too much engaged in the purfuit of riches, to mind his own improvement, or any thing befides money. A bully is generally a coward. When therefore one happens unluckily to have to do with fuch a one, the best way is to make up to him boldly, and anfwer him with firmnefs; if you fhew the leaft fign of fubmiffion, hẹ will take the advantage of it to ufe you ill. A boafter is to be fufpected in all he fays. Such men have a natural infirmity, which makes them forget what they are about, and run into a thousand extravagances, which have no connection with truth. Their affertions, their profeffions of friendship, their promifes, and their threatenings, go for nothing with men of understanding and knowledge of the world. They are by no means to be trusted with a fecret. If they do not discover it from vanity, they will through levity. There is the fame danger in trufting the man who loves his bottle, and is often difordered with liquor. A meek-tempered man is not the proper perfon to folicit bufinefs for you: his modefty will be easily confounded. Nor is the man of paffion, nor the talkative man: the first will be apt to be put out of temper, and the other to forget himfelf, and blunder out fomewhat that may be to the prejudice of the negociation. The fitteft character to be concerned with, is that in which are united an inviolable integrity, founded upon rational principles of virtue and religion, a cool but daring temper, a friendly heart, a ready hand, long experience, and extensive knowledge of the world, with a folid reputation of many years ftanding, and eafy circum itances. A man's ruling paffion is the key by which you may let yourself into his character, and may pretty nearly guefs at his future conduct, if he be not a wit or a fool; for they act chiefly from caprice. There are likewife connections between the different parts of men's characters, which it will be ufeful for you to ftudy. If you find a man to be cowardly, for example, you may fufpect him to be cruel, deceitful, and fordid. If you know another to be hafty and paffionate, you may generally nerally take it for granted, that he is open and artlefs; and fo on. But these rules admit of exceptions. There are fix forts of people, at whofe hands you need not expect much kindnefs. The fordid and narrow-minded, think of nobody but their noble felves. The lazy, will not take the trouble to ferve you. The bufy, have not time to think of you. The over-grown rich man, is above minding any one who needs his affiftance. The poor and unhappy, has neither fpirit nor ability. The good-natured fool, however willing, is not capable of ferving you. In negociating, there are a number of circumftances. to be confidered, the neglect of any of which may defeat your whole fcheme. Firft, the fex. Women, generally fpeaking, are naturally diffident and timorous; not admirers of plain undifguifed truth; apt to be fhocked at the leaft defect of delicacy in the addrefs of those who approach them; fond of new fchemes; if frugal, apt to deviate into fordid narrownefs; almoft univerfally given to fhew and finery; eafily influenced by inconfiderable motives, if fuitable to their humour; and not to be convinced of the propriety of your propofal, fo much by folid reafoning, as by fome witty or lively manner of offering it; once difpleafed and always cold; if wicked enough to be revengeful, will stick at nothing to accomplish it. But this laft is an uncommon character. The age of the perfon you are to deal with is alfo to be confidered. Young people are eafily drawn into any fcheme, merely for its being new, efpecially if any circumftance in it fuits their vanity or love of pleafure. They are as eafily put out of conceit with a propofal by the next perfon they converfe with. They are not good counsellors: but are very fit for action, where you prefcribe them a track, from which they know they are not to vary, which ought always to be done. For youth. is generally precipitate and thoughtlefs. Old age, on the contrary, is flow, but fure; cautious, generally, to a degree of fufpicioufnefs; averfe to new fchemes and ways of life; generally inclining toward covetoufnefs; fitter to confult with, than to act for you; not to be won won by fair speeches, or convinced by long reasonings; tenacious of old opinions, cuftoms, and formalities; apt to be difobliged with thofe, efpecially younger people, who pretend to queftion their judgment; fond of deference, and of being liftened to. Young people in their anger mean lefs than they fay; old people more. You may make it up with moft young men ; old people are generally flow in forgiving. The proper time of addreffing a perfon, upon an affair of any confequence, is to be carefully confidered. Wait on a courtier, when he, or any friend, whofe intereft he efpoufes, is candidate for fome place or preferment. He will not then venture to give you a flat denial (however he may gull you with promifes), for fear you fhould have it in your power to traverse his design. Or when he has juft had fuccefs in fome of his fchemes; for, being then in good humour, he may give you a more favourable reception. Do bufinefs with a phlegmatic, flow man, after he has drank his bottle; for then his heart is open. Treat with a gay man in the morning; for then, if ever, his head is clear, SECT. V. Of the Regard due to the Opinion of others. Of T HERE is a weakness very common among the beft fort of people, which is very prejudicial, to wit; letting their happiness, depend too much upon the opinion of others. It is certain there is nothing more contemptible than the good or bad opinion of the multitude. Other people lie under fuch difadvantages for coming at our true characters, and are fo often misled by prejudice for or against us, that it is of very little confequence whether they approve our conduct, if our own confcience condemns us, or whether they find fault, if we are fure we acted from honeft motives, and with a view to worthy ends. But indeed, if it were worth while to endeavour to please mankind, it is naturally impracticable; for the most part are so much governed by fancy, that what will win their hearts to day day, will difguft them to-morrow; and the humours and prejudices, which rule them, are fo various, and fo oppofite, that what will pleafe one fect or party, will thoroughly diffatisfy the contrary. A wife man, when he hears of reflections made upon him, will confider if they are juft or not. If they are, he will correct the faults taken notice of publicly by an enemy, as carefully as if they had been hinted to him in private by a friend. He, who has in himself wherewith to correct his errors, has no reason to be uneafy at finding them out; but the contrary. When one has had information of his being ill ufed by another behind his back, it is first of all neceffary to know with the utmoft certainty, the exact truth of what was faid, and the manner and probable defign of the speaker. Otherwife the confequence may be, that, after you have expreffed your refentment, you may find the whole was falfe, or not worth your notice, which laft is generally the cafe. And then you are obliged to own you went too far, fo that the other then thinks himself the offended perfon. And very few of mankind know what it is fincerely and from the heart to forgive, even after the moft abject fubmiffion. He who fets up for forgiving all injuries, will have nothing else to do. He who appears to be weak, will be often impofed on. And he who pretends to extraordinary fhrewdnefs, invites deceivers to try their talent upon him. Therefore a little fpirit, as well as much fagacity, is neceffary, to be upon even terms with the world. If you can bring yourself either not to liften to flanders against yourfelf; not to believe that they were uttered; to perfuade yourself that the perfon who uttered them, was out of humour at the time, or was drunk, or that he did not fo much mean to prejudice you, as to divert the company; that he was impofed upon with respect to your character; or that he is to be pitied and forgiven; if you can bring yourself to any of thefe, you may make yourfelf eafy, and rife above fcandal and malice. And if you should make a matter of law, or of life and death, of every idle fur mife against you, you will not be a whit the more fecure from fcandal; but the contrary. Nothing will fo effectually keep you under cover from the ftrife of tongues, as a peaceable difpofition, loving retirement and obfcurity, and averfe to meddling with the affairs of others. It is very difficult to interfere in other people's quarrels or concerns of any kind, without fuffering from it one way or other. The wifeft men are always the moft cautious of fuch interpofitions; well knowing how little good is to be done, and what a risk one runs. Even when advice is afked, it is very often without any intention of following it. And the only consequence of giving one's fentiments freely, is difobliging. The proper temper of mind for accommodating a difference, if one has any regard either to prudence or humanity, is by no means a fpiteful, a revengeful, or a four humour. For fuch a behaviour will only widen the breach, and inflame the quarrel. At the fame time, it will not be prudent to appear difpofed to put up with any terms, or drop the affair in difpute at any rate, though that is often the beft that is to be done. When one has to do with a bad man, he may think himfelf well off, if he fuffers but a little by him, and be thankful that he has got clear of him. For fuch a one will go lengths against a confcientious perfon, which he dares not to go in his own defence. It is vain to think of doing any thing by letters toward clearing up a point in difpute. One hour's converfation will do more than twenty letters. They are ticklish weapons, and require to be handled with the greateft caution. On the prefent head of differences and quarrels, it may not be amifs juft to touch upon the fubject of duels, arifing from a falfe notion of the point of honour. True honour does not confift in a wafpifh temper or a difpofition to make a matter of bloodthed of every trifle; but in an invincible attachment to truth and virtue, in fpite of fear, fhame, or death itself. And if it be better to flatter a fool, than fight him; if it be wifdom, of two evils to choose the leaft; and if the confideration of the atrocious |