Volume I Part 5 (1/2)
13 HUMILITY
My intention being to acquire the _habitude_ of all these virtues, I judged it would be well not to distractthe whole at once, but to fix it on _one_ of them at a time; and when I should be master of that, then to proceed to another; and so on till I should have gone through the thirteen: and as the previous acquisition of soht facilitate the acquisition of certain others, I arranged them with that view as they stand above _Temperance_ first, as it tends to promote that coolness and clearness of head which is so necessary where constant vigilance was to be kept up, and a guardattraction of ancient habits and the force of perpetual te acquired and established, _Silence_ would be e at the sa that in conversation it was obtained rather by the use of the ear than of the tongue, and, therefore, wishi+ng to break a habit I was getting into of _prattling_, _punning_, and _jesting_ (which only ave _Silence_ the second place This and the next, _Order_, I expected would allowto my project and my studies _Resolution_, once become habitual, would keep me firality_ and _Industry_, relievingaffluence and independence, would make more easy the practice of _Sincerity_ and _Justice_, &c, &c Conceiving then, that, agreeably to the advice of Pythagoras in his Golden Verses, daily exathat examination
I e for each of the virtues I ruled each page with red ink, so as to have seven colu each column with a letter for the day I crossed these colu of each line with the first letter of one of the virtues; on which line, and in its proper coluht mark, by a little black spot, every fault I found upon exa that virtue upon that day[10]
_Fores_
TEMPERANCE
Eat not to dulness: drink not to elevation
+------+------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | Sun | M | T | W | Th | F | S | +------+------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ | Tem | | || | | | | +------+------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ | Sil ||| || || | +------+------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ | Ord |||| |||| +------+------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ | Res | || | | || | +------+------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ | Fru || | | | || | +------+------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ | Ind | | || | | | | +------+------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ | Sinc| | | | | | | | +------+------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ | Jus | | | | | | | | +------+------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ | Mod | | | | | | | | +------+------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ | Clea| | | | | | | | +------+------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ | Tran| | | | | | | | +------+------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ | Chas| | | | | | | | +------+------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ | Hum | | | | | | | | +------+------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
I deterive a week's strict attention to each of the virtues successively Thus, in the first week, ainst _Te the other virtues to their ordinary chance, onlythe faults of the day Thus, if in the first week I could keep my first line marked T clear of spots, I supposed the habit of that virtue so ht venture extendingweek keep both lines clear of spots Proceeding thus to the last, I could get through a course complete in thirteen weeks, and four courses in a year And like hiarden to weed, does not attempt to eradicate all the bad herbs at once (which would exceed his reach and his strength), but works on one of the beds at a ti accomplished the first, proceeds to a second, so I should have (I hoped) the encouraging pleasure of seeing onsuccessively my lines of their spots, till, in the end, by a nu a clean book, after a thirteen week's daily examination
This my little book had for its motto these lines from Addison's Cato:
”Here will I hold; if there's a power above us (And that there is, all nature cries aloud Through all her works), he hts in must be happy”
Another froatrix et expultrixque vitiorum!
Unus dies bene, et ex praeceptis tuis actus, peccanti iuide of life! Diligent inquirer after virtue, and banisher of vice! A single day well spent, and as thy precepts direct, is to be preferred to an eternity of sin”
Another fro of wisdoht hand, and in her left hand riches and honour Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace”
And conceiving God to be the fountain of wisdoht and necessary to solicit his assistance for obtaining it; to this end I for little prayer, which was prefixed to my tables of examination, for daily use
”O powerful Goodness! bountiful Father! merciful Guide! Increase then my resolution to perform what that wisdom dictates! Accept my kind offices to thy other children as the only return in my power for thy continual favours to me”
I used also, sometimes, a little prayer which I took froht and life, thou God supreood; teach me thyself!
Save me from folly, vanity, and vice, Froe, conscious peace, and virtue pure; Sacred, substantial, never-fading bliss!”
The precept of _Order_, requiring that _every part of e inscheme of employment for the twenty-four hours of a natural day
SCHEME
Hours
_Morning_ { } Rise, wash, and address _Powerful The Question { 5} Goodness_! Contrive day's business, and What good shall { 6} take the resolution of the day; prosecute I do this day? { 7} the present study, and breakfast
8} 9} Work
10} 11}
_Noon_ {12} Read, or look over my accounts, and { 1} dine