312 ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNIKG. [bOOK VllT. 



jiungrj wretch ia much more grievous than the oppression of 

 one who is rich and full ; as he searches into all the corners 

 and arts of exactions and ways ol raising contributions. The 

 thing has been also usually resembled to a sponge, which 

 sucks strongly when dry, but less when moist. And it con- 

 tains an useial admonition to princes, that they commit not 

 the government of provinces or places of power to indigent 

 men, or such as are in debt ; and again to the people, that 

 they permit not their kings to struggle with want. 



XXV. — A just man jailing before the wicked, is a troubled fountain 

 and a corrupted spring} 



This is a caution to states, that they should have a capital 

 regard to the passing an unjust or infamous sentence in any 

 great and weighty cause, where not only the guilty is 

 acquitted, but the innocent condemned. To countenance 

 private injuries, indeed, disturbs and pollutes the clear 

 streams of justice, as it were, in the brook ; but unjust and 

 great public sentences, which are afterwards drawn into 

 precedents, infect and defile the very fountain of justice. 

 For when once the court goes on the side of injustice, the 

 law becomes a public robber, and one man really a wolt to 

 another. 



XXVI. — Contract no friendship with an angry man, nor walk with a 

 jiiriotcs one.'" 



The more religiously the laws of friendship are to be 

 observed amongst good men, the more caution should be 

 used in making a prudent choice of friends. The nature and 

 humour ol friends, so far as concerns ourselves alone, should 

 be absolutely tolerated ; but when they lay us under a 

 necessity, as to the character we should put on towards 

 others, this becomes an exceeding hard and unreasonable 

 condition of friendship. It is therefore of great moment to 

 the peace and security of life, according to the direction of 

 Solomon, to have no friendship with passionate men, and 

 such as easily stir up or enter into debates and quarrels. 

 For such friends will be perpetually entangling us in strifes 

 and contentions, so that we must either break off with them 

 or have no regard to our own safety. 



• Prov. XXV. 29 ■ Prov. xxii. 24. 



