William, whofe title was much more controverted than that of her Majefty's fucceffor can ever probably be, did for feveral years leave the adminiftration of the kingdom in the hands of Lords Juftices, during the height of a war, and while the abdicated Prince himself was frequently attempting an invafion: from whence one might imagine, that the regents appointed by parliament upon the demise of the crown,would be able to keep the peace during an abfence of a few weeks without any colleagues. However, I am pretty confident that the only reason, why a power was given of chufing dormant viceroys, was to take away all pretence of a neceffity to invite over any of the family here, during her Majefty's life. So that I do not well apprehend what arguments the elector can use to insist upon both.

To conclude; the only way of fecuring the conftitution in church and ftate, and confequently this very Proteftant fucceffion itself, will be, by leffening the power of our domestic adverfaries as much as can poffibly confift with the lenity of our government; and, if this be not fpeedily done, it will be eafy to point where the nation is to fix the blame: for we are well affured, that fince the account her Majefty received of the cabals, the triumphs, the infolent behaviour of the whole faction during her late illness at Windfor, the hath been as willing to fee them deprived of all power to do mifchief, as any of her moft zealous and loyal fubjects can defire.

THOUGHTS

THOUGHTS

ON

W

VARIOUS SUBJECTS.

E have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another. REFLECT on things paft, as wars, negotiations, factions, &c. we enter fo little into these interests, that we wonder how men could poffibly be fo bufy and concerned for things fo tranfitory; look on the present times, we find the fame humour, yet wonder not at all.

A wife man endeavours, by confidering all circumftances, to make conjectures, and form conclufions; but the fmallest accident interveening (and in the course of affairs it is impoffible to forefee all) does often produce fuch turns and changes, that at last he is just as much in doubt of events as the moft ignorant and unexperienced perfon.

POSITIVENESS is a good quality for preachers and orators, because he that would obtrude his thoughts and reasons upon a multitude, will convince others the more, as he appears convinced himself.

How is it poffible to expect that mankind will take advice, when they will not fo much as take warning?

1 forget whether advice be among the loft things, which Arifto fays are to be found in the moon; that and time ought to have been there.

No preacher is liftened to but time, which gives us the fame train and turn of thought, that elder people have tried in vain to put into our heads before.

WHEN We defire or follicit any thing, our minds run wholly on the good fide or circumstances of it; when it is obtained, our minds run wholly on the bad ones.

In a glas-boule the workmen often fling in a small quantity of fresh coals, which feems to disturb the fire, but very much enlivens it. This feems to allude to a gentle ftirring of the paffions, that the mind may not languish.

RELIGION feems to have grown an infant with age, and requires miracles to nurse it, as it had in its infancy.

ALL

ALL fits of pleafure are balanced by an equal degree of pain or languor; it is like spending this year part of the next year's revenue.

THE latter part of a wife man's life is taken up in curing the follies, prejudices, and falfe opinions he had contracted in the former.

WOULD a writer know how to behave himself with relation to pofterity, let him confider in old books what he finds that he is glad to know, and what omiffions he most laments.

WHATEVER the poets pretend, it is plain they give immortality to none but themselves: it is Homer and Virgil we reverence and admire, not Achilles or Æneas. With hiftorians it is quite the contrary; our thoughts are taken up with the actions, perfons, and events we read, and we little regard the authors.

WHEN a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this fign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him.

MEN who poffefs all the advantages of life, are in a state where there are many accidents to diforder and difcompofe, but few to please them.

IT is unwife to punith cowards with ignominy; for if they had regarded that, they would not have been cowards: death is their proper punishment, because they fear it most..

THE greateft inventions were produced in the times of ignorance; as the use of the compass, gunpowder, and printing; and by the dullest nation, as the Germans.

ONE argument to prove that the common relations of ghofts and spectres are generally false, may be drawn from the opinion held, that fpirits are never feen by more than one perfon at a time; that is to fay, it feldom happens to above one perfon in a company to be poffeffed with any high degree of fpleen or melancholy.

I am apt to think, that in the day of judgment there will be small allowance given to the wife for their want of morals, and to the ignorant for their want of faith, because both are without excufe. This renders the ad vantages equal of ignorance and knowledge. But fome fcruples in the wife, and fome vices in the ignorant, will perhaps be forgiven upon the strengthof temptation to each

THE

THE value of feveral circumstances in ftory leffens very much by distance of time, tho' fome minute circumftances are very valuable; and it requires great judgment in a writer to distinguish.

Ir is grown a word of courfe for writers to fay, This critical age; as divines fay, This finful

age.

IT is pleasant to obferve how free the prefent age is in laying taxes on the next: Future ages fhall talk of this; this fhall be famous to all pofterity: whereas their time and thoughts will be taken up about present things, as

ours are now.

THE camelion, who is faid to feed upon nothing but air, hath of all animals the nimblest tongue.

WHEN a man is made a spiritual peer he loses his firname; when a temporal, his Christian name.

It is in difputes as in armies, where the weaker fide fets up falfe lights, and makes a great noife, to make the enemy believe them more numerous and strong than they really are.

SOME men, under the notions of weeding out prejudices, eradicate virtue, honefty, and religion.

In all well-inftituted commonwealths, care has been taken to limit mens poffeffions; which is done for many reasons, and among the reft, for one which perhaps is not often confidered, that when bounds are set to mens defires, after they have acquired as much as the laws will permit them, their private interest is at an end, and they have nothing to do but to take care of the public.

THERE are but three ways for a man to revenge himfelf of the cenfure of the world; to defpife it, to return the like, or to endeavour to live fo as to avoid it: the first of these is usually pretended, the last is almost impoffible, the univerfal practice is for the second.

HERODOTUS tells us, that in cold countries beafts very feldom have horns, but in hot they have very large ones. This might bear a pleasant application.

I never heard a finer piece of fatire against lawyers, than that of aftrologers, when they pretend by rules of art to tell when a fuit will end, and whether to the advantage of the plaintiff or defendant; thus making the matter depend entirely upon the influence of the stars, without the leaft regard to the merits of the cause.

THE

THE expreffion in Apocrypha about Tobit and his dog following him I have often heard ridiculed, yet Homer has the fame words of Telemachus more than once; and Virgil fays fomething like it of Evander. And I take the book of Tobit to be partly poetical.

I have known fome men poffeffed of good qualities, which were very serviceable to others, but useless to themfelves; like a fun-dial on the front of a house, to inform the neighbours and paffengers, but not the owner within.

Ir a man would register all his opinions upon love, politics, religion, learning, &c. beginning from his youth and fo go on to old age, what a bundle of inconfiftencies and contradictions would appear at last ?

WHAT they do in heaven we are ignorant of; what they do not we are told exprefsly, that they neither marry, nor are given in marriage.

WHEN a man obferves the choice of ladies now-a-days in the difpenfing of their favours, can he forbear paying fome veneration to the memory of those mares mentioned by Xenophon*, who, while their manes were on, that is, while they were in their beauty, would never admit the embraces of an afs.

Ir is a miferable thing to live in fufpence: it is the life of a spider.

Vive quidem, pende tamen, improba, dixit.

Ovid Metam. THE Stoical scheme of fupplying our wants by lopping off our defires, is like cutting off our feet when we want fhoes.

PHYSICIANS ought not to give their judgment of religi on, for the fame reason that butchers are not admitted to be jurors upon life and death.

THE reafon why fo few marriages are happy, is becaufe young ladies spend their time in making nets, not in making cages.

Ir a man will obferve as he walks the ftreets, I believe he will find the merriest countenances in mourningcoaches.

NOTHING more unqualifies a man to act with prudence, than a misfortune that is attended with shame and guilt. THE

* De Re Equeftri.