bring with them into the World; and the Defect of it in Men, comes from fome want in their Conception, or Birth. And though this may be improv'd, or impair'd, in fome degree, by Accidents of Education, Study, Converfation, or Bufinefs; yet it cannot go beyond the reach of its Native Force, no more than Life can, beyond the Period to which it was deftin'd, by the Strength or Weakness of the Seminal Virtue.

'Tis impoffible to renounce Nature, and to raise our selves above the Condition God has plac'd us in. We shall fee a Wife Man not able to defend himself from Humour and Folley; an Heroe feeble, full of Defects, and as much a Man as they which are below him: For, in truth, there are no great Men, if we compare 'em one with another; but they are in themselves weak, unequal, and deficient, in fome part or other.

Nothing is durable, that is not fuited to Nature. Too auftere a Philofophy,makes few wife Men; too rigorous a Government, few good Subjects; too harfh a Religion, few religious Souls; I mean, that will long continue fo.

Nobility, Gentility.

Here cannot be a meaner thing, than to take

T advantage of one's Quality and Greatness, to

ridicule and infult over thofe of an inferiour Condition.

They that are fo ridiculous, as to value themfelves meerly upon their Quality, do in a manner flight that very thing that gave them their Quality;

I 4

fince

fince 'tis only the Virtue of their Ancestors that first ennobled their Blood.

The great Mistake of moft Noble-men, is, That they look upon their Nobility as a Character given them by Nature.

True Quality, and that which is the Gift of Nature, is only the Noble Advantages and Endowments of the Body and Mind."

The more ancient that Nobility is which we derive from our Ancestors, the more fufpicious and uncertain it is; and therefore the lefs valuable. The Son of a Marefchal of France,who by his ownWorth has rais'd himself to this Office, fhould, in all Reafon, be more Noble, than the Pofterity that defcend from him. The Spring of Honour is yet fresh in the Son's Veins, and kept up by the Example of the Father, but the further it runs from the Fountain, the weaker and drier it grows.

We are furpriz'd every Day, to fee fome Men, that are come from the Scum of the People, raife themselves to great Fortunes and Honours; and we commonly mention this with Scorn and Reproach; as if all the Great Families in the World had not as mean a Beginning, if we would but take pains to trace them back to their Originals.

* A bragging Fool that's rais'd out of a Dunghil, and fets up for a Man of Quality, is afham'd of nothing in the World but his own Father.

It is with the Original of Nations, as with Genealcgies of private Perfons; thefe are purely imaginary; thofe fhew themfelvs in Fables. From whence it comes to pass, that the Ancients held themselves oblig'd to fome Deity or other, either upon the ac count of defcending from it, or else because they acknowledg'd a particular Care and Protection from its Tutelary Virtue.

It is the Saying of a Great Man, That if we could trace our Defcents, we should find all Slaves to come from Princes, and all Princes from Slaves: But Fortune has turn'd all Things topfie-turvy, in a long Story of Revolutions. But it matters not whence we come, but what we are; nor is it any more to our Honour, the Glory of our Predeceffors, than it is to their Shame, the Wickedness of their Posterity.

It is a great Advantage for a Man to be Nobly defcended; but it is ftill a greater one for him to be fuch by his own Merit, that People never enquire 'whether he be a Gentleman or no.

* Nobility of Birth, commonly abates Industry; and he that is not induftrious, envies him that is. Befide, Noble Perfons cannot go much higher; and he that ftands at a ftay, when others rife, can hardly avoid Motions of Envy

* A Monarchy, where there is no Nobility at all, is a pure abfolute Tyranny; for Nobility attempers Sovcraignty, and draws the Eyes of the People fomewhat alide from the Royal Line.

Those that are first rais'd to Nobility, are commonly more virtuous, but less innocent, than their Defcendants; for there is rarely any Rifing, but by a commixture of good and evil Arts.

A

Obflinacy, Contradiction.

ftiff and a Stubborn Obftinacy, is not fo much Firmnefs and Refolution, as Wilfulness. A Wife, and a steady Man bends only in profpect of rifing again.

* There

*There are many Cafes and many Seafons,where in Men must either Bend or Break: But Confeience, Honour, and good Manners, are first to be confulted, and Difcretion is to govern us, where, and when we may be allow'd to Temporize, and where, and when not. When Bending or Breaking is the question, and Men have no other choice, 'tis no eafie matter to diftinguifh, where, when, how, or to what degree, to yeild to the importunity of the Occafion, or the Difficulty of the Times. It is a certain Rule, 'tis true (but a general one, That no Ill is to be done, that Good may come on it: Now, the Point will be at laft, what's fimply Good or Evil; what in the Contemplation, and how far the Intention, or the Probable Confequences of fuch or fuch an Action may qualifie the Cafes: Taking this Confideration along with us too, that we are under a great Temptation to be partial in favour of our own felves, in the matter of Eafe, Profit or Safety. The firft point to be preferv'd facred, and from whence a Man is never to depart, tho' for the faving of his Life, Liberty, Popular Credit, or Eftate, that firft Point I fay is Confcience; now, all Duties are matter of Confcience, refpectively to the Subject that they are exercis'd upon, only with this Restriction, that a Superior Obligation, discharges, or at least fufpends the Force or an Inferior; And to fuch a Circumftance for the purpose, fuch a Degree or fuch a Seafon. Now there are other niceties alfo, as of Honour, Decency, and Discretion, Humanity, Modefty, Refpect, &c. that border even upon the indifpenfable tyes of Religion it felf; and tho' they are not matter of Confcience, fimply and apart, they are yet fo reductively, with a regard to other confiderations: That is to fay, tho they are not fo in the Abstract, they become fo by affinity

Affinity and Connexion; and fuch Civil matters they are, as fall within the Purlews of Religion.

Stubbornefs and Obftinacy, are the Effects of a fhallow Wit; for we can never believe, what we cannot apprehend.

Men of mean Capacities, but especially your halfwitted Fellows and pedantick Scholars, are most apt to be ftiff and peremptory. None but Manly Souls can unfay what they have faid, and forfake an Errour, when they find themselves on the wrong fide.

Contradiction fhould awaken our Attention and Care, and not our Paffion Our Intereft ought to be no other than that of Truth; and therefore we must rather hear those that oppofe it, than avoid them, which is little better than yielding the Vict

ory.

There can be no arguing with a Man obftinate in his Opinion; for when he has once contradicted,his Mind is barr'd up against all Light and better Information; Arguments, tho' never fo well grounded, do but provoke him, and make him even afraid to be convinc'd of the Truth.

The generality of Men do not make it their Bufinefs to be in the right, so much as to be thought fo: This makes them ftickle fo ftifly for their own Opinions, even when they know and are fatisfied, they are falfe.

The Obftinacy of fome People in contradicting Opinions generally receiv'd, is the effect rather of Pride than Ignorance: Thofe that are on the right fide, have got the upper hand, and they fcorn to take up with the lower.

No Men are so often in the wrong, as those who pretend to be always in the right.

Offences,