’Tis a Common Thing for People to Blame what they Practise, and to be
spending their Censures upon others, when they should be Examining
Themselves: Whereas in Justice, Charity and Prudence, we should make no
other Use of our Neighbours Faults, then we do of a Looking Glass to
Mend our own Manners by, and to set Matters right at Home. When we see
a Horse start at a Shadow, what have we more to do then to Contemplate
the Folly and Vanity of our own Surprizes and Mistakes in a Thousand
Instances of the same Quality! For what are all the Vexatious Transports
of our Hopes and Fears, Extravagant Wishes, and Vain Desires, but the
Images of Things every jot as Whimsical, as the Vision of the Shadow here
in the Fable? And we can never hope for Better, so long as we Govern our
selves by _Fancy_, without _Reason_. To say all in a Word, the whole
Bus’ness comes to no more then this; First, we form some _Nonsensical
Idea_ to our selves, and then fall down to an _Idol_ of our _Own Making_.