for more: for all the reft, truly speaking, is but Vanity, and for the most part Vexation too.

2464 Efteem not those thy Friends that never contradict thee; they may carry it fo, not out of any Affection to thee, but a Defire of gaining upon thee.

2465 Thy Duty is to cure thy Mind rather than feek Delights for it. I tell thee thou haft as much Business within thyfelf, as a Physician has in an Hospital.

2466 The fooner thou beginnest to apply thyfelf to it, and the more Hafte thou makest, the longer wilt thou enjoy the Comforts of a rectified Mind.

2467 Give thy Advice without applauding it, and declare thy Judgment without pretending that others should submit to thy Reason. Maintain thy Opinion without Eagerness, and hear other Mens without Impatience.

2468 To fee little or no Company would be to deprive thyfelf of Pleasures, that are innocent and profitable; but to spend thy whole Life in Vifiting, would be to let all thy Water run by thy Mill.

2469 Let not thy Servants into thy Secrets; for by fo doing thou wilt make them thy Mafters; and when they come to find it out, that thou dareft not displease them, they will dare to displease thee.

2470 If thou canst not fatisfy others, fatisfy thyfelf; whoever accufeth, yet let thy Confcience clear thee. And perfevere in a good Caufe, tho' neither thou nor thy Cause profper.

2471 If

2471 If thou accustomeft thyself to rally, thou wilt lose the Efteem thou oughtest to have for them with whom thou liveft; and thou wilt fanfy a false Idea of thy own Merit and Perfections.

2472 Change not thy Opinion of Perfons, as they change their Affection. Confider what they are in themselves, not what they are to thee. Their Kindness, or Unkindness makes no effential Alteration in them.

2473 In managing of thy Son, always if fair Means will do, never ufe foul. And let him see, thou art more willing to praise and reward Goodness than to reprove and punish Vice.

2474 When thou feeleft thy Heart begin to be affected with Pride, confider (poor Creature) what thou waft in thy Birth, and what thou fhalt be at thy Death; and then be proud if thou dareft.

2475 I would not only teach thee how thou mayeft hold thy Own, and keep thy Eftate: But I would inftruct thee alfo in a much finer thing, that is, how thou mayeft lofe it, (if Providence fo please) and be contented.

2476 Liberty is of more Value than any Gifts, and to receive Gifts, is to lofe it. Be affured, that Men moft commonly feek to oblige thee, only that they may engage thee to serve them.

2477 Thy Danger, or Safety, must flow from a Principle within thee. The Devil and World may tempt thee, but they have no Power to conftrain thee, if thou ftandeft but up for thyfelf.

2478 To fuffer Wrong, Moleftation than to do it.

will breed thee less To be patient will

create

create thee not half fo much Trouble, as Vexing, Fretting, and Fuming within thyself would do.

2479 If thou by just Authority beeft affigned to any publick Charge, thou art to embrace it cheerfully, not as a Prize either to Ambition, or Covetoufnefs, but as an Opportunity to do good in thy Generation.

2480 Avoid Singularity. There may often be less Vanity in following the new Modes, than in adhering to the old ones. It is true, that the Foolish invent them, but the Wife may conform to, instead of contradicting them.

2481 When thou haft done any one a good Turn, thou fhouldeft fo forget it as not to speak of it; if thou boafteft it, or upbraideft it, thou haft paid thyself, and loft the Nobleness of the Charity.

2482 If thou wilt do precifely no more than juft what thou needs muft, thou wilt foon be brought to omit fomething of thy Duty, and wilt be apt to believe less to be neceffary than is.

2483 Not to be provoked at all is beft. But if thou art any time moved, never correct till the Fume of thy Paffion be fpent: for every Stroke Fury ftrikes is fure to hit ourselves at laft.

2484 Amongst thy Inferiors, thou shalt be fure of Respect; therefore it's good to be a little familiar. Amongst thy Peers thou fhalt be fure of Familiarity; and therefore it's good a little to keep State.

2485 Be free in Company: 'tis an intolerable Incivility, when People deign not to fpeak; and feem to teftify, by a flighting Si

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lence,

lence, that it is not in fuch Company as this, when they will utter what they know.

2486 If thou art verily perfuaded, that these Things which we hear and read concerning another World, be true; thou fhalt have no need of having an Affurance of living long in this.

2487 Be not fierce and unmerciful in thy Family. He that fheweth himself cruel to his Servants, will be thought by the World, inclined to be fo to others also, if ever he get Power and Opportunity.

2488 Have a Care of the Man that never fpeaks his Thought of any, and is plaufible to every one. He is not fit to be admitted for a faithful Friend, who is ready to enter Amity with all Men alike.

2489 Thou art not Mafter of what thou haft fpoken, but mayeft difpofe of what thou haft not spoken as thou pleafeft, and canft fay it, or not fay it, as thou wilt.

2490 If thou defireft to be well spoken of, learn to fpeak well of others: and when thou haft learned to fpeak well, then learn likewife to do well to others; fo fhalt thou be fure to get Kindness and Credit.

2491 Thou muft ufe Friends, as Muficians do their Strings; who, when they find them in Difcord, do not prefently break them, but by fkilful Intenfion, and Remiffion, bring them to a pleasant Confort.

2492 Strike the Serpent's Head with thy Enemy's Hand, and thou canst not fail of Succefs one Way or other. If thy Enemy overcome, the Serpent will be killed; and if the Serpent get the Advantage, thy Enemy will be fent off.

2493 Cheat

2493 Cheat not thyfelf with vain Hopes, and falfe Imaginations, when thou comeft to die; for nothing can be a folid Foundation of Peace and Security, but an univerfal Righteousness.

2494 What Advantage or Pleasure will it be to thee, to receive a thoufand Elogies from others, if thy own Confcience tells thee, thou deferveft them not; and therefore they are none of thine?

2495 There is nothing more dearly kept up than Reputation. Reputation is not acquired without good, and happy Chances; but for the Prefervation of it, thou must be very expert, and not spare any Trouble or Care.

2496 Suffer not little Things to have great Hold upon thee; if thou doft, thou wilt be as much transported with them, as if they deferved it.

2497 In loving of God thou must not hate thy Neighbour. The Obfervation of the fecond Table of the Decalogue must be joined with our Care to keep the firft. He keepeth no Commandment truly, that wilfully neglecteth one.

2498 If thou confenteft to the Tranfgreffion of thy Friend, or art so meanly spirited, as not to divert him from it when probably thou mighteft; then thyfelf becomeft guilty of the fame Fault with him.

2499. If thou putteft off Repentance to a Death-bed, thou thereby fheweft, that thou wouldeft never mind God, or thy Soul at all, if it were not for merc Neceffity, and Fear of Damnation.

2500 It would be great Imprudence in thee over earnestly to wifh for that which thou haft

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