Imatges de pàgina
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Let me then be permitted (fuch a writer might proceed to fay in his defence) to employ myself in peace and innocence, and to amufe readers of congenial fentiments, by a free communication of feelings undifguifed by art, and uttered boldly as they were excited warmly, by men and manners paffing in review. Let the fympathetic tribe, who, in the exuberance of their compaffion, exprefs their anxiety left I fhould hurt my intereft, reserve their pity for objects of more merit. I am happy in the idea, that nothing which I have written can injure the intereft of any one but the writer.

In times of peculiar exigency (he might add), there may be a moral as well as military heroifm. He deferves to be degraded from his rank, who is not ready to incur every hazard in the cause which he has juftly undertaken; and not only to forego honours and advantages in the defence of what he deems the truth, but, if circumftances fhould require it, to die in its confirmation. A timid and lukewarm prudence in a good caufe is little better than desertion.

No. CLVI. ON READING MERELY WITH A

T

VIEW TO AMUSEMENT.

HERE are many who spend much of their time in reading, but who read, as they play at cards, with no other intention but to pass the time, without labouring under the intolerable burthen of a total inactivity. The more trifling the book, the better they fuppofe it fuited to their purpofe. Plays, pamphlets, memoirs, novels, and whatever entertains them without requiring any great degree of attention, conftitute the whole of their library. Even thefe are read in a defultory manner, without the interference of taste, or the trouble of felection. Indeed this light food for the mind is fo much wanted, that the circulating libraries lay in a flock of it every year; and an affortment of fummer reading is in as great request at the bookfellers in the watering places, as a variety. of new fpring patterns at the filk-mercers in Pall Mall. The

fine lady and gentleman, who have nothing to do but to pursue their amufement, and in whofe delicate minds the dreffing of the hair is a bufinefs of the first importance, commonly fpend two or three hours every day under the hands of the frifeur; but then the time is by no means wafted, for it is fpent in fummer reading; and as the volumes which contain fummer reading are not largé folios, and neither printed on the fmalleft type, nor on the moft crowded page, one of them juft ferves to fill up the hours devoted to the artist of the comb. The gentle ftudent rifes from his chair when the operation is completed, takes off his flannel gown, fends back the half bound book to the library, and enters upon the momentous bufiness, without any odious gravity or ferioufnefs, which might perhaps have remained with him, had his morning ftudies required deep thought, or communicated to him a feries of fober reflections. He can, indeed, on a rainy day, devour half a dozen volumes of fummer reading, and be no more incommoded than when he fwallows as many jellies and puffs at the fashionable confectioners.

It must be allowed that this kind of reading, trifling as it is, may often conftitute an amufing and a very innocent paftime. But I will venture to say, that ufeful and improving reading might be found, that fhould be equally, and indeed more entertaining. The fame time spent on books of character, which is lavifled away on literary tráfh, would render many a mind, which is now vain and fuperficial, really elegant, prudent, and well informed. The time spent under the operation of the hair-dreffer is very properly spent in reading; but why should not the works of the English claffics be used in preference to a vile tranflation from a foolish French novel? To a tafte not vitiated, the works of Shakespeare, Milton, Dryden, Pope, Addifon, and many of their fuccefsful followers, are much more pleafing than the inelegant and ́hafty productions of hireling writers, whofe indigence compels them to be lefs folicitous about quality than quantity; who ftudy not fo much what is congruous to taste and truth, as what will catch the notice of the general reader,

and

and anfwer the venal purpose of their employer by a rapid fale. Have we not many true hiftories, elegant in their ftyle, abounding with matter moft improving to the heart and understanding, and calculated to intereft and entertain, in a very high degree, by gratifying curiofity? Unless we renounce our pretenfions to reafon, we must confefs that fuch books are capable of furnishing more pleafure, exclufively of the improvement, than anonymous and unauthenticated anecdotes, memoirs, novels, voyages, travels, lives, and adventures.

There are those who have read more volumes than the profoundeft fcholars in the nation, who yet are unacquainted with the elements of science, with the moft interefting facts of true hiftory, with the maxims of philofophy, with the beauties of ftyle, and with the extent and force of the language. They have read inattentively what indeed was fcarcely worth attention; and they have immediately forgotten what was too futile to deserve remembrance. Had they poffeffed judgment fufficient to point out the proper books, and refolution to purfue the dictates of their judgment, they would have enriched their minds with ineftimable treasures, and acquired the reputation and fatisfaction of folid fcholars. The fame exertion of their eyes, the fame confumption of their time, the fame fedentary confinement, would have earned a prize of fufficient value to repay them apply for every effort of diligence. But now they have, perhaps, injured their eyes, ruined their health, neglected their affairs, vitiated their taste, and poffibly corrupted their morals, or weakened their faith, with no return, but the amufement of the moment, or the retention of falfe facts, diftorted figures of life and manners, or trifling anecdotes, the lumber of the head and not the furniture.

Perfons advanced in life, or labouring under ficknefs and infirmity, have an. unquestionable right to amufe themselves with whatever can innocently alleviate their evils, and enable them to pafs away the lagging hours in a fweet and tranfitory oblivion. Their reading, like their diet, may be light and more adapted to tickle a fickly palate, than to afford folid and subtantial nourishment. But in youth, health, and vigour,

who

who would voluntarily confine himself to the weakness and infipidity of water-gruel?

It is, indeed, lamentable to obferve young perfons of lively parts, and with a love of reading, devoting thofe years and thofe abilities, which might render them valuable members of fociety, to fuch ftudies as tend only to diffipate their ideas, to vitiate their morals, to womanize their fpirits, and to render them the daftardly and degenerate fons of thofe to whom it was once a glorious diftinction to bear the name of

Britons.

No. CLVII. ON A METHOD OF STUDY, WRIT

TEN BY RINGELBERGIUS.

T

HERE is a little treatife on the method of ftudy written by Ringelbergius, which, in the two laft centuries, was a great favourite among fcholars, and contributed much to animate their induftry. The learned Erpenius acknowledges himfelf originally indebted to it for all his acquifitions. He met with it at the age of fixteen, and, in confequence of its fuggeftions, though he was then totally averfe from a ftudious life, and had made no proficiency in learning, yet he afterwards became a diftinguifhed fcholar. The treatife had become scarce, and Erpenius generously printed a new edition, that others might partake of the benefit which he had himself enjoyed. He publifhed it with the title of Liber verè Aureus, or the truly Golden Treatife.

In the epiftle to the reader which Erpenius has prefixed, he fpeaks of the animating effect of the book in terms fo warm, and with fo much gratitude, that a ftudent would be wanting to himself not to gratify his curiofity, by at least giving it a perufal. It is fhort, and contains many paffages which tend to encourage the fcholar in his pursuits, and to infpire him with an ardour and enthufiafin, like that excited in the foldier by the drum and trumpet, as he is marching on to battle. I believe there could not be found a better exhortation

exhortation to study for the use of boys, if the good paffages were not difgraced by others fo ridiculous, as almoft bring the writer under the imputation of lunacy. His literary enthusiasm had certainly tranfported him, in feveral inftances, beyond the limits of his own reafon.

I will felect a few hints from the little tract, which may not only ferve as a curious fpecimen to the English reader, but may rouze him from his indolence. The whole is, indeed, more valuable for the fpirit and fire which it conduces to raife, than for its precepts and directions. It is rather exhortatory than didactic.

"How mean," fays he, fpeaking of the fcope at which students ought to aim, "how timid, how abject,

muft be that spirit which can fit down contented "with mediocrity! As for myself, all that is within "me is on fire. I had rather," he proceeds in his ftrong manner," be torn in a thousand pieces, than "relax my refolution of reaching the fublimeft heights "of virtue and knowledge I am of opinion, that no"thing is fo arduous, nothing fo admirable in human "affairs, which may not be obtained by the industry of 66 man. We are defcended from heaven, thither let us go, whence we derived our origin. Let nothing fatisfy us lower than the fummit of all excellence. "This fummit then," fays he, "I point out as the proper scope of the ftudent.

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"But labour must be beloved, and the pleasures of "luxury defpifed. Shall we fubmit to be extinguifhed "for ever without honour, without remembrance, κι ἀνδρῶδες οὐδὲν επιδεδεγμένοι, without having done any thing like men?" The whole of this chapter is written in a very uncommon ftyle of literary enthufiafin, and I think it can hardly fail of inflaming a youthful imagination. If fuch ideas were early infixed in the bofom of an ingenious and ingenuous boy, what improvement in virtue, and in all useful qualities, might not be expected ?

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"That we must never defpair," is the title of his third chapter. "If in our afcent we should fall headlong a thousand times, we must begin to climb again every time more ardently, and fly to the fummit "with recruited vigour! Let no one be dejected if he

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