in the room, their motions, their looks and their words; and yet without staring at them, and seeming to be an observer. This quick and unobserved observation is of infinite advantage in life, and is to be acquired with care; and on the contrary, what is called absence, which is thoughtlessness and want of attention about what is doing, makes a man so like either a fool or a madman, that, for my part, I see no real difference. A fool never has thought; a madman has lost it; and an absent man is, for the time, without it.

In short, a knowledge of the world is never to be acquired without great attention; and I know many old people, who, though they have lived long in the world, are but children still as to the knowledge of it, from their levity and inattention.

Certain forms, which all people comply with, and certain arts, which all people aim at, hide, in some degree, the truth, and give a general exterior resemblance to almost every body. Attention and sagacity must see through that veil, and discover the natural character.

Add to this, there are little attentions which are infinitely engaging, and which sensibly affect that degree of pride and self-love which is inseparable from human nature, as they are unquestionable proofs of the regard and consideration which we have for the persons to whom we pay them. As, for example: suppose you invited any body to dine or sup with you, you ought to recollect if you had observed that they had any favourite dish, and take care to provide it for them; and, when it came, you should 6 say; you seemed to me, at such and such a place, to give this dish a preference, and therefore I ordered it. This is the wine that I observed you liked, and therefore I procured some.' Again: most people have their

1

weaknesses; they have their aversions or their likings to such and such things. If we were to laugh at a man for his aversion to a cat, or cheese, which are common antipathies, or, by inattention or negligence, to let them come in his way, where we could prevent it; he would, in the first case, think himself insulted, and, in the second, slighted; and would remember both. But, on the other hand, your care to procure for him what he likes, and to remove from him what he dislikes, shews him that he is at least an object of your attention, flatters his vanity, and perhaps makes him more your friend than a more important service would have done. The more trifling these things are, the more they prove your attention for the person, and are consequently the more engaging. Consult your own breast, and recollect how these little attentions, when shewn you by others, flatter that degree of self-love and vanity from which no man living is free. Reflect how they incline and attract you to that person, and how you are propitiated afterwards to all which that person says or The same causes will have the same effects in your favour.-Chesterfield.

does.

APPENDIX.

LATIN PREPOSITIONS WHICH ENTER INTO THE

COMPOSITION OF ENGLISH WORDS.

This list should be accurately committed to memory by the pupil.

A, ab, abs, from, as a-rise; ab-rasion; abs-tain. Ad, to ;-modified by c, f, l, p, r, s, t, for the sake of sound, as ad-mit, ac-cept, af-flict, al-lure, ap-ply, ar-range, as-sist, at-test.

Ante, before, as ante-cedent;-changed into anti, as anti-cipate-contracted into an, as an-cestor. Circum, about, as circum-locution;-changed into circu, as circu-late.

Con, together or with, as con-tract;-changed into co, com, col, cor, as co-equal, com-pose, col-lect, correspond.

Contra, against, as contra-dict ;—changed into counter, as counter-balance.

De, from or down, as de-duct, de-scend.

Di, dis, asunder, as di-vide, dis-pute.

E, ex, out of, or from, as e-ject, ex-tract ;-changed into ec, ef, as ec-centric, ef-fect.

Extra, beyond, as extra-ordinary.

In, into, (before verbs), as in-vade ;-not, (before adjectives), as in-nocuous;-changed into ig, il, im, ir, as ig-noble, il-legal, im-mortal, ir-regular ;—it likewise signifies on, as im-pel, im-pose.

Inter, between, as inter-rupt, inter-vene.

Intro, within, as intro-duce.

Ob, in the way of, or against, as ob-ject ;-changed into op, oc, as op-pose, oc-cur.

Per, through, as per-vade, per-fect.
Pre, before, as pre-cede, pre-vent.
Post, after, as post-pone, post-script.

Pro, for, forth, or forward, as pro-vide, pro-duce, pro

mote.

Præter, beyond, as preter-natural, preter-perfect.
Re, back or again, as re-turn, re-visit.

Se, apart, aside, as se-clude, se-cede.

Sub, sup, sus, under, as sub-mit, sup-port, sus-tain.
Super, above, as super-fine, super-scription.
Trans, over, beyond, as trans-pose, trans-port.
Ultra, beyond, as ultra-royal.

LIST OF LATIN ROOTS WITH ENGLISH WORDS COMPOSED OF OR DERIVED FROM THEM.*

It will be of advantage to the pupil to have both the "literal" and the "free" sense of the words explained to him, and in many cases it will be proper to shew him how a word comes to have such and such a meaning.

VERBS.

Ago, I do, agens, Act, action, actor, active, actuate, agent, transact, agitate.

doing, done.

Amo, I love.

actus,

Ardeo, I burn.

Audio, I hear.

Bibo, I drink.

Cado, I fall, ca-) sus, fallen; changed into cid.

Cado, I cut, ca

J Amiable, amatory, amateur, enamoured, amiable, amity, inimical. S Ardent, ardency, ardour, arduous,

arson.

Audience, audit, auditor, -y, audible.

Imbibe, imbibition, wine-bibber, bibulous, bibacious.

Casual, cascade, accident, incident, coincide, accidental, deciduous, caducous.

Incision, excision, homicide, sui

sus, cut ;-cisus. cide, fratricide, regicide.

In this list no words are admitted but those whose derivation or composition is obvious, and no roots are given but such as have more than two derivations.

сер, сір.

Capio, I take, cap-) Captive, capture, captivate, captitus, taken ;- vity, capacious, accept, reception, participate, -tion. Recede, recess, proceed, procession, intercede, procedure, secede, excess, succeed, succession, antecedent, precede. Cede, cession, concede, concession,

Cedo, I go, cessus, gone.

Cedo, I yield, I

give up, cessus,

yielded.

I

cessio-bonorum.

Cio, I call, Excite, ment, cite, citation, incite,

rouse, citus, cal.

led.

Clamo, I call out.

recite.

Acclaim, acclamation, proclaim, claim, clamorous, exclaim, reclaim, proclamation.

Claudo, I shut, I Clause, close, enclosure, disclose,

include, seclude, seclusion, recluse.

(Decline, -ation, declension, incline, -ation, recline.

Credible, creditor, credulous, creditable, creed, credential.

Creation, creature, creative, recreate, -ation.

Crescent, increase, decrease, increment, excrementitious, excrescence, concretion.

[Incumbent, recumbent, succumb,

superincumbent, encumber, cumbrance, incubation.

Current, currency, curricle, course, concur, incur, incursion, occur,

Occurrence.

Donation, donative, donor, editor, edition, tradition.