958. WISDOM-is Power. Men at some time are masters of their Fate. 959. SOCIETY bad—corruptive. 'Tis meet That noble Minds keep ever with their likes, 960. PROGNOSTICS-fanciful or superstitious, Men may construe things after their fashion Clean from the purpose of the things themselves. 961. FIRE quick-light FUEL. Those that with haste will make a mighty fire 962. MIND-it's Power. Nor stony Tower, nor walls of beaten brass, A generous Spirit with itself at war Mistaking others, many a breast hath buried 965. REFLECTION. Neither the Eye nor Mind beholds itself But by Reflection. 966, PRUDENCE. * What is said Wisdom considers: what remains to say * φθείρεσιν ήθη χρησθ' ομιλίαι κακαι. 967. CHARACTER-Rules for discovering. * Be cautious of those Men who, reading much, Little communicate; are stern and cold:Of Men who love no Plays; and hear no Music : Who pass for great observers; and to look Quite thro' the deeds of Men, and see most keenly The faults and failings of the noblest Nature: Who seldom smile; and smile in such a sort As if they mock'd themselves, and scorn'd their That could be mov'd to smile at any thing. [spirit Such Men as these are never at heart's rest While they behold a greater than themselves : And therefore they are very dangerous. 968. FOLLY most difficult for a Man of Sense to describe. It is never more difficult for a man of sense to describe the manner of a thing, than when the thing itself is mere foolery. 969. DULLNESS-sometimes apparently exists in the most active and greatest Minds. * Some Men have mettle in the execution Of any bold or noble enterprise, Who wear at other times a tardy form. 970. ROUGHNESS-sometimes serves as a Seasoning. There is in some strong Minds a kind of roughness Which serves them as a sauce for their good wit, And gives men stomach to digest their words With better appetite. 971. PRODIGIES and OMENS-a bad CONSCIENCE the Parent of them. Times are most full of prodigies and omens Which are most full of faults:the Conscience Teems with portentous images of horror. 972. PRAISE-ill-bestowed-worthless. 973. POPULARITY. Great is the influence,-greater oft than just,- 974. VICE called forth by OPPORTUNITY. It is the bright day that brings forth the Adder: And that craves wary walking. 975. TYRANNY defined. The Abuse of Greatness is when it disjoins .977. O Resist Beginnings :-whatsoe'er is ill, Which hatcht would, as it's kind, grow mis- Principiis obsta OV. 978. MACHINATIONS of VIOLENCE. 979. CONSPIRACY. Conspiracy, [night, Shame'st thou to shew thy dangerous brow by 980. олти. § What other Oath Than Honesty to honesty engag'd? [souls Swear priests and cowards, and such suffering That welcome wrongs.-Unto bad causes swear Such creatures as men doubt. But do not stain The even virtue of a good emprize, Nor the insuppressive* mettle of true spirits, To think that, or the cause, or the performance, Can need an oath. 981. DESIRE of LEADING. There are who will not follow any thing That other men begin. 982. AGE-it's AUTHORITY. 2. Silver hairs Will purchase us a good opinion, And buy men's voices to commend our deeds. *For "unsuppressible." So MILTON uses "inexpressive:" and VIRGIL, "penetrabile." L 983. VIOLENCE—all unnecessary is TYRANNY. To cut the head off, and then hack the limbs, Is wrath in death and envy afterwards *. 984. Let us be sacrificers, but not butchers. § As Unicorns may be betray'd with trees, 986. despise it. lov'd by those who seem to 2. Tell a vain man that he hates flattery, § Subtle Conspiracy Lets not it's looks put on it's purposes. 988. HUMOUR or WHIM. Humour Will sometime have his hour with every man. 989. SLEEP-whose soundest. 3. Who has no fantasies Which busy care draws in the brain, may well 990. AIR-DAMP. 4. It is not physical To walk unbraced, and suck up the humours 991. COWARDICE. Cowards die many times before their deaths. 992. COURAGE. The Valiant never taste of Death but once. *BECCARIA says justly, even of legal Acts, "Ogni atto d'autorita che non se deriva da necessite assoluta e' tirannica." |