many times in Such Circumstances that Truth would make us extremely Wretched; so that he is Mischievous to us who opens our Eyes. A Good Connoiffeur therefore, who is withal a Plain, Sincere Man has great difficulties many times when he fees a Collection, or a Single Pi&ture, or two; Chiefly when Gentlemen will urge him to give his Opinion of Something they have lately Acquir'd, and the Honey-Moon is not yet over. On these Occafions one cannot avoid applying the Words of our Saviour to His Difciples; I have many things to say to you, but you cannot Bear them

now.

I should be very loath to be an Advocate for Infincerity of Any kind, and indeed I am very unfit for it: If the State of things would admit of it I should be glad to come into a General Agreement never to conceal the leaft Thought of the heart

heart by any Word, Look, or Action whatsoever; But as the Cafe now stands the Disguises I have been pleading for are fo neceffary; and they are so much the fame with those Complements, and Civilities Univerfally practifed, that he that is Deceiv'd by them if he fhould Discover it would Acquit, and A pprove the Deceiver; Or they will not Deceive at all.

I will however take the liberty to put Gentlemen in Mind of the great Injury they do themselves by their being fo Entêré of their Own things, as not to permit Every one to speak their Minds freely, and without Reserve; not only their Judgments by this means are kept Low, but they are Sufferers in their Purfes; they lie open to be impos'd on, and in Fact too often fling away their Money upon Trash: They have Pleasure indeed, but they might have That too, and Greater, and U

more

more Durable without those Difadvantages; nay with the contrary Circumftances; they might become Good Connoiffeurs, and be Good Oconomists at the fame time. Another Inftance of an Apparent, but no Real Difference in the Opinions of Connoiffeurs is This, (and 'tis the Laft I fhall mention) 'Tis very Common for Other People (not the Owners) to ask our Opinions of Pictures, or Collections when there may be good Reasons why we fhould not be very Exact, and Particular in our Anfwers; Efpecially if the Things are to be Difpofed of, and the Question is ask'd in a Large, and Mix'd Company: In That Cafe the Ufual Way is to Avoid the mention of any Faults, and to fay what Good we can in General Terms: Which kind of Character is indeed no other than a Tub flung out for the Whale to play with that the Ship might get rid of

him; for it gives no Idea, or none fhould be taken from thence; the Man that has got it is Certainly not one jot the Wifer for it how well Satisfied foever he may be with it.

At Other times we may have as Good Reafons to be Clear, and Explicit in our Characters: If these two Accounts happen to be compar'd, (as they often are) there will appear a Difference in Judgment, or Infincerity; when those who gave them were of the Same Mind all a

long, and fpake nothing but the Truth, tho' not All the Truth.

Some Cafuifts have faid No Man is bound to deliver Truth to him who has no Right to demand it. Of what Ufe foever this Rule may be towards the difentangling us from the Perplexities we find in the Definition of a Criminal Lie, thus far is Plain, and Certain, that we are not Oblig'd to give our Opinions

to those who are not Entitled to them, whether by Promife, Gratitude, Common Justice, or Prudence.

Understanding in a Science, as all other Natural, or Acquir'd Advantages is the Poffeffor's Property, which Every Man SELLS at as Good a Rate as he can for Value Received, or Expected. This is Common to All Orders of Men; Why Connniffeurs should be expected to distinguish themselves by their Generofity, or Prodigality is Unaccountable. But it would be altogether Abfurd for them to do it, when they fhall be fure to create to themselves Enemies by that means, and that only to Satisfie an Infignificant Curiosity, or even to Serve Those who Probably will never think Themselves Oblig'd, or Remember it afterwards.

Because therefore we cannot Otherwise avoid Some Peoples Impor