" He that can look upon death and see its face with the same
countenance, with which he hears its story ; that can endure
all the labors of his life with his Soul supporting his body;
that can equally despise riches when he hath them and when
he hath them not ; that is no sadder if they lie in his neigh-
bors' trunks, nor more brag if they shine round about his own
walls : he that is neither moved with good fortune coming to
him, nor going from him ; that can look upon another man's
lands evenly and pleasedly as if they were his own, and yet
look upon his own, and use them too, just as if they were
another man's ; that neither spends his goods prodigally and
like a fool, nor yet keeps them avariciously and like a
wretch ; that weighs not benefits by weight and number, but
by the mind and circumstances of him that gives them : that
never thinks his Charity expensive, if a worthy person be
the receiver; he that does nothing for opinion's sake, but
everything for conscience, being as curious of his thoughts
as of his actings in markets and theatres, and is as much
in awe of himself as of a whole assembly: he that knows
God looks on, and contrives his secret affairs as in the



THE HEART OF OAK BOOKS. 295

presence of God and His holy angels; that eats and drinks
because he needs it, not that he may serve a lust or load his
belly: he that is bountiful and cheerful to his friends, and
charitable and apt to forgive his enemies ; that loves his coun-
try, and obeys his prince, and desires and endeavors nothing
more than that he may do honor to God : " this person may
reckon his life to be the life of a man, and compute his
months, not by the course of the sun, but the zodiac and circle
of his virtues ; because these are such things which fools and
children and birds and beasts can not have ; these are there-
fore the actions of life because they are the seeds of immor-
tality. 