nay, he could not continue speaking,
conscious of that difficulty, did he not depend greatly on the humanity
of his hearers. Yet it is not flattery prompts the lecturer to this
address; for, to shew in how odious a light he holds flattery, he here
exposes the head of flattery. [_Takes the head._]

This being, called Flattery, was begat upon Poverty, by Wit; and that
is the reason why poor {75}wits are always the greatest flatterers. The
ancients had several days they called lucky and unlucky ones; they
were marked as white and black days. Thus is the face of Flattery
distinguished; to the lucky she shews her white, or shining profile;
to the unlucky she is always in eclipse: but, on the least approach
of calamity, immediately Flattery changes into reproach. [_Opens the
head._] How easy the transition is from flattery into reproach; the
moral of which is, that it is a reproach to our understandings to
suffer flattery. But some people are so fond of that incense, that they
greedily accept it, though they despise the hand that offers it, without
considering the receiver is as bad as the thief. As every head here is
intended to convey some moral, the moral of this head is as follows:
This head was the occasion of the first duel that ever was fought, it
then standing on a pillar, in the centre, where four roads met. Two
knights-errant, one from the north, and one from the south, arrived at
the same instant at the pillar whereon this head was placed: one of the
knights-errant, who only saw this side of the head, called out, "It
is a shame to trust a silver head by the road side." "A silver head!"
replied the knight, who only saw this side of the head, "it is a black
{76}head." Flat contradiction produced fatal demonstration; their swords
flew out, and they hacked and hewed one another so long, that, at last,
fainting with loss of blood, they fell on the ground; then, lifting
up their eyes, they discovered their mistake concerning this image. A
venerable hermit coming by, bound up their wounds, placed them again on
horseback, and gave them this piece of advice, That they never hereafter
should engage in any parties, or take part in any dispute, without
having previously examined both sides of the question.

We shall now conclude this part of the lecture with four national
characters.

{77}Here is the head of a Frenchman [_shews the head_], all levity and
lightness, singing and capering from morning till night, as if he looke