Lot 353: HAZLITT, William (1778-1830). Autograph manuscript fragment containing two aphorisms, undated, one headed 'LXVI' and endorsed 'W. Hazlitt', the other lacking opening lines and final word 'ass,' together 20 lines on either side of a cut sheet,

HAZLITT, William (1778-1830). Autograph manuscript fragment containing two aphorisms, undated, one headed 'LXVI' and endorsed 'W. Hazlitt', the other lacking opening lines and final word 'ass,' together 20 lines on either side of a cut sheet, 4to (small hole at centre affecting three words, tipped onto card, adhered upper left). Provenance: Christie's sale, 4 November 1981, lot 101; the Albin Schram Collection.

In 'LXVI' Hazlitt expresses his preference for having 'as good an opinion as I can of human nature in general' as opposed to a prejudice 'in favour of my own countrymen.' The other aphorism is on honesty, emphasising the different values of 'a man of the world' and 'an honest man', and the truth of the French proverb 'Tout homme reflechi est mechant.'

Hazlitt's Characteristics, a series of 434 maxims modelled on La Rochefoucauld, were published in 1823 in a 12mo volume. The present maxims were not included but correspond to nos 35 (here headed 'LXVI') and 37 in a separate series entitled Aphorisms on Man, published posthumously in the Monthly Magazine between October 1830 and June 1831 (see The Collected Works, ed. A.R. Waller and A. Glover, 1902-1906, XII, pp. 219-20).

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price and at 17.5% on the buyer's premium.