gain: So that upon the whole, the only way to be Happy and Quiet, is to make all contingencies indifferent to us.

Happiness lies not in the Things themselves, but in our own Palate, and the relish we have of them: We are happy by the Enjoyment of what we fancy and defire, and not what other People think lovely and defirable.

One confiderable part of Happiness, is, to know how far a Man may be Unhappy.

We generally make a false Estimate, both of our Misfortunes and Felicities; and we are uever fo happy or unfortunate, as we think we are.

If a Man cannot find Eafe within himself, 'tis preposterous for him to feek it any where elfe.

Nothing goes fo far in the Happiness of our Lives, as to know things as really they are; and this Knowledge is to be acquired by frequent Reflections upon Men, and the feveral Affairs of the World, rather than by the perufal of Books.

Nothing goes nearer a Man in his Misfortunes, than to find himself undone by his own Folly; or but any way acceflary to his own Ruin.

Pity and Compaffion is often a Refentment of our own Miseries, occafion'd by thofe of our Neighbours: It is an ingenious Forefight of the Dilgraces we may fall into; we relieve others, to ingage them to return the like, when our own Occafions call for it; and the good Offices we do them, are, in strict speaking, fo many Kindaeffes done to our felves before-hand.

It goes a great way towards Felicity, the ufing of our felves to other Peoples Follies, and not taking offence at every Impertinence that paffes in our Company.

It is an ordinary Impertinence, for Men in Difgrace, to infect every thing with their Misfortunes.

There are some common Misfortunes, which have a Relation to all Men; but every Man has his par ticular Sentiments of them, and fo endures in that Senfe, the whole weight of his Affliction fingly, But in our private Disgraces, that which affects us moft, is to fee no body bear a Refemblance to us. We cannot with Patience behold our felves deftin'd to fuffer an Unhappiness alone, which all the World may be affected with as well as we: And nothing fo much augments the Sharpness of our Afflictions, as the Fiercenefs and Pride of those who feem to brave and defpife them.

The more we ftruggle with our Misfortunes, we draw the Knot the harder; as the more the Bird flaps and flutters in the Snare, the furer she is caught.

*The Mifery and Happiness of the whole Life of Mortals, are Themes fcarce worth a Paffion. What ever we endure as an Evil, or poffefs as a Good, are both fo fhort, that as the one need not fink us to an Excefs of Grief, fo neither does the other deserve an Excefs of Joy.

There is but one real Misfortune that can befal a Man, which is to be in Fault, and to be reproacht with any ill Thing by one's own Confcience.

*No Man is to account any thing a lofs, if he gets Wisdom by the bargain; for as we fay, Bought Wit is best. And it is in fome Proportion in the Business of this World, as it is in that of the next; in the Cafes, I mean, of Loffes, Mifcarriages and Difappointments: We are in both Respects the better for them, for they are Monitory and Inftructive. Affliction makes a Man both

03

both Honeft and Wife; for the Smart brings him to a fenfe of his Error, and the Experiment to the knowledge of it.

* There are no People fo Miferable, but that at fome time or other, in fome thing or other, they have reason to account themselves happy. And if they would but duly confider, how it is with many of their Neighbours, they would find it their Duty to be thankful, that it is no worfe with themselves; for it is fome Relief to the Unfortunate, to fhew them that there are others yet more Miferable.

*It may seem to be a kind of a malicious Satisfaction, that one Man derives from the Misfortunes of another. But the Philofophy of this Reflexion ftands upon another Ground; for our Comfort does not arife from other People's being Miferable, but from this Inference upon the Ballance, that we fuffer only the Lot of Humane Nature; and as we are Happy or Miferable, compar'd with others, fo other People are Miferable or Happy compar'd with us: By which juftice of Providence, we come to be convinc'd of the Sin, and the mistake of our Ingratitude.

In all the Cafes of our Lives, we fancy our felves much more Miferable than we are; for want of taking a true Estimate of Things, we fly into Transports without Reafon, and judge of the Hapnefs or Calamity of Humane Life, by falfe Lights. A ftrict Enquiry into the Truth of Matters will help us in the one, and Comparifon will fet us right in the other.

Idlenes

M

Idienefs, Sioth.

Any People are kept within their Duty, becaufe they have not the Courage, or will not be at the Pains of being Wicked: And in fuch Cafes Virtue runs away with that Praile, which is due only to Timidity or Sloth.

When Idle Men have indulg'd themfelves, as much as they think fit,no body is then fo full of Hafte and Activity as they; becaufe, they hope,this quickning of others will give them the reputation of Diligence.

Of all the Paffions we ore expos'd to, none is more conceal'd from our knowledge than Idlenefe; it is the most violent, and the moft mifchievous of any, though its Violence he infenfible, and its Mifchievoufnefs unheeded and fecret: If we carefully confider its power, it will be found upon all occafions to have an abfolute Sway over our Sentiments, our Interefts, and our Pleafures. This is a Remora that can ftop the largest Ships, and a Calm more dangerous to our Undertakings than any Rocks or Sands, or even the most violent Storms. The Eafe and Tranquility of Sloth is a powerful Charm, that fuppreffes on the fudden our most vigorous purfuits, and controls our most peremptory Refolutions: In a Word, (to give a true Notion of this Paffion') Idleness is a Bleffednefs of the Soul, that makes her eafie under all her Loffes, and fupplies the place of her Enjoyments and Advantages.

'Tis a mighty Error to fuppofes, that none but violent and strong Paffions, fuch as Love and Ambition, are able to conquer the reft. Even Idlenes,as feeble and languifhing as it is, does often triumph over them all: This furps the Throne, and its

04

Paramount

Paramount over all the Designs and Actions of our Lives; and infenfibly wastes and destroys both all our Virtues and Vices.

Of all our Failings, we are apt to confefs Lazinefs the more easily, because we perfwade our felves, that it sticks clofe to all peaceable Virtues; and as for the reft, that it does not deftroy any of them utterly, but only fufpends the Exercife of them.

There is more Lazinefs in the Mind, than in the Body.

Idleness and Conftancy fix the Mind to what it finds eafie and agreeable: This Habit always confines and cramps up our Notions, and no body was ever at the pains to ftretch and carry his Underftanding, as far as it could go.

We have very often more Strength than good Will to use it; but we fancy things impoffible to be done, to reconcile our felves to our own Idleness.

If we caft an Eye on all the Tempests, which arife within our Breasts, and confider the Caufes and Reinedies of all the violent Defires, malicious Envies, intemperate Joys, and irregular Griefs, by which the Lives of moft Men become Miferable, or Guilty; we shall find that they are generally produc'd by Idleness,and may be most naturally cur'd by Liverfion. What-ever Art fhall be able to bulie the Minds of Men,with a conftantCourfe of Innocent Works,or to fill them with as vigorous and pleafant Images, as those illImpreffions, by which they are deluded; it will certainly have a furer Effect in the compofing and pu rifying of their Thoughts, than all the Precepts of the Moralifts,

Featorfa.