104 ADAM SMITH. 



appears to have rather converted the course into one 

 upon rhetoric and belles lettres, only giving an introduc- 

 tory view of the School Logic and Metaphysics. The 

 reason given for what appears to me a great departure 

 from the proper duties of that chair, is, that he con- 

 sidered the best illustration of the mental powers to con- 

 sist in examining the several ways of communicating our 

 thoughts by speech, and tracing the principles upon which 

 literary composition becomes most subservient to per- 

 suasion or entertainment. It really seems difficult to 

 imagine a more unsatisfactory reason for teaching rhe- 

 toric as logic. The diiference of the two studies was 

 much more accurately perceived by another great light, 

 Lord Coke, who places them rather in contrast than in 

 resemblance to each other, when he quaintly compares the 

 original writ to logic, and the count or pleading to rhetoric, 

 which assuredly it only resembles in being as unlike 

 logic, as the plea is unlike the writ. But I apprehend, 

 that whatever might be given as a ratio justifica, the 

 ratio suasoria was the accidental possession of a course 

 of lectures already delivered in Edinburgh in his earlier 

 years; and that, had this course been directed to ex- 

 plain the learning of the Schools, the rules of argumenta- 

 tion, the principles of classification, and the limits of the 

 various branches of science, the proper office of logic, we 

 should not have heard of the somewhat unaccountable 

 theory which has been cited from Mr. Millar's note. 



After one course, however, of this description, he 

 taught Moral Philosophy for twelve years, with extraor- 

 dinary ability and the greatest success. It is most 

 deeply to be lamented that of the four branches into 

 which his course was divided, the two most interesting 



