affects us more than a folid pleafure in polfeffion.

Expectation takes up more joy on truft than fruition can difcharge: It imagines its rofes all flower and no prickle: Men always forecount their wives prudent, and their children dutiful. A good unlook'd for is a virgin happinefs; whereas they who obtain what has been long expected, only marry whom they have deflowered.

We part more eafily with what we poffefs, than with our expectations of what we with for; because expectation always goes beyond enjoyment.

Things remote, whether in time or place, make little impreffion. A small reward will fatisfy a great fervice long past. Artful people, therefore, never pay beforehand, or while the work is fresh in memory. The intereft of their money, is not the only thing that is faved by fuch delay.

Report gives more fcope to the imagination than ocular infpection. Had we been prefent when Caligula's horfe was made a conful, we fhould have been lefs aftonished, than we are by the hiftorical relation.

The

63

The more powerful, though it is he who is injured, is commonly deemed the aggreffor.

Death, whether it regards ourselves or others, appears lefs terrible in war than at home. The cries of women and children, friends in anguish, á dark room, dim tapers, priests and phyficians, are what affect us the moft on death-bed. Behold us already more than half dead and buried.

Narrow minds think nothing right that is above their own capacity.

С Н А Р. III.

Peculiarities that depend on Cha-
racter and Condition.

HOSE who are the most faulty, are the

THO

most prone to find faults in others.

They who are incapable of doing wrong, are little apt to fufpect others.

The eafinefs and indifference of fome pérfons hath an air of weakness, readily mifapprehended for want of courage; especially on ordinary occafions, which are not of importance to difturb their quiet. But let these fame perfons be engaged in fome interesting scene, what will make a noise in the world, and glory will foon difcover their true temper.

Unacquaintedness with danger, makes the fiery brave, the phlegmatic fearful. This apprehends too much, that too little.

Some run headlong into danger, because they have not courage to wait for it.

The irrefolute never profecute their views, fo long as they have any excufe left for delaying.

When it becomes neceffary for the irrefolute to act, they feel a great difference betwixt inclination and will, betwixt will and refolution, betwixt resolution and the choice of proper means, and betwixt this choice and the preceding to action.

A man is never entirely engroffed by pleafure, who can mix bufinefs with it. He

quits and retakes it at will; and in the use he makes of it, finds a relaxation of mind, not a dangerous charm to corrupt him. It is not fo with the auftere and rigid; who, whenever, by a change of circumstances, they taste of voluptuousness, are inchanted with its fweets; and nature being in them wearied with hardships and inconveniencies, abandons itself wholly to delight. They contract an averfion to the severities of their paft life; what appeared virtuous, now appears grofs and morofe: And the foul, which imagines itself to be undeceived of an old error, is inchanted with its new state.

Some perfons are with their friends, as the generality of women with their lovers; whatever services you have done them, they cease to love you when you cease to please them. Difgufted alfo, like them, with long acquaintance, they are fond of the pleasures of a new friendship.

It is a miserable state, to have few things to defire and many to fear; and yet that is commonly the much envied cafe of princes. Without

i

Without defire, the mind languishes; with fear, it never can be ferene.

The honour received by princes from their dependents, is not true honour, the refpect is paid to the royalty, not to the man. Grandeur deprives a prince of the liberal commerce of fociety: He fees no face about him without a mask.

The parade and ceremony belonging to 64 the great, are a sad restraint upon their freedom.

With refpect to the opulent, the greatest pleasures of fenfe turn difguftful by excefs, or grow languid for want of difficulty.

Men in high prosperity are in a precarious 65 ftate; many accidents to diforder and difcompose, few to please.

One would hardly wifh for uninterrupted profperity, when he reflects, that pride, anger, vain-glory, and detraction, are its ordinary attendants.

The enjoyments of a plentiful fortune, and the gladnefs of profperity, furnish fo much mirth, that it is common to fee an exuberant laugh bestowed upon a monkey, a dwarf, or upon a cold jeft. But men of inferior

E