Thirdly, It ought to humble the pride of Genius to confider, that it is liable to fall into the greateft fpeculative abfurdities. Genius, joined with extenfive power, and a beneficent difpofition, can indeed fcarcely fail to fecure the happiness, the efteem, and the affection of mankind. Rectitude of conduct in public life, depends much more upon a quick and almoft intuitive difcernment of propriety, than upon long and complex trains of reafoning; but in the clofet, the man of Genius. appears in a great measure to lose his eminence.

pre

Human nature is fo unequal to the investigation of truth, that a mind of the highest powers, which ventures to confide in its own fuperiority, is quickly loft in a labyrinth of perplexity and

error.

Truth is to be attained, as far as it is attainable by fo weak and imperfect a being as man, by patient, laborious, and attentive confideration; by divefting ourselves of paffion and prejudice, by commencing our enquiries with doubt and diffidence, and by extending a candid and equal regard to the arguments on every fide, and weighing them in the balance of ftrict and impartial justice. The man of Genius is frequently deficient in almoft all these effential requifites for the difcovery of moral truth. Full of ardour and enthufiafm, and elate with the confcioufnefs of fuperior talents, he thinks it fuperfluous to devote that portion of time and patience to the invefti

gation

gation of truth, which its nature indifpenfably requires. He forms his opinions with precipitation, and, when once formed, his pride is engaged to vindicate and fupport them. As his feelings are strong, and the faculty of affociation vigorous and powerful, his first opinions, originally formed on very flight grounds, foon degenerate into inveterate prejudices; and in this ftate of mind he treats with contempt or indignation all arguments, but fuch as have a tendency to confirm him in error; and his fuperiority of Genius only ferves, by supplying him with endless fallacies, to plunge him deeper and deeper into the abyffes of abfurdity and extravagance. This is a point long ago determined by a judge, whofe knowledge of human nature I fuppofe no one will venture to call in question.

None are fo furely caught when they are catch'd,
As wit turn'd fool; folly, in wisdom hatch'd,
Hath wisdom's warrant, and the help of fchool,
And wit's own grace, to grace a learned fool.

Love's Labour Loft.

I have always, however, thought a man of Genius, entangled in abfurdity, an object of compaffion, rather than of ridicule. To exult over an antagonist of this defcription, is to triumph in the weakness of human nature. " On "doit," fays the Marq. de Mirabeau, very generously, "une indulgence prefqu' illimitée aux "grands hommes quand ils ont evidemment tort."

Fourthly,

Fourthly, It is a prevailing opinion, and I think it is an opinion founded on fact, that me lancholy is a very frequent attendant on Genius. How is this to be accounted for? Enthufiafm, or ardour of mind, is certainly a striking characteristic of Genius: but this is a quality apparently incompatible with melancholy, which deprives the mind of every degree of force and vigour, and leaves it without any proper ftimulus to action. The diffi culty may perhaps be folved, by fuppofing that enthusiasm is natural to Genius, and melancholy only an accidental and adventitious quality. None are fo liable to disappointments in the world as men of Genius, and melancholy is the natural confequence of disappointment-Their feelings, too refined for their own happiness, are wounded by neglect; fometimes, perhaps, by infult. Their taste for beauty and order, is fhocked by the scenes of folly, vice, and mifery, perpetually presented to their view; the common concerns of life appear to them flat, infipid, and uninterefting. They first grow weary of the world, and then of themselves. The best remedy for this disease of the mind isreligion; I mean that religion which is founded on reason and on truth, and which infpires a firm belief in the existence of an infinitely powerful, wife, and bene-, ficent Being; and a full perfuafion, that the prefent system of things is, in all its parts, confiftent with the natural and moral perfections of its divine Author; and that the courfe of events is tending to a happy and glorious confummation. This

'religion,

religion, fublimed by faith, and invigorated by hope, exacts from us, firft, the deepest reverence and gratitude to God, and next, unbounded love and benevolence to mankind. It informs us, that the great object of life ought to be the advancement of human happiness-A truly noble and animating principle of action in itfelf; but how much more so, when we have ground to believe, that no effort directed to this end fhall be finally loft. No effort wholly loft, perhaps, with respect to others; and as to ourselves, we have a divine affurance, that even a cup of cold water, given in the true fpirit of Christian benevolence, fhall not fail to meet with its reward.

ESSAY XXI.

REMARKS on POPE'S ESSAY ON MAN.

ARIOUS and difcordant have been the

VA

opinions of critics and commentators, refpecting this celebrated performance. That it poffeffes a distinguished share of poetic excellence, none, however, I think, have yet ventured to deny. Voltaire goes fo far as to affirm, that to this Effay Pope is indebted for that pre-eminence which he afcribes to him, when compared with his illuftrious predeceffor, Dryden: but that Pope is actually entitled to this claim of fuperiority, is at least very problematical; and, if it was allowed, I fhould imagine that the Rape of the Lock, the Epiftle of Eloife, the Eclogue of the Mefliah, and fome other pieces that might be mentioned, would generally be confidered as affording a better foundation for this claim to reft upon, than the Effay on Man; in which Poetry holds a fubordinate place, and in which it is merely employed, though with the happieft fuccefs, to embellish and illustrate the most abftrufe leffons of philofophy. Dryden, indeed, has, in his Hind and Panther, given us a

ftriking