372.

Moderation in good fortune is commonly nothing but dread of the shame which attends excessive elation, or fear of losing what we possess.

373.

Moderation is like temperance; we should wish to eat more, but are afraid of injuring our health.

374.

Every one blames in his neighbor what the world blames in himself.

375.

It is a kind of happiness to know to what extent we may be unhappy.

adopted a thought of Montaigne's:-" Of what is the most subtle folly composed, but of the most subtle wisdom?"— Essays, book ii. chap. 12.

374. "Men think, and reason, and judge quite differently in any matter relating to themselves from what they do in cases of others where they are not interested. Hence it is one hears people exposing follies for which they themselves are eminent; and talking with great severity against particular vices, which, if all the world be not mistaken, they themselves are notoriously guilty of."-BUTLER, Sermon on Self-deceit.

376.

Fortunate people never correct themselves. They always fancy they are in the right as long as fortune supports their ill conduct.

377.

The charm of novelty is in love what the bloom is on fruits; it gives a lustre which is easily effaced, and which never returns.

378.

The generality of young people fancy that they are natural, when they are only ill-bred and coarse.

379.

Minds of moderate calibre ordinarily condemn every thing which is beyond their range.

380.

It is more often from pride than from want of intelligence that people oppose with so much obstinacy the most received opinions. They

376. Swift remarks, "The power of fortune is confessed only by the miserable: for the happy impute all their success to prudence and merit."-Thoughts on Various Subjects.

K

find the best places taken in the good party, and do not like to put up with inferior ones.

381.

Good taste springs more from judgment than from intellect.

382.

Nothing ought more to humiliate men who have deserved great praise than the care which they still take to derive consequence from trifles.

383.

We must be able to answer for our fortune to be able to answer for our future conduct.

384.

Infidelities ought to extinguish love, and we should not be jealous, even when we have reason

381. "It is for the most part in our skill in manners, and in the observances of time and place and of decency in general, that what is called taste, by way of distinction, consists; and which is in reality no other than a more refined judgment. * The cause of a wrong taste is a defect of judgment."-BURKE, Sublime and Beautiful. Introduction.

*

384. "On tire ce bien de la perfidie des femmes qu'elle guérit de la jalousie."-LA BRUYERE, Des Femmes.

to be so; it is only persons who avoid causing jealousy who are worth being jealous of.

385.

People suffer more in our opinion, from the smallest infidelities committed towards ourselves, than from the greatest towards others.

386.

Jealousy is always born with love, but it does not always die with it.

387.

The generality of women mourn the death of their lovers not so much from the love they bore them as to appear more worthy of being loved.

388.

The violences that others do to us are often less painful than those we put on ourselves.

And again, "Celles qui ne nous ménagent sur rien et ne nous épargnent nulles occasions de jalousie, ne mériteraient de nous aucune jalousie, si l'on se réglait plus par leurs sentimens et leur conduite que par son cœur."-Du Cœur.

386. "It is said that jealousy is love, but I deny it; for though jealousy be produced by love, as ashes are by fire, yet jealousy extinguishes love as ashes smother the flame." -Les Cent nouvelles Nouvelles de la Reine de Navarre.

389.

We know well enough that we ought to speak very little of our wives; but we do not sufficiently know that we ought to speak still less of ourselves.

390.

There are some good qualities which degenerate into faults when they are natural, and others which are never perfect when they are acquired. It must be reason, for instance, that should render us careful of our property and our confidence; and, on the contrary, it must be nature that should bestow on us goodness and courage.

391.

Whatever distrust we may have of the sincerity of those who converse with us, we al ways believe that they tell us more truth than they do to others.

392.

There are few virtuous women who are not weary of their profession.

393.

The generality of virtuous women are like hidden treasures, only safe because they are not sought for.