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

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AN angry man who fuppreffes his paffions, thinks worfe

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than he speaks; and an angry man that will chid, fpeaks worse than he thinks.

A GODD word is and 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 cox combs. Nature in her whole drama never drew fuch a part; she has sometimes 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.

Ir 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 fwelled 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, praife: fuch is the force of ill will, and ill nature.

It is harder to avoid cenfure, than to gain applause; for this may be done by one great or wife action in an age; but

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to escape cenfure, a man must pass his whole life without faying or doing one ill or foolish thing.

WHEN Darius offered Alexander ten thousand talents to divide Afia equally with him, he answered, the ear cannot bear two funs, nor Afia 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 those generous virtues by which it ought to be obtained. Titles of honour conferred upon fuch as have no perfonal merit, are at beft but the royal stamp set upon base metal.

THOUGH an honourable title may be conveyed to pofterity, yet the ennobling qualities which are the foul of greatnefs, are a fort of incommunicable perfections, and cannot be transferred. If a man could bequeath his virtues by will, and settle his sense 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 tranfporting touches, is the fenfe that we act in the eye of infinite wifdom, power, and goodness, that will crown our virtuous endeavours here with a happiness hereafter, large as our defires, and lasting as our immortal fouls ; without this the higheft ftate of life is infipid, and with it the loweft is a paradise.

СНАР.

CHA P. V.

HONOURABLE age is not that which flandeth in

length of time, nor that is measured by number of years; but wisdom is the grey hair unto man, and unfpotted life is old age.

WICKEDNESS, condemned by her own witnefs, is very timorous, and being preffed with confcience, always fore cafteth evil things: for fear is nothing elfe, but a betraying of the fuccours which reason offereth.

A WISE 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 speaketh things not to be spoken, 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 her 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 use uncomfortable 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 gra

cious man.

BLAME not, before thou hast examined the truth; understand first, and then rebuke.

Is thou wouldst get a friend, prove him first, and he not hasty to credit him; for fome men are friends for their own occafions, and will not abide in the day of thy trouble.

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

A FRIEND cannot be known in prosperity; and an enemy cannnot 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 speak it not again. Admonish a friend; for many times it is a flander; and believe not every tale. There is one that flippeth in his speech, but not from his heart; and who is he that hath not offended with his tongue ?

WHO SO 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 canft thou recompense 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

BE in peace with many; nevertheless, have but one coun fellor of a thousand.

Be not confident in a plain way.

LET reafon go before every enterprize, and counsel before every action.

CHA P. VI.

ΤΗ

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HE latter part of a wife man's life is taken in curing the follies, prejudices, and falfe opinions he had con

tracted in the former.

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

VERY few men, properly fpeaking, live at prefent, 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 fenfe, is like attempting to hew blocks of marble with a razor.

SUPERSTITION 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.

SOME people will never learn any thing, for this reason, because they understand every thing too foon.

THERE is nothing wanting to make all rational and difinterested people in the world of one religion, but that they should talk together every day.

MEN are grateful in the fame degree that they are refentful.

YOUNG menare fubtle arguers; the cloak of honour covers all their faults, at that of paffion, all their follies.

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