The courtiers manual oracle, or, The art of prudence written originally in Spanish by Baltazar Gracian, and now done into English.

MAXIME CCLII.

Not altogether for thy self, nor altogether for others neither.

Both the one and the other is an insup∣portable Tyranny. To be altogether for ones self, infers necessarily, that one would have all to himself. These men cannot part with an ace of any thing that's con∣venient for them. They oblige little, they trust to their Fortune, but com∣monly that support fails them. It is good sometimes to forsake our selves for the sake of others, to the end others may doe so for us. Whoever is in publick place, is by duty a publick Servant. Otherwise it will be said to him, what the old Wo∣man said once to Adrian the Emperour: Renounce then thy place, as thou dost thy duty. On the contrary, others are al∣together

for others. For folly runs always to excess, and is very unlucky in that par∣ticular. They have not a day, nor so much as an hour for themselves, and they are so little their own men, that there was one who was called Every bodies man. They are not themselves even in the un∣derstanding. For they know for all, and are ignorant for themselves. Let a man of sense consider, that it is not he who is courted, but an interest that is in him, or depends upon him.