figt. ARABIAN ANECDOTE. 2'] 



thought and deep penetration of the Arabs. In appli- 

 cation, it recommends that clofe attention which is fo 

 requii;te in matters of importance. Without this, ge- 

 nius and judgment are at beft but defeftive, and. this 

 talent hath often led perfons, in other refpefts not greatly 

 diftinguifhed, to make difcoveries of confequence in 

 philofophj, agriculture, and other fciences. No where, 

 I prefume, is this faculty more necefl'ary, than in chy- 



mical refearches In any bufinefs, the foolill) and the 



heedlefs are ready to fay, " I did not think ;" but the 

 motto of the diligent and attentive will ever be " quid 

 utile ; — Curo et rogo, et omnis in hocjum." 



Wifliing you all fuccefs in your paper, and hoping 

 the Bee will foon anfwer the expedation raifed by your 

 excellent profpeclus, I am, 



Yours, Sec. 

 March ai,7 Narrator. 



I^arch 3t,7 

 1791. 5 



^ detached thought. 



Let us fuppofe a nation, or, if you pleafe, a fpecies 

 of men fo fuperior to us in refpecl of genius, that the 

 laft among them fhould furpafs, in that refpeft, the 

 firft among us, it is evident, that our beft perform- 

 ances would appear to them very indifferent ; but I 

 believe alfo, that theirs, and, above all, their fineft 

 produftions, would afford us very little pleafure. Our 

 critics would, indeed, acknowledge, that their perfor- 

 « mances difcovered genius, but very little tafle. Thefc 

 folks, they would fay, write nothing but enigmas. 

 They know not how to develope their thoughts, nor 

 to make them conneft eafily with one another. One 

 does not underfland what they would fay ; and per- 

 haps they do not well underlland it themfelves. 



D 2 



