cannot have it, nor finds much to do in domeftick Affairs; In ftudia conferas, quod fubduxeris Officiis; beftow that on Study, which thou takeft away from Bufinefs. By this means a Man fhall be, Nec fibi gravis, nec aliis fupervacuus, neither burthenfome to himself, nor impertinent to others. He will invite many to his Friendship: The beft Perfons will love his Company. For even an obfcure Vertue cannot always lie hid It gives fome Signs of it felf, which will make it honoured and courted.

:

And here it will not be amifs to fubjoin, that the very fame Rule is to be obferved which was given before concerning the Defire of Riches; not to affect too much of them. Give me neither Poverty nor Riches, but feed me with Food convenient for me; is the Prayer of 'Agur, Prov. xxx, 8. Which the Gentile Wifdom confpires with in thefe Words, The beft MeaSeneca, cap. fure of Money is that, which neither 8. de Tranq. falls fo low as Poverty, nor is very får removed from it. And by the fame Measure we fhould govern our felves, fay they, in our Studies. Many Books are a Trouble, Like Variety of Meats they burthen the Stomach or breed Difeafes, but do not give much Nourishment. Or like a Man that is always in Travel

2.

from Place to Place; he hath many 1d. Epift. Inns, but no Friends, and few Acquaintance. Multitude of Books diftract Men's Minds, and therefore when thou canft not read all that thou haft, it is enough to have all that thou readeft. It is a fign of a fqueamish

fqueamish Stomach to be tafting every Thing. Read thofe that are approved. And if thou wouldft turn afide from one to another, return to the firft again, by which thou haft profited. And be fure, faith he, to provide thy felf of fome Thing every Day, which will ferve as a Remedy against Poverty, against the Fear of Death, against the Reft of the Plagues of humane Life. And when thou runneft over many Things, Unum excerpe, quod illo die concoquas, Pick out fome one Thing, to digeft and concoct that Day. But I intend not to infift long upon thefe Advices, there being many of them, and - therefore let us pafs to the next. Which is this,

II.

Let us never attempt any Thing in our Enterprizes, but what is of good Report, and Praifeworthy. This I find recorded in the Life of a famous Perfon, that he was wont

Peireskii.

conftantly to comfort himfelf in Gaffend, in vita this, Quod nihil tentasset, no laudabile, that he had never affayed any Thing, but what was laudable. In this, if a Man mifcarry, yet it is fome Comfort to have endeavoured it. And he may again renew his Endeavours, according as the fame Perfon was wont to fay; Let us refume our Work, and not Defpair. Filhermen do not break their Nets, because they fometimes caft them in vain, and catch nothing.

III.

The Third is, to Do nothing of confequence without Deliberation and good Advice. I do not mean only of our own, but of our Friends alfo. For if any Thing fall out ill, they will help to bear a part of it.

IV.

The next is, to Repent of nothing, that we bave done advisedly: For we could not tell then how to do it better. These two are joined together by the wife Son of Syrach, from whom I borrowed them, Ecclus. xxxii. 19. Do nothing without Advice; and when thou hast once done it, repent not.

V.

Another Rule is, to Be of a stable and fixed Refolution; and not to be ftill changing of our Purpofe. No Man's Life can be quiet and orderly, who hath not a fettled Judgment and Intention. And efpecially to run after a new Thing, before we have finished the former; is the way never to be at reft. But as we fhould not be uncertain in our Defigns and Defires, always fickle and given to Change, So

VI,

L.

8.

We ought not to fear thofe Changes which will come unavoidably. Let us accuftom our Thoughts and reconcile our Affections to them, by confidering that every Thing in this World is effected by Changes. It is Antoninus's Obfervation, T dai finthecy, &c. What I befeech you is more friendly and familiar to uni- . 7. Sea. verfal Nature, than Changes? Thou canft not go into a Bath, unlefs the Wood be changed whereby it is heated. Nor canft thou be nourished, without the Change and Alteration of thy Food. No profitable Thing can be produced, but by the Change of fomething or other. Methinks then that thou fhouldeft difcern, that Changes in thy felf are no less neceffary and good too, in order to fome useful and excellent End.

But fince there will be Changes in our Condition, it makes the next Advice neceffary, which is,

VII.

To order Things fo, as Not to be taken unprovided. For which End we must think before-hand of all that may come, even of the worft. That which we look for, will be lefs troublesome to us. It was the wife Obfervation of Carneades, that the greatest Griefs of our Life come from hence, that the Tempest arofe unexpected. It is juft as if a great many

Guests

Guefts fhould come in upon us when we are wholly unprovided, and there is neither Meat, nor Fire, nor Servants, nor any Thing else in the Houfe, Then it is, that we run up and down, and keep a ftir, and make a noife, and all is in a great Confufion. Whereas, if we had known of it before, all Things would have been done in quiet, and we fhould have given them Entertainment with Eafe and Pleasure.

The old Story was, that if the Wolf faw a Man before he faw him, the Man was ftruck dumb: but the fame hapned to the Wolf, if he was firft efpied. The Tale may be thus interpreted; that if Dangers furprife us before we are aware of them, they are wont to bereave us of our Succours, otherwife we can defend our felves well enough, or receive them without harm. Sudden Frights commonly aftonifh us, and take away our Voice, and extreamly trouble us; but that which we are prepared for, can make no fuch terrible Affault nor frightful Noife, but filently falls upon us. If we foresee what may come, it will not give us fuch a Shock, as it will if we have no Thoughts of it. Fore-fight will put us upon the Ufe of -all thofe Means, which I have formerly dif-courfed of, and therefore we are not to fuffer our felves to be without it. Take Advice of the Son of Syrach, Ecclus. xviii. 25, 26. When -thou hast enough remember the Time of Hunger; Tand when thou art rich think upon Poverty and Need. From the Morning unto the Evening Time is changed, and all Things are foon done

before