MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. 



'893 



as well as for drawing instruction 

 and improvement from the company 

 one's superiors in age and know- 

 ledge, namely, to be a patient, at- 

 tentive, and well-bred hearer, and 

 to answer m ith modesty : to deliver 

 your own opinions sparingly and 

 with proper ditlidence; and if you 

 are forced to desire farther infor- 

 niation or explanation upon a point, 

 to do it with proper apologies for 

 / the trouble you give ; or if obliged 

 to difiVr, to do it with all possible 

 candour, and an unprejudiced desire 

 to find and ascertain truth, with an 

 entire indilfercnce to the side on 

 which that truth is to be found. — 

 There is likewise a particular atten- 

 tion required to rontrad-Tt with good 

 manners ; such as begging pardon, 

 begging leave to doubt, and sueh 

 like phrases. Pythagoras enjoined 

 his scholars an absolute salience for a 

 long noviciate. I am far from ap- 

 proving such a taciturnity ; but I 

 highly recommend the end and in- 

 tent of Pythagoras's injunction; 

 which is, to dedicate the first parts 

 of life more to hear and learn, in 

 order to collect materials, out of 

 which to form opinions founded on 

 proper lights, and wcl!-e:ianiined 

 jound principles, than to be pre- 

 suming, prompt, and flippant, in . 

 hazarding one's ov/n sliglit crude 

 notions of things ; and thereby ex- 

 posing the nakedness and emptiness 

 of the mind, like a house opened to 

 company before it is fidcd either 

 with necessaries, or any ornaments 

 for their reception and entertain- 

 ment. And not only will this dis- 

 grace follow from such temerity and 

 pn-^^umption, but a more serious 

 danger is sure to ensue, that is, the 

 embracing errors for truths, preju- 

 dices for principles ; and when that 

 is once done, (no matter how vainly 



and weakly,) the adhering perhaps 

 to false and dangerous notions, only 

 because one has declared for them, 

 and submitting for life, the under- 

 standing and conscience to a yoka 

 of base and servile prejudices, vainly 

 taken up, and obstinately retained, 

 'i'his Vvill never be your danger; but 

 I thought it not amiss to offer these 

 reflections to j'our thoughts. As to 

 yo\ir manner of behaving towards 

 these unhappy young gentlemen you 

 describe, let it be manly and easy ; 

 decline their parties with civility ; 

 retort their raillery with railleryj 

 always tempered with good breed- 

 ing ; if they banter your regularity, 

 order, decency, and love of study, 

 banter, in return,- their neglect of 

 them ; and venture to own franklj 

 that you came to Cambridge to 

 learn what you can — not to follow 

 what they arc pleased to call plea- 

 sure. In short, let your external 

 behaviour to them be as full of 

 politeness and ease, as your in- 

 ward estimation of them is full 

 of pity mixed with contempt. — 

 I come now to the part of the ad- 

 vice 1 have to offer you, which most 

 earnestly concerns your welfare, 

 and upon which every good and 

 honourable purpose of your life will 

 assuredly turn : I mean the keeping 

 up in your heart the true sentiments 

 of religion. If you are not right 

 towards God, you can never be so 

 towards man : the noblest sentiment 

 of the human mind is here brought 

 to the lest. Is gratitude in the 

 number of a man's virtues ? if it be, 

 the highest Behefaftor demands (h» 

 warmest returns of gratitude, love, 

 and praise : Ingratum qui dixerity 

 omnia dixit. If a man wants this 

 virtue where there are infinite obli- 

 gations to excite and quicken it, he 

 will be likely to want all others to- 

 wards 



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