often do its part in piety without the body, so it shall receive the glorious crown of righteousness before it. 141. A skilful aftrologer, a stranger to Socrates, upon calculating his nativity, delineated him an ill-temper'd man, for which his ability was fufficiently queftioned; but the good philofopher justify'd the artist, saying such as he describes me to be, I was born; but fince that time I have been born again, and my fecond nativity has 'croffed my firft.' So Stilpo, a philofopher of Megara, naturally given to wine and women, yet was never known debauched by either. 142. He that is in fuch a condition as places him above contempt, and below envy, cannot, by an enlargement of his fortune, be made really more rich, or more happy than he is. 143. I think it may not appear heterodox to fay, that as all men finned in Adam without their perfonal knowledge or confent; fo fome may be faved in Christ, without a particular or perfonal belief in him, of whom perhaps they never so much as heard. 144. Pluralities and non-residents were never heard of in the primitive ages, and it is a fhame there fhould be for many fat parfonages, and yet fo many lean parfons. It is the devil's market where church livings are bought and fold, and fuch spiritual hucksters deserve to be whipt out of the temple. 145. Death never happens but once, yet we feel it every moment of our lives; it is worfe to apprehend than to fuffer. Men fhould confider, fince the end of life is inevitable, that all regrets for the lofs of it are in figni + fignificant, and that the death which prevents dotage, comes more seasonably than that which ends it. 146. It is impoffible without being mafter of a good addrefs to gain the publick efteem, and to make our talents appear so to advantage, that the world may never be difgufted or glutted with them. 147. The defire of glory the philofophers themselves acknowledge to be the last thing a wife man puts off; and if it is a bait which angels fwallowed, how hard must it needs be for fouls ally'd to fenfe to resist it! 148. When people are injur'd, and know themselves innocent, they are commonly negligent, believing that truth will bear out itself. 149. The true estimation of living is not to be taken from age, but action; a man may die old at forty, and a child at fourscore. 150. A wife man will defire no more than what he may get juftly, ufe foberly, diftribute chearfully, and leave contentedly. 151. A wife man is provided for occurrences of any kind; the good he manages, the bad he vanquishes: in prosperity be betrays no presumption, in adversity he feels no defpondency. 152. Critics are useful, that is most certain, so are executioners and informers: but what man did ever envy the condition of Jack Ketch, or Jack P―r. 153. Wits are generally the most dangerous company a woman can keep, for their vanity makes them brag of more favours than they obtain. 154. A witty man is a good companion, but an ill confident. 155. It is prepofterous to pretend to reform the stage before the nation, and particularly the town. The bufiness of a dramatic poet is to copy nature, and reprefent things as they are. Let our peers give over whoring and drinking; the citizens cheating the clergy, their quarrels, covetousness and ambition; the lawyers, their ambi-dextrous dealings; and the women intriguing, and the stage will reform of course. 156. The great pleasure some people take in criticising upon the small faults of a book, fo vitiates their tafte, that it renders them unfit to be affected with its beauties. 157. Nothing furprizes me more, than to fee men taugh fo freely at a comedy, and yet account it a filly weakness to weep at a tragedy. For is it lefs natural for a man's heart to relent upon a scene of pity, than to be transported with joy upon one of mirth and humour? Or is it only the alteration of the features of our faces, that makes us forbear crying? But this alteration is undoubtedly as great in an immoderate laughter, as in a moft desperate grief; and good breeding teaches us to avoid the one as well as the other, before those for whom we have a refpect. Or is it painful to us to appear tender-hearted, and exprefs grief upon a fiction? But, without quoting great wits, who account it an equal weakness, either to weep or laugh out of measure, can we expect to be tickled by a tragical adventure? And befides, is not truth as naturally represented in that, as in a comical one? Therefore, as we do not think it ridiculous to fee a whole audience laugh 1 laugh at a merry jeft or humour acted to the life, but, on the contrary, we commend the skill both of the poet and the actor; fo the great violence we use upon ourselves, to contain our tears, together with the forced finiles, with which we strive to conceal our concern, do forcibly evince, that the natural effect of a good tragedy, is to make us all weep by confent, without any more ado than to pull out our handkerchiefs to wipe off our tears. And if it were once agreed amongst us, not to refift thofe tender impreffions of pity, I dare engage that we fhould foon be convinced, that by frequenting the playhouse we run lefs danger of being put to the expence of tears, than of being almost frozen to death by many a cold, dull, infipid jeft. 158. Prudence and experience are the gifts of age; it is no dishonour to youth to be without that which age alone can give. 159. That which is fplendor, fumptuousness, and magnificence in people of quality, is in private men extravagance, folly and impertinence. 160. Had Sampfon's head contained the tythe of that ftrength, faid to have refided in his heart, a mistress had never understood where it lay. 161. The contentedness which fome pretend to, if well examined, means fomething of floth, as well as moderation. 162. No trees bear fruit in autumn, unless they bloffom in the fpring. To the end that my age may be profitable and laden with ripe fruit, I will endeavour that my youth may be ftudious, and flowered with the bloffoms of learning and observation. 163. Love 163. Love refines a man's behaviour, but makes a woman's ridiculous. 164. To bear with the imperfections of our neighbour, is one of the chief points of love we owe him. 165. Grief, like fire, the more it is covered, the more it rages. 166. A continual and moderate fobriety is much better than violent abftinences, made by fits, and mingled with intermiffions. many 167. A great enhancement of pleasure arifes from its being unexpected, and pain is doubled by being foreseen. 168. He who has learning, and not discretion to use it, has only the advantage of having more ways to expose himself. 169. He that hazards his life upon an honourable score, deferves the fame reward as if he had loft it. 170. Happy is the man who can be acquitted by himself in private, by others in publick, and by God in both. 171. The indifcretion of talking too freely of one another, is the fource of thofe fo many differences which embroil mankind. Such as, having heard difobliging difcourses, repeat them again to the perfon concerned, are much mistaken if they think to oblige him by those indifcreet confidences; it grates us to the heart, to hear a man who is so imprudent to tell us to our faces vexatious things, tho' he only repeat what others have faid of us. 172. Juftice is the virtue with which the vulgar are most affected, becaufe of its continual and common ufe. The Grecians efteemed Juftice above any other virtue, therefore the vulgar for thefe three reafons ftand affected toE wards + 44 |