they stir the mud up and down, they take. Thou, | be deceived, for they themselves are accustomed too, catchest, if thou disturb the city.

HEAR BOTH SIDES OF A QUESTION.

Of a truth he was a wise man who said, "Thou shouldst not decide till thou hast heard what both have to say."

THE DAYS THAT ARE GONE BY.

O we! who once in days of old were active in dances, brave in battle, and, on this very account alone, most warlike men. This was of old; but now all that is gone, and these hairs now blossom

whiter than the swan.

O we! who once were ardent in the dance,
And brave in fight, of all men most courageous;
But this is of old date-'tis past-and now
These hairs of ours are whiter than the swan.
WHEELWRIGHT.

See Percy's" Reliques," vol. ii. p. 162—

"His reverend locks

In comelye curles did wave;
And on his aged temples grewe
The blossomes of the grave."

THE DAYS THAT ARE GONE BY.

Truly then I was terrible so as to fear nothing; and I subdued my foes, sailing thither with the triremes; for we thought not how we should speak rightly nor how we should slander any one, but how we should be the best steersman.

Oh the days that are gone by, oh the days that are no more,

When my eye was bold and fearless, and my hand was on the oar!

Merrily then, oh merrily, I beat the brine to lath,
And the sea once crossed, sacked cities were the
foot-tracks of my path.

Oh, the days that are gone by!
Then with none was care to find
Dainty words and speech refined;
Reasoning much on taste and tact,-
Quick of tongue, but slow to act.-MITCHELL.

THE RESULTS OF DRINKING.

Drinking is bad; for it is from wine that spring the breaking of doors, and the dealing of blows, and the throwing of stones; and then the paying of money after your drunken bout.

to deceive.

Then, for the ways and means, say who're more skilled

Than women? They, too, are such arch-deceivers, That, when in power, they ne'er will be deceived.-SMITH.

AGRICULTURE.

A. The faithful nurse, housewife, helper, guardian, daughter, sister of beloved, peace to all men, all these epithets are applicable to me.-B. But what is your name, pray ?-A. What, Agriculture. |—B. O day desired by the just and husbandmen! having seen thee with pleasure, I wish to address the vines.

DEATH.

To fear death is very great folly, for it is fated to all men to die.

ARISTOPHON.

ARISTOPHON, a comic poet, who is supposed to have belonged to the middle comedy, but nothing is known of his life or age. We know the titles of nine of his plays.

POVERTY.

The storm is evident; poverty, like a lamp, shows everything bad and annoying.

ARISTOTLE.

BORN B.C. 384-DIED B.C. 322.

ARISTOTLE, the celebrated philosopher, was a native of Stageira, a seaport town of the district of Chalcidice, which became subject to Philip of Macedon. He was son of Nicomachus, physician to Amyntas II., King of Macedon. He lost his father at an early age, and was intrusted to the guardianship of Proxenus of Atarneus in Mysia, who seems to have performed his duties in a way to entitle him to the grateful acknowledgments of his pupil. Aristotle was attracted by his love of learning to Athens, where Plato was in the zenith of his fame, and that master soon discovered the abilities of his ardent disciple. On account of his industry and unwearied efforts in search of the truth, Plato used to call him the "intellect of his

So Shakespeare (“ Othello,” act ii. sc. 3)—"Every inordinate cup is unblessed, and the ingredient is a school," and say "that he needed a curb, while

devil."

WOMAN'S TIME FOR MARRIAGE IS SHORT.

But a

For man, though he be gray-headed when he comes back, soon gets a young wife. woman's time is short within which she can ex

Xenocrates needed the spur." For twenty years he continued to be on intimate terms with Plato,

though he had himself assembled around him a circle of admiring followers; but at the death of former pupil, Hermias, who had become ruler of Plato, B.C. 347, he left Athens, and joined his

pect to obtain a husband. If she allows it to slip Atarneus and Assos. When Hermias was deaway, no one cares to marry her. She sits at home speculating on the probabilities of her mar- and two years after, B.C. 342, we find him invited stroyed by the Persians. Aristotle fled to Mitylene, riage.

THE DECEIT OF WOMEN.

A woman is most ingenious in providing money; and when she is at the head of a house, can never

by Philip, King of Macedon, to undertake the instruction and education of his son, Alexander, then thirteen years of age. The young prince became so strongly attached to him that he valued

WHAT CONSTITUTES AN ACTION VIRTUOUS.

his instructor above his own father. Aristotle spent seven years in Macedon. In the year B.C. Then, again, it is not the same in regard to the 355, soon after Alexander succeeded to the throne, arts and the virtues, for works of art have their Aristotle returned to Athens, where he collected excellence in themselves; it is sufficient, therefore, a large number of pupils from the cities of Eu- that they should themselves possess such a charrope and Asia. There he continued for thirteen acter. Whereas virtuous deeds are just and temyears to teach his doctrines to those who after-perate, not if the deeds themselves have this charwards became distinguished as philosophers, his-acter, but if the agent, who does them, has in torians, statesmen, and orators. On the death of himself this character; first, if he does them Alexander, he was accused of impiety, which was knowingly; then, if with deliberate choice, and the usual prelude to an unjust condemnation. To deliberate choice on their own account; thirdly, if deprive the Athenians, as he said, of sinning a he does them on a fixed and unchangeable princisecond time against philosophy, he left Athens, ple. Now, with regard to all other arts these and spent the remainder of his life at Chalcis, in ideas are not taken into account, with the excepEubea, where the Macedonian influence afforded tion of knowledge; whereas, with regard to virtues, him protection and security. mere knowledge has little or no weight, while the other qualifications are not of small but of infinite importance, since they spring from the habit of just and temperate actions.

Out of four hundred

treatises which he is said to have composed, only forty-eight have been transmitted to the present

age:

HAPPINESS.

But concerning happiness, men cannot agree as to its true nature, and the vulgar by no means hold the same opinion respecting it with the educated; for some are inclined to apply it only to what is distinct and marked in its essence, such as pleasure, wealth, or honor; each man thinking differently of it from his neighbors, and often the same person entertains different opinions respecting it at different times. For, when he is ill, he thinks it to be health; when poor to be riches; but, being conscious of their own ignorance, men are apt to be struck with admiration at those who say that it is something great and above them.

ONE SWALLOW DOES NOT MAKE SPRING.

For one swallow does not make spring, nor yet one fine day; so, also, neither does one day, nor a short time, make a man blessed and happy.

THE PRINCIPLE HALF OF THE WHOLE QUESTION.

For the principle seems to be more than the half of the whole question.

THE THREE QUALITIES INCLUDED IN HAPPINESS. Happiness is the best, most honorable, and most pleasant of all things; nor are these qualities to be disjoined, as in the inscription at Delos, where it maintains "that the most just is the most honorable, that health is what is most to be desired, and the most pleasant thing is to obtain what we love:" for all these qualities exist in the best energies, and we say that these, or the best one if them, is happiness.

HAPPINESS A DIVINE GIFT.

TO HIT THE MEAN IS DIFFICULT.

Virtue, then, is a kind of mean state, being at least apt to strike the mean. Again, it is possible to go wrong in many ways (for evil, as the Pythagoreans imagined, is of the nature of the infinite, but good of the finite), whereas we can go right only in one way; therefore the former is easy, the latter is difficult; it is easy to miss a mark, difficult to hit it; and for these reasons the excess and defect belong to vice, but the mean to virtue; "for we are good in one way only, but bad in all kinds of ways."

Regular troops lose their courage when they see the danger greater than they expected, and when they find themselves surpassed in numbers and equipments. For they are the first to turn their backs. But the militia of a country die at their

If, then, there is anything that is a gift of the gods to men, it is surely reasonable to suppose that happiness is a divine gift, and more than any-posts, as happened at Hermæum. For in their thing else of human things, as it is the best.

IMPORTANCE OF EARLY EDUCATION.

Therefore it is necessary to be in a certain degree trained from our very childhood, as Plato says, to feel pleasure and pain at what we ought; for this is education in its true sense.

eyes it is disgraceful to fly, and death is regarded as preferable to safety procured at such a cost. The others only expose themselves to danger while they think themselves superior, but when they find that they are mistaken, they at once run away, fearing death more than dishonor. certainly is not the character of the brave man.

This

So Philippians (iii. 19)—“ Whose god is their belly, and glory young they keep out of mischief, to the old they in shame."

THE CHARACTERISTIC OF THE MAGNANIMOUS MAN.

It is the characteristic of a magnanimous man to ask no iavo, or scarcely any, but to be ready to do kindness to others, to be haughty in demeanor towards men of rank and fortune, kindly towards those of the middle classes, for to rise superior to the former is difficult and honorable, over the latter it is easy; among the former there is nothing ungenerous in showing pride, among those of humble rank it is bad taste, just like making a show of strength to the weak.

are a comfort and aid in their weakness, and those in the prime of life they incite to noble deeds.

The wicked have no stability, for they do not remain in consistency with themselves; they continue friends only for a short time, rejoicing in

TYRANNY.

In the intercourse of society and life, in conver-each other's wickedness. sation and the affairs of the world, some men appear to be parasites, who praise everything, for the sake of giving pleasure, and never contradict an opinion, but think that they ought to give no opinion to those with whom they happen to be; others, the very opposite characters to these, who oppose everything, and are altogether regardless of the feelings of their neighbor, are called cross-trolled, and who is not possessed of all kinds of grained and quarrelsome.

TRUTH AND FALSEHOOD.

The defection of monarchy is tyranny; for both are monarchies, but the difference between them is very marked: for a tyrant thinks only of his own interests, while a king attends to those of his subjects. For he is not a king who is not uncon

goods, for such a one stands in need of nothing more; therefore he does not require to be looking after his own interests, but devotes himself to his

Falsehood is bad and blamable; truth honor- subjects. able and praiseworthy.

THE REFINED AND GENTLEMANLY MAN.

Now the refined and gentlemanly man will so act, being as it were a law unto himself; and such is he who is in the mean, whether he be called a man of tact or of graceful wit.

A RULER IS NOT A TERROR TO GOOD WORKS.

A TYRANT.

For a tyrant pursues his own peculiar good, and it is more manifest for this very reason, that it is the worst form of government, for that is worst which is opposite to the best.

BE JUST BEFORE YOU ARE GENEROUS.
We ought rather to pay a debt to a creditor than

GIVE EVERY ONE HIS DUE.

Wherefore we do not allow man to rule but rea-give to a companion. son, because man rules for himself, and becomes a tyrant. A ruler is the protector of the just, and, if of the just, then, also, of what is equitable to all.

RIGOR OF LAW.

But, since we owe different services to parents, brothers, companions, and benefactors, we ought to take care to pay every one his due, and that which is suitable to his character.

SELF.

From this it is evident what is the character of the equitable man; for he who is disposed to do THE INTELLECTUAL PART CONSTITUTES EACH MAN'S such things, and is active in their performance, who does not assert his rights to the uttermost, but is willing to take something less, even though he may have law on his side, is a man of equity: this habit is equity, being a kind of justice, and not a different habit from justice.

For the good man agrees in opinion with himself, and desires the same things with all his soul; therefore he wishes what is good for himself, and what appears so, practising it: for it is the part of a good man to labor for what is good, and for his

own sake; for it is for the sake of his intellectual slave. Hence the interest of master and slave is identical. part, which is considered to be a man's own self.

SOME COMMAND AND SOME OBEY.

By nature some command and some obey, that all may enjoy safety; for the being that is able to foresee coming events is a ruler of nature's own appointment; whereas he who is only able to assist by bodily service, is a subordinate and natural

THE DOMESTIC TIE IS THE FIRST.

Hesiod is right when he says, "First house, then wife, then oxen for the plough;" for the ox stands in place of slave to the poor.

MAN ALONE HAS PERCEPTION OF GOOD AND
EVIL.

For this is the distinguishing mark between man and the lower animals, that he alone is endowed with the power of knowing good and evil, justice and injustice. It is a participation in these that constitutes a family and a city.

THE FREEMAN AND THE SLAVE.

Some think that the power of one man over another is contrary to nature; for they maintain that it is only human law that makes one man a slave and another a free man. But in nature there is no such distinction; wherefore it is an unjust arrangement, for it is the result of force and compulsion.

See Milton, "Paradise Lost," xii,