"matter for which yow praye. And use this at an ordinarye hower. Whereby the time ytself will put yow in "remembraunce to doe that, which yow are accustomed "to doe in that tyme. Apply your study to suche houres,

"

as yowr discrete master dothe assign yow, earnestlye: and "the time, I knowe, he will so lymitt, as shal be both suffi"cient for yowr learninge, and saf for yowr health. And "mark the sens, and the matter of that yow read, as well "as the woordes. So shal yow both enrieche your tonge " with

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"corrections and afflictions, entreating him to give you wisdom and grace. "to make a sober, patient, humble, profitable use of them, and in his due "time to deliver you from them, concluding your prayer with the Lord's prayer. This will be your certain mean to bring your mind into a right "frame, to procure you comfort and blessing, and to prevent thousands of "inconveniences and mischiefs, to which you will be otherwise subjected." Sir Matthew Hale.

"Serve God, let him be the author of all thy actions, commend all thy "endeavours to him that must either wither or prosper them; please him "with prayer, lest, if he frown, he confound all thy fortunes and labours. "Like the drops of rain on the sandy ground, let my experienced advice "and fatherly instructions sink deep into thy heart."

Sir Walter Raleigh's Instructions to his Son.

The most virtuous and accomplished English Nobleman in the 17th century gave his last advice to his only son, the day before he suffered death: "Serve God diligently, morning and evening, and recommend yourself unto "him, and have him before your eyes in all your ways.'

The Earl of Strafford's Letters. Vol. II. p. 416.

"with woordes, and yowr wytte with matter; and judge"ment will growe as yeares growyth in yow. Be humble "and obedient to yowr master, for unless yow frame yowr "selfe to obey others, yea, and feale in yowr selfe what "obedience is, yow shall never be able to teach others how "to obey yow. Be curteese of gesture, and affable to all "men, with diversitee of reverence, accordinge to the dignitie of the person. There ys nothing, that wynneth so much with so lytell cost. Use moderate dyet, so as, "after yowr meate, yow may find yowr wytte fresher “and not duller, and yowr body more lyvely, and not "more heavye (4). Seldom drinke wine, and yet some"times doe, least, being enforced to drinke upon the

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sodayne, yow should find yowr self inflamed (5). Use "exercise of bodye, but suche as ys without peryll of

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yowr

yointes

(4) " If ever you expect to have a sound body, as well as a sound mind, carefully avoid intemperance: the most temperate and sober persons are "subject to sickness and diseases, but the intemperate can never be long "without them." Sir Matthew Hale.

(5) "The Rechabites were commanded by their father not to drink wine; " and they obeyed it, and had a blessing for it: my command to you is not "so strict. I allow you the moderate use of wine, and strong drink at your I only forbid you the excess, or the unnecessary use of it, and "those places and companies, and artifices, that are temptations to it."

"meats.

Ibid.

yointes or bones (6). It will encrease yowr force, and

enlardge yowr breathe. Delight to be cleanly, as well in "all parts of yowr bodye, as in yowr garments. It shall "make yow grateful in yche company, and otherwise "lothsome. Give yowr self to be merye, for yow dege"nerate from yowr father, yf yow find not yowr self most "able in wytte and bodye, to doe any thinge when yow be "most mery: But let yowr myrthe be ever void of all "scurilitee, and bitinge woords to any man, for an wound 'given by a woorde is oftentimes harder to be cured, then "that which is given with the swerd. Be yow rather "a herer, and bearer away of other mens talke, then a begynner or procurer of speeche, otherwise yow shal be "counted to delight to hear yowr self speake (7). Yf yow

"heare

(6) "Beware of too much recreation. Some bodily exercise is necessary ❝for sedentary men, but let it not be too frequent or too long."

Sir Matthew Hale.

(7) "He that cannot restrain from much speaking, is like a city without "walls; and less pain in the world a man cannot take, than to hold his ❝ tongue. Therefore if thou observest this rule in all assemblies, thou "shalt seldom err: restrain thy choler; hearken much, and speake little,

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"for the tongue is the instrument of the greatest good and greatest evil, "that is done in the world." Sir Walter Raleigh.

"heare a wise sentence, or an apt phrase, commytte yt to "yowr memorye, with respect to the circumstaunce, when

yow shal speake yt. Let never othe be hard to come "out of your mouthe, nor woord of rybaudrye; detest yt "in others, so shal custome make to yowr selfe a lawe

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against hit in yowr self(8.) Be modest in yche assemble, and rather be rebuked of light felowes for meden lyke shamefastnes, then of yowr sad frends for pearte "boldnes (9). Thinke upon every woorde that yow will

"You will particularly practice that first and greatest rule for pleasing in "conversation as well as for drawing instruction and improvement from the "company of one's superiors in age and knowledge; namely, to be a 66 patient, attentive, and well-bred hearer, and to answer with modesty."Pythagoras enjoined his scholars an absolute silence for a long noviciate. "I am far from approving such a taciturnity: but I highly recommend the "end and intent of Pythagoras's injunction, which is to dedicate the first parts of life more to hear and learn, than to be presuming, prompt, and flippant in bazarding one's own rude notions of things."

Lord Chatham's letters to his Nephew.

(8) "Avoid swearing in your ordinary communication, unless called to it "by the magistrate, and not only the grosser oaths, but imprecations, earnest "and deep protestations; as you have the commendable example of good men to justify a solemn oath before a magistrate, so you have the precept "of our Saviour forbidding it otherwise." Sir Matthew Hale,

(9) "Be not over earnest, loud, or insolent in talking, for it is unseemly : "and earnest and loud talking makes you overshoot and lose your business; " when

D

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speake, before yow utter hit, and remembre how nature "hath rampared up, as yt were, the tonge with teeth, "lippes, yea and here (1) without the lippes, and all betokening raynes or bridles, for the loose use of that “membre (2). Above all things tell no untruthe, no not "in trifels. The custome of hit is naughte, and let it not "satisfie yow, that, for a time, the hearers take yt for a "truthe, for after yt will be known as yt is, to yowr shame; for ther cannot be a greater reproche to a gentellman, "then to be accounted a lyare (3). Study and endevour 66 yowr

"when you should be considering, and pondering your thoughts, and how to express them significantly to the purpose, you are striving to keep your tongue going, and to silence an opponent not with reason but with noise." Sir Matthew Hale.

(1) Hair.

"You have two eyes and two ears, but one tongue. (2) You know my "meaning. This last you must imprison, as nature hath already done with a "double fence, and lips; or else she may imprison you. According to our ❝ countryman Mr. Hoskyn's advice, when he was in the tower,

"Vincula da linguæ, vel tibi vincla dabit."

Howel's familiar Letters, Vol. ii. 5..

(3) "Let your speech be true, never speaking any thing for a truth, which 64 know or believe to be false: it is a great sin against God, that gave you "you a tongue to speak your mind, and not to speak a lye: it is a great "offence against humanity itself; for where there is no truth, there can be no "safe society between man and man; and it is an injury to the speaker;

"for