1000000030

e o

l\T

253

e o

Iv[

lI'ilh filme

aOoniOlm~ol

. 1Iheir fo

fill¡

:nl.ll

nalural fag? lual progrtfs aod ioereafe, Ihe liberal 'are in relrograda–

eilY, auo 0100 exquifite edge of Ihllugol. Who lOould lioo and deeay.

nefo

refemble pyramiJs, are broad

expeél 10 fiocl Pio".r aod Seotus, Sh.kcfpcare aod Aqni. al bOllom, bUI lelreo exeeeeliogly as they rife;

Ihoft

re–

oas, of Ihe fame pally 1 HOlh

e~"ally

O,e," :nl

orig;,,,d,

fe",hle rivers, \Vhieh, from a fm.1I founlaio·head, are

uoiodchlrd, eoergy: Ihe

v(~or

igllrlll,

aoel

"" /41ÍJ

mgo,

I'preadiog ever \Vioer aoel \Vieler, as Ihey ruo. Heoee it

buros io bOlh; aod Itavts us in duubt ",helher geoius is is evidcllt, Ihat difFeleol portions of uoderOaodiop, are

Olllre cvident io Ihe fuhlime flighls and be luteons rio\Vers OOt (.s fome imagine) allotled to dilferenl periods of

of poetry, or in the profouod peoetralions, aoel muvel·

I~~e; .

for IVe fec, io the fame period , nodcrf!aodiog

ouOy kecn aoell1liome dirtioélions, e.lled Ihe thorns of "'lOg 10 one fet of aru!ls, aod declioiog io anolher,

the lChool,.

Th~re

might have beco more able eoofuls 'fherefore

w lllre

(bods abfoh'ed, aod our ioferiority iD

eJlled from Ihe plough, thao ever arrived allhat hooour: eompofilioo 11IUII be ehArged 00 ourfdves.

mJOy a geoins, prohably, Ihere has beeo, \Vhich eould

N.y, fo fa r are \Ve from eomplyiog ",ilh a neeeffily

neilher IVrile nor read.

Ihat genius, Ihal fupreme whleh oalure lays us uoder, that,

/"ondly,

by a fpirit of

luOre of lileralure, is lefs rare thao is

g~oerally

eooeeil'ed. imiutioo IVe couoteraél oature, and thIVarl her rlefigo.

ny Ihe praife of geoins IVe Jetr.,q oot from learoiog; She briogs us iOlo Ihe lOorld all

ori~inn{¡.

No IIVO

\VC

delraél 001 from lhe "Jlne of gold, by fayiog that faces, 00 tlVO miods, are jun alike ; bUl.1I hear nalUre',

tliarnonJ 1m grcmr nill.

lit

lOho difregards Icarniog, eVldeot rnark of fep.ralioo 00 lhem, Boro

origina/I,

filOIVS tha! he IVaolS its aid: aod he thal overHlues it, holV

.eo~,

es.it

10 pafs Ihat lVe die

co/,in?

That m:ddliog

nlOIVSIhal its aid has done him harm. Over,,,lued io· ape

trlllldllM,

fuoo as lOe come 10 years of

i"dije".

deed il eanool be, if genins as 10

cO//lPilioll,

is n lucd

lion,

(ir IVe may fo fpeak), foatehes the peo, aod blots out

ruare. Learning, IVe lhank; genius, IVe revere ; that 011Urc's lIIark uf feparatioo, eaoeels her kioel iOleolioo

gives us pleafure, Ihis gi l-es us " plure ; Ihat ioforms, deltroys all mental iodividuallY; the lener'd worlo

lhis iofpires ; aod is ilfdf iofpired; for geoius is from looger eoofins of r,ogulars, it is a medl)', a mafs; aod

heaven, lel rniog from man:

¡f'il

fe:s us above Ihe Ir'lV, a hUl1dred books, at bOllo'm, are bnt ooe. Wh)' are

aod illiterale;

I/'nl,

,bove the brned, aod p,llite. monkies fueh ma!lers of mimiekry 1 why reeeive Ihey

Learoiog i, borrolVed kooll'ledge ; genius is kl1o\Vkdge fneh a laleol al imilatioo 1

il oot as Ihe Spmao Oaves

iooale, and quite uur OIVO, 1'hm fore, as flaeoo ob· reeeived a lieeofe for ebrielY, that lheir betters might be

ferres, il mal' lake a oobler oame, and be called lVifdorn; an,amcd of il 1

iD IVhieh fenfe of lVifdom, fome are boro lOife.

The

Ihird

fault 10 be fouod with a fpiril of

i//lilalioll

Haviog pul io a eaveat agaio(! Ihe ruoO fal al of errors, is, lhat IVilh grelt ioeoogruity il makes us poor and

from Ihe too great iodulgenee of genius, reluro IVe OOIV

proud: makes us thiok liule, aod IVrite much ;

gi.es

liS

10 that 100 greal ¡'upprenioo of

11,

\Vhich is detrimeolal to hUfe folios, IVhieh are linle beuer lhao more reputable

eom?ofition; and eodearour to refeue the IVriter, as IVel! euO,ioos 10 promote ou r repofe. Have OOt fome fe veo·

as lhe mao, We have faid, thal fome are boro IVife ; fold vol limes pllt us io miod of Ovid's fevénf61d ehaonels

but they, like Ihofe that are horo rieh, by oegleéliog Ihe of Ihe Nile at the eooOagration 1

eultivauoo and produce of Iheir O\VO polfeffioos, aod by

Ofiia flPlem

ruooing in debt, may be beggared allal!; aod lofe their

/I/vrrll/mln vacanl fl/,Ielll jine jI/lTllin. val/".

repumioo!, aS youoger brolhers eOales, oot by being Sueh leadeolabollrs are like Lyeurgus's iron mooe)', whieh.

boro with lefs abililies lhao the rieh heir, bUl al too lale was fo mueh lefs io value Ihao in bulk, Ihal il required

ao hOllr.

baros for IIroog boxes, and a yoke of oxeo to dralV five

Maoya greal mao has beeo Ion to hirnfelf. aod Ihe huodred pouoels.

publie, purcly beeaufe great ones IVere bor,n before him.

But ootlVilhOandiog lhefe difadvaouges of

i/llit./ion

HermiJs, io his wl!eélioos 00 Homer's bhndoefs. fays, irnitalioo muO be the lot (aod ofteo ao hooourable lot i;

that Homer rcqlleOiog lhe god, tOgrant him a light of is) of 0100 IVrilers. If Ihere is a famine of

inv<nl¡'n

Aehilles, Ihat hero rofe, but io armour fo bright. lhal it the I. nd, like Jofeph's brelhreo, \Ve mul! travel far for

firueK Humer blind IVilh the blaze. Let 001 lhe bine food; we mun vir,t Ihe remOle aod rieh aoeieols: bUl an

of eveo Humer's mufe darkeo us tO the difeeroOleol of inveolive genius may fafely Oay at home; thal, like lhe

our owo powers ; IVhieh may poffihly fel ns above Ihe \VidolV's erufe, is divioely rel'leoilhed from lOilhio, aod

raok of

il/li/~url;

who, though moO execll"nI.' aod afFords us a Oliraeulous deligh!.

Whetl~er

our olOn ge.

eveo immonal, (os fome of them

are~,

yel ue Odl bu! orus be fueh or 001, \Ve

ddl~eotly

O,ould loquire, Úlat

dii ntilloru1II g_nlium,

oor eao expc0 the

I~rgcll. lhare

~ay o~t

g? a.btggiog .with gold io our purfe. For lhere

inc( ofe, tbe gremrt profufioo of pralfe, on Ihm feeoo-

a.mlOe ro, mao, wl1leh mull be deeply dllg ere IVe can

daryahars.

eooJeélnre liS eooteOls. Aoolher OflCO ftes Ihat io us,

But farlher nill : a fpiril of

illlilnlion

halh maoy ilL whieh we fce nOI ollrfelves; aod may Ihere oot be Ihat

r!feéls; we (h,1I eoofioe ourfeh'es 10 rhree.

F"jJ,

in us whieh is unfcco by bOlh

Th.t there mal', elraoee

e1eprivcs the liberal aod poliler am of ao ad"aolage ?fleOdi(.:overs, eilher by a luekily ehofeo Ipeme, or a

\Vhich the meeh,lOie enjoy: io thefe, meo arc e'ler en· miglllY prclOiulO, or an ,abf"l ulc oeeeOily of exenioo, or

d'!3VOuriog tO

"~yood

tlreir predee,elrors; io lhe

fo~.

Doble

nro.ke

emulau~o

fromaoolher's glor1 ; as that

mlr, 10 follow them. Aod fioee eoplts furp,fs oot thw 00 Thlleydldes from hearlOg Herodotus repeat pan of his

.,igin' /I.

Ore.ms

rife oot highcr Ihao their fpriog, hifiory al. Ihe Ol)'mpie r.amt, . Had Ihere oeeo no He.

13f_~¡

~ICh ;

hener, Il'hil, arts tn"

h.ni.

31:

in perpe- rudolus, therc mlghl hal'e

beco

ca Thucydidrs, aod

I:I~

lI·wJJ.'j.