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of fuch dignity, upon affairs of fuch importance, should appear more elevated than any character. To your worth fhould it correfpond, not to that of the speaker.

8. And now I fhall inform you why none of thofe, who stand high in your esteem, fpeak in the fame manner. The candidates for office and employment go about foliciting your voices, the flaves of popular favor. To gain the rank of general, is each man's great concern; not to fill this ftation with true manlike intrepidity.

9. Courage, if he poffefs it, he deems unneceffary; for, thus he reafons; he has the honor, the renown of this city to fupport him; he finds himself free from oppression and control; he needs but to amuse you with fair hopes; and thus he fecures a kind of inheritance in your emolu. ments. And he reafons truly.

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But, do you yourselves once affume the conduct of your own affairs; and then, as you take an equal fhare of duty, fo fhall you acquire an equal fhare of glory. Now, your minifters and public fpeakers, without one thought of directing you faithfully to your true intereft, reign themfelves entirely to thefe generals. Formerly you divided into claffes, in order to raise the supplies; now the business of the claffes is to gain the management of public affairs.

II. The orator is the leader; the general feconds his attempts; the Three Hundred are the affiftants on each fide; and all others take their parties, and ferve to fill up the feveral factions. And you fee the confequences.

12. This man gains a ftatue; this amaffes a fortune; one or two command the State; while you fit down unconcerned, witneffes of their fuccefs; and for an uninterrupted courfe of eafe and indolence, give them up thofe great and glorious advantages, which really belong to you.

JUDGE HALE'S ADVICE TO HIS CHILDREN.

OBSERVE and mark as well as you may,

what is the temper and difpofition of thofe perfons, whofe Speeches you hear, whether they be grave, ferious, fober, wife, difcreet perfons. If they be fuch, their speeches commonly

commonly are like themselves, and well deferve your atten

tion and obfervation.

2. But, if they be light, impertinent, vain, paffionate perfons, their fpeech is for the most part accordingly; and the best advantage that you will gain by their fpeech, is but thereby to learn their difpofitions; to difcern their failings, and to make yourselves the more cautious both in your converfation with them, and in your own fpeech and deportment; for in the unfeemlinefs of their speech you may better difcern and avoid the like in yourselves.

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3. If any perfon, that you do not very well know to be a perfon of truth, fobriety, and weight, relate strange stories, be not too ready or eafy to believe them, nor report them after him. And yet, unless he be one of your familiar acquaintance, be not too forward to contradict him; or if the neceffity of the occafion require you to declare your opinion of what is fo reported, let it be modeftly and gently, not too bluntly or coarfely. By this mean, on the one fide, you will avoid being abufed by your too much credulity; on the other fide, you will avoid quarrels and distaste.

4. If any man fpeak any thing to the difadvantage or reproach of one that is abfent, be not too ready to believe it; only obferve and remember it; for it may be it is not true, or it is not all true, or fome other circumstances were mingled with it, which might give the business reported a justification, or at least an allay, an extenuation, or a reasona ble excufe.

5. If any perfon report unto you fome injury done to you by another, either in words or deeds, do not be over hafty in believing it, nor fuddenly angry with the person fo accufed; for it is poffible it may be falfe or mistaken; and how unfeemly a thing will it be, when your credulity and paffion fhall perchance carry you upon a fuppofed injury, to do wrong to him that hath done you none.

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6. When a perfon is accufed or reported to have injuryou, before you give yourself leave to be angry, think with yourself, why fhould I be angry before I am certain it is true; or if it be true, how can I tell how much I fhould be angry,'till I know the whole matter? Though it may be he hath done me wrong, yet poffibly it is mifreprefented, or it was done by mistake, or it may be he is forry

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7. I will not be angry till I know there be cause, and if there be caufe, yet I will not be angry till I know the whole caufe; for till then, if I must be angry at all, yet I know not how much to be angry; it may be it is not worth my anger, or if it be, it may be it deferves but a lit tle. This will keep your mind and carriage upon fuch occafions in a due temper and order; and will disappoint malicious or officious tale-bearers.

8. If a man, whofe integrity you do not very well know, make you great and extraordinary profeffions and promifes, give him as kind thanks as may be, but give not much credit to it. Caft about with yourself what may be the reason of his wonderful kindness; it is twenty to one but you will find foniething that he aims at, befide kindness to you.

9. If a man flatter and commend you to your face, or to one that he thinks will tell you of it, it is a thousand to one, either he hath deceived and abused you fome way, or means to do fo. Remember the fable of the fox commending the finging of the crow, when she had fomewhat in her mouth that the fox liked.

10. If a perfon be choleric, paffionate, and give you ill language, remember, firft, rather to pity him than to be moved into anger and paffion with him; for moft certainly that man is in a diftemper, and difordered. Obferve him calmly, and you fhall fee in him fo much perturbation and disturbance, that you will easily believe he is not a pattern to be imitated by you, and therefore return not choler for anger; for you do but put yourself into a kind of frenzy because you fee him fo.

II. Be fure you return not railing, reproaching, or reviling for reviling; for it doth but kindle more heat, and you will find filence, or at least very gentle words, the most exquifite revenge for reproaches that can be; for either it will cure the diftemper in the other, and make him fee and be forry for his paffion, or it will torment him with more perturbation and disturbance.

12. Some men are excellent in the knowledge of hufbandry, fome of planting, fome of gardening, fome in the mathematics, fome in one kind, fome in another; in all your converfation, learn as near as you can wherein the fkill and excellence of any perfon lies, and S

him upon

talk

talk of that fubject, and obferve it and keep it in memory or writing; by this mean you will glean up the worth and excellence of every perfon you meet with, and at an easy your ufe upon all rate put together that which may be for

occafions.

Converfe not with a liar or a swearer, or a man of 13. obfcene or wanton language; for either he will corrupt you, or at least it will hazard your reputation to be one of the like making. And if it doth neither, yet it will fill your memory with such discourses, that will be troublesome to you in after-time, and the returns of the remembrance of the paffages which you long fince heard of this nature, will haunt you, when your thoughts fhould be better employed.

14. Let your fpeech be true; never fpeak any thing for a truth which you know or believe to be falfe. It is a great fin against God who gave you a tongue, to speak your offence against humanity itfelf; for where there is no truth, there can be no fafe fociety between man and man. muft As must be careful not to lie, fo 15. you avoid coming near to it: you must not equivocate, you must not speak that abfolutely, which you have but by hearsay or relation you must not speak that as upon knowledge which you have but by conjecture or opinion only.

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16. Let your words be few, efpecially when your bet ters, or ftrangers, or men of experience or understanding, are prefent; for you do yourself at once two great mischiefs. First, you betray and discover your own weakness and folly. Secondly, you rob yourself of that opportunity which you might otherwise have to gain knowledge, wisdom, and experience, by hearing those whom you filence by your impertinent talking.

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17. Be not over earnest, loud, or violent in talking; for it is unfeemly; and earnest and loud talking make you overfhoot and lofe fhould be confidbusiness. When your ering and pondering your thoughts, and how to express them fignificantly, and to the purpose, you are striving to keep your tongue going, and to filence an opponent, not with reafon, but with noife.

18. Be careful not to interrupt another in his talk; hear him out; you will understand him the better, and be able give him the better anfwer. It may be, if you will give

him

him leave, he will fay fomething more than you have yet heard, or well understood, or that which you did not expect.

19. Always before you speak, especially where the bufinefs is of moment, confider beforehand, weigh the sense of your mind, which you intend to utter; think the exupon preffions you intend to ufe, that they may be fignificant, pertinent, and inoffenfive; and whereas it is the ordinary courfe of inconfiderate perfons to fpeak their words, and then to think, or not to think till they speak; think first and fpeak after; if it be in any matter of moment or feriousness.

20. Be fure you give not an ill report to any that you are not fure deferves it. And in moft cafes, though a man deferve ill, yet you should be fparing to report him fo. In - fome cafes indeed you are bound, in honefty and juftice, to give that account concerning the demerit or default of a person that he deferves.

21. Avoid fcoffing, and bitter and biting jeering, and jefting, efpecially at the condition, credit, deformity, or natural defects of any perfon; for these leave a deep impreffion, and are most apparent injuftice; for were you fo ufed, you would take it amifs; and many times fuch an injury costs a man dear, when he little thinks of it.

22. Be very careful that you give no reproachful, bitter, menacing, or spiteful words to any perfon; nay not to fervants or other perfons of an inferior condition. There is no perfon fo mean but that you may stand in need of him in one kind, or at fome time or another. Good words make friends, bad words make enemies; it is the best prudence in the world to make as many friends as honeftly you can.

23. If there be occafion for you to fpeak in any company, always be careful, if you speak at all, to speak lateft, efpecially if ftrangers are in company; for by this mean you will have the advantage of knowing the fenfe, judgment, temper, and relations of others, which may be a great light and help to you in ordering your fpeech; and you will better know the inclination of the company, and fpeak with more advantage and acceptation, and with more fecurity againft giving offence.

24. Be careful that you commend not yourselves; it is the most useless thing that can be. You' fhould avoid flattery from others, but efpecially decline flattering yourfelves.

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