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thence is thought, (and not unjustly) incapable of greater matters. Cardinal de Reta very fagacioufly marked our Cardinal Chigi for a little mind, from the moment that he told him he had wrote three years with the same pen, and that it was an excellent good one still.

A certain degree of exterior seriousness in looks and motions, gives dignity, without excluding wit and decent cheerfulnefs, which are always ferious themselves. A constant smirk upon the face, and a whiffling activity of the body, are strong indications of futility. Whoever is in a hurry, fhews that the thing he is about is too big for him. Haste and hurry are very different things.

To conclude: A man who has patiently been kicked, may as well pretend to courage, as a man, blafted by vices and crimes, may to dignity of any kind. But an exterior decency and dignity of manners, will even keep fuch a man longer from finking, than otherwife he would be. Of fuch confequence is decorum, even though affected and put on,

Lying.

NOTHING is more criminal, mean, or ridiculous than lying. It is the production either of malice, or cowardice, or vanity; but it generally miffes of its aim in every one of these views; for lies are always detected fooner or later. If we advance a malicious lie, in order to affect any man's fortune or character, we may, indeed, injure him for fome time; but we fhall certainly be the greatest sufferers in the end: for, as foon as we are detected, we are blafted for the infamous attempt: and whatever is faid afterwards to the disadvantage of that person, however true, paffes for calumny. To lie, or to equivocate, (which is the fame thing) to excuse ourfelves for what we have faid or done, and to avoid the danger of the fhame that we apprehend from it, we difcover our fear as well as our falfehood; and only increase

crease instead of avoiding, the danger and the shame; we fhew ourselves to be the loweft and meaneft of mankind, and are fure to be always treated as fuch. If we have the misfortune to be in the wrong, there is something noble in frankly owning it; it is the only way of atoning for it, and the only way to be forgiven. To remove a prefent danger by equivocating, evading, or thuffling, is fomething fo defpicable, and betrays fo much fear, that whoever practifes them deserves to be chaftifed.

There are people who indulge themselves in another fort of lying, which they reckon innocent, and which in one fenfe is fo, for it hurts nobody but themselves. This fort of lying is the fpurious offspring of Vanity, begotten upon Folly: thefe people deal in the marvellous; they have feen fome things that never exifted; they have seen other things which they never really faw, though they did exift, only because they were thought worth feeing: has any thing remarkable been faid or done in any place, or in any company, they immediately prefent and declare themselves eye or ear witnefs of it. They have done feats themselves, unattempted, or at leaft unperformed, by others. They are always the heroes of their own fables; and think that they gain confideration, or at leaft prefent attention, by it. Whereas, in truth, all that they get is ridicule and contempt, not without a good degree of diftruft: for one muft naturally conclude, that he who will tell any lie from idle vanity, will not fcruple to tell a greater for intereft. Had I really feen any thing fo very extraordinary as to be almoft incredible, I would keep it to myfelf, rather than by telling it, give any one body room to doubt for one minute of my veracity.

Nothing but truth can carry us through the world, with either our confcience or our honour unwounded. It is not only our duty, but our intereft; as a proof of which, it may be obferved, that the greateft fools are the greateft liars. We may fafely judge of a man's truth by his degree of understanding.

Gentleness

Gentleness of Manners, with Firmness or
Resolution of Mind.

I do not know any one rule fo unexceptionably useful and neceffary in every part of life, as to unite gentleness of manners with firmness of mind. The firft alone would degenerate and fink into a mean, timid complaisance, and passiveness, if not fupported and dignified by the latter, which would also deviate into impetuofity and brutality, if not tempered and softened by the other; however they are seldom united. The warm, choleric man, with strong animal fpirits, defpifes the firft, and thinks to carry all before him by the laft. He may, poffibly, by great accident, now and then fucceed, when he has only the weak and timid to deal with; but his general fate will be, to fhock, offend, be hated, and fail. On the other hand, the cunning, crafty man, thinks to gain all his ends by gentleness of manners only: he becomes all things to all men: he feems to have no opinion of his own, and fervilely adopts the prefent opinion of the prefent perfon; he infinuates himself only into the efteem of fools, but is foon detected, and furely despised by every body else. The wife man (who differs as much from the cunning as from the choleric man) alone joins softness of manners with firmness of mind.

The advantages arifing from an union of these qualities, are equally ftriking and obvious. For example, If you are in authority, and have a right to command, your commands delivered with mildnefs and gentleness, will be willingly, cheerfully, and confequently well obeyed: whereas, if given brutally, they will rather be interrupted than executed. For a cool fteady refolution should fhew that where you have a right to command, you will be obeyed: but at the fame time, a gentleness in the manner of enforcing that obedience, fhould make it a cheerful one, and foften, as much as poffible, the mortifying consciousness of inferiority.

If

If you are to alk a favour, or even to folicit your due, you must do it with a grace, or you will give those who have a mind to refuse you either, a pretence to do it, by resenting the manner; but on the other hand you muft, by a fteady perfeverance and decent tenacioufnefs, fhew firmness and refolution.

If you find that you have a hastinefs in your temper,. which unguardedly breaks out into indifcreet fallies, or rough expreffions, to either your fuperiors, your equals, or your inferiors, watch it narrowly, check it carefully, and call the Graces to your affiftance: at the first impulfe of paffion, be filent till you can be foft. Labour even to get the command of your countenance fo well, that thofe emotions may not be read in it: a most unfpeakable advantage in bufinefs! on the other hand, let no complaifance, no gentleness of temper, no weak de fire of pleafing on your part, no wheedling, coaxing, nor flattery on other people's, make you recede one jot from any point that reafon and prudence have bid you purfue; but return to the charge, perfift, perfevere, and you will find most things attainable that are poffible. A yielding, timid meekness is always abused and infulted by the unjust and the unfeeling; but when sustained by firmnefs and refolution, is always refpected, commonly fuccessful.

In your friendships and connections, as well as in your enmities, this rule is particularly useful: let your firmnefs and vigour preferve and invite attachments to you; but at the fame time, let your manner hinder the enemies of your friends and dependants from becoming yours: let your enemies be difarmed by the gentleness of your manner; but let them feel at the fame time, the fteadiness of your just resentment; for there is great difference between bearing malice, which is always ungenerous, and a refolute felf-defence, which is always prudent and juftifiable.

Some people cannot gain upon themselves to be eafy and civil to thofe who are either their rivals, competi

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tors, or oppofers, though independently of those accidental circumstances, they would like and efteem them. They betray a fhyness and an awkwardnefs in company with them, and catch at any little thing to expose them; and fo from temporary and only occafional opponents, make them their perfonal enemies. This is exceedingly weak and detrimental, as indeed is all humour in bufinefs; which can only be carried on fuccefsfully by unadulterated good policy and right reasoning. In fuch fituations I would be more particularly civil, eafy, and frank, with the man whose designs I traversed: this is commonly called generofity and magnanimity; but is in truth good fenfe and policy. The manner is as im portant as the matter, fometimes more fo; a favour may make an enemy, and an injury may make a friend, according to the different manner in which they are feverally done. Infine, gentlenefs of manners, with firmness of mind, is a fhort, but full description of human perfection on this fide of religious and moral duties.

On the Moral Character.

THE Moral Character of a man should be not only pure, but, like Cæfar's wife, unfufpected. The leaft fpeck or blemish upon it is fatal. Nothing degrades and vilifies more, for it excites and unites deteftation and contempt. There are, however, wretches in the world profligate enough to explode all notions of moral good and evil; to maintain that they are merely local, and depend entirely upon the customs and fashions of different countries: nay, there are still, if poffible, more unaccountable wretches; I mean thofe who affect to preach and propagate fuch abfurd and infamous notions, without believing them themselves. Avoid, as much as poffible, the company of fuch people, who reflect a degree

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