σύνεργον ways either terrible or ridiculous. και ατιμίας, χρημάτων απώλεια, It makes a Man's Body mon- en de ruidos apgyóv. trous, deformed and contemptible, the Voice horrid, the Eyes

5.

cruel, the Face pale or fiery, the Gate fierce, the Speech clamorous and loud. 6. It is neither manly nor ingenious. 7. It proceeds from Softnefs of Spirit and Pufillanimity; which makes that Women are more angry than Men, fick Perfons more than healthful, old Men more than young, unprofperous and calamitous People than the bleffed and fortunate. 8. It is a Paffion fitter for Flies and Infects than for Perfons profeffing Noblenefs and Bounty. 9. It is trou blefome not only to thofe that fuffer it, but to them that behold it; there being no greater Incivility of

Ariftot.

* Entertainment than for the Cook's Fault, or the "Difere quid Negligence of the Servants, to be cruel, or outra-cana poins gious, or unpleafant in the Prefence of the Guests, ingratusit? 10. It makes Marriage to be a neceffary and unavoidable Trouble; Friendfhips, and Societies, and Familiarities to be intolerable. 11. It multiplies the Evils of Drunkennefs, and makes the Levities of Wine to run into Madness. 12. It makes innocent Jefting to be the Beginning of Tragedies. 13. It turns Friendship into Hatred; it makes a Man

S 3

lofe

Amaram a

maro bilem

Pharmaco qui eluunt,

er.

*

Sect. 8. lofe himself and his Reason and his Argument in Difputation. It turns the Defires of Knowledge into an Itch of Wrangling. It adds Infolency to Pow*It turns Juftice into Cruelty, and Judgment into Oppreffion. It changes Difcipline into Tedioufnefs and Hatred of liberal Inftitution. * It makes a profperous Man to be envied, and the un fortunate to be unpitied. It is a Confluence of all the irregular Paffions: There is in it Envy and Sorrow, Fear and Scorn, Pride and Prejudice, Rafhnefs and Inconfideration, rejoycing in Evil and a Defire to inflict it, Self-Love, Impatience and Curiofity. And lastly, though it be very troublefome to others, yet it is most troublesome to him that hath it.

In the Ufe of thefe Arguments and the former Exercifes be diligent to obferve, left in your Defires to fupprefs Anger you be paffionate and angry at your felf for being angry; like Phyficians, who give a bitter Potion when they intend to eject the Bitterness of Choler; for this will provoke the Perfon and increase the Paffion. But placidly and quietly fet upon the Mortification of it; and attempt it firft for a Day, refolving that Day not at all to be angry; and to be watchful and obfervant for a Day is no great Trouble: But then, after one Day's Watchfulness it will be as eafie to watch two Days as at first it was to watch one Day; and fo you may increase till it becomes eafie and habitual.

Only obferve that fuch an Anger alone is criminal which is against Charity to my felf or my Neighbour; but Anger against Sin is a holy Zeal, and an Effect of Love to God and my Brother, for whose Interest I am paffionate, like a concerned Perfon: And if I take Care that my Anger makes no Reflection of Scorn or Cruelty upon the Offender, or of Pride and Violence, or Tranfportation to myfélf, Anger becomes Charity and Duty. And when one commended Plutar.de Charilaus, the King of Sparta, for a gentle, a good odio & invi- and a meek Prince, his Collegue faid well, How can he be good, who is not an Enemy even to vicious Perfons?

dia.

3. Reme