ly, to love the Young. Let him who is unhappy, withdraw, that he may not meet with the Affront of a double Repulfe, in prefence of a happy Rival.

What a Man fquanders away, he takes away from his Heir; what he lays up by fordid Avarice he takes away from himself. The Medium is to do ones felf Juftice, and others.

Children would, perhaps, be dearer to their Fathers, and again Fathers to their Children, but for the name of Heir.

All Men by their feveral Places, Titles and Succeffions, look upon themselves as Heirs one to another, and by that Intereft, entertain all along a fecret defire of their Neighbour's death. The moft fortunate Man in each particular Condition, is he that has moft to lofe, and leave to his Succeffor.

*It is not for acquiring Wealth, but for mifemploying it when he has acquir'd it, that a Man ought to be blamed.

I cannot call Riches better than the Baggage of Vertue; for as the Baggage is to an Army, fo is Riches to Vertue.

*Of great Riches, there is no real Ufe, except it be in the Diftribution; the reft is but Conceit.

*Covetousness is enough to make the Master of the World, as poor as he that has juft nothing; for a Man may be brought to a Morfel of Bread, by Griping, as well as by Profufenefs. Tis a madnefs for a Man that has enough already, to hazard all for the getting of more, and then upon the Miscarriage, to leave himfelf nothing.

Avarice

Avarice is in many Cafes, more oppofite to a Man's Intereft, than Liberality.

Some Men despise Mony, but not one of a Thoufand knows how to part with it.

Avarice is often the Caufe of contrary Effects: There are a World of People, that Sacrifice all their prefent Poffeffions to remote and uncertain Hopes; and others again flight great Advantages to come, for fome mean Interest in present.

Riches do by no means teach us to be lefs fond of Riches: The poffeffing of abundance is very far from giving us the quiet that there is in not def ring any.

Nothing is fo hard to perfwade Men to, as the contempt of Riches: except ones Arguments be drawn from the Stores of Chriftian Religion; and therefore the Wife Men among the Ancients, were in truth very foolish, who without any light of Faith, or expectation of a better State, defpifed Riches and Pleafures: They endeavour'd to diftinguish themselves by uncommon and unnatural Notions, and fo to triumph over the reft of Mankind, by an imaginary Elevation of Soul. Thofe that were the Wifeft among them, were fatisfied with talking of these things in Publick, but behaved themselves after another rate in Pri

vate.

'Tis the Infatuation of Mifers to take Gold and Silver for things really good, whereas they are only fome of the means by which good things are procured.

A Covetous Man renders himself the most miferable of Men, wrongs many, and obliges none but when he dyes.

The

The Condition of a Mifer is fo wretched, that the greatest Curfes a Man can give him, is, That he may Live long.

That Man is Rich who receives more than he lays out; and on the contrary, that Man is to be accounted Poor whofe Expence exceeds his Reve

nue.

Nothing maintains it felf fo long as a moderate Fortune; and nothing fo foon dwindles away as a great one.

Great Riches are generally the nearest occafion of Poverty.

A Covetous Man lays up for Old Age when Young; and for Death when Old. A prodigal Heir makes him a fine Funeral, and devours the reft of his Wealth.

The Covetous Man fpends more in one Day when Dead, than he did in Ten Years when Alive.

There are two forts of Avarice, a True, and a Baftard.- True Covetousness is a reftlefs and infatiable defire of Riches, not for any further end or ufe, but only to hoard and preferve, and perpetually increase them. This is the greatest Evidence of a bafe ungenerous Mind, and at the fame time the highest Injustice in the World. For what can be more unreasonable, than for a Man to ingrofs to himself all that which is for the Common fupport and Conveniency of Mankind; and to propagate his Crime by locking up his beloved Treafures, and thereby robbing continually the Publick, of what he has once gotten from private Perfons The Baftard kind of Avarice, is the rapacious Appetite of Gain, not for the Mony's own fake, but for the pleasure of Refunding it

immediately, through all the Channels of Pride and Luxury. That Man who is guilty of this, is in a manner excufable, fince by his Profufeness, he makes a kind of Reftitution.

* "Tis faid of a Vertuous and Wife Man, that having nothing, he has all; when a Mifer having all things, yet has nothing.

There is not a greater Argument of a narrow wretched Soul, than to doat upon Mony; nothing more reasonable than to despise it when we have it not, and nothing more Honourable than to employ it generously, and do good with it when we have it.

*The Patriarchs before the Flood, who lived Nine Hundred Years, fcarcely provided for a few Days; and we, who live but a few days, provide at leaft for Nine Hundred Years.

*As Riches at firft make a Gentleman, fo the want of them degrades him."

* As Riches go off from a Man, they expofe to the World his Weakness, that lay undiscovered be fore.

There is one kind of Affliction which never leaves us, I mean that which proceeds from the lofs of our Fortunes. Time which foftens and allays all other Griefs, does but exafperate and increase this; for the fenfe of it renews even as often as we feel the pinch of preffing Neceffities.

Behaviour

L

Behaviour, Honefty, &c.

Onefty is always the nearest way to Succefs "What a deal of Fatigue and Trouble muft

a Knave undergo? How many Tricks, Flourishte es, and Shifts must he ufe to compass his Ends, "when the Honeft Man does his Business with a wet Finger?

Nothing is a greater Argument of a brave Soul and impregnable Vertue, than for a Man to be fo much Mafter of himself, that he can either take or leave thofe Conveniencies of Life, with refpect to which, moft People are either uneafie without them, or intemperate with them. This was part of Socrates's Character.

"Tis a great happiness to have Vertuous Parents, Relations, Tutors, and Domesticks, for "'tis from them we take up our Principles. We "are born naked both as to Mind and Body, "and put on any Habit indifferently which is "firft offer'd ùs.

'Twas Wifely faid of the Emperor Marcus Antonius, That no Man could do bim a real Injury, be cause no Man could force him to Misbehave himfelf.

Some People are bufie, and yet do nothing; they fatigue and wear themselves out, and yet drive at no Point, nor Purpose any general End of Action or Defign to their Purfuits.

A Man feldom mifcarries by being ignorant of another's thoughts; but he that does not attend to his own, will certainly be Difappointed.

When