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will always determine himself by the end; or by fuch a retrospective view of things, confidered as past.

On the other hand, if you find a strong propenfion to any particular action, examine that with the like impartiality: perhaps it is what neither your reafon nor confcience can fully approve; and yet every motive to it is ftrongly urged, and every objection against it flighted: fenfe and appetite grow importunate and clamorous, and want to lead, while reafon remonftrates in vain; but turn not aside from that faithful and friendly Monitor, whilft with a low, ftill voice, fhe addreffes you in this foft but earnest language. -Hear me, I beseech you, but this one ⚫ word more. The action is indeed out of 'character; what I fhall never approve. The pleasure of it is a great deal over-rated; you will certainly be disappointed. It is a 'false appearance that now deceives you. "And what will you think of yourself when it is paft, and you come to reflect seriously on the matter? believe it, you will then wifh you had taken me for your councellor, inftead of thofe enemies of mine, your lufts and paffions, which have fo often misled you, tho' you know I never 1 did.'.

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Such

Such fhort recollections as these, and a little leifure to take a view of the nature and confequences of things or actions, before we reject or approve them, will prevent much falfe judgment and bad conduct; and by degrees wear off the prejudices which fancy has fixed in the mind, either for or against any particular action; teach us to diftinguish between things and their appearances; ftrip them of thofe falfe colours that fo often deceive us; correct the fallies of the imagination, and leave the reins in the hand of Reason.

Before I difmifs this head, I must observe, that fome of our ftrongeft prejudices arife from an exceffive felf-esteem, or too great a complacency in our own good fenfe and understanding. Philautus in every thing

fhews himfelf well fatisfied with his own wisdom, which makes him very impatient of contradiction, and gives him a distaste to all who fhall prefume to oppose their judgment to his in any thing; he had rather persevere in a mistake than retract it, left his judgment fhould fuffer; not confidering that his ingenuity and good fenfe fuffer much more by such obftinacy: the fulness of his felf-fufficiency makes him blind to thofe imperfections which every one can see in him but himself; and however wife, fincere and friendly,

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friendly, however gentle and seasonable your remonftrances may be, he takes it immediately to proceed from ill-nature or ignorance in you, but from no fault in him.

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Seneca, I remember, tells us a remarkable flory, which very well illuftrates this matWriting to his friend Lucilius, my wife (fays he) keeps Harpaftes in her house ftill, who, you know, is a fort of familyfool, and no fmall incumberance upon us. For my part, I am far from taking any pleafure in fuch prodigies. If I have a ⚫ mind to divert myself with a fool, I have not far to go for one; I can laugh at myfelf. This filly girl, all on a fudden, lost her eye-fight; and (which perhaps may ⚫ feem incredible, but it is very true) fhe • does not know fhe is blind; but is every now and then defiring her governess to

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lead her abroad, faying the house is dark.

Now what we laugh at in this poor creature, you may observe happens to us all. No man knows that he is covetous, < or infatiable: Yet with this difference; the • blind seek somebody to lead them, but we are content to wander without a guide.— 'But why do we thus deceive ourselves? The disease is not without us, but fixed deep within. And therefore is the cure 'fo

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• fo difficult, because we do not know that we are fick (1).*

CHAP. X.

The Neceffity and Means of knowing our Natural Temper.

IX.

NOTHER very important branch

Α
A of felf-knowledge is, the knowledge

of thofe governing paffions or difpofitions of the mind, which generally form what we call a man's natural temper.

The difference of natural tempers seems to be chiefly owing to the different degrees of influence the feveral paffions have upon the mind; e. g. if the paffions are eager and foon raised, we say the man is of a warm temper : if more fluggish and flowly raised, he is of a cool temper; according as anger, malice or ambition prevail, he is of a fierce, churlish or haughty temper; the influence of the fofter paffions of love, pity and benevolence, form a fweet, fympathifing and courteous temper; and when all the paffions are duly poised, and the milder and pleafing ones prevail, they make what is commonly called a quite good-natured man,

(1) Sen. Epift. 51.

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So that it is the prevalence of any particular paffion which gives the turn or tincture to a man's temper, by which he is loved or esteemed, or fhunned and despised by others.

Now what this is, thofe we converse with are foon fenfible of. They presently fee the fault of our temper, and order their behaviour accordingly. If they be wife and well mannered, they will avoid ftriking the ftring which they know will jarr and raise a discord within us. If they are our enemies, they will do it on purpose to fet us on tormenting ourselves. And our friends we must fuffer sometimes with a gentle hand to touch it, either by way of pleasant raillery or faithful advice.

But a man must be greatly unacquainted with himself, if he is ignorant of his predominant paffion or diftinguishing temper, when every one else observes it. Yet how common is this piece of felf-ignorance? The two Apostles Peter and John discovered it in that very action wherein they meant to exprefs a moft hearty zeal for their Master's honour; which made him tell them, that they knew not what manner of fpirit they were of, Luke ix. 5. i. e. that, instead of a principle of love and genuine zeal for him, they were at that time governed by a spirit of pride,

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