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will find the greatest difficulty to lie only in the first attempt; thefe frightful appearances to be all vifionary, the mere figments of fancy, turning lambs into lions, and mole-hills into mountains; and that nothing but floth, folly, and self-indulgence, thus fet your imagination on work, to deter you from a plain duty. Your heart would deceive you; but you have found out the cheat, and do not be impofed upon *.

Again, fuppofe the thing done; confider how it will look then. Take a view of it as paft; and whatever pains it may coft you, think whether it will not be abundantly recompenfed by the inward peace and pleasure, which arifes from a confcioufnefs of having acted right. It certainly will. And the difficulties you now dread will enhance your future fatisfaction. But think again how you will bear the reflections of your own mind, if you wilfully neglect a plain and neceffary duty; whether this will not occafion you

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«The wife and prudent conquer difficulties, "By daring to attempt them. Sloth and folly "Shiver and fhrink at fight of toil and danger, "And make th' impoffibility they fear."

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forfan et hæc olim meminiffe juvabit.

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much more trouble than all the pains you might be at in performing it. And a wife man will always determine himself by the end, or by fuch a retrospective view of things, confidered as paft.

Again, on the other hand, if you find a ftrong propenfion to any particular action, examine that with the like impartiality. Perhaps it is what neither your reafon nor confcience can fully approve; and yet every motive to it is ftrongly urged, and every objection against it flighted. Senfe and appetite grow importunate and clamorous, and want to lead, while reason remonftrates in vain. But turn not afide from that faithful and friendly monitor, whilft with a low ftill voice the addreffes you in this foft, but earnest language : "Hear me, I befeech you, but this one "word more. The action is indeed out "of character; what I fhall never approve. The pleasure of it is a great "deal over-rated; you will certainly be "difappointed. It is a falfe appearance "that now deceives you. And what will "you think of yourfelf when it is past, "and you come to reflect seriously on "the matter? Believe it, you will then " with you had taken me for your coun"fellor, inftead of those enemies of mine, Gg your

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your lufts and paffions, which have fo often mifled you, though you know I "never did.”

Such fhort recollections as these, and a little leifure to take a view of the nature and confequences of things or actions before we reject or approve them, will prevent much falfe judgment and bad conduct, and by degrees wear off the preju dices which fancy has fixed in the mind, either for or against any particular action; teach us to diftinguish between things and their appearances; ftrip them of thofe falfe colours that fo often deceive us; correct the fallies of the imagination, and leave the reins in the hand of reafon.

Before I difmifs this head, I must obferve that fome of our ftrongeft prejudices arife from an exceffive felf-esteem, or a too great value of our own good fenfe and understanding. Philautus in every thing fhows himself very well fatisfied with his own wisdom, which makes him very impatient of contradiction, and gives him a diftafte to all who fhall prefume to oppofe their judgment to his in any thing. He had rather perfevere in a mistake than retract it, left his judgment fhould fuffer, not confidering that his ingenuity and good fenfe fuffer much more by fuch ob

flinacy.

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ftinacy. The fulness of his felf-fufficiency makes him blind to thofe imperfections which every one can fee in him but himfelf. So that however wife, fincere, and friendly, however gentle and feasonable your remonstrance may be, he takes it immediately to proceed from ill-nature or ignorance in you, but from no fault in him.

Seneca, I remember, tells us a remarkable ftory, which very well illuftrates this matter. Writing to his friend Lucilius, "My wife (fays he) keeps Harpaftes in

her houfe ftill, who, you know, is a "fort of family-fool, and an encumbrance 66 upon us. For my part, I am far from "taking any pleasure in fuch prodigies. "If I have a mind to divert myself with 66 a fool, I have not far to go for one; I "can laugh at myself. This filly girl, all

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on a fudden, loft her eye-fight; and "(which perhaps may fee incredible, "but it is very true) fhe does not know "fhe is blind, but is every now and then

defiring her governefs to lead her a"broad, faying the houfe is dark. Now, "what we laugh at in this poor creature, "we may obferve, happens to us all. No

"man knows that he is covetous or infa"tiable. Yet with this difference, the blind feek fomebody to lead them, but

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"we are content to wander without a "guide. But why do we thus deceive "ourfelves? The difeafe is not without <6 us, but fixed deep within. And there"fore is the cure fo difficult, because we "do not know that we are fick *."

CHAP. X.

The Neceffity and Means of knowing our Natural Tempers.

IX. "A branch of felf-knowledge is, NOTHER very important "the knowledge of thofe governing paf"fions or difpofitions of the mind, which "generally form, what we call, a man's "natural temper.

The difference of natural tempers seems to be chiefly owing to the different degrees of influence the feveral paffions have upon the mind. e. g. If the paffions are eager and foon raised, we fay the man is of a warm temper; if more fluggish and flowly raised, he is of a cool temper; according as anger, malice,. or ambition prevail, he is of a fierce, churlish, or haughty temper; the influence of the fofter paf

*Sen. Epift. 51.

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