herbs at once, which would exceed his reach and his strength, but works on one of the beds at a time, and, having accomplished the first, proceeds to a second, so I should have, I hoped, the encouraging pleasure of seeing on my pages the progress I made in virtue, by clearing successively my lines of their spots, till in the end, by a number of courses, I should be happy in viewing a clean book, after a thirteen-weeks' daily examination. My little book had for its motto these lines from Addison's "Cato:" "Here will I hold. If there's a power above us (And that there is, all Nature cries aloud Thro' all her works), He must delight in virtue; And that which He delights in must be happy." Another from Cicero: "O vitæ Philosophia dux! O virtutum indagatrix expultrixque vitiorum! Unus dies, bene et ex præceptis tuis actus, peccanti immortalitati est anteponendus."[113] Another from the Proverbs of Solomon, speaking of wisdom or virtue: "Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace." (iii. 16, 17.) And, conceiving God to be the fountain of wisdom, I thought it right and necessary to solicit his assistance for obtaining it. To this end I formed the following little prayer, which was prefixed to my tables of examination, for daily use: "O powerful Goodness! bountiful Father! merciful Guide! Increase in me that wisdom which discovers my truest interest. Strengthen my resolutions to perform what that wisdom dictates. Accept my kind offices to thy other children as the only return in my power for thy continual favors to me." I used also sometimes a little prayer which I took from Thomson's Poems: "Father of light and life, thou Good Supreme! O teach me what is good; teach me Thyself! Save me from folly, vanity, and vice, From every low pursuit; and fill my soul With knowledge, conscious peace, and virtue pure; Sacred, substantial, never-fading bliss!" The precept of Order requiring that every part of my business should have its allotted time, one page in my little book contained the following scheme of employment for the twenty-four hours of a natural day. THE MORNING. { 5} Rise, wash, and address Powerful _Question._ What good shall { 6} Goodness![n] Contrive day's I do this day? { } business, and take the resolution { 7} of the day; prosecute the present { } study, and breakfast. 8} 9} 10} Work. 11} NOON. {12} Read, or overlook my accounts, { 1} and dine.