36 Classic Literature. 



witjiout this, however solid, extensive and valu- 

 able his knowledge of other subjects, no one could 

 be rescued from the charge of barbarous and con- 

 temptible ignorance. In a word, instead of con- 

 sidering classic literature as a means of obtaining 

 more important knowledge, the directors of pub- 

 lic taste, at that period, unwisely erected it into 

 an ultimate end, and taught their followers to con- 

 sider it as the most worthy object of pursuit, to 

 all who were ambitious of becoming learned. 

 This was an improper extreme. The more judi- 

 cious had just cause to lament that such a dispro- 

 portionate share of regard was bestowed on lan- 

 guage, to the neglect of studies more important 

 and immediately practical. 



This error began to be corrected about the 

 beginning of the seventeenth century. At this 

 period, brilliant discoveries in natural philosophy 

 began to arrest the attention of the learned world, 

 and the physical sciences in general became more 

 objects of regard. But this decline of classic li- 

 terature was gradual. One error was not imme- 

 diately exchanged for its opposite. The Latin 

 language was now generally employed as a me- 

 dium of publication in science; and although it 

 had come to be generally considered in its proper 

 light, as a means rather than an end; yet both this 

 and the Greek were generally and deeply studied 

 by all who had a taste for letters, or aspired to dis- 

 tinction in knowledge. 



At the beginning of the eighteenth century the 

 study of the ancient languages was still esteemed 

 an essential part of liberal education. It was then 

 the habit of the learned not only to write and speak 

 the Latin tongue with the greatest facility; but 

 they also still employed it as a medium for con- 

 veying the result of their philosophical labours 

 throughout the literary world ; and most of those 



