Body appear'd all over one Wound, and Death had found unnumber'd Entrances into his Heart. Herodotus.

Of POVERTY.

ì. Overty, faid Ariftophanes, is the Mistress of Manners; and, fevere and harsh as she seems, the School of Virtue, in her State, is chiefly kept. Euripides maintains, that Riches bring on Vices, but Poverty is attended with Wisdom; and that all the truly brave and worthy are content with having only the Neceffities of Life fupply'd.

2. Ariflides, furnam'd the Juft, being very poor, was rais'd to the firft Employments in Athens; and Callias, the moft wealthy of the Citizens, endeavour'd by all Means to acquire his Friendship, yet did the other make little Account of him, perceiving he plac'd his Felicity in his Treafures. Plut. in his Life.

3. Epaminondas attain'd not to the Name of Demigod, nor Lycurgus of Saviour of the People, becaufe they abounded in Riches, but because having been poor, they knew how to be content, and to render themselves ferviceable to their Country. Plut. in the Life of Pelopidar.

4. The Exile of Diogenes was the Cause, and the Beginning of his Study of Philofophy.

5. Pythagoras liv'd on Fruit, instead of Bread. 6. Philoxenus was among the Number of thofe whom the Athenians sent to people a new Town in Sicily, and had a fpacious and well-furnish'd Houfe allotted for his Share, with an Allowance to live at bis Eafe; but perceiving that Pride and Voluptuouf nefs were stealing on his Soul, he return'd to Athens, where he had no Estate; faying, 'Tis better to lose all than myfelf.

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T. PE

Of PERFIDIOUSNESS.

Erfidioufnefs is commonly punish'd by an Effect directly contrary to the Defigns of the Perfon guilty of it; and fometimes even themselves, by the most bitter Remorse, inflict their own Tor

ment.

2. Cleomenes, King of Lacedemonia, having made Truce with the Argians for the Space of feven Days, fell on them the third Night, when they were lull'd in Sleep and Security; juftifying his Breach of Faith by this Equivocation, that in the Truce there was no mention made of Nights. But behold the Event of his Perfidiousness; the Women of Argos, enrag'd at feeing their Husbands flaughter'd before their Eyes, took up Arms, and were fo'powerfully actuated by Defpair, that they did Things which compell'd the unjuft Cleomenes not only to raise the Siege, but also to retire wholly from thair Territories. Plut. in his notable Sayings.

3. Rajirick, Duke of Cleves, having falfify'd his Faith to Lewis King of Germany, was defeated in a pitch'd Battle; and being taken Prifoner, his Eyes were put out, as a Punishment for his Perfidioufnels.

I.

Of PHILOSOPHY.

Hilofophy is the Defire of Wifdom, 'tis the study and Exercife of Science, or rather, it is the Science of all Things; and particularly teaches us to know God, and ourselves.

2. A wife Hebrew being afk'd by Ptolomy, King of Egypt, what Philofophy was, aufwer'd, that it was the Refiner of Reafon; it taught how to profit by every Thing; never to be tranfported by any Thing:

to defpife all tranfitory Pleasures, and to be rul'd by its Prefcriptions in all the Actions of Life.

3. Philofophy, faid Xenocrates, roots out all Pride, Ambition, Anger, Avarice, and Injuftice, from the Soul; and raises Humanity almost to divine.

4. Euclid, of the City of Megare, being defirous to hear Socrates, who was at Athens, and the War between these two Cities being at that Time fo violent that no Native of one could be found in the other without inevitable Death, the Love of Science nade him defpife the Danger, and, habited like a Woman, he pafs'd a Night in Difcourfe with Socraes, and return'd to Megare at Break of Day.

5. Anaxagoras left a large Patrimony for the Sake of Philofophy, which he went to ftudy at Athens At his Return, he found his Houfe ruin'd, his Lands laid wafte, and his whole Eftate in Confufion; on which, I have loft the perishable Part of my Inheritance, faid he, but I have acquir'd Treafures which cannot be taken from me: Meaning, that Philofophy was infinitely more precious to him than any worldly Good. Val. Max. 1.8.

6. After Denis the younger had been driven from his Territories, one of his Familiars afk'd him of what ufe was the Philosophy of Plato. To which he wifely answered thus. 'Tis of infinite ufe to me, faid he, because it teaches me to bear this Alteration in my Fortune with Patience. Plut. in his notable Say. ings of Kings.

I.

Of PITY.

1. A was held in

fuch Eftimation, that they had a Law among them, inviolably obferv'd, which enacted, that no Perfon fhould make a Feaft, without having firft provided fomething for all the poor People of that Neighbourhood.

2. There

2. There is nothing fo evidently proves a noble Soul as Pity; whoever is void of that humane Virtue, is a proper Inftrument for the Malice of the Fiends to work on, for the Destruction of Mankind.

3. 'Tis obfervable, to the great Difgrace of Humanity, that Man is the only Creature who wants Pity for thofe of his own Species.

4. Bears, Wolves, Tigers, Dogs, and even Cats, will couragiously defend each other, when affaulted, and lose their Lives in Vindication of their own kind': Man fights with Man, and for Hire combats his own Likeness.

1.

Of PLEASURE.

Leafure animates the Soul, and gives it Wings to fly to the Execution of its Laws, but des bilitates it for ought befides.

2. Moderate Pleasures are the Life both of the Soul and Body, but too much indulged, render the Under. Atanding weak and unactive, beget Diseases, and bring on hafty Death.

3. To a virtuous Mind, nothing affords fo much Pleasure as the Opportunity of doing good Actions,

more than any Science whatever; because to be a good Poet, a Man must be a good Philofopher, a good Painter, a good Hiftorian, have a Brain fertile in Invention, a ready Turn of Thought, be perfectly killed in the Languages both learned and polite,

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know

know the very inmoft Receffes of Nature, reprefent the Paffions in all their various Degrees and Forms, and want nothing that Humanity is capable of receiving.

2. Demofthenes maintained, that Poetry fummed up all the Sciences, because none were worthy to profefs that without a perfect understanding of all the others.

3. The Ancients exprefs the Efteem they had for Poetry, by having the Oracles of their Gods always delivered in it. Diodorus.

4. Alexander the Great paid fuch Veneration to the Iliad of Homer, that he kept them in a Box of Gold among his moft precious Things, and often faid, he looked on them as the most choice Treasure he was Mafter of. Sabell. I. 2. c. 7.

5. Virgil having read with extraordinary Attention the Poet Ennius, was asked concerning his Works by one of his Friends, to which he replied, That he had found a more valuable Mine, than thofe of Gold, in the Writings of that excellent Poet. Sabell. 1.6.

€. 7.

6. Poetry, when on proper Themes, is of the greatest Service to improve the Morals, as well as Understandings of the Readers; because Delight being mingled with Inftruction, it makes the deeper Impreffion on the Mind.

7. An eminent Author fays, That Virtue when adorned in the beautiful Garment of Poetry, is too Jovely not to make the most infenfile become charmed with her.

8. Demaratus maintains, that only dull and heavy Souls are incapable of being pleased with Poetry.

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