death is not such a terrible enemy. Revenge triumphs over death, love slights it, honour aspires to it, dread of shame prefers it, grief flies to it, and fear anticipates it.--Lord Bacon.

LXX.

the

Gifts. Its kind, its value, and appearance; silence or the pomp that attends it; the style in which it reaches us may decide the dignity or vulgarity of the giver. -Rev. J. Lavater.

LXXI.

Man's Free Agency.-Even your free-willers admit the connection between cause and effect-they admit such a determination, such a direction, such a course, for instance that a human being may fall into; but then, they say, we have of ourselves the power to get into this direction, into such a new course. This, I say, is atheistical, for it sets God aside, and nullifies his power; it destroyeth the exact sciences; for a cardinal mathematical proposition is, that the minor is contained in the major: finite intelligence, then, is contained in infinite. How then can finite intelligence run contrary to infinite?-Maltravers.

LXXII.

On Friendship.-The world are so busied with selfish pursuits, ambition, vanity, interest, or pleasure, that very few think it worth their while to make any observation on what passes around them, except where that observation is the branch or sucker of the darling plant they are rearing in their fancy. Nor am I sure that, notwithstanding all the sentimental flights of novel writers, and the sage philosophy of moralists, whether we are capable of so intimate and cordial a coalition of friendship as, that one man may pour out his bosom-his every thought and floating fancy-his very inmost soul, with unreserved con

fidence to another, without hazard of losing part of that respect which man deserves from man; or, from the unavoidable imperfections attending human nature-of one day repenting his confidence.-Burn.

LXXIII.

Unsociable Tempers.-Unsociable tempers are contracted in solitude, which will in the end not fail of corrupting the understanding as well as the manners, and of utterly disqualifying a man for the satisfactions and duties of life. Men must be taken as they are, and we neither make them nor ourselves better, by flying from or quarreling with them.—Burke.

LXXIV.

Intimidation not Conviction.-Whoever is not persuaded by reason, will not be covinced by authority.-Feyjoo.

LXXV.

Modern Legislators.—Ancient lawgivers studied the nature of man, and formed his mind to virtue and glory; but the founders of modern republics think mind altogether unworthy of their attention; they take no measures to prevent the existence of vice, but suppose they have fulfilled their duty when they inflict punishment on the vicious.

What wouldst thou think of a physician to whom some prince had committed the care of the health of his subjects, who, instead of recommending temperance and exercise, and using every means in his power to prevent the existence of disease, instead of watching the approaches of distemper, and administering, in good time, the necessary remedy, should encourage the objects of his care in every species of excess, and pay no attention whatever to the causes or progress of indisposition, but when the patient should become absolutely incurable, would order his head to be taken off by an attendant? Such is the

conduct of modern legislators: they never attempt to form the mind-to implant the seeds of honour, patriotism, friendship, heroism-to awaken in the breast a love of glory, and stir up the sparks of noble ambition. No: they permit every species of vice to flourish until it has taken such deep root in society, that it cannot be extirpated. What then? The sapient legislators assemble, and make a law against this productive vice; and, in obedience to this law, the sword of justice is sent forth to destroy those members of the community who are most deeply infected with the prevailing distemper-a distemper which, if the government had done its duty, would never have existed. Another vice becomes universal, and another law is made against the vicious. Crimes are multiplied, and laws are multiplied also, until men lose the idea of right and wrong in that of lawful and unlawful; and, however base, perfidious, and unjust their conduct may be, they account themselves good men and true," if they do not incur the penalty of the law.

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It is amusing to hear those, who thrive by the vices and follies of others, and fatten on the corruption of society, boast of their civilization, and adduce the multiplicity of their laws as a proof of their refinement; whereas, in truth, the multiplicity of their laws proves nothing but the multiplicity of their crimes.-The Savage-by Piomingo.

LXXVI.

Belief. It has been said, that a right faith is the consequence of being well and properly disposed. It is very true, that a man may dispose himself, i.e. he may warp and bias his mind so as to make any doctrine or principle suit it but all kinds of predisposition and pre-arrangement are injuries to the judgment; and it would be as difficult for the mind to determine fairly on a fact or the truth of a principle, when it was so predisposed, as it would be for a judge to determine fairly in a cause, on one side of which

he was bribed. Our faith is meritorious only as it is a proof that we use our intellectual faculties in the pursuit of truth, just as seeing is a proof that we use our eyes, or hearing, that we use our ears. And the common insolence rage, and cruelty of zealots on account of faith, is owing to their extreme ignorance or extreme wickedness; for they, in fact, must have the least real faith of all mankind. They have taken everything for granted, without examination or judgment, and have consequently nothing which they truly believe.-David Williams.

LXXVII.

Strife. The Hottentots, even, run to the suppression of strife when it has invaded a family, the same as we do to extinguish a fire; and allow themselves no repose till every matter in dispute is adjusted.-Mavor.

LXXVIII.

The People the source of Power.-All lawful authority, legislative, and executive, originates from the people. Power in the people is like light in the sun-native, original, inherent, and unlimited by any thing human. In governors, it may be compared to the reflected light of the moon; for it is only borrowed, delegated, and limited by the intention of the people, whose it is and to whom governors are to consider themselves as responsible, while the people are answerable only to God; themselves being the losers, if they pursue a false scheme of politics. As the people are the fountain of power, so are they the object of government, in such manner, that where the people are safe, the ends of government are answered, and where the people are sufferers by their governors, those governors have failed in the main design of their institution, and it is of no importance what other ends they may have answered. As the people are the fountain of power, and the object of government, so are they the last resource

when governors betray their trust; and happy is that people, who originally have so principled their constitution, that they themselves can, without violence to it, lay hold of its power, wield it as they please, and turn it (when necessary) against those to whom it was entrusted, and who have exerted it to the prejudice of the original proprietors.-James Burgh's Political Disquisitions. 1774.

LXXIX.

Children not Born Wicked.-Bring together all the children of the universe, you will see nothing in them but innocence, gentleness, and fear: were they born wicked, spiteful, and cruel, some signs of it would come from them; as little snakes strive to bite, and little tigers to tear. But nature having been as sparing of offensive weapons to man as to pigeons and rabits, it cannot have given them an instinct to mischief and destruction.Voltaire.

LXXX.

Acquaintance with Human nature. He who has acquired a competent knowledge of the views that occupy the generality of men, who has studied a great variety of characters, and attentively observed the force and violence of human passions, together with the infirmities and contradiction they produce in the conduct of life, will find in this knowledge, a key to the secret reasons and motives which gave rise to many of the most important events of ancient times.-Mosheim.

LXXXI.

Effects of Civilization.-Shall your cooks and your waiters. your carters and your ditchers, be accounted equally civilized with yourselves? Shall they who watch the look, and tremble at the frown of a superior, be allowed to possess delicacy of sentiment and dignity of