which because a man muft needs difguife, it makes him practife Diffimulation in other things, left his hand be out of Ure.

VIII. The Best Compofition and Temperature, is to have Openness in Fame and Opinion, Secrefie in Habit, Diffimulation in seasonable Ufe, and a power to Feign, if there be no Remedy.

IX. 'Tis the Practice of the World for People in diftrefs to ferve God, and Man in feveral Respects, both a like; that is to fay, when they lie under any Affliction, or propofe to themselves any confiderable Advantages, and find they have need of another's help; how do they Beg, Vow, Promife, Sollicite, Swear, Sign and Seal; and yet confcious to themselves all this while, that they neither intend nor are able to make one Article good.

I.

Silence, Speaking, Eloquence.

E that diftrufts himself, does beft to keep Si lence.

HE

II. A Man never forgets things fo effectually, as when he has talk'd himself weary of them.

III. Some Men oftentimes chufe to speak ill, rather than fay nothing of themselves.

IV. As it is proper for great Wits to speak little, and fay much; fo, on the contrary, it is the Character of your Half-witted Fellows to fpeak much, and fay little.

V. All the World knows well enough, how improper it is for a Man to talk too much of his Wife; but very few confider how ridiculous it is to talk of one's felf at all.

VI. What a strange thing it is, that Men fhould remember the smallest Particulars of their Affairs, when at the fame time they forget how often they have tir❜d others with the tedious Recital of them.

VII. The exceeding Delight we take in talking of our felves, may well make us fufpect that we give but little to our Auditors.

VIII. There is as much Eloquence in the Tone and Cadence of the Voice, in the Eyes, and in the Air of a Man, as in the very Choice of Words and Expreffions.

ix. True Eloquence confifts in laying all that is fit to be faid, and leaving cut all that is not.

X. There is a particular way of Hearkening to one's felf, very displeasing in Conversation; for it is as ridiculous to hear one's felf in Company, as to talk when a Man is by himself.

XI. Talking all, is fo great a Fault, both in Bufinefs and Conversation, that any thing that's Good, is doubly fo, if it be thort; and we often gain by brevity, what we fhould perhaps have loft by being tedious.

XII. Some People are fo blind, and flatterithemfelves to fo great a degree, that they always believe what they wish, and think to make every body believe what they have a Mind to. Tho the Arguments they would perfwade us with, are never fo poor and weak, yet their Prepoffeffions are fo ftrong, that they think they need only talk loud and big, and be very positive, to make all the World of their Opinion.

XIII. True Eloquence is good Sence, deliver❜d in a natural and unaffected Way. That which must be fet off with the Artificial Ornaments of Tropes and Figures, is acceptable only because the genera

lity of Men are easily impos'd upon, and fee things but by halves.

XIV. Great things must be deliver'd plainly, an emphatical Tone would spoil all. On the contrary, small things must be faid nobly, nothing fupports them but the Expreffion, the Tone of the Voice, and the Countenance of him that speaks.

XV. Talkative and noisie Perfons, are commonly vain and credulous withal: For he that talketh what he knows, will alfo talk oftentimes what he does not.

XVI. Some in their Difcourfe defire rather Commendations of Wit, in being able to hold all Arguments, than of Judgment in difcerning what is true; as if it were a Praise to know what might be faid, and not what should be thought.

I.

Tafte, Palate.

HE Change of a Man's Tafte, or Palate,
is as common, as that of his Inclinations

TH

is rare.

II. A good Taste and Relish of Things is more the effect of Judgment than Wit.

III. We forfake our Interefts fooner than our Taftes.

1.

Moft

Reputation, Efteem.

Oft Men do not fpeak Truch out of an Averfion to Lyes; but generally out of a fecret Ambition of making what they fay confiderable, and their Words refpected as Oracles.

II. There is a difguis'd Falfity, which is fo lively a Representation of Truth, that we should injure our Judgments, not to fubmit to the Cheat.

III. Errours fometimes have as long a run as the greatest Truths; becaufe being once receiv'd for Truth, Men admit whatever makes for them with an implicit Confent, and reject or overlook all that is capable of undeceiving them.

IV. The Converfation of Men that are Peremptory and Dogmatical, is the most troublefome thing in the World. The beft Temper is always to be ready to fubmit to the Truth, and receive it, let it come which way it will.

V. Truth is the great Leffon of Reasonable Nature, both in Philofophy and Religion; but nowa-days Fallacies of Words, Equivocations, Mental Refervations, and Double-Meanings, in a word, the Knack of Faft and Lofe, pafs with a world of foolish People for Turns of Wit: But they are not aware all this while, of the defperate Confequences of an Ill habit; and that the Practice of Fallifying with Men, will lead us on infenfibly to a Double-dealing with God Himself.

VI. Truth (as to the Knowledge of our own Nature) may perhaps come to the Price of a Pearl,

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Pearl, that fhews beft by Day; but it will not rife to the Price of a Diamond, or Carbuncle, that fhews best in varied Lights. A mixture of a Lye does ever add Pleasure. Does any Man doubt, that if there were taken out of Men's Minds, vain Opinions, flattering Hopes, falfe Valuations, and ill grounded Conceits, but it would leave the Minds of most Men poor fhrunken things, full of Melancholy and Indifpofition, and unpleafing to themfelves? But to pafs from Philofophical Truth, to the Truth of Civil Bufinefs,it will be acknowledg'd, even by those that practice it not, that clear and round Dealing is the Honour of Man's Nature; and that a mixture of Falfhood, is like Allay in Coin of Gold and Silver, which may make the Metal work the better, but it embafes it. There is no Vice that does fo cover a Man with Shame, as to be found falfe and perfidious: And therefore the Word Lye, is fuch a Difgrace, and fo odious a Charge, because, to say that a Man Lyes, is as much as to fay, that he is Brave toward God, and a Coward toward Men; for a Lye faces God and shrinks from Man.

1.

VANITY.

Anity is only an Ambition of being taken notice of, which fhews it felf variously, according to the Humour of the Perfons, It is the verieft Proteus in the World; it can ape Humility, and make Men decry themselves on purpofe to be flatter'd.It is the Bleffing of Fools,and the Folly of ingenious Men; for it makes thofe contentedly hug themfelves under all the Scorn of the World,

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