FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   194   195   196   197   198   199   200   201   202   203   204   205   206   207   208   209   210   211  
212   213   214   215   216   217   218   219   220   221   222   223   224   225   226   227   228   229   230   231   232   233   234   235   236   >>   >|  
imes inflicted on the good as well as the bad. As for proof, in our present civil war whoever draws his sword against the laws, threatens the honestest men with the whip and the halter. And, moreover, by living at home, the authority of this governor, which ought to be sovereign over the boy he has received into his charge, is often checked and hindered by the presence of parents; to which may also be added, that the respect the whole family pay him, as their master's son, and the knowledge he has of the estate and greatness he is heir to, are, in my opinion, no small inconveniences in these tender years. And yet, even in this conversing with men I spoke of but now, I have observed this vice, that instead of gathering observations from others, we make it our whole business to lay ourselves open to them, and are more concerned how to expose and set out our own commodities, than how to increase our stock by acquiring new. Silence, therefore, and modesty are very advantageous qualities in conversation. One should, therefore, train up this boy to be sparing and an husband of his knowledge when he has acquired it; and to forbear taking exceptions at or reproving every idle saying or ridiculous story that is said or told in his presence; for it is a very unbecoming rudeness to carp at everything that is not agreeable to our own palate. Let him be satisfied with correcting himself, and not seem to condemn everything in another he would not do himself, nor dispute it as against common customs. "Licet sapere sine pompa, sine invidia." ["Let us be wise without ostentation, without envy." --Seneca, Ep., 103.] Let him avoid these vain and uncivil images of authority, this childish ambition of coveting to appear better bred and more accomplished, than he really will, by such carriage, discover himself to be. And, as if opportunities of interrupting and reprehending were not to be omitted, to desire thence to derive the reputation of something more than ordinary. For as it becomes none but great poets to make use of the poetical licence, so it is intolerable for any but men of great and illustrious souls to assume privilege above the authority of custom: "Si quid Socrates ant Aristippus contra morem et consuetudinem fecerunt, idem sibi ne arbitretur licere: magnis enim illi et divinis bonis hanc licentiam assequebantur." ["If Socrates and Aristippus have committ
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   194   195   196   197   198   199   200   201   202   203   204   205   206   207   208   209   210   211  
212   213   214   215   216   217   218   219   220   221   222   223   224   225   226   227   228   229   230   231   232   233   234   235   236   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

authority

 

knowledge

 

presence

 

Aristippus

 

Socrates

 

childish

 
Seneca
 
coveting
 

ambition

 
images

uncivil
 

accomplished

 
correcting
 

satisfied

 

condemn

 

palate

 
agreeable
 
unbecoming
 

rudeness

 

invidia


sapere

 
dispute
 

common

 

customs

 
ostentation
 

contra

 

consuetudinem

 
fecerunt
 
privilege
 

assume


custom

 

licentiam

 

assequebantur

 

committ

 

divinis

 

licere

 

arbitretur

 

magnis

 

illustrious

 

omitted


desire

 

derive

 

reprehending

 

interrupting

 

carriage

 
discover
 
opportunities
 

reputation

 
licence
 

poetical