For humility contends with greater enemies, is more constantly engaged, more violently assaulted, bears more, suffers more, and requires greater courage to support itself, than any instances of worldly bravery.

A man that dares be poor and contemptible in the eyes of the world, to approve himself to God; that resists and rejects all human glory, that opposes the clamour of his passions, that meekly puts up with all injuries and wrongs, and dares stay for his reward till the invisible hand of God gives to every one their proper places, endures a much greater trial, and exerts a nobler fortitude, than he that is bold and daring in the fire of battle.

For the boldness of a soldier, if he is a stranger to the spirit of devotion, is rather weakness than fortitude; it is at best but mad passion, and heated spirits, and has no more true valour in it than the fury of a tiger.

For as we cannot lift up a hand, or stir a foot, but by a power that is lent us from God; so bold actions that are not directed by the laws of God, as so many executions of His will, are no more true bravery, than sedate malice is Christian patience.

Reason is our universal law, that obliges us in all places, and at all times; and no actions have any honour, but so far as they are instances of our obedience to reason.

And it is as base and cowardly, to be bold and daring against the principle of reason and justice, as to be bold and daring in lying and perjury.

Would we therefore exercise a true fortitude, we must do all in the spirit of devotion, be valiant against the corruptions of the world, and the lusts of the flesh, and the temptations of the devil; for to be daring and courageous against these enemies, is the noblest bravery that an human mind is capable of.

I have made this digression, for the sake of those who think a great devotion to be bigotry and poorness of spirit; that by these considerations they may see, how poor and mean all other tempers are, if compared

to it; that they may see, that all worldly attainments, whether of greatness, wisdom, or bravery, are but empty sounds; and there is nothing wise, or great, or noble, in an human spirit, but rightly to know and heartily worship and adore the great God, that is the support and life of all spirits, whether in Heaven or on earth.

A A

THE notes in this edition simply aim at explaining the names of the " Characters," and at giving the sense of words which have altered their connotation in the course of the two centuries.

It

is hoped that the reader will thus be saved the necessity of referring to dictionaries, which, for the use of a pocket-manual of devotion, is often out of the question. The meaning of the "Characters" is given even when it is obvious, for the sake of uniformity.

(1) p. 3. Julius: the suggestion is, that Cæsar is the worldly power as opposed to God.

(2) p. 3. impertinent unsuitable,

(3) P.

See pp. 102, 136.

incongruous,

uncongenial.

9. Leo, the lion probably suggesting the favourite of Society.

(4) p. 9. Eusebius, pious in the Ecclesiastical sense (see p. 95), as the name of the first Church historian, but without reference to that historian's character. cf. Eusebia, p. 254.

(5) p. 10. a natural, i.e. an idiot. See p. 347.

=

(6) p. 26. Penitens, penitent almost in the sense of remorseful. (7) p. 27. Amuses occupies the attention (cf. Watts in 1789. We are so amused and engrossed with the things of sense that we forget our Maker).

(8) p. 27. Lepidus = elegant.

(9) p. 38. painful = taking pains.

(10) p. 38. Calidus hot, i.e. fervent in business.

66

(11) p. 46. however, in the old sense of at any rate."

(12) p. 47. unaffected = insensible.

(13) p. 49. Serena = untroubled.

66

(14) p. 58. exposed into the ayre is a usage of the sixteenth

(15) p. 62.

(16) p. 67.

century writers.

66

A second as is needed to be quite correct.

It

Flavia. The Gens Flavia was the noble family from
which Vespasian, Titus and Domitian came.
stands therefore for worldly pomp, half innocent,
half vicious.

Miranda = admirable, supposed to be a portrait of Miss
Hester Gibbon. Lucinda = resplendent.

Belinda and Lucius on p. 69 are names at random. (17) p. 83. Law acted on these principles himself; and the effect on the poor of King's Cliffe was the reverse of satisfactory.

(18) p. 87.

(19) p. 94.

etc.

To make the sentence grammatical read, "But as it
should be well considered that it is not only,
The abominations of the Restoration Stage still pre-
vailed in 1726.

(20) p. 96. This division into a religious and secular life contra-
dicts the whole argument. See p. 113.

(21) p. 99. Fulvius, the name of a great Patrician family in
Rome, suggests worldly power and pomp.

(22) p. 120. Cælia, a name which through its Greek form has a
suggestion of hollowness.
Lupus = Wolf.

(23) p. 134. Flatus, i.e. wind and vanity.

(24) p. 139. Feliciana, i.e. she who belongs to the family of the
Happy according to this world.

(25) p. 140. Birthnight. "The night annually kept in memory
of anyone's birth."-Johnson.

(26) p. 141. Succus: the suggestion is of juicy and appetising

(27) p. 149.

(28) p. 150.

meat.

Octavius: suggested by the name of the Emperor
Augustus, who asked his friends to applaud him
on his death-bed as a good pantomime leaving the
stage.

Eugenius, i.e. noble, ouro de oav evyevéσtepol tv èy
Θεσσαλονίκη (Acts xvii. 1).

(29) p. 151. Cognatus, i.e. relation, suggestive of nepotism.
(30) p. 153. Negotius business-man.

(31) p. 180. Mundanus = worldly-wise-man.

(32) p. 181. Classicus, i.e. a classical scholar.

(33) p. 214. Cæcus, i.e. blind.

(34) p. 237. Paternus: the character, it is thought, is drawn from
Law's father.

(35) p. 240.

(36) p. 245.

This usage of "consider " with the preposition
66 upon "died with the eighteenth century.
This address of Paternus might be an antidote to
Chesterfield's letters to his son. At this date, 1728,
Chesterfield was ambassador at the Hague, and the
son Philip Stanhope was born four years later.
(37) p. 247. Tempers, i.e. disposition.

(38) p. 249. Matilda, perhaps chosen as the name of the first
English Empress.

(39) p. 271. Claudius; chosen as a Patrician name.

(40) p. 274. port, i.e. behaviour.

(41) p. 276. imminent: if not a mere slip for eminent, may mean
perilously high, like Lowell's "imminent crags of

noiseless snow.

example of carelessness or obscurity in Law's
limpid style.

(44) p. 308. Susurrus, i.e. whisper.

(45) p. 328. that carelessly repeated.

(46) p. 343. ingenuity, i.e. ingenuousness.

RICHARD CLAY AND SONS, LIMITED,

BREAD STREET HILL, E.C., AND

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