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there waited the return of day with the utmost impatience. Fortune soothed her on this occasion; the galley made little way during the night. In the morning, the coast of France was still within sight, and she continued to feed her melancholy with the prospect; and, as long as her eyes could distinguish it, to utter the same tender expressions of regret.

W. ROBERTSON

144. EMPLOYMENT VARIABLE. Employment is much more constant in some trades than in others. In the greater part of manufactures, a journeyman may be pretty sure of employment almost every day in the year that he is able to work. A mason or bricklayer, on the contrary, can work neither in hard frost nor in foul weather, and his employment at all other times depends upon the occasional calls of his customers. He is liable, in consequence, to be frequently without any. What he earns, therefore, while he is employed, must not only maintain him while he is idle, but make him some compensation for those anxious and desponding moments which the thought of so precarious a situation must sometimes occasion. Where the computed earnings of the greater part of manufacturers, accordingly, are nearly upon a level with the day wages of common labourers, those of masons and bricklayers are generally from one half more to double those wages.

A. SMITH

145. LIBERTY TO BE GIVEN ONLY TO THOSE WHO ARE WORTHY OF IT. If we attack oppressors before we have taught the oppressed, we shall risk the loss of liberty and rouse them to oppose the progress of reason. History affords proof of this truth. How often, in spite of the efforts of the friends of freedom, has the event of a single battle reduced nations to the slavery of ages! Why not profit by this fatal experience, and wisely wait the progress of knowledge, in order to obtain freedom more effectual, more substantial and more peaceful? Why pursue it by blood and inevitable confusion, and trust that to chance, which time must certainly and without bloodshed bestow? A fortunate struggle indeed may relieve a people of many grievances, under which they labour at present: but if they wish to secure the perfection and the permanence of freedom, they must patiently wait

the period, when men emancipated from their prejudices and guided by philosophy shall be rendered worthy of liberty, by comprehending its claims.

146. EUMENES, ONE OF ALEXANDER'S CAPTAINS-HIS VIRTUE, THE SOLE CAUSE OF HIS OVERTHROW. Surely it is great injustice to impute the mischiefe contrived against worthy men, to their own proud carriage or some other ill deserving. For though it often happen, that small vices do serve to counterpoise great vertues (the sense of evill being more quick and lasting than of good), yet he shall bewray a very foolish malice, that, wanting other testimonie, will thinke it a part of wisedome, to finde good reason of the evills done to vertuous men, which oftentimes have no other cause than vertue itselfe. Eumenes, among many excellent qualities, was noted to be of singular courtesie, of a very sweet conversation among his friends, and carefull by all gentle meanes to winne their love, that seemed to beare him any secret ill affection. It was his meere vertue that overthrew him, which even they that sought his life acknowledged.

SIR W. RALEIGH

147. BOND OF NATIONS. It is with nations as with individuals. Nothing is so strong a tie of amity between nation and nation as correspondence in laws, customs, manners and habits of life. They have more than the force of treaties in themselves. They are obligations written in the heart. They approximate men to men, without their knowledge, and sometimes against their intentions. The secret, unseen, but irrefragable bond of habitual intercourse, holds them together, even when their perverse and litigious nature sets them to equivocate, scuffle and fight about the terms of their written obligations.

E. BURKE

148. THE ELEMENTS-THE NUMBER OF THEIR USES. We can never think of the clements, without reflecting upon the number of distinct uses which are consolidated in the same substance. The air supplies the lungs, supports fire, conveys sound, reflects light, diffuses smells, gives rain, wafts ships, bears up birds. 'Eέ daros тà пávта: water, besides maintaining its own inhabitants, is the universal nourisher of

plants, and through them of terrestrial animals; is the basis of their juices and fluids; dilutes their food; quenches their thirst, floats their burdens. Fire warms, dissolves, enlightens ; is the great promoter of vegetation and life, if not necessary to the support of both. We might enlarge to almost any length we pleased, upon each of these uses; but it appears to me almost sufficient to state them. G. WILSON

Man is an

149. ACTIONS INFLUENCED BY NOTIONS. animal, formidable both from his passions and his reason; his passions often urging him to great evils, and his reason furnishing means to achieve them. To tame this animal, and make him amenable to order, to inure him to a sense of justice and virtue, to withhold him from ill courses by fear, and encourage him in his duty by hopes; in short, to fashion and model him for society, hath been the aim of civil and religious institutions; and in all times, the endeavour of good and wise men. The aptest method for attaining this end hath been always judged a proper education. If men's actions are an effect of their principles, it must be admitted that principles early sown in the mind, are the seeds which produce fruit and harvest in the ripe state of manhood. How lightly soever some men may speak of notions, yet so long as the soul governs the body, men's notions must influence their actions, more or less, as they are stronger or weaker and to good or evil, as they are better or worse.

G. BERKELEY

150. INDEPENDENT EXISTENCE. P. How say you, Hylas, can you see a thing which is at the same time unseen? H. No, that were a contradiction. P. Is it not as great a contradiction to talk of conceiving a thing which is unconceived? H. It is. P. The tree or house therefore which you think of is conceived by you? H. How should it be otherwise? P. And what is conceived is surely in the mind? H. Without question that which is conceived is in the mind. P. How then came you to say you conceived a house or tree existing independent and out of all minds whatever? H. That was, I own, an oversight.

G. BERKELEY

151. RELIGION NOT TO BE TAKEN ON TRUST. He said, speaking of those persons who want not means to enquire and abilities to judge, that it was not a greater happiness to inherit a good religion, than it was a fault to have it only by inheritance; and to think it the best, because it is generally embraced, rather than embrace it, because we know it to be the best. That though we cannot always give a reason for what we believe, yet we should be ever able to give a reason why we believe it. That it is the greatest of follies to neglect any diligence that may prevent the being mistaken, where it is the greatest of miseries to be deceived. That how dear soever things taken upon the score are sold, there is nothing worse taken upon trust than religion, in which be deserves not to meet with the true one, that cares not to examine whether or no it be so. J. BOSWELL

152. WEALTH ALONE WILL NOT CAUSE A FLOURISHING KINGDOM. EUPH. But you, Lysicles, who are master of this subject, will be pleased to inform me whether the public good of a nation doth not imply the particular good of its individuals? LYS. It doth. EUPH. And doth not the good or happiness of a man consist in having both soul and body sound and in good condition, enjoying those things which their respective natures require, and free from those things which are odious or hurtful to them? LYS. I do not deny all this to be true. EUPH. Now it should seem worth while to consider whether the regular decent life of a virtuous man may not as much conduce to this end as the mad sallies of intemperance and debauchery. LYS. I will acknowledge that a nation may merely submit or be kept alive, but it is impossible it should flourish without the aid of vice. To produce a quick circulation of traffic and wealth in a state there must be exorbitant and irregular motions in the appetites and passions. EUPH. The more people a nation contains, and the happier those people are, the more that nation may be said to flourish. I think we are agreed in this point. LYS. We are. EUPH. You allow then that riches are not an ultimate end, but should only be considered as the means to procure happiness. LYS. I do. EUPH. It seems that means cannot be of use, without our knowing the end, and how to apply them to it? LYS. It seems so. EUPH. Will it not follow, that, in order to make a nation flourish, it is not sufficient to make it wealthy,

without knowing the true end and happiness of mankind, and how to apply wealth, towards attaining that end? In proportion as these points are known and practised, I think the nation should be likely to flourish.

G. BERKELEY

153.

REPUBLICKS UNFAVOURABLE TO SHINING MERIT. Republicks have many things in the spirit of absolute monarchy, but none more than this. A shining merit is ever hated or suspected in a popular assembly, as well as in a court: and all services done the state are looked upon as dangerous to the rulers, whether sultans or senators. The ostracism at Athens was built on this principle. The giddy people, being elated with some flashes of success which they owed to nothing less than any merit of their own, began to tyrannize over their equals, who had associated with them for their common defence. With their prudence they renounced all appearance of justice. They entered into wars rashly and wantonly. If they were unsuccessful, instead of growing wiser by their misfortunes, they threw the whole blame of their own misconduct on the ministers who had advised, and the generals who had conducted those wars; until by degrees, they had cut off all who could serve them in their councils or their battles. If at any time these wars had an happier issue, it was no less difficult to deal with them on account of their pride and insolence. Furious in their adversity, tyrannical in their successes, a commander had more trouble to concert his defence before the people than to plan the operations of the campaign. The nicest and best studied behaviour was not a sufficient guard for a man of great capacity.

E. BURKE

154. REASONING-MAN'S MOST APPROPRIATE INTELLECTUAL OCCUPATION. If it were inquired, what is to be regarded as the most appropriate intellectual occupation of man, as man, what would be the answer? the statesman is engaged with political affairs; the soldier with military; the mathematician with the properties of numbers and magnitudes; the merchant with commercial concerns, &c.: but in what are all and each of these employed?-employed, I mean, as men; (for there are many modes of exercise of the faculties, mental as well as bodily, which are in great measure common to us with the lower animals). Evidently in reasoning. They

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