own Griefs, tho' they are the last of all fenfible of their own Faults.

CERTAINLY Men in SUBLIME STATIONS are Strangers to themfelyes; and whilst they are in the Hurry of Business, they have no Time to tend their Health, either of Body or Soul:

Illi mors gravis incubat,
Qui notus nimis omnibus,
Ignotus moritur fibi.

In PLACE there is great Licence to do both Good and Evil; whereof the latter ought to be reckon'd a Curfe: For in Evil, the best Condition is, not to be willing; the next, not to be able. Certainly Power to oblige is the true and lawful Fnd of Ambition. For good Thoughts, tho' God accept them, yet towards Men are little better than good Dreams, unless they are put in A&; And that cannot be without some publick Place and Power, as the Vantage and commanding Ground.

OBLIGATIONS and good Works are the true Ends of Man's Labours:

And

And a Confciousness of the fame, the Accomplishment of Man's Reft. For if a Man can be Partaker of God's Theater, he fhall likewife be Partaker of God's Reft. Et converfus Deus, ut afpiceret opera, quæ fecerunt manus fua, vidit quod omnia effent bona nimis; and then the Sabbath.

In the Discharge of thy PLACE, fet before thee the best Examples; for Imitation is a Troop of Precepts; and after a Time fet before thee thine own Example; and examine thy self strictly, whether thou didst not begin better than thou heldeft on.

NEGLECT not, on the other hand, the Examples of those that have carried themselves ill in the fame PLACE: Not to set off thy felf, by taxing their Memory; but to direct thy felf what to avoid. Reform therefore, but without Vaunting, or Scandal of former Times and Perfons; but yet fet it down as a Rule to thy felf, as well to introduce good Precedents, as to follow them, Reduce Things to their first Institution;

and

and obferve well, wherein and how they have degenerated: But yet ask Counsel of both Times; of the Antient Time, that you may know what is best and of the Latter Time, that you may understand what is fitteft. Endeavour to make thy Course Regular, that Men may know before-hand what they may expect: Nevertheless be not too pofitive and peremptory; and ever when thou recedest from thy Rule, explain thy felf well. Preserve fteadily the Rights of thy PLACE; but do not therefore lightly move Brangles touching Jurifdiction; and carry it in fuch Manner as to affume and exercise thy Rights in Silence and de facto, rather than raise and debate Questions about them with Noise and Clamour.

PRESERVE likewife the Rights of inferior PLACES, fubordinate to you. And think it a greater Honour to direct in chief, than to be bufy in all. Embrace, nay Invite fuch as may help and inform thee touching the Execution of thy Place; and do not drive away those

that

that offer their Service therein as Medlers, but rather incourage and countenance them.

THE Vices in the Exercife of Authority are chiefly Four: Too much DELAY; CORRUPTION; ROUGHNESS; and FACILITY.

FOR DELAYS; give eafy Accefs; keep Times appointed; go through that which is in Hand; and interlace not new Business, but of Neceffity.

FOR CORRUPTION; do not only bind thine own Hands, and those of thy Servants, from taking Bribes, but the Hands of Suitors alfo from offering them. Integrity used, undoubtedly does the first of these: And Integrity given out and profeffed, and this with a Deteftation of Bribery, brings about the latter alfo. And avoid not only the Fault, but the Sufpicion alfo. Whofoever are found variable, and change manifeftly, without a manifest Cause, give Sufpicion of Corruption. Therefore always when you turn from your Opinion that you have declared, or from the Course

you

you have begun, profefs the fame ingenuously, and withal honeftly declare and inculcate the Causes that mov'd you to this; and don't think to be able to fteal the Thing. A favourite Servant, and of Intereft with his Mafter, if there be no apparent Cause of Favour, is commonly thought but an oblique Way to Corruption.

FOR ROUGHNESS; it breeds Envy and Ill-will, without making any Advan tage thereby; for Severity strikes Fear, but Roughness breeds Hatred. Even Reproofs from Authority ought to be Grave, and not Taunting.

As for FACILITY; that is even worse than Bribery: For Bribes are attempted but now and then; but if a Man lie open to Importunity, or be led by idle Respects, he shall never be without them. As Solomon faith, To respect Perfons is not good; for fuch a Man will tranfgrefs for a Piece of Bread. It is most certainly true, that Saying of the Antients, A Place fhews the Man. And fome it fhews for the better, o

thers