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of a more excellent mind, for a man freely to retract when he is in the wrong, than to be overbearing and pofitive when he is in the right (u).

A man then must be willing, before he can know himself. If he defireth to fee, he muft open his eyes; he must yield to evidence and conviction, tho^ it be at the expence of his judgment, and to the mortification of his vanity.

CH A P. VI.

To be fenfible of our falfe Knowledge, a good Step to Self-Knowledge.

VI.

WOULD you know yourself, take

knowledge.

heed and guard against falfe

See that the light which is within you be darkness; examine examine your fentiments, and

confider

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(2) Ει τις με ελεγξαι, και παραςησαι με, εκ ορθώς υπολαμβάνώ η πράσσω, δυναται, χαιρων μεταθήσομαι ζήλο γαρ την αληθειαν ιφ ης εδεις πωποτε έβλαβη βλάπτεται δε ο επιμενων επι της δαυλό απαλής και αγνοίας. M. Aur. lib. 6. § 21. If any one can convince me that I am wrong in any point of fentiment or practice, I will alter it with all my heart. For it is truth I feek; and that can hurt no body. We can only be hurted by perfifting in error or ignorance.

confider what you have to unlearn; there is frequently as much wisdom in casting off fome of our knowledge, as in acquiring that which we have not. This perhaps inclined Themistocles to reply, when one offered to teach him the art of memory, that he had much rather he would teach him the art of forgetfulness.

A fcholar that hath been all his life collecting books, will at length find much rubbish in his library. As his tafle and judgment improve, he will reject many as lumber, which, it may be, he once highly valued; and he will probably replace them with fuch as are more folid and useful. In like manner we deal with our underftandings, and inspect the furniture of the mind; we should separate the chaff from the wheat, which are generally received into it together. To read trifling productions all our life, is the way to retain a flashy and juvenile turn; and only to contemplate our firft knowledge, cramps the progrefs of the understanding, and makes our felf-furvey extremely deficient. In fhort, would we improve our understandings to the valuable purposes of Self-Knowledge, we must be

as

as careful in the choice of our books, as in

our company.

The pains we take in books or arts, ⚫ which treat of things more remote from • the use of life, is a bufy idleness.

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If I ftudy (fays Montaigne) it is to acquire no ⚫ other science than what yields SelfKnowledge, which inftructs me how to live and die well (x).'

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It is a comfortless fpeculation, and an evident proof of the imperfection of the human understanding, that, upon a narrow fcrutiny into our faculties, we obferve many things which we think we know, but do not; and many which we do know, but ought not; that a good deal of the knowledge we have been all our lives collecting, is no better than mere ignorance, and some of it is worfe; to be fenfible of which is a very neceffary step to Self-acquaintance (y).

(x) Rule of Life, pag. 82, 90. (y) See Part i. Chap. xiii. fin.

CHA P.

CHA P. VII.

Self-infpection highly neceffary on particular

VII.

Occafions.

WOULD YOU

know yourself, you

muft very carefully attend to the frame and emotions of your mind under certain extraordinary incidents.

Some fudden accidents, which befal you when the mind is moft off its guard, will better discover its fecret turn and prevailing difpofition, than much greater events for which you are prepared.

(1.) Confider how you behave under any fudden affronts or provocations from men. A fool's wrath is prefently known, i. e. a fool is presently known by his wrath.

If anger be foon kindled, it fhews that fecret pride lies lurking in the heart; which, like gun-powder, takes fire at every spark of provocation: for whatever may be owing to a natural temper, it is certain that pride is the chief caufe of frequent and wrathful refentments. Pride and anger are as nearly allied as humility and meeknefs. Only by pride

*Prov. xii. 16.

U

pride cometh contention † and a man would not know what mud lay at the bottom of his heart, if it were not ftirred up by pro

vocation.

6

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Athenodorus the aged Philofopher begged to retire from the court of Auguftus, which the Emperor granted; and in his compliments of leave,‘Remember (faid he) Cæfar, whenever you are angry, you say or do nothing, before you have distinctly repeated to yourself the four and twenty ⚫ letters of the alphabet.' Whereupon Cafar, taking him by the hand, politely faid, I have need of your prefence ftill; and kept him a year longer (z). This is celebrated by the antients as a rule of excellent wisdom. But a Chriflian may prescribe to himself fomething wifer, viz. When you are angry, ' answer not till you have repeated the fifth petition of the Lord's Prayer, forgive us our trefpaffes, as we forgive them that trefpafs against us. And our Saviour's comment upon it.' For if ye forgive men their trefpaffes, your heavenly father will alfo forgive you but if you forgive not men their trefpaffes,

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+ Prov. xiii. 10.

6

(7) See Plut. Mor. Vol. i. pag. 238.

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