VI.

'Tis the great, or little Mind, not the great or little Fortune, makes the truly great or little Man; fince Misfortunes are not always our own Fault, and cannot be our Disgrace, but when born with Folly.

VII.

THERE is often more Pride in refusing Praise or Flattery, than in taking it; with defign to have either preffed on us more: As Priests, deny the Lawn-Sleeves, when they are affur'd of the Bishoprick.

VIII.

Too much Love, as too little, but equally fhew our Want of Senfe; fince not to love as we ought, is fetting up our Sense against the Wisdom of Nature; and to love more than we ought, is fetting up the Extravagance of Nature against our Reason.

IX.

NOTHING is good, or bad, to Us as it is in itself, but as it is taken by us.

X.

TRAVELLING, which improves wife Men, makes Fools more ridiculous.

XI.

Too great Compliments, like too great Promises, are rather Abuses than Commendations; fince to commend a wife Man to his Face, seems to infer, he either wants, or expects the Flattery; which is fuppofing him to have more Vanity than Merit, and fo turns the Praise given to his Infamy.

XII.

THE easiest, calmeft, Government is the most lafting and stable; so that Kings and Husbands, if they would reign or live in Peace, must fometimes let fall their Prerogative.

XIII.

NATURE transcends Art as well in our Genius's, as our Soils; and Fancy gets the Start of Judgment and Correction, as wild Fields give more Pleafure than artful Gardens.

XIV.

As our Envy, or our Malice blinds us to others Merits, fo does our partial Self-Love blind us to our own Faults.

XV.

As Wit is too hard for Power in Council, so Power is too hard for Wit in Action.

XVI.

BUFFOONERY and Scurrility are as little true Wit, as Cunning is true Wisdom.

XVII.

HALF-WITTED Fools are harder to be dealt with, by fenfible or honest Men, than thorough-pac'd Knaves; and both of them generally worst Men of Sense, as their Reason and Faith are truest and best.

XVIII.

THERE is no certain Happiness out of Fortune's Power, or in our own, but Content; a Quality that helps us to enjoy Prosperity, and endure Misfortunes.

XIX.

CLERGYMEN'S Practices are often different from the Doctrines they preach; fo that the Soul's Doctors are like the Body's Quacks, who seldom take the Phyfick themselves which they so plentifully prescribe to Others.

XX.

In all Arguments the weakest Disputant is still the loudeft, who prefumes that Noise will supply his Want of Reason.

XXI.

THE wife Man, who lives in the World, must move and do as a Man in a Crowd, that is rather carried than goes his own Pace; for if he thinks to advance in fpight of the Oppofition, he will be fpurned, elbowed, squeez'd, and trodden down, or else heaved from the Ground, and born up upon others Shoulders, whether he will or no.

XXII.

A MAN is held by the Ear by a Flatterer, like a Hog by a Mastiff, that he may be sure to have the best hold of him, and prevent him from getting

away.

XXIII.

COXCOMBS cavil with others for too much Wit, but because they themfelves have too little.

XXIV.

EXCESS of Clemency in a Prince is often Cruelty, fo a Virtue to a Fault; fince it does a publick Wrong by a private Benefit, and authorizes a Crime in acquitting the Criminal.

XXV.

EVERY Body's Business proves generally no Body's; and the Person who is incumber'd with moft Servants has the lefs Work done: As those Infects, that have the greatest Number of Legs, are moft flow in their Motions.

XXVI.

FALSE Friends, like the Shadow upon a Dyal, are ever present to the Sunshine of our Fortunes, and as foon gone when we begin to be under a Cloud.

XXVII.

IT is but Men's Government of their Paffions makes them differ from Beasts, and gives them juft Power over them.

XXVIII.

THE Affectation of Modefty is the greatest Impudence; and as real Modesty is the Beauty of the Mind, fo an Affectation of it as much difgraces a perfect Mind, as Art, and an affected Drefs, do a perfect Face.

XXIX.

RETIREMENT and Quiet are to the Mind, what Privacy and Sleep are to the Body; and the Faculties of the Soul are strengthen'd for their Functions, like the Limbs for Toil and Action, by Repose.

XXX.

OLD Men give young Men good Counsel, not being able longer to give them bad Examples.

XXXI.

THE Way to 'scape much Disappointment, is to will, or defire, little; to submit to our Fate, and not to build on vain Hopes, which miscarrying, of confequence, plunge us in Mifery.

XXXII.

THE best Wits make the worst Men of Business, as Beasts of Pleasure are leaft fit for Burthens.

XXXIII.

THE Gamester's ill Luck often proves his good Fortune, which by a little Lofs of Money gains him a great deal of Wit; and faves him from Beggary, by giving him a Refolution to play no more.

XXXIV.

OUR Fortune often, as it grows more, is lefs our true Happiness; for Encrease of Wealth, as it augments our Defires, robbs us of our Content; and gives a Train of Anxieties that are owing only to our Riches.

XXXV.

THE rigid Husband contributes to his own Cuckoldom by being too watchful and fufpicious; fince Defire of Freedom naturally springs from Constraint, and Falsehood thinks it self authoriz'd by Jealousy.

XXXVI.

An old Friend is often used by Mankind like an old Horse, they hackney him out in their Service, and when he's past his Drudgery, leave him to dye in a Ditch.

XXXVII.

CHILDREN and Fools tell most Truth, yet fuffer it least from others.

XXXVIII.

OUR Hopes, tho' they never happen, yet are fome kind of Happiness; as Trees, whilst they are still growing, please in the Profpect, tho' they bear no Fruit.

XXXIX.

TIME has a Crutch as well as Wings, fo that he limps for fome, and flies for others; now Pleasure always mounts on his Wings, but Miseries are lazy, and keep pace with him when he halts.

XL.

A GOOD Stile gives Value to a good Thought, and found Reason is set off with Eloquence of Phrase, as a fine Diamond is improv'd by an artificial Setting.

XLI.

THEY who deferve least Praise themselves, always allow it least to others; for the Poor in Merit, like all other Poor, envy those of superior Worth, and would willingly bring them down to their own Level.

XLII.

OUR too much Fear, or too much Security, in Extremities, are either Folly or Madness; the firft bringing Mischiefs upon us which might not have happen'd, and the latter suffering us to be furpriz'd by those which we might poffibly have prevented.

XLIII.

THE shortest Way to fhew your Wisdom to the World is to fay as the Many fay, but to think with the Few.

XLIV.

MODESTY is the Embellishment of the Body, as of the Mind; and the best Atonement for the Deficiency of Beauty in Women, or Wit in Men.

XLV.

'Tis fome Knowledge, nay the truest, or most, to know we have but little, or none.

XLVI.

FRIENDSHIP is a greater Tye on Faith than Blood, and free Love than Marriage-Bonds.

XLVII.

FEW Words are beft, whether Men fpeak well or ill, or are in the right or wrong; fince good Senfe is beft understood, and bad lefs tedious for being fhort; a right Cause best explain'd, and a wrong One least ridiculous, by the fewer Circumlocutions.

XLVIII.

FORTUNE, like all other common Miftreffes, jilts those most who have moft Faith in her.

XLIX.

CRAFT or Cunning, is the Shame of true Wisdom, rather than the Proof of it; as Paint is rather a Disguise than Ornament to a handfome Face.

L.

FOOLS and proud Men think best of themselves, as they understand themselves leaft; thinking themselves wife, and despising their Betters, for having the least reason fo to do.

LI.

Too much Pains or Art, in setting off Wit or Beauty, are often more the leffening of either, than an Addition to them.