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money, give up fame, give up science, give the earth itself and all it contains, rather than do an immoral act. And never suppose, that in any possible situation, or under any circumstances, it is best for you to do a dishonorable thing, however slightly so it may ap pear to you. Whenever you are to do a thing, though it can never be known but to yourself, ask yourself how you would act were all the world looking at you, and act accordingly. Encourage all your virtuous dispositions, and exercise them whenever an oppor tunity arises ; being assured that they will gain strength by exercise, as a limb of the body does, and that exercise will make them ha bitual. From the practice of the purest virtue, you may be assured you will derive the most sublime comforts in every moment of life, and in the moment of death. If ever you find yourself environed with difficulties and perplexing circumstances, out of which you are at a loss how to extricate yourself, do what is right, and be as sured that that will extricate you the best out of the worst situations. Though you cannot see, when you take one step, what will be the next, yet follow truth, justice, and plain dealing, and never fear their leading you out of the labyrinth, in the easiest manner pos sible. The knot which you thought a Gordian one, will untie itself before you. Nothing is so mistaken as the supposition, that a per son is to extricate himself from a difficulty, by intrigue, by chi canery, ]py dissimulation, by trimming, by an untruth, by an injus tice. This increases the difficulties ten fold ; and those who pursue these methods, get themselves so involved at length, that they can turn no way but their infamy becomes more exposed. It is of great importance to set a resolution, not to be shaken, never to tell an untruth. There is no vice so mean, so pitiful, so contemptible ; and he who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and third time, till at length it becomes habitual ; he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world s believing him. This falsehood of the tongue leads to that of the heart, and in time depraves all its good dispositions.
An honest heart being the first blessing, a knowing head is the second. It is time for you now to begin to be choice in your read ing ; to begin to pursue a regular course in it ; and not to suffer yourself to be turned to the right or left by reading any thing out of that course. I have long ago digested a plan for you, suited to the circumstances in which you will be placed. This I will detail to you, from time to time, as you,- advance. For the present, I advise you to begin a course of antient history, reading every thing in the original and not in translations. First read Goldsmith s his tory of Greece. This will give you a digested view of that field. Then take up antient history in the detail, reading the following
