i EARLY LIFE 27 



astoundingly conjoined) "knew too little of the 

 rules of art to be esteemed elegant writers/' and 

 the prose of Bacon, Harrington, and Milton is 

 "altogether stiff and pedantic." Hobbes, who 

 whether he should be called a " polite " writer or 

 not, is a master of vigorous English; Clarendon, 

 Addison, and Steele (the last two, surely, were 

 " polite " writers in all conscience) are not men- 

 tioned. 



On the subject of " National Character/' about 

 which more nonsense, and often very mischievous 

 nonsense, has been and is talked than upon any 

 other topic, Hume's observations are full of s 

 and shrewdness. He distinguishes between the 

 moral and the physical causes of national charac- 

 ter, enumerating under the former 



" The nature of the government, the revolutions of public 

 affairs, the plenty or penury in which people live, the situ- 

 ation of the nation with regard to its neighbours, and such 

 like circumstances." (III. 225.) 



and under the latter: 



" Those qualities of the air and climate, which are sup- 

 posed to work insensibly on the temper, by altering the 

 tone and habit of the body, and giving a particular com- 

 plexion, which, though reflexion and reason may sometimes 

 overcome it, will yet prevail among the generality of man- 

 kind, and have an influence on their manners." (III. 225.) 



While admitting and exemplifying the great 

 influence of moral causes, Hume remarks 



" As to physical causes, I am inclined to doubt alto- 

 gether of their operation in this particular ; nor do I think 



