i''.< ^ WILLIAM SMITH, CANTERBURY. SEP l^ ^98^ BLZ775 ,?g77 BIBLE OF REASON; T P-^'vp- OR, SCRIPTURES OF ANCIENT MORALISTS. PART I. COLLECTED ANl^'REN DERED BY B. F. POWELL. ' Fair-play and day-light."— Grecian Motto. " How great a shame!— to be ignorant, in the present day, of truths, with whicli some n every age. have been familiar." L'Abbe il'Otiiet. LONDON : II. HETHERINGTON, 126, STRAND; ANU SOLD GY ALL BOOKSELLERS IN TOWN AND COUNTRY. 1837. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. Antoninus, Meditations of . . » . .1 II, Aristippus, Moral Sentiments of . . . .6 III. Aristotle, MomI K,emarks of . . • -7 IV. Cicero, Moral Extracts from the Works of . .10 V. Chinese Authors, various — Moral Reflections of . .28 VI. CoNFLCi Lis, Maxims and Precepts of i . .33 \'II. Democrates, Moral Reflections of ... 42 VIII. Democritus, Moral Sentimentx of . . '. .43 IX. Demophiles, Precepts of . . . . .45 X Diogenes, Maxims of . . . . .46 XI. Epictetus, Manual of . . . . .47 XII. ILiMCURus, Doctrines of . . . » .49 XIII Heraclitus, Precepts of . . . . .69 XIV. Isocrates, Moral Reflections of . . . .70 XV. Lucretius, ditto . . . . .78 XVI. Phocylides, Precepts of . . . . .79 WII. Plato, Dialogues of . . . . .82 Will. Plutarch, Moral Reflections of . . . .85 XiX. , his thoughts on Superstition . . .04 XX Pythagoras, Golden Verses of . . . .95 XXI. Rationalist versus Dogmatist . » . .99 XXII Sadi, Maxims of . . . . . .101 XX III. Seneca, Moral Reflections of . . . .103 XXIV. Socrates, Conversations of . . . .114 XXV. Tacitus, Moral Sentiments of . . . .122 XXVI. Tueognis, Maxims of ..... 132 XXVII. Theophrastus, Characters of . . . .136 XXVIII. , Maxims of . . . .137 XXIX. Wise Men OF Greece, Sayings of . . • .138 XXX. Various Authors, Selections from • . . 145 «1BI.K OV REAHOIV. PART 1. CHAPTER I. SELECTIONS FROM THE MEDITATIONS OF ANTONINUS. 1 . The world, or universal order of being, subsists by continual action or fluctuation, in a perpetual succession of individual nativity and mortality, production and extinction : we ought frequently to reflect deeply on the nature of the universe. 2. The faculty of generative vitality is the eternizing principle. 3. Some individuals are rushing on their career of existence, and others are hastening towards decay ; nature is sustained by constant renewal, as time endures by perpetual continuance. 4. Substances naturally perish, and substances of the like kind are naturally produced, in endless progression : the flood of generations rolls on in its interminable course. 5. Tliis whole scene of objects which we now behold, will very shortly be replaced by others of similar mode. 6. Let us reflect with what celerity the scenes of life are shifted ; things glide along unceasingly like a rapid stream ; the natural action is producing continual change ; causes and effects are infinite in va- riety, and nothing is in a fixed and permanent state. 7. Matter is transformed from one form or substance to another, in an infinite operation. He who contemplates these perpetual changes and vicissitudes, thus rapidly rolling on, like one wave upon another, will entertain but an humble opinion of mortal affairs. 8. In short, the universal movement sweeps every thing before it mto the ocean of eternity and oblivion : mutability of forms, but permanency of mode, is the attribute of the universe. 9. How rapidly does each individual object vanish and disappear! The individuals themselves are respectively absorbed m the immensity of the universe, and the memory of them, by the lapse of time, is sunk in oblivion ! Every thing relating to us is fleeting and tran sient, and the reveries of the mind are as a vapour and a dream. " Then what is life ! 'Tis like a flower That blossoms through one sunny hour,— A bright illusire dream; A wave that breaks upon the shore, A lightning flash that straight is o'er, A phantom seen — then seen no more— A bubble on the stream ! 2 *ii:LK ot ^wcAAuK. J Chap. I. Thus generations pass away — Tis renovation and decay — 'Tis rliildhood and old age ; Like figures in the wixard's glass, In long succession on vre pass, Act our brief parts— and then alas ! Are swept from oft" the stage. And ye, taught well. That onward years shall only swell The catalogue of change ; Yea, while we look around, and scan AVhat happen'd in our own brief span, I'hings, which occurr'd since life began. Even to ourselves seem strange." 10. He who lias viewed the scenes of the present age, has seen every thmg that has been, or that will be, in eternal time; for the natural orders of generic being always have gone on, and always will go on, in the like uniform manner : the world never will come to an end, and it never spnuig from any origin ; but itself is eternal : the things that have been, are the things that shall be. 11. We survey the sphere immediately around us, and our minds dwell on the multiphcity of objects regarded by our senses ; our imagination ranges into the infinite expanse beyond, and extends its contemplations to the boundless gulf of endless duration ; we expe- rience and comprehend the periodical changes in every thing, and we discover that our successors will see nothing new, as our prede- cessors saw nothing more than we have seen. 12. Such is the uniformity of events, that he who has lived forty years, if he has been a man of observation, may be said to have experienced every thing past and to come. 13. If we reflect on what passes around us, we shall be convinced that all the occurrences of the present age, are but of what the histories of every age, of every nation, of every city, of every family, are full : there is nothing new, and particulars of similar mode are constantly repeated, and are evanescent. 14. All the occurrences of tlie present time, familiar to our expe- rience, are transitory in their diu'ation, and material in their nature; in fact, the natural condition is precisely such as it was in the days of our forefathers, who ended in their graves. 15. He who fears death, either fears that he shall be deprived of all sense, or that he shall have diiFerent sensations ; now, in the extinction of all sensatiori, there can be no such thing as subjection to pain or deprivation. 16. When a person's series of actions has terminated, there re- mains nothing of him that can suffer detriment. 17. The material of nothing that dies, is lost to the universe, or annihilated. 1 8. Now, let us suiTey, as from an eminence, the numerous peo- ples and communities of mankind, and their various distinctions and modifications ; then consider the sudden decomposition which every Antoninus.] bible of reason. 3 thing undergoes, and the brief span of time between their production and extinction. 19. Where are now those who once figured in the world ? No- where. If we thus reflect, all human considerations will appear to us in their true light, as mere smoke and nullities ; especially if we consider that what has once undergone dissolution will never be restored again to its identity. 20. In short, there is nothing much worth our attention but to act on all occasions with a strict adherence to truth and justice, and to live moffensively even with those who act with fraud and incivility toward ourselves. 2 1 . Every one should endeavour so to think and act, that his contemplative faculties and his personal talents, may proceed in a course of improvement. His clear conceptions, and positive know- ledge, will then produce within him an entire confidence in himself; unperceived, indeed, by others, though not affectedly disguised, which will give a simplicity and a dignity to his character ; for his constant mind will, at all times, be able to judge concerning the several objects which come before him, what is their real nature, and what their relative position among the things of the universe. 22. There is a pleasing and graceful aspect in every object we behold, when once we perceive its connexion with the general order of existence. The man who enjoys a sensibility of temper, with a just comprehension of the universal order, will discern the causes of many interesting facts, not perceptible to an unscientific mind, but to those alone who have entered into an honourable familiarity with nature and its processes. 23. The arts are only the imitations of nature ; design is but the availing ourselves of natural capabilities. 24. We should extend our critical investigations to those things which are most plausible ; we should strip them of the dazzling embellishments and false colours with which they have been tricked out by eloquence, and thus we may be able to expose their worth- lessness ; for a solemn out-side show often conceals an impostor, and when we fancy ourselves the most seriously engaged, we are most pro- bably allowing ourselves to be duped. " Pomp is a terrible sophister," said Crates. 25. We have to live, as well as to read and learn. The perusal of notes made by ourselves, and the extracts we take from other authors, will guide our conduct and amuse us in our old age, without troubling ourselves about the exploits related in history, and disregarding the imposing rites of superstitious observances. The chief end of instruc- tion is to enable us to rely on our own decisions, without requiring to be assisted by the ©pinions of others ; and this may be done by those who are no critics in the arts of rhetoric. 26. In the mind that is properly cultivated, we shall discover no symptom of vice or low-mindedness ; nothing unsound under a spe- B 2 4 BIBLE OF REASON, [CflUp I. cious display. Sucli a man can never be regarded as not having completed his moral character ; for nothing; remains about him of servility, nor of ostentation ; nothing embarrassed, nothing selfish ; nothing but what discloses an independent mind, and a freedom from every thing artful and disingenuous ; he has thrown off the shackles of vulgar opinion, nor is he subservient to the craft of deluding others ; truth he knows to exist in the necessary system of the universe, and not in the supernatural schemes es.tablished, for the time being, throughout the sectarian divisions of the globe ; and this knowledge he hesitates not to impart to his fellow-men. 27. It remains for a wise and good man to observe a strict regard for truth in his expressions, and justice in his actions ; and though all mankind should conspire to question his integrity and his dis- interestedness, and even should dispute with him his own feelings and his pretensions to happiness, it behoves him not to be offended by their incredulity, nor to deviate from the path leading to the ends at which every one should aspire to arrive — a clear conscience, and an undaunted self-possession, or virtuous self-confidence. 28. A truly upright man should be so palpably such, as that no one could be for a moment in his company, or approach him, without being sensibly and necessarily convinced of his probity. True good- ness, simplicity, and benevolence, are disclosed in the countenance, and cannot but be conspicuous. 29. We should behave in such a manner tliat we may be seen to be naturally well-disposed, rather tlian induced to act rightly by "■onstraint and discipline. 30. Our observance of propriety should be habitual ; and, if pos- sible, we should have no faults to be corrected. 31. It discovers peculiar excellence in a man, to bear good-will even towards those from whom he has received insults. This we shall be disposed to do, if we reflect that the offender is our neighbour ; that he may have acted through a mistaken impulse, and perhaps involuntary; and, moreover, that both he and we shall soon go quietly enough into our graves. But, above all, we should consider that we have sustained but little real injury, as our minds, or intelligent facul- ties, could not be degraded by another's offence. 32. We do well to persevere, not only in a consistent judgment and practice, but in a mild treatment of those who attempt to annoy, or in any way give us trouble ; for it is equally an instance of weak- ness, either to be provoked by such people, or to desist from our purpose, and be deterred from our duty by them. 33. We should avoid whatever has the appearance of a malignant or impertinent curiosity ; or of rancour, envy, or suspicion ; and every other sentiment which we could not openly express. 34. Neither should we aim at setting off our expressions with affected elegance, nor use too many words on any occasion. 35. On every occasion we should consider what is most proper to Antrninus.] bible of rkaso-n. 5 be Sdid or done ; for whatever that may be, it is in our power to say and to do it ; and we need not pretend that it is in the power of any one to hinder us. 36. It is highly ridiculous not to get rid of our own faults, which is in our power ; and to show such an abhorrence of, and be so eager to reform the frailties of other people, which is not in our power. 37. Let not the wickedness of the world disconcert us. Mankind, in general, will act precisely as they have done, though we should burst ourselves with indignation and with remonstrating against their absurdities. Human perfectibility, throughout the mass of mankind, is but a dream. It is our duty, however, to embrace every oppor- tunity for extending improvement in as wide a sphere as possible. 38. We may leave the sins of others to their own consciences. 39. It is pleasing to recollect the virtues of our acquaintances; the diligence and attention of one, the modesty of another, the gene- rosity of a third, and so forth; for nothing is more grateful to the imagination than to be surrounded by friends in whom an assemblage of good qualities displays itself. 40. We should accommodate ourselves to, and conform cheerfully with, those circumstances in which it is cur lot to be placed; and we should love with sincerity those with whom we are by nature con- nected, provided they do not act so as to forfeit our esteem. 41. We need not be too anxious about future possibilities; we shall be able to encounter evils when they approach, under the con- duct of the same reason which we had found usefid to us in every previous emergency. 42. It is honourable to a man, that he wants not the assistance of others, nor depends for his happiness and tranquility, on the opinion of mankind ; but neither ought we to be ashamed of receiving as- sistance when needed. 43. How preposterous is the conduct of men ! They refiise the just tribute of praise to their contemporaries, amongst whom they live, and yet are extremely ambitious of the esteem of posterity, whom they never will see. 44. Can we be solicitous about our slender share of fame, when we reflect with what a fatal speed every thing is tending to oblivion — to that abyss of eternal duration, past and future? We should be sensible also of the emptiness and vanity of applause, and how un- ^istinguishing are the judgments of those who bestow it, and to what narrow limits it is confined. 45. Observe to what sort of people those who aim at popularity are forced to pay their court, and to what mean condescensions they must submit, and what poor returns they often meet with; and, after all, how soon will time overwhelm and bury them all in eternal oblivion. 46. People often flatter those whom they despise, and affect to submit to those whom they are secretly endeavouring to undermine. 47. A stern and angry look is extremely unpleasant, and, if often 6 BIBLE OF REASON. [Chap. II. assumed, will gradually settle into a habitual feature, destroying the beauty of the countenance to such a degree as never to be recovered: any bad passion may be so indulged as to obliterate all sense of its deformity. 48. Strength of mind and true fortitude are attendants on a calm «lisposition, and by no means on passionate and peevish tempers. 49. Temperance has not only health to recommend it, but de- cency. CHAPTER II. SELECTIONS FROM THE MORAL SENTIMENTS OF ARISTIPPUS. 1. What is gained by philosophy? — A capacity of conversing, without embarrassment, with all classes of men ; the courage to exer- cise our right of speaking the truth to all the world. 2. What pertains to philosophers more than to others? — ^The pri- vilege of living in their accustomed manner, provided all laws were abolished : if there were no laws, a right-minded man would live hoiftstly. 3. Philosophy does not consist in denying ourselves the natural enjoyments which pleasurably occupy some moments of our life- time, and which should be regarded as an equivalent for the troubles with which our path is strewed. To impose on ourselves useless self-denial, and, as it were, to study how to inflict it, is a species of insanity. 4. The business of philosophy is to regulate the senses, in that manner which will render them most productive of pleasure. ■ 5. Wisdom consists in arming ourselves with fortitude sufficient for enabling us to support hardships when they unavoidably happen. 6. It must be confessed that those who practice excessive ab- stinence, merely take pleasure in privations because they find a gratification in them suited to their ascetic pride, that of persuading themselves that they are superior to those who do not object to partake of innocent enjoyments, and which they arrogate to them- selves a privilege of despising and condemning. It may be said that they deprive themselves of nothing, since the pleasure of exercising llieir disdain has more charms for them than any sensible indulgence. 7. We need not shun the pleasures of the senses, but neither are ihey worth the trouble of eager pursuit. 8. Pleasant sensations, indeed, have their delights, and melan- choly feelings should be dismissed ; but we should repress the most exquisite emotions of the mind when they are likely to lead us into trouble and irregularity. 9. By thus limiting our pleasures, we shall be far from indulging them to a degree that approaches vice. 10. Real pleasure consists in that interior satisfaction which ren- ders us happy. Aristotle.] biiile of reason. 7 11. Since pleasure is to be derived, not from tlie past nor the future, but the present, a wise man will apply to the enjoyment ol the current hour, and will be indifferent to life or death. 12. I do not counsel you to neglect minor affairs, but not to be troubled by them ; since vexation is not becoming even in matters of higher importance. 13. As it is not he who eats the more, but he who has the better digestion, that enjoys the better health ; so it is not he who has read the more, but he whose studies have been the more useful, that ought to be esteemed the more respectable as respects his learning. 14. It is better to be poor than ignorant. Nothing may be want ing to the indigent but riches ; whereas, the illiterate want the dis- tinguishing characteristic of humanized nature. 15. Youth should be taught such accomplishments as will be useful to them when they shall arrive at manhood. 16. All crimes are, in a manner, venial; because they are never committed but under the immediate impulse of passion, or through the want of instruction as to their penal results, or owing to the mis- taken views of interest to accrue from them. Man, being what he is moulded to be, those who so moulded him are, in some degree, accountable for his actions. 17. When at sea, in a tempest, he appeared to be much con- cerned, and one said to him, " How is it that we common sailors are not alarmed, but you philosophers betray your fears ?" To which he replied, " There is a great difference between what we have at stake." 18. Being asked what was the difference between the instructed and the ignorant man—" Strip them," said he, " and send them both destitute among strangers, and you will soon perceive the difference." 19. He agreed with Socrates, in dismissing, as wholly unproht- able, all those speculations which have no connexion with the con- duct of life. CHAPTER HI. SELECTIONS FROM THE MORAL REMARKS OF ARISTOTLE. 1. The universe is eternal in its present nature : matter cannot be separated from its forms and real existence. 2. The parts of the world are in continual mutation : from the destruction of particular conformations, others succeed in their place, and by the action of affinities, the infinite medium is maintained in epuilibrium. 3. The natural action, or motion, is itself eternal, as appears thus : the mover and the moved must either be eternal, or have had a be- ginning at some period. If they began at any time, it must have been by motion, and, consequently, before the first movemert, there 8 BIBLE OF IlEASON. [Chap II. must have been another, by which the first mover and the moveable begati, which is absurd. Also : if they were eternal, yet without motion, it must either have been by reason of the inaptitude of the moveable, or of its remoteness from the mover ; but neither could the moveable be made more apt, nor be brought nearer to the mover, except by motion ; whence would follow, that there was no first motion. Again : Time, which is only the measure of motion, is necessarily and positively eternal ; therefore, motion itself is eternal. 4. There is a perpetual succession of generations. 5. Take heed of the rapid course of the action of natural pheno- mena ; look upon it as a circle which reverts into itself. 6. The imperceptible advance and retreat of the sea in different places is a constant process; and since time never ceases, those vicissitudes on the surface of the globe, of earth into sea, and sea into land again, continually happen from one age successively to another without intermission. This accounts for the fossils and shells imbedded in the different strata of rock remote from the sea. 7. Natural phenomena sometimes occur, by which whole countries become desolate, and the memory of things past is erased ; accidents may intervene to occasion the loss of the arts themselves, but the exigencies of men, in process of time, cause their recovery or revival, by the same uses of natural means, and by the necessity for man's having recourse to art for administering to his wants ; and, notwith- standing these" interruptions and revolutions, yet the machinery of the world subsists without infringement. 8. The mind is not moved ^er se, but by accident or surrounding influences, and according to the affections of the body. 9. The senses, by which we observe and experience, are the foun- dation of all intelligence : no senses, no souls. 10. The senses are the criterion of physical facts; the intellect exerts its faculty of moral judgment ; and the end of all our energies ought to be the practice of virtue in a well-spent life. 1 1 . All virtue is placed in the medium ; or, virtue consists in avoiding extremes. 12. Virtue consists not so much in just perceptions, as in correct habits, which require great length of time and much attention to form. 13. Practical virtue is acquired by exercise, and confirmed by reason. 14. A virtuous life is in itself a source of delight. 15. Disgraceful indulgences are unworthy of being named plea- sures. 16. We ought not to determme hastily on any question newly proposed to us, but to consider of it maturely ; and, in every such ••.ase, to doubt is not without its use. 17. The noblest employment of the mind is in the study of nature or truth. 18. Socrates and Plato may claim our respect, but we should Aristotle.] bible of reason. 9 rather more highly regard truth than be willing to be influenced by a name. 19. Being properly informed men, we should remember not only that we are happy, but that we ought to be able to prove that we are 60 by solid reasons. 20. True happiness consists in the most disinterested and impartial action of the mind, and in the constant practice of all social duties. 21. Let a man be ever so wise, he cannot be happy while he is in distress and poverty. 22. A man may become rich by being poor in desires. 23. Some men hve so sparingly, as if they expected to live always; and others so prodigally, as though they were to die on the morrow. 24. Vice is sufficient of itself to make a man thoroughly unhappy. 25. Vice tends to create misery, though he who allows himself in its practice be surrounded with all worldly advantages. 26. The study of the belles lettres contributes, in a great measure, towards the practice of virtue, and, in advanced life, its fruits are the greatest consolation imaginable. 27. Polite literature is the greatest ornament of prosperity, and the best consolation in adversity. 28. He who contends for distinction in science, must use his en- deavours to outstrip tliose who are in advance of him, and not wait to be overtaken by those in his rear. 29. Those parents who educate their children well are more to be honoured than those who merely give them birth ; for the ability to live well is the benefit of instruction. 30. Capacity, exercise, and discipline, are indispensable for a child to be well educated. 31. Justice is the virtue of rendering every man his due. 32. We should conduct ourselves towards others as we would expect them to act towards ourselves. 33. We should carefully avoid saying either good or evil respecting ourselves ; doing the one is the part of a fool ; the other that of a coxcomb. 34. Different individuals are often struck by similar ideas ; there- fore we ought not to be proud of our own knowledge in anything whereof we conceive ourselves to be the inventors. 35. To a conceited youth, he said, " young man, I wish I were what you think yourself to be." 36. Those heroes who are so gallant in action, are altogether as inactive and unmoved when they are not under its excitement. 37. Hope is a waking dream. 38. He who has many friends has none. 39. Long acquaintance is often called friendship, and so is in- timacy ; but tliey are very different things. 40. Let us look through the world and see if any man will sacrifice his own comforts and conveniences for liis friends' sake. 10 BIBLE OF REASON. {Chap. IV 4 1 . There is nothing that goes out of recollection so soon as a favour that has been received. 42. A transient injury is better than a slow benefit. 43. Old people die without pain, because their dissolution is not occasioned by any violent affection. 44. Monarchs will always exhibit an inviolable attachment to the formalities of religion. (" Piety is as natural to kings, as flattery to their courtiers." — Devereux.) 45. There is no well-constituted commonwealth, but that in which such a general distribution of property prevails as to leave no room for discontents. 46. His philosophical doctrines concerning nature were not favourable to the public form of religion, and a priest accused him of holding and propagating impious tenets. Fearing a prosecution tor the factitious crime of atheism, he quitted the city, saying, " he wished to spare the Athenians the commission of a fresh crime against philosophy. CHAPTER IV. MORAL EXTRACTS SELECTED FROM THE WORKS OF CICERO. 1. The knowledge of the trath is a man's highest attainment, and the object that is most worthy of man's researches. Those who seek this knowledge are termed philosophers; and philosophy consists in the love of truth. What can those prefer or esteem, who despise this acquirement, and who are opposed to its pursuit ? 2. To investigate and prove the truth, seems to be the province of man. Are wc relieved from indispensable attention to business, and freed from anxious cares ? It is then we are excited by the desire of perceiving, understanding, and penetrating the subjects of which hitherto we had been unmindful ; we then find it necessary to our happiness that we should become acquainted with the natural con- ditions of existence ; and, really, nothing is better adapted for man's satisfaction, than the comprehending of truth in all its purity and simplicity. 3. A desire to be informed and enlightened is a kind of passion that urges us on ; we long for information as the highest gratification; nothing mortifies us more than to find that we have been abused and misled, and to discover that our ignorance is owing to our having been deceived. 4. Those alone who are well-informed can form a iudg'mcnt of 1 , JO what IS correct sense. 5. If a right understanding directs a man in the path of duty, it is solely to be sought, or surely to be estimated much more highly than aught beside. 6. O philosophy! be thou the guide of our lives. Thou alone dispfjfvst us to embrace virtue and repel vice. Linked by thee in Cicero.] bible oy reason. U society, pleasing converse and correspondence lieig-hten our enjoy- ments. Thou softenest our manners, and from thee we derive con- solation in our afflictions. A single day passed in conformity with thy precepts is better than an age spent in folly. We owe to thee the tranquillity of our lives, and it is thou who relievest us from the terrors of death. 7. Among those who profess philosophy, how few are those whose manners, sentiments, and actions, are conformable to reason ; whose doctrines are the rules of their conduct, and who regulate their desires and passions on their own principles ! Some are actuated by ostentation alone ; some are insatiable in their thirst for riches, and some aim at vain glory ; others are subjugated by their own vile tempers, and nothing can be more at variance than their mode of living with the exalted maxims of which they boast. Can anything be more inconsistent. 8. If a grammarian express himself inelegantly, or a musician sing without taste, they merit the less indulgence for defects in the arts they profess ; so, he is equally contemptible who pretends to the science of good conduct and yet deviates from propriety in almost every act of his life. 9. Let us dvdy appreciate the powerful remedies supplied by phi- losophy for correcting the human infirmities. It is in the use of our reason that these remedies are found ; reason, which, rightly con- ducted, leads to the enjoyment of the highest satisfaction, and which, if ill directed, sinks us deep in the shades of error. Correct reason is the chief object of respect. 10. How ridiculous have been the propositions advocated by some pretenders to philosophy ! If we give heed to hypotheses and theories that are foreign to the order of nature — such as attributing intelli- gence to the sun, stars, planets, &c., thus deifying senseless masses — we might as well listen to the trumpery of the temples. 1 1 . Impelled by their appetites solely, other animals have no idea but of the present time ; but man's instincts, enlightened by reason, enable him to perceive the consequences of things ; he acquaints himself with causes and effects, and compares the relations they have with each other ; his experience of the past subserves the uses of the future ; he extends his foresight, and acquires a provision for spend- ing the residue of his days in comfort. 12. Man's intellect has penetrated the skies; he alone compre- hends the risings and settings of the stars, and watches their courses; he notes the days, months, and years, as they elapse ; he calculates the eclipses of the sun and moon, predicts them long before they happen, and determines exactly their extents, their periods, and their durations. Nothing seems wanting to his intelligence except immor- tality ; but this circumstance is not necessary for his enjoying satis- faction during his life. 1 3. The term of man's life, like all other things, has its bounds limited by nature, and it is pleasant to view the approach of death. 12 BIBLE OF REASON. [Chap, IV when we can console ourselves with the reflection tliut our lives have been usefully and lionourably spent : placid and sootliing is the remembrance of a life passed with truth, innocence, and taste; self-esteem, and a satisfactory self-confidence in looking to the future, are the portion of those to whom the past offers no cause for reproach. 14. I shall never regret my life passing away, if I have lived in such a manner as to be conscious of not having lived in vain. 15. No period of our hfe seems long when we look forward to its termination. When this term has expired, what remains of all its occupations? Only the credit that results from our conduct and virtue. Hours, days, months, and years, all pass away, and the par- ticular individuals of the world with them, and no one can calculate with certainty on a future moment. 16. " Premature death is shocking!" exclaims the good woman. How premature ? Before the period prescribed by nature ? But, am at the commencement of life, there is no term fixed for its duration, how can we complain, let it terminate when it will? We hold it under its casual contingencies ; and how can that be regarded as a particular hardship which befals us under the natural conditions to which all are liable ? 17. Conscious integrity alone can console us for the shortness of our life. Our character is the only appurtenance which survives our decease : all that can remain of the dead consists in the recollections of those who have survived them. 18. There is yet a higher source of consolation and support; for, so long as we shall preserve our innocence, we need never be anxiously disturbed about any event that may happen ; and when we shall cease to exist, all our sensibility will terminate with us. 19. What kind of philosophy is it to extol melancholy, that most lamentable of passions ? 20. Have we discharged the office of judging for ourselves ? Are we freed from the ascendancy of those impressions which had been forced upon us, and do we no longer tliink it incumbent to defend our erroneous prepossessions ? This is to be truly free. But most men have been drilled into a habit of belief before they were able to exercise their reason in judging of truth ; accustomed from infancy to submit themselves to the guidance of their parents, or beguiled by the plausible arts of those Avho first get the direction of their intel- lectual faculties, they imbibe the vulgar notions, are biassed in th^ir favour, and cling to tliem as closely as they would to a rock on whicli they had been thrown by a tempest. 21. Our parents, our nurses, our preceptors, our poets, our theatres, our temples, the prevailing prejudices in favour of customary opinions, all seem to mould our character, and lead us astray from the truth ; all conspire to allure us from the simple path of nature : they avail themselves of their poAver over us while we are young and flexible, and they deprave us by making us conform and bend to their owi, Cicero.] BIBLE OF REASON. 13 corrupt and sopliisticatcd custouis and notions. We are persuaded also to judge those as wicked who are free from our errors. 22. We have been insensibly trained in depravity ; we have been »o far involved in error as to separate the idea of goodness from that of utihty, and the idea of truth from that of reality ; so far have we been led to deviate from reason as to believe in a goodness difterent from moral propriety, and to hold the faith that there is a truth more to be regarded than natural fact. Never could men conceive opinions at the same time so false and pernicious ; so fatal to good sense and right motives of conduct. 23. Our sensibility to natural truth can never be entirely sup- pressed ; but it is degraded by sensuality and indolence, and per- verted by the consecrated prejudices and customs of vulgar society. 24. Reason and truth should be more regarded by us than vulgai opinion. 25. As there is nothing superior to a knowledge of the truth, so nothing is lower in the scale of intellect than to be attached to error and mistake it for truth. 26. How unphilosophical is it to conceive falsely and defend abso- lutely what has not been thoroughly examined nor clearly compre- hended ! How prudent is it to retuse our assent to what is unproved and incomprehensible ! 27. Of all villany, none is more capital than that of those who when they deceive do it under the cloak of pretended truth and righteousness. 28. How shameful for one who professes to instruct, and who ought to have made researches into and comprehended the natural conditions, to palm a testimony suited to minds prepossessed by custom, and falsely to set forth as proofs of truth, that which is but prejudice and vulgar opinion. 29. In order the better to support a vain prejudice, it is usual to cite the opinion of the many and of great names ; as if it were not the fact that the greater number is in delusion, and as if it were needful to quote the authority of others in points disputed, and to decide on which we should use our own rational judgment. 30. To rely implicitly on another's representations prejudices our opinion, prevents us from using our own judgment, and deprives us of the capacity to receive instruction. 31. Experience establishes natural conclusions, and obliterates opinions that are merely notional. [It is the glorious doom of literature, that the evil perishes and the good remains. — Edinburgh Meview.] 32. While we adhere to nature as our guide, we are under no risk of failing in our attempts to arrive at truth : nature, eternal nature, is truth. 33. If we find the acquisition of this knowledge easy, the happier it is for us, and we may rejoice; if we encounter difficulties in oirr researches, we should persevere nevertheless in our own exertions 14 BIBLE OF REASON. [CIlUJJ.IV. till we are alle to arrive at satisfactory conclusions as to what is truth : it would be shameful to tire in so noble a pursuit. 34. It is ncit possible that anything should occur without its cause existing in tl:e necessary processes of nature. Phenomena may happen out of the ordinary course of our experience, but that they should be contrary to, or at variance with the order of nature, is impossible. 35. The world is nature, and besides the world there is nothing : there are no siipernaturals. 36. Should anything seem to appear strange, prodigious — find out its cause if you can ; if you cannot discover its immediate occa- sion, be assured nevertheless that there can be no effect without its connexion witli a natural relation. 37. An acquaintance with nature wdll enable us to reject the errors that spring from ignorance regarding various phenomena. Then we shall not be terrified by subterranean sounds, the skies which seem to be opened when it lightens, the appearances which resemble stars shooting in tlie atmosphere, the meteors that dance about, the showers of blood and stones that are said to have fallen, &c. &c. 38. Exposed to peril, and under the influence of terror, we are the more disposed to give credence to prodigies ; and at periods when ignorance fear and credulity abound, miracles are invented with less liability to detection. 39. It is obvious that such impostures can only be acceptable to the ignorant and credulous, but can by no means be approved by people of thought and consideration. 40. From things natural have arisen fictions and imaginary powers, or notions of deities, which have been the foundation of false opinions, pernicious errors, and wretched superstitions ; for these idols have been represented with the passions of blood-thirstiness and anger — and to be propitiated accordingly. 41. Ye moral fools! How monstrous would be the iniquity of your God, if there were such as you say, whose wrath must be ap- peased by the shedding of innocent blood! — a vicarious sacrifice! And this, too, yc call satisfying divine justice. 42. The true principle of deism has been the attributing divinity to nature ; and this has supplied the poets with fables, and filled the world with all kinds of delusion. 43. Spread over the earth, superstition imposes its yoke upon the mind of almost every oiie, and domineers over the weakness of men. O ! that it were extirpated even to its most latent roots ! What greater service could be rendered to mankind ? 44. No awful name should impose upon our imagination, but w-e should rid ourselves of every species of superstition. It haunts and molests us ; retreat where we will, it still besets and annoys us. 45. So horribly ridiculous have all religious ceremonies been, that, to exceed in absurdity any which have hitherto existed, it only re- mains for a sect of such monstrous extravagance to arise, amongst Cicero.] bible of reason. 15 whom it will be an ordinance to devour the God which they adore.* 46. Cato the Censor said, — " It was surprising that the priests, during the performance of their divine service, could refrain from bursting out into a loud laugh in the faces of their congregations." 47. The term "religion" merely originated from tlie ancient prac- tice, similar to the modern, of formally repeating over and over, at stated periods, the rituals of worship, or forms of prayer in use ; the word religiosi, religious, being derived from relegendo, reading over again and again. f 48. Nations are divided by their different religions. Some prostrate themselves before the vilest creatures of their imagination, and sup- pose them to be invisible powers; others are subject to various super- stitions not less absurd. But, is there a people in the world who do not respect moral propriety — -justice and humanity ? Are there any who do not condemn pride, knavery, cruelty, and ingratitude ? 49. If we contemplate the sky, the earth, the sea — all the objects naturally presented to our view ; if we regard ourselves, not as con- fined by narrow limits, nor pent up in a corner of the world, but as citizens of an entire globe, which serves as our abode ; from this station of sublime meditation, which commands the spectacle, and furnishes us with the knowledge of existence, how perfectly shall we arrive at an acquaintance with the natural conditions of our being, and how lightly shall we think of all those futile ceremonies to which the vulgar attach so great an importance. 50. What can there be of importance in human forms and cere- monies to him whose ideas are conversant with infinity ? Ignorance of infinity has occasioned men's falling into all errors and contracted- ness of mind. Morally denied to comprehension, the universe cannot be subject to a comprehender — a fancied god. A moral impossibility cannot be a moral possibility ; and to this positive demonstration ignorance alone can keep men insensible. 51. He alone enjoys independence whose mind is unfettered. In fact, what is freedom ? It consists in the power of acting conformably with our desires. And who is he that lives as he wishes ? Certainly not he v/ho is compelled to act rightly by fear. But is it not he who is devoted to justice, who adheres to his duty from principle, who prescribes to himself a moral rule of conduct, who delights in pro- priety because there is nothing so eligible ; in short, he who acts tviiiiout constraint, whose every thought and action is the offspring of a rational purpose ; who relies on his own judgment, and forms his own determinations ; and who, in the end, is independent of fortune itself. 52. To be firm and unwavering in their principles, of tried con- * This dreg of the cup of superstition seems to haveieen fully drained by the modern partakers of the body and blood of Christ. t Religion, then, means nothing more than a prayer-doling, bead-telling, bel - tolling custom. 16 BIBLE OF REASON. [Chap. IV. srancy, of inc proachable integrity, incapable of yielding to their pas- sions, or of displaying presumption and egotism : such are the cha- racters we should esteem. It is these who, as far as is compatible with human weakness, have adopted nature for their guide. Who, then, better than they, can be proposed as examples for our imitation ? 53. Virtue requires no other recompense than the tribute ot self- approbation and respect ; it can never be more respectable than when practised without ostentation, and when it is withdrawn from the public gaze. Not that it is incumbent to shun observation, for good actions show to advantage in the full light ; but our own con- science is the proper sphere of satisfaction. 54. We should be satisfied with the exemplary practice of those virtues that are useful and necessary in ordinary hfe ; without aiming at a perfection which can only be the object of aspiration, and never existed except in fable. 55. We should impose on our desires the sway of reason ; our wishes should never disturb our peace of mind. 5Q. All the great virtues become extinct in him who yields to selfish ambition, or to habits of voluptuous indulgence. 57. Since it is not our lot to live with those who are perfect and consummate in wisdom ; and since it is rare that we find in society even a slight resemblance of virtue, we should be careful not to neglect those in whom we may discern some promising qualities ; but principally, our attention should be directed towards those happy and privileged characters whose shining endowments render them the ornaments of society ; whose modesty and moderation stamp their deportment with goodness. 58. Those who consecrate their lives to literature, and who apply all their endeavours to the acquisition and increase of knowledge, cannot be accused of abandoning general usefulness ; on the contrary, their country is indebted to them for great advantages : the intelli- gence they disseminate enlightens their fellow-citizens, and fits them for the better discharge of their social duties. 59. The instruction received by that portion of the community that has been disposed to profit by their lessons and example, is but a small part of the benefit that is derived from the wise and liberal ; the works wliich they leave behind yield greater advantages to posterity than they themselves rendered to their cotemporaries. 60. Leaving out of the question the advantages that a taste for letters supplies, and regarding them merely as a pastime, they will always form the most respectable occupation for a man not engaged in business. 61. A liberal education possesses us of a companion that is our delight in prosperity, and that consoles us in adversity ; at home, abroad, in society, or in solitude — at all times, and in all places, it is the charm and solace of our life. 62. Those who do not, in themselves, possess resources for render- Cicero.] BIBLE OF REASOK. 17 ing their course of life agreeable, will find all its different periods irksome to support ; but it we seek our felicity in communing with our own hearts, we shall be able to take delight in every thing that nature admits or necessity imposes. 63. We should always act in a way so as to be able to render satisfactory reasons for our conduct ; this rule defines almost the ex- tent of our duties. 64. He is sufficiently enlightened, who knows how to act rightly, and who has the power to refrain from evil : it is by actions that a true value and recommendation are given to virtue. 65. Constancy and firmness form the characteristics of serene and composed minds. 66. We are not fitted by our nature merely for amusing ourselves ; our natural duties require rather a sedateness of character, and occu- pations that are arduous and useful. If relaxation is sometimes admissible, it should be indulged in like sleep and repose, after having duly attended to our serious avocations. 67. Let us consult our own capacities ; let us severally inspect our natural abilities and our defects. We should not allow stage actors to display more judgment than ourselves ; they do not always make choice of the most prominent characters, but of those which are mcst suitable to their talents. Let us, then, apply ourselves to those pursuits for which we are best adapted ; and if necessity compel us to resort to those that do not comport with our taste, let us strive by every means to exert our intelligence and industry, so that we may perform cur duties, if not with eclat, at least with credit. 68. Consistency of character results from acting always in a manner that is natural. Certainly there can be nothing more becoming than the perfect accordance of our actions through life; but we shall never arrive at tliis excellence, if, neglecting our proper sphere, we waste our time in affecting to imitate others : we do well to act in harmony with our proper bent, and without doing violence to the general dictates of human nature. 69. The moment we quit the paths of prudence, and become unable to use our judgment, our passions hurry us headlong ; human weakness seeks its relief in yielding to their force ; and, insensibly, we find ourselves launched on the wide deep, destitute of rudder and tackle, and the sport of every wave. 70. Which is the obligation that is most binding on society ? It is the firm conviction that one man ought not to injure the person of another man, nor appropriate to himself another's property ; that a greater outrage against humanity cannot be committed ; and that it is preferable to endure the reverses of fortune, disease, mental alienation, in short, every thing that can happen to us for the worst, rather than to offend against justice ; for that only is the legitimate rule, and the principle of all duties. 71. Justice consists in doing no injury to men ; civility, in giving c 18 BIBLE OF REASON. [Chap. IV. them no offence : we slioukl be as careful of our words as our actions ; as far from speaking as acting ill. 72. No infamous conduct can be of real service, even though we might secure by it, what is termed by some, an advantage ; it is a deplorable misfortune to regard that as beneficial which is dishonest. 73. The most awfiil injustice is for an order of men to make mankind subservient to their interests by deceiving them. 74. Injustice, committed either by violence or deception, is alike unworthy of man ; but fraud seems to be the more odious means of the two : can there be a more abominable infringement of justice than pretending to be honest, and at the same time be planning how to delude ? 75. It is natural that we should acquire for ourselves what is ne- cessary for supplying the exigencies of life ; but to detract from another's means, and for one man to multiply his own conveniences by appropriating the conveniences of another, is morally indefensible. 76. No man even ought to take advantage of another's smipliciry, ■jain aught thereby for himself. In the sale of an article, every par- ticular should be fairly stated, that the purchaser may not be ignorant of any of its qualities known to the seller. 77. Merely to discharge our engagements to the letter, and not to adhere to their spirit, is to elude rather than to fulfil them ; we may not be bound by words, yet still be responsible in fact. When a promise is to be performed, it behoves us to regard the sense of it, and not find subterfuges by perverting its terms. 78. rf it be the fact that it is a natural duty for a man to assist his fellow, solely because he is man, it is also natural that all particular interests should unite for the common welfare. 79. Every one ought to propose to himself, as the rule of his con- duct, that his own advantages should, at the same time, promote the general utility. 80. If we would merit confidence, we should combine integrity with ability. The greater acuteness a man possesses, the more odious and suspected he becomes, when he loses his reputation for honesty. 81. That energy of mind, and that prompt resolution, which dis- tinguish a man in enterprise and in dangers, are but vicious qualities if not associated with justice. If he contend not for the common welfare, but only to aggrandize himself, then he can no longer be actuated by virtue, but is impelled by a ferocious rapacity that out- rages humanity. 82. It is not a visible retribution which sometimes does not take place at all, often incompletely, and which may be eluded ; it is the conscience that takes vengeance of the wicked. It is not, as the fables say, that the fiery torments of hell await the guilty ; but con- suming uneasiness, and the gnawing sense of their crimes ; the de- gradation of honour and humanity, and the loss of conscious innocence and self-respect. Cicero.] bible ok reason. 19 83. How great is tlie power of conscience ! Its consolations are not less felt, when it secures the innocent from all fear, than its severe inflictions endured by the guilty, while they are unceasingly haunted by the remorse that has been incurred. 84. It would be absurd, amongst any people, to regard as just all that the laws sanction. Would the Athenians have been more equitable if they had ratified the decrees of their thirty tyrants ? 85. Justice is simple ; and it is that which connects most strictly the relations of society ; it springs from the principle of correct natural reason and necessity, which alone has the right of allowing or forbidding ; which distinguishes good and evil actions ; what is just and what is unjust ; what is approvable and what reprehen- sible ; whether this law be expressed or not, whoever infringes it, or is insensible to it, cannot be just. 86. If justice merely consisted in obedience to promulgated laws, he who had it in his power to break or disregard them would not hesitate to do so if he could gain any thing thereby. 87. Whether we are intrusted with an official post, or engaged in active business ; whether we aspire to public distinction, or are occu- pied in attentions to our .domestic concerns ; whether we live retiredly, or enter much into society — no course of life can be exempt from duties ; respectability consists in observing them, and dishonour con- sists in neglecting them. 88. Our conduct, in many occasions of private life, may admit of a certain courage being exercised, which is not inferior to the war- rior's bravery : — " Not in the ensanguined field of death alone Is valour limited ;" some occasions require even more perseverance and endurance. 89. The mere consciousness of intending well, however approvable, is very liable to the commission of a serious fault. It is an empty self-sufficiency, and the conceit that no one can be better, or know more than ourselves, when, in fact, we are really ignorant ; and thus a habit of presumptuously and confidently adhering to our opinions, may lead us into much obstinate error or bigotry. He who would be free from this vice (and how many are there who stand in need of this admonition ?) must modestly suspect that he may not always be totally in the right ; that his pretensions to know a thing may be false, and that his ideas may be merely opiniated notions. Good intention, or good opinion of self, is often connected with much nar- rowness of mind and prejudice ; there is also much wickedness in the thing ; for, once wound the stupid pride of these contracted well- meaners, and they will never pardon you, but do you all the injury in their power during life. Conceited persons are liable to commit more mistakes than even absolute dunces. 90. Our whole conduct should be regulated according to a sense of propriety Nothing in our manners should partake of eflfeminacy c 2 20 BIBLE OF REASON. [Chap. IV. or affectation, and our deportment should be free from rudeness and vulgarity. 91. We ought to live with our fellow-citizens as with equals ; with- out obsequiousness or meanness, and without arrogating any self- importance ; we should desire nothing but what is right, and con- mbute, by our example, to the maintenance of good order in society ; and every one should conform to this good order. 92. The sweetest and most satisfactory connexions in life are those formed between persons of congenial minds, equally linked together by the conformity of their virtues, and by the ties of esteem. 93. What a charm would be wanting to our felicity, if no one deigned to share with us our enjoyments. How hard would it be to support afflictions, if no warm heart sympathised with us in our sorrows. 94. Each object of our desires has its disadvantages ; a good use may be made of riches ; power may yield us honour and respect ; pleasure may fill us with ecstacy ; health may preseiTe our corporeal faculties in their full vigour ; but how many advantages are combined in friendship ! It adds an additional zest to prosperity ; and adversity, shared by it, loses much of its bitterness. 95. The friend of our choice should be warm-hearted and constant ; but there are few men found to realize this character ; it is difficult to judge of a persons's qualities without putting them to the test, and this can only be done during intimacy, and then friendship influences the judgment, and puts it out of our power to make the necessary proof. 96. Caution is requisite, not to give way too readily to indiscreet emotions of tenderness ; prudence requires that we make a trial of that person's worth wlio pleases us ; lor some, on a slight occasion, will discover their inconstancy, and we may commence by loving that person whom in the end we may despise. 97. An endearing and generous character, and a mild address, are the principal attractions to form friendships ; a disposition to be morose and severe may well be considered grievous to bear witii ; friendship rather calls for ease and liberty, kindness and indulgence, an inclination to good temper and affability. 98. By the laws of friendship we may expect kind offices from our friends, and ought to return them the same ; we should always be ready to assist them frankly with our counsels, admonish them on proper occasions, and, if necessary, even censure them with warmth ; and the salutary advice of a judicious friend should have its just weight with ourselves. 99. We must despair of him who closes his ears against the truth, and will not listen to reason, even from the mouth of a friend. 100. Cato well said — " the open animosity of hatred often injures us less than the apparent kindness of friendship :" our enemy never conceals from us the truth ; a complaisant friend is not faithful enough o risk incurring our displeasure by its disclosure. Cicero.] bible of reason, 21 101, Some men recognize nothing in the world to be worthy of their regard, if it does not conduce to their own immediate interest ; they choose their friends as they do other animals of use, preferring those from whom they expect the most services. 102, Tarquin, in his exile, declared that he had never been able to distinguish his real friends from his perfidious courtiers, till after it became out of his power to oblige any one. 1 03, An unavoidable unpleasantness sometimes occurs in friendship ; it is, to be obliged to come to a rupture. A discovery may be made of vices that had been concealed, and whether ourselves or others be the victims, we cannot avoid being identified with the shame. The better way is to cool insensibly in our intimacies with those who prove unworthy of our attachment. As Cato says, — " we should unseam, and not rend apart." But in cases of infamous conduct, which cannot be dissimulated, we are then authorized by honour, justice, and even by necessity, to dissolve the connexion with marked dis- pleasure, 104, He can have no idea of honourable conduct, who permits himself to exhibit openly, and read aloud, the letters of a friend, in which are expressed sentiments calculated to injure him if promul- gated ; not to respect the confidential disclosures of our friends, is to break asunder the ties of society itself, 105, In the differences that may arise between us and our greatest enemies, while they permit themselves to utter the vilest abuse, we should make an effort to contain ourselves ; we should be calm and repress the stirrings of passion. If we once allow ourselves to get irritated, we shall no longer be able to preserve our self-command, and, at last, shall find that those will decide against us, who would otherwise have been disposed to take our part, 106, It is not only fortune herself that is blind, but those are blinded who are favoured with her caresses, 107, What fools are the rich and fortunate; they amass cost> possessions, and neglect to acquire the love and esteem of those amongst whom they live — the treasures that are the most valuable, 108, With what insolent ostentation thou displayest thy riches! Art thou alone rich ? Is it nothing to have applied assiduously to the acquiring the riches of the mind ? Thou, only rich ! and if thou wert not rich only, what wouldst thou be beside ? 109, The thirst of heaping together money can never be slaked ; avarice can never be satisfied ; we are tormented by the rage for adding to, as much as by the fear of losing that which we possess, 110, To view the good fortune of another should not have the effect of rendering us dissatisfied with our own humbler lot. 111, It is not so much the amount of our incomes, as the manner of our living, that should constitute our riches, 112, To be without desires is an assured capital; to spend no money in superfluities, or through caprice, is an ample interest; to l>e content with what we possess is the most certain of fortunes. 22 BIBLE OF REASON. [Chap IV. 113. If fortune snatch from us our wealth, or if injustice deprive us of it, so long as our reputation is unsullied, our honour may, in some degree, console us for the loss of our property. 114. We should give handsomely ; and in requiring the payment of that which is our due, we need not be too rigorous. If we pur- pose buying, selHng, leasing, fixing the boundaries between our own lands and those of our neighbours — on all these occasions, we should display ourselves just and liberal ; we should avoid litigation as much as possible, admitting rather somewhat that is unreasonable; for it is not merely generosity, but often an advantage, not to exact the utmost of our claims. 115. Nothing is more grateful to the nature of man than bene- ficence ; but it should be exercised with judgment. Caution is required not to bestow favours that would actually be injurious ; our liberality should be regulated by our means, and our benefits suited to the wants of the recipients; for this is to be just, and with justice all our actions should accord. 116. A prudent man will no more abandon himself to the violent transports of benevolent emotion, than he will expose himself to the danger of falling down a precipice. The affections of the heart should neither be violently indulged, nor servilely depressed. 117. It is a principal part of duty to render assistance where it is absolutely needed. This is not often the case. We are most eager to oblige those from whom we expect the most, and who are in want of nothing. 118. A habit of benignity is preferable to munificence; the former is really honourable, but the latter is practised by those wlio would flatter the crowd for their own ends, and gratify their levity by fur- nishing them with frivolous amusements ; even a laudable act seems to be rendered vile by the vulgar applause. 119. Tliere are many wlio, though iar from being naturally generous, yet are dazzled by tlie glare of vain glory; their acts of munificence are prompted by ostentation, and, in some degree, are begrudged by themselves; this falsity savours more of puerile vanity than of principles of goodness and virtue. 120. It is not rare to meet with those who are foolishly ambitious of display and inclined to prodigality, and who will rob some in order to obtain the means of being lavish towards others ; so that they en- rich their friends, tliey are not very scrupulous as to the means they employ, and yet they expect to be esteemed generous ; notliing can be more contrary to duty than such conduct. 121. The prodigal dissipate their fortunes in giving parties, in the chase, and at play. WHiat results from their stylish mode of living? But a transient eclat, even if noticed at all. Those wlio are really generous, consecrate their wealth to acts of true beneficence, and add to their own happiness by assisting to promote the interests of those who are deserving. 122. To appear eager to serve others when it is not in our power, Cicero.] bible of reason. 23 is imprudence ; to be able to fulfil our promises, and not to do it, is negligence or perfidy. 123. An ungrateful man is detested by all; every one feels hurt by his conduct, because it operates to throw a damp upon generosity, and he is regarded as the common iiijurer of all those who stand in need of assistance. 124. It is seldom that meanness of disposition is found associated with high mental attainments. 125. In company, we should conform to the tone of the general conversation; serious questions require gravity; lighter subjects admit of humour and mirth. We should particularly avoid the giving occasion, by our language or manners, for others to be im- pressed with an ill opinion of our characters. This will surely be the case, if we undertake to traduce tliose who are absent; to paint them in ridiculous colours; to judge them with severity; to injure them by calumnies ; and to make them appear infamous. 126. That man may be called impertinent, who considers not tlie circumstances of time, or engrosses the conversation, or makes himself the subject of his discourse, or pays no regard to the company he is in. 127. We should manifest a kind of regard and deference towards those with whom we converse. 128. We should manifest our respect not only for the most worthy, but towards all those who may be in our company. To disregard the opinion of others respecting us is not only arrogant, but an entire want of modesty. 129. It is the duty of youth to respect those who are advanced in age; to single out those whose conduct has merited the highest reputation, and to be guided by their counsels and authority ; for the young ought to reap the advantage of the aged's experience. Above all things, licentious indulgence should be avoided, and the mind and body should be inured to exertions and patience, so as to be rendered equal to the performance of the duties of life. (" The best guide and regulator of human conduct is a fine feeling of the worth of exalted approbation in the wise and good ; to be esteemed by the estimable is a most excellent standard at which to aspire.") 130. Loose manners, which are unbecoming at every period of life, appear extremely disgusting in an elderly person ; but if licentiousness is also combined therewith, it is doubly shameful ; for youth is contaminated and vitiated by his depravity. 131. It is pleasing to observe some good qualities of age in a young man, and some traits of youthful character in an old man. - 132. Old people of kind, moderate, and liberal dispositions, enjoy a supportable decline of life ; discontented and selfish tempers render every age uncomfortable, 133. What young person is so foolish as to think life certain, even for a day ? Casualties are more frequent at tliis period than at the later periods of life ; we sicken more easily, and our disorders are more acute and more critical. How few are those who arrive at old age ! 24 BlULE OF REASON. [Cluip IV 1 34. The loss of our strength is much oftener occasioned by the vices of our youth, than by the ravages of age; it is early intem- perance and licentiousness that consign to old age a worn-out constitution. 135. A debilitated frame is annoyed by whatever approaches it. 136. If pain be insupportable, it kills; if it kill not, it is supportable. 137. What a thing is the mind, changing according as the weather may be foul or fair ! 138. There are disorders that deprave the senses, and cause the palate to lose its relish ; so covetousness, avarice, and ambition, de- stroy the taste for all excellence. 139. There exists in the minds of some men, a secret energy which impels them to make attempts at distinguishing themselves. 140. To fancy that we can acquire glory and celebrity by hypocrisy, by false show, by affecting a sublime countenance, or by any artful manoeuvring, is a great mistake. True merit extends its roots deeply, spreads, and increases. All false pretensions soon fall to the ground ; nothing that is counterfeit can long flourish. 141. Let us examine into the nature of fame. What glory can we promise to ourselves worthy of our thirst ? Let us cast our regards over the earth. Civilization occupies but a few points ; the residue of the globe displays vast solitudes and barbarism. Our merits will be known but in a merely local sphere ; and supposing that succeeding generations may be willing to transmit our praises to posterity, must there not happen destructive deluges, extensive conflagrations, which necessarily occasion vast revolutions? Will not these prevent, not only our fame being eternal, but its enduring for any considerable term ? And, after all, what does it signify whether those, who are to be born at some fiiture tmie, mention our names or not ; whilst those, who went before us, never mentioned us ? and they were as great in number, and doubtless of as much consequence.* 142. Of two evils, we should not only choose the least, but should endeavour still to derive some advantage even out of that. 143. To err is human, but a fool only will persist in error. 144. We discern the defects of others much sooner than our own. 145. Time, or a little water, will cleanse the stains from our per- sons, but neither years nor streams can remove the spots from our characters. 146. Some persons restrict themselves to the advising of such measures only as they think could be performed by themselves. * Cicero was appointed one of the receivers general of the Roman Republic, and acted with so much vigilance and probity in his charge, that he thought Rome must be solely occupied in sounding his fame. After a year's absence, he was impatient to return and receive the applause of his fellow-citizens. He at last reached Puzzoli, and a friend who met him, asked — " How many days since he had left the city, and what news he brought?" "I return from the Provinces," answered Cicero. "What, from Africa?" demands another. A third, wlio wislied to appear a little better informed, interrupts the last, and betrays the same ignorance. Cicero was thus made sensible how narrow the 'imjts were of that renown after which he had aspired so ardently. Cicero.] BIBLE OF REASON. 25 147. Reparation is sometimes made for a scandalous life by an honourable death. 148. Subserviency is the grovelling servility of a base and cringing mind, that has not the spirit to exercise a will of its own. 149. Can we call that man free over whom a capricious woman exercises an ascendancy; who submits to the sway of a tyrannizing female? She prescribes, commands, or forbids, according to the caprice of her will ; he has no power to dispute her orders ; he dares refuse her nothing ; she demands, and he gives ; slie summons, and he hastens to her ; she directs him to retire, and oft' he sneaks ; she raises her voice, and he crouches and trembles. But is not such a one the most abject of slaves? 150. Disputations generally result in each opponent's expression of contempt for the other's opinions. 151. Nothing is more foolish than to be impressed with respect for any body of men collectively, each of whom, individually, we should despise. 152. Society has been established principally for the purpose of assuring to each one the preservation of his life and property. It was principally to place their possessions in security, that men became associated in communities. If then, it is indispensible to infringe in some degree upon private property, by taxation, the citizen should at least be made to comprehend that it has for its object the general good, and that they ought to submit to it as being necessary to their general interests. 153. Without order, a family, a city, a nation, mankind, nature, the infinite world could not exist. 154. He who commands must sometimes submit, and he who yields to just subordination with modesty, seems worthy to exercise authority himself at some period. 155. The domineering brutality of the master has often occasioned the ruin of the pupil. 156. To direct and enforce that which is just and useful, and which is consistent with the laws — such are the functions of ma- gistracy. The laws guide the magistrate, and the magistrate enforces their fulfilment: and it may aptly be said, that the ma- gistrate is a speaking law, and the law a silent magistrate. 157. It is the duty of a chief magistrate to be mindful that he represents the state ; that he is appointed to sustain its credit ; to maintain the laws, to distribute justice, and to preserve the rights of the citizens, which are confided to him. 158. The consequence of a man in office may receive a slight addition from the elegance of his mansion; but fine architecture can- not supply personal respect : instead of the house giving dignity to the master, the master should give distinction to the house. 159. Togetlier with luxury and riches, there spring up in a state, avarice, pride, and insatiable ambition. 160. Those who consult the interests of one branch of society, and '-'^ BIBLE OF KRASON. [C/uip. IV. neglect, those of the rest, plunge a state into tlie most dangerous of evils — dissension and tumults. 161. If we retrace the history of the different periods of a republic, we shall find that the character of the people has always been assimilated with that of their magistrates ; any change in the conduct of those in office has constantly been imitated by the public. The influence of a very few persons filling high stations, is sufficient for purifying or corrupting the manners of a state. 162. What renders more highly pernicious the corruptions of public men, is, that they are not only vicious themselves, but they spread their vices throughout the state; their own acts of turpitude are injurious, and they are still more mischievous in their con- taminations; their example is even more hurtful than their personal depravity. i 63. Violators of the public trust should tremble, if they have embezzled only what is suflScient for themselves ; but if they have been so bold in their depredations as to get the power of dividing the spoil amongst a number, they have nothing then to fear ; there is nothing so sacred but that money will obtain its violation ; nothing of such force but it may be overthrown by money. 164. In bringing accusations against the executive body, nothing is more unjust than strenuously to enumerate every thing that has been done wrong, and to be entirely silent respecting what has been well done. By this means those in office may easily be rendered odious. 165. It becomes a grateful people to honour the merits of those citizens who have done great services to the state. It is the part oi a firm and virtuous man not to repent of having done his duty, even though he should perceive, as the return for his benefits, preparations in train for making him suffer. 166. A statesman should vindicate himself from abuse, by re- doubling his exertions for the welfare of the republic ; he should dis- appoint the views of false friends, by refusing them his confidence, and thus evade the snares they may have laid to entrap him. 167. When punishments are to be inflicted, anger should by all means be avoided. If our temper be irritated when we have to de- cide the sentence against an offender, how shall we be able to draw the just line which separates excessive severity from warrantable cle- mency? Well would it be if judges more resembled the laws ; if equity alone, and not passion, operated against the prisoner. 168. The pimishment shoidd not exceed the fault, and for similar oflPences, one should not be punished, and others not even summoned to justice. 169. In all capital charges, it should be ascertained what have been the general disposition and conduct of the prisoner arraigned previously ; more stress should be laid on his usual habits than on a present accusation ; fo: it is impossible to change in an instant, to adopt, all at once, a fresh course, and assume a new character at will. 170. It is repugnant to the feelings of him who possesses sensibility, Cicero.] bible of keason, 27 to pronounce the sentence of death on a fellow-citizen, however guilty he may be. 171. He who seduces a judge by the wiles of his eloquence, seems to be even more culpable than he who corrupts him with a bribe. 172. It is glorious for a man to endear himself to his country; to perform noble services to the community; to be the object of praise, veneration, and love ; but it is odious and detestable to be the object of public fear and execration. 173. Those who are feared are hated, and it is natural to desire their destruction. 1 74. It is positively certain that they who design to make them- selves feared, dread themselves those whom they would impress with terror. 175. Can we esteem, as belonging to the social family, the aris- tocratic presumer, the partisan, or sectarian man of influence, who identifies himself not with the popular cause, — with the interests of the citizens at large, but is rather adverse than friendly to the rights of the community — to the public liberties. 176. " We are afraid of drawing on ourselves enemies;" " We think ourselves unequal to the undertaking;" " We cannot spare time, or withdraw ourselves from the agreeable studies in which we are engaged :" these are the frivolous pretexts for our abandoning the individuals persecuted by base power, to their fate. Indifference, laziness, and cowardice, are the real hindrances to our making the efforts we ought for defending and rescuing the victims of corrupt and despotic government. 177. The term "peace" is agreeable; the happiness of nations consists in its enjoyment ; but how different is it to subjection ! Peace is the tranquil enjoyment of liberty ; submission is the greatest of evils, not excepting war, or even death itself 178. War is never allowable except when it is undertaken to secure our liberties, and to enable us to live in peace. 179. It is better to be oppressed by force in contending for a just cause, than successfully to espouse a bad one. 180. To prescribe a sacred regard for the rights of our own citizens, and pretend, at the same time, that no respect is due to those of strangers, is to dissolve that holy tie which binds together all man- kind ; it is to destroy, at once, all hospitality, humanity, kindness, and justice. 181. As the same plants and fruits are not produced alike in every region, so the different kinds of life do not tend to make every one act alike. In cities, dissipation prevails, and ambition begets avarice, from which springs hardened effrontery, and its offspring is crime of every degree. In country life, which is termed rustic, we are accus- tomed to find economy, diligence, and uprightness. 28 BIRLii OF REASON [Chap. V. CHAPTER V. SELECTIONS FROM THE MORAL REFLECTIONS OF VARIOUS CHINESE AUTHORS. 1 . Though countless ages pass away, and one generation of men succeeds another, how few are those who are distinguished for emi- nent utihty I 2. What is our life? In taking a retrospect of the years that we have past, we see but a void and a blank ; we seem to have been in a dream, and to have passed through a thousand different circum- stances, always agitated by vain ideas, which have vanished like the airy smoke; we discern nothing but a vast sea, and an unstemmed current : it is the sea of our troubles, which is without a shore ; it is the current of our desires, which is unfathomable. Man is floated on a fragile bark, constantly beaten by the winds and the waves, and leaking on every side. 3. Man's natural disposition is not vicious, but he is corrupted by example, and he is degraded and brutatized by imposed habits. 4. Our life is passed in one continual state of fear; fear of our father, of our mother, of our master, of the inclemency of the seasons, of the vicissitudes of fortune, &c. 5. The life of man is consumed in vain projects; he hopes, he toils, he agitates himself about the morrow, until at last there no longer remains for him a morrow. 6. Horror of contempt and poverty; desire for riches and aggran- disement ; by these men are blinded. 7. People complain that they can nowhere find repose ; they would find it easily, v/ere their hearts but fitted for its enjoyment. Contentment is constant delight. 8. Where shall peace be found for the mind? Not in exalted fortune, not in pleasures; if these are long continued they weary us, and satiety is succeeded by surfeit. In the palaces of the great we wish for retirement; from the distractions of society we need repose. It is wisdom alone that can attach us to it the more, the more our progress in it advances. 9. To succour the unfortunate, to protect innocence, to instruct and guide erring humanity; such are the virtues that yield a man satisfaction, and render him useful to his fellow-beings. 10. The man who wishes perfectly to fulfil his duties, should study the precepts and imitate the example of the good. 1 1 . How truly noble is he, whom neither honours nor disgrace can cause to deviate for an instant from a just and proper course. 12. The true means for preserving purity of heart is to prescribe bounds to our desires. 13. Those who are earnestly in pursuit of virtue will surely find it ; but men prefer seeking after riches and honours, which depend o:. Chinese Authors^] T.ir.LE of reason. C9 otliers, and on favouring circumstances, and which perhaps, after ail, they will never be able to obtain. 14. A very little suffices for nourishing, lodging, and clothing us ; all beyond a competence is only required to enable us to conform to the tastes of others, or to outshine them. 15. Social pleasures, in the main, are but frivolous amusements; they have, above all, one particular inconvenience — they are not ca- pable of being enjoyed alone ; the most simple game cannot be played without, at least, two persons ; but studies furnish useful pleasures, even in the midst of the most profound solitude. 16. To conquer ourselves, is the means for us not to be overcome by others; to be masters of ourselves is the way not to have otlier masters. 17. The possession of great wealth is generally attended either by much good or much evil. 18. How often, for the indulgence of a momentary pleasure, is wasted what would relieve liundreds of the destitute from their sufferings ! 19. A small relief, given opportunely and in extreme need, does more good than a hundred ill-bestowed gratuities. 20. " Wait till I shall possess a superfluity, and I will then relieve the necessitous." Ah, wretch ! thou wilt never relieve them. 21. There is no weapon more dangerous to man than his own cupidity ; no better defence for him than moderation. 22. We regard with an envious eye the riches of others, but these vain desires do not enricli us ; would it not be better to fortify our hearts against this silly covetousness? We nourish the v/ish to injure our enemy, but he is not affected by our impotent spite ; would it net be better to pardon him in sincerity ? 23. Rich enough already, we are fully occupied with the thoughts of augmenting our wealth. For whom ? For our children ? We should reflect that we are preparing, perhaps, their destruction. Great riches are more troublesome than serviceable to a virtuous man, because they engross his attention. 24. The speculator sometimes meets with great success, l^ut he is subject to serious disasters ; the upright and unambitious man seldom makes a large fortune, but he suffers no dread of reverses. 25. Some repine because they are not rich enough ; and let them repine, if they are incapable of being satisfied with necessaries. 26. He is truly rich who knows how to make his expenses conform to his income. 27. To grow old, to be sick, and to die — these are the necessary accidents of life ; riches are no protection against them, but rather occasion our frequently growing aged prematurely, our being oftener sick, and death happening to us the sooner. 28. The debtor complains of the hard-heartedness of his creditor; does he become the lender ? He is himself still more obdurate. 30 BIBLE OF REASON. [Chap V. 29. Our success depends on our fmgality and moderation ; impro- vidence and luxury lead to ruin, and plunge men into all the horrors of misery. 30. Indigence and obscurity produce vigilance and economy, and from these virtues spring riches and honours ; honours and riches beget luxury and pride ; these are accompanied by dissipation and laziness, which very soon reconduct to former misery. 31. Uninterrupted prosperity produces negligence and pride. 32. Pain, pleasure, joy, and sorrow, have no fixed point beyond which they can go no farther. There have been those who have been ready to die with joy on their first appointment to fill an humble office ; they have been afterwards raised to higher employments, and have died of grief at last, because they could not arrive at the chief dignity of all. 33. A man's powers are very circumscribed, and his triumph is always of short duration ; never will he be able to secure the appro- bation of every one ; never will it be possible for him to silence tlie voice of censure ; never can he stifle the reproaches of his own con- science. 34. If I receive a visit from a man of quality, my vanity is flattered. Why so ? Are any of his dignities, his grandeur, and riches, trans- ferred to me ? If I am rich myself, I am mortified when I am obliged to receive an inferior. This, too, is ridiculous. Does he deprive me of any part of my respectability ? Am I contaminated by his mis- fortunes ? 35. The presence of a great man imposes upon us ; with downcast looks we stand abashed before him ; but, if we consider what he is, why tlipn should we be thus confused ? 36. The highest order of intellect is wise and virtuous, inde- pendently of instruction ; by its own powers it discerns what is right and fit, and penetrates to the remoter motives of action ; the middling class is so after instruction — it is willing to learn, and can discern good and evil when pointed out ; the lowest grade is vicious in spite of discipline — it has neither acuteness nor docility — is ignorant of the way itself, and will not submit to be led in it by others. 37. If we would reach a high point of attainment, we must persevere constantly, and never fix for ourselves any limits to our acquirements. 38. In instructing others we improve ourselves ; he who is engaged in the tuition of others acquires a proficiency in his attainments, of which he was not previously conscious. 39. Too much merit is conceded to the learned pedant; engaged in sterile and minute studies, he is, in fact, out of the line of all useful attainments. 40. Feel neither aversion nor disdain toward those whose minds are deficient ; expect not men to be perfect in all respects, 41. Contempt discourages men, and weakens their virtue. 42. It is easy to reprehend what is wrong in others ; the difficulty Chinese Authors.] bible of reason. 31 is in paying regard to another's advice to and reproof of ourselves, without letting them pass off like the flowing stream. 43. To conceal the faults of others, and publish their virtues; this discovers an amiable character; this is the way to make ourselves beloved. 44. When we hear evil respecting others, we believe it ; when we hear good, we doubt it; when we accustom ourselves to observe the faults of others, we no longer pay attention to their excellencies ; we should never believe evil of any one without positive proof. 45. A civil man neither despises nor insults any one; the moderate man, who is content with what he possesses, wrongs no one. 46. Man is only distinguished from the other animals by his superior faculties of intelligence. 47. Be your own reprover for the faults you have committed, and use your endeavours to become more virtuous. 48. Think before you act, and engage in nothing without first taking into consideration all the relative circumstances. 49. The virtues we have are reduced to nought, if we think that they are sufficient; and we forfeit the merit of our good actions by boasting of them ourselves. 50. To speak little and think much, this is the way to acquire good sense. 51. If we doubt the justice of an action, we ought to abstain from doing it. 52. Let the crafty and wicked cease to boast the depths of their arts; who knows but detection may unexpectedly overtake them? 53. Finding a lost sum of money, the owner of which we know; surprising a lovely woman alone in a private apartment ; hearing the cries of our bitterest enemy about to perish inevitably, if we decline to render our assistance; what complete tests of our virtue are these cases ! 54. It requires much virtue to be able to live with those who are destitute of any. 55. He whom we love has no faults; if we come to hate him, he then has no virtues. 56. There is a very dangerous and mahgnant sort of people; the praise of talents and of virtue excites their spleen. 57. Detraction has ever been the portion of superior men; but the impotent sarcasms of the envious cannot deprive the man of genius either of his repose or his glory. Can we be deprived of our virtue by the opinion of others'? 58. Deceit has never been known to maintain itself long against sincerity and honesty. 59. Certain persons chime in with our sentiments even before we have expressed them ; they fear something may escape our observa- tion, and they are in haste to apprise us ; these are dangerous people, and we ought to suspect such complaisance. 32 BIBLE OF REASON. [Chap. V. 60. Never confide in him wlio says " no" and " yes" in the same breatli. 61. He who makes inconsiderate promises is often obhged to dis- regard them, and thus renders liimself unworthy of our dependance. 62. Secrecy is the soul of enterprise. An ancient wrote the me- morandum of his plans on the sand ; the wind blew, and not a trace of them was left. 63. Those who praise me, at the same time dictate to me the course I ought to pursue; those who blame me, are ready with their cautions against the dangers I ought to shun. 64. Very pure water has no fishes in it; the man who is too clear- siglited has but few acquaintances. 65. To start questions Avhich require serious reflection, in the midst of gaiety, rejoicings, and parties of pleasure ; to study for effect in the display of our talents or erudition, instead of yielding to the general hilarity, is to render ourselves obnoxious, and to impress on others a bad opinion of our politeness. 66. We pass from pleasantry to jesting ; from jesting we become satirical ; and this leads to railing and impertinence ; this play of the wits too often terminates in irremediable animosities. 67. Bantering always leads to unpleasantness ; and a free talker is never without enemies. 68. We blush for what we have done and said under the effects of wine; we run no less danger when our passions are excited. 69. Instead of searching to discover the best remedies for dis- orders, it would be wiser to apply ourselves to the means of preserv- ing our health. 70. From the hot and acrid humours of the blood springs a courage that is mechanical and ill-regulated ; true courage is directed by reason ; in every affair, to act with composure is the true cha- racter of courage. 71. In contesting the disputed title to a foot of land, the proceed- ings have often cost what would have purchased acres. 72. Treat strangers with civility; yield your confidence to those who are worthy ; and break off all connexion with corrupt individuals. 73. Write not while anger lasts; a stroke of the pen is often more fatal than a stab with a dagger. 74. A father of a family should strive to keep his fortune good, but he should avoid extreme solicitude on that account. 75. The way to enjoy domestic comfort is to correct what is wrong in one's family with a mild firmness; and by overlooking what is offensive in our neighbours, we shall be enabled to live on a friendly footing with them. 76. If we have never had children, we are unacquainted with the cares and anxieties of a parent ; we should never make light of those duties in which we are inexperienced. 77. The duty of a father is to correct the faults of his children ; the mother's disposition is to excuse them; the father should correct C ynfuclus.] BIBLE or rkason. 33 tliem, but not too harshly; the mother ought to feel for their weak- ness, without too much connivance. 78. If your son lias no intercourse, except with those whose lan- guage is good, it is impossible that he should contract a bad habit of speaking; if he is witness to none but virtuous conduct, he cannot plunge himself into vice. 79. It is rarelv tint the magistrate is disobeyed by one who has ever been accustomed to filial submission. 80. From the aged we should not exact a complaisance that is troublesome; neither from those who are in narrow circumstances, should we receive services that might put them to expense. 81. The burdens of life are borne more easily wlien we mutually assist each other. 8*2. We think the ancients were in darkness, only because we see them through the thick clouds from which we have ourselves emerged. CHAPTER VI. SELFXTI0N9 FROM THE MORAL MAXIMS AND PRFXEPTS OF CONFUCIUS. 1. In order to arrive at the perfection of our nature, we must be born again; our new birth consists in ridding ourselves of prejudices, so as for us to be exempt from error, either on the part of our passions or our reason. 2. The sovereign good consists in an entire conformity with correct reason, both in our opinions and our propensities. 3. We should let our reason, and not our passions, be the rule of our conduct; for reason will lead us to tliink correctly, to speak sensibly, and to act justly. 4. Correctness of judgment determines us towards truth, and in- clines us to yield to whatever is consistent with reason. 5. Those who prize truth, and constantly make it their object of pursuit — who seek to discover their errors, and are bent on correcting them — are rightly called philosophers. Those individuals, who have satisfactorily acquainted themselves with truth, cannot be better em- ployed than in serving the public, by imparting the treasures of their knowledge to others. 6. We should begin by instructing ourselves, and perfecting our reasonable nature, so as to arrive at that clearness of judgment which had been weakened and obscured by various passions, and then we may be capacitated for attempting the improvement of others. To this end it is necessary to have a deep insight into the nature of things, and to understand both good and evil; to preserve integrity of heart, and to regulate our whole conduct according to reason D 34 BinLi; of reason. [Chap. VI. \\\\tn a man his thus reroniicd himself, there will be less difficulty in his reforming others. 7. Our duty towards our intellect is to raise it to as high a point of knowledge as is possible, so as to attain the highest degree of con- fidence in relying on our own judgment. 8. To pin our faith on another man's sleeve, and submit to be led by authority, deprives us of independence, and subjects us to just contempt. 9. In aiming at excellence, we should interest ourselves in what- ever may tend to the discovery of the truth ; we should endeavour to free ourselves from dcubt, so as to supply conviction to our minds; we should discriminate between reality and fiction, and should act with resolution in adopting those opinions which we ascertain to be just. 10. He who would attain to a proper self-confidence, must regard nothing that is contrary to reason ; must listen to nothing that clashes with reason; must avoid every expression inconsistent with reason, and yield to no notion by whicli reason is outraged. 11. Those extravagant systems which men fabricate; those soaring notions which cannot be sustained ; those unnatural dogmas which clash with the experience of every class in society — ought never to be admitted as of weight, because they are contrary to reason. 12. Close your ears, persist in silence, and support continual solitude, rather than conform to, and yield your attendance on for- malities and ceremonies that do violence to reason. 13. No regard should be paid by us to pretended supernatural authorities ; and we should not desire to derive advantage from im- posing on the ignorance of tlie people. 14. Whatever offers itself to our observation, we should consider it in every point of view; mark, learn, and inwardly digest it; and in all that relates to science, we should reject whatever is uncertain or doubtful. 1 5. No man can possess knowledge of every kind, but every one ought to learn and know what pertains to his duty. 16. We should be satisfied with knowing and doing what is gene- rally suitable to be known and done. Our ideas of virtue should not be too visionary and transcendent, nor incompatible with practice ; we should neither affect impossibihties, nor require more than is re- concilable with natiue. 17. Those pretended sages, whose vanity leads them to affect a knowledge of what is beyond comprehension, adept a part in which they are sure to miscarry. 18. Merely a professed love of truth, without pains taken to inform ourselves what it is, can only leave our minds in uncertainty and jx'rplexity. 19. The faculty of the passions is natural to man, or, rather, it is nature itself; there is a constant tendency to their being produced by circumstances ; but the wise man regulates his passions by those Confucius.] KinLE of reason, 35 restraints which are also furnished him by nature, inasmuch as they are the principles of reason. 20. Without the faculty of meditating, we shall be likely to stray into the maze of error, and become bewildered ; we shall attain to no steady principles, and our knowledge will never be free from dark- ness and doubt; on the other hand, meditation alone will lead us to follow shadows, and we shall experience no solid convictions : act, but without neglecting to meditate ; meditate, but without omitting to act. 21. Profoundly buried in our hearts, the emotions of the mind can only be known to those of Us by whom they are experienced. 22. All immoderate passions are deviations from that continence which is the great rule of living. 23. True virtue consists in improving the mind, and in purifying the heart ; in bearing good-will towards mankind, and in engaging them to love truth and moral excellence. 24. The just mean, in which virtue consists, is always the object of the wise ; a wise man will not stop short of this point, but he never goes beyond it. The rule of the universal mean is natural ; it is bom with us. 25. A prudent man will always preserve the medium, but a foolish one is almost sure to go above or below it ; the vulgar seldom ob- serve it, and the cause thereof is, some think themselves too wise, and others think themselves not wise enough. 26. A prudent man will accomodate himself to his circumstances ; if he is rich, he will not give himself up to luxury and inordinate pleasures, nor offend others by his pride and arrogance ; if he is poor, ne will still be honest. 27. A pmdent man is cautious both in what he says and what he does ; and the fruit of his wisdom is, that, in time, he brings himself to say and do nothing whicli he would not wish to be heard and known. 28. A prudent man will agree in opinion with every one so far as is consistent with reason, but he will not yield his opinions for the sake of conforming with, and pleasing the vulgar ; a foolish or un- principled man will identify himself with the multitude, without choice or selection of his own, so that he will neither be consistent with reason nor with justice. 29. I have met with many men who were but ill-adapted for the sciences ; but I have never met with any one who was by nature incapacitated for being virtuous. 30. Whatsoever is both honest and advantageous is proper and becoming, and we are attached to virtue because it includes both these qualities. Virtue is an ornament that sets off the whole person of him who possesses it — his interior and his exterior ; to the mind it communicates inexpressible beauties and perfections; to the body it produces delie;h»fiil sensations; it affords a certain physiognomy, cer- tain emotio'^«, fv:rtain manners, which are infinitely agreeable ; and T) 2 30 lUBl.E OF UEASOX. \Chiq}. VI. as it is tlie property of virtue to calm the heart, and preserve peace tliere, so tliis inward traii'iuillity and secret joy produce a certain serenity in the countenance, an air of goodness, kindness, and con- sideratoness, wliich atti'acts every one's esteem. 31. He who possesses virtue will always sufficiently recommend himself to others by his countenance ; but he who speaks well of virtue will not always be found to possess it. 32. We cannot observe the necessary rules of life if there be want- ing these three virtues — considerateness, which enables us to distin- guish good iioni e\'il ; unis ersal benevolence, which inclines us to love all men that are virtuous; and resolution, constantly to persevere in our adherence to good, and avoidance of evil. 33. He who applies himself to virtue ought to be on his guard against three things — against love in his youth, when his blood boils in his veins, and his spirits flow with impetuosity ; against disputes and ambitious strifes in his riper years, when his personal force is at ma- turity ; and &gainst avarice in his old age, when his strength is enervated and his mind impaired. 34. Let us be unremitting in our endeavours to acquire new virtues, and never be satisfied merely with those we may already have attained. 35. No man should torment himself because the world is not apprised of his virtues and his talents; let him rather feel mortified if he knows not the world, and is mistaken in those things wliich he ouglit to embrace or reject. 36. If a good man is poor, humble, and despised, yet he will per- mit himself in nothing that is improper, in order to be relie\ ed tiom this situation. 37. Born in a low condition, and brought up in humiliation, adversity has been my instructor, and nuich have I learnt there- from. 38. O thou, who art the friend of goodness, if thy talents and virtues remain buried in obscurity ; if thou art noticed by none, but neglected by all the world, afflict not thyself on account of their inditlerence, nor feel indignant at their desertion ; if thou art satisfied with t'ly own conduct, content with what thou possessest, and regard- less about that which depends upon the opinion of others, and not on thyst'lf, then thou art approaching the height of excellence, and art afh.xing the last seal to thy perfections. 39. To relinquish the world and its honours, to be excluded from society, and not to be known amongst men ; yet to feel no sad im- j)ress!ons or rcpinings on account of so great an obscurity, and iiover to repent of having resigned ourselves to it — this extraordinary cha- racter can only be experienced by privileged minds. 40. The erudite scholar, who applies himself to literature, and who blushes at wewringan inferior coat, or to be seen partaking of a uieau repast, does not merit that he should be named as a i)liilusopher. 41. To find one's self in coarse and shabby trim, and not blush on C()}lfHciuS.] BIBI.E OF RKA'^ON. 37 coming into the presence of a we'll -dressed friend, displ.iys a stri'ii^lli (U'niind rarely to be met with. 42. It is only by unwearied attention, and l>y unremitting efforts, tliat we can keep in tlie strict Hne ot" duty, which, nevertheless, may be distinguished at the slightest glance 43. It we perceived not at once wnat is unjust and shameful, how could we be able to guard against mistakes in practice. 44. The wise man seeks for the cause of his errors in himself; the fool, excusing himself, seeks for it in others. 45. Strive to be pure in thought : if our mind is free from evil, our actions will be so also ; let us never intend, much less commit, a wrong act. 46. Does any tiling improper offer itself to the eye, see it not; does it strike the ear, hear it not ; is it on our tongue, speak it not. 47. Sincerity of heart is the first of virtues ; nothing is so indis- pensable in the commerce of society as sincerity. 48. In the midst of candour, and while we are incapable of any dissimulation — if we are not well acquainted with the world, it may happen, through our own simplicity and the guile of others, that we fall into a thousand embarrassments, to extract ourselves from which will be found very difficult ; it is necessary then to combine a know- ledge of the ways of the world with an entirely harmless disposition on our own part. 49. We can only acquire the management of our will by extend- ing and perfecting our knowledge, as far as is admitted by humanity, reason, and the nature of the world. 50. We should behave ourselves at all times towards others the same as we would wish their conduct to be towards ourselves, 51. He who sincerely and truly measures others by himself, obeys that law naturally imprinted in his bosom, which dictates to him, not to do to others what he would not they should do to him ; and what- soever things he would that men should do to him, to do even the same to them. 52. Is there any one maxim by which a man may regulate his whole life ? It is simply to act towards others as we would desire they should act towards us ; we need but this rule alone ; it is the foundation and principle of all our duties. 53. Let us, then, regard our neighbour as ourselves ; let us use the same standard, in judging ourselves, as that by which we judge others, and estimate their sufferings and enjoyments according to our own ; so shall we fulfil the laws of true charity. 54. Have we, in any manner, done Avrong to another? Let us not be backward in making reparation for it ; not liesitating an in- stant, but nobly breaking through the restraints of pride and shame that would be our hindrance. 55. Return a good deed by tlie like; but never revenge an injury. 56. To return good for evil, and not to resent injuries, can only be the act of a great mind. 38 BIBLE OF REASON [C/lap. VJ. 57. We should abhor the crimes of the wicked ; but, if they are reclaimed to virtue, we should receive them to our bosoms as though they had never erred. 58. We ought to be so far indulgent and liberal as to overlook the offences of otliers when they show signs of tme repentance; our de- portment should then be such as to relieve them from an uneasy sense of their former conduct ; that so they may lose sight of the disgrace and degradation which can now only have the effect to discourage them in their adherence to a more virtuous course of life. 59. If we liave lallen into errors, we should recollect that it is possible to retrieve our characters; we have but to break asunder the ties which attach us to guilt, and then we may be able to surmount the obstacles that prevent us from regaining the path of virtue. 60. Nothing is more ridiculous than blaming the faults of others when we exhibit the same faults ourselves. 61. We should cultivate peace and good-will towards all men; but we should form intimate connexions alone with those of wisdom and probity. 62. Never make a friend of a worse man than yourself, but of him who is wiser and better. 63. We should mildly caution our eixing friend, and reconduct him into the right path ; but, if our remonstrances prove useless, and we find that he is obstinately bent on his own destruction, then it is right to abandon him, and not render ourselves ridiculous by a vain importunity. 64. Could remonstrances rectify faults that have been already committed, then silence would be criminal; but nothing is colder than the advice by which it is impossible to profit. Qb. Three friends are useful to us — a candid friend, a faithful friend, and a friend who will listen to what we say, who will consider of what is said to him, and who speaks little, but to the purpose. Also, three are pernicious; the hypocrite, the flatterer, and the great talker. 66. For the well regulating of our family, it is first necessary that we should well regulate ourselves. 67. To maintain love and concord in one's family, to cause virtue to prevail amongst those who are subject to our control ; this is to govern to some purpose— this is to exercise a useful and honourable magistracy. 68. An amiable woman is the source of satisfaction and happiness to her family. 69. By the manners of tlie children we may judge of the temper of the mother. 70. We should eat, without yielding ourselves up to the indulgence of the appetite; live, without caring about the luxuries of refinement; act with caution; speak with prudence; and not applaud ourselves. 71. From all we hear, we should make a prudent selection ; should preserve silence respecting what we think doubtful, and even be cir- CorifuciuS.] BIBLE OF IIEASON. 39 cumspect with regard to that which we think certain : thus, we shall seldom err in what we say. 72. It is difficult to act well ; can it be easy, then, to speak well in haste and without reflection ? 73. The tongue is the index of the heart ; and what the latter harbours the former cannot always conceal. 74. When a person's discourse seems studied for effect, and is, in all respects, flattering, it is then we may suspect his sincerity. 75. Beware of the mouth that is dangerously eloquent, and prac- tised in the specious arts of dissembling and flattering, 76. We should be careful how we conduct ourselves in our own dwellings, and should do nothing at home lor which we might blush were it known abroad. 77. We should never affirm what we do not know to be fact ; and never undertake to do a thing of which we have not well considered the consequences. 78. Unaffected manners should be accompanied by simplicity of dress and ornament. 79. When beauty and exterior grace are combined in happy union, together with native candovir; when, without excess or deficiency, these set off each other in agreeable variation, thence result the per- fections of a polished man. 80. Preserve a calm and serene countenance ; nothing will con- ciliate more powerfully the hearts of others towards you. 81. Equals should place confidence in each other. 82. The sordid mind is wrapped up in self; it is capable of none but interested affections ; it, in some measure, makes a profit of friendship ; calculating in all its motives, it does not perform good — it sells it. 83. There are persons who are beneath our conversation ; if we conversed with them, our words would be lost. 84. Act in no way that is unhandsome, even though you should have art enough to make your conduct approved ; the eyes of men may be easily deceived for a time, but a knave will always be in danger of detection. 85. To what purpose are attempts at dissimulation ? For that which a man is in himself, that he will in the end appear to other people. 86. Long experience is required to know mankind. When young, I thought that every word a person said accorded with the sen- timent of his heart. But now I am sensible of my mistake, and before giving credit to words, I wait to find them confirmed by actions. 87. An honest heart maks an open countenance. 88. What is that base man good for, whose language is deception, and who is ever wanting in his engagements. 89. A bad man is hateful ; but, if he perceives that he is hated he becomes still mure dangerous. 40 niBLE or EfcAS«N. ^Chap. Vi ','0. A man uf fttmi^ woj^ »r«d fsiooth countenance is seldom an honest man 01 It is difficult to distinguish tlie worthy tirom the worthless. Nevertheless, we should observe owj rnan, consider how he acts, an** wlxit he meditates ; push still farther our investigation, and penctrave 1. J aim- and ascertain the end he purposes to obtain ; if we suspect an .uitontion to deceive us, we should not stop here, but p^.ark the caste and inclination of him who wishes to be deemed §>j