XVIII. Old Sinners Continency, is much like Gamefters forfwearing Play, when they have loft their Money.

XIX. Many things that are innocent in themfelves, are made criminal and injurious by Mifconftruction.

XX. General Reformers are of all Men the mot troublesome to themselves and others.

XXI. A Man in much Bufinefs, does generally either make himself a Knave, or elfe the World makes him a Fool.

XXII. It is with our Manners,as with our Healths, 'tis a degree of Virtue the abatement of Vice, as it is a degree of Health the abatement of a Fit.

XXIII. It is the Practice of the Multitude to bark at Eminent Men, as little Dogs do at Strangers; for they look upon other Men's Virtues, as the upbraiding of their own Wickedness.

XXIV. The Complaint of the prefent Times, is the general Complaint of all Times; it ever has been fo, and it ever will be fo; not confidering that the Wickedness of the World is always the fame, as to the degree of it, tho' it may change Places, perhaps, and vary a little in the Matter.

XXV. Wickedness comes on by dégrees, as well as Virtue, and fudden leaps from one extreme to another, are unnatural Motions in the course of our Lives and Humours.

XXVI. Virtue is like Precious Odours, moft Fragant when they are incens'd or crush'd; for Profperity beft discover Vice; but Adverfity beft exerts

Virtue.

*

XXVII. Providence has arm'd us with Powers and Faculties, fufficient for the confounding of all the Enemies we have to encounter. We have a Life and Death before us; that is to fay, Good

and

and Evil; and we know which too: Befide that, it is our Choice, to take, or to refuse. So that we understand what we ought to do, but when we come to deliberate, we play Booty against our felves; and while our Judgments and our Confciences direct us one Way, our Corruptions hurry us another.

XXVIII. The Bonds of Virtue ought to be clofern and nearer than thofe of Blood: For a good Man is more of kin to another, by the Conformity of Manners and Converfation, than a Son is to his Father by the Refemblance of Faces.

XXIX. There is nothing in the World but has fome Perfection or other. It is the peculiar Happiness of a difcerning Palate, to find out each Thing's particular Excellence: But our innate Malice makes us often difcover a Vice, among many Virtues, that fo we may reveal and proclaim that to their Difparagement. Now this is not fo much an Argument of nice Judgement, as of an ill Nature; and that Man has but an ill Life on't, who feeds himfelf with the Faults of other People.

Ca

an

-XXX. Nothing goes far in the Knowledge of the general Depravity of Mankind, as an exact Enquiry into our own Disorders and Exceffes. If we reflect upon our Thoughts, we fhall find within our an Breafts,the Principles and Seeds of those Vices we are apt to caft in other Men's Teeth. If we are nor vicious in our Actions, we are fo by a natural Proneness to Vice; for there is no kind of ill, but is fuggefted to us by Self-love, to be improv'd as fel Occafion fhall ferve; and few are fo Virtuous, as to o be above Temptations.

M

th

XXXI. Men of low Degree are often troubled fu with many unprofitable Virtues and Qualifications, De

which

which they have not the Opportunities and Means

to exert.

XXXII. Confidering how much Men are wont to be taken with any thing that is uncommon, 'tis ftrange how they are fo little affected by Virtue.

XXXIII. Virtue is an inward Beauty, as Beauty is an outward Virtue.

XXXIV. A fine Woman is amiable in her own Nature; fhe lofes nothing by being in her Negli gence; the charms us without any other Set-off, than that of her Beauty and Youth, and the Native Grace that sparkles in her Face, and animates all her Motions: Nay, we could behold her with lefs Concern, with all the Train of a Modifh Drefs. It is the fame with a Good Man; he challenges Refpe& and Honour by his own felf independently upon all the Forms and Shews of an affected Gravity. A reformed Countenance, an over-ftrained Modefty, a fupercilious Brow, a fingular Drefs, do not fo much fet off, as paint Virtue, and make it pass for Counterfeit.

XXXV. Virtue lofes nothing, no more than Nature: The Seeds of Goodness circulate eternally, and pass without intermiffion from one Subject to another; and the Principles which contribute to the Production of the Wife, no more annihilate, than those which concur to the Generation of Men.

XXXVI. He that is perpetually crying up himfelf for a Good and Honeft Man; that fays he does no body hurt, and defires the l he defigns other People may light upon his own Head, and fwears too, to make himself to be credited, has not Wit enough to counterfeit a Good Man.

XXXVII. A

XXXVII. A Good Man,for all his Modesty makes other People fay of him, what a Knave can say of himself.

I.

INO

Vulgar.

Othing is fo fickle and inconftant, as the Mobile, driven hither and thither with every Artificial Declaration of Statesmen or Pretence of Faction.

II. The Men of Ability cabal and improve their Interefts, whilft the Vulgar are easily drawn into Parties, as their Affections byafs them.

III. The Mobile are uneafie without a Ruler; and they are as reftlefs with one: And the oftner they fhift, the worse they are pleas'd. So that Government, or no Government; a King of God's 10 making, or of the People's, or none at all. The l Multitude are never to be fatisfied. Wh

IV. In Popular Factions, pragmatical Fools commonly begin the Squabble, and crafty Knaves reap the Benefit of it.

V. Scoundrels are apt to be Infolent toward their Superiours; but it is below the Dignity of a Man of Honour and Wifdom, to entertain Contests with the People, that have neither Qualification, Wit, nor Courage; befide the Folly of contending with a miserable Wretch, where the very Competion is a Scandal. Contempt in fuch a Cafe as this, I is the only honourable Revenge.

VI. The lowest Virtues draw Praife from the c Multitude; the midle Virtues work in them Aftonish-n ment or Admiration; but of the higheft Vertues they p have no fenfe or perceiving at all.

of

the

T

Of Publick Walks.

I. Here's a kind of Tacit, but very punctual Affignation we reciprocally give one another to meet in St. Jame's Park, or at the Ring, only to ftare one another in the Face, and carp and Momus at each others Failings.

II. "We cannot live without the fight of those Perfons who are indifferent to us, and whom we ftill laugh at in our Hearts.

*

III. In thofe Places of General Refort, where Ladies flock to fhew a fine Stuff, and gather the Fruits of their Toilet, People feldom walk with a - Companion for Converfation fake, but only to appear with greater Affurance upon the Stage, get into Familiarity with the Publick, and fortifie themfelves against Criticks. There it is that People fpeak when they have nothing to fay, or rather fpeak a loud for the fake of others, and pass and repafs,make a Thousand apifh Poftures, and lean negligently their Head over their Shouldiers.

1.

body can be heathful without Exercife, neither a Natural Body,nor a Politick; and certainly to a Kingdom or Estate, a Juft and Honourable War is the true Exercife; for in a flothful Peace, both Courages will effeminate and Manners corrupt,