Be fweet to all; is thy Complexion fower? Then keep fuch Company, make them thy Allay: Catch not at Quarrels: he that dares not speak If that thy Fame with ev'ry Toy be pois'd 'Tis a thin Web which pois'nous Fancies make: But the great Soldier's was compos'd Of thicker Stuff, which would endure a Snake. Towards great Perfons use respective boldness, Envy not greatnefs: for thou mak'ft thereby As hurts not others, but may make thee better, Thy Friend put in thy Bofom; wear his Eyes, Thy Drops of Blood must pay down all his fear : Yet be not Surety, if thou be a Father; Love is a perfonal Debt; I cannot give My Childrens right; nor ought he take it; rather And are her Sureties, e'er they are a Friends. Calmnefs Calmness is great Advantage; he that lets Truth dwells not in the Clouds: the Bow that's there Mark what another fays; for many are Full of themselves, and anfwer their own Notion, Take all into thee, then with equal Care, Ballance each Dram of Reafon like a Potion. If Truth be with thy Friend, be with them both, Share in the Conqueft, and confess a Truth. Be useful where thou liveft, that they may Both want and with thy pleasing Prefence still; Kindnefs, good Parts, great Places, are the way To compafs this: find out Mens wants and will, Pitch thy Behaviour low, thy Progrefs high, Shoots higher far than he that means a Tree. Let thy mind ftill be bent, ftill plotting where, And when, and how thy business may be done, Slight not the smallest Lofs, whether it be In Love or Honour: take account of all; Shine like the Sun in ev'ry Corner: fee Whether thy Stock of Credit rife or fall. Scorn no Man's love, though of a mean degree: As Guns deftroy, fo may a little thing. All AllForeign Wisdom doth amount to this, Affect in things about thee Cleanliness, That all may gladly board thee as a flower, Slovens take up their stock of noifomeness Before-hand, and anticipate the last hour: In Alms regard thy means, and others merit, Join hands with God to make a Man to live. The Way to make thee thrive, is first to fill Thy Mind with Reft, before thy Trunk with Riches: For Wealth without Contentment climbs a Hill To feel those Tempests which fly over Ditches. Then if thou canft but make Ten Pounds thy meafure, All which thou addeft may be call'd thy Treasure. Sum up at Night what thou haft done by day; In brief, acquit thee bravely, play the Man, The The Art of Thriving; or, The fare and Speedy way to Preferment. 8 F thou wouldst in a little time arrive to Wordly Preferment, be very industrious in thy Calling, be what it will; that which is by fparing saved, may be with diligence improved; and what is fo improved, be again fpared. For frugality alone is but fingle getting; but joined with industry is double; like thofe beams of the fun, which by a repercuffion from the earth, make that heat not to be endured, which would be hardly warmth other wife. And there, where much cannot be done at once, diligence effects it by degrees, produeing by a frequent repitition as great an heat, as more vaft abilities, but lefs active. And it hath been obferved, that it is not lefs gainful to Navigate in a fmall Veffel, which makes quick and frequent returns, than in that which returns but feldom, though deeply laden. Therefore the wife Solomon directs the fluggard to go to the Bee and Ant; which infirm creatures plainly fhew how much the affiduity of an induftrious labour can effect. And verily 'tis an ill humour, when because our means fuit not with our ends, we will not pursue those ends which fuit with our means; and because we cannot do what we will, we will not do what we can; depriving ourselves of what is within our power, because we cannot do the things that are above our power; when indeed, that's the way to do much more than we can, by doing the many littles that we are able. And this Industry truly effects things beyond our expectations, when we are not difcouraged by difficulties, ficulties, but incited; and throw not up the bufinefs as desperate, because not presently pervious, and to be waded thorough. And let me tell you, of all tempers there is none more to be avoided than theirs, the edge of whofe activity is foon abated; for they vilely defpond at thofe things as impoffible, which a more tough diligence doth eafily fuperate. For which caufe, when the hiftorian had reckoned up the many difficulties and dangers which Cofmus the first Duke of Etruria had to conflict with in his infant Government: he concludes with this Epiphonema, Hæc omnia alioqui inexpug→ nabilia Cofmus patientia & induftria fau facile vicit. And verily it is no wife the part of a man, fuc cumbere difficultaribus; and like Ifachar, lie down under his burden, and give up the set because the cards prove cross; but by a generous antiperiftafis, be hottest in our profecutions, when the coldeft air blows on our designs; and like true Spur-Nags, anniti clivo, ftrain hardest against the hill; or like thunder, tear it there moft, where we meet the fturdieft and moft rugged oak. You need never fear, but even the tallest Cedar will fall at your foot, to whofe root you applied moft inceffant ftrokes. On which confideration I was much taken with his device, who placed for his imprefs a pair of compaffes, with this motto, Conftantia &. labore; the one foot being fixed, the other in motion. Then again, if you would grow rich, be not given to law; for the quarrelling dog hath a tattered fkin; and men of ftrife, like too sharp a fword, cut their own Scabbard. And truly, what our Lord faith, is prudently practicable: He that fueth thee at Law for thy cloak, let him take thy coat alfo: for it is much better to fit down with fome manifeft loss, than to recover thy right by a trial at law: for, not to fpeak any thing of the vexation and trouble which |