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himself to them without Applaufe. The Common Fancies that we find in Repute every where about us, and infus'd into our Minds with the Seed of our Fathers, appear to be moft Univerfal and Genuine. From whence it comes to pass, that whatever is off the Hinge of Cuftom, is believed alfo to be off the Hinges of Reason.

Cunning, Tricks, Shifts, Treachery. THe subtleft Fetch and Diffimulation, is to pretend being caught; for a Man is never fo eafilyoverTeach'd, as when he is thinking to over-reach others. The moft Cunning Men pretend to blame Tricking, that they may use it with more fecurity themfelves, upon fome greater Occafion or Intereft.

Frequent Cunnings and Fetches, argue a fhallow little Wit; and it generally falls out, that he that conceals himself in one Inftance, betrays himself as much by it in another.

Thofe that have been over-reach'd by fome of our Tricks, do not feem near fo foolish and ridiculous to us, as we our felves are in our own Opinion, when they have been too cunning for us.

It is very hard to determine whether an Univerfal Goodness fhew'd to all the World, without diftinction, be the effect of Good-Nature, or great Cunning and Addrefs.

Lyes, Artifices and Tricks, are as fure Marks of a low and poor Spirit, as falfe Money is of a poor and low Purfe.

* There is not a greater Peft in Humane Society than a Perverfe Craft,under the Mask of Simplicity.

*The main Bufinefs of the World is nothing but Sharping and putting Tricks upon one another by

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'Tis a good Discretion when a Body has to do with an Adverfary, that is either too crafty, or too ftrong for him, to turn him off to his Match; but it would be a cleaverer way yet, to encounter the Stratagem, and to defeat one Sham with another.

'Tis a fair ftep in Cunning and Subtilty, the poffeffing of other People with the belief that we are but indifferently Cunning.

Cunning is neither a very good nor a very bad Quality; it floats, if I may fo fpeak, betwixt Vertue and Vice: And upon all occafions it may, nay, perhaps it ought to be improved by Prudence.

Cunning is the nearer occafion of Cheat; from one to the other, there is but one step, and a flippery one too, I mean a Lye; if a Man adds this to Cunning, he makes it an Impofture.

With those who out of Cunning hearken all, and fpeak little, the beft Method is either to speak little, or to fpeak very much, and fay little.

* There is nothing looks fillier than a Crafty Knave out-witted, and beaten at his own play.

* There is no trufting to the fair Words of thofe that have both an Intereft and an Inclination to destroy us; efpecially when the Defign is carried on under the Mask of a friendly Of fice. It is but reafonable to oppose Art to art, and where we fufpect falfe play, to encounter one Trick with another; provided always that it be manag'd without breach of Faith, and within the compass of Honour, Honefty, and good Manners.

**Of all fcandalous and lewd Offices, Treachery is certainly the bafeft; 'tis a Sin against common Faith, Honour and Society; a Villany in short, that's never to be approv'd, how convenient foever it is in fome Cafes to be made ufe of

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All Traytors are Mercenaries; and whoever be trays one Mafter for Advantage, will betray another for a better Price.

Calummy, Detraction, Slander, Tale-bearers.

Ho while a Man lives, let him be ever fo Eminent, there is ftill room for Ill-nature and Jealoufie, to reprefent things, and to fufpect that fomething lies hid under the faireft appearances, which may fhew itself in due time, all that goes off,when one has finifh'd his Courfe; fo that all appears to be of a piece, and that he has died, as he has lived.

*It is a part of Prudence, not to fink under the impreffion of an ill Report, provided there be Inte grity and Innocence to fupport that firmness of Mind. A Wife Man will not make his Life precarious, he ftands or falls to his own Confcience, and leaves the World to take its courfe. 'Tis the Novelty not the Quality of Things that fets People a gaping and Gazing at them; but when they come once to be Familiar, the Wonder goes off, and Men return to their Wits again.

*It is not in the power of Calumny and Envy, to blaft the Dignity of a Wife and Honeft Man. The Principles of Good and Evil, are as firm as the Foundations of the Earth, and never had any Man Living, the Face yet to make an open profeffion of Wickedness in its own Name. Not but that Men of Vicious Lives and Converfations, have found out ways of impofing their Corruptions and Infirmities upon the World for Vertues, and under falfe Semblances and Colours. But there's no Man all the while, that fets up for a Knave or a Coxcomb in diret Terms. Now, the Mystery of the Cheat, lies

in the artificial difguifing of one thing for another, and in making Evil pafs for Good, and Good for Evil: As every Vertue has its bordering Vice, and every Vice its bordering Vertue: So that the Pretence is fair ftill, let the Practice be never fo foul, and Men will be trying to bring down the Rule to the Error, where they cannot reconcile the Error to the Rule. When People have once inverted the measures of Moral Equity and Natural Reafon,and brought the Question of Right or Wrong, fo far as in them lies, to a falfe Standard, there follows in course an envious Malevolence upon the Oppofition. As for Example: A Fool naturally hates a Philofopher: A Debauchee does as naturally hate a Man of good Government and Moderation. But ftill a Man of Honour and Integrity, shines on like the Sun in the Firmament, unconcern'd, and continues his Courfe.

* All Men revenge themfelves of an Evil fpeaker, by speaking Evil of him: And feeing he is alone, he'll be fooner overcome than the others, who are numerous, can be Convicted. A Detracter is eternally hated, and if fometimes Great Men Converfe with him, it is more out of Pleasure to hear his Satyrs, than for any Efteem they have of him.

'Tis a pitiful sneaking fort of Life,that of a Backbiter, always to be pecking at, and feeding upon the Imperfections of others.

Generally speaking, it were a good Bargain, to renounce all that good Men can fay of us, upon condition they would fay no ill.

Too tender a Senfe of what other People fay ill of us,does but entertain the Malice of the World,which defires no more than that it may difturb us.

The abfolute want of fuch a Senfe, fo as to be moved at nothing they say, is a contrary Extream,

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that produces the fame Effect. This is fuch a fort of Contempt as the World is concerned to Revenge it felf upon.

There is a middle State and Temper to be found between these two Extreams; which inclines the World to make Allowances for fome Actions in one Man, which yet they condemn without any Mercy in others. This makes the mighty difference between Ladies, that yet have taken the fame liberties; fo that fome are run down, and it is fcandalous to he feen in their Company; and others are esteem'd as Chaft as Nuns, and no Reflections caft upon

them.

We speak ill of other People, generally not fo much out of Malice as Pride.

I hear fo very ill a Character of fuch a Man, and I find him fo very good, that I am apt to think that he has fome troublefome Merit that drowns that of other People.

A Wife Man ought not to be concern'd at what is faid against him; for if what they fay of us be true, it is our bufinefs rather to correct our felves, than for others to contain themselves. If what is faid of us be falfe, fo foon as we fhall fhew a concern at it, we make it fufpected for Trtuh. The contempt of fuch Difcourfes difcredits them, and takes away the Pleafure from thofe that make them.

There is hardly fuch another Peft in a Common-wealth, as a Confort of Parafites, that feed Governours with falfe Representations and Reports of Men and Things: They firft betray their Masters to Dishonour and Ruine, and then when they find the Veffel finking, fave themfelves in the Long-Boat.

Bufie-Bodies and Intermedlers, are a dangerous fort of People to have to do withal; for there's no Mifchief that may not be wrought by the craft and manage

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