Transcription
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Popes universal Prayer
Father of all in every age . . . . . . . . .
in every Clime [sic] adored, . . . . . . . . . . .
by Saint, by Savage & by Sage, . . . . . . .
Jehovah, Jove, or Lord, . . 1st . . . . . . . . . . .
Thou great first Cause, least understood,
Who all my Sense confined, . . . . . . .
to know but this that thou art good, . . .
and that myself am blind. . . 2d . . . . .
Yet left me in this dark Estate, . . . . .
to know the good from Ill, . . . . . .
& binding nature fast in fate, . . . . .
left free the human will. 3d . . . .
What Conscience dictates to be done,
or warns me not to do,
that teach me more than hell to shun
this more than heaven persue [sic]. 4th
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[Strikethrough] that [strikethrough]
What blessings thy free bounty gives
let me not cast away, . . . . . . .
for God is paid when man receives,
to enjoy is to obey. . . 5th . . . . . .
Nor yet to Earths contracted Span,
thy goodness let me bound, . . . . . .
nor think the Lord alone of man, . . .
when thousand Worlds are round, 6th
Let not my weak & erring hand; . . .
presume thy bolts to throw; . . . . .
& deal damnation round the Land,
on each I judge thy foe. 7th . . . . .
If I am right they Grace impart, . .
still in the right to stay, . . . . . .
If I am wrong, oh teach my heart,
to find that better Way. 8th . . .
Save me alike from foolish pride,
or impious discontent, . . . . . . .
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at aught they goodness has denyed [sic],
or aught thy mercy lent. 9th . . . .
Teach me to feel anothers woe, . . . .
to hide the fault I see, . . . . . . . .
that mercy, I to others show, . . . .
like mercy show to me. 10th . . . . .
Mean tho “Iam, not wholly so, . . . .
since quickned [sic] by thy breath, . . . .
Oh lead me where so ere, I go,
through this days life or death. 11th . . .
This day be bread, & peace , my Lot, . .
all else beneath the Sun; . . . . . .
Thou know’st if best bestowed I or not,
& let thy Will be done. 12th . . . .
To thee whose Temple, is all Space, . . .
whose altar air, Earth, Skies, . . . .
one Chorus let all Beings raise, . . .
all Natures incense rise.13th . . .
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Of the civil Life, or the active Life of a Gentleman transcribed from yr [strikethrough] 2 [strikethrough] 1st Volume of Mr Lucas’s Works, Chap 2d. Sect 1st the Gentlemans obligations to an active Life, from yr Consideration of what he owes to God, to his Country, to himself. The active Life not injurious to yr Gentlemans preeminence, liberty, pleasure. — Sect 2d. The regulation of yr civil Life, I.-E. The knowledge & virtues necessary to this sort of Life. The Constancy required throughout yr whole Course of the Gentlemans Life. —Some vacations from business neccesary [sic] and to what Ends. —
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Before I go about to set down those Rules which may render men of Rank & fortune beloved, eminent & happy in their Station, I think it necessary to convince such of the Obligations they lie under to be some way or other useful & serviceable to yr World; for it is in vain to talk of yr knowledge & virtue necessary to support & adorn a civil Life, to such as persuade themselves that they are born only to follow their own humour & fancy; & that it is the Prerogative of their Birth & fortune, to be idle, ignorant & loose. —Sect 1st. This then is yr first thing I would fain make Gentlemen sensible of, that they cannot, without
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impardonable Guilt & Reproach waste & fool away their life and fortune; & I think this would not be very hard to Effect, if they wou’d [sic] please to make but a very slight Reflection upon ur yr arguments I here address to them. – You owe more to God, & to your Country, not to add to yourselves, though that be true too in a proper Sense than any others do. — To God — To his Providence you owe it, that you were born to those fortunes which others toil for; that you are the Masters of that time which others are forced to devote to their Wants & necessities, & that you are placed at first in those advantageous heights which others
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climb to by slow & tedious Steps: your Guilt therefore is greater than the mean man is capable of, while you invade yr honour of that God, from Whom alone you derive yours; while you dethrone him who has raised you, & employ all yr power & treasure against that Being from whom you received them; no ingratitude, no treachery or baseness like that of a favourite & Confident. — And as you owe to God, so do you to yr Country more than other men; you are they who should be the Support & Ornament of it; you are placed in higher Orbs, not that like Meteors, your ominous blaze should be the Gaze & terror of
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the Multitude; but that like Stars, you might lighten & beautify, animate & impregnate yr inferiour World: for you, like them, should have an enlarged Prospect, a swift & constant motion, a bountiful & benign influence. — If your virtues do not more distinguish you from yr Crowd than your fortunes, you are exposed, not honoured, by yr Eminence of your Station; and you debauch & betray yr poor Country by yr Sin & folly, which yr Example, yr Wisdom, yr Courage, & yr Bounty, with all those other great Virtues which persons of yr Rank should shine with, should protect & enrich, & raise to yr highest Reputation of Virtue & Power. — Miserable
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must that Kingdom be, whose rich & great ones, are as much more impudently wicked, as they are more fortunate than other Men; when they, whose Example shou’d awe yr vicious, contribute not a little to corrupt yr virtuous part of it, & to debauch yr very Genious [sic] & Spirit of yr Nation: when they who should be yr Patriots of their Country, instead of being men of travel & reading, of abilities & experience, of honour & activity, are versed only in Essences & Perukes [sic], game houses & Stews; & have so far lost yr qualities of a Gentleman, that they are meaner, falser, and cowardlier than yr lowest of yr people: those must indeed be strange Courts, Councils, Parliaments,
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armies, which are filled & influenced by such as these; that must be a wretched State where men make their Court by debauchery, and know no other Politics, than what an inveterate aversion to the national Government & Constitution, or a more inveterate one to Religion & Virtue, suggest. – But if yr Country move you not, consider yet what you owe yourselves: idleness is both a Reproach & Burden: for what can be more dishonourable, than to be good for nothing; or irksome to an active Nature, such as man’s is, than to have nothing to employ it? what can be more shameful, than for a wealthy, or well born man, to be yr pity or Sport of his Country,
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or yr inward Scorn even of his Domestics & Neighbours? and what can be a greater plague, than for one who is master of his whole time & of an ample fortune, not to know how to employ the one or the other, but in such Courses as tend to yr disgrace of his Family, yr ruin of his Country, & yr damnation of his Soul? You ought too to remember, that great fortunes do generally mark men out for great Troubles as well as great Enjoyments; & were there no other motive to a vigorous & active Life, but this one, that it did fortify yr Courage, & harden yr temper, this should be sufficient to any man, who will but consider to how many Changes & Revolutions,
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how many Disasters & mischiefs a great fortune renders men obnoxious: so that when men had not yet entertained yr Opinion of yr unlawfulness of self Murther, (poison, as appears from Livy’s reflection on Masanissa’s present to his mistress) was a part of yr domestic provision of yr families of yr great; & a poison Bearer seems to have been almost as natural an Office as a Cup Bearer.
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The Sum of all is, Gifts of fortune, like those of grace or nature, as they capacitate and qualify, so do they design and oblige men to suitable duties; and Christianity expects increase proportionable to mens Talents. – Not idleness & luxury, not ignorance & debauchery; but knowledge & virtue, & a more eminent degree of Service to God & man, ought.
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to be yr distinctive Character of the rich & great, (for how should that be yr privilege of an illustrious birth & ample fortune, which is a reproach and dishonour to human nature?) these are the abilities that constitute Gentlemen truly great, that make them yr props of a sinking State, or yr Stars & glories of a flourishing one; this is that which yr safety & glory of yr Country; & yr own happiness & posterity demand at yr hands; & happy were it, if yr Laws & Customs of our Country, as once those of yr best constituted Kingdoms & Commonwealths, did exact virtue & industry with the greatest Rigour, & punished idleness & riot with infamy, banishment & death. Nor has any one reason to complain, that to oblige yr Gentleman to an active and industrious Life, is to debase his quality, or to invade his Liberty, much less to rob him of all yr pleasures & advantages he is born to. —: On yr quite contrary,
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an active virtue is yr honour of a Gentleman; this is yr only solid foundation yr love & esteem of his Country can be built on; all other advantages of fortune do but adorn him as a Pageant, to be yr sport & gaze of the Crowd; & all that have Sense enough to distinguish between merit & fortune, will inwardly despise yr fool & Sluggard, whatever Courtship & Compliment they may make to yr Esquire & Landlord. And as business can be no diminution of his honour, so neither can it be of his liberty: for not to insist upon that great truth, that yr service of virtue is yr only freedom or liberty of man; not to mind you, that yr business of men of Wealth & birth is always a matter of Choice, not necessity, they being ever in a Condition to retire when they shall judge their privacy & leisure more valuable than their
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Employments; this one single Consideration cannot but silence this Suggestion, that no man is less master of himself & time, than yr man that has an ample fortune & no business; for he is always exposed to yr forms & impertinences, to yr humours & sottishness of a number of people as idle & ignorant as himself: &, Think, there can be no Servitude so wretched, as that to luxury & vanity; nor any Confinement or attendance so tedious as a Compliance with the folly, with yr trifling & looseness of the World; but business is at all times a comedy Excuse, & never fails of putting a man handsomely in possession of his Libert [strikethrough] z [strikethrough] y [Liberty], & yr disposal of his own time & actions.
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But of all yr aspersions with which addresses of this kind are wont to be assaulted, there in none more palpably injurious than this, that to condemn
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a Gentleman to business, is to rob him of his pleasures: for yr truth is, it is business & Employment that gives gust & relish to pleasure; it is this that prevents yr disease of pleasure, surfect & satiety; & makes diversion always new, and nature always vigorous: it is true indeed, a rational & manly Employment, so raises & fortifies yr mind, that it is above being a Slave to sensual pleasure, & so entertains it, that it needs not make vitrous & sinful pleasure a Refuge against yr dulness & nauseousness of Life: but after all, tho “this be true, there is one Consideration more important still, which is, that the business of a Gentleman, if discharged as it ought to be, is always attended with pleasure, & that a more brisk & Sensible one, than he can find in any thing Else: for whether he protect the
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oppressed, or oppose yr violent & the unjust by his power; whether he steer yr ignorant & yr simple to their Harbour, by his wisdom, or releive [sic] yr necessity of yr poor; by his Wealth. whether he support a sinking friend, or raise a deserving Creature; whether he assert yr authority of Laws, and maintain yr Rights of his Country; in a Word, whether he assist the public or yr private by his fortunes, his abilities or Virtues; all these works have some thing in them so great, so generous, that I cannot but think yr Opportunities & Capacities of these yr highest prvileges [sic] & prerogatives of a fortunate Birth. — It was the Sabbath, yr rest of God, when he beheld all his works, that they were exceeding good: nor can I believe God took more pleasure in yr Creation, than he does
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in yr presentation & Government of yr World. – How pleasing then must be yr Reflexions [sic] upon these God like Works? for tho “this be not to create a new World, it is certainly to imbellish [sic], govern, & support the old. — There is little Reason to imagine why yr works of virtue should procure their authors less pleasure than those of fancy, wit, & Learning do theirs. — Why yr Poet should feel a bigger joy rise from a witty poem, yr painter from a well finished piece, yr Architect from well contrived building, yr Scholar from a just and regular discourse, than a Gentleman should from yr happy & honourable Effects of Wisdom, Courage, Bounty, & Magnanimity: these sure are the greater Excellencies, & as yr Original is more noble, so is yr issue too: for certainly to preserve yr Lives & fortunes
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of men, is much more than to make them seem to live in Imagery; to raise a family, is much more than to contrive & build a house; to feed yr hungry, cloath yr naked, & actually disperse yr Clouds & sorrows of yr afflicted, by a present & vigorous Remedy, is much more than to treat yr fancy of yr soft & vain; & in one word actually to compose yr divisions, allay yr heat’s [sic], govern yr impetuosities, & restrain yr exorbitant passions of men by yr force of Laws, by yr influence of Example, & that authority & ascendant which yr fortunes & abilities of yr great ones give them over their Inferiours, is, in my judgement [sic], a much more signal Service to God & man, than it can ever be to debate a Controversy with yr most distinguishing judgment, or unite an Exhortation with warmth and briskness. —
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Having thus demonstrated that persons of rank & fortune lie under many & strong Obligations to activity in their Sphere; & confuted those objections which are commonly opposed against it; I will proceed to lay before them, with all due Respect, such Rules as may guard them against that Envy & danger, that toil & discontent, which usually accompany yr motion of yr great, as dirt, or dust, or heat, that of their Chariots; & which, on yr other Side, may render their activity a great instrument of their felicity: for I would not that such as are yr common Patrons and Benefactors of mankind, should meet with no, other Recompence but trouble and hazard; as if, like Clouds, they could not refresh & impregnate the Earth, unless they were themselves dissolved & wasted into Showers: I would have every worthy action be an accession to their greatness, & every honourable performance carry
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with it a Reward, which shou’d not depend upon yr humour of yr Prince, or levity of yr people.
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Sect 2. Rules to be observed by the Gentleman in a public Station, or in order to yr happiness of a civil Life. –
1st = he must be endued with knowledge.
2d. With virtues proper & necessary to to his Rank & Station. —
3d. He ought to be constant, resolved, & vigorous throughout yr whole Conduct & Course of his Life & affairs. –
4th His time ought not to be so wholly taken up in business, as not to live vacancies for Religion, meditation, friendship & diversions. —
1st. Of yr. Gentlemans knowledge. – There is no fortune that knowledge better becomes, or that stands more in need of it, than a Gentleman’s; without it, an Estate is rather cumbersome-
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than useful; & yr ignorant Owner must be yr tool or instrument of another’s ambition or interest; yr prey of a menial Servant, or yr property of an imperious Wife or wanton Child, or, which is worse, of some crafty retainer, who grows impudent with yr favour, rich with yr Spoils, both of yr honour & fortune of his master: the best that can befal [sic] such a one, is, if he have yr good luck to light into good hands, & join himself with a right party, he may be yr appendage of some others fortune, yr shade & umbra of another, who intercepts yr smiles & thanks due to him, he may, in a word, talk & act by yr Sense & reason of his party. —
This is a poor & contemptible Condition to a man of birth & fortune, to be incapable of imploying [sic] yr advantages he is born to, & to be only yr prey or tool of the Cunning, avarice, ambition, & impotent
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passions of others; or, at best, the . instrument of a wiser man; for the wise is born to rule yr fool. —
Nor is this all; yr Gentlemans ignorance is so much yr more worthy of reproach, because he appears to be born to greater opportunities of knowledge, as he that stands upon a more eminent height, does naturally enjoy a more free & open prospect. —
But what is worse than all this, a patrician fortune, joined with a plebeian understanding, renders a man not more liable to suffer mischief, than apt to commit it; for if yr man have much passion, & no understanding, as wealth is apt to inspire men with pride & wiffulness [sic], tho “it cannot with wisdom; what can be expected from such a person, who hath power enough to execute his passions, & no reason to restrain them! who looks upon it as a contumely to be opposed? & tho “he hath no sense himself, is too big to hear it from another! What can such a man be, but a
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plague to himself & others! & what can his wealth & interest be, but resistless instruments of Evil! it is then indispensibly necessary, as well for yr avoiding Evil, as doing good, that yr great man be endued with a good understanding.
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The first thing he ought to be well acquainted with, is Religion, as the only Source of solid wisdom, & yr main Ground of a just & lasting Reputation: nor indeed can I see how a man can be considerable without it: for tho “base ends require base instruments in all other Cases, I see not how either Prince or people can trust those men who are false to God & themselves it is scarce to be expected, that he who sacrifices his Religion & his reason, that is, himself, to any Lust or passion, should be nice & scrupulous of giving up a remoter interest or obligation to it. —
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But when, I say, yr Gentleman should be acquainted with Religion, I do not mean, that he should perplex & amuse himself with yr disputes that have debauched, or Subtilties [subtleties] & niceties which have dispirited or enervated Christianity: I would have him have so much illumination, as to be able to distinguish between natural Religion & yr politics, revealed Religion & yr fancies & whimsies of man: I would have him thorougly [sic] instructed in yr Reasons & Grounds of our common Christianity; & study & ruminate them, till he feels yr power of them, & find himself formed & impressed by them. – He understands Religion well, who learns from it what it is to be just, and derives from it Courage enough to dare to be so. — I should think it a necessary part of this knowledge, or at least a good accomplishment in a Gentleman, to be so
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far acquainted with Ecclesiastical Story, as not to be ignorant what influence Religion, or yr pretences [sic] of it, has upon yr World, & what use cunning men have ever made of it; by what degrees or what arts the maxims of yr World have been incorporated into Religion, & the Church hath wound & insinuated itself into yr State. – This you will discern what yr true measures of Religion are: you will have a just Regard for wise Constitutions without Bigottry [sic]; you will free yourselves from all those doubts and Scruples which usher in Atheism & profaneness; &, in a word, you will find Religion yr true Standard of wisdom & discretion, yr effectual instrument of private & public good, and yr infallible Guide to honour and happiness.
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Next to yr knowledge of Religion; follows yr knowledge of yr World, which may be divided into yr knowledge of matters & men; which is so necessary in every part, in every act of Life, but especially of a public one, that I cannot but wonder at yr vanity of such as can fancy it possible to maintain a solid Reputation in their Country, & fill any Station honourably or happily without it. – The Confidence of an Empiric, or other such wretched Projectors and Undertakers, seems to me modesty and Virtue, compared to yr shamelessness & wickedness of such men themselves as obtrude [_] upon affairs of a public Nature, unstudied, unversed in things or men, that is, totally unqualified; which, however considers yr difficulty of managing them well, or yr mischievous Consequences of miscarrying in them, must Confess. —
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Let yr Gentleman therefore study yr Laws & Constitutions of yr Realm, its Changes & Revolutions in their Causes, progress & Effects, its natural & political Strengths and weaknesses, defects & Excellencies, together with its foreign interests, relations & dependencies: nor let him be wholly ignorant of yr frame & policy of other Kingdoms, tho “he ought to be best versed in our own; he must travel abroad, but dwell at home: for I would have him have a veneration, not superstition, for yr Laws & Customs of his own Country: for, I doubt, yr wisdom of our own Nation is not great enough to justify yr Neglect, much less Contempt of that of foreign ones: & because what they call yr Law of Nature is only the Law of right Reason, in those great precepts of it which seem immutable
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and inviolable, & yr same in all times & places; he ought not to be a Stranger to this, lest being ignorant of the true Grounds of human Society, & of yr Nature & Obligation of particular Laws, every new Emergency, change or deviation from yr common Road, discover his insufficiency: for it is a miserable thing to see, how, thro “yr simplicity & weakness of some, & yr subtilty [sic] & cunning of others, Laws which should be yr fences & bulwarks of yr people, are often made only their chains & fetters; & those public & solemn Ties which were designed to strengthen & fortify yr Constitution, become yr most fatal Engines of undermining & subverting it. – I have observed many, who would be excellent persons in a regular & calm State of Affairs, that are miserably perplexed, & at a Loss,
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or wretchedly abused or imposed upon in a disordered & unsettled one; like a person of my acquaintance, who rides well in inclosed [sic] & narrow Roads; but her Brains begin to swim & her heart to fail her, on downs & plains. —
After all, that I may not seem to be treating rather of speculation [strikethrough] than [strikethrough] than action, & to have proposed such an Extension of knowledge, as if I were recommending rather a Life of Study than of business, I must put you in mind, that the design of this sort of Learning ought to be, to make men wise, not subtil [sic]; judicious, not disputative: that curiosity or diligence in matters minute, or subtile [sic], has more in it of amusement than use; & that to lay yr foundation too deep & broad, does seldom quit yr Cost: &, in a word, it seems to me, to be in policy,
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as in Religion, he is yr most prudent, who best understands yr particular Laws or precepts of his particular Station; as he is yr most religious who is best learned, not in yr universal Scheme of Theology, but yr regulation of his own affections, & yr Conduct of his own Life.
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But in vain does he study things, who knows not men: for man is the instrument of power & policy; & whoever knows how to manage & gain an ascendant over him, is yr most considerable in his Country, & able to do yr greatest mischief or yr greatest good: but when I talk of knowing men, I mean, not only such a knowledge of particular persons, as may instruct you, what to hope, or what fear to from them, what employments or trusts they are fit or unfit for; & in a word, who are proper or improper
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instruments in different affairs, times & Circumstances; who are fit to be yr partners of yr pleasures & diversions, who of yr confidences & secrets, & such like; but also yr knowledge of human nature: to be thoroughly read in all yr Springs & resorts of human actions, in all the various passions & diseases of yr mind of man, with all their Causes & Cures; & to be able to distinguish yr genuine and natural, from yr acquired & artificial person; & because not single persons only, but times & ages, Nations, Cities, & lesser bodies & Societies, have their particular temper & Genius, these must not be neglected neither. – This is yr knowledge, which, together with a dextrous use & application of it, is yr very Life & Soul of worldly prudence, & makes up yr beginning, middle & End of true policy. – but, after all, both with Respect to yr public & a mans own good, that ought to be
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A Rule for yr man of business, which St Paul prescribes for a Bishop, let him first learn to rule his own house well. – He that will be truly wise, should know himself first, ere he goes about to know yr World, & begin yr practice of his politics in his own family, & in yr settlement & due administration of his domestic affairs; in which, if he cannot succeed, I must confess, I cannot see what encouragement either prince or people can have to confide in such a one: for yr disorders or dissipations of a private fortune are very ominous presages of a mal administration of public trust. – Nor can I see what can induce such a man to undertake it, but yr mere hopes of repairing his private dilapidations with yr Stones & Timber of yr Public.
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But after all, how necessary soever [sic] I account knowledge in a Gentleman engaged in an active Station; yet I cannot but observe, that whether we regard yr public or yr private, wickedness has ever been more fatal & dishonourable to both, than ignorance; & all Trusts have suffered more in yr hands of the false & yr base, than of yr unfit and unsufficient: therefore, Secondly, the Gentleman ought to be enriched with virtues, especially those which become his Rank & Station. – Knowledge is but yr Seed of virtue, & like that, it only rots & putrifies, if it grow not up into excellent habits, and bring not forth yr fruits of virtuous actions. – There is scarce any Station which does not require a particular Virtue, either to discharge or adorn it; one patience, another Courage, a 3d Vigilance, & so on; there being scarce any Office or business which is not liable to some particular inconveniences
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and temptations: but it being impossible for me to prosecute all these, I will only insist on two or three which are essential to all true greatness & honour, and if I am not much mistaken, to a happy & prosperous dispatch of all affairs; I am sure, to yr security & felicity of the public & private: these are integrity, magnanimity humanity —
First integrity. – By integrity I mean two things, justice & truth; yr first, to regulate our actions; yr second, our Words. Nor do I take justice in a beggarly barreting Sense, as if yr Gentleman had acquitted himself of a due well enough, if there were any plausible pretence [sic] to excuse yr violation or omission of it; as if he were to regard more what yr Law could compell [sic], than what honour did oblige him to, I mean, yr testimony of his own Conscience, both concerning his diligent and impartial inquiries after yr right, & sincerity in persuing [sic] it: for I would not have him appear
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to do right, rather out of yr fear ... [truncated due to length]Language
English