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October 19, 2020
It is a cruel Folly to offer up to Ostentation so many Lives of Creatures, as make up the State of our Treats; as it is a prodigal one to spend more in Sawce than in Meat.
The Proverb says, That enough is as good as a Feast: But it is certainly better, if Superfluity be a Fault, which never fails to be at Festivals.
All Excess is ill: But Drunkenness is of the worst Sort. It spoils Health, dismounts the Mind, and unmans Men: It reveals Secrets, is Quarrelsome, Lascivious, Impudent, Dangerous and Mad. In fine, he that is drunk is not a Man: Because he is so long void of Reason, that distinguishes a Man from a Beast.
Chuse thy Cloaths by thine own Eyes, not another's. The more plain and simple they are, the better. Neither unshapely, nor fantastical; and for Use and Decency, and not for Pride.
We are told with Truth, that Meekness and Modesty are the Rich and Charming Attire of the Soul: And the plainer the Dress, the more Distinctly, and with greater Lustre, their Beauty shines. 78. It is great Pity such Beauties are so rare, and those of Jezebel's Forehead are so common: Whose Dresses are Incentives to Lust; but Bars instead of Motives, to Love or Vertue.
Never Marry but for Love; but see that thou lov'st what is lovely. 80. If Love be not thy chiefest Motive, thou wilt soon grow weary of a Married State, and stray from thy Promise, to search out thy Pleasures in forbidden Places.
in Marriage do thou be wise; prefer the Person before Money; Vertue before Beauty, the Mind before the Body: Then thou hast a Wife, a Friend, a Companion, a Second Self; one that bears an equal Share with thee in all thy Toyls and Troubles. 93. Chuse one that Measures her satisfaction, Safety and Danger, by thine; and of whom thou art sure, as of thy secretest Thoughts: A Friend as well as a Wife, which indeed a Wife implies: For she is but half a Wife that is not, or is not capable of being such a Friend.
Wherefore use her not as a Servant, whom thou would'st, perhaps, have serv'd Seven Years to have obtained.
An Allusion to Jacob in Genesis working for Rachel. This very Pappropriate for the suitable wife .
There can be no Friendship where there is no Freedom. Friendship loves a free Air, and will not be penned up in streight and narrow Enclosures. It will speak freely, and act so too; and take nothing ill where no ill is meant; nay, where it is, 'twill easily forgive, and forget too, upon small Acknowledgments. 108. Friends are true Twins in Soul; they Sympathize in every thing, and have the Love and Aversion.
A true Friend unbosoms freely, advises justly, assists readily, adventures boldly, takes all patiently, defends courageously, and continues a Friend unchangeably. 112. These being the Qualities of a Friend, we are to find them before we chuse one.
Never forget the friendship of your spouse,nor to act your part in your marriage.
If thou hast done an Injury to another, rather own it than defend it. One way thou gainest Forgiveness, the other, thou doubl'st the Wrong and Reckoning.
True Honor will pay treble Damages, rather than justifie one wrong with another.
128. Avoid Company where it is not profitable or necessary; and in those Occasions speak little, and last.
129. Silence is Wisdom, where Speaking is Folly; and always safe.
130. Some are so Foolish as to interrupt and anticipate those that speak, instead of hearing and thinking befo...
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131. If thou thinkest twice, before thou speakest once, thou wilt speak t...
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132. Better say nothing than not to the Purpose. And to speak pertinently, consider both what is fit,...
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Truth often suffers more by the Heat of its Defenders, than from the Arguments of its Opposers.
Believe nothing against another but upon good Authority: Nor report what may hurt another, unless it be a greater hurt to others to conceal it.
Only trust thy self, and another shall not betray thee.
It is not enough that a thing be Right, if it be not fit to be done. If not Imprudent, tho' Just, it is not advisable. He that loses by getting, had better lose than get.
A Wise Man makes what he learns his own, 'tother shows he's but a Copy, or a Collection at most.
Obedience is the first Commandment with Promise.
Mix Kindness with Authority; and rule more by Discretion than Rigor.
Master may be Defrauded many ways by a servant: As in Time, Care, Pains, Money, Trust.
a True Servant is the Contrary: He's Diligent, Careful, Trusty. He Tells no Tales, Reveals no Secrets, Refuses no Pains: Not to be Tempted by Gain, nor aw'd by Fear, to Unfaithfulness.
220. The Country Life is to be preferr'd; for there we see the Works of God; but in Cities little else but the Works of Men: And the one makes a better Subject for our Contemplation than the other.
223. The Country is both the Philosopher's Garden and his Library, in which he Reads and Contemplates the Power, Wisdom and Goodness of God. 224. It is his Food as well as Study; and gives him Life, as well as Learning. 225. A Sweet and Natural Retreat from Noise and Talk, and allows opportunity for Reflection, and gives the best Subjects for it. 226. In short, 't is an Original, and the Knowledge and Improvement of it, Man's oldest Business and Trade, and the best he can be of.
231. Undertake no Experiment, in Speculation, that appears not true in Art; nor then, at thine own Cost, if costly or hazardous in making. 232. As many Hands make light Work, so several Purses make cheap Experiments.
235. Never give out while there is Hope; but hope not beyond Reason, for that shews more Desire than Judgment.
236. It is a profitable Wisdom to know when we have done enough: Much Time and Pains are spared, in not flattering our selves against Probabilities.
Do Good with what thou hast, or it will do thee no good.
Be not tempted to presume by Success: For many that have got largely, have lost all, by coveting to get more. 247. To hazard much to get much, has more of Avarice than Wisdom.
250. It is equally adviseable not to part lightly with what is hardly gotten, and not to shut up closely what flows in freely.
Unless Virtue guide us, our Choice must be wrong.
We should not be troubled for what we cannot help: But if it was our Fault, let it be so no more. Amendment is Repentance, if not Reparation.
Where the Probability of Advantage exceeds not that of Loss, Wisdom never Adventures.
269. Dislike what deserves it, but never Hate: For that is of the Nature of Malice; which is almost ever to Persons, not Things, and is one of the blackest Qualities Sin begets in the Soul. Moderation
271. Not to be provok'd is best: But if mov'd, never correct till the Fume is spent; For every Stroke our Fury strikes, is sure to hit our selves at last.
Haste makes Work which Caution prevents.
Haste
causes out-of -sequence rework which greatly increases costs.
Never make a Tryal of Skill in difficult or hazardous Cases.
To Whit: driving chicken on the road.
Refuse not to be informed: For that shews Pride or Stupidity.
Humility and Knowledge in poor Cloaths, excel Pride and Ignoran...
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Neither despise, nor oppose, what thou dost ...
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It's This tendency that has stopped many a good product from entering the market.
It is too common an Error, to invert the Order of Things; by making an End of that which is a Means, and a Means of that which is an End. 311. Religion and Government escape not this Mischief: The first is too often made a Means instead of an End; the other an End instead of a Means.
Religion Is a means of attaining many good conditions or states. Government Likewise. Neither is an end in itself.
324. Avoid Popularity. It has many Snares, and no real Benefit to thy self; and Uncertainty to others.
325. Remember the Proverb, Bene qui latuit, bene vixit. They are happy that live Retiredly.
326. If this be true, Princes and their Grandees, of all Men, are the unhappiest: For they live least alone: And they that must be enjoyed by every Body, can never enjoy themselves as they should. 327. Is is the Advantage little Men have upon them; they can be Private, and have leisure for Family Comforts, which are the greatest worldly Contents Men can enjoy. 328. But they that place Pleasure in Greediness, seek it there: And we see Rule is as much the Ambition of some Natures, as Privacy is the Choice of others.
333. Happy that King who is great by Justice, and that People who are free by Obedience. 334. Where the Ruler is Just, he may be strict;
This Is a perfect analogy to God and His people.
337. Let the People think they Govern and they will be Govern'd. 338. This cannot fail, if Those they Trust, are Trusted. 339. That Prince that is Just to them in great things, and Humors them sometimes in small ones, is sure to have and keep them from all the World. 340. For the People is the Politick Wife of the Prince, that may be better managed by Wisdom, than ruled by Force.
