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interest to tell it. But women, and young men, are very apt to tell what secrets they know, from the vanity of having been trusted. Trust none of these, whenever you

can help it.

In your friendships, and in your enmities, let your confidence and your hostilities have certain bounds: make not the former dangerous, nor the latter irreconcilable. There are strange vicissitudes in business!

Smooth your way to the head, through the heart. The way of reason is a good one; but it is commonly something longer, and perhaps not so sure.

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A man's own good breeding is his best security against other people's ill manners.

Good breeding carries along with it a dignity, that is respected by the most petulant. Ill breeding invites and authorizes the familiarity of the most timid. No man ever said a pert thing to the Duke of Marlborough. No man ever said a civil one (though many a flattering one) to Sir Robert Walpole.

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Knowledge may give weight, but accomplishments only give lustre; and many more people see than weigh.

Most arts require long study and application; but the most useful art of all, that of pleasing, requires only the desire.

It is very difficult to fix the particular point of economy; the best error of the two is on the parsimonious side. That may be corrected, the other cannot.

Take care always to form your establishment so much within your income, as to leave a sufficient fund for unexpected contingencies, and a prudent liberality. There is hardly a year, in any man's life, in which a small sum of ready money may not be employed to great advantage.

PRECEPTS SELECTED FROM "THE ECONOMY OF HUMAN LIFE."

(Attributed to Chesterfield.)

In 1750 there was published at London a little book entitled "The Economy of Human Life," containing a collection of maxims which purported to be "from an Indian manuscript, written by an ancient Brahmin." It excited no little interest, and the authorship of the work was attributed to Lord Chesterfield, without denial on his part. Not long after its publication, a spurious second part appeared, which the anonymous author of the original found it necessary to disown, by public advertisement. Altogether, the book made a good deal of stir, and successive editions of it have been published, nearly, if not quite, down to the present day. That Chesterfield was the author, does not seem to have been questioned until after the death of the publisher, Dodsley. It was then said that Dodsley wrote "The Economy of Human Life," and that Chesterfield permitted his name to be connected with it by rumor, in order to promote the sale, for Dodsley's benefit. There seems to be, however, no good reason for doubting that the book is really Chesterfield's. The question is discussed in volume ten of the First Series of "Notes and Queries," pages 8, 74, and 318.

The following is a selection from the precepts of the pseudo-"Brahmin.”

The first step towards being wise, is to know that thou art ignorant; and if thou wouldst not be esteemed foolish in the judgment of others, cast off the folly of being wise in thine own conceit.

Since the days that are past are gone for ever, and those that are to come may not come to thee; it behoveth thee, O man! to employ the present time, without regretting the loss of that which is past, or too much depending on that which is to come.

Endeavour to be first in thy calling, whatever it be;

neither let any one go before you in well-doing; nevertheless, do not envy the merits of another, but improve thine own talents.

Of much speaking cometh repentance, but in silence is safety.

A talkative man is a nuisance to society; the ear is sick of his babbling, the torrent of his words overwhelmeth conversation.

Avarice is the parent of evil deeds; but frugality is the sure guardian of our virtues.

From the experience of others, do thou learn wisdom: and from their failings, correct thine own faults.

Trust no man until thou hast tried him; yet mistrust not without reason; it is uncharitable.

Use not to-day what to-morrow may want; neither leave that to hazard, which foresight may provide for, or care prevent.

The fool is not always unfortunate, nor the wise man always successful; yet never had a fool thorough enjoyment, never was a wise man wholly unhappy.

A noble spirit disdaineth the malice of fortune; his greatness of soul is not cast down.

If thou sufferest not the allurements of fortune to rob thee of justice, or temperance, or charity, or modesty, even riches themselves shall not make thee unhappy.

If thou believest a thing impossible, thy despondency shall make it so; but he that persevereth, shall overcome all difficulties.

Let not thy mirth be so extravagant as to intoxicate thy mind, nor thy sorrow so heavy as to depress thy heart.

Indulge not thyself in the passion of anger; it is whetting a sword to wound thine own breast or murder thy friend.

A fool is provoked with insolent speeches, but a wise man laugheth them to scorn.

Consider how few things are worthy of anger, and thou wilt wonder that any but fools should be in wrath.

He who pitieth another recommendeth himself.

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Let not the rich presume on his riches, nor the poor despond in his poverty; for the providence of God dispenseth happiness to them both, and the distribution thereof is more equally made than the fool can believe.

Thy food, thy clothing, thy convenience of habitation; thy protection from the injuries, thy enjoyments of the comforts and pleasures of life; all these thou owest to the assistance of others, and couldst not enjoy but in the bands of society.

It is thy duty therefore to be a friend to mankind, as it is thy interest that man should be friendly to thee.

JONATHAN EDWARDS

(A. D. 1703-1758.)

JONATHAN EDWARDS, the New England metaphysician and divine, was born on the 5th of October, 1703, at East Windsor, Conn., where his father ministered to the church. His mother was the daughter of a minister at Northampton, Mass. At thirteen years of age he entered Yale College; at seventeen he graduated. Four years later he became a tutor at Yale. In 1727 he was settled as pastor of the church at Northampton, where he married and remained until 1750. Differences then arose between the congregation and himself on the subject of admissions to the communion table, and he withdrew to become a missionary among the Indians. Shortly afterwards he produced his famous treatise on "The Freedom of the Will." In 1757 he was chosen President of Princeton College, in New Jersey, but enjoyed the congenial office no longer than a year. His death occurred on the 22d of March, 1758.

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"He is not only the greatest of all the thinkers that America has produced, but also the highest speculative genius of the eighteenth century. Take him all in all, in the beauty of his character, in the elevation of his thought, his claim to stand amid the great thinkers of the world is indisputable. In England here we have just [1896] been making welcome the new edition of Bishop Butler's works, - edited by the statesman who in his retirement shows his undiminished vigour and reveals his lifelong interest in theology, and I have been comparing Butler's answer to Tindal with Edwards's, with the result that I am forced to confess that, while the rigour and vigour of inexorable logic and the strength which comes from a concentration due to the careful exclusion of all irrelevant matter are with Butler, the elevation, the insight, the oversight, the feeling of the magnitude of the problem, and the forecast of the lines along which the

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