their first entrance into the world; at least, if parents took as much care to provide for their children's conversation, as they do for their clothes, and to procure a good friend for them as a good tailor.

It is not looked upon as the business of conversation to mend each other, the fairness of it rather consists in not offending; the propagating part is not enough understood; if it were, men would take more joy, and feel a greater inward content, in making men good and pious and wise, than in any, other kind of generation: which are but the vulgar acts of nature; but the mending and exalting the soul is so near a new act of creation, that it illustrates it; and this illustration God expects from those whom he hath qualified for it, by giving them parts above other men, virtuous and good dispositions, and if he adds eminency of place too, which draws the eyes of men more upon them, and inclines them to submit to their advice and directions. And it is no discharge of their duty to be innocent and entire themselves, if they do not make others so by their conversation as well as their example: they are very good magistrates, (and a commonwealth prospers much the better for having such) who are very strict and severe against offenders, and retain men within their duties, by punishing those who transgress; but they are much better

magistrates, who, by their communication and instruction, and any other condescension, can lessen the number of delinquents; which, without doubt, is in every good man's power to do, according to their several degrees, if they made it their business, and better business they cannot have, to inform their friends and their neighbours before they commit faults, and reclaim them after they have committed them by animadversions and reprehensions. The malignity of man's nature is not so violent and impetuous, as to hurry them at first, and at once, into any supreme and incorrigible love of wickedness: poor people begin first to be idle, which brings want upon them, before they arrive at the impudence of stealing; and if they were at first brought to be in love with industry, which is as easily learned, and it may be in itself as easy as idleness, the other mischief would be never thought of. The first ingredients into the most enormous crimes, are ignorance, incogitance, or some sudden violent passion; which a little care in a charitable neighbour might easily inform and reform, before it grows up into rebellion, or contempt of religion. Every man ought to be a physician to him for whose malady he hath a certain cure; and there is scarce a more infallible cure than counsel and conversation: which hath often recovered the most profligate persons; and hath so seldom failed, that

an enormous man of dissolute and debauched manners hath been rarely known, who hath lived in frequent conversation with men of wisdom and unblameable lives. But it will be said, that such people will never like or endure that conversation. It may be, like ill physicians, we may too soon despair of the recovery of some patients, and therefore leave them to desperate experiments: we are too apt to look so superciliously upon the natural levities and excesses of youth, as if they were not worth the pains of conversion; or that it would be best wrought by necessities, contempt, or prisons: either of which are very ill schools to reduce them to virtue. Such men will never decline the conversation of their superiors if they may be admitted to it, though it may be they intend to laugh at it; but by this, in an instant, they depart from the pleasure of obscene and prophane discourses, and insensibly find an alteration in their nature, their humour, and their manners; there being a sovereign and a subtle spirit in the conversation of good and wise men, that insinuates itself into corrupt men, that though they know not how it comes about, they sensibly feel an amendment; Non deprehendent quemadmodum aut quando, profuisse deprehendent; they cannot tell how or when, but they are sure they are restored. It is great pity that so

infallible a medicine should be locked up by preju

dice or morosity.

OF PROMISES.

Montpellier, 1670.

PROMISES was the ready money that was first coined, and made current by the law of nature, to support that society and commerce that was necessary for the comfort and security of mankind; and they who have adulterated this pure and legitimate metal with an allay of distinctions and subtle evasions, have introduced a counterfeit and pernicious coin, that destroys all the simplicity and integrity of human conversation. For what obligations can ever be the earnest of faith and truth, if promises may be violated? The superinduction of others for the corroboration and maintenance of government had been much less necessary, if promises had still preserved their primitive vigour and reputation; nor can any thing be said for the nonperformance of a promise, which may not as reasonably be applied to the not observation of an oath; and in truth, men have not been observed to be much restrained by their oaths, who have not been punctual in their promises, the same sincerity of nature being requisite to both. The philosopher went farther than his profession obliged

him, or in truth than it admitted, when he would not have the performance exacted, unless omnia essent eadem, quæ fuerint cum promitteres; and the distinction was necessary, when he thought it fit to avoid a promise he had made to a man that appears to be an ill man, who seemed a very good and worthy person when he made this promise: and a greater change could not be; yet he seemed not over pleased with his own distinction, and would rather comply with his promise, if it could be done without much inconvenience. But too many Christian casuists have gone much farther in finding out many inventions and devices to evade and elude the faith of promise, if there hath been force or fraud, or any other circumvention, in the contriving the promise and engagement; which must dissolve all the contracts and bargains which are commonly made among men, who still contend to be too hard for one another, that they may advance or lessen their commodity. And no doubt the forming and countenancing those dispensations hath introduced much improbity and tergiversation into the nature and minds of men, which they were not acquainted with whilst they had a due consideration of the sacredness of their word and promise. It is from the impiety of this doctrine, that we run with that precipitation into promises and oaths, and think it lawful to promise that which we