a dog? Why then do you delay to put in practice those means, which may reconcile you to Timon ?" " Acquaint me with those means,” answered Demetrius, “ for I am a stranger to them."" Answer me a few questions,” said Socrates.

7." If you desire, that one of your neighbours should invite you to his feast, when he offers a sacrifice, what course would you take ?”—“I would first invite him to mine."" And how would you induce him to take the charge of your affairs, when you are on a journey?"" I should be forward to do the same good office to him, in his absence."

8. "If you be solicitous to remove a prejudice, which he may have received against you, how would you then behave towards him?"-"I should endeavour to convince him, by my looks, words, and actions, that such prejudice was ill-founded."—" And if he appeared inclined to reconciliation, would you reproach him with the injustice he had done you?"-"No," answered Demetrius; "I would repeat no grievances."

9. "Go," said Socrates," and pursue that conduct towards your brother, which you would practice to a neighbour. His friendship is of inestimable worth; and nothing is more lovely in the sight of Heaven, than for brethren to dwell together in unity.

SECTION XIII.

On Good Breeding.

PERCIVAL.

1. As learning, honour, and virtue, are absolutely necessary to gain you the esteem and admiration of mankind, politeness and good breeding are equally necessary to make you agreeable in conversation and common life.

2. Great talents are above the generality of the world, who neither possess them themselves, nor judge of them rightly in others: but all people are judges of the smaller talents, such as civility, affability, and an obliging, agreeable address and manner; because they feel the effects. of them, as making society easy and pleasing.

3. Good sense must in many cases, determine good breeding; but there are some general rules of it, that ale ways hold true. For example, it is extremely rude, no to give proper attention, and a civil answer, when people

speak to you or to go away, or be doing something else, while they are speaking to you: for that convinces them that you despise them, and do not think it worth your while to hear, or answer what they say.

4. It is also very rude to take the best place in a room; or to seize immediately upon what you like at table, without offering first to help others; as if you considered nobody but yourself. On the contrary, you should always endeavour to procure all the conveniences you can, to the people you are with.

5. Besides being civil, which is absolutely necessary, the perfection of geod breeding is, to be civil with ease, and in a becoming manner:-Awkwardness can proceed but from two causes; either from not having kept good company, or from not having attended to it. Attention is absolutely necessary for improving in behaviour, as in deed it is for every thing else.

6. If an awkward person drinks tea or coffee, he often scalds his mouth, and lets either the cup or the saucer fall, and spills the tea or coffee on his clothes. At dinner his awkwardness distinguishes itself particularly, as he has more to do.

7. There he holds his knife, fork, and spoon, differently from other people; eats with his knife, to the great danger of his lips; picks his teeth with his fork; and puts his spoon, which has been in his mouth twenty times, into the dishes again.

8. If he is to carve, he can never hit the joint; but in his vain efforts to cut through the bone, scatters the sauce in every body's face. He generally daubs himself with soup and grease, though his napkin is commonly stuck through a button-hole, and tickles his chin.

9. When he drinks, he coughs in his glass, and besprinkles the company. Besides all this he has strange tricks and gestures; such as snuffing up his nose, making faces, putting his fingers in his nose, or blowing it, and looking afterwards in his handkerchief, so as greatly to disgust the company.

10. His hands are troublesome to him, when he has not something in them; and he does not know where to put them, but keeps them in perpetual motion. All this, I own is not in any degree criminal; but it is highly disagree

able and ridiculous in company; and ought most carefully to be guarded against, by every one that desires to please.

11. There is, likewise, an awkwardness of expression and words, which ought to be avoided; such as false English, bad pronunciation, old sayings, and vulgar proverbs; which are so many proofs of a poor education..

12. For example, if instead of saying that tastes are different, and that every man has his own peculiar one, you should let off a vulgar proverb, and say, "That what is one man's meat is another man's poison;" or else, Every one to his liking, as the good man said when he kissed his cow;" the company would be persuaded that you had never associated with any but low persons.

13. To mistake or forget names; to speak of " Whatd'ye-call-him," or, "Thingum," or, " How-d'ye-call-her," is excessively awkward or vulgar. To begin a story or narration, when you are not perfect in it, and cannot go through with it, but are forced, possibly, to say in the middle of it, "I have forgotten the rest," is very unpleasant and bungling

14. One must be extremely exact, clear, and perspicuous, in every thing one says; otherwise, instead of entertaining or informing others, one only tires and puzzles them. The voice and manner of speaking, too, are not to be neglected. Some people almost shut their mouths when they speak; and mutter so, that they are not to be understood! others speak so fast, and sputter, that they are equally unintelligible.

15. Some always speak as loud as if they were talking to deaf people; and others so low, that one cannot hear them. All these, and many other habits, are awkward and disagreeable, and are to be avoided by attention. You cannot imagine how necessary it is to mind all these little things. I have seen many people, with great talents, ill received, for want of having these talents too; and others well received, only from their little talents, and who had no great ones.

SECTION XIV.

The ungrateful guest.

. PHILIP, king of Macedon, is celebrated for an act of

private justice, which does great honour to his memory A certain soldier, in the Macedonian army, had, in various instances, distinguished himself by extraordinary acts of valour; and had received many marks of Philip's appro bation and favour.

2. On a particular occasion, the soldier embarked on board a vessel, which was wrecked by a violent storm; and he was cast on the shore, helpless and naked, with scarcely any appearance of life. A Macedonian, whose lands were contiguous to the sea, came opportunely to be witness of his distress; and, with the most humane and charitable tenderness, flew to the relief of the unhappy stranger.

3. He bore him to his house, laid him in his own bed,* revived, cherished, and comforted him; and, for forty days, supplied him freely with all the necessaries and conveniences which his languishing condition could require.

4. The soldier thus happily rescued from death, was incessant in the warmest expressions of gratitude to his benefactor; assured him of his interest with the king; and of his determination to obtain for him, from the royal bounty, the noble returns which such extraordinary benevolence had inerited. He was at length completely recovered; and was supplied by his kind host with money to pursue his journey.

5. After some time, the soldier presented himself before the king; he recounted his misfortunes; he magnified his services; and this inhuman wretch, who had looked with an eye of envy on the possessions of the man by whom his life had been preserved, was so devoid of gratitude, and of every humane sentiment, as to request that the king would bestow upon him the house and lands, where he had been so tenderly and kindly entertained.

6. Unhappily, Philip, without examination, precipitately granted his infamous request. The soldier then returned to his preserver; and repaid his goodness by driving him from his settlement, and taking immediate possession of all the fruits of his honest industry.

7. The poor man, stung with such an instance of unpa ralleled ingratitude and insensibility, boldly determined, instead of submitting to his wrongs, to seek relief: and in a letter addressed to Philip, representing his own and the soldier's conduct, in a lively and affecting manner.

8. The king was instantly fired with indignation. He ordered that ample justice should be done without delay; that the possessions should be immediately restored to the man whose charitable offices had been thus horridly repaid; and, to show his abhorrence of the deed, he caused the soldier to be seized, and to have these words branded on his forehead-"The Ungrateful Guest." GOLDSMITH.

SECTION XV.

The hospitable negro woman.

1. The enterprising traveller, Mungo Park, was em⚫ployed by the African Association, to explore the interior regions of Africa. In this hazardous undertaking, he encountered many dangers and difficulties. His wants were often supplied, and his distresses alleviated, by the kindness and compassion of the negroes. He gives the following lively and interesting account of the hospitable treatment he received from a poor negro woman.

2. "Being arrived at Sego, the capital of the kingdom of Bambarra, situated on the banks of the Niger, I wished to pass over to that part of the town in which the king resides: but, from the number of persons eager to obtain a passage, I was under the necessity of waiting two hours.

3. During this time, the people who had crossed the river, carried information to Mansong, the king, that a white man was waiting for a passage, and was coming to see him.

4. "He immediately sent over one of his chief men, who informed me that the king could not possibly see me, until he knew what had brought me into his country; and that I must not presume to cross the river without the king's permission.

5. "He therefore advised me to lodge, for that night, at a distant village to which he pointed; and said, that in the morning, he would give me further instructions how to conduct myself.

6. "This was very discouraging. However, as there was no remedy, I set off for the village; where I found, to my great mortification, that no person would admit me into his house. From the prejudices infused into their minds, I was regarded with astonishment and fear; and