in general.
1. Remember how often you have neglected the great duties of
religion and virtue, and slighted the opportunities that Providence
has put into your hands; and, withal, that you have a set period
assigned you for the management of the affairs of human life; and
then reflect seriously that, unless you resolve immediately to
improve the little remains, the whole must necessarily slip away
insensibly, and then you are lost beyond recovery.
2. Let an unaffected gravity, freedom, justice, and sincerity
shine through all your actions, and let no fancies and chimeras
give the least check to those excellent qualities. This is an easy
task, if you will but suppose everything you do to be your last,
and if you can keep your passions and appetites from crossing your
reason. Stand clear of rashness, and have nothing of insincerity
or self-love to infect you.
3. Manage all your thoughts and actions with such prudence and
circumspection as if you were sensible you were just going to step
into the grave. A little thinking will show a man the vanity and
uncertainty of all sublunary things, and enable him to examine
maturely the manner of dying; which, if duly abstracted from the
terror of the idea, will appear nothing more than an unavoidable
appendix of life itself, and a pure natural action.
4. Consider that ill-usage from some sort of people is in a manner
necessary, and therefore do not be disquieted about it, but rather
conclude that you and your enemy are both marching off the stage
together, and that in a little time your very memories will be
extinguished.
5. Among your principal observations upon human life, let it be
always one to take notice what a great deal both of time and ease
that man gains who is not troubled with the spirit of curiosity,
who lets his neighbours’ affairs alone, and confines his
inspections to himself, and only takes care of honesty and a good
conscience.
6. If you would live at your ease, and as much as possible be free
from the incumbrances of life, manage but a few things at once, and
let those, too, be such as are absolutely necessary. By this rule
you will draw the bulk of your business into a narrow compass, and
have the double pleasure of making your actions good, and few into
the bargain.
7. He that torments himself because things do not happen just as
he would have them, is but a sort of ulcer in the world; and he
that is selfish, narrow-souled, and sets up for a separate
interest, is a kind of voluntary outlaw, and disincorporates
himself from mankind.
8. Never think anything below you which reason and your own
circumstances require, and never suffer yourself to be deterred by
the ill-grounded notions of censure and reproach; but when honesty
and conscience prompt you to say or do anything, do it boldly;
never balk your resolution or start at the consequence.
9. If a man does me an injury, what is that to me? It is his own
action, and let him account for it. As for me, I am in my proper
station, and only doing the business that Providence has allotted;
and withal, I ought to consider that the best way to revenge, is
not to imitate the injury.
10. When you happen to be ruffled and put out of humour by any
cross accident, retire immediately into your reason, and do not
suffer your passion to overrule you a moment; for the sooner you
recover yourself now, the better you will be able to guard yourself
for the future.
11. Do not be like those ill-natured people that, though they do
not love to give a good word to their contemporaries, yet are
mighty fond of their own commendations. This argues a perverse and
unjust temper, and often exposes the authors to scorn and contempt.
12. If any one convinces you of an error, change your opinion and
thank him for it: truth and information are your business, and can
never hurt anybody. On the contrary, he that is proud and
stubborn, and wilfully continues in a mistake, it is he that