L'Amicitia se deve s'drucire non straciare.-Friendship should be unsew'd, and not ript. But, 855. Bishop Hall says, I will use my friend as Moses did his rod; whilst it was a rod he held it familiarly in his hand, but when it became a serpent he ran away from it.

856. True friendship is the kindness of two persons grounded upon vertue, and supported by a mutual communication of all comforts and benefits.

857.

858.

But,

What friendship shall we call that which must end, or what happiness therein taken, which must change for bitter torment, society in damnation, and eternal cursing each other as the natural causes of one another's misery.

The most illustrious friendship is that which is cemented by a religious fear, and love of God, without any regard to interest, passion, personal kindness, flattery, &c.

ENEMIES.

859. BE as solicitous to avoid making ENEMIES, as to gain friends.

860. Opportunities of doing mischief are no less frequent than those of doing good.

861. Injure no man; the meanest person may, once in seven years, have an opportunity of doing you much good or harm.

Beter een hond te vrient als te vyant.—'Tis better the dog be your friend than your foe.

863. Tho' we have a thousand friends we may lack more, but one enemy is too much.

864.

"Birds feed on birds, beasts on each other prey,
But savage man alone doth man betray ;

Press'd by necessity they kill for food,

Man undoes man, to do himself no good;

With teeth and claws, by nature arm'd, they hunt,
Nature's allowance to supply their want ;

865.

866.

867.

868.

869.

But man with smiles, embraces, friendship, praise,
Inhumanely his fellow's life betrays.

With voluntary pains works his distress,
Not thro' necessity, but wantonness."

Despise no enemy, especially at court.

Where jealousy holds the scale, a drop of detraction will turn the beam.

Mens lives and fortunes may be blasted by the breath of far meaner persons than themselves, who making use of all advantages, often bring greater strength, wisdom, and innocency than their own to ruin and destruction.

The more an enemy appears submissive, flattering, and complaisant, the more mistrust him.

Plato being told that some body had defam'd him, said, It matters not, I will live so as no body shall believe him.

870. To do nothing amiss is the best way of being reveng'd of our enemies.

SECRETS.

DID not vanity or interest continually solicit the discovery of all important secrets, the levity of youth and weakness of age, may induce us to believe there are critical minutes wherein most want discretion.

Openness has the mischief tho' not the malice of treachery.

An habit of secresy is both politick and moral. The eyes, tongue, and looks, are the windows and doors, no less than the interpreters of the hearts of men ; every passion gives a particular cast to the countenance, and is apt to discover it self in some feature or other.

It's the business of wisdom to keep every thing from breaking out that may be safer hid than reveal'd.

The JESUITS give it in precept to wait upon him with whom you speak with your eye, well knowing that many close mouths have transparent coun

877.

tenances, more
words.

to be rely'd on than a man's

GRACIAN tells us, Man's life is a perpetual conflict with man himself. An expert person uses for weapons the stratagems of intention: He never does what he seems to have a mind to do. He takes aim, 'tis true; but that's only to deceive the eyes of those that look upon him. He blurts out a word, and afterwards does what no body dreamt of. If he comes out with a saying, it is to amuse the attention of his rivals; and whilst they are taken up in considering what he drives at, he presently acts what never came into their thoughts. He then, that takes heed not to be impos'd upon, prevents the cunning of his companion by good reflections. He always understands the contrary of what one wou'd have him, and thereby immediately discovers the stratagem. He parries the first pass, and expects the second, or third, in a good guard : And when afterwards his artifice comes to be known, he refines his dissimulation, making use of truth her self to deceive by. To change his cunning he changes his ground, and battery. His artifice is to have no more art, and all his subtilty is to pass from dissimulation to candour. He who observes with a piercing eye, knows the arts of his rival, stands