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 past, and you come to reflect seriously on the matter? Believe it you will then wish you had taken me for your counsellor, instead of those enemies of mine, your lusts and passions, which have so often misled you, though, you know, I never did."

Such short reflections as these, and a little leisure to take a view of the nature and consequences of things or actions, before we reject or approve them, will prevent much false 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 distinguish between things and their appearances; strip them of those false colours that so often deceive us; correct the sallies of the imagination, and leave the reins in the hand of reason.

Before I dismiss this head, I must observe, that some of our strongest prejudices arise from an excessive self-esteem, or too great value for our own good sense and understanding. Phi

lautus, in every thing, shows himself very well satisfied with his own wisdom, which makes him very impatient of contradiction, and gives him a distaste to all who shall presume to oppose their judgment to his in any thing. He had rather persevere in a mistake than retract it, lest his judgment should suffer, not considering that his ingenuity and good sense suffer much more by such obstinacy. The fulness of his self-sufficiency makes him blind to those imperfections, which every one can see in him but himself. So that, however wise, sincere, and friendly, however gentle and seasonable your remonstrance may be, he takes it immediately to proceed from ill-nature or ignorance in you, but from no fault in him.

Seneca, I remember, tells us a remarkable story, which very well illustrates this matter.Writing to his friend Lucilius, "My wife," says he, "keeps Harpastes in her house still, who, you know, is a sort of family-fool, and an incumbrance upon us. For my part, I am far from taking any pleasure in such prodigies. If I have a mind to divert myself with a fool, I have not far to go for one; I can laugh at myself.

This silly girl, all on a sudden, lost her eyesight; and (which, perhaps, may seem incredible, but it is very true) she does not know she is blind, but is every now and then desiring her governess to lead her abroad, saying, the house is dark. Now, what we laugh at in this poor creature, we may observe, happens to us all. No man knows that he is covetous or insatiable. 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 so difficult, because we do not know that we are sick."

CHAP. X.

The necessity and means of knowing our natural tempers.

IX. "ANOTHER very important branch of self-knowledge is, the knowledge of those governing passions or dispositions 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 several passions have upon the mind; e. g. If the passions are eager, and soon raised, we say, the man is of a warm temper; if more sluggish, and slowly 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 softer passions of love, pity, and benevolence, forms a sweet, sympathizing, and courteous temper; and where all the passions are duly poised, and the milder and

pleasing ones prevail, they make what is commonly called, a quiet, good-natured man.

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

Now, what this is, those we converse with are soon sensible of. They presently see through us, and know the fault of our temper, and order their behaviour to us accordingly. If they are wise and well-mannered, they will avoid touching the string, which, they know, will jar and raise a discord within us. If they are our enemies, they will do it on purpose to set us on tormenting ourselves. And our friends we must suffer 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 passion, or distinguishing temper, when every one else observes it. And yet, how common is this piece of self-ignorance! The two apostles, Peter and John, discovered in it that very ac