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contrary, a being, destitute of every moving principle but a 

 love of novelty, would be active, energetic and enterprising, 

 but as. useless and unprofitable as the other. He would at- 

 tempt every thing, and accomplish nothing — for ever be 

 labouring, but labouring in vain. Of all our. common and 

 daily acts, how small is the number that could at all be per- 

 formed without many attempts and long practice. What 

 pains and exertion did it cost us to acquire the use of our 

 hmbs and the power of locomotion, the faculty of speech, 

 and the exercise of the simplest of our arts and attainments. 

 Had ourflature been endowed with the other affections 

 and governed by habit, yet destitute of the love of novelty, 

 we should merely enjoy a barren and grovelling existence, 

 unimproved by progressive change, unembellished by science, 

 and perhaps unexalted by virtue. On the contrary, if this 

 passion were added to the rest, and that our then busy curi- 

 ous and aspiring spirit were deprived of the discipline of 

 habit, our circumstances would be little .altered for the better; 

 for -science would be still unattainable, and virtue consist of 

 little more than a name — virtuous inclinations unproductive 

 of virtuous, conduct. 



.-Wisely then have these two equal and opposite principles 

 been interwoven with the firj^t rudiments of our nature. They 

 unfold themselves with our earliest desires, they govern us 

 with the force of original laws through life, and reluctantly 

 ia death we are torn from that system of actions, affections, 

 and pleasures endeared to us by the one ; while the other 



