fhould, on no occafion, prefiime to take the 
lead. His opinions, when afked, fhould be 
delivered with diffidence, and in a manner 
evidently expreffing his defire of better in- 
formation : and this, not only becaufe fuch 
deportment is moft becoming his fituationj 
but becaufe it is the only means by which 
he can expect to improve by the converfa- 
tion of men of fuperior knowledge. Men 
of fcience feel a pleafure in communicating 
their knowledge to young minds properly 
difpofed for inftruction; but juvenile arro- 
gance, like the moth which is now wheeling 
round my candle, in the moment that it 
finges it wings, puts out the light. No- 
thing fo effectually filences a man of letters 
as the modifh tittle-tattle, or decifive opi- 
nions of a young Etourdie. 
That man is naturally a vain animal, ap- 
pears from his being moft vain whilft near- 
eft a ftate of nature; that is, before a little 
education has opened to his view the expand- 
ed profpe6l of human knowledge; before 
be is convinced, by experience, that error is 
interwoven with human nature. This va-r 
nity is indeed fo natural a vice, that no ha- 
bit is more difficultly acquired than that of 
acknowledging our errors -, and yet this ha- 
