788 DE AUGMENTIS SCIENTIARUM 



innumerarum jactura mulctabitur, quae rebus agendis ex ob- 

 liquo intervenire solent; quaeque fortasse magis fuerint pro- 

 pitiae et comraodae ad alia quae postea usui futura sint, quam 

 ad ea quae in manibus habeamus. Ideoque bene calleamus 

 illam regulam, H&c oportet facer e, et ilia non emitter e. 1 



Sextum est Praeceptum, ut nos rei alicui nimis peremptorie 

 non astringamus, quanquam casui videatur primo intuitu minus 

 obnoxia ; sed semper habeamus vel fenestram apertam ad 

 evolandum, vel posticum aliquod secretum ad redeundum. 



Septimum Praeceptum est antiquum illud Biantis; modo 

 non ad perfidiam, sed ad cautionem et moderationem, adhi- 

 beatur ; Et ames tanquam inimicus futurus, et oderis tanquam 

 amaturus^ Nam utilitates quasque mirum in modum prodit et 

 corrumpit, si quis nimium se immerserit amicitiis infoelicibus, 

 molestis et turbidis odiis, aut puerilibus et futilibus aemula- 

 tionibus. 



Haec, exempli loco, circa doctrinam de Ambitu Vitae suffi- 

 cient. Illud enim hominibus in memoriam subinde reducen- 

 dum est, longe abesse ut adumbrationes istae, quibus utimur in 

 Desideratis, loco justorum tractatuum ponantur ; sed sint solum- 

 modo tanquam schedae aut fimbrise, ex quibus de tela integra 

 judicium fieri possit. Neque rursus ita desipimus, ut fortunam 

 absq^ue tanto quantum diximus molimine minime parari assera- 

 mus. Probe enim novimus, earn tanquam sponte in gremium 

 aliquorurn defluere ; alii autem earn diligentia sola et assidui- 

 tate (cautione nonnulla aspersa) absque arte multa aut operosa 



1 St. Matth. xxiii. 23. ; St. Luke, xi. 42. 



2 La Bruyere's remarks on this precept are, I think, worth transcribing : " Vivre 

 avec nos ennemis comme s'ils devoient un jour etre nos amis, et vivre avec nos amis 

 comme s'ils pouvoient devenirnos ennemis, n'estniselon la nature de lahaine, ni selon 

 les regies de 1'amitie : ce n'est point une maxime morale, mais politique. On ne doit 

 pas se faire des ennemis de ceux qui mieux connus pourroient avoir rang entre nos 

 amis. On doit faire choix d'amis si surs et d'une si exacte probite que venant a cesser de 

 1'etre, ils ne veuillent pas abuser de notre confiance, iii se faire craindre comme nos 

 ennemis." Les Caracteres, c. 4 



[La Bruyere's rule would, I think, be perfect, if it were possible to make a certain 

 judgment of each man's character beforehand. The defect of it is, that, taking no 

 account of the necessary uncertainty of all such judgments, it fails to give any prac- 

 tical direction in the real affairs of life. Put it thus : " Treat no man as your enemy 

 unless you are sure that he can never deserve to be your friend, make no man your 

 friend unless you are sure that he will never become your enemy ; " and your prac- 

 tical direction becomes much the same as that of Bias. The question which in 

 morals is really disputable is, whether a man should encourage himself to doubt other 

 men, or not to doubt ; and this, being a question of more or less, cannot be determined 

 except In reference to particular cases. No man will say generally either that you 

 cannot doubt too much, or that you cannot doubt too little. Perhaps the best general 

 direction that can be given is to lean against your natural inclination, whichever way 

 it goes. If you are naturally inclined to distrust appearances, trust them more ; if to 

 trust, trust them less. J.S.] 



