182.—Vices enter into the composition of virtues as poison into that of medicines. Prudence collects and blends the two and renders them useful against the ills of life.
183.—For the credit of virtue we must admit that the greatest misfortunes of men are those into which they fall through their crimes.
184.—We admit our faults to repair by our sincerity the evil we have done in the opinion of others.
[In the edition of 1665 this maxim stands as No. 200. We never admit our faults except through vanity.]
185.—There are both heroes of evil and heroes of good.
[Ut alios industria ita hunc ignavia protulerat ad famam, habebaturque non ganeo et profligator sed erudito luxu. —Tacit. Ann. xvi.]
186.—We do not despise all who have vices, but we do despise all who have not virtues.
["If individuals have no virtues their vices may be of use to us."—Junius, 5th Oct. 1771.]
187.—The name of virtue is as useful to our interest as that of vice.
188.—The health of the mind is not less uncertain than that of the body, and when passions seem furthest removed we are no less in danger of infection than of falling ill when we are well.