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. Cenfure is the tax a man pays to the public for being eminent. Very few men, properly speaking, live at prefent, but are providing to live another time. Party is the madness of many, for the gain of a few. To endeavour to work upon the vulgar with fine fenfe, is like attempting to hew blocks of marble with a razor. Superftition is the spleen of the foul. He who tells a lye is not fenfible how great a task he undertakes; for he must be forced to invent twenty more to maintain that one. Some people will never learn any thing, for this reafon, because they understand every thing too foon. There is nothing wanting, to make all ational and difinterested people in the world of one religion, but that they should talk together every day. Men are grateful, in the fame degree that they are refentful. Young men are fubtle arguers; the cloak of honour covers all their faults, as that of paffion all their follies. Economy is no difgrace; it is better living on a little, than outliving a great deal. Next to the fatisfaction I receive in the profperity of an honeft man, I am beft pleafed with the confusion of a rascal. What is often termed fhynefs, is nothing more than refined fenfe, and an indifference to common obfervations. The higher character a perfon fupports, the more he should regard his minuteft actions. Every perfon infenfibly fixes upon fome degree of refinement in his difcourfe, fome meafure of thought which he thinks worth exhibiting. It is wife to fix this pretty high, although it occafions one to talk the lef's. To endeavour all one's days to fortify our minds with learning and philofophy, is to spend fo much in armour, that one has nothing left to defend. Deference often fhrinks and withers as much upon the approach of intimacy, as the fenfitive plant does upon the touch of one's finger. Men are fometimes accused of pride, merely becaufe their accufers would be proud themfelves if they were in their places. People frequently ufe this expreffion, I am inclined to think fo and fo, not confidering that they are then speaking the moft literal of all truths. Modefty makes large amends for the pain it gives the perfons who labour under it, by the prejudice it affords every worthy perfon in their favour. The difference there is betwixt honour and honefty feems to be chiefly in the motive. The honest man does that from duty, which the man of honour does for the fake of character. A lyar begins with making falfehood appear like truth, and ends with making truth itself appear like falsehood. Virtue should be confidered as a part of tafte; and we should as much avoid deceit, or finifter meanings in difcourfe, as we would puns, bad language, or falfe grammar. Deference is the most complicate, the most indirect, and the most elegant of all compliments. He that lies in bed all a fummer's morning, lofes the chief pleafure of the day: he that gives up his youth to indolence, undergoes a lofs of the fame kind. Shining characters are not always the moft agreeable ones; the mild radiance of an emerald is by no means less pleafing than the glare of the ruby. To be at once a rake, and to glory in the character, discovers at the fame time a bad difpofition and a bad taste. How is it poffible to expect that mankind will take advice, when they will not fo much as take warning? Although men are accufed for not knowing their own weaknefs, yet perhaps as few know their own ftrength. It is in men as in foils, where fometimes there is a vein of gold which the owner knows not of. Fine fenfe, and exalted fenfe, are not half fo valuable as common fenfe. There are forty men of wit for one man of fenfe; and he that will carry nothing about him but gold, will be every day at a lofs for want of ready change. Learning is like mercury, one of the moft powerful and excellent things in the world in skilful hands; in unskilful, moft mischievous. A man should never be ashamed to own he has been in the wrong; which is but faying in other words, that he is wifer today than he was yesterday. Wherever Wherever I find a great deal of gratitude in a poor man, I take it for granted there would be as much generofity if he were a rich man. Flowers of rhetoric in fermons or ferious difcourfes, are like the blue and red flowers in corn, pleafing to thofe who come only for amufement, but prejudicial to him who would reap the profit. It often happens that thofe are the best people, whofe characters have been moft injured by flanderers: as we ufually find that to be the sweetest fruit which the birds have been pecking at. If to do were as eafy as to know what were good to do, chapels had been churches, and poor men's cottages princes palaces. He is a good divine that follows his own inftructions: I can easier teach twenty what were good to be done, than to be one of the twenty to follow my own teaching. Men's evil manners live in brafs; their virtues we write in water. The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together; our virtues would be proud, if our faults whipped them not; and our crimes would defpair, if they were not cherished by our virtues. The fenfe of death is moft in apprehenfion; The eye of a critic is often like a microscope, made fo very fine and nice, that it discovers the atoms, grains, and minutest articles, without ever comprehending the and the poor beetle that we tread upon, whole, comparing the parts, or feeing all at once the harmony. Men's zeal for religion is much of the fame kind as that which they fhew for a foot-ball; whenever it is contefted for, every one is ready to venture their lives and limbs in the difpute; but when that is once at an end, it is no more thought on, but fleeps in oblivion, buried in rubbish, which no one thinks it worth his pains to rake into, much lefs to remove. Honour is but a fictious kind of honefly; a mean but a neceflary substitute for it, in focieties who have none; it is a fort of paper-credit, with which men are obliged to trade who are deficient in the fterling cafh of true morality and religion. Perfons of great delicacy fhould know the certainty of the following truth'There are abundance of cafes which occafion fufpence, in which, whatever they determine, they will repent of their determination; and this through a propenfity of human nature to fancy happinefs in thofe fchemes which it does not purfue. The chief advantage that ancient writers can boaft over modern ones, feems owing to fimplicity. Every noble truth and fentiment was expreffed by the former in a natural manner, in word and phrase fimple, perfpicuous, and incapable of improvement. What then remained for later writers, but affectation, witticifin, and conceit ? What a piece of work is man! how noble in reafon! how infinite in faculties! in form and moving, how exprefs and admirable! in action, how like an angel! in apprehenfion, how like a God! In corporal fufferance feels a pang as great, $151. PROVERBS. As PROVERBS are allowed to contain a great deal of Wisdom forcibly expreffed, it has been judged proper to add a Collection of English, Italian, and Spanish Proverbs. They will tend to exercife the powers of Judgment and Reflection. They may als furnish Subjects for Themes, Letters, &c. at Schools. They are fo cafily retained is the memory that they may often occur in an emergency, and serve a young man more effectually than more formal and elegant fentences. Old English Proverbs. In every work begin and end with God. The grace of God is worth a fair. He is a fool who cannot be angry; but he is a wife man who will not. So much of paffion, fo much of nothing to the purpose. "Tis wit to pick a lock, and steal a horse; but 'tis wifdom to let him alone. Sorrow is good for nothing but for fin. Love thy neighbour; yet pull not down thy hedge. Half an acre is good land. Chear up, man, God is ftill where he was. eafe. Of little meddling comes great Better spare at the brim, than at the bot tom. He who ferves God is the true wife man. There There is God in the almonry. He who will thrive must rife at five. ven. Prayer brings down the first bleffing, and praise the fecond. He plays best who wins. He is a proper man who hath proper conditions. Better half a loaf than no bread. Beware of Had-I-wift. Froft and fraud have always foul ends. A good word is as foon faid as a bad one. Little faid foon amended. Fair words butter no parfnips. That penny is well spent that faves a groat to its master. Penny in pocket is a good companion. For all your kindred make much of your friends. He who hath money in his purfe, cannot want an head for his fhoulders. Great cry and little wool, quoth the devil when he fhear'd his hogs. 'Tis ill gaping before an oven. over. When forrow is afleep wake it not. A covetous man, like a dog in a wheel, roafts meat for others to eat. will. Speak me fair, and think what you Serve God in thy calling; 'tis better than always praying. A child may have too much of his mother's bleffing. He who gives alms makes the very ufe of his money. beft A wife man will neither fpeak, nor do, Whatever anger would provoke him to. Heaven once named, all other things are trifles. The patient man is always at home. Peace with heaven is the best friendfhip. The worst of croffes is never to have had any. Crofies are ladders that do lead up to heaven. Honour buys no beef in the market. your dish. When it rains pottage you must hold ready. He that is warm thinks all are fo. If every man will mend one, we fhall all be mended. Marry your fon when you will, your daughter when you can. None is a fool always, every one fometimes. Think of ease, but work on. He that lies long in bed his eftate feels it. The child faith nothing but what it heard by the fire-fide. A gentleman, a grey-hound, and a faltbox, look for at the fire-fide. The fon full and tattered, the daughter empty and fine. up That is the best gown that goes moft up Woe be to the houfe where there is no and down the houfe. chiding. The greatest step is that out of doors. Silks and fattins put out the fire in the kitchen. The firft difh pleafeth all. God's mill grinds flow, but fure. Neither praife nor difpraife thy felf, thy actions ferve the turn. He who fears death lives not. felf. Night is the mother of counfels. He who hath horns in his bofom, needs his enemy. not put them upon his head. Good and quickly feldom meet. God is at the end when we think he is fartheft off. He who contemplates hath a day without night. Time is the rider that breaks youth. one. Talk much, and err much. The perfuafion of the fortunate fways the doubtful. True praife takes root, and spreads. Happy is the body which is bleft with a mind not needing. Foolifn tongues talk by the dozen. Shew a good man his error, and he turns it into a virtue; a bad man doubles his fault. When either fide grows warm in arguing, the wifeft man gives over first. Wife men with pity do behold Fools worship mules that carry gold. In the husband wifdom, in the wife gentleness. A wife man cares not much for what he cannot have. Pardon others but not thyself. The faulty stands always on his guard. He goes not out of his way who goes to a good inn. It is an ill air where we gain nothing. Every one hath a fool in his fleeve. Too much taking heed is fometimes lofs. "Tis easier to build two chimneys than to maintain one. He hath no leifure who ufeth it not. The wife is the key of the house. The life of man is a winter way. The leaft foolish is accounted wife. Life is half spent before we know what it is to live. Wine is a turn-coat; firft a friend, then an enemy. Wine ever pays for his lodging. Converfation makes a man what he is. The dainties of the great are the tears of the poor. The great put the little on the hook. Lawyers Lawyers houfes are built on the heads of fools. Among good men two fuffice. The best bred have the best portion. To live peaceably with all breeds good blood. He who hath the charge of fouls tranfports them not in bundles. Pains to get, care to keep, fear to lose. When a lackey comes to hell, the devil locks the gates. He that tells his wife news is but newly married. He who will make a door of gold, muft knock in a nail every day. If the brain fows not corn, it plants thiftles. A woman conceals what she knows not. Some evils are cured by contempt. God deals his wrath by weight, but without weight his mercy. Follow not truth too near at the heels, left it dath out your teeth. Say to pleasure, gentle Eve, I will have none of your apple. Marry your daughters betimes, left they marry themfelves. Every man's cenfure is ufually first moulded in his own nature. Sufpicion is the virtue of a coward. Stay a while, that we may make an end the fooner. Let us ride fair and foftly that we may get home the fooner. Debtors are lyars. A penny fpared is twice got. If the mother had never been in the oven, fhe would not have looked for her daughter there. The body is fooner well dreffed than the foul. Every one is a mafter, and a fervant. No profit to honour, no honour to virtue or religion. Every fin brings its punishment along with it. Take heed you find not what you do not feek. The highway is never about. He lives long enough who hath lived well. Metal is dangerous in a blind horse. Winter never rots in the sky. God help the rich, the poor can beg. He that speaks me fair, and loves me not, I will fpeak him fair, and truft him not. He who preaches war is the devil's chaplain. The trueft wealth is contentment with a little. A man's best fortune, or his worst, is a wife. Marry in hafte, and repent at leisure. Sir John Barley-Corn is the ftrongest knight. Like blood, like good, and like age, Make the happiest marriage. Every afs thinks himfelf worthy to stand with the king's horfes. A good beginning makes a good ending. One ounce of difcretion, or of wisdom, is worth two pound of wit. 1 The devil is good, or kind, when he is pleased. A fair face is half a portion. To forget a wrong is the best revenge. Man doth what he can, God doth what he pleases. Gold goes heaven. in at any gate except that of Knaves and fools divide the world. No great lofs but may bring fome little profit. When poverty comes in at the door, love leaps out at the window. That fuit is beft that best fits me. If I had revenged every wrong, I had not worn my skirts fo long. Self-love is a mote in every man's eye. That which is well done is twice done. Ufe foft words and hard arguments. There is no coward to an ill confcience. He who makes other men afraid of his wit, had need be afraid of their memories. Riches are but the baggage of virtue. He who defers his charities till his death, is rather liberal of another man's than of The devil divides the world between his own. atheism and fuperftition. Good husbandry is good divinity. A fool, if he faith he will have a crab, he will not have an apple, A wife man hath more ballast than fail. Great men's promifes, courtier's oaths, and dead men's fhoes, a man may look for, but not truft to. Be wife on this fide heaven. The devil tempts others, an idle man tempts the devil. Good |
