94 BEWARE OF SLIGHTING. 



that moor shelves in all directions, and he knows 

 not how to counteract the shelvings ; and as little 

 does he heed the differences of path or the regula- 

 tion of his paces, so as to adapt himself to these. 

 But the man who is intimately acquainted with 

 such places, finds out those matters ; and let the 

 moor be ever so wide, and the fog ever so dense, 

 he knows the direction of the place where he 

 wishes to go, sets his face directly to it at the out- 

 set, and attending to his own steps, and to the 

 form of the surfaces over which he passes, he ac- 

 complishes his purpose with ease and certainty. 



The sailor is another remarkable instance of what 

 may be done by observation, and working to cir- 

 cumstances. No matter though the wind blow 

 directly from the place to which the sailor is bound, 

 he trims his vessel so that it works within less 

 than eight points of the wind, and thus, by a combi- 

 nation of observations, and of contrivances founded 

 upon those observations, he so tacks and zigzags 

 across and across that wind, as to make it actually 

 blow him toward that point from which it is itself 

 blowing. 



To beware of slighting any thing, on account of 

 its supposed insignificance, is the grand precaution 

 for those who would pleasantly and profitably study 

 nature ; but there are a few others. We must not 

 abstain from the examination of any thing on ac- 

 count of the ignorant having a prejudice against 

 it. It has been already said, that no production of 

 nature is ugly ; and it may be added, that when we 

 are properly acquainted with them, none of the 

 productions of nature are injurious. It is true, that 

 there are some that would poison us, if we ate 

 them ; others would burn the body, if they came 



