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own plots, in meddling with great affairs of state. They commonly do as the ape that saw the gunner put bullets in the cannon, and was pleased with it, and he would be doing so too; at last he puts himself into the piece, and so both ape and bullet were shot away together.

WOMEN.

1. Let the women have power of their heads, because of the angels. The reason of the words because of the angels, is this: the Greek church held an opinion that the angels fell in love with women. This fancy St. Paul discreetly catches, and uses it as an argument to persuade them to modesty.

2. The grant of a place is not good by the canon-law before a man be dead; upon this ground some mischief might be plotted against him in present possession, by poisoning, or some other way. Upon the same reason a contract made with a woman during her husband's life, was not valid.

3. Men are not troubled to hear a man dispraised, because they know, though he be naught, there is worth in others. But women are mightily troubled to hear any of them

spoken against, as if the sex itself were guilty of some unworthiness.

4. Women and princes must both trust somebody; and they are happy, or unhappy, according to the desert of those under whose hands they fall. If a man knows how to manage the favour of a lady, her honour is safe, and so is a prince's.

5. An opinion grounded upon that, Gen. vi. The Sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair.

YEAR.

1. IT was the manner of the Jews, if the year did not fall out right, but that it was dirty for the people to come up to Jerusalem at the feast of the passover, or that their corn was not ripe for their first fruits, to intercalate a month, and so to have, as it were, two February's; thrusting up the year still higher, March into April's place, April into May's place, &c. Whereupon it is impossible for us to know when our Saviour was born, or when he died.

2. The year is either the year of the moon, or the year of the sun; there is not above

eleven days difference. Our moveable feasts are according to the year of the moon, else they should be fixed.

3. Though they reckon ten days sooner beyond sea, yet it does not follow their spring is sooner than ours: we keep the same time in natural things; and their ten days sooner, and our ten days later, in those things mean the self same time; just as twelve sous in French, are tenpence in English.

4. The lengthening of days is not suddenly perceived till they are grown a pretty deal longer, because the sun, though it be in a circle, yet it seems for a while to go in a right line. For take a segment of a great circle especially, and you shall doubt whether it be straight or no. But when that sun is got past that line, then you presently perceive the days are lengthened. Thus it is in the winter and summer solstice, which is indeed the true reason of them.

5. The eclipse of the sun is, when it is new moon; the eclipse of the moon when it is full. They say Dionysius was converted by the eclipse that happened at our Saviour's death, because it was neither of these, and so could not be natural.

ZEALOTS.

ONE would wonder Christ should whip the buyers and sellers out of the temple, and nobody offer to resist him, considering what opinion they had of him. But the reason was, they had a law, that whosoever did profane sanctitatem Dei, aut templi; the holiness of God, or the temple, before ten persons, it was lawful for any of them to kill him, or to do any thing this side killing him; as whipping him, or the like. And hence it was, that when one struck our Saviour before the judge, where it was not lawful to strike, as it is not with us at this day, he only replies: If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why smitest thou me? He says nothing against their smiting him, in case he had been guilty of speaking evil, that is, blasphemy; and they could have proved it against him. They that put this law in execution were called zealots; but afterwards they committed many villanies.

FINIS.

C. Whittingham, Printer, College House, Chiswick.

CONTAINING

APHORISMS

ON

LITERATURE, LIFE, AND MANNERS;

WITH

ANECDOTES,

OF

DISTINGUISHED PERSONS:

SELECTED AND ARRANGED

FROM

MR. BOSWELL'S LIFE OF JOHNSON.

IN TWO VOLUMES

VOL. I.

He that questioneth much shall learn much, and content much; but especially if he apply his questions to the skill of the persons whom he asketh : for he shall give them occasion to please themselves in speaking, and himself shall continually gather knowledge.

LONDON:

Bacon's Essays.

PRINTED

FOR J. MAWMAN; LONGMAN, HURST, REES, AND ORME; LACKINGTON, ALLEN, AND CO.; VERNOR, HOOD, AND SHARPE; AND WILSON AND SPENCE, YORK.

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