Men speak ill of thee; so they be ill men. Ben Jonson. PRECEDENCE. An' two men ride of a horse, one must ride behind. Shakespeare. PRODIGALITY, A prodigal course Is like the sun's; but not, like his, recoverable. PREACHING. Shakespeare. The object of preaching:-It is constantly to remind mankind of what mankind is constantly forgetting; not to supply the defects of human intelligence, but to fortify the feebleness of human resolutions; to recall mankind from the by-paths where they turn into the path of salvation which all know, but few tread. POETRY. Sydney Smith. Poetry is like a pair of skates, with which, upon the pure, smooth, crystallized floor of the ideal you may easily skim, but miserable are they to thump about upon the common streets. Jean P. F. Richter. Poetry is the art of substantiating shadows, and of lending existence to nothing. Burke. He who, in an enlightened and literary society, aspires to be a great poet, must first become a little child. He must take to pieces the whole web of his mind. He must unlearn much of that knowledge which has perhaps constituted. hitherto his chief title to superiority. His very talents will be a hindrance to him. His difficulties will be proportioned to his proficiency in the pursuits which are fashionable among his contemporaries; and that proficiency will in general be proportioned to the vigour and activity of his mind. PREJUDICE. Macaulay. When my lady sees Master Pig munching and wallowing in a ditch, she curls her nose, and lifts her shoulders at his nastiness. And, lo! when the same pig's leg, fragrant with sage and patriarchal onion, smokes upon the board-the same lady sendeth her plate three times. It is even so with philosophers and true men of the world. They have lived and died despised in alleys; and afterwards are fed upon in tapestried chambers. 4. ΔΙ Douglas Jerrold. Sacrifice nothing to prejudice; offer no violation to truth; and gain the approbation of the judicious and reflecting! Zimmerman. If we had nothing else but the reason of men to deal with, and that reason were pure and uncorrupted, it would be a matter of no great skill or labour to convince another person of common mistakes, or to persuade him to assent to plain and obvious truths. But, alas! mankind stand wrapt round in errors, and intrenched in prejudices; and every one of their opinions is supported and guarded by something else beside reason. Watts, on the Mind. PEDIGREE. We are very fond of some families, because they can be traced beyond the Conquest, whereas, indeed, the further back, the worse, as being the nearer allied to a race of robbers and thieves. De Foe. POLITENESS. A huge Californian spade lay upon the ground, alongside a lump of gold, which had just been discovered by its aid. "Of what possible use can you be, even now, after I have worked so hard to get at you? Why you are only a wonder, a something to look at, at the most," said the spade. 66 Pray, Master Spade, can you tell me if you were dug out of the earth ready made ?” replied the Gold. "No, that he was n't, believe me," said a wornout shovel, "for I was the identical implement that helped to convey him from the bowels of the earth, and my gracious! what a smelting, and a fusing, and a moulding did he undergo before he came to his present state." The spade tumbled down from the wall it was reared against in perfect shame! "When I have passed through as many operations as you, Mr. Spade, by my value, I can not only purchase you, but many other things." MORAL:-Many men, who have been well educated and are wealthy, look down upon their rougher, hard-working brethren, who are in reality the men who originally helped to found this wealth. We should all remember that we sprung from one common source-the earth; and that every man has his own particular use. Whether he be high or low, let him reflect that the man whom he now spurns as being below him, may some day have passed the different stages of purification, and be able to place himself not only on a level with him, but even above him. He should pay respect to all, rich or poor, provided they are possessed of common honesty and talent. PERFECTION. A friend called on Michael Angelo, who was finishing a statue; some time afterwards he called again; the sculptor was still at his work; his friend, looking at the figure, exclaimed, "You have been idle since I last saw you." "By no means," replied the sculptor, "I have retouched this part, polished that; I have softened this feature, and brought out this muscle; I have given more expression to this lip, and more energy to this limb." "Well, well," exclaimed his friend, "but all these are trifles." may be so," replied Angelo; "but recollect that trifles make perfection, and perfection is nɔ trifle." PROMISES. "It Promises was the ready money first coined and made current by the law of nature, to support that society and commerce which was necessary for the comfort and security of mankind. Clarendon. PHILOSOPHY. Tooth-drawers are practical philosophers, that go upon a very rational hypothesis, not to cure, but to take away, the part affected. Steele. PASSION. Where two raging fires meet together, They do consume the thing that feeds their fury: |