APPENDIX. 83 



the merit of directing the attention of philofophers to a view of £"sm"th° f 

 human nature which had formerly, in a great meafure, efcaped 

 their notice. Of the great proportion of juft and found rea- 

 foning which the theory involves, its ftriking plaufibility is a 

 fufficient proof; for as the author himfelf has remarked, no 

 fyftem in morals can well gain our alTent, if it does not bor- 

 der, in fome refpects, upon the truth. " A fyftem of natural 

 " philofophy, (he obferves), may appear very plaufible, and be 

 " for a long time very generally received in the world, and yet 

 " have no foundation in nature ; but the author who mould 

 " aflign as the caufe of any natural fentiment, fome principle 

 " which neither had any connection with it, nor refembled any 

 " other principle which had fome fuch connection, would ap- 

 " pear abfurd and ridiculous to the mod injudicious and un- 

 " experienced reader." The merit, however, of Mr Smith's 

 performance does not reft here. No work, undoubtedly, can 

 be mentioned, ancient or modern, which exhibits fo complete a 

 view of thofe facts with refpect to our moral perceptions, which 

 it is one great object of this branch of fcience to refer to their 

 general laws ; and upon this account, it well deferves the care- 

 ful ftudy of all whofe tafte leads them to profecute fimilar en- 

 quiries. Thefe facts are indeed frequently exprefled in a lan- 

 guage which involves the author's peculiar theories : But they 

 are always prefented in the moft happy and beautiful lights ; 

 and it is eafy for an attentive reader, by dripping them of hy- 

 pothetical terms, to ftate them to himfelf with that logical pre- 

 cifion, which, in fuch very difficult difquifitions, can alone con- 

 duct us with certainty to the truth. 



It is proper to obferve farther, that with the theoretical doc- 

 trines of the book, there are every where interwoven, with lin- 

 gular tafte and addrefs, the pureft and moft elevated maxims 

 concerning the practical conduct of life; and that it abounds 

 throughout with interefting and inftructive delineations of cha- 

 racters and manners. A confiderable part of it too is employed 



(L 2) in 



