958. WISDOM-is Power.

Men at some time are masters of their Fate. 959. SOCIETY bad—corruptive.

'Tis meet

That noble Minds keep ever with their likes,
For who so firm that cannot be seduc'd* ?

960. PROGNOSTICS-fanciful or superstitious, Men may construe things after their fashion Clean from the purpose of the things themselves. 961. FIRE quick-light FUEL.

Those that with haste will make a mighty fire
Begin it with weak straws.

962. MIND-it's Power.

Nor stony Tower, nor walls of beaten brass,
Nor airless dungeon, nor strong links of iron,
Can be retentive to the strength of Spirit.
963.

A generous Spirit with itself at war
Forgets the shews of love to other men.
964. CONFIDENCE-want of.

Mistaking others, many a breast hath buried
Thoughts of great value worthy cogitations.

965. REFLECTION.

Neither the Eye nor Mind beholds itself

But by Reflection.

966, PRUDENCE.

* What is said

Wisdom considers: what remains to say
It will with patience hear; and find a time
Both meet to hear and answer highest things.

*

φθείρεσιν ήθη χρησθ' ομιλίαι κακαι.

967. CHARACTER-Rules for discovering. * Be cautious of those Men who, reading much, Little communicate; are stern and cold:Of Men who love no Plays; and hear no Music : Who pass for great observers; and to look Quite thro' the deeds of Men, and see most keenly The faults and failings of the noblest Nature: Who seldom smile; and smile in such a sort As if they mock'd themselves, and scorn'd their That could be mov'd to smile at any thing. [spirit Such Men as these are never at heart's rest While they behold a greater than themselves : And therefore they are very dangerous.

968. FOLLY most difficult for a Man of Sense to describe.

It is never more difficult for a man of sense to describe the manner of a thing, than when the thing itself is mere foolery.

969. DULLNESS-sometimes apparently exists in the most active and greatest Minds. * Some Men have mettle in the execution Of any bold or noble enterprise,

Who wear at other times a tardy form.

970. ROUGHNESS-sometimes serves as a Seasoning. There is in some strong Minds a kind of roughness

Which serves them as a sauce for their good wit, And gives men stomach to digest their words With better appetite.

971. PRODIGIES and OMENS-a bad CONSCIENCE the Parent of them.

Times are most full of prodigies and omens Which are most full of faults:the Conscience Teems with portentous images of horror.

972. PRAISE-ill-bestowed-worthless.
What trash is Praise, Genius itself how vile,
What rubbish and what offal, when it serves
For the base matter to illuminate
Tyranny and Corruption.

973. POPULARITY.

Great is the influence,-greater oft than just,-
Of him who sits high in the People's hearts;
And that which would appear offence in others,
His countenance, like richest alchymy,
Will change to virtue and true worthiness.

974. VICE called forth by OPPORTUNITY. It is the bright day that brings forth the Adder: And that craves wary walking.

975. TYRANNY defined.

The Abuse of Greatness is when it disjoins
Remorse from Power.
[BITION.
976. HUMILITY feigned-the Ladder of AM-
Lowliness is young Ambition's ladder,
Whereto the climber-upward turns his face;
But when he once attains the upmost round,
He then unto the ladder turns his back;
Looks in the clouds, scorning the base degrees
By which he did ascend.

.977.

O Resist Beginnings :-whatsoe'er is ill,
Though it appear light and of little moment,
Think of it thus-that what it is, augmented,
Would run to these and these extremities;
Deem of it therefore as a Serpent's egg,

Which hatcht would, as it's kind, grow mis-
And crush it in the shell.
[chievous,

Principiis obsta OV.

978. MACHINATIONS of VIOLENCE.
Between the acting of a dreadful thing,
And the first motion, all the interim is
Like a phantasma, or a hideous dream:
The Genius, and the mortal instruments,
Are then in council; and the State of Man,
Like to a little kingdom, suffers then
The nature of an insurrection.

979. CONSPIRACY.

Conspiracy,

[night,

Shame'st thou to shew thy dangerous brow by
When evils are most free? O, then, by day
Where wilt thou find a cavern dark enough
To mask thy monstrous visage?

980. олти.

§ What other Oath Than Honesty to honesty engag'd?

[souls Swear priests and cowards, and such suffering That welcome wrongs.-Unto bad causes swear Such creatures as men doubt. But do not stain The even virtue of a good emprize,

Nor the insuppressive* mettle of true spirits, To think that, or the cause, or the performance, Can need an oath.

981. DESIRE of LEADING.

There are who will not follow any thing That other men begin.

982. AGE-it's AUTHORITY.

2. Silver hairs

Will purchase us a good opinion,

And buy men's voices to commend our deeds.

*For "unsuppressible." So MILTON uses "inexpressive:" and VIRGIL, "penetrabile."

L

983. VIOLENCE—all unnecessary is TYRANNY. To cut the head off, and then hack the limbs, Is wrath in death and envy afterwards *. 984.

Let us be sacrificers, but not butchers.
985. FLATTERY,

§ As Unicorns may be betray'd with trees,
And Bears with glasses, Elephants with holes,
Lions with toils;—so Men with flatterers.

986.

despise it.

lov'd by those who seem to

2. Tell a vain man that he hates flattery,
He says he does :-being then most flatter'd.
987. CONSPIRACY-dark and subtle.

§ Subtle Conspiracy Lets not it's looks put on it's purposes.

988. HUMOUR or WHIM.

Humour

Will sometime have his hour with every man. 989. SLEEP-whose soundest.

3. Who has no fantasies

Which busy care draws in the brain, may well
Enjoy the honied dew of heavy slumber.

990. AIR-DAMP.

4. It is not physical

To walk unbraced, and suck up the humours
Of the dark Morning.

991. COWARDICE.

Cowards die many times before their deaths.

992. COURAGE.

The Valiant never taste of Death but once.

*BECCARIA says justly, even of legal Acts, "Ogni atto d'autorita che non se deriva da necessite assoluta e' tirannica."