THOUGHTS

ON

VARIOUS SUBJECTS.

PARTY

ARTY is the madness of many, for the gain of a few.

There never was any party, faction, sect, or cabal, whatsoever, in which the moft ignorant were not the moft violent; for a bee is not a bufier animal than a blockhead. However, fuch inftruments are neceffary to Politicians; and perhaps it may be with ftates as with clocks, which must have fome dead weight hanging at them, to help and regulate the motion of the finer and more useful parts.

To endeavour to work upon the vulgar with fine fenfe, is like attempting to hew blocks with a razor,

Fine fenfe and exalted fenfe are not half fo useful

as common sense. There are forty men of wit for one man of sense; and he that will carry nothing about him but gold, will be every day at a lofs for want of readier change.

Learning is like mercury, one of the moft powerful and excellent things in the world in skilful hands; in unskilful, the moft mifchievous.

The niceft conftitutions of government are often like the finest pieces of clock-work, which depending on fo many motions, are therefore more fubject to be out of order.

Every man bas juft as much vanity as he wants understanding.

Modefty, if it were to be recommended for nothing elfe, this where enough, that the pretending to little leaves a man at eafe; whereas boafting requires a perpetual labour to appear what he is not: if we have none, it beft hides our want of it. For as blushing will fometimes make a whore pass for a virtuous woman, so modefty may make a fool feem a man of fenfe.

It is not fo much the being exempt from faults, as the having overcome them, that is an advantage to us; it being with the follies of the mind as with the weeds of a field, which, if deftroyed and confumed upon the place of their birth, enrich and improve it more than if none had ever sprung there.

To pardon those abfurdities in ourselves which we cannot suffer in others, is neither better nor worse than to be more willing to be fools ourselves than to have others fo.

A man fhould never he afhamed to own he has been in the wrong, which is but faying, in other words, that he is wifer to-day than he was yesterday.

The best way to prove the clearness of our mind, is by fhewing its faults; as when a ftream difcovers

The

the dirt at the bottom, it convinces us of the transparency and purity of the water.

Our paffions are like convulfion-fits, which, though they make us ftronger for the time, leave us the weaker ever after.

To be angry is to revenge the fault of others upon ourselves.

A brave man thinks no one his fuperior who does him an injury; for he has it then in his power to make himself superior to the other by forgiving it.

To relieve the oppreffed is the moft glorious act a man is capable of; it is in fome measure doing the business of God and Providence.

I as little fear that God will damn a man that has charity, as I hope that the priests can fave one who has not.

Superftition is the fpleen of the foul.

Atheists put on a falfe courage and alacrity in the midft of their darkness and apprehenfions, like children who, when they fear to go in the dark, will fing for fear.

An Atheist is but a mad ridiculous derider of piety; but a hypocrite makes a fober jeft of God and religion: he finds it easier to be upon his knees than to rife to a good action: like an impudent debtor, who goes every day to talk familiarly to his creditor, without ever paying what he owes.

VOL. VI.

B b

What Tully fays of war may be applied to difputing, it should be always fo managed, as to remember that the only end of it is peace; but generally true difputants are like true fportfien, their who e delight is in the purfuit; and a difputant no more cares for the truth than the sportsman for the hare.

The Scripture in time of difputes is like an open town in time of war, which serves indifferently the occafions of both parties; each makes use of it for the prefent turn, and then refigns it to the next comer to do the fame.

Such as are ftill obferving upon others, are like those who are always abroad at other men's houses, reforming every thing there, while their own runs to ruin.

When men grow virtuous in their old age, they only make a facrifice to God of the devil's leavings.

Some old men by continually praifing the time of their youth, would almost perfuade us that there were no fools in those days; but unluckily they are left themselves for examples.

When we are young, we are flavishly employed in procuring fomething whereby we may live comfortably when we grow old; and when we are old, we perceive it is too late to live as we propofed.

The world is a thing we muft of neceffity either laugh at or be angry at; if we laugh at it, they

fay we are proud; if we are angry at it, they fay we are ill-natured.

People are fcandalized if one laughs at what they call a ferious thing. Suppofe I were to have my head cut off to-morrow, and all the world were talking of it to-day, yet why might I not laugh to think, what a buftle is here about my head.

The greatest advantage I know of being thought a wit by the world is, that it gives one the greater freedom of playing the fool.

We ought in humanity no more to despise a man for the misfortunes of the mind than for those of the body, when they are fuch as he cannot help. Were this thoroughly confidered, we should no more laugh at one for having his brains crack'd than for having his head brokę.

A man of wit is not incapable of business, but above it. A fprightly generous horfe is able to carry a pack faddle as well as an afs; but he is too good to be put to the drudgery.

Wherever I find a great deal of gratitude in a poor man, I take it for granted there would be as much generofity if he were a rich man.

Flowers of rhetoric in fermons and ferious dif courfes are like the blue and red flowers in corn, pleafing to those who come only for amufement, but prejudicial to him who would reap the pro fit from it.