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one, but he is discovered to want it, and than all his patre and labour to seem to have it is lost. There is something unnatural in painting, which a skilful eye will easily discern from native beauty and complexion,

It is hard to personate and act a part long; for where truth is not at the bottom, nature will always be endeavouring to return, and will peep out and betray herself one time or other. Therefore if any man think it convenient to seem good, let him be so indeed, and then his goodness will appear to every body's satisfaction; for truth is convincing, and carries its own light and evidence along with it, and will not only commend us to every man's conscience, but which is much more, to God, who searcheth and seeth our hearts, ́ so that upon all accounts sincerity is true wisdom. Particularly as to the affairs of this world, integrity hath many advantages over all the fine and artificial ways of dissimulation and deceit; it is much the plainer and easier, much the safer and more secure way of dealing in the world; it hath less of trouble and difficulty, of entanglement and perplexity, of danger and hazard in it; it is the shortest and nearest way to our end, carrying us thither in a straight line, and will hold out and last longest. The arts of deceit and cunning do continually grow weaker and less effectual and serviceable to them that use them; whereas integrity gains strength by use, and the more and longer any man practiseth it, the greater service it does him, by confirming his reputation, and encouraging those with whom he hath to do, to repose the greater trust and confidence in him, which is an unspeakable advantage in the business and affairs of life.

But a dissembler must always be upon his guard, and watch himself carefully, that he do not contradict his own pretence; for he acts an unnatural part, and therefore must put a continual force and restraint upon himself. Truth always lies uppermost, and if a man do not carefully attend, he will be apt to bolt it out: whereas he that acts sincerily, bath the easiest task in the world; because he follows, nature and so is put to no trouble and care about his words and actions; he needs not invent any pretences before-hand, not make excuses afterwards for any thing he hath said a done.

But insincerity is very troublesome to manage; a man bath so many things to attend to, so many ends to bring

together, as make his life a very perplext and intricate thing. Oportet mendacem esse memorem; a lyar has need have a good memory, lest he contradict at one time what he said at another; but truth is always consistent with it-self, and needs nothing to help it out; it is always near at hand, and sits upon our lips, and is ready to drop out before we are aware; whereas a lye is troublesome, and sets a man's invention upon the rack, and one trick needs a great many more to make it good. It is like building upon a false foundation, which continually stands in need of props to shoar it up, and proves at last more chargeable, than to have raised a substantial building at first upon a true and solid foundation; for sincerity is firm and substantial, and there is nothing hollow and unsound in it, and because it is plain and open, fears no discovery, of which the crafty man is always in danger, and when he thinks he walks in the dark, all his pretences are so transparent, that he that runs may read them; he is the last man that finds himself to be found out, and whilst he takes it for granted that he makes fools of others, he renders himself ridiculous.

Add to all this, that sincerity is the most compendious wisdom, and an excellent instrument for the speedy dispatch of business; it creates confidence, in those we have to deal with, saves the labour of many enquiries, and brings things to an issue in few words: it is like travelling in a plain beaten road, which commonly brings a man sooner to his journey's end, than by- ways, in which men often lose themselves. In a word, whatsoever convenience may be thought to be in falsehood and dissimulation, it is soon over; but the inconvenience of it is perpetual, because it brings a man under an everlasting jealousy and suspicion, so that he is not believed when he speaks truth, nor trusted when perhaps he means honestly: when a man hath once forfeited the reputation of his integrity, he is set fast, and nothing will then serve his turn, neither truth nor falsehood.

And I have often thought, that God hath in great wisdom hid from men of false and dishonest minds the wonderful advantages of truth and integrity to the prosperity even of our wordly affairs; these men are so blinded by their covetousness and ambition, that they cannot look beyond a present advantage, nor forbear to seize upon it, tho' by ways never so indirect; they cannot see so far, as to the re

mote consequences of a steady integrity, and the wast benefit and advantages which it will bring a man at last. Were but this sort of men wise and clearsighted enough to discern this, they would be honest, out of very knavery, not out of any love to honesty and virtue, but with a crafty design to promote and advance more effectually their own interests} and therefore the justice of the divine providence hath hid this truest point of wisdom from their eyes, that bad men might not be upon equal terms with the just and upright, and serve their own wicked designs by honest and lawful

means.

Indeed, if a man were only to deal in the world for a day, and should never have occasion to converse more with mankind, never more need their good opinion, or good word, it were then no great matter (speaking as to the concernments of this world) if a man spent his reputation all at once, and ventured it at one throw: but if he be to continue in the world, and would have the advantage of conversation whilst he his in it, let him make use of truth and sincerity in all his words and actions, for nothing but this will last and hold out to the end, all other arts will fail, but truth and integrity will carry a man through, and bear him out to the last.

'Tis the observation of Salomon, Prov. 12, 19. The lip of truth is established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment. And the wiser any man is, the more clearly will he discern, how serviceable sincerity is to all the great ends and purposes of human life; and that man hath made a good progress, and profited much in the school of wisdom, who valueth truth and sincerity according to their worth. Every man will readily grant them to be great virtues, and arguments of a generous mind, but that there is so much of true wisdom in them, and that they really serve to profit our interest in this world, seems a great paradox to the generality of men; and yet I doubt not but it is undoubtedly true, and generally found to be so, in the experience of mankind.

Lastly, consider that it is not worth our while to dissemble, considering the shortness and especially the uncertainty of our lives. To what purpose should we be so cunning, when our abode in this world is so short and uncertain? Why should any man by dissembling his judgment,

or acting contrary to it, incur at once, the displeasure of God, and the discontent of his own mind? Especially if we consider, that all our dissimulation shall one day be made manifest and published on the open theatre of the world, before God, angels and men, to our everlasting shame and confusion; all disguise and vizards shall then be pluckt off, and every man shall appear in his true colours. For then the secrets of men shall be judged, and God will bring every work into judgment, and every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil. Nothing is now covered, which shall not then be revealed, nor hid, which shall not then be known.

Let us then be now what we would be glad to be found in that day, when all the pretences shall be examined, and the closest hypocrisy of men shall be laid open and dasht out of countenance; when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed, and all the hidden works of darkness shall be revealed, and all our thoughts, words and actions shall be brought to a strict and severe trial, and be censured by that impartial and infallible judgment of God, which is according to truth; in the day, when God shall judge the secrets of by Jesus Christ.

men,

To whom, with the father and the holy ghost, be glory now and for ever.

Amen.

TEMPLE.

SIR *) WILLIAM TEMPLE, geboren zu London 1628, stammte aus einer angesehenen Familie. Nachdem er sich gute Schulkenntnisse erworben hatte, bezog er in seinem ì7ten

*) Der eigentliche Adeb in England besteht aus den Herzögen, Marquis, Grafen oder Earls, Viscounts und Baronen. Sie allein sind Noblemen, heissen zusammen Lords, sind Peers des Reichs und haben Sitz und Stimme im Oberhause. Die Ritterschaft, oder, nach unserer Art zu reden, der niedere Adel, begreift die Baronets und Knights unter sich. Beide sind von den Gemeinen (Commoners) in weiter nichts unterschieden, als durch den Titel, welcher in dem Worte Sir besteht, das man vor ihren Taufnamen setzt, als z. B. Sir Isaac Newton; (man hüte sich demnach dieses Sir durch Herr zu übersetzen; os mufs unverändert

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Jahre die Universität zn Cambridge. Her machte er bei seinen vorzüglichen Anlagen nicht nur glückliche Fortschritte in den ihn, als künftigen Geschäftsmann, zunächst angehenden Wissenschaften, sondern er setzte auch das Studium der Griechischen und Römischen Klassiker fort, beschäftigte sich mit Dichtkunst und Beredsamkeit, und brachte es in der Französischen und Spanischen Sprache zu einer seltenen Vollkom→ menheit. Nach einem zweijährigen Aufenthalt an diesem Orte, ging er auf Reisen, besuchte Frankreich, wo er zwei Jahre blieb, und durchreis'te hierauf Flandern, Holland und einen Theil von Deutschland. Nach seiner Rückkehr (1654), vermählte er sich mit einer Mifs Osborn, lebte hierauf, während Oliver Cromwell's Usurpation, fünf Jahre in der grössten Eingezogenheit in Irland, und studierte während dieser Zeit mit allem Eifer, vorzüglich Geschichte und Philosophie. Nach der Wiedereinsetzung der Königl. Familie begann er seine Laufbahn als Geschäftsmann, und das Vaterland hatte sich seiner Dienste zwanzig Jahre hindurch zu erfreuen. Der Lord-Kanzler Clarendon und der Graf Arlington hatten ihn dem Könige empfohlen, und dieser brauchte ihn nun bei verschiedenen Staatsverhandlungen. Vorzüglich macht ihm während seiner diplomatischen Laufbahn die Tripel-Allianz Ehre, welche im Jahre 1668 zwischen England, Holland und Schweden geschlossen wurde, Sir William Temple, der sich von dieser Verbindung, welche ganz sein Werk war, ungemein viel versprach, ging hierauf auch nach Deutschland, um den Kaiser und einige Deutsche Fürsten zur Theilnahme an derselben zu bewegen; allein er hatte den Verdrufs zu sehen, dafs sein eigner Hof kaltsinnig wurde, und selbst im Begriff stand, miț Holland zu brechen. Er ward hierauf 1669 zurückberufen, und man drang nun

beibehalten werden). Es giebt übrigens der Knights oder Ritter mehrere Arten, als 1) Knight banneret, welcher im Felde unter der Fahne (banner) ernannt wird; da der König jetzt nicht mehr zu Felde zieht, so kann er deren auch nicht machen. 2) Knight batchelor, der darum so genannt wird, weil er mit der Person ausstirbt, 3) der Baronet ist von dem Knight banneret und Knight batchelor darin unterschieden, dafs er über beide den Rang hat, und dafs seine Würde erblich ist. Der Titel ist übrigens der nämliche; das Wort Sir vor dem Taufnamen. Die Frauen der Knights und Baronets heissen in der Anrede Mylady. (S. Küttner's Beis träge 13tes Stück S. 63.)

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