neighbour's privacy; and remember that there is no difference between entring into his house, and looking into it. Acts of Modefty as it is opposed to boldness. 1. Let us always bear about us fuch impreffions of reverence and fear of God as to tremble at his voice, to express our apprehenfions of his greatnefs in all great accidents, in popular judgments, loud thunders, tempefts, earthquakes; not only for fear of being fmitten our felves, or that we are concerned in the accident, but also that we may humble our feives before his Almightiness, and exprefs that infinite diftance between his infinitenefs and our weakneffes, at fuch times especially when he gives fuch vifible arguments of it. He that is merry and airy at fhore, when he fees a fad and a loud tempeft on the fea, or dances briskly when God thunders from heaven, regards not when God fpeaks to all the world, but is poffeffed with a firm immodefty. 2. Be reverent, modeft and referved in the prefence of thy betters, giving to all according to their quality their titles of honour, keeping distance, fpeaking little, answering pertinently,not interpofing without leave or reafon, not answering to a queftion propounded to another; and ever prefent to thy fuperiours the fairest fide of thy difcourfe, of thy temper, of thy ceremony, as being afhamed to ferve excellent perfons with unhandfome entercourse. 3. Never lye before a King, or a great perfon, nor ftand in a lye when thou art accufed, nor offer to ju Quem Deus ftifie what is indeed a fault; but modeftly be ashamed tegit vere of it, ask pardon, and make amends. cundiæ pal lio, hujus maculas hominibus non oftendit. Maimon. Can. Eth. Πρῶτον ἀγαθῶν ἀναμάρτητον, δεύτερον δ' αιγύναι. Melas. Obitare primum eft velle nec labi via; Senec. Hip. A Chione faltem vel ab Helide difce pudorem.. Mart. 1. 1. Epig. 35, 4. Never boaft of thy fin, but at leaft lay a veil upon thy nakednefs and fhame, and put thy hand before thine eyes, that thou thou mayft have this beginning of repentance, to believe thy fin to be thy fhame. For he that blufhes not at his crime, but adds fhamelefnefs to his fhame, hath no inftrument left to reftore him to the hopes of vertue. 5. Be not confident and affirmative in an uncertain matter, but report things modeftly and temperately, according to the degree of that perfuafion which is or ought to be begotten in thee by the efficacy of the authority or the reafon inducing thee. 6. Pretend not to more knowledge than thou haft, Ecclus, 3, 25. but be content to feem ignorant where thou art, left thou beeft either brought to fhame, or retireft into fhameleinefs. Acts of Modefty as it is oppofed to Undecency. Κοσμιότης, ξυλαξία, 1. In your prayers in Churches and Places of Reli- or surgé. gion ufe reverent poftures, great attention, grave cere- Tee mony, the loweft geftures of humility, remembring that we speak to God, in our reverence to whom we cannot poffibly exceed; but that the expreffion of this reverence be according to law or cuftom, and the example of the moft prudent and pious perfons: that is, let it be the best in its kind to the beft of effences. 2. In all publick meetings, private addreffes, in difcourses, in journeys, ufe thofe forms of falutation, reverence and decency, which the custom prescribes, and is ufual amongst the most fober perfons; giving honour to whom honour belongeth, taking place of none of thy betters, and in all cafes of queftion concerning civil precedency giving it to any one that will take it, if it be only thy own right that is in question. 3. Obferve the proportion of affections in all meetings and to all perfons: be not merry at a funeral, nor fad upon a festival, but rejoyce with them that rejoyce, and weep with them that weep. 4. Abftain from wanton and diffolute laughter, pe-tulant and uncomely jefts, loud talking, jearing, and all fuch actions which in civil account are called undecencies and incivilities. H 3 5. To Phil. 4. 8. 5. Towards your Parents ufe all modesty of duty and humble carriage; towards them and all your kindred be fevere in the modefties of chastity; ever fearing leaft the freedoms of natural kindness fhould enlarge into any neighbourhood of unhandfomnefs. For all inceftuous mixtures, and all circumftances and degrees towards it, are the higheft violations of Modefty in the world: for therefore Inceft is grown to be fo high a crime,efpecially in the last periods of the world, because it breaks that reverence which the confent of all nations and the feverity of humane laws hath injcyned towards our Parents and nearest kindred, in imitation of that law which God gave to the Jews in profecution of Modefty in this inftance. 6. Be a curious obferver of all those things which are of good report, and are parts of publick honefty. For publick fame, and the fentence of prudent and publick perfons, is the meafure of good and evil in things indifferent and charity requires us to comply with whofe fancies and affections which are agreeable to nature, or the analogy of vertue, or publick laws, to old cuftoms. It is againft Modefty for a woman to marry a fecond Husband as long as the bears a burthen by the first, or to admit a fecond love while her funeEt meretrix ral tears are not wiped from her cheeks. It is against abigit teftem publick honefty to do fome lawful actions of privacy veló que ferá- in publick theatres, and therefore in such cases retirement is a duty of Modefty. que: iaráque fi memini, fornice rima Patet. Mart. 7. Be grave,decent and modeft in thy cloathing and ornament; never let it be above thy condition nor always equal to it, never light or amorous, difcovering a nakedness through a thin veil, which thou pretendeft to hide, never to lay a fnare for a foul; but remember what becomes a Chriftian, profeffing holiness, chaftity, and the difcipline of the holy Jefus: and the firit effect of this let your fervants feel by your Tuta fit ornatrix: odi quæ fauciat ora Devover, & tangit Domina caput illa, fimulque Ovid, gentleness and aptness to be pleased with their ufual diligence, and ordinary conduct. For the man or woman that is dreffed with anger and impatience wear pride under their robes, and immodefty above. 18, 8. Hither alfo is to be reduced fingular and affected walking, proud, nice and ridiculous geftures of body, painting and lascivious dreffings: all which together God reproves by the Prophet, The Lord faith, Because Ifai.3.16, 17 the daughters of Sion are haughty, and walk with ftretched-forth necks and want on eyes, walking and mincing as tbeygo,and make atinkling with their feet. Therefore the Lord will fmite her with a fcab of the crown of the head, and will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments. And this duty of Modefty in this inftance is exprefly enjoyned to all Chriftian women by S. Paul, That wo- 1 Tim. 2.34 men adorn themselves in modeft apparel with fhamefac'd nefs and fobriety, not with broidered hair,or gold,or pearl, or coftly array, but (which becometh women profeffing godliness) with good works. 9. As thofe meats are to be avoided which tempt our ftomachs beyond our hunger; fo alfo fhould prudent perfons decline all fuch fpectacles, relations, theatres, loud noifes and out cries which concern us not, and are befides our natural or moral interest. Our fenfes should not, like petulant and wanton Oedipum cu girls, wander into markets and theatres without juft tremas conje employment; but when they are fent abroad by Rea- cit calamita fon, return quickly with their errand, and remain tes. Plut. modeftly at home under their guide, till they be fent again. 10. Let all perfons be curious in obferving Modefty towards themfelves in the handfom treating their own body, and fuch as are in their power, whether living or dead. Againft this Rule they offend who expose to others their own, or pry into others nakedness beyond the limits of neceffity, or where a leave is not made holy by a permiffion from God. It is alfo faid that God was pleafed to work a miracle about the body of Epiphanius, to reprove the immodeft curiofity of an unconcerned perfon, who pried too near when charitable people were compofing it to the grave. In all thefe cafes and particulars, although they feem little, yet our duty and concernH 4 ment riofitas in ex ment is not little. Concerning which I ufe the words of the Son of Sirach, He that defpifeth little things, fhall perish by little and little. SECT. VI. Of Contentedness in all Eftates and Accidents. VErt Ertues and difcourfes are like Friends neceffary in all Fortunes; but thofe are the beit which are Friends in our fadneffes, and fupport us in our forrows and fad accidents: and in this fence no man that is vertuous can be friendless; nor hath any man reafon to complain of the Divine Providence, or accufe the publick diforder of things, or his own infelicity, fince God hath appointed one remedy for all the Evil in the World, and that is a contented Spirit. For this alone makes a man pafs through fire, and not be fcorched; through Seas and not be drowned; through hunger and nakedness, and want nothing. For fince all the evil in the world confifts in the disagreeing between the object and the appetite, as when a man hath what he defires not, or defires what he hath not, or defires amifs; he that compofes his Spirit to the prefent accident hath variety of inftances for his vertue, but none to trouble him, because his defires enlarge not beyond his present fortune and a wife man is placed in the variety of chances, like the nave or centre of a wheel in the midst of all the circumvolutions and changes of posture, without violence or change, fave that it turns gently in compliance with its changed parts, and is indifferent which part is up, and which is down; for there is fome Vertue or other to be exercifed whatever happens, either Patience or Thanksgiving, Love or Fear, Moderation or Humility, Charity or Contentednels, and they are every one of them equally in order to his great end and immortal felicity; and beauty is not made by white or red, by black eyes, and a round face, by a straight body, and a fmooth skin; but by a porportion to the fancy. No rules can make amability, our minds and apprehenfions make that; and fo is our felicity and we may be reconciled to poverty |