220 HUME. 



and in his friendships ; the enthusiastic genius of young 

 Vane, extravagant in the ends which he proposed, 

 sagacious and profound in the means which he em- 

 ployed, incited by the appearances of religion, negli- 

 gent of the duties of morality."* These are the strokes 

 of a master's pencil, and beauties such as these would 

 make this the first of histories, if the grace of form 

 could atone for the defect of substance ; if the trans- 

 gressions against fidelity and the want of diligence 

 could be covered over by the magical power of diction. 

 The sagacious reflections and spirit of profound phi- 

 losophy must not be passed over ; they are another praise 

 of this work. These rarely fail the author, whether in 

 judging of the connexion and the influence of events ; 

 or in estimating the value of conflicting accounts, where 

 he will give himself the trouble of comparison ; or in 

 noting the errors and the merits of the policy pursued 

 by statesmen. It is to be observed, however, that as 

 in treating of ecclesiastical affairs he generally suffers 

 his peculiar religious opinions to be superseded by the 

 received principles of those rulers whose conduct he 

 describes, and of their subjects ; so does he not often 

 obtrude his sound and enlightened views of public 

 policy, especially of economical science, upon his reader, 

 rather conforming himself to the vulgar errors on the 

 subject, as when he speaks of the balance being for or 

 against a commercial state. Perhaps, too, in ranking 

 Galileo above Bacon he made the same kind of sacri- 

 fice, though certainly his disrespectful remarks on 

 Shakspeare run counter to the critical faith commonly 



* Chap. lix. 



