(46.) An impertinent man is an egregious coxcomb; a coxcomb wearies, bores, disgusts, and repels you; an impertinent man repels, embitters, irritates, and offends; he begins where the other ends. A coxcomb is somewhat of an impertinent man and of a blockhead, and is a medley of both. (47.) Vices arise from a depraved heart; faults from some defect in our constitution; ridicule from want of sense. A ridiculous man is one who, whilst he is so, has the appearance of a blockhead. A blockhead is always ridiculous, for that is his character; an intelligent man may sometimes be ridiculous, but will not be so long. An error in conduct makes a wise man ridiculous. Foolishness is a criterion of a blockhead, vanity of a coxcomb, and impertinence of an impertinent man; ridicule seems sometimes to dwell in those who are really ridiculous, and sometimes in the imagination of those who believe they perceive ridicule where it neither is nor can be. (48.) Coarseness, clownishness, and brutality may be the vices of an intelligent man. (49.) A stupid man is a silent blockhead, and is more bearable than a talkative blockhead. (50.) What is often a slip of the tongue or a jest from a man of sense is a blunder when said by a blockhead. (51.) If a coxcomb would be afraid of saying something not exactly right he would no longer be a coxcomb. (52.) One proof of a commonplace intellect is to be always relating stories. (53.) A blockhead does not know what to do with himself; a coxcomb is free, easy, and confident in his manners; an impertinent man becomes impudent; and merit is always modest. (54.) A conceited man is one in whom a knowledge of certain details, dignified by the name of business, is added to a very middling intellect. One grain of sense and one ounce[633] of business more than there are in a conceited man, make the man of importance. While people only laugh at a man of importance he has no other name; but when they begin to complain of him he may be called arrogant. (55.) A gentleman is between a clever man and an honest man, though not as distant from the one as from the other.[634] The difference between a gentleman and a clever man diminishes each day, and will soon disappear altogether. A clever man does not blaze forth his passions, understands his own interests, sacrifices many things to them, has acquired some wealth, and knows how to keep it. A gentleman is not a highwayman, commits no murders, and, in one word, has no flagrant vices. It is very well known that an honest man is a gentleman; but it is comical to think that every gentleman is not an honest man. An honest man is neither a saint nor a pretender in religion, but has only confined himself to being virtuous. (56.) Genius, taste, intelligence, good sense, are all different, but not incompatible. Between good sense and good taste there is as much difference as between cause and effect. Intelligence is to genius as the whole is in proportion to its part.