fon. The better one does a thing, the more he ought to hide the care he takes in doing it, to the end that all may take it to be Natural Some make themfelves Remarkable by their Singularity, that is to fay, by their foolish Actions, which are rather Faults than Differences; and as fome are known to all Men by fome Deformity in the Face; fo are those by I know not what excess that appears in their Countenance. To be Singular is good for nothing, unless it be to make a Man pafs for an Original Impertinent; which alternatively provokes the fcorn of fome, and the bad humour of others. An over-circumfpect and wary Prudence is a Mortal Enemy to all high and generous Exploits. * We can never hope for a change of Nature from that of Habit: Good Actions or Inclinations, if they are not brought with us into the World, or imbib'd in the Cradle, are never fincere, for they can neither be bought with Money, nor purchas'd by Honours. * Should a Man leave a fine House of his own, with Apartments for the feveral Seasons of the Year, for a Garret at White-ball; no body, I am fure, will think that he does it out of Modesty. Or if any other abstain from Wine, and eat but one Meal a Day, to keep a delicate fine fhape, he'll never be accounted Sober or Temperate for it. And likewife, when a third grants a fmall Relief to the Importunities of an indigent Friend, we are used to say that he has bought his Repose, but never to commend him for his Liberality: Wherefore 'tis the Motive only that gives Merit to our Actions, and Unintereffedness that makes them perfect. Importunity, is a furer way to Preferment than Merit: Some Men get into Employment by refol * ving not to be denied, as fome Irish-men in Town pick up Women by hunting them, as School-boys do Squirrels, till they are weary and fall down before them. Envy and Malice make us know others; Self-love and Pride keep us from knowing our felves. * Moft Fops think they are courted and followed for their good Company, when in reality 'tis only for the fake of Ridiculing their Defects, which they themselves don't perceive, and others do. * He makes a filly Fellow no indifferent Present who brings him fuch another Coxcomb as himfelf. Travelling improves both Wifemen and Fools, the first for the better, the others for the worse. A Man that is ever fhifting and changing, is not, in truth, fo weary of his Condition, as of himself; and he that ftill carries about him the plague of a reftlefs Mind, can never be pleas'd. Wherefore 'tis a high point of Prudence for any Man to be content with his Lot. For 'tis Forty to One, that he that changes his Condition out of a prefent Impatience and Diflatisfaction, when he has try'd a new one, wifhes for his old one again, and truly the more we fhift, the worse commonly we are. Providence has alotted every Man a Competency for his State and Bufinefs. All beyond it is fuperfluous, and there will be grmubling without end, if we come to reckon upon't, yet we want This or That, because we have it not, inftead of acknowledging that we have This or That, and that we want nothing. 'Tis a wicked thing to repine; and 'tis as bootlefs and uneafie too; for one reftlefs Thought begets and punishes another. another. We are not fo miferable in our own Wants, as in what others enjoy; and then our Levity is as great a Plague to us as our Envy, fo that we need nothing more than we have, but Thankfulness and Submiffion to make us Happy. But 'tis natural to us to be weary of what we have, and ftill to be hankering after fomething or other that we have not; and fo our Levity pu fhes us on from one vain Defire to another, in a regular Vicillitude and Succeffion of Cravings and Satiety, *The Life of an unfteady Man runs away in a course of vain Wishes, and unprofitable Repentance; but the fquaring of a Man's Thoughts, Wishes and Defires, to the Lot that Providence has fet out for us, is both a Blefling and a Duty. He that is ftill weary of the Prefent, fhall be most certainly folicitous for the Future, For the Prefent is only the courfe of fo many Moments into Time 10 come. He that gapes after he knows not what, fhall be fure to lofe his longing. He changes out of Reftlefsnefs, not Choice, and fo long as he carries the fame Mind about him, the Circumftances of his Condition will never alter the Cafe. There's no measure to be taken of an unsteady Mind, but ftill 'tis either too much, or too little; too foon or too late. The Love of Novelty begets and encreases the Love of Novelty, and the oftner we change the more dangerous and troublesome do we find this itch of Variety to be. This is not yet to barr honeft Industry, or a fober Application to thofe Ways, Studies, or Means that may probably contribute to the mending of a Man's Fortune; provided that he fet up his Refolution beforehand, not to let himself down below the Dignity of a wife Man, be the iffue of his Endeavours what what it will. He that is not content at prefent, carries the fame weakness along with him to his next remove; for whoever either paffionately covets any thing that he has not, or feels himself glutted with a Satiety of what he poffeffes, has already loft his hold: So that if we would be hap py, we must fix upon fome Foundation that can never deceive us, and govern our felves by the measures of Sobriety and Juftice. Our Likings or Dislikings are founded rather upon Humour and Fancy, than upon Reafon. E very thing pleases us at firft, and nothing pleases long; and we fhift only to try if we can mend our felves in the next choice. * As the Tarand changes its Colour with every Plant that it approaches, fo the Wife Man adapts himself to the feveral Humours and Inclinations of those he Converses with. Some Rich Men are as eager to overtake those that are Richer, as a running Horfe is to get to the Race Poft before him that contends with him; * Men often defire to heap rather because others - have more, than that they know what to do with what they have already got. *He that is Rich eafily conquers all feeming Impoffibilities, when he that is Poor is fubject to every Calamity. Prisons are only fit to punith poor People who have no Money to buy off their Fetters; when rich Men with a Gold Key discharge the strongest Locks, and avoid the Jufteft Punithments; whilft with the Luftre of the dazzling Gold they blind the Eyes of their weak Judges, and in fpite of the greateft Crimes appear Innocent. • Want of Care will always create want of Money, fo that whether a Man be a Beggar because he never had any Money, or because he could ne ver keep any, is all one to them that are to truft him. *Riches are the Baggage of Virtue; they can't be fpar'd, nor left behind, but they hinder the March. * Great Riches have fold more Men than ever! they have bought out. Riches have Wings, and fometimes they fly away of themselves, and fometimes they must be fet flying to bring in more, He that defers his Charity till he is Dead, is (if a Man weighs it rightly) rather Liberal of another Man's than his own. * The best part of Beauty is that, which a Picture cannot express. * If a Man look sharply and attentively, he shall fee Fortune, for though the be Blind, fhe is not Invifible. * He who builds a fair House upon an ill Seat, commits himself to Prifon. * If you will work upon any Man you must either know his Nature and Fashions, and fo lead him; or his Ends, and fo perfwade him; or his Weaknesses and Disadvantages, and so aw him; or thofe that have Interest in him, and so govern him. • Fame is like a River that bears up things light and fwoln, and drowns things weighty and folid. * Changing Officers is very ill Husbandry; for where a Man finds he is not like to make a long Gain, he will make a quick one. w * Gaming found Sir Plaufible a Cully, and has left him a Sharper. * Queen Elizabeth feeing Sir Edward in her Garden, look'd out at her Window, and ask'd 2-4 him |