CHARACTERS. 



797 



learning. And hence these invalu- 

 able productions, whilst they are in- 

 telligible and impressive to the young, 

 are edifying to the adult, and inte- 

 resting and delightful to all. In every 

 sentiment the author is felt, because 

 he spealis from the heart ; in every 

 precept he persuades, because utility 

 is his end ; in every argument he 

 convinces, because truth is his guide. 

 The merit of this collective work 

 can be duly appreciated only by 

 those who have carefully perused its 

 several parts ; and of those who have 

 it may safely be pronounced, that 

 not one, capable of a relish for what 

 is beautiful in writing and just in 

 thinking, has ever closed these vo- 

 lumes without finding his heart im- 

 proved, his judgment rectified, and 

 his taste refined. In addition to the 

 works already mentioned, nurserous 

 papers on various subjects, all bear- 

 ing the impress of the clearest un- 

 derstanding and the most perspicu- 

 ous style, have at sundry times 

 adorned the pages of the Literary 

 and Philosophical Society of Man- 

 chester. 



The communications of epistolary 

 intercourse, and the short exercises 

 of literary conversation, were, how- 

 ever, the best suited to those scat- 

 tered vacancies, those subseciva iein- 



pora. 



which alone remained from his 



ailments and his avocations. In 

 these he delighted to indulge ; and 

 in these he displayed with peculiar 

 felicity those |)ureand natural orna- 

 ments of diction, in which he e.\- 

 xellod. His correspondence was di- 

 versifiedanddi(fusive,extendingtothe 

 must eminent and worthy amon^ the 



literary characters of the age ; al- 

 though for many years unavoidably 

 conducted through the medium of 

 an amanuensis, to whom he always 

 dictated with a prompt fluency, and 

 a classical exactness. 



In social discussion he possessed 

 powers of a very uncommon stamp, 

 combining the accuracy of science 

 and the strictest precision of method 

 with the graces of a copious and un- 

 studied elocution, " Learning, with 

 " some, is the parent of mental ob- 

 "scurity; and the multiplicity of 

 " ideas which have been acquired hj 

 " severe study, serves only to pro- 

 " duce perplexity and confusion. 

 " But his thoughts were always 

 " ready at command ; and he en- 

 " gaged with perspicuity on evcrj- 

 " topic of discourse, because he saw, 

 " at one view, all its relations and 

 " analogies to those branches of 

 " knowledge with which he was 

 " already acquainted."* Conver- 

 sation he deemed the most effective 

 instrument of mental improvement; 

 but whilst he, therefore, lost no op- 

 portunity of directing *it to the best 

 and most instructive topics, the na- 

 tive cheerfulness of his mind, ever 

 at peace with himself and with the 

 world, did not fail to bestow upoa 

 it a liveliness and zest, by those play- 

 ful and seasosable sallies of delicate 

 and unoffending pleasantry, which 

 so strongly marked the sweetness of 

 his temper, the innocence of his 

 heart, and the nicety of his discre- 

 tion. To the colloquial ornaments 

 Mith which he was thus eminently 

 gifted, was superadded the polish of 

 a refined urbanity, the joint result of 



innate 



* This passage, so truly descriptive of himself, is taken from an eloquent tribute 

 paid by him to the memory of a iCiptcted friend, Charles De Poller, osq. and in- 

 »«rted in iha firn voiuajc of th« " JVJemgirb of the Manchc.^tyi- Society." 



