37^ STUDIES OF NATURE. 



to be the refult of Laws of Nature, as reafoii is 

 the refult of political Laws. 



I fhall give no farther definition of this obfcure 

 principle, but I fhall render it fufficiently intelli- 

 gible, if I am fo happy as to make it felt. And 

 here 1 flatter myfelf with fuccefs, by firft dating an 

 oppofkion between it and reafon. It is very re- 

 markable that women, who are always nearer to 

 Nature, from their very irregularities, than men 

 with their pretended wifdom, never confound thefe 

 two faculties, and diftinguifti the firft by the name 

 of fenfibility, or fentiment, by way of excellence, 

 becaufe it is, in truth, the fource of our moft deli- 

 cious affections. They are continually on their 

 guard againfl confounding, as moft men do, the 

 underftanding and the heart, reafon and fentiment. 

 The one, as we have feen, is frequently our work 5 

 the other is always the work of Nature. They 

 differ fo efTentially from each other, that if you 

 wifh to annihilate the intereft of a Work which 

 abounds in fentiment, you have only to introduce 

 an infufion of reafoning. 



This is a fault which the moft celebrated Wri- 

 ters have committed, in all the ages in which So- 

 ciety completes it's feparation from Nature. Rea- 

 fon produces many men of intelligence in ages 



pretendedly 



