promoting the worst; provided a very lucrative consideration be known to be the motive of his conversion; for in that case the point of honour turns singly upon the quantum.

From these premises, which the more they are considered the truer they will be found, it appears, that there are but two things which a man of the nicest honour may not do, which are, declining single cornbat, and cheating at play. Strange! that virtue should be so difficult, and honour, its superior, so easy to attain to!

The uninformed herd of mankind are governed by words and names, which they implicitly receive, without either knowing or asking their meaning. Even the philosophical and religious controversies, for the last three or four hundred years, have turned much more upon words and names, unascertained and misunderstood, than upon things fairly stated. The polite world, to save time and trouble, receive, adopt, and use words in the signification of the day; not having leisure or inclination to examine and analyze them: and thus, often misled by sounds, and not always secured by sense, they are hurried into fatal errors, which they do not give their understandings fair play enough to prevent.

In explaining words, therefore, and bringing them back to their true signification, one may sometimes happen to expose and explode those errors, which the abuse of them both occasions

HURRY.

You will say, it may be, that when you write so very ill, it is because you are in a hurry: to which I answer, Why are you ever in a hurry? A man of sense may be in haste, but can never be in a hurry, because he knows, that whatever he does in a hurry, he must necessarily do very ill. He may be in haste to despatch an affair, but he will take care not to let that haste hinder his doing it well. Little minds are in a hurry, when the object proves (as it commonly does) too big for them; they run, they stare, they puzzle, confound, and perplex themselves; they want to do every thing at once, and never do it at all. But a man of sense takes the time, necessary for doing the thing he is about, well; and his haste to despatch a business only appears by the continuity of his application to it: he pursues it with a cool steadiness, and finishes it before he begins any other.

I am very sure, at least I hope, that you will never make use of a silly expression, which is the favourite expression, and the absurd excuse, of all fools and blockheads,-I cannot do such a thing; a thing by no means either morally or physically impossible. I cannot attend long together to the same thing, says one fool: that is, he is such a fool that he

will not. I remember a very awkward fellow, who did not know what to do with his sword, and who always took it off before dinner, saying, that he could not possibly dine with his sword on; upon which I could not help telling him, that I really believed he could, without any probable danger either to himself or oth

sers.

It is a shame and an absurdity for any e man to say, that he cannot do all those things which are commonly done by all the rest of mankind.

INATTENTION.

There is no surer sign in the world of a little, weak mind, than inattention. Whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing well; and nothing can be done well without attention. It is the sure answer of a fool, when you ask him about any thing that was said or done, where he was present, that "truly he did not mind it." And why did not the fool mind it? What had he else to do there, but to mind what was doing? A man of sense sees, hears, and retains, every thing that passes where he is. I desire I may never hear you talk of not minding, nor complain, as most fools do, of a treacherous memory. Mind, not only what people say, but how they say it; and, if you have any sagacity, you may discover more truth by your eyes than by your ears. People can say what they will, but they cannot look

The

just as they will; and their looks frequently discover what their words are calculated to conceal. Observe, therefore, people's looks carefully, when they speak not only to you, but to each other. I have often guessed, by people's faces, what they were saying, though I could not hear one word they said. most material knowledge of all, I mean the knowledge of the world, is never to be acquir ed without great attention; and I know many old people, who, though they have lived long in the world, are but children still, as to the knowledge of it, from their levity and inattention. Certain forms, which all people comply with, and certain arts, which all people aim at, hide, in some degree, the truth, and give a general exterior resemblance to almost every body. Attention and sagacity must see through that veil, and discover the natural character.

INDOLENCE.

Busi

I look upon indolence as a sort of suicide: for the man is effectually destroyed, though the appetites of the brute may survive. ness by no means forbids pleasures; on the contrary, they reciprocally season each other; and I will venture to affirm, that no man enjoys either in perfection, that does not join both. They whet the desire for each other. Use yourself, therefore, in time, to be alert and diligent in your little concerns: never pro

crastinate, never put off till to-morrow what you can do to-day; and never do two things at a time; pursue your object, be it what it will, steadily and indefatigably; and let any difficulties (if surmountable) rather animate than slacken your endeavours. Perseverance has surprising effects.

*

Application to business, attended with approbation and success, flatters and animates the mind; which, in idleness and inaction, stagnates and putrefies. I could wish that every rational man would, every night when he goes to bed, ask himself this question, "What have I done to-day? Have I done any thing that can be of use to myself or others? Have I employed my time, or have I squandered it? Have I lived out the day, or have I dozed it away in sloth and laziness?" A thinking being must be pleased or confounded, according as he can answer himself these questions.

KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORLD.

Search, with the greatest care, into the characters of all those whom you converse with: endeavour to discover their predominant passions, their prevailing weaknesses, their vanities, their follies, and their humours, with all the right and wrong, wise and silly springs of human actions, which make such inconsistent and whimsical beings of us rational creatures.