8.  Persons in a higher rank live in a kind of splendid poverty; and are perpetually wanting, because, instead of acquiescing in the solid pleasures of life, they endeavour to outvie one another in shadows and appearances.  Men of sense have at all times beheld with a great deal of mirth this silly game that is playing over their heads, and by contracting their desires enjoy all that secret satisfaction which others are always in quest of.

9.  The truth is, this ridiculous chase after imaginary pleasures cannot be sufficiently exposed, as it is the great source of those evils which generally undo a nation.  Let a man’s estate be what it will, he is a poor man if he does not live within it, and naturally sets himself to sale to any one that can give him his price.

10.  When Pitticus, after the death of his brother, who had left him a good estate, was offered a greater sum of money by the king of Lydia, he thanked him for his kindness, but told him he had already more by half than he knew what to do with.  In short, content is equivalent to wealth, and luxury to poverty; or, to give the thought a more agreeable turn, ‘Content is natural wealth,’ says Socrates; to which I shall add, ‘Luxury is artificial poverty.’

11.  I shall therefore recommend to the consideration of those who are always aiming after superfluous and imaginary enjoyments, and will not be at the trouble of contracting their desires, an excellent saying of Bion the philosopher; namely, ’That no man has so much care as he who endeavours after the most happiness.’

12.  In the second place, every one ought to reflect how much more unhappy he might be than he really is.  The former consideration took in all those who are sufficiently provided with the means to make themselves easy; this regards such as actually lie under some pressure or misfortune.

13.  These may receive a great alleviation from such a comparison as the unhappy person may make between himself and others, or between the misfortunes which he suffers, and greater misfortunes which might have befallen him.

14.  I like the story of the honest Dutchman, who upon breaking his leg by a fall from the main-mast, told the standers-by, it was a great mercy that it was not his neck.  To which, since I am got into quotations, give me leave to add the saying of an old philosopher, who, after having invited some of his friends to dine with him, was ruffled by his wife that came into the room in a passion and threw down the table that stood before them; ’Every one, says he, has his calamity, and he is a happy man that has no greater than this.’

15.  We find an instance to the same purpose in the life of Doctor Hammond, written by Bishop Fell.  As this good man was troubled with a complication of distempers, when he had the gout upon him, he used to thank God that it was not the stone; and when he had the stone, that he had not both these distempers on him at the same time.