Page:The Emperor Marcus Antoninus - His Conversation with Himself.djvu/394

 214 Thirdly; Consider that if those that disoblige you, are in the Right, you have no reason to be Angry ; But if they are in the wrong, 'tis because they know no better. They are under the Necessity of their own Ignorance. For as all Error is involuntary ; so no body would lessen themselve so much as to miss either Honesty, or Good Manners, if they were rightly aware on't. And thus we see People won't endure the Charge of Avarice, Ingratitude, or Knavery, without being stung at the Imputation.

Fourthly ; Don't forget you are like the rest of the World, and Faulty your self in a great many Instances; That tho' you may forbear running Riot in some Cases, 'tis not for want of an Inclination: And that nothing but Cowardize, Vanity, or some such scandalous Principle, hinders you from breaking out.

Fifthy, That 'tis sometimes a hard matter to be certain whether you have received ill usage or not : For Men's Actions oftentimes look worse than they are: And one must be throughly informed of a great many things before he can be rightly qualifyed to give Judgment in the Case.

Sixthly, When you are most Angry and Gall'd, remember that Humane Life lasts but a Moment, and that we shall all of us Rh