271 
EDUCATION. 
will fearch for knowledge, not only in books, but in the 
exchange, the warehouse, the manufactory, the world at 
large. From thef'e various iources lie will collect food 
for the mind, on which he will afterwards ruminate. He 
will bellow much of his time in thinking on what he fees, 
and, by digefting it, convert'd into folid nutriment. But, 
during the whole period of his intellectual excurfions, 
he will do right to preferve a tafte and a knowledge of 
thofe authors, whom the world has fo long admired for 
their generality of fentiment, and for their ftrength and 
beauty of exprellion. 
On his leaving his fchool, he will not, like many others, 
clofe for ever the dallies, which he has learned to read 
there; but will preferve his acquifitions, as the certain 
means of farther improvement in all elegant literature, 
and as being in themfelves both ufeful and ornamental. 
At fchool, the dallies can fcldom be read fo perfectly as 
to enable the ftudent to relinqnilh the Itudy of them, 
and yet retain their advantages on his departure. They 
mu ft be read again with a critical and manly attention. 
Let the ftudent, then, when he has left his fchool, pro¬ 
cure the belt editions variorum , or of individual commen¬ 
tators, who have been jultly applauded; and let him go 
through' n courfe of claftical reading, with the afliftance 
of the belt annotations, and, if neceffary, of the belt in- 
ftruCto-rs. 
Young men in the prefent times often depart from the 
difeipline of a fchool at too early an age. That they may 
be enabled to enter on philofophy with advantage, they 
ought to have acquired a large l'tore of grammatical and 
clallical knowledge. If they have not attained this pre¬ 
paratory accomplilliment at fchool, there is great danger 
that they will not be able to fupply the defeat at the uni- 
verfity. They are more at liberty at the univerlity than 
at the fchool; and, when young men are free'from the 
reftraint of authority, it is not likely that they fltould ap¬ 
ply themfelves, with a due degree of diligence, to thofe 
elementary ftudies which cannot but be attended with 
painful labour. Befides, their age requires that thefe 
puerile purfuits fhould have been already completed. 
The elements of grammar fliou 1 d be perfectly underftood; 
not philosophical or univerfal grammar, but the gram¬ 
mars of the Englifh, the Greek, and the Latin, languages. 
Univerfal grammar is a fine fcience of itfelf; but at fchools 
grammar Is only taught as a preliminary fiep to learning 
in general. Every one will agree, that no pupil fhould 
be Cent to college, who cannot write a theme or letter, 
either in Latin or in Englifh, without a fingle grammati¬ 
cal error, and who cannot, at the fame time, grammati¬ 
cally analyfe both the Greek and Latin dallies, which he 
has learned to conftrue or interpret. 
Before a pupil enters at an univerfity conftituted like 
thofe of England, it is defirable that he fhould be in fome 
degree acquainted with the belt writers of Athens, Rome, 
and England ; and it is greatly to be wifhed, that thofe 
of France were to be added. He cannot have done this 
without contracting a tafte and attachment for the works 
which he admires. And, when once this object is ac- 
complifhed, there is no doubt but the mind will revert 
to them fpontaneoufly. They will be fought as the al¬ 
leviation of feverer ftudies; they will become the delight, 
and not the labour, of life. But, if the knowledge of the 
daffies is fuperficial, it will afford but little pleafure, as 
all obfeurity and indiftindtnefs is naturally difguftful; and 
it is well known that collegiate tutors have not authority 
enough to oblige the pupil to fpend his private hours in 
painful ftudy ; and the temptations to nominal pleafure 
are fo great at that age, as frequently to preclude an at¬ 
tention to any ftudies but fuch as are abfolutely required, 
or fuch as, from a perfect Ikill in them, afford an eafy 
pleafure. Ignorance is of itfelf a great evil, but its 
wretchednefs is abundantly increafed by the moral mif- 
chief to which it often leads. The mind, unfurnifhed 
with an ability to employ itfelf in laudable and innocent 
purfuits, feeks a Scope for its natural activity in vicious, 
in trifling, and in expenfive, amufement. It may then 
be juftly concluded, that he who fends a boy to a univer¬ 
fity without a fufficient quantity of fchool-learning to en¬ 
able him to proceed (till farther with eafe, will have to 
criminate himfelf as well as his fort, when he finds his ex¬ 
pectations of future proficiency greatly difappointed. 
Abilities, application, and iriftruCtion, may have co¬ 
operated in promoting a Scholar’s improvement; and yet 
he may be flopped in the career of his progrefs, by the 
interference of an unruly defire. Love, or a groffer paf- 
fion, indulged at too early a period, will divert all atten¬ 
tion from books, and, perhaps, fix the mind fo firmly, as 
that it fhall become ftationary for life. Quintilian ia- 
fifts, that the future orator mud be a good man. Good- 
nefs, according to his amiable and judicious doCtrine, is 
no lefs neceffary than intellectual vigour. To become a 
diftinguiflied fcholar, it is neceffary to abftain from ex- 
ceflive, though innocent, indulgences, and to command 
the paffions, whenever they are likely to become lo ftrong 
as to engrofs the attention, and to render the love of books 
a fecondary attachment. 
As the government of the paffions is highly favour¬ 
able to advancement in literature, fo is advancement in 
literature to the government of the paflions. Indeed, 
among a thoufand advantages attending literary applica¬ 
tion in youth, it is a principal one, that a young man is 
diverted from fuch thoughts and tendencies as ufualiy 
involve him in guilt, and all its wretched confequences. 
If the mind is filled with literary ideas, and warmed with 
fcientific purfuits, there will be little inclination and 
opportunity for trifling and vicious employments. No 
remark has been more repeatedly made, than that “ idle- 
nefs is the root of all evil.” But in what fhall he em¬ 
ploy himfelf, whole fortune precludes the necefiity of an 
attention to trade, and whole rank renders mechanical 
induftry unbecoming and improper? In what, but in the 
improvement of his mind, the accumulation of know¬ 
ledge, the refinement of tafte ? Thoufands have derived 
from ftudy, not only thofe qualities which adorn and ag¬ 
grandize a character, but thofe habits of harmlefs induf- 
try, which have preferved them from the pollutions of 
vice. And, even with refpect to a virtuous paffion, at a 
very early age, though it may certainly arife in the mod 
amiable hearts, yet it is defirable, if it be poflible, that it 
may be moderated till a competent fhare of learning is 
obtained; for love, like all other ftrong paffions, is ty¬ 
rannical. Love will not fufter the mind to acknowledge 
any other fovereign ; nor give his attention, in a due de¬ 
gree, to ftudy. Mrs application, if he be capable of any, 
will probably be unequal, defultory, and unfruitful. 
To honourable love fucceed the cares of a family, and 
the interruptions of various domeftic engagements. Thefe 
are, indeed, fuch as, at a proper period, claim a great 
(hare of every prudent man’s attention. But when they are 
engaged in during a ftate of minority, and before a compe¬ 
tent education is completed, little elfe than mifery can 
enfue. For they require that judgment which is not yet 
mature ; and they often enforce the practice of a profef- 
fion, for the honourable and fuccefsful practice of which 
the mind is not duly prepared. Anxiety may excite prac¬ 
tical induftry ; but it is by no means favourable to con¬ 
templation. Juvenal accounts for the mediocrity of the 
poets who wrote in his age, by alleging their diftrefles. 
He who is to produce a fublime poem, fays he, muft be 
free from folicitude; nor is it likely that he fhould arrive 
at any other degree of excellence than is neceffary to ac¬ 
quire gain, whofe mind is engrafted in early youth with 
the care of providing for a family, or in avoiding the pre¬ 
fent pain of cold and hunger. 
All thofe, therefore, who wifli to raife themfelves by 
a liberal profeffion, will take care to fecure a government 
over their own condudt, fo as to avoid, in their mino¬ 
rity, thofe connections which may afterwards be fought 
with the utmoll propriety. To the fciences let their firft 
