The Inquirer.—No. IV. 
its present period cannot be spread 
oyer, a,gteater surface of duration than 
200, years... From the irruption of the 
Goths. tll fie middle ages, the haman 
mand arab caer slaionaTy grratosrade, 
Ir.,may, it,js. true, -be urged, that the 
WaHRHON ‘was, ultimately productive 
of), benefit ; that the soil of society, ex- 
hausted by. the refinements and corrup- 
tions of the Roman empire, required to 
deeply by some regene- 
sable hee ee ‘and to gather fresh 
energ: by. lying, fallow, and new 
vil y,. from oa _ dissolution of its 
moral, yegetation. .To this a general 
> assent.may be safely given. Beyond a 
dubs Eurgpean society profited in 
the result, by mingling the elegance 
and.vyersatility of the South with the 
profound thought and sterner morality 
of. the North, and by the amalgama- 
tion. of the sun-bright and genial viva- 
city, of the one, with the dark and 
majestic. melancholy of the other. 
T e human mind was neither dead nor 
inactiye during the long slumber of the 
feudal ages, and the temporary disap- 
pearance of literature, upon the first 
shock of that mighty collision which 
introduced the peculiarities of northern 
legislation among the splendid frag- 
ments and glittering debris of southern 
empires, and stamped new impressions 
and picturesque characteristics of past 
organization on the disrupted strata 
at. the social fabric—was but the subsi- 
dence of the sacred flame beneath the 
load of fuel collected for its more 
brilliant regeneration. 
., We may, notwithstanding, admit 
that there is a progress without refer- 
ring to its rapidity, much less contend- 
ing for its illimitable character; and 
e may annex to this admission, that 
there is no valid fear of retrocession. 
re.is no probability of being visited 
a,second inundation of northern 
arians; nor is there any dread, if 
,@ Visitation were likely, that the 
modern. discovery of printing, 
.,secures all other discoveries, 
jucag a a; 
oho, say,that art is capable of a 
mprovement, when we survey the 
Be septs the, Greeks alone have 
_ an ‘an whew “architecture, and 
by, 
bar 
poetry;and when we call to mind the 
wonders. related of’ their music and 
‘pa et aking fair and reasonable 
vite exaggeration), is an hypo- 
thesis, not easy to be maintained. In 
saan thi “question assumes a differ. 
ent, somplexion. Improvements of 
han fisticns| "eyy . 
a3/ 
9") 
501 
marked character and striking magni- 
tude have been effected in that depart- 
ment, and other improvements are yet 
undoubtedly to’ be’expected ; but with 
respect to any gréat areata, to | 
our knowledge touching morality an 
enjoyment, we confess’we entertain 
great doubts; and this leads us toiour 
first main objection to’ the theory) of 
perfectability —that most men, being/dif- 
ferently organized, cannot be expected to 
agree in any general definition of happi- 
ness or to concur in any contmon view of 
enjoyment. We allude to those original 
physical, local and habitual distinctions 
between man and man, which, to our 
view, present insurmountable difficulties 
in the way of the presumed ameliora- 
tion. It is notorious that) one man 
constitutionally delights in crowds; ano- 
ther in solitude; that one thinks entire- 
ly of glory, or éclat, and another | of 
comfort. One places’ all his » enjoy- 
ments in the exercise of judgment— 
another in the excursions: of fan¢y—a 
third looks to variety for enjoyment—a 
fourth to sensuality or lucre. While 
these distinctions, essential to and m- 
herent in the nature of man, exist, no 
general standard’ of hapiness) can be 
established ; and weare likely to be as 
ignorant and discordant on the subject 
a thousand years henee as we were a 
thousand years ago. 
There are, besides, secondary quali- 
ties (often mistaken for original ‘by 
the superficial investigator of charac- 
ter), to which Pope has ably alluded: 
Not actions always shew the man: we find 
Who does a kindness is not therefore kind ; 
Nor therefore humble he who seeks retreat ; 
Pride guides his steps and bids him ‘shun 
the great : 
Who combats bravely is not therefore brave ; 
He fears a death-bed, like the meanest 
slave : rls 
Who reasons wisely is not therefore wise ; 
His pride in reasoning—not in acting, lies, 
Again, it.is affirmed by the perfecta- 
bilians that a general illumination of 
the intellect will be accompanied,,or 
at least followed, by an advance towards 
moral perfection; in such a manner.as 
that all men shall be led to do justice 
to themselves and to each other, from 
becoming gradually enlightened as; to 
the consequences of actions, ‘But; this 
is assuming far more than observation, 
inference, or fact will warrants, .Aigreat 
number of actions: producing: misery, ate 
not always performed’ through» ;\igno- 
rance of consequences); such, fer-exam- 
ple, as hasty marriages, rash-commercial 
‘ Speculations, 
