If my face did not answer for me, if men did not read in my eyes and in my voice the innocence of intention, I had not lived so long without quarrels and without giving offence, seeing the indiscreet whatever comes into my head, and to judge so rashly of things.  This way may, with reason, appear uncivil, and ill adapted to our way of conversation; but I have never met with any who judged it outrageous or malicious, or that took offence at my liberty, if he had it from my own mouth; words repeated have another kind of sound and sense.  Nor do I hate any person; and I am so slow to offend, that I cannot do it, even upon the account of reason itself; and when occasion has required me to sentence criminals, I have rather chosen to fail in point of justice than to do it: 

               “Ut magis peccari nolim, quam satis animi
               ad vindicanda peccata habeam.”

     ["So that I had rather men should not commit faults than that I
     should have sufficient courage to condemn them.”—–­Livy, xxxix. 21.]

Aristotle, ’tis said, was reproached for having been too merciful to a wicked man:  “I was indeed,” said he, “merciful to the man, but not to his wickedness.”  Ordinary judgments exasperate themselves to punishment by the horror of the fact:  but it cools mine; the horror of the first murder makes me fear a second; and the deformity of the first cruelty makes me abhor all imitation of it.’  That may be applied to me, who am but a Squire of Clubs, which was said of Charillus, king of Sparta:  “He cannot be good, seeing he is not evil even to the wicked.”  Or thus—­for Plutarch delivers it both these ways, as he does a thousand other things, variously and contradictorily—­“He must needs be good, because he is so even to the wicked.”  Even as in lawful actions I dislike to employ myself when for such as are displeased at it; so, to say the truth, in unlawful things I do not make conscience enough of employing myself when it is for such as are willing.

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     Accept all things we are not able to refute
     Admiration is the foundation of all philosophy
     Advantageous, too, a little to recede from one’s right
     All I say is by way of discourse, and nothing by way of advice
     Apt to promise something less than what I am able to do
     As if anything were so common as ignorance
     Authority of the number and antiquity of the witnesses
     Best test of truth is the multitude of believers in a crowd
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     Death conduces more to birth and augmentation than to loss