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Some have commended ridicule, counting it the test of truth, (25) But neither wittily nor wisely; for truth must prove ridicule: Otherwise a blunt bulrush is to pierce the proof armor of argument, Because the stolidity of ignorance took it for a barbed shaft.

Softer is the hide of the rhinoceros than the heart of deriding unbelief,

And truth is idler there than the Bushman's feathered reed:

A droll conceit parrieth a thrust that should have hit the conscience,
And the leering looks of humor tickle the childish mind;

For that the matter of a man is mingled most with folly,
Neither can he long endure the searching gaze of wisdom.

It is pleasanter to see a laughing cheek than a serious forehead,
And there liveth not one among a thousand whose idol is not

pleasure.

Ridicule is a weak weapon, when levelled at a strong mind;

But common men are cowards, and dread an empty laugh.

Fear a nettle, and touch it tenderly, -its poison shall burn thee to the shoulder;

But grasp it with bold hand,—is it not a bundle of myrrh ?

Betray mean terror of ridicule, thou shalt find fools enough to mock thee;

But answer thou their laughter with contempt, and the scoffers will lick thy feet.

OF COMMENDATION.

THE praise of holy men is a promise of praise from their Master; A forerunning earnest of thy welcome, -Well done, faithful servant;

A rich preludious note, that droppeth softly on thine ear,

To tell thee the chords of thy heart are in tune with the choirs of heaven.

Yet is it a dangerous hearing, for the sweetness may lull thee into

slumber,

And the cordial quaffed with thirst may generate the fumes of presumption.

So seek it not for itself, but taste, and go gladly on thy way,
For the mariner slacketh not his sail, though the sandal-groves of
Araby allure him;

And the fragrance of that incense would harm thee, as when, on a summer evening,

The honeyed yellow flowers of the broom oppress thy charmed sense: And a man hath too much of praise, for he praiseth himself continually;

Neither lacketh he at any time self-commendation or excuse.

PRAISE a fool, and slay him; for the canvas of his vanity is spread; His bark is shallow in the water, and a sudden gust shall sink it: Praise a wise man, and speed him on his way; for he carrieth the ballast of humility,

And is glad when his course is cheered by the sympathy of brethren

ashore.

The praise of a good man is good, for he holdeth up the mirror of

Truth,

That Virtue may see her own beauty, and delight in her own fair

face:

The praise of a bad man is evil, for he hideth the deformity of Vice,
Casting the mantle of a queen around the limbs of a leper.
Praise is rebuke to the man whose conscience alloweth it not:
And where Conscience feeleth it her due, no praise is better than a
little.

He that despiseth the outward appearance, despiseth the esteem of his fellows;

And he that overmuch regardeth it, shall earn only their contempt: The honest commendation of an equal no one can scorn and be

blameless,

Yet even that fair fame no one can hunt for and be honored:

If it come, accept it and be thankful, and be thou humble in accept

ing;

If it tarry, be not thou cast down; the bee can gather honey out of

rue:

And is thine aim so low, that the breath of those around thee

Can speed thy feathered arrow, or retard its flight?

The child shooteth at a butterfly, but the man's mark is an eagle: And while his fellows talk, he hath conquered in the clouds.

Ally thee to truth and godliness, and use the talents in thy charge; So shalt thou walk in peace, deserving, if not having.

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With a friend, praise him when thou canst; for many a friendship

hath decayed,

Like a plant in a crowded corner, for want of sunshine on its leaves: With another, praise him not often, -otherwise he shall despise

thee;

But be thou frugal in commending; so will he give honor to thy

judgment;

For thou that dost so zealously commend, art acknowledging thine own inferiority,

And he, thou so highly hast exalted, shall proudly look down on thy esteem.

WILT thou that one remember a thing?-praise him in the midst of thy advice;

Never yet forgat man the word whereby he hath been praised.

Better to be censured by a thousand fools, than approved but by one man that is wise;

For the pious are slower to help right, than the profane to hinder it:
So, where the world rebuketh, there look thou for the excellent,
And be suspicious of the good, which wicked men can praise.
The captain bindeth his troop not more by severity than kindness,
And justly should recompense well-doing, as well as be strict with
an offender;

The laurel is cheap to the giver, but precious in his sight who hath won it,

And the heart of the soldier rejoiceth in the approving glance of his chief.

Timely-given praise is even better than the merited rebuke of cen

sure,

For the sun is more needful to the plant than the knife that cutteth out a canker;

Many a father hath erred, in that he hath withheld reproof,

But more have mostly sinned in withholding praise where it was

due:

There be many such as Eli among men; but these be more culpable than Eli,

Who chill the fountain of exertion by the freezing looks of indiffer

ence:

Ye call a man easy and good, yet he is as a two-edged sword;

He rebuketh not vice, and it is strong: he comforteth not virtue, and it fainteth.

There is nothing more potent among men than a gift timely be

stowed,

And a gift kept back where it was hoped, separateth chief friends; For what is a gift but a symbol, giving substance to praise and esteem?

And where is a sharper arrow than the sting of unmerited neglect?

EXPECT not praise from the mean, neither gratitude from the selfish;

And to keep the proud thy friend, see thou do him not a service: For, behold, he will hate thee for his debt; thou hast humbled him by giving;

And his stubbornness never shall acknowledge the good he hath taken from thy hand;

Yea, rather will he turn and be thy foe, lest thou gather from his friendship

That he doth account thee creditor, and standeth in the second

place.

Still, O kindly-feeling heart, be not thou chilled by the thankless, Neither let the breath of gratitude fan thee into momentary heat. Do good for good's own sake, looking not to worthiness nor love; Fling thy grain among the rocks, cast thy bread upon the waters, His claim be strongest to thy help, who is thrown most helplessly upon thee,

So shalt thou have a better praise, and reap a richer harvest of

reward.

IF a man hold fast to thy creed, and fit his thinking to thy no

tions,

Thou shalt take him for a man right minded, yea, and excuse his

evil:

But seest thou not, O bigot, that thy zeal is but a hunting after

praise,

And the full pleasure of a proselyte lieth in the flattering of self?

A man of many praises meeteth many welcomes,

But he who blameth often, shall not keep a friend;

The velvet-coated apricot is one thing, and the spiked horse-chest

nut is another;

A handle of smooth amber is pleasanter than rough buck-horn. Show me a popular man; I can tell thee the secret of his power;

He hath soothed them with glozing words, lulling their ears with

flattery,

The smile of seeming approbation is ever the companion of his

presence,

And courteous looks, and warm regards, earn him all their hearts.

NOTHING but may be better, and every better might be best; The blind may discern, and the simple prove, fault or want in all things.

And a little mind looketh on the lily with a microscopic eye,

Eager and glad to pry out specks on its robe of purity;

But a great mind gazeth on the sun, glorying in his brightness,

And taking large knowledge of his good, in the broad prairie of

creation:

What though he hatch basilisks? what though spots are on the sun?

In fulness is his worth, in fulness be his praise!

OF SELF-ACQUAINTANCE.

KNOWLEDGE holdeth by the hilt, and heweth out a road to conquest;

Ignorance graspeth the blade, and is wounded by its own good

sword:

Knowledge distilleth health from the virulence of opposite poisons; Ignorance mixeth wholesomes unto the breeding of disease:

Knowledge is leagued with the universe, and findeth a friend in all

things;

But ignorance is every where a stranger, unwelcome, ill at ease, and out of place.

A man is helpless and unsafe up to the measure of his ignorance, For he lacketh perception of the aptitudes commending such a matter to his use,

Clutching at the horn of danger, while he judgeth it the handle of security,

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