Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A26035
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The whole art of converse containing necessary instructions for all persons, of what quality and condition soever : with the characters of the four humours of the English and French, as to their way of conversing / by D.A., Gent.
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D. A.
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1683
(1683)
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Wing A3A; ESTC R11160
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32,858
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144
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all destructive to Civility such a rudeness as this we are now speaking of is more insufferable in Churches and those places where we should speak either little or none at all as likewise in presence of Princes and our other Superiours we ought rather to reverence by a respectuous silence than disquiet by our boisterous clamours The deformity of this sort of immodesty is represented to Life by the ruder sort of people gathered together in an Ale-house or any other Assembly there you shall hear them speaking all together and with such a confusion that you shall hear none of them distinctly They call aloud one another by their Names or nick-Names in a rustick and homely manner and make commonly such a noise that those who pass by stand to listen if they quarrel not as such people were ever and are still Reputed most rude we must with a watchful circumspection over our own behaviour shun this barbarous way of Conversing to which we may reduce all noise whatsomever in presence of our Friends whether it be with our hands feet or otherwise As also a certain immodest sort of laughter whereby we either discover our own inconsiderateness or that we are regardless of the company The Precept of the ancient Philosopher must be followed in this case Risus nec sit multus nec ob multa nec effusus To laugh too much is the Character of a childish and foolish Humour to laugh on every slight Occurrency betrayeth us to be light and silly but to laugh as Women do sometimes with our hands on both sides and with a lascivious agitation of our whole Body is the height of rudeness and immodesty remember then and practise that Golden Sentence Risus non sit multus nec ob multa nec essâ—sus SECT X. That frequent Oaths are inconsistent with Civility I Can conceive nothing more rude than this barbarous or rather Heathenish custom so general in this Age of taking the Name of God in vain or calling him as a Witness to every insignificant and impertinent proposition we rashly advance I have observed three great abuses in this matter point blanck contrary not only to Godliness but also to good manners some with great precipitancy attest every Truth they say by solemn Oaths as if they could not otherwise gain trust Others again and these are worse than the first swear with all imaginaginable confidence what to their certain Science and Conscience is most false which is a Crime amounting to such a high measure of malice that in Charity I shall suppose no rational Man to be ever guilty of it There is a third sort that fills or rather fouls the Ears of those that hear them with a perpetual cursed Nonsense of God Damning Sinking Confounding or such like Unchristian and Nonsensical expressions That such Immortal practices are the meer products of rudeness or uncivility 't is so evident that I need not be at the pains to prove it since every one is taught this Truth by the light of Nature as uncapable to deceive us as the Author of Nature himself for amongst whom I pray ye are Oaths most usual amongst those only we look upon as the very scum of the World and if I may so say the very excrementitious part of Mankind If then others considerable either for their Birth Riches or Learning be subject sometimes to this disorder as I confess but too many of them are they are deservedly undervalued by the understanding sort and all such as are naturally averse from rudeness After a serious enquiry into the causes of this disorder I can imagine none that looks like a rational inducement to such an abominable custom For 1. I am sure there is less pleasure in it than in any other Sin whatsoever 2. No Man in his Wits can pretend to be more trusted the more he swears since 't is an undoubted of Truth that the greatest Swearers are commonly the greatest Liars 3. The Repute of Wit can methinks allure no Man to put on such an ill and vile habit is not Stupidity it self as capable thereof as the sharpest Wit of the World 4. A shew perhaps of courage and resolution is the end some propose to themselves by these Imprecations and threatning Oaths But how far they fall short of their aim judge by this that Men commonly make small account of these great Boasters and think them destitute of true courage yea and great Cowards SECT XI When Railery is consistent and when inconsistent with Civility 'T Is alwaies the greatest rudeness imaginable to play upon sacred things as Church Ceremonies our dreadful Mysteries and Divine Scriptures this is the true Character of a Man that neither loves God nor Godliness neither is Railery decent or lawful if it reflect upon the natural defects of our Neighbours or to be suffered in presence of Princes unless by their great intimacy with us they make us an overture of a not ordinary familiarity 'T is as yet more insufferable when we converse with Ladies especially in matters relating to that Vertue they should look upon as the chief if not the only Ornament of their Sex yet this is a common rudeness and covers sometimes smister designs under the Names of Complacency and Gallantry in which familiar way of Conversing some go such a length as to pass beyond all the limits of modesty by their rough and flat expressions of these undecencies you hear but too often and modesty causeth me to conceal If Railery then must be made use of 't is with those that are either our equals or have made us such by their privacy or intimate friendship yet least we fail we are to reflect seriously upon three things we are concern'd in the first in the second the persons we speak with and the third regards the fittest season for this innocent Mirth We must first consider if Nature has allowed us these qualities without which we cannot pretend to a good success in this way of Conversing which may methinks be reduc'd to these three A faculty easily reflexive upon every contingency a quick imagination and a sharpness of wit not ordinary If Nature has used us so kindly as to have imparted to us these her favours in any considerable measure we would disoblige her to hide our Talent or deprive our Friends of that innocent joy we are capable to procure 'em but if we find no such dispositions in us or no ray of that extemporary subtilty necessary for a suddain attack surprize repartee let us abstain from Railery least to our shame and confusion it return by reflex upon our selves The second thing we are to take notice of is the person or persons we are in converse with if we judge them not sharp enough to conceive at the first a point d'lesprit a senseful and witty word we must deal plainly and seriously with such men waving all in promptu's and subtilties they could not understand without a commentary The third thing to be
account of their greater ease they chuse often rather to yield than to dispute they become easily familiar and make a full acquaintance at the very first meeting discovering to a Stranger as to a concern'd Friend their Designs and Affairs Trust them with few Secrets of moment the Mobility of their Spirits and the Volubility of their Tongues make them incapable of a Secret unless they resist powerfully for sapiens dominabitur astris that violent Inclination of theirs to bring forth instantly whatsoever they have conceiv'd SECT V. The Character of the Cholerick THe Cholerick are not averse from Humane Society but their unruly and domineering humour is almost insufferable they seem always to be unsatisfied with whatever you either say or do to humour them If you contradict their sentiments they will rise in a fury and whensoever you assert any thing they think not so because they like it not they shall tell you very civilly you are grosly mistaken or more smoothly thus Devil a word you say is true If such persons be the Governours of Families their Houses resemble Hell where there is no order but a perpetual confusion You shall meet with none that have a greater conceit of themselves and speak more in conversing to their own advantage they detract generally of all Mankind if they cannot blame your action they will censure your intention they shall force upon you if they can their sentiments and if by reason they Master you not they will affright you into their side by Contumelies and flat Injuries Yet they have some good moments and will make a show of an extraordinary complaisance to all they converse with but trust not too much to this Calm it is like that of the Sea it will be changed on a suddain into a Stormy Passion they think they speak not like Men unless they Swear and Curse like Devils and this they will do in cold blood their custom being now changed into Nature they shall discourse so long as you seem to Credit them of their great Actions their Noble Pedigree their Children and of whatever may contribute towards the increase of that esteem they are easily perswaded you have for them in debates of Learning they are commonly overcome by their own fury which makes them incapable of reflecting on what is said againste them and their thoughts croâ—â—â—ing forth altogether their â—â—â—â—rance is embarass'd and uneaâ—â—â—â— they are not fit for Embassies aâ—â— management of great Affairs which require a certain moderation they are not capable of they are rude in their Converse with Ladies they are nevertheless Complemental enough but after a Martial manner and far from the smoothness of the Sanguine Temper the roughness of their humour will hinder them to comply with a Ladies sentiments not only when they have reason on their side in which case also Civility would require our deference to the Sex but likewise when evidently they have it not Of all Men they are commonly the greatest Lyars and less to be trusted too because their passion only prompting them to speak they are little reflexive on what they say and either promise things they are not able to perform or will not when a more sober temper hath taken place of their former fit In Disputes relating to Religion be upon your Guards least on a suddain they draw upon you for this way of arguing is more ordinary to them than by reason so they never influence the understanding to conviction because they manage not the will by a civil way of debating as in such conjunctures they speak much they stagger often from the Center to the Circumference from Truth to Falshood giving a great advantage by their rudeness and precipitation to a moderate and modest Adversary Nevertheless when they are once sensible by experience of their own weakness they will counterfeit a Phlegmatick temper by an affected moderation which as being forc'd they put off again at the least occasion SECT VI. The Character of the Melancholly Humour WE esteem those of a Melancholly Temper judicious and witty tho' not so ready nor so sharp as the Sanguine They speak little but think much and twice before they speak once their chief study is to pronounce Sentences and comprehend great Sense in few words by their very jests slighting smiles fierce looks they discover their Secret Pride they generally speak ill of all themselves only excepted and if Nature has bestowed upon them any not ordinary Talent their own Self-conceit as a Magnifying Glass will raise it to a huge bulk they think it a Point of Honour not to yield to any Mans sentiments they stand to their own fancies how groundless soever with an Obstinacy equal to that of Heresie they mis-interpret often what is said without design as being beyond expression suspicious to their own perpetual disturbance they answer sometimes no otherwise than by a disdainful smile whether it be that they undervalue what others say or think it securer for their Repute to be silent but this affected silence is a too visible mark of a groundless Pride they are sometimes troublesome because of their heavy and sleepy humour yet they take often such fits of Mirth that you would think they have chang'd their Nature they are not very Complemental yet Civil enough they dissemble Naturally their sentiments and are capable of a Secret they are complaisant when they judge their complacency is subservient to their Interest otherwise expect scarce Justice at their hands far less a favour tho' they could do it at the easiest Rate they speak harshly to their Servants to their Equals disdainfully with an uneasie and forc'd respect to their Superiors they pretend to have a foresight of what is to come and to judge better of every thing than their Neighbours they desire to be harken'd to when they discourse as Oracles and when they are silent they would have you to think they are meditating on great things their utterance is slow and uneasie till their imagination be exalted to that degree of heat without which we never express our thoughts fluently they speak sometimes out of purpose either because they reflect not on what is said or because they intend to change the Subject as not agreeable to their present Temper their Discourse is commonly senceful enough but their affected silence is often nothing else but a prudent coverture of their weakness SECT VII The Character of the Phlegmatick Humour THe Phlegmaticks are those the French call properly Des Apathicks without passion or insensible not through knowledge or design but because of their dull Spirits they are extreamly unconcern'd in Conversation and speak no otherwise than Machines by your moving first all sort of Wheels I mean by using all imaginable Industry to engage them once to make the Ceremony of opening their Mouths which they do at length with such an Indetermination that you must determine them again before their lips fall together they seem to spell in speaking so