Concerning those that offend , and disoblige you, consider in the First place, the Relation you stand in towards them, and that you are all made for each other. And as for your own part you are particlarly set at the Head of the World; And like a Ram in a Flock, design'd for Defence and Protection. You may go higher in your Reasoning if you please, and consider that either Chance, or Providence Governs the Universe ; if the latter, then the Coarser parts of the Creation were made for the Service of their Betters; And these last for the Interest and Support of each other.

Secondly ; consider how wretchedly They mismanage their own Business, and how far they are gone in Luxury, and Libertinism, especially you should remember what strong Prejudices they lye under, how confident they are in their Mistakes, and with what satisfaction they play the Fool.

Thirdly; Consider that if those that disoblige you, are in the Right, you have no reason to be Angry ; But if they are in the wrong, 'tis because they know no better. They are under the Necessity of their own Ignorance. For as all Error is involuntary ; so no body would lessen themselve so much as to miss either Honesty, or Good Manners, if they were rightly aware on't. And thus we see People won't endure the Charge of Avarice, Ingratitude, or Knavery , without being stung at the Imputation.

Fourthly ; Don't forget you are like the rest of the World, and Faulty your self in a great many Instances; That tho' you may forbear running Riot in some Cases, 'tis not for want of an Inclination: And that nothing but Cowardize, Vanity, or some such scandalous Principle, hinders you from breaking out.

Fifthy , That 'tis sometimes a hard matter to be certain whether you have received ill usage or not : For Men's Actions oftentimes look worse than they are: And one must be throughly informed of a great many things before he can be rightly qualifyed to give Judgment in the Case.

Sixthly, When you are most Angry and Gall'd, remember that Humane Life lasts but a Moment, and that we shall all of us very quickly , be laid in our Graves.

Seventhly, Consider that 'tis not other Peoples Actions, ( for they are lodg'd at Home, and are neither Good, nor Bad to to any but those that do them, ) which disturb us, but only our own Opinions about them. Do but then dismiss these Notions, and don't fancy the Thing a Grievance, and your Passion will cease immediately. But how can this Fancy be Discharg'd ? By considering that bare suffering, has nothing of Infamy or Scandal in't. Now unless you restrain the Notion of Evil to what is Scandalous and Dishonest, your own Vertue will grow precarious, and you'l be under a Necessity of doing a great many unwarrantable Things.¹⁴

Eighthly, Consider that our Anger and Impatience often proves much more Mischievous , than the Provocation could possibly have done.

Ninthly, That Gentleness and Good Humour are invincible, provided they are of the right Stamp, without any thing of Hypocrisy, or Grimace. This is the way to Disarm the most Barbarous, and Sagave : A constancy in Obliging Behaviour, will make the most Outragious Person asham'd of his Malice : The worst Body imaginable can't find in his heart to do you any Mischief, if you continue kind and unmov'd under ill Usage, if you strike in with the right opportunity for Advice; If when he is going to do you an ill Turn, you endeavour to recover his Understanding, and retrieve his Temper in such gentle Language as this. Prethee Child be quiet, Men were never made to worry one another ; In earnest if you go on , my dear Friend, you'l have the worst on't ; As for my part, I'm proof against every Thing, but my own Folly. Then Proceed to Illustrate the Point and let your Arguments be General and Inoffensive : Shew him that Brutes are upon better Terms than this comes to; That 'tis not the custom of Bees to spend their Stings upon their own kind, nor of one Heard of Cattle to draw up against another. And let all this be done out of stark Love and Kindness, without any thing of Bantering or Biting: You must likewise stand clear of Vanity in your address ; Don't seem to flourish upon the Subject, as if you were declaiming in the Schools, and Courting the Audience for Commendation : If there is any Company, ne're set your self off to them : But Discourse him with as little Straining and Affectation, as if there was no body but himself.

Lay up these Nine Heads in your Memory with as much Care as if they were a Present from the Nine Muses : for now 'tis high time to begin to be a Man for your Life time. And here you must take care to Guard against Flattery, as well as Anger ; For these are both unserviceable Qualities, and do a great deal of Mischief in the World. And for a farther preservative against the latter, remember that Frowardness and Rage are Marks of an Unmanly Disposition. Mildness and Temper are not only more Humane, but more Masculine too : One thus Affected appears much more brave, and Firm , and better fortified, than he that's Fuming, and out of sorts. For impassibility is an argument of Greatness ; And he that has the least Feeling in these Cases, has always the most strength : On the other hand, as Grief is a sign of Weakness, so is Anger too ; A Man is wounded in both these Passions, and the smart is too big for him.

As you have received these Nine Precepts from the Muses, take this Tenth if you please , from their President and Instructor Apollo : That to wish all People may not do ill Things is to wish an imposibility, and no better then a peice of Distraction. But then to give them leave to plague other Folks, and desire to be priviledged your self, is a Foolish and a Haughty expectation.