篇章：论家庭
Thejoysofparentsaresecret; andsoaretheirgriefsandfears. Theycannotuttertheone; northeywillnotuttertheother. Childrensweetenlabors; buttheymakemisfortunesmorebitter. Theyincreasethecaresoflife; buttheymitigatetheremembranceofdeath. Theperpetuitybygenerationiscommontobeasts; butmemory, merit, andnobleworks, arepropertomen. Andsurelyamanshallseethenoblestworksandfoundationshaveproceededfromchildlessmen; whichhavesoughttoexpresstheimagesoftheirminds, wherethoseoftheirbodieshavefailed. Sothecareofposterityismostinthem, thathavenoposterity. Theythatarethefirstraisersoftheirhouses, aremostindulgenttowardstheirchildren; beholdingthemasthecontinuance, notonlyoftheirkind, butoftheirwork; andsobothchildrenandcreatures.
Thedifferenceinaffection, ofparentstowardstheirseveralchildren, ismanytimesunequal; andsometimesunworthy; especiallyinthemothers; asSolomonsaith, Awisesonrejoiceththefather, butanungracioussonshamesthemother. Amanshallsee, wherethereisahousefullofchildren, oneortwooftheeldestrespected, andtheyoungestmadewantons; butinthemidst, somethatareasitwereforgotten, whomanytimes, nevertheless, provethebest. Theilliberalityofparents, inallowancetowardstheirchildren, isanharmfulerror; makesthembase; acquaintsthemwithshifts; makesthemsortwithmeancompany; andmakesthemsurfeitmorewhentheycometoplenty. Andthereforetheproofisbest, whenmenkeeptheirauthoritytowardsthechildren, butnotheirpurse. Menhaveafoolishmannerincreatingandbreedinganemulationbetweenbrothers, duringchildhood, whichmanytimessortethtodiscordwhentheyaremen, anddisturbethfamilies.