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intended neglect, but an indisposedness or a mind seriously busied within. Occasion reins the motions of the stirring mind. Like men that walk in their sleep, we are led about, we neither know whither nor how.

O. FELLTHAM

302. NICOLA DI UZZANO'S ANSWER TO BARBADORI, ON THE DESIGN OF RINALDO DEGL' ALBIZZI TO EXPEL COSMO DE' MEDICI, A.D. 1433. The whole cause of our present commotion is founded upon a bare suspicion, that Cosmo would usurp and make himself sovereign of our city. Examine the causes upon which we ground our suspicion; what are they, but that he distributes his money freely, according to every man's necessity; and that not only upon a private but public account, not only to the Florentines, but to the foreign commanders: that he favours this or that citizen which desires to be a magistrate; that by the general reputation he has among all people, he advances this or that of his friends to employments as he sees occasion; so that the whole weight and strength of his impeachment lies in this; that he is charitable, liberal, ready to his friend and beloved by all people? But admit you succeed and should prevail so far as to banish him, (which truly if the Senate concur might be done without difficulty) how can you think among so many of his friends as will be left behind, and labour incessantly for his return, to obviate or prevent it? Certainly it will be impossible, his interest is so great, and himself so universally beloved, you never can secure him. If you go about to banish the chief of those who discover themselves to be his friends, you do but multiply your adversaries and create more enemies to yourself: return he will in a very short time, and then you have gained only this point, to have banished a good man and re-admitted a bad; for you must expect he will be exasperated, his nature debauched by those who call him back; and being obliged to them so highly it will be no prudence in him to reject them. If your design be to put him to death formally, by the co-operation of the magistrate; that is not to be done; his wealth and your corruption will preserve him. Transl. from N. MACHIAVELLI

303. NERI'S ANSWER TO COUNT POPPI'S ADDRESS TO THE FLORENTINE COMMISSARIES. Neri replied, 'that he had unhappily placed his hopes upon people, which could do

him no good. That he had transgressed so highly against the Republic of Florence, that, as things then stood, there was a necessity of yielding up all, and that he must abandon those places, as he was an enemy to Florence, which as a friend he had refused to preserve; for he had given so ill a testimony and example of himself, that he could not be continued; and in every chance of fortune had been so unconstant and various, that they could not have any confidence but that still he would be working to the prejudice of their state, and yet it was not so much him, as his interest they were afraid of. But if he would withdraw into Germany, the government of Florence would intercede, that he might reside there as a prince and be a friend to him, for the obligations he said they had received from his ancestors.' To which the Count answered in great passion, 'That he would be farther off the Florentines than so,' and laying aside all farther capitulation (seeing no remedy) the Count delivered up the town, and all his other concerns to the Florentines: only his goods, his wife and children departed with him, very disconsolate, for having lost a dominion which his predecessors had enjoyed above 400 years.

Translated from N. MACHIAVELLI

304. OF HAPPINESS. With respect to any final aim or end, the greater part of mankind live at hazard. They have no certain harbour in view, nor direct their course by any fixed star. But to him that knoweth not the port to which he is bound, no wind can be favourable; neither can he, who has not yet determined at what mark he is to shoot, direct his arrow aright. It is not, however, the less true that there is a proper object to aim at; and if this object be meant by the term happiness, (though I think that not the most appropriate term for a state, the perfection of which consists in the exclusion of all hap, that is, chance,) I assert that there is such a thing as human happiness, as summum bonum, or ultimate good.

It is one main point of happiness, that he that is happy doth know and judge himself to be so. This being the peculiar good of a reasonable creature, it is to be enjoyed in a reasonable way. It is not as the dull resting of a stone, or any other natural body in its natural place; but the knowledge and consideration of it is the fruition of it, the very relishing and tasting of its sweetness. R. LEIGHTON

305. LINKS OF BEING. That there should be more species of intelligent creatures above us, than there are of sensible and material below us, is probable to me from hence, that in all the visible corporeal world, we see no chasms, no gaps. All quite down from us, the descent is by easy steps, and a continued series of things, that in each remove differ very little one from the other. There are fishes that have wings, and are not strangers to the airy region and there are some birds that are inhabitants of the water, whose blood is as cold as fishes', and their flesh so like in taste, that the scrupulous are allowed them on fish days. There are animals so near of kin both to birds and beasts, that they are in the middle between both. Amphibious animals link the terrestrial and aquatic together. There are some brutes that seem to have as much knowledge and reason as some that are called men; and the animal and vegetable kingdoms are so nearly joined, that if you will take the lowest of one, and the highest of the other, there will scarce be perceived any great difference between them; and so on till we come to the lowest and the most inorganical parts of matter, we shall find everywhere that the several species are linked together and differ but in almost insensible degrees. And when we consider the infinite power and wisdom of the Maker, we have reason to think that it is suitable to the magnificent harmony of the universe and the great design and infinite goodness of the Architect, that the species of creatures should also, by gentle degrees, ascend upward from us toward his infinite perfection, as we see they gradually descend from us downward: which if it be probable, we have reason then to be persuaded that there are far more species of creatures above us than there are beneath; we being in degrees of perfection much more remote from the infinite being of God, than we are from the lowest state of being and that which approaches nearest to nothing. And yet of all those distinct species we have no clear distinct ideas. J. LOCKE

306. ALCIBIADES. Pericles rarely says he likes anything; but whenever he is pleased, he expresses it by his countenance, although when he is displeased, he never shows it, even by the faintest sign. It was long before I ventured to make the observation to him: he replied,

'It would be ungrateful and ungentle not to return my

thanks for any pleasure imparted to me, when a smile has the power of conveying them. I never say that a thing pleases me while it is yet undone or absent, lest I should give somebody the trouble of performing or producing it. As for what is displeasing, I really am insensible in general to matters of this nature; and when I am not so, I experience more of satisfaction in subduing my feeling than I ever felt of displeasure at the occurrence which excited it. Politeness is in itself a power, and takes away the weight and galling from every other we may exercise. I foresee,' he added, 'that Alcibiades will be an elegant man, but I apprehend he will never be a polite one. There is a difference, and a greater than we are apt to perceive or imagine. Alcibiades would win without conciliating: he would seize and hold, but would not acquire. The man who is determined to keep others fast and firm must have one end of the bond about his own breast, sleeping and waking.'

W. S. LANDOR

307. IMPATIENCE IN GETTING THROUGH LIFE. There is a greater difference, both in the stages of life and in the seasons of the year, than in the conditions of men: yet the healthy pass through the seasons from the clement to the inclement, not only unreluctantly but rejoicingly, knowing that the worst will soon finish and the best begin anew; and we are all desirous of pushing forward into every stage of life, excepting that alone which ought reasonably to allure us most, as opening to us the Via Sacra along which we move in triumph to our eternal country. We labour to get through the moments of our life, as we would to get through a crowd. Such is our impatience, such our hatred of procrastination, in everything but the amendment of our practices and the adornment of our nature, one would imagine we were dragging Time along, and not he us. We may in some measure frame our mind for the reception of happiness, for more or for less; we should however well consider to what port we are steering in search of it, and that even in the richest its quantity is but too exhaustible. It is easier to alter the modes and qualities of it, than to increase its stores. There is a sickliness in the firmest of us, which induces us to change our side, though reposing ever so softly; yet, wittingly or unwittingly, we turn again soon into our old position. After

ward, when we have fixed, as we imagine, on the object most desirable, we start extravagantly; and blinded by the rapidity of our precipitate course, toward the treasure we would seize and dwell with, we find another hand upon the lock......the hand of one standing in shade......'tis Death!

308. ASEM THE MAN-HATER AND THE GENIUS. They soon gained the utmost verge of the forest, and entered the country inhabited by men without vice; and Asem anticipated in idea the rational delight he hoped to experience in such an innocent society. But they had scarce left the confines of the wood, when they beheld one of the inhabitants flying with hasty steps, and terror in his countenance, from an army of squirrels, that closely pursued him. ‘Heavens!' cried Asem, 'why does he fly? What can he fear from animals so contemptible?' He had scarce spoken, when he perceived two dogs pursuing another of the human species, who with equal terror and haste attempted to avoid them. 6 This,' cried Asem to his guide, ‘is truly surprising; nor can I conceive the reason for so strange an action.' 'Every species of animals,' replied the genius, 'has of late grown very powerful in this country; for the inhabitants, at first, thinking it unjust to use either fraud or force in destroying them, they have insensibly increased and now frequently ravage their harmless frontiers.' 'But they should have been destroyed,' cried Asem; 'you see the consequence of such neglect.' 'Where is then that tenderness you so lately expressed for subordinate animals?' replied the genius, smiling: 'you seem to have forgot that branch of justice.' 'I must acknowledge my mistake,' returned Asem; 'I am now. convinced that we must be guilty of tyranny and injustice to the brute creation, if we would enjoy the world ourselves; but let us no longer observe the duty of man to these irrational creatures, but survey their connexions with another.' O. GOLDSMITH

309. GRATITUDE. Besides the obligation arising from contract or default, there is one of another sort which comes from kindness and the acts of charity and friendship. He that does me a favour hath bound me to make him a return of thankfulness. The obligation comes not by covenant, nor by his own express intention, but by the nature

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