LIFE of Dr BLACK. 115 



out a driver. This joke, however, has become ferious, and is now 

 the general practice- from one end of Scotland to the other *. 



In returning to Black from this enumeration of his intimate 

 friends, ferving, perhaps, to difclofe his character no lefs than 

 any other circumftance relating to him, we but haflen to the 

 eonclufion of a life no lefs diftinguifhed by correclnefs and pro- 

 priety of conduct:, than by ingenious reafoning, and fcientific 

 refearch. Fully entitled to the appellation of Fritgi]-, — that 

 feemingly cant expreffion, of which the old Romans were fo 



fond, 



* Having faid fo much of Hutton in this occafional notice, fo far fiiort of his 

 merits, it may not be improper to prepare thofe who may confult him as an au- 

 thor, to meet with a difappointment for which his friends could never right- 

 ly account. Though uncommonly luminous and pleafant in converfation, he was 

 obfcure, unintelligible, and dry in writing, to an equal degree. His favou- 

 rite fpecimens of natural hiftory, he ufed to fay, were God's Books, and he treat- 

 ed the books of men comparatively with neglect. This may, in fome meafure, 

 account for his want of ftyle or his indifference to language. In company, he fpoke 

 to be underftood by fuch as were prefent, and when obfcure, was called upon to 

 explain himfelf. But alone, he was not aware that others could be at a lofs for a 

 meaning fo clear to himfelf. From this circumftance, (notwithftanding many vo- 

 lumes written in the laft years of his life, more numerous, perhaps, than all he 

 ever read that were written by others, except the voyages and travels, from which 

 he was perpetually collecting fads to complete his view of the terreftrial fyftem), 

 his very ingenious conceptions, to be received as they ought, muft come from fome 

 other pen than his own. 



f On this fubject we may confult the following paffage of Cicero, Tufc. ^uaji. 

 -lib. iii. c 300. " Sed quia, nee qui, propter metum, prsefidium reliquit, quod eft 

 " Ignaviae ; nee qui, propter avaritiam, clam depofitum non reddidit, quod eft In- 

 " iuftitise •, nee qui, propter temeritatem, male rem geffit, quod eft Stultitiae, Fru- 

 " g' appellari folet. Eas tres virtutes, Fortitudinem, Juftitiam, Prudentiam, 

 * frugalitas eft cdfnplexa ; etfi hoc quidem commune eft virtutum : omnes enim 

 " inter fe connexae et jugatae funt. Reliqua igkur et quarta virtus, ut lit ipfa 

 " Frugalitas. Ejus enimvidetur effe proprium, motus animi appeientis regereet 

 " fedare •, femper adverfantem libidini, moderatam in oznni re fervare cftpfUn- 

 " tiam, cui contrarium vitium N«quitia dicitur." 



