He had better trust to his own Opinion, than spoil another Man's for want of apprehending it. [Sidenote: _Candour._] It is some kind of Scandal not to bear with the Faults of an honest Man. It is not loving Honesty enough to allow it distinguishing Privileges. There are some decent Faults which may pretend to be in the lower Rank of Virtues; and surely where Honour or Gratitude are the Motives, Censure must be a good deal silenced. [Sidenote: _Of Caution and Suspicion._] Men must be saved in this World by their Want of Faith. A Man that getteth Care into his Thoughts, cannot properly be said to trade without a Stock. Care and right Thought will produce Crops all the Year without staying for the Seasons. A Man is to go about his own Business as if he had not a Friend in the World to help him in it. He that relieth upon himself will be oppressed by others with Offers of their Service. All are apt to shrink from those that lean upon them. If Men would think how often their own Words are thrown at their Heads, they would less often let them go out of their Mouths. Mens Words are Bullets that their Enemies take up and make use of against them. A Man watches himself best when others watch him too. It is as necessary for us to suppress our Reason when it offendeth, as our Mistakes when they expose us. In an unreasonable Age, a Man's Reason let loose would undo him. A wise Man will do with his Reason as a Miser doth with his Money, hoard it, but be very sparing in the Expence of it. A Man that should call every thing by its right Name, would hardly pass the Streets without being knock'd down as a common Enemy. A Man cannot be more in the Wrong than to own without Distinction the being in the Right. When a Man is very kind or very angry, there is no sure Guard but Silence upon that Subject. A Man's Understanding is easily shoved out of its Place by warm Thoughts of any kind. We are not so much Masters of our Heat as to have enough to warm our Thoughts, and not so much as to set them on fire. A great Enemy is a great Object that inviteth Precaution, which maketh him less dangerous than a mean one. An old Man concludeth from his knowing Mankind, that they know him too, and that maketh him very wary. On the other hand, it must be allowed, that a Man's being deceived by Knaves hath often this ill Effect, that it maketh him too jealous of honest Men. The Mind, like the Body, is subject to be hurt by every thing it taketh for a Remedy. There are some such very great Foreseers, that they grow into the Vanity of pretending to see where nothing is to be seen. He that will see at too great a distance, will sometimes mistake a Bush for a Horse: The Prospect of a wise Man will be bounded. A Man may so overdo it in looking too far before him, that he may stumble the more for it. And, to conclude, He that leaveth nothing to Chance will do few things ill, but he will do very few things.