his Promifes, be Joyful when he calls us to him, and is going to place us in perfect Security from ever falling into the Power of the Devil? Why do we not run? Why do we not prefs forward to our Heavenly Country? Till our Souls are feparated from our Bodies, we have always reafon to fear Temptations and the Dangers of Sin, but after Death we are fecur'd from thefe Fears. He reflected alfo on what he had Tranf -lated out of another Book of St. PerfeveAuguftine, that he who ends his days in a State of continual Advancement in ·Virtue, dies with this Affurance, that he goes to prefent himself before the Tribunal of God, to receive the Accomplishment and Perfection of what remain'd for him to do.

'Twas in this Holy Place, which flows from the Teftimony of a good Confcience, that the Prince being ready to depart this Life, look'd upon Death as the End of f 3

the

Dedono

rantiæ.

the Old Man, and rendred his Soul to God fo calmly that it could hardly be perceived.

Is there any thing more fweet than a Death which follows a good Life, and leads to Eternity? Is there any thing more sweet than to die, to receive the Recompence of ones Labours? As the Prince had made hafte during his Life to advance in Virtue, and to bring forth Fruits worthy of Repentance and Righte ousness, the Goodness of God did likewise haften to give him his Recompence. If we reckon the Prince's Age by the number of his Years, we fhall think his Death to have been early, fince he died at 36 Years of Age, but if we consider it by the Progrefs he made in Virtue, we fhall find he liv'd to a Maturity of old Age: For as Solomon informs Wifd. us, Honourable Age is not that which 8. 9. ftandeth in length of Time, nor that is mea/urd

measur'd by number of Years. But Wifdom is the Grey Hair unto Men, and an unfpotted Life is old Age. "Death is the Term of the Life "of all Men, fays S. Augustine, "whether it be long or whether it "be fhorts It cannot therefore be “faid, that what is how no more, "is either long or short; The great matter then is not to die foon or late, but to die well; and to die well, one must have lived well.

He being made perfect in a short time, fulfilled a long time, for his Soul pleafed the Lord: therefore hafted be to take him away from among the Wicked, Thus the Righteous that is dead, fhall condemn the Ungodly which are living; and Youth that is foon perfected, the many years and old Age of the Unrighte

.ous.

£ 4

AP

T1

HE Veneration which all virtuous Perfons had for the late Prince of Conti during his Life, and which they ftill preferve fince his Death, fhould ferve for a general Approbation of this Book entitled. The Duties of the Great; fince it contains nothing but the Rules which that Great Prince had preferved himself for his own Conduct, and which he pra&tis'd with an Exactnefs almost incredible. We heartily wish that it would pleafe God to infpire into all the Great the Purity of this Morality, and to engrave the Love of it in their

Hearts,

Hearts, fince they are the Univerfal Caufes which Influence their Inferiours to Goodness, who commonly ftudy to resemble those on whom they depend.

T

HE Divine Providence, which places Men in an Elevated Station, commonly permits them in the midst of their abundance, to want faithful Counsellors, of whom they may learn their Obligations without difguife. Never was there a more powerful one feen nor one who flatter d lefs, than the Illuftrious Author of the Book Entitled The Duties of the Great. It is difficult to find together fuch great Qualities as were eminent in him; and 'tis enough to be convinc'd of the worth of this Treatife, to know that it was compos'd by the Prince of Conti. The

Grace