Page images
PDF
EPUB

trude his Thoughts and Reafons upon a Multitude, will convince others, the more as he ap pears convinced himself

How is it poffible to expect that Mankind will take Advice, when they will not fo much as take Warning.

I forget whether Advice be among the loft Things, which Ariofto, fays are to be found in the Moon, that and Time ought to have been there. No Preacher is lift'ned to but: Time, which gives us the fame Train and Turn of Thought, that elder People have tried in vain to put into our Heads before.

WHEN We defire or folicit any Thing, our Minds run wholy on the good Side or Circumftances of it; when 'tis obtained, our Minds run only on the bad ones.

[ocr errors]

IN a Glass-Houfe, the Workmen often fling in a fmall quantity of fresh Coals, which feems to disturb the Fire; but very much enlivens it. This feems to allude to a gentle stirring of the Paffions, that the Mind may not lan guifh.

RELIGION feems to have grown an Infant with Age, and requires Miracles to nurfe it, as it had in its Infancy.

ALL Fits of Pleafure are ballanced by an equal degree of Pain or Languor; 'tis like Spending this Year, part of the next Years Revenue.

THE latter Part of a Wife Man's Life is taken up in curing the Follies, Prejudices and falfe Opinions he had contracted in the former. WOULD a Writer know how to behave himfelf with relation to Pofterity, let him confider in old Books, what he finds that he is glad to know, and what, Omiffions he most what. laments. WHAT

"

[ocr errors]

WHATEVER the Poets pretend, 'tis plain they give Immortality to none but themselves; 'Tis Homer and Virgil we reverence and admire, not Achilles, or Æneas. With Hiftorians it is quite the contrary; our Thoughts are taken up with the Actions, Perfons, and Events we read, and we little regard the Authors.

WHEN a true Genius appears in the World, you may know him by this Sign, that the Dunces are all in Confederacy against him.

MEN, who poffefs all the Advantages of Life, are in a State where there are many Accidents to diforder and difcompofe, but few to please them.

"Tis unwife to punish Cowards with Ignominy; for if they had regared that, they would not have been Cowards: Death is their proper Punishment, because they fear it most.

THE greatest Inventions were produced in the Times of Ignorance, as the Ufe of the Com pass, Gunpowder, and Printing, and by the dulleft Nation, as the Germans. 32

་་

ONE Argument to prove, that the common Relations of Ghofts and Specteres are generally falfe, may be drawn from the Opinion held, that Spirits are never feen by more than one Perfon at a time, that is to fay, it feldom happens to above one Perfon in a Company to be poffefs'd with any high degree of Spleen or Melancholly.

I am apt to think, that in the Day of Judgment, there will be fmall Allowance given to the Wife for their want of Morals, nor to the Ignorant for their want of Faith, becaufe both are without Excufe. This renders the Advantages equal of Ignorance and Knowledge. But, tome Scruples in the Wife, and fome Vices in the Ignorant

Ignorant, will perhaps be forgiven upon the ftrength of Temptation to each.

THE Value of feveral Circumftances in Story leffens very much by diftance of Time, though fome minute Circumftances are very valuable, and it requires great Judgment in a Writer to distinguish.

'Tis grown as Divines fay, This Sinful

a Word of Courfe for Writers to

lay, Critical Age,

Age.

Tis pleafant to obferve, how free the Prefent Age is in laying Taxes on the next. Future Ages Spall talk of this; This foall be famous to all Pofterity; whereas their Time and Thoughts will be taken up about prefent things, as ours are now.

THE Camelion, who is faid to feed upon nothing but Ais, hath of all Animals the nimblest Tongue.

WHEN a Man is made a Spiritual Peer, he lofes his Sir-name; when a Temporal, his ChriAlian Name

Ir is in Difputes as in Armies, where the weaker fide fets up falfe Lights, and makes a great Noife to make the Enemy believe them more Numerous and Strong than they really are. SOME Men under the Notions of weeding out Prejudices, eradicate Virtue, Honesty and Religion

[ocr errors]

I all well inftituted Common-wealths, care has been taken to limit Mens Poffeffions; which is done for many Reafons, and among the reft, for one which perhaps is not often confidered; That when Bounds are fet to Mens Defires, after they have acquired as much as the Laws will permit them, their private Interet is at an end, and they have nothing to do but to take care of the Publick. THERE

La

[ocr errors]

THERE are but Three ways for a Man to revenge himself of the Senfure of the World, to defpife it, to return the like, or to endeavour to live fo as to avoid it. The first of thefe is ufually pretended, the laft is almoft impoffible, the univerfal Practice is for the fecond.

Herodotus tells us, that in Cold Countries Beafts very feldom have Horns, but in Hot they have very large ones. This might bear a pleasant Application.

I never heard a finer piece of Satyr against Lawyers, than that of Aftrologers, when they pretend by Rules of Art to tell when a Suit will end, and whether to the Advantage of the Plaintiff or Defendant; thus making the Matter depend entirely upon the Influence of the Stars, without the leaft Regard to the Merits of the Caufe.

[ocr errors]

THE Expreflion in Apocrypha about Tobit and his Dog following him, I have often heard ridicul'd; yet Homer has the fame Words of Telemachus more than once, and Virgil fays fomething like it of Evander. And I take the Book of Tobit to be partly Poetical.

I have known fome Men poffeffed of good Qualities, which were very Serviceable to others, but ufelefs to themselves; like a Sun Dial on the Front of a Houfe, to inform the Neighbours and Paffengers, but not the Owner within.

Ir a Man would regifter all his Opinions upon Love, Politicks, Religion, Learning, &c. beginning from his Youth, and fo go on to Old Age, what a Bundle of Inconfiftencies and Contradictions would appear at last.

WHAT they do in Heaven, we are ignorant of; what they do not, we are told exprefly, That they neither Marry, nor are given in Marriage.

WHEN

De re e

queftri.

WHEN a Man observes the Choice of Ladies now a-days in the Difpenfing of their Favours, can-he forbear paying fome Veneration to the Memory of thofe Mares mentioned by Xenophon, who while their Manes were on,that is, while they were in their Beauty, would never admit the Embraces of an Afs. 'Tis a miferable thing to live in Sufpence; it is the Life of a Spider. Vive quidem, pende tamen, improba dixit, Ovid. Metam.

THE Stoical Scheme of Supplying our Wants by lopping off our Defires, is like cutting off our Feet, when we want Shoes.

PHYSICIANS ought not to give their Judg ment of Religion, for the fame reafon that Butchers are not admitted to be Jurors upon Life and Death.

THE Reason why fo few Marriages are Happy, is because young Ladies fpend their Time in making Nets, not in making Cages.

If a Man will obferve as he walks the Streets, I believe he will find the Merriest Countenances in Mourning Coaches.

NOTHING more unqualifies a Man to act with Prudence, than a Misfortune that is attended with Shame and Guilt.

THE Power of Fortune is confeft only by the Miferable; for the Happy impute all their Succefs to Prudence or Merit.

AMBITION often puts Men upon doing the meanest Offices; fo Climbing is performed in the fame pofture with Creeping.

ILL Company is like a Dog, who dirts thofe moft, whom he loves beft.

CENSURE is the Tax a man pays to the Publick for being eminent.

FINIS:

A

« PreviousContinue »