let his body down with the feet foremost, remaining thus in a perpendicular position, except throwing his head as far back as possible, might escape drowning for some considerable time at least; because, in that position the face would be quite above the surface of the water. This prescription or direction from the venerable Doctor, who knew as well as any man how to keep his own head above water, is of itself, or in its plain literal import, well worthy to be held in remembrance. But craving indulgence for the license, I mean withal to make an analogical use of it.

Young men, as soon as they are entitled to the rights of personal independence, launch out into what is figuratively called the ocean of life. Indeed we are all of us in that ocean; some in deeper, and others in shoaler water; some going forward smoothly with the tide; and others having the tide against them: sometimes we have fair wind and weather, and at other times we are under a dark sky, and assailed with tempestuous winds that raise aloft the foaming billows.

What, then, is the safest way, at all times, and for persons of all ranks and conditions? Why, it is told in only three words, Mind the perpendicular. Many a young man, and many a man not young, have I seen ingulphed and lost, not by reason of his wanting skill and alertness, but because he failed in keeping himself in a perpendicular attitude: whereas, on the other hand, never did I see a single one totally submerged, who had always been duly careful in that particular.

If even there were nothing to hope or fear beyond the grave, honesty would be the best policy; inasmuch as it carries one through this world with safety, as well as with honor: "He that walketh uprightly, walketh surely." He travels in a plain and safe path; a fair character is his passport, and the laws of society are his protection. As long as a man holds fast his integrity, he cannot be quite undone; for though, by adverse gusts, he be sadly plunged, his face will still be above water.

Though he should suffer the loss of all things else, yet the consciousness of strict integrity, will buoy him up, and the knowledge that others have, of his integrity, will give him a chance to repair his broken fortunes, or at the

least will secure him that good name which is "better than precious ointment.'

On the contrary, "he that perverteth his way shall be known." Though deceit and knavishness may sometimes procure momentary advantages, they are but momentary, and are much more than countervailed by the lasting ill consequences which they never fail to bring after them: for not only does dishonesty draw after it many inward disquietudes, but it lays one under very heavy disadvantages with respect to his intercourse with the world. Notwithstanding all his arts of cunning, it will be known: and when a man's character is of that sort as to fill with suspicions every one that knows him, even his honest acts will be thought to spring from base motives, or to have some dark design. It will be suspected that the plague of leprosy still remains, either "in the warp, or in the wool."

It unspeakably concerns young men, to form fixed resolutions at the outset of life, never to swerve from the perpendicular, in a single instance-no, not even in the most trivial one; for one trespass against the laws of honesty leads to another, as it were by a sort of natural and necessary connection. So that, though there be many who, in their intercourse with the world, have never been guilty of one dishonest act, yet there are few who have been guilty of one, and but one. Because the first, by corrupting the moral principle, weakens the power of resisting the next temptation; because one knavish deed often requires another, and sometimes seyeral others, to cover it; and, lastly, because rooted knavishness of heart is harder of cure than any other moral malady, inasmuch as the corruption of the principle of integrity, is the corruption of the very source of all moral virtue.

He that has seen a rogue in grain, a thoroughly practised rogue, turn to a downright honest man, has at least one marvellous thing to tell of.

It may not be out of place to observe here, that a disposition to make use of stratagem rather than of open and direct means, is an ill-boding symptom in youthOne, notorious for stratagem in his secular concerns, however subtile and deep his plans, seldom comes out well

at last, either as to character or property; for the suspicion which this brings upon him, injures his business no less than his reputation. It is necessary, not only to be upright, but always to appear so, by a visible openness and fairness of conduct.

CHAP. XII.

An exemplification of true christian honesty.

The following line of Pope,

"An honest man's the noblest work of God"

has been pronounced unworthy of that celebrated poet, forasmuch as honesty is but a vulgar virtue, as common to the meanest as to the greatest abilities. Honesty, though commendable, is so far from being one of the noblest of human qualities, that the honest man may, nevertheless, be but a plain simple man, of contracted intellects, of very little education, and of a low condition.This the noblest work of God! Fy upon such nonsense!

Now, to adjust this matter between the poet and the critic, it will be necessary to take a cursory view of the different standards of honesty, according to one or other. of which, reputedly honest men square their conduct, and adjust the different principles by which they are governed.

Men sometimes act honestly from policy, rather than from a principle of probity. They believe, and believe aright, that "honesty is the best policy." According to this sound maxim, they mean to act, and they greatly find their account in it. In short, none are wiser in their generation than those who are honest altogether from policy. While carefully minding to keep themselves within the hedge of the law, they, without mercy or pity, take every advantage that the law will let them. These are your hard honest men, who are honest merely for their own safety and profit, and are just as selfish in their honesty as in every thing else. True enough, the poet is worthy of reprehension if he meant them.

But though the fear of disgrace or punishment, and the desire of a fair character, may give birth to a creditable but contracted and spurious kind of honesty, which has in it nothing of the dignity of virtue; yet the truly honest man, however low in circumstances or mean in parts, is one of Virtue's nobility.

The truly honest man would be just as honest without law as with it. Guided by the paramount authority of conscience, he neither withholds aught nor exacts aught on the mere plea that civil law is on his side.

The truly honest is he who makes it a cardinal point to do to others as he would be done unto; and who decides with justice, when self-interest and justice are in opposite scales.

The truly honest man is never ostentatious of his honesty. Ostentation of it is always an ill sign; it looks like putting on a patch to hide a blotch.

But enough of definition. One good example is worth a score of definitions: and the following example all will allow to be a good one- -The anecdote is given in St. Pierre's Studies of Nature.

"In the last war in Germany, a captain of the cavalry was ordered out on a foraging party. He put himself at the head of his troops, and marched to the quarter assigned him. It was a solitary valley in which hardly any thing but woods could be seen. In the midst of it stood a little cottage; on perceiving it, he went up and knocked at the door; out comes an ancient Hernouten,* with a beard silvered by age. "Father," says the officer, "shew me a field where I can set my stroops a foraging." "Presently," replied the Hernouten. The good old man walked before, and conducted them out of the valley. After a quarter of an hour's march, they found a fine field of barley :-" There is the very thing we want," says the captain. "Have patience for a few minutes," replies his guide," and you shall be satisfied." They went on, and at the distance of about a quarter of a league farther, they arrived at another field of barley. The troop immediately dismounted, cut down the grain,

Of the Moravian sect, commonly called the United Brethren.

trussed it up, and remounted. The officer, upon this, says to his conductor, "Father, you have given yourself and us unnecessary trouble; the first field was much better than this." "Very true, Sir," replied the good old man, "but it is not mine."

Such an example of honesty, I repeat, is worth a score of definitions. Here we have not an abstract notion of honesty, but we see it as it were embodied. Here we behold the express form and visage of genuine christian honesty, acting on the principle of loving one's neighbor as one's self. And what though the exemplar was an obscure and lowly man, distinguished neither for parts nor learning? In the moral frame of his mind there was a nobleness of heavenly origin; a nobleness far superior to eminent natural parts, which belong alike to the best and the worst of human beings.

Compare this humble Hernouten, or Moravian, with the illustrious chieftains who figured in that German war, and whose bloody deeds are emblazoned on the page of history. Compare his interestedness with their selfishness; his philanthropy with their greedy avarice and fell ambition; his tender and scrupulous regard to the rights of his neighbor with their unfeeling spirit of plunder and rapine :—and judge which party is entitled to stand higher on the scale of genuine honor.

One of the best religious confessions extant, is that of Zaccheus, a rich publican, who probably had been not a little dishonest and extortionous: "Lord, one half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold." This is practical orthodoxy.

CHAP. XIII.

Of the prevailing habit of Promise-Breaking in common dealing.

In the polite world forms of speech are used, which are not meant to be understood according to their obvious meaning. For instance, when one man says or