ing this refemblance, a delicacy of tafte is as much to be defired and cultivated as a delicacy of paffion is to be lamented, and to be remedied if poflible. The good or ill accidents of life are very little at our difpofal; but we are pretty much mafters what books we fhall read, what diverfions we fhall partake of, and what company we fhall keep. Philofophers have endeavoured to render happiness entirely independent of every thing external that is impoffible to be attained: but every wife man will endeavour to place his happiness on fuch objects as depend most upon himself; and that is not to be attained fo much by any other means, as by this delicacy of fentiment. When a man is poffeffed of that. talent, he is more happy by what pleafes his tafte, than by what gratifies his appeand receives more enjoyment from a poem or a piece of reafoning, than the moft expensive luxury can afford.

tites;

That it teaches us to fele our Company. Delicacy of tafte is favourable to love and friendship, by confining our choice to few people, and making us indifferent to the company and converfation of the great eft part of men. You will very feldom find that mere men of the world, whatever ftrong fenfe they may be endowed with, are very nice in diftinguishing of characters, or in marking thofe infenfible differences and gradations which make one man preferable to another. Any one that has competent fenfe, is fufficient for their entertainment: they talk to him of their pleafures and affairs with the fame franknefs as they would to any other; and finding many who are fit to fupply his place, they never feel any vacancy or want in his abfence. But, to make use of the allufion of a famous French author, the judgment may be compared to a clock or watch, where the most ordinary machine is fufficient to tell the hours; but the most elaborate and artificial can only point the minutes and feconds, and diftinguish the smallest differences of time. One who has well digefted his knowledge both of books and men, has little enjoyment but in the company of a few felect companions. He feels too fenfibly how much all the reft of mankind fall fhort of the notions which he has entertained; and his affections being thus confined within a narrow circle, no wonder he carries them further than if they were more general an! undistinguished. The gaiety and frolie of a bottle companion improves

with him into a folid friendship; and the ardours of a youthful appetite into an elegant paffion. Hume's Effays.

§ 54. Detraction a deteftable Vice. It has been remarked, that men are generally kind in proportion as they are happy; and it is faid, even of the devil, that he is good-humoured when he is pleafed. Every act, therefore, by which another is injured, from whatever motive, contracts more guilt and expreffes greater malignity, if it is committed in those seasons which are fet apart to pleafantry and good humour, and brightened with enjoyments peculiar to rational and focial beings.

Detraction is among thofe vices which the moft languid virtue has fufficient force to prevent; because by detraction that is not gained which is taken away. "He who filches from me my good name," fays Shakespeare, "enriches not himself, but makes me poor indeed." As nothing therefore degrades human nature more than detraction, nothing more di graces converfation. The detractor, as he is the loweft moral character, reflects greater difhonour upon his company, than the hangman; and he whofe difpofition is a scandal to his fpecies, fhould be more diligently avoided, than he who is fcandalous only by his offence.

But for this practice, however vile, fome have dared to apologize, by contending the report, by which they injured an absent character, was true: this, however, amounts to no more than that they have not complicated malice with falfhood, and that there is fome difference between detraction and flander. To relate all the ill that is true of the bett man in the world, would probably render him the object of fufpicion and diftruft; and was this practice univerfal, mutual confidence and efteem, the comforts of fociety, and the endearments of friendship, would be at an end.

There is fomething unspeakably more hateful in thofe-fpecies of villainy by which the law is evaded, than those by which it is violated and defiled. Courage has fometimes preferved rapacity from abhorrence, as beauty has been thought to apologize for prostitution; but the injuftice of cowardice is univerfally abhorred, and, like the lewdness of deformity, has no advocate. Thus hateful are the wretches who detract with caution, and while they perpetrate the wrong, are folicitous to avoid the reproach. They do not fay, that Chloe forfeited her

honour

government which is established amongst

us.

But what would thefe writers have faid to

the inftances of modern Rome and Florence? Of which the former carried to perfection all the finer arts of fculpture, painting, and mufic, as well as poetry, though they groaned under flavery, and under the flavery of priests: while the latter made the greatest progrefs in the arts and fciences, after they began to lofe their liberty by the ufurpations of the family of Medicis. Ariofto, Taffo, Galileo, no more than Raphael and Michael Angelo, were not born in republics. And though the Lombard fchool was famous as well as the Roman, yet the Venetians have had the fmallest fhare in its honours, and seem rather inferior to the Italians in their genius for the arts and fciences. Rubens eftablifhed his school at Antwerp, not at Amfterdam; Drefden, not Hamburgh, is the centre of politenefs in Germany.

But the most eminent inftance of the flourishing state of learning in defpotic governments, is that of France, which fcarce ever enjoyed an established liberty, and yet has carried the arts and fciences as near perfection as any other nation. The English are, perhaps, better philofophers; the Italians better painters and musicians: the Romans were better orators; but the French are the only people, except the Greeks, who have been at once philofophers, poets, orators, hiftorians, painters, architects, fculptors, and muficians. With regard to the stage, they have excelled even the Greeks, who have far excelled the English and in common life they have in a great measure perfected that art, the moft ufeful and agreeable of any, l'art de vivre, the art of fociety and converfation.

If we confider the flate of sciences and polite arts in our country, Horace's obfervation with regard to the Romans, may, in a great measure, be applied to the British,

ро

Sed in longum tomen ævum Manferunt, hodieque manent veftigia ruris. The elegance and propriety of stile have been very much neglected among us. We have no dictionary of our language, and fcarce a tolerable grammar. The first lite profe we have, was wrote by a man who is ftill alive. As to Sprat, Locke, and even Temple, they knew too little of the rules of art to be esteemed very elegant writers. The profe of Bacon, Harrington, and Milton, is altogether ftiff and pedantic; though, their fenfe be excellent. Men in this coun

try, have been fo much occupied in the great difputes of religion, politics, and philofophy, that they had no relish for the minute obfervations of grammar and criticism. And though this turn of thinking must have confiderably improved our fenfe and our talent of reafoning beyond thofe of other nations, it must be confeft, that even in thofe fciences above mentioned, we have not any ftandard book which we can tranfmit to pofterity: and the utmost we have to boast of, are a few effays towards a more just philofophy: which, indeed, promife very much, but have not, as yet, reached any degree of perfection.

Ufelefs without Tafe.

A man may know exactly all the circles and ellipfes of the Copernican fyftem, and all the irregular fpirals of the Ptolemaic, without perceiving that the former is more beautiful than the latter. Euclid has very fully explained every quality of the circle, but has not, in any propofition, faid a word of its beauty. The reafon is evident. Beauty is not a quality of the circle. It lies not in any part of the line, whofe parts are all equally diftant from a common centre. is only the effect which that figure operates. upon the mind, whofe particular fabric or ftructure renders it fufceptible of fuch fentiments. In vain would you look for it in the circle, or feek it, either by your fenfes, or by mathematical reafonings, in all the properties of that figure.

It

The mathematician, who took no other pleasure in reading Virgil but that of examining Eneas's voyage by the map, might understand perfectly the meaning of every Latin word employed by that divine author, and confequently might have a dif tinct idea of the whole narration; he would even have a more diftin&t idea of it, than they could have who had not studied so exactly the geography of the poem. He knew, therefore, every thing in the poem. But he was ignorant of its beauty; because the beauty, properly speaking, lies not in the poem, but the fentiment or taste of the reader. And where a man has no fuch delicacy of temper as to make him feel this fentiment, he must be ignorant of the beauty, though poffeffed of the fcience and underftanding of an angel. Hume's Essays.

Its Obftructions.

So many hindrances may obstruct the acquifition of knowledge, that there is little reafon for wondering that it is in a few

hands,

hands. To the greater part of mankind the duties of life are inconfiftent with much ftudy, and the hours which they would spend upon letters must be ftolen from their Occupations and their families. Many fuffer themselves to be lured by more fprightly and luxurious pleafures from the fhades of contemplation, where they find feldom more than a calm delight, fuch as, though greater than all others, if its certainty and its duration be reckoned with its power of gratification, is yet eafily quitted for fome extemporary joy, which the prefent moment offers, and another perhaps will put out of reach.

It is the great excellence of learning that it borrows very little from time or place; it is not confined to feafon or to climate, to cities or to the country, but may be cultivated and enjoyed where no other pleasure can be obtained. But this quality, which conftitutes much of its value, is one occafion of neglect; what may be done at all times with equal propriety, is deferred from day to day, till the mind is gradually reconciled to the omiffion, and the attention is turned to other objects. Thus habitual idlenefs gains too much power to be conquered, and the foul fhrinks from the idea of intellectual labour and intenseness of meditation.

That thofe who profefs to advance learning fometimes obftruct it, cannot be denied; the continual multiplication of books not only diftracts choice, but difappoints enquiry. To him that has moderately stored his mind with images, few writers afford any novelty; or what little they have to add to the common stock of learning is fo buried in the mafs of general notions, that, like filver mingled with the ore of lead, it is too little to pay for the labour of feparation; and he that has often been deceived by the promife of a title, at laft grows weary of examining, and is tempted to confider all as equally fallacious. Idler.

§ 56. Mankind, a Portrait of. Vanity bids all her fons to be generous and brave,--and her daughters to be chafte and courteous.- But why do we want her instructions?--Afk the comedian, who is taught a part he feels not.—— Is it that the principles of religion want ftrength, or that the real paffion for what is good and worthy will not carry us high enough? God! thou knoweft they carry us too high we want not to be--but to feem.

Look out of your door,-take notice of that man; fee what difquieting, intriguing, and fhifting, he is content to go through, merely to be thought a man of plain-dealingthree grains of honesty would fave him all this trouble:alas! he has them not.——

Behold a fecond, under a fhew of piety hiding the impurities of a debauched life': -he is just entering the houfe of God:

would he was more pure-or lefs pious!-but then he could not gain his point.

Obferve a third going almoft in the fame track, with what an inflexibie fanctity of deportment he fuftains himself as he advances! every line in his face writes abstinence;

every ftride looks like a check upon his defires: fee, I beseech you, how he is cloak'd up with fermons, prayers, and facraments; and fo bemuffled with the exter nals of religion, that he has not a hand to fpare for a worldly purpofe; he has armour at leaft-Why does he put it on? Is there no ferving God without all this? Muft the garb of religion be extended fo wide to the danger of it's rending? Yes, truly, or it will not hide the fecret-— and, What is that?

at all.

That the faint has no religion

--But here comes GENEROSITY: giving-not to a decayed artift-but to the arts and fciences themselves.-See,- he builds not a chamber in the wall apart for the prophets; but whole schools end colleges for thofe who come after. LORD! how they will magnify his name!-'tis in capitals already; the first-the higheft, in the gilded rent-roll of every hofpital and afylum

One honett tear fhed in private over the unfortunate, is worth it all.

What a problematic fet of creatures does fimulation make us! Who would divine that all the anxiety and concern fo visible in the airs of one half of that great affembly fhould arife from nothing elfe, but that the other half of it may think them to be men of confequence, penetration, parts, and conduct?-What a noife amongst the claimants about it? Behold humility, out of mere pride-and honefty almost out of knavery:-Chastity, never once in harm's way;and courage, like a Spanish foldier upon an Italian stage-a bladder full of wind.

-Hark! that, the found of that trumpet,-let not my foldier run 'tis fome good Chriftian giving alms. O