rafted with many accomplishments and many | tafte for manly fatisfactions to fucceed in their Virtues. But though your train of life fhould room, we muit of courfe become miferable, at not lead you to study, the course of education an age more difficult to be pleased. While always furnishes proper employments to a men, however unthinking and unemployed, well-difpofed mind. Whatever you purfue, enjoy an unexhaustible flow of vigorous fpibe emulous to excel. Generous ambition, rits; a conftant fucceffion of gay ideas, which and fenfibility to praife, are, efpecially at your flatter and fport in the brain, makes them age, among the marks of virtue. Think not pleafed with themselves, and with every frolic that any affluence of fortune, cr any elevation as trifling as themselves: but, when the of rank, exempts you from the duties of ap- ferment of their blood abates, and the frethplication and industry. Industry is the law nefs of their youth, like the morning dew, of our being; it is the demand of nature, of paffes away, their fpirits flag for want of enreafon, and of God. Remember always, that tertainments more fatisfactory in themselves, the years which now pafs over your heads, and more fuited to a manly age; and the leave permanent memorials behind them. foul, from a fprightly impertinence, from From your thoughtless minds they may ef- quick fenfations, and florid defires, fubfides cape; but they remain in the rememberance into a dead calm, and finks into a flat stupiof God. They form an important part of dity. The fire of a glowing imagination (the the regifter of your life. They will hereafter property of youth) may make folly look pleabear teftimony, either for or against you, at fing, and lend a beauty to objects, which have that day when, for all your actions, but par- none inherent in them: juft as the fun-beams ticularly for the employments of youth, you may paint a cloud, and diverfify it with beautenft give an account to God. Whether tiful stains of life, however dark, unsubstanyour future courfe is deftined to be long or tial, and empty in itself. But nothing can fhort, after this manner it should commence; fhine with undiminished luftre, but religion and, if it continue to be thus conducted, its and knowledge, which are effentially and inconclufion, at what time foever it arrives, will trinfically bright. Take it therefore for grantnot be inglorious or unhappy. Blair. ed, which you will find by experience, that in fome measure beneficial; because nothing nothing can be long entertaining, but what is

18. The Neceffity of an early and clofe Application to Wisdom.

It is neceffary to habituate our minds, in our younger years, to fome employment which may engage our thoughts, and fill the capacity of the foul at a riper age. For, however we may roam in youth from folly to folly, too volatile for reft, too foft and effeminate for induftry, ever ambitious to make a fplendid figure; yet the time will come when we hall outgrow the relifh of childish amufements; and, if we are not provided with a

elfe will bear a calm and fedate review.

You may be fancied for a while, upon the account of good-nature, the infeparable attendant upon a flush of fanguine health, and a fulness of youthful fpirits: but you will find, in procefs of time, that among the wife and good, useless good-nature is the object of pity, ill-nature of hatred; but nature, beautified and improved by an affemblage of moral and intellectual endowments, is the only object of a folid and lafting eftcem. Seed.

19. The Unhappiness confequent on the Negled of early improving the Mind.

tation in our minds, ftill craving fomething new, ftill unfatisfied with it, when poffeffed; till melancholy increases, as we advance in years, like fhadows lengthening towards the clofe of day.

There is not a greater inlet to mifery and vices of all kinds, than the not knowing how to pass our vacant hours. For what remains Hence it is, that men of this stamp are conto be done, when the first part of their lives, tinually complaining that the times are alterwho are not brought up to any manual em-ed for the worfe: because the sprightlinefs of ployment, is flipt away without any acquired their youth reprefented every thing in the most relish for reading, or tafte for other rational engaging light; and, when men are in high fatisfactions? That they fhould purfue their good-humour with themfelves, they are apt pleasures -----But, religion apart, common to be fo with all around; the face of nature prudence will warn them to tie up the wheel brightens up, and the fun fhines with a more as they begin to go down the hill of life. agreeable luftre: but when old-age has cut Shall they then apply themfelves to their ftu- them off from the enjoyment of falfe pleadies? Alas! the feed-time is already paft. fures, and habitual vice has given them a difThe enterprizing and fpirited ardour of youth tafte for the only true and Tafting delights; being over, without having been applied to when a retrospect of their past lives prefents thofe valuable purposes for which it was given, nothing to view, but one wide tract of unall ambition of excelling upon generous and cultivated ground; a foul diftempered with laudable fchemes, quite ftagnates. If they fpleen, remorfe, and an infenfibility of each have not fome poor expedient to deceive the rational fatisfaction, darkens and difcolours time, or, to fpeak more properly, to deceive every object; and the change is not in the themfelves, the length of a day will feem te- times, but in them, who have been forfaken dious to them, who, perhaps, have the unrea- by thofe gratifications which they would not fonablenefs to complain of the fhortnefs of forfake. life in general. When the former part of our life has been nothing but vanity, the latter end of it can be nothing but vexation. In fhort, we must be miferable, without fome employment to fix, or fome amufement to diffipate our thoughts: the latter we cannot command in all places, nor relish at all times; and therefore there is an abfolute neceflity for the former. We may purfue this or that new pleafure; we may be fond for a while of a new acquifition; but when the graces of novelty are worn off, and the brifkness of our firft defire is over, the tranfition is very quick and fudden, from an eager fondness to a cool indifference. Hence there is a reftlefs agi

How much otherwife is it with those whe have laid up an inexhauftible fund of knowledge! When a man has been laying out that time in the purfuit of fome great and im portant truth, which others wafte in a circle of gay follies, he is confcious of having acted up to the dignity of his nature; and from that confcioufnefs there refults that ferene complacency, which, though not fo violent, is much preferable to the pleasures of the animal life. He can travel on from strength to ftrength: for, in literature, as in war, each new conqueft which he gains, empowers him to pufh his conquefts ftill farther, and to enlarge the empire of reason: thus he is ever

ens our endeavours, and the friend improves the fcholar. The tedioufness of the way to truth is infenfibly beguiled by having fellowtravellers, who keep an even pace with us: cach light difpenfes a brighter flame by mixing its focial rays with those of others. Here we live fequeftered from noife and hurry, far from the great fcene of business, vanity, and idleness; our hours are all our own. Here it is, as in the Athenian torch-race, where a feries of men have fucceffively transmitted from one to another the torch of knowledge; and no fooner has one quitted it, but another equally able takes the lamp, to dispense light to all within its sphere". Seed.

enough to enable them to talk fluently, or rather impertinently, upon moft fubjects; but not to think justly and deeply upon any: like thofe who have a general fuperficial acquaintance with almost every body. To cultivate an intimate and entire friendship with one or two worthy perfons, would be of more fervice to them. The true genuine way to make a fubftantial fcholar, is what takes place here, to begin with thofe general principles of reafoning, upon which all icience depends, and which give a light to every part of literature; to make gradual advances, a flow but fure procefs; to travel gently, with proper guides to direct us, through the most beautiful and fruitful regions of knowledge in general, before we fix ourselves in, and confine ourselves to any particular province of it; it being the great fecret of education, not to make a man May none of us complain, that the difcia complete mafter of any branch of fcience, pline of the place is too ftrict: may we rabut to give his mind that freedom, opennefs, ther reflect, that there needs nothing elfe to and extent, which fhall empower him to make a man completely miferable, but to let mafter it, or indeed any other, whenever he him, in the most dangerous ftage of life, carve fhall turn the bent of his ftudies that way; out an happiness for himself, without any which is beft done, by fetting before him, in check upon the fallies of youth! Thofe to his earlier years, a general view of the whole whom you have been over indulgent, and perintellectual world: whereas, an early and en-haps could not have been otherwife, without tire attachment to one particular calling, narrows the abilities of the mind to that degree, that he can scarce think out of that track to which he is accustomed.

The next advantage I fhall mention is, a direction in the choice of authors upon the moft material fubjects. For it is perhaps a great truth, that learning might be reduced to a much narrower compafs, if one were to read none but original authors, thofe who write chiefly from their own fund of fenfe, without treading fervilely in the steps of ethers.

flere, too, a generous emulation quick

§ 32.

Difcipline of the Place of Education not to be relaxed.

procceding to extremities, never to be used but
in defperate cafes, thofe have been always the
moft liberal of their cenfures and invectives
against you: they put one in mind of Adoni.
jah's rebellion against David his father; be-
caufe his father had not difpleafed him at any
time, in faying, Why haft thou done fo?-It
is a certain fign men want reftraints, when
they are impatient under any; too headstrong
to be governed by authority, too weak to be
conducted by reafon.
Ibid.

Quafi curfores, vita lampada tradunt.
Lucretius.

I mult alfo admonish you, that in finall, as

§ 23. The Beginnings of Evil to be refifted. tance, you purpose to be orderly in the conduct of your affairs, if you be irregular in the Think not, as I am afraid too many do, diftribution of your time. In vain you arthat because your paffions have not hurried tempt to regulate your expence, if into your you into atrocious deeds, they have therefore amufements, or your fociety, diforder has crept. wrought no mifchief, and have left no fting You have admitted a principle of confufion behind them. By a continued feries of loofe, which will defeat all your plans, and perplex though apparently trivial gratifications, the and entangle what you fought to arrange. heart is often as thoroughly corrupted, as Uniformity is above all things neceflary to by the commiffion of any one of those enor- order. If you defire that any thing should mous crimes which spring from great ambi- proceed according to method and rule, let tion, or great revenge. Habit gives the paf-all things be done in order.' fons ftrength, while the abfence of glaring guilt feemingly juftifies them; and, unawak-well as in great affairs, a due regard to order ened by remorfe, the finner proceeds in his courie, till he wax bold in guilt, and become ripe for ruin: for, by gradual and latent fteps, the destruction of our virtues advances. Did the evil unveil itfelf at the beginning; did the form which is to overthrow our peace, difcover, as it rofe, all its horrors, precautions would more frequently be taken against it. But we are imperceptibly betrayed; and from one licentious attachment, one criminal paffon, are, by a train of confequences, drawn on to another, till the government of our minds is irrecoverably loft. The enticing and the odious pathons are, in this refpe&t, fimilar in their procefs; and, though by different roads, conduct at last to the fame iffue.

Blair. 14. A due Regard to Order necessary in Bufinefs, Time, Expence, and Amujements. Throughout your affairs, your time, your expence, your amufements, your fociety, the principle of order must be equally carried, if you expect to reap any of its happy fruits. For if into any one of thofe great departments ef life you fuffer diforder to enter, it will fpread through all the reft. In vain, for in

is requifite. I mean not, that you ought to look on thofe minute attentions, which are apt to occupy frivolous minds, as connected either with virtue or wifdom: but I exhort you to remember, that diforder, like other immoralities, frequently takes rife from inconfiderable beginnings. They who, in the leffer tranfactions of life, are totally negligent of rule, will be in hazard of extending that negligence, by degrees, to fuch affairs and duties as will render them criminal. Remiffnefs grows on all who study not to guard against it; and t is only by frequent exercife, that she habits of order and punctuality can be thoroughly confirmed.

Ibid.

§ 25. Idleness avoided by Lie Obfervation of Order.

By attending to order, you avoid idionefs, that molt fruitful fource of crimes and evils. Acting upon a plan, necting every thing in its own place, you constantly find innocent and uffal employment for time. You are never at a lofs now to difpofe of your hours, or to fill up life agreeably. In the course of human action, there are two extremes equally dangerous to Virtue; the multiplicity of af