Hear the instruction of thy father.

A wise son maketh a glad father:

THE

BOOK OF GOOD DEVICES.

वववव

SIR HENRY SIDNEY TO HIS SON.

ET your first action be the lifting up of your mind to Almighty God, by hearty prayer, and feelingly digest the words you speak in prayer, with continual meditation, and thinking of Him to whom you pray, and of the matter for which you pray. And use this as an ordinary, and at an ordinary hour; whereby the time itself will put you in remembrance to do that which you are accustomed to do. In that time apply your study to such hours as your discreet master doth assign you, earnestly; and the time he will so limit, as shall be both sufficient for your learning and safe for your health. And mark the sense and the matter of that you read, as well as the words, So shall you both enrich your tongue with words, and your wit with matter; and judgment will grow as your years

But a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.

Forsake not the law of thy mother.

If sinners entice thee, consent thou not.

Be temperate in all things.

groweth with you.

Be humble and obedient to

your master, for unless you frame yourself to obey
others, yea, and feel in yourself what obedience is,
you shall never be able to teach others how to obey
you.

Be courteous of gesture, and affable to all men,
with diversity of reverence, according to the dignity
of the person. There is nothing that winneth so much
with so little cost. Use moderate diet, so that
after your meat you may find your wit fresher, and
not duller, and your body more lively, and not more
heavy. Seldom drink wine, and yet sometimes do,
lest being enforced to drink upon the sudden, you
should find yourself inflamed. Use exercise of body,
but such as is without peril of your joints or bones.
It will increase your force and enlarge your breath.
Delight to be cleanly, as well in all parts of your
body, as in your garments. It shall make you
grateful in each company, and otherwise loathsome.
Give yourself to be merry, for you degenerate from
your father if you find not yourself most able in wit
and body to do anything, when you be most merry:
but let your mirth be ever void of all scurrility, and
biting words to any man; for a wound given by a
word is oftentimes harder to be cured than that which
is given with the sword. Be you rather a hearer and
bearer away of other men's talk, than a beginner or
procurer of speech, otherwise you shall be counted to

A blustering man is a coward.

Incline thine ear unto wisdom.

Apply thine heart to understanding.

The tongue is an unruly member.

delight to hear yourself speak. If you hear a wise
sentence, or an apt phrase, commit it to your memory,
with respect of the circumstance, when you shall
speak it.

Let never oath be heard to come out of your
mouth, nor word of ribaldry; detest it in others,
so shall custom make to yourself a law against it in
yourself. Be modest in each assembly, and rather
be rebuked of light fellows for maiden-like shame-
facedness, than of your sad friends for pert boldness.
Think upon every word that you will speak, before
you utter it; and remember how nature hath ram-
pired up, as it were, the tongue with the teeth, lips,
yea, and hair without the lips, and all betokening
reins, or bridles, for the loose use of that member.

Above all things, tell no untruth, no, not in trifles.
The custom of it is naughty; and let it not satisfy
you that, for a time, the hearers take it for a truth;
for after, it will be known as it is to your shame; for
there cannot be a greater reproach to a gentleman
than to be accounted a liar. Study and endeavour
yourself to be virtuously occupied. So shall you
make such an habit of well-doing in you, that you
shall not know how to do evil, though you would.
SIR HENRY SIDNEY.

All lies disgrace a gentleman.

Trust in the Lord with all thy might.

A wise man will hear and increase learning.

The Lord giveth wisdom.

ΜΑΝ.

How poor! how rich! how abject! how august!
How complicate! how wonderful is Man!

How passing wond'rous He who made him such!
Who centred in our make such strange extremes !
From different natures marvellously mixt,

Connection exquisite of distant worlds!
Distinguish'd link in being's endless chain!
Midway from nothing to the Deity!
A beam ethereal sullied, and absorb'd!
Though sullied and dishonour'd, still divine!
Dim miniature of greatness absolute!
An heir of glory! a frail child of dust!
Helpless immortal! insect infinite!

A worm! a god! I tremble at myself,
And in myself am lost! at home a stranger,
Thought wanders up and down, surpris'd, aghast,
And wond'ring at her own: how reason reels!
O what a miracle is man to man!

Triumphantly distress'd, what joy, what dread!
Alternately transported and alarm'd!

What can preserve my life? or what destroy?
An angel's arm can't snatch me from the grave;
Legions of angels can't confine me there.

EDWARD YOUNG.

Remove thy feet from evil.

The Lord is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.

A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches.

A good man is a common good.

DOING GOOD.

OW much evil may be done by one wicked man! Yea, sometimes one wicked man, of slender abilities, becoming an indefatigable tool of the devil, may do an incredible mischief in the world. We have seen some wretched instruments of cursed memory ply the intention of doing mischief at a strange rate, till they have undone a whole country; yea, unto the undoing of more than three kingdoms. It is a melancholy consideration, and I may say, an astonishing one; you will hardly find one of a thousand who does half so much to serve God and Christ and his own soul, as you may see done by thousands to serve the devil. A horrible thing!

We read of a man "who deviseth mischief upon his bed; who setteth himself in a way that is not good." Now, why should not we be as active, as frequent, as forward in devising good, and as full of exquisite contrivances? Why should not we be as wise to do good as any are to do evil? I am sure we have a better cause, and better reason for it. My friend though perhaps thou art one who makest but a little figure in the world, "a brother of low degree," yet behold a vast encouragement. A little man may do a great deal of harm; and, pray, why

Strive to do good unto all men.

A good name is the reward of goodness.