and cull his thoughts for conversation. by suppressing some, and communicating others, whereas the other lets them all indifferently fly out in words. This sort of discretion, however, has no place in private conversation, between intimate friends. On such occasions the wisest men very often talk like the weakest; for indeed the talking with a friend is nothing else but thinking aloud.

2. Tully has therefore very justly exposed a precept delivered by some ancient writers, that a man should live with his enemy in such a manner, as might leave him room to become his friend; and with his frien1 in such a manner, that if he became his enemy, it should not be in his power to hurt him. The first part of this rule, which regards our behaviour towards an enemy, is indeed very reasonable as well as prudential; but the latter part of it, which regards our behaviour towards a friend, favours more of cunning than of discretion, and would cut a man off from the greatest pleasures of life, which are the freedoms of conversation with a bosom friend. Besides, that when a friend is turned into an enemy, and (as the son of Sirach calls bim) a betrayer of secrets, the world is just enough to excuse the perfidiousness of the friend, rather than the indiscretion of the person who confided in hin.”

3. Discretion does not only shew itself in words, but in all the circumstances of action; and is like an underagent of Providence, to guide and direct us in the ordinary concerns of life.

4. There are many more shining qualities in the mind of man, but there is none so useful as discretion; it is this indeed which gives a value to all the rest, which sets them at work in their proper times and places, and turns them to the advantage of the person who is pōscessed of them. Without it, learning is pedantry, and wit impertinence; virtue itself looks like weakness: the best parts only qualify a man to be more sprightly in errors, and active to his own prejudice.

5. Nor does discretion only make a man the master of bis own parts, but of other men's. The discreet man finds out the talents of those he converses with, and knows how to apply them to proper uses. According ly; if we look into particular communities and divisions

of men, we may observe, that it is the discreet man, not the witty, nor the learned, nor the brave, who guides the conversation, and gives measures to the society. A man with great talents, but void of discretion, is like Polyhemus in the fable, strong and blind, and endured with an irresistible force, which, for want of sight, is of no use to him.

6. Though a man has all other perfections, and wants discretion, he will be of no great consequence in the world; but if he has this single talent in perfection, and but a common share of others, he may do what he pleases in his station of life.

7. At the same that I tlk discretion the most useful talent that a man can be master of, I look upon cunning to be the accomplishment of little, mean, ungenerous minds. Discretion points out the noblest ends to us, and pursues the most proper and laudable methods of obtaining them: cunning has only private selfish aims, and sticks at nothing which may make them succeed.

8. Discretion has large and extended views, and like a well formed eye, commands a whole horizon ; cunning is a kind of short-sightedness, that discovers the 1 minutest objects which are near at hand, but is not able to discern things at a distance. Discretion, the more it is discovered, gives a greater authority to the person who possesses it: cunning, when it is once detected, loses its force, and makes a man incapable of bringing about even those events which he might have done, had he passed only for a plain man. Discretion is the perfection of reason, and a guide to us in all the duties of life: cunning is a kind of instinct that only looks out after our immediate interest and welfare.

9. Discretion is only found in men of strong sense, and good understandings: cunning is often to be met with in brutes themselves, and in persons who are but the fewest removes from them. In short, cunning is only the mimic of discretion, and may pass upon weak men in the same manner as vivacity is often mistaken for wit, and gravity for wisdom.

10. The cast of mind which is natural to a discreet man, makes him look forward into futurity, and con

sider what will be his condition millions of ages hence, as well as what it is at present.

11. He knows, that the misery or happiness which are reserved for him in another world, lose nothing of the reality by being placed at so great a distance from him. The objects do not appear little to him because they are remote. He considers that those pleasures and pains which lie hid in eternity, approach nearer to him every moment, and will be present with him in their full weight and measure, as much as those pains and pleasures which he feels at this very instant. For this reason he is careful to secure to himself that which is the proper happiness of his nature, and the ultimate design of his being.

12. He carries his thoughts to the end of every action, and considers the most distant as well as the most immediate effects of it. He supercedes every little prospect of gain and advantage which offers itself here, if he does not find it consistent with his views of an hereafter. In a word, his hopes are full of immortality, his schemes are large and glorious, and his conduct. suitable to one who knows his true interest, and how to pursue it by proper methods.

13. I have in this essay upon discretion, considered it both as an accomplishment and as a virtue, and have therefore described it in its full extent; not only as it is conversant about wordly affairs, but as it regards our whole existence; not only as it is the guide of a mortal creature, but as it is in general the director of reasonable being. It is in this light that discretion is represented by the wise man, who sometimes mentions. it under the Name of discretion, and sometimes under that of wisdom.

14. It is indeed (as described in the latter part of this. paper) the greatest wisdom, but at the same time in the power of every one to attain. Its advantages are infinite, but its acquisition easy; or, to speak of her in the words of the apocryphal writer, "Wisdom is glorious, "and never fadeth away, yet she is easily seen of them "that love her, and found of such as seek her.

5. "She preventeth them that defige her, in making

"herself first known unto them. He that feeketh her "early shall have no great travel: for he shall find her sitting at his doors. To think therefore upon her in perfection of wisdom, and whofo watcheth for her "shall quickly be without care. For fhe goeth about feeking fuch as are worthy of her, fheweth herself fa"vourable unto them in the ways, and meeteth them "in every thought."

ON CLEANLINESS.

Spectator, No. 631, HAD occafion to go a few miles out of town, iome fellow travellers, a dirty beau, and a pretty young Quaker woman. Having no inclination to talk much at that time, I placed myfelf backward, with a defign to furvey them, and pick a fpeculation out of my two companions, Their different figures were fufficient of themselves to draw my attention.

2. The gentleman was dreffed in a fuit, the ground. whereof had been black, as I perceived from fome few fpaces that had escaped the powder which was incorporated with the greatest part of his coat; his perriwig, which coft no fmall fam, was after fo fovenly a manner caft over his fhoulders, that it feemed not to have been combed fince the year 1712; his linen, which was not much concealed; was daubed with plain Spanish from the chin to the lowest buttor, and the diamond upon his finger (which naturally dreaded the wearer) put me in mind how it fparkled amidst the rubbish of the mine where it was fir difcovered.

3. On the other hand, the pretty Quaker appeared in all the elegance of cleanliness. Not a fpeck was to be found on her. A clear, clean, oval face, juft edged about with Little thin plaits of the pureft cambric, received great advantages from the fade of her black hood; as did the whiteness of her arms from that fober-coloured ftoff in which fe had cloathed herself. The plainnefs of her dress was very well fuited to the fimplicity of her phrafes, all which put together, though they could not give me a great opinion of her religion, they did of her innocencet

4 This adventure occafioned my throwing together a - few hints upon eltantiness, which I fall confider as one of

the half virtues, as Ariftotle calls them, and hall recom mend it under the three following heads: As it is a mark of politenefs; as it produceth love; and as it bears analogy to purity of mind."

5. Firft, it is a mark of politenefs. It is univerfally agreed upon, that no one, unadorned with this virtue, can go into company without giving a manifeft offence. The eafier or higher any one's fortune is, this duty rifes proportionably. The different nations of the world are as much diftinguished by their cleanliness, as by their arts and fciences. The more any country is civilized, the more they confult this part of politeness. We need but compare our ideas of a female Hottentot with an Eng Lish beauty, to be fatisfied of the truth of what has been advanced.

6. In the next place, cleanliness may be faid to be the fofter-mother of love. Beauty, indeed, most commonly produces that paffion in the mind, but cleanliness preferves it. An indifferent face and perfon, kept in perpetual neatnefs, hath won many a heart from a pretty flattern. Age itfelf is not unamiable, while it is preferved clean and unfullied: like a piece of metal conftantly kept smooth and bright, we look on it with more pleasure than on a new veffel that is cankered with ruft.

7. I might obferve further, that as cleanlinefs renders us agreeable to others, fo it makes us eafy to ourselves; that it is an excellent prefervative of health; and that feveral vices deftructive, both to mind and body, are inconfiftent with the habit of it. But these reflections I fhall leave to the leisure of my readers, and thall obferve in the third place that it bears a great analogy with purity of mind, and naurally infpires refined fentiments and paffions.

8. We find, from experience, that through the prevalence of custom, the most vicious actions lose their horror, by being made familiar to us. On the contrary, those who live in the neighbourhood of good examples, fy from the irft appearance of what is fhocking. It tares with as much after the fame manner as our ideas. Our senfes, which are the inlets to all the images conveyed to the mind, can only tranfmit the impreffion of fuch things as ufually furround them; fo that pure and unfullied thoughts are naturally