ACCENT.

7. The character of a man's native country is as strongly impressed on his mind, as its accent is on his tongue.

8. No accidents are so unlucky from which the prudent may not draw some advantage; nor are there any so lucky, which the imprudent may not turn to their prejudice.

9. Accidents sometimes happen from which a man cannot well extricate himself without a spice of madness.

ACTIONS.

10. Those great actions whose lustre dazzles us, are represented by politicians as the effects of deep design; whereas they are commonly the effects of caprice and passion. Thus the war between Augustus and Antony, generally attributed to their ambition to give a master to the world, was probably owing to jealousy only.

11. Men may boast of their great actions, but they are oftener the effect of chance than of design.

12. Our actions would seem to be under the influence of good or bad stars, to which they owe great part of the praise or blame they meet with.

13. How brilliant soever an action may be, it ought not to pass for great, when it is not the effect of great design.

14. There ought to be a certain proportion between our designs and actions, if we would reap from them all the advantages they might produce.

15. Our actions are like blank verse, which every one recites in his own manner.

16. We should often be ashamed of our best actions, if the world knew the real motives which produce them.

17. To praise great actions, is in some degree to share them.

ADVICE.

18. There is nothing of which we are so liberal as of advice.

19. Nothing is less sincere than the manner of asking, and of giving advice. He who asks it would seem to have a respectful deference for the opinion of his friend; though he only aims at having his own approved of, and making his friend responsible for his conduct. On the contrary, he who gives it repays the confidence reposed in him by a seemingly disinterested zeal, though he seldom means any thing by the advice he gives but his own interest or reputation.

20. There is nearly as much ability requisite to know how to make use of good advice, as to know how to act for one's self.

21. We may give advice, but we cannot give conduct.

AFFECTATION.

22. We are never made so ridiculous by the qualities we have, as by those we affect to have.

23. We had better appear to be what we are, than affect to appear what we are not.

AFFLICTION.

24. Interest and vanity are the usual sources of our afflictions, however specious may be our pretences to the contrary.

25. There are in affliction several kinds of hypocrisy. Under the pretence of bewailing the loss of a person who was dear to us, we weep for ourselves: we regret the good opinion the deceased had of us: we weep over the diminution of our fortune, of our pleasure, of our importance. Thus 'have the dead the honour of tears which stream only for the living. This is a kind of hypocrisy; because in this sort of affliction we impose on ourselves. There is another hypocrisy, which is less innocent, because it imposes on the world. This

is the affliction of such as aspire to the glory of a great and immortal-sorrow. When time, which consumes all things, has worn out the grief which they really had, they still persist in their tears, lamentations, and sighs, they assume a mournful behaviour; and labour by all their actions to demonstrate that their affliction will not in the least abate till death. This disagreeable troublesome vanity is common among ambitious women. As their sex bars all the paths to glory, they endeavour to render themselves remarkable by the ostentation of an inconsolable affliction. There is still another species of tears whose shallow springs easily overflow, and dry away as easily. Some people weep in order to acquire the reputation of being tender; others weep in order to be pitied; others weep that they may be wept over; and some even weep to avoid the scandal of not weeping.

26. We sometimes lose friends whom we regret more than we grieve for; and others for whom we grieve, yet do not regret.

27. Most women lament not the death of their lovers so much out of real affection for them, as because they would appear worthy of having been beloved.

AGE.

28. Most people, as they approach old age, shew in what manner their mind and body will decay. 29. We arrive novices at the several ages of life, and often want experience, notwithstanding we have had years enough to learn it.

AGREEABLENESS.

30. We judge so superficially of things, that common words and actions, spoke and done in an agreeable manner, with some knowledge of what passes in the world, often succeed beyond the greatest ability.

31. We may say of agreeableness, as distinct from beauty, that it is a symmetry whole rules are unknown; it is a secret conformity of the features to one another, and to the complexion and air of a person.

AMBITION.

32. The ambitious deceive themselves in proposing an end to their ambition: that end, when attained, becomes a mean.

33. When great men suffer themselves to be subdued by the length of their misfortunes, they discover that it was the strength of their ambition, not of their understanding, which supported them; and that, allowing for a little vanity, heroes are just like other men.

34. The greatest ambition entirely conceals itself, when it finds that what it aspired to is unattainable.

35. What seems to be generosity is often no. more than a disguised ambition, which overlooks little interests in order to gratify great ones.

36. Moderation must not claim the merit of combating and conquering ambition; for they can never exist in the same subject. Moderation is the languor and sloth of the soul, as ambition is its activity and ardour.

37. We pass often from love to ambition: but we seldom return from ambition to love.

APPLICATION.

38. Those who apply themselves too much to little things, commonly become incapable of great

ones.

39. Few things are impracticable in themselves; and it is for want of application, rather than of means, that men fail of success. }

APPEARANCE.

40. In every profession, every one affects to appear what he would willingly be thought: so that

we may say, The world is composed of nothing but appearances.

AVARICE.

41. Misers mistake gold for their good; whereas it is only a mean of attaining it.

42. Avarice is more opposite to œconomy than liberality.

43. Extreme avarice almost always makes mistakes. There is no passion that oftener misses its aim; nor on whch the present has so much influence, in prejudice of the future.

44. Avarice often produces contrary effects. There are many people who sacrifice their whole fortunes to dubious and distant expectations; and there are others who contemn great future for little present advantages.

BENEFITS.

45. We like better to see those on whom we confer benefits, than those from whom we receive them.

46. Men are not only apt to forget benefits and injuries, but even to hate those who have obliged them, and to cease to hate those who have injured them. The very attention to requite kindness, and revenge wrongs, seems to be an insupportable slavery.

47. Every body takes pleasure in returning small obligations; many persons even acknowledge moderate ones; but there is scarcely any one who does not repay great obligations with ingratitude.

BUSINESS.

48. The rust of business is sometimes polished off in a camp; but never in a court.

CIVILITY.

49. Civility is a desire to receive civility, and to be accounted well-bred.

(To be continued. Į