be fpoken of by and by, there are other symptoms which indicate a decline. There is, for instance, a fondnefs for fcepticism, which runs through the works of fome of their most applauded writers, and which the numerous clafs of their imitators have contributed to diffufe. Nothing can be a more certain fign, that genius is in the wane than its being obliged to fly to paradox for fupport, and attempting to be erroneously agreeable. A man, who with all the impotence of wit, and all the eager defires of infidelity, writes against the religion of his country, may raise doubts, but will never give conviction; all he can do is to render fociety lefs happy than he found it. It was a good manner which the father of the late poet Saint Foix took to reclaim his fon from this juvenile error. The young poet had fhut himself up for fome time in his study, and his father, willing to know what had engaged his attention fo clofely, upon entering found him bufied in drawing up a new fyftem of religion, and endeavouring to fhew the abfurdity of that already established. The old man knew by experience, that it was ufelefs to endeavour to convince a vain young man by right reafon; fo only defired his company up ftairs. When come into the father's apartment, he takes his fon by the hand, and drawing back a curtain at one end of the room, discovered a crucifix exquifitely painted. My fon, fays he, you defire to change the religion • of your country, behold the fate of a reformer.' The truth is, vanity is more apt to mifguide men than false reasoning; as fome had rather be confpicuous in a mob, than unnoticed even in privy council, fo others choose rather to be foremost in the retinue of error, than follow in the train of truth. What influence the conduct of fuch writers may have on the morals of a people is not my bufinefs here to determine. Certain I am, that it has a manifeft tendency to fubvert the literary merits of the

6

country

country in view. The change of religion in every nation has hitherto produced barbarifm and ignorance, and fuch will be probably its confequences in every future period. For when the laws and the opinions of fociety are made to clafh, harmony is diffolved, and all the parts of peace unavoidably crushed in the encounter.

The writers of this country have also of late fallen into a method of confidering every part of art and science as arifing from fimple principles. The fuccefs of Montefquieu, and one or two more, has induced all the subordinate ranks of genius into vicious imitation. To this end they turn to our view that fide of the fubject which contributes to support their hypothefis, while the objections are generally paffed over in filence. Thus an univerfal fyftem rifes from a partial representation of the queftion, an whole is concluded from a part, a book appears entirely new, and the fancy-built fabric is ftiled for a fhort time very ingenious. In this manner we have feen of late almost every subject in morals, natural history, politics, economy, and commerce treated; fubjects naturally proceeding on many principles, and fome even oppofite to each other, are all taught to proceed along the line of fyftematic fimplicity, and continue, like other agreeable falfhoods, extremely pleafing till they are detected.

I muft ftill add another fault, of a nature fomewhat fimilar to the former. As thofe above mentioned are for contracting a single science into system, fo thofe, I am going to speak of, are for drawing up a fyftem of all the sciences united. Such undertakings as these are carried on by different writers cemented into one body, and concurring in the fame defign by the mediation of a bookfeller. From thefe inaufpicious combinations proceed those monsters of learning, the Trevoux, Encyclopedies, and Bibliotheques of the age. In making thefe, men of every

VOL. I.

R

rank

rank in literature are employed, wits and dunces contribute their fhare, and Diderot, as well as Desmaretz, are candidates for oblivion. The genius of the firft fupplies the gale of favour, and the latter adds the useful ballaft of ftupidity. By fuch means, the enormous mafs heavily makes its way among the public, and, to borrow a bookfeller's phrafe, the whole impreffion moves off. These great collections of learning may ferve to make us inwardly repine at our own ignorance, may ferve, when gilt and lettered, to adorn the lower thelves of a regular library; but woe to the reader, who, not daunted at the immenfe distance between one great pafteboard and the other, opens the volume and explores his way through a region fo extenfive, but barren of entertainment. No unexpected landfcape there to delight the imagination; no diverfity of profpect to cheat the painful journey; he fees the wide extended defart lie before him; what is past only increases his terror of what is to come. His courfe is not half finished, he looks behind him with affright, and forward with defpair. Perfeverance is at laft overcome, and a night of oblivion lends its friendly aid to terminate the perplexity.

CHAP. IX.

Of learning in Great Britain.

the

To acquire a character for learning among English at prefent, it is neceffary to know much more than is either important or ufeful. It feems the spirit of the times for men here to exhauft their natural fagacity in exploring the intricacies of another man's thought, and thus never to have leisure

to think for themselves; others have carried on learning from that stage, where the good fenfe of our ancestors have thought it too minute or too fpeculative to inftruct or amufe. By the induftry of fuch the fciences, which in themselves are eafy of accefs, affright the learner with the feverity of their appearance. He fees them furrounded with speculation and fubtilty, placed there by their profeffors, as if with a view of deterring his approach. Hence it happens, that the generality of readers fly from the scholar to the compiler, who offers them a more fafe and fpeedy conveyance.

From this fault alfo arifes that mutual contempt between the scholar and the man of the world, of which every day's experience furnifheth inftances.

The man of tafte, however, ftand's neutral in this controverfy; he feems placed in a middle ftation, between the world and the cell, between learning and common fenfe. He teaches the vulgar on what part of a character to lay the emphasis of praise, and the scholar where to point his application fo as to deferve it. By his means even the philofopher acquires popular applause, and all that are truly great the admiration of pofterity. By means of polite learning alone the patriot and the hero, the man who praiseth virtue, and he who practises it, who fights fuccessfully for his country, or who dies in its defence, becomes immortal. But this tafte now feems cultivated with less ardour than formerly, and confequently the public muft one day expect to fee the advantages arifing from it, and the exquifite pleafures it affords our leifure entirely annihilated. For if, as it fhould feem, the rewards of genius are improperly directed; if those who are capable of fupporting the honour of the times by their writings prefer opulence to fame; if the ftage fhould be shut to writers of merit, and open only to intereft or intrigue. If fuch fhould happen to be the vile com

plexion of the times, (and that it is nearly fo we fhall fhortly fee) the very virtue of the age will be forgotten by pofterity; and nothing remembered, except our filling a chafm in the registers of time, or having ferved to continue the fpecies.

CHAP. X.

Of rewarding Genius in England. THERE is nothing authors are more apt to lamenť, than want of encouragement from the age. Whatever their differences in other refpects, they are all ready to unite in this complaint, and each indirectly offers himself as an inftance of the truth of his affertion.

The beneficed divine, whofe wants are only imaginary, expoftulates as bitterly as the pooreft author. Should intereft or good fortune advance the divine to a bishopric, or the poor fon of Parnaffus into that place which the other has refigned; both are authors no longer, the one goes to prayers once a day, kneels upon cushions of velvet, and thanks gracious Heaven for having made the circumstances of all mankind so extremely happy; the other battens on all the delicacies of life, enjoys his wife and his eafy chair, and fometimes, for the fake of converfation, deplores the luxury of thefe degenerate days.

All encouragements to merit are therefore mifapplied, which make the author too rich to continue his profeffion. There can be nothing more juft than the old obfervation, that authors, like running horfes, fhould be fed but not fattened. If we would continue them in our fervice, we should reward them with a little money and a great deal of praise, ftill keeping