ise from their
study.

When it is remembered that Scripture affirms the man who offends not in
word is a "perfect man," the author feels that he has aimed at a
laudable object in writing this book. Should there only _one_ perfect
man arise in society through his effort, he flatters himself that a work
will have been done which thousands of books have failed to accomplish.
But, on the other hand, should _every_ reader lay aside his book not a
"perfect man," he will only fulfil the words of the same Scripture,
which say, "The tongue can no man tame."

"Then if the tongue _cannot_ be tamed, why attempt the task?" The answer
to this is: a little evil is better than a big one; and a tongue
partially tamed is better than a tongue altogether wild. Therefore,
while the author has no expectation of taming any man's tongue
_altogether_, he has the hope of taming a great many a _little_, and, in
the aggregate, of doing something towards elevating the talking
civilization of the nineteenth century.

"Will you have a little tongue?" asked a lady of a gentleman one day at
the dinner-table. "I will, ma'am, if it is cured," was the answer. Alas!
tongue will be at immense discount in the world if it is not received
until it is "cured." One must be content to take it as near "cured" as
it can be obtained. Not only must there be mutual efforts to cure one
another's, but each must try to cure his _own_.

And now, reader, the author asks you to peruse his book, and to make the
best use you can of it; and he suggests, _when you have done this, be
careful that you do not so talk about it as to illustrate some one or
more of the characters within it_.

J. B.

_November_, 1877.

CONTENTS.

PAGE

I. THE MONOPOLIST 1
II. THE FALSE HUMOURIST 18
III. THE FLATTERER 22
IV. THE BRAWLER 35
V. THE MISCHIEF-MAKER 38
VI. THE PLEONAST 55
VII. THE SELF-DISPARAGER 62
VIII. THE COMMON SWEARER 71
IX. THE AFFECTED 85
X. THE STULTILOQUIST 94
XI. THE SLANDERER 101
XII. THE VALETUDINARIAN 111
XIII. THE WHISPERER 119
XIV. THE HYPERBOLIST 124
XV. THE INQUISITIVE 133
XVI. THE PEDANT 142
XVII. TH