CHARACTERS. 
“sequence of subsequent efforts of 
reflection, many occurrences which, 
at the time when they happened, 
did not seem to have sensibly attract- 
ed hisnotice. — _ 
To the defect now mentioned, it 
was probably owing, in part, that 
he did not fall in easily with the 
common dialogue of conversation, 
and that he was. somewhat. apt to 
convey his own ideas in the form of 
@ lecture. When he did so, how- 
ever, it never proceeded from a 
wish to engross the discourse, or 
to gratify his vanity.. His own incli- 
nation disposed him so strongly to 
enjoy in silence the gaiety of those 
around him, that his: friends were 
often led to concert little schemes, 
in order to bring him on the subjects 
most likely to interest him, Nor do 
I think I shall be accused of going 
too far, when I say, that he was 
scarcely ever known to start a new 
topic -himself, or to appear unpre- 
pared upon those topics that were 
introduced by others. Indeed, his 
conversation was never more amusing 
than when he gave a loose to his 
genius, upon the very few branches 
of knowledge of which he aulye ipen 
sessed the outlines, 
The opinions he formed of men, 
upon a slight acquaimtance, were 
frequently erroneous; but the ten- 
dency of his nature inclined him 
much more to blind partiality, than 
to ill-founded prejudice. The en- 
larged views of ‘human affairs, on 
which his: mind habitually: dwele, 
left him neither time nor inclination 
to study in detail, the uninteresting 
peculiarities of ordinary characters ; 
and accordingly, though intimately 
acquainted with the capacities of the 
intellect, and the workings of the 
heart; and accustomed, in his theo- 
nes, to mark, with the most deli- 
[*55 
cate hand, the nicestshades, both of 
genius and of the passions; yet, in 
judging of individuals, it sometimes 
happened, that bis estimates were, 
in a surprising degree, wide of the 
truth. 
The opinions too, which in the 
thoughtlessness and confidence of his 
social hours, he was accustomed to 
hazard on books, and on questions of 
speculation, were not uniformly such 
as might have been expected from 
the superiority of his understanding, 
and the singular consistency of. his 
philosophical principles. They were 
liable to be influenced by accidental 
circumstances, and by the humour 
of the moment ; and when retailed 
by those who only saw him) oc 
<casionally, suggested false and cone 
tradictory ideas of his real senti- 
ments. On-these, however, as on 
most other occasions, there was al- 
ways much truth, as well as inge- 
nuity, in his remarks: and if the 
different opinions which, at differ- 
ent times, be pronounced upon the 
same subject, had been all combined 
together, so as. to modify and limit 
each other, ,they would probably 
have afforded materials for a de- 
cision, equally comprehensive and 
just. But, in the society of his friends, 
he had no disposition to form those 
qualified conclusions that we ad- 
mire in his writings; and he gene- 
rally contented himself with a bold 
and, masterly sketch of the object, 
trom the first point of view in which 
his temper, or his fancy, presented. 
Something of the same kind might 
be remarked, when he attempted, 
in. the flow of his spirits, to deline« 
ate those. characters which, from 
long intimacy, he might have been 
supposed to understand thoroughly. 
The picture was always lively and 
expressive ; and commonly bore_e 
[*D 4] strong 
