Offenecs, Injuries.

HE following confideration may abundantly, ferve to teach us to Pardon injuries. The Committers of them must be either chofen or Reprobate: If the first, how dare we to hate those whom God fhall eternally Love? And if the other, Are not the Flames which shall eternally devour them fufficient, to quench our Thurst after Revenge?

'Tis Folly to give fatisfaction to thofe who Demand none; for an anticipated Excufe, awakens a Discontent that flept. A Prudent Man ought not to feem fenfible of another's fufpicion, because that is to Court his Refentment: He ought only endea your to Cure that fufpicion, by a Sincere and Civil Deportment.

There is more Dexterity] in fhunning Offences than in Revenging them. It is great Addrefs to make a Confident of him, who might have been an Adverfary; and to transform thofe into Butteresses of Reputation, who threatned to ruine the fame.

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Paffions.

Affion often makes a Fool of a witty Man, and no lefs frequently a witty Man of a Fool.

It is with our Paffions, as it is with Fire and Wa ter; they are good Servants, and bad Mafters, and Sub-minifter to the best and worft or Purposes at

once.

The

The continuance of our Paffions, is no more in our own Power, than the Term of our Lives.

Thofe great and glittering Actions which dazzle the Eyes of moft Men; and are reprefented by Politicians, as the Effects of great Wifdom and Defign; are indeed generally influenc'd by little Humours and Paffions. Thus the War of Auguftus and Anthony, for the purpofe, which is afcrib'd to the violent Ambition each of them had to get the Mastery of the whole World, was occafion'd, perhaps, by a little rife of Jealousie between them.

Paffions are Nature's never-failing Rhetorick, and the only Orators that can mafter our Affections. The plaineft Man, infpir'd by a Paffion, perfwades much better than the moft eloquent, who is infpir'd by none.

There is in all Paffions a kind of Injustice and Self-intereft, which makes them very dangerous to be follow'd; and we ought not to trust them, even when they appear most fair and reasonable.

There is in our Hearts a conftant Generation of Paffions; fo that the Deftruction of one, is generally the Production of another.

As wary and cautious as Men are to conceal their Paffions, under the fpecious Drefs of Honour and Piety, this Difguife is too thin; and they feldom fail to break through it at one time or other.

Paffions often give birth to others of a Nature quite contrary to their own : Ava rice fometimes brings forth Prodigality; and Prodigality, Avarice: Some are Refolate out of Weakness, and Bold out of Timoroufnefs and Fear,

All

All Paffions are nothing elfe but the different degrees of Heat and Cold in the Blood

The Victory we gain fometimes over our Passions, is owing to their VVeakness, more than our own Strength.

The Health of the Mind is as frail and uncertain, as that of the Body: And tho' a Man may feem free from all manner of Paffions, yet is he in fo much danger of falling into them, as one in a perfect state of Health, is of having a fit of Sickness.

It is one of the greatest Secrets of Nature, that Men's Paffions are more capable of being rais'd to higher degrees in Company, than in Solitude; and that we fooner grieve, fear, rejoice, love, admire,&c. when we behold many others fo mov'd, than when we are alone.

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No Man can guefs in cold Blood, what he may do in a Paffion.

While our Heart is ruffled by the remains of a Paffion, it is more fufceptible of a new one, than if it was entirely fetled.

Those that have had great Paffions, find themfelves perpetually happy and unhappy, in being cur'd of them.

We are to blame not to diftinguish between the feveral forts of Anger; for there is a Light, and, as it were, a harmlefs one, which refults from a warm Complexion; and another exceeding vicious, which is, in ftrict fpeaking, the Rage and Fierceness of Pride.

Nature, it feems, has treafur'd up, in the bottom of our Hearts, fome fecret Talents and Abilities, which Paffions only have the priviledge to improve; and which, upon fome Exigencies, give

us a furer prospect of Things, than ever Art could do.

It is as unfeasonable to recompence in a fit of Joy, as to punish in a Paffion.

That Mind is truly happy, which can entirely deny fome Paffions, and only unbend it felf to fome others.

The Soul is tir'd to be always in the fame posture, and at a long run, it would lofe all its Vigour, if it were not awaken'd by the Paf fions.

Penetration.

Enetration is fo Conjuring like, that it flatters our Vanity more than any other Accom plishment of the Mind.

The greatest Fault of a Penetrating VKit, is not coming fhort of the Mark, but over-fhooting it.

There is always a part of our Thought that ftays behind; we very feldom communicate it entirely; and it's by Penetration more than knowledge of Words, that we enter abfolutely into the Conception of others.

Philofophy

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Philofophy.

Hilofophy eafily conquers and triumphs over past and future Evils; but the present ones triumph over Philofophy.

The Contempt of Riches in Philofophers, was only a defire of vindicating their own Merit, and taking a Revenge upon the Injuftice of Fortune, by undervaluing thofe Enjoyments which fhe had not given them: This was a Trick to fecure themselves from the Disparagement of Poverty, and a By-way to arrive to that Confideration and Esteem, which they could not compass by Riches.

The Philofophers, and Seneca among the reft, did not remove Men's Faults by their Precepts: but only improv'd them by the fetting up of Pride: So that their Virtues (as a Father of the Chutch has it) were but glittering Vices.

*There is no Condition that does not fit well upon a wife Man: For this Reafon, I shall never quarrel with a Philofopher for living in a Palace; but fhall, at the fame time, not excufe him, if he can't 'content himfelf with a Cottage. I fhall not be fcandaliz'd to behold him in the Apparel of Kings, provided he have not their Ambition.

Plea