at first incline and desire. For thou didst not set thy mind
upon things impossible. Upon what then? that all thy desires
might ever be moderated with this due kind of reservation.
And this thou hast, and mayst always obtain, whether the thing
desired be in thy power or no. And what do I care for more,
if that for which I was born and brought forth into the world
(to rule all my desires with reason and discretion) may be?

XLVI. The ambitious supposeth another man's act, praise and applause,
to be his own happiness; the voluptuous his own sense and feeling;
but he that is wise, his own action.

XLVII. It is in thy power absolutely to exclude all manner
of conceit and opinion, as concerning this matter; and by
the same means, to exclude all grief and sorrow from thy soul.
For as for the things and objects themselves, they of themselves
have no such power, whereby to beget and force upon us any
opinion at all. XLVIII. Use thyself when any man speaks
unto thee, so to hearken unto him, as that in the interim
thou give not way to any other thoughts; that so thou mayst
(as far as is possible) seem fixed and fastened to his very soul,
whosoever he be that speaks unto thee.

XLIX. That which is not good for the bee-hive, cannot be good
for the bee.

L. Will either passengers, or patients, find fault and complain,
either the one if they be well carried, or the others if well cured?
Do they take care for any more than this; the one, that their shipmaster
may bring them safe to land, and the other, that their physician