WISE WORDS AND SAGE COUNSEL. 53

 

 

 

 

Fpl
sll
“4, |
Wy,
es,

 

Wie

yi

   

 

a Sa WX = g

 

a) MY FATHER GAVE ME SERIOUS AND EXCELLENT COUNSEL.”

exposed to the miseries and hardships, the labour and sufferings of
the mechanic part of mankind, and not embarrassed with the pride,
luxury, ambition, and envy of the upper part of mankind. He
told.me I might judge of the happiness of this state by this one
thing—namely, that this was the state of life which all other people
envied; that kings have frequently lamented the miserable con-
sequences of being born to great things, and wished they had been
placed in the middle of the two extremes,—between the mean and
the great; that the wise man gave his testimony to this as the just
standard of true felicity, when he prayed to have neither poverty
nor riches.

He bid me observe it, and I should always find that the calami-
ties of life were shared among the upper and lower part of
mankind; but that the middle station had the fewest disasters,
and was not exposed to so many vicissitudes as the higher or lower
part of mankind; nay, they were not subjected to so many dis-