thoughts, to see how they look in words;
whereby men attain that highest wisdom,
which Dionysius, the Areopagite, saith is the
daughter of reflection."" Spenser gives a beau-
tiful description of three kinds of affection, to
women, to our offspring, and to our friend,
and gives the preference to the latter.
66 For natural affection soon doth cess,

And quenched is with Cupid's greater flame;
But faithful friendship doth them both suppress,
And them with mastering discipline doth tame,
Through thoughts aspiring to eternal fame.
For as the soul doth rule the earthly mass,
And all the service of the body frame,

So love of soul doth love of body pass,

No less than purest gold surmounts the meanest brass."

Ne gustaris quibus nigra est Cauda.

It is not known who was the Author of this enigmatical sentence, prohibiting to eat what has a black tail; that which is sweet to the taste, but leaves a sense of bitterness when swallowed. The interpretation seems to be, hold no intimate connection with persons of bad fame, nor do any thing of which you may repent on reflection.

Ne

Ne cuivis Dextram injeceris.

Offer not your hand to any one with whom you may casually associate. This is in fact only an extension of the sense of the first apothegm, by which we were admonished not lightly, or unadvisedly, to admit any one to an intimacy, "for with your hand you should give your heart." Deligas enim tantum quem diligas," you should chuse as friends only such persons as are worthy of your love, and when you have found such, as Polonius advises his son Laertes,

"Grapple them to thy soul with hooks of steel," for "amicus est magis necessarius quam ignis et aqua," a friend is more necessary to us than fire and water, without which, we know, we cannot even exist. From a want of making this selection, and of being well acquainted with the characters of the persons whom we admit to this intimacy, arises the frequent complaint of the perfidy of friends. Qui sibi amicus est, scito hunc amicum omnibus esse," he who is a friend to himself is a friend

to every one to whom he professes to be so. If this apothegm of Seneca should not be admitted to its full extent, it will at the least be allowed, that he who is not a friend to himself, should not be expected to be a friend to any one besides. For how should a man be a friend to strangers, who neglects what is necessary for the comfortable subsistence of himself and family? In short, to be a friend it is necessary that a man should shew himself to be a reasonable and a good moral man, fulfilling his duty to God, to his country, and to himself. Such a man, to adopt the language of Montaigne," is truly of the cabinet council of the Muses, and has attained to the height of human wisdom." If these rules in the choice of our friends be followed, few persons will have reason to complain of their faithlessness. If it should be said that such characters are rare, it then follows, that there are but few persons with whom we should enter into that close intimacy which is designated by the term friendship.

Cor

Cor ne edito.

Let not care corrode and gnaw your heart, lest you should fall into a state of despondency, and to avenge some disappointment or trouble, throw away all the blessings you enjoy, and with them your life. To this purport the Psalmist, "Fret not thyself, lest thou be moved to do evil." "Por mucho madrugar, no amanéce mas aina." The Spaniards say, early rising makes it not day the sooner, or too much anxiety and care will not enable you the sooner to obtain your point; and the Italians, "cento carre di pensieri, non pagaranno un' oncia di debito," an hundred cartloads of care will not pay an ounce of debt. "Cura facit canos," care brings gray hairs, and "care," we say, "killed the cat." But who is without care, or can escape its fangs! "Man that is born of a woman is of short continuance, and full of trouble; all his days are sorrow, and his travels grief, his heart also taketh not rest in the night." And " you may as soon," Burton says, separate weight from lead, heat from fire, moistness from wa

ter, and brightness from the sun, as misery, discontent, care, calamity, and danger from man." Such being the state of man, and as we are assured, "that it is as natural for him to suffer, as for sparks to fly upwards," we should bear our afflictions with patience, by which alone the heaviest of them will be in some degree softened, and appeased. "Si gravis brevis, si longus levis." If the pain be very severe, it cannot last; if it be moderate and of longer duration, it may be borne. "Nullum est malum majus, quam non posse ferre malum," no greater misfortune can happen to us, than not to be able to bear misfortune.

Ignem ne Gladio fodito.

Do not stir the fire with a sword, do not irritate an angry person; rather endeavour to sooth and appease him, and take some more convenient opportunity for reproof. When no longer under the influence of passion, he may hear and be benefited by your remon

strances.

A Fabis