The ties of friendship are at prefent fo flight, that they break of themselves: they only draw hearts near each other, but do not unite them.

A hard and polished piece of marble reflects the objects that are prefented before it. The fame may be faid of moft men. The troubles of another skim over the furface of their foul, but go no farther.

A man greater than his misfortunes, fhews that he was not deferving of them,

The courage which emulation infpires for an enterprize, foon finds the means of fucceeding.

To cease hearing a babbler is the furest way to make him hold his tongue.

The defire of pleafing is not laudable, but fo far as we endeavour at the fame time to make ourselves efteemed.

To live in quiet, we fhould undertake nothing difficult; but prefumption makes all things to be thought easy.

The inftability of our taftes is the occafion of the irregularity of our lives.

No other princes, commonly, but those who are deferving of immortality, love to encourage the talents that give a right to it.

Religion has nothing more to fear, than not being fufficiently understood.

Must one cease to be, virtuous to escape being expofed to the darts of envy? What a calamity would it be, if the fun ceafed fhining that weak eyes might not be offended!

The older love grows, the weaker it is. Friendship is ftronger in becoming old.

Nature cries aloud to the most

powerful, as well as to the most abject of men, that they are all members of the fame body.

If we perceive at prefent little genius, it is because the arts have few inventors in an age where there are fo many models.

The most infallible mark of ignorance is fuperftition.

Which of us would take notice of time, if it did not pafs away? But great is our mishap not to think of it till the moment it flies away and escapes us!

Science, when well digefted, is nothing but good fenfe and reason.

There are few perfons of greater worth than their reputation; but how many are there whofe worth is far fhort of their reputation!

However great a happiness is, there is one ftill greater; which is that of being efteemed worthy of the happiness that is enjoyed.

We ought to reckon time by our good actions, and place the reft to the account of our not having lived.

Though hope often deceives us, we have ftill the fame confidence, and our life paffes away in hoping.

All nature acts for growing, and all growth for its deftruction.

The virtue that excites envy has at least the advantage of confounding fooner or later the envious.

Modefty is always infeparable from true merit.

The beft way for fome to confole themselves for their ignorance, is to believe useless all that they do not know.

Can princes, born in palaces, be fenfible of the mifery of those that dwell in cottages?

Patriotism is nothing more than the fentiment of our welfare, and the dread of feeing it disturbed.

Every thing, even piety, is

dangerous

dangerous in a man without judg

ment.

Reafon has occafion for experience; but experience is useless without reafon.

Confcience admonishes us as a friend, before punishing us as a judge.

To believe with certainty, we muft begin with doubting.

I would be glad that there was a lefs diftance between the people and the great. The people then not believing the great to be great. er than they are, would fear them lefs; and the great, not imagining the people more infignificant and miferable than they are, would fear them more.

If beauty knew all the advantages of the modesty that heightens its charms, it would not constantly expose it to so many dangers.

Why fly from the unhappy? their state makes us more fenfible of the value of the happiness we poffefs.

To fuppofe courage in a coward, is to infpire him with courage in effect.

To make the principle of our conduct confift in the neceffity of duty, is to make it very hard and painful, and to expofe ourfelyes conftantly to the defire of breaking through it.

How many people make every thing their business, because they know not how to occupy themselves in any thing!

Experience, acquired by faults, is a very coftly mafter.

We are fond of converfing with those we love, why therefore cannot man, who loves himself fo well, remain a moment with himfelf?

Is it not aftonishing that the love

of repofe keeps us in continual agitation?

The advice given to princes is ufually of fervice to those only who give it.

Men and women, in marrying, make a vow of loving one another. Would it not be better for their happinefs if they made a vow of pleafing each other!

As foon as in converfation we have perceived the refult of the mind of thofe with whom we speak, we fhould ftop there all that is faid further, being no longer comprehended, might pass for ridiculous.

What makes fo many perfons go aftray in their arguments is, that they would fain think beyond the extent of their intellects.

The defire of doing well is debafed by the defire of appearing to have done well.

It is rare that coxcombs have not at first the afcendant in every affembly. It is the mud that rifes on the furface of the water, till, the agitation ceafing, it precipitates of itself.

t

There is no where fo much occafion for good-humour as in courts, and yet there we find leaft of it.

It is hardly poffible to fufpect another, without having in one's felf the feeds of the bafeness the party is accufed of.

Efteem has more engaging charms than friendship, and even love. It captivates hearts better, and never makes ingrates.

Vanity is lefs infupportable than affected modefty.

I efteem an honest man, who is fenfible in regard to glory; I esteem him no longer when he is captivated with vanity. 04

There

There are few friends but admit of advice, but fcarce any can abide cenfure.

By fhewing too much dread of being deceived, we often difcover the manner whereby we may be deceived.

We ufually take a confident to bave an approver.

The earnest defire of fucceeding is almost always a prognoftic of fuccefs.

Whoever places importance in little things, is fubject to treat flightly the most effential.

Many mifers prefer, to the shame of appearing fuch, the punishment of being profufe.

A covetous perfon is feldom cured of the paffion for gaming. Befides the hopes of gain, he finds in it the advantage of hiding his avarice under an air of difintereftedness.

We are usually mistaken in efteeming men too much; rarely in efteeming them too little.

honour to tell me is very true. All my acquaintance think the fame ; every one believes me happy; and nothing feems wanting to me, but to be perfuaded of it myfelf. The degree of elevation I have arrived at, has been conftantly the object of my defires: but it is now almost infupportable to me. Some fee nothing but haughtinefs and difdain in my looks; others perceive only in my fortune a lucky fingularity of your favour. All, not excepting my old friends, affect for me an indifference, which is more tormenting to me than jealoufy is to themfelves, which confumes them, and which they are afraid to difcover. The immenfe ftores of wealth you have fhowered down upon me, have not been hitherto able to fatiate my avidity, and I regret laying them out on fuperfluities, which my ftation creates as wants to me; I find, indeed, that nothing can make amends for the lofs fuftained by vain oftentation, and that a man is always punished for his vanity. You have not impofed any painful duty on me; but the public infer from thence that I am good for nothing, and incapable of rendering you any fervice. Thofe who want fome favour, flatter me; and those who require none, confider me as a bold intruder, that pretends to ufurp your pow er, and to govern you. The faults which it is fancied you commit, are imputed to me; Lam the fole object of all discontent; in not sparing me, you are thought to undergo correction. In fhort, by ftudying to fecure the permanency of your favour, I am commonly for ced to lay a restraint upon myself, intirely attentive to please you, and always reduced to the necef

fity of being quite regardless of others.

This is my condition. Judge if you have fucceeded in making me perfectly happy. You will alfo allow, that, to be happy, I fhould be certain of being fo conftantly; and who will warrant me that the enemies my credit have brought upon me, may not have themselves hereafter enough to deprive me of it, and that you yourfelf may think you have done a juft and laudable action by facrificing me to their animofity? To prevent this difgrace, and to deliver you at the fame time from the uneafiness my perfecutors give you, I believe fometimes I cannot fhew you a greater mark of gratitude, than by withdrawing from your court; and fometimes alfo, perfuaded that my retiring would pafs for the moft fignal ingratitude, I cannot refolve upon deferting you. The two oppofite fentiments diftract me, and this is the cause of the gloom you have noticed in me. My reafon fluctuates between two extremities equally rational, the love that attaches me to your perfon, and the obftacles which do not permit me to love you in tranquillity.

King. In the picture you have drawn for me of your fentiments, I fee a pretty faithful image of what I experience myfelf; though your condition and mine do not place us upon an equality, we yet refemble each other. I am a man, and confequently fubject to all the paffions common to human nature. You are ambitious, and fo am I ; but my ambition, wound up to the highest pitch, has not fuch engaging charms for me as yours may have for you. To enjoy with

more fatisfaction the honours which are due to me, I would fain perfuade myself that they are rendered to my merit, rather than to my high rank, and that these points of homage are more addreffed to my perfon than to my dignity. It is true, that in order to raife myself even above the throne which I occupy, I have always endeavoured to raise for myself a reputation, which, by its folidity rather than fplendor, might be capable of fatisfying the whole extent of my ambition; but, in defpite of all my cares, I am ftill daily expofed to the cenfure of the public, who, having continually their eyes fixed on me, judge of my actions according to their caprice. How many are there who believe they cannot fhew themselves good citizens, but by cenfuring the government under which they live? nor good politicians, but by ftraining hard to fathom the myfteries of cabinets? And now what has been the fuccefs of my ambition? More fatisfactory than that of private perfons, it is notwithstanding circumfcribed by bounds as well as theirs : nay, every thing in kings betrays all the fymptoms of the weaknefs of human nature,

As to riches, their abundance makes them lefs precious to me than they are to private perfons; fafety fpoils their relish: befides, having no trouble in acquiring them, I am not attached to them fo as that they may contribute to my happiness. I could with that all my riches confifted only in the pleasure of feeing none poor throughout my kingdom.

In refpect to the duties which I have difpenfed you from, that

you

you might enjoy in greater tranquillity all the fweets of life, I could alfo with thofe incumbent on me were in the fame condition; but herein I cannot have the same advantage as you.

The principal of my duties is employing ufefully all the moments of my life; I fpeak of thofe which I ought to confecrate to the good of the ftate. It often happens that the lofs of one of those moments cannot be repaired in the whole courfe of an age. My ruling paffion, and that which contributes moft to my happiness, is to make, if poffible, all my fubjects happy but it is a torment to me to endeavour to content the taftes, the caprices, and the too often unreasonable pretenfions of those who afpire to my favours. Experience has fufficiently convinced me how difficult it is, not to fay impoffible, to fatisfy all thofe who believe they ought to partake of them. In diftributing them, I give the preference to the deferving; but where is the perfon that does not believe but he deferves them? It is fufficient that he has fo good an opinion of himfelf as to conceive difcontent at the good I have done, and he believes this good mifplaced. Thus what does not fatisfy one man becomes an injury to many, and hence may be derived that coldness in ferving me; every function becomes then burthenfome and pain

ful; zeal is only biaffed by intereft; and each perfon, reputing me the author of his troubles, cannot imagine the defire I have for fatisfy ing him, if his defires were compatible with the public good. Can then depend upon the love of all my fubjects?

Can I even flatter myself with the attachment of thofe on whom I heaped many favours? They enjoy among themselves the sweets of a fociety, the charms of which are enhanced by harmony and friendship; and what friends can I have but those which interest procures for me?

What shall I say of the other duties annexed to my crown? In the exercise of justice, it is as dangerous for me to diffemble, as it is difagreeable to punifh; yet my clemency paffes often for weaknefs, and my fixed refolution for cruelty. In military affairs, I forget nothing for maintaining the glory and intereft of the nation'; but if I am for making and retaining conquefts, I am deemed ambitious and an ufurper; if I feek for peace, I am thought incapable of ufing my power: in civil affairs, howfoever exact the measures I have taken may be, they will be faid to be ill concerted, if not attended with fuccefs; and if, in the exercise of my legiflative capacity, I procure the abrogating of ancient laws formerly ufeful, at prefent inconvenient, and in their room have new ones enacted, this change will be confidered as a stretch of prerogative, or tendency to defpotism. In the finances, I may be accused of maladminiftration, and yet I am fenfible of the great hardships my people fuffer by contributing to the neceffities of the state. It is with regret that I impose taxes on them; I fancy that I wreft violently from myself what I ask of them; and I feel, with the most acute fenfibility, what a melancholy thing it is to fee one's felf the father of a fa mily in diftrefs.