1000000030

e o

lI'orl.l's

~dmirl1ion

might have begun 1t Livy for eKrd·

I':nee in that p,ovinre of the

ren.

Oernollhenes had the

fAme flimulation on healing

C'~lIillrallll;

or 1'ulI)' might

hav~ be~n

Ihe firll nf eonfurnma'C renOllln

the bAr

Quite

cle~r

of Ihe difputc conwning

~neicnt

and mo·

ocrolcarnin~,

lile fpeak nOI o( pe,formanee, but pOlllm.

The moncrn powm are (1lual tO thnlebeiore Ihem; mo·

dero

re,f~"nal1ee

g~nml

rleplur~hly

fhun . HOIII

great are the olmes ju!! mentiolledI ret IIIho lIIill daily

olfllm,

Ih~t

as great may not rile up in fi'me futu,e, or

(ven in Ihe I'relent age 1 Re.lrons there

¡re

why talents

mal' nOI

a/trar,

none IIIhy Ihe)' mal' nOI

(Xifl,

as murh

i I one perioe! as ¡nolher. An evocation of veRmblc

fruin dependo on rain, air, ,nd run; an eyomion of Ihe

frui\! of genins no lefs dcpends on externals. What a

manellou! erop bore it in Creeee and Rome 1 And

lI'hat a marvellous runO,inr did it Ihere enjoy I What

cnco~ragement

from the Mture of their go'ernmentl,

and the fpirit of their peorle1 Virgil and Hume owed

their di,ine talents to

Hea.en;

ir immartal wnrks ro

men; Ihank M:1:cenal and AlIgufiu! for Ihem. liad it

not been ror thefe, the genius or thofe POC\! had Idin uu·

ried in their afhes. Alhens expendl'd on her thenm,

paintirg, fculpture, and arehitellurc, a tax levied for

the fupport of a

\\'~r.

C:1:far dropt his papm when Tul·

Iy fpoke; and l'hilip

trembl~<I

at Ihe voiee of Oemoflhe

nes, Ano has thm arifen hUI one Tull)', one Oelnon·

heoes in fo long a courfe o( )'ears? The pol'lerful do

quence of Ihemboth in nne IImm, fhould nem bur

lIS

do. n into the m<lAncholy

pl!Trua~on,

tlm fevcral

h, ,, nut bcen born, Ihough they have not emerged.

The fun as ml\ch eKin\ in a cloudy ,Iay, as in a clcar;

it is ollt\l'ard, accidenlal circumflanm that with

reg.rd

l O

geniu! tilher in nation, or age,

C~II(nol f"~DI

nub/J,

flltntq/l/

reducil.

~c.

As grcat, perhaps grcmr th;n thofe meotioned (pre.

fumptuoI1S as it may found ) may, ro/li Iy. a, i(e; for,

ho halh fatbomed the miod uf m.n? Itl UounJs are as

\lnl:nowo, al thofe of the credlionI fioce the binh of

whi h, perhaps, not one has fo far exened, as not tO

Iw'e his poflib,li.ies beyond his at ainmenll, his powm

beyond his exploil . FormingOUI ju glnents ahog Iher

by \'Ihat

haJ

becn done, withnut knowing, or at all in·

quiring, \lhat potlihly

/lligft

have been dooe, we natu·

uUy

enoa¡;h (all into

mean an opininn of Ihe human

mind.

a Ote eh of the di.ine

IIi.ld

befare Ilomer

\Vrote, had been gifl n tOmanlind, by fome (urenor be·

in , or othwdfe, itsexecution \Vould probably haveap'

pemd beyood the po'Ner of mano

ow,

furp¡(s it,

I\'e Ihink impoffible. As Ihe 6rll of thefe oriniorll woold

evideotly h¡'e beenamillake, IIIh may not the fccond be

fo tno 1 801h:lIC

unded 00 the fame boltom; on our

ignorance of lhe po/libl dimen ,ons of the miod of mano

'or are IVe only

i~norant

of the dimenGons of the hu·

mln mind in general, bllt eren of OUT own. That a

maD nuy be

bree

lefs ignorant of his oIVn powm, than

an ofllrr of ill pw l, or a rock of

II!

d' mon ; thu he

ota)'

pofTcfs dormant, unfufptlled abilities, till awakencd

by loud call., or nuog

111'

by t1riking emergeDdes; il

eriden from the fudden emFtion of fome meo out of

ru fea obfcurilY, into pubhc .dmiraúoo, 00 the nrong

e o

impolre of fome

animatin~ occa~on;

not mGre lo tite

wurld's

~rral

furprife, Ihan their o"n.

.f~1II

.luthOIl of

dillin/lioo bllt

h~ve

'rieoced

romethi~~

of this

n~turr,

al Ihe firll

b~,lrning

of Iheir

)'ct

ullfurp~/lcd

Aeniu! on

their hilhmo tI"k compolition. The IIInler

11",,,

al il, as

al • lucid mtteur 111 lite night ; is much fUl priferl ;

e~n

fCArCC belt",. it truc, Dunng Ihis h,ppy contufion. il

mal' be (alll to him, as to E" e at Ihe 1.lke,

Wh.1 Ihm Itou

[((JI,

fa.r

m.lur(,

1}lftlf.

1111

LT U".

Genius, in this viclI', is like a dm friend in Dur rnm

pAn)' uOII" di(fuife; ..ha, while we are

IdO\rntto~

h ..

abfence, drops his m,fk, Onking

ti! "

on,'c IIIlIh cqllll

furprifr ami juy.

1111\

fenf.tion, whieh lile fpeak of il\

a Wlller, might fa"our, and fo prornote, the f,ble of

poedc inrpiralion, A roet of a IIrong ImAgin lion IIn\1

tllI'nger v.nity , on fccl iog it, nli ht narurally enough r:·

alife the world', mm comrliment, and think hlmrrlf

truly infpired Whieh is not Improbable; for enthufi.

arm of

~II

kinds do no I (s.

Sinee it is plain, Ihat men may ue firangm tO their

OIVn abilili,,; anrl by Ihinkins meanly of theOJ w\lhout

jun caufe, may potlibly

lof~

an me, perhzps a name im·

mortal; we IVould

~nd

fome means to pre'ent

th~re

e·

vils. Whmver promo\(! virtue, promoles romuhing

more, and mrie! ils goO(I inOuence be)'ond Ihe

mor.1

man : torr¡vcnl thefe (vils we borrolll

11110

golJln lules

from

tlfio,

whicn are no lefl go'dcn in

CDmp.fille n,

than in lifr. t.

h'n"""

I"'fr!f,

Rtutrrnrt

,r"frlf.

111, KnD1JJ

I~t/tlf.

Of ourfclvel it may be faid,

Martiál rays of a

b~ nei~hbour,

, ,¡

I,MI

/," Pt, /,,,,u/qUt

n.~i,.

Thmfore dive deep into thy bofom; learn tite drplh,

extent, bias, and full fon of Ihy mind;

contr~él

fulllnli·

macy wilh the IIranA"

ithin thee; excire and cherifh

emy fpark of intelle/luallight and hcat, hOlllem fmo'

Ihered und" former negligenee, or remerco Ihrough the

¿ull, ¿ark mafs of common thnughts; ¡nd collclling

them into a body, let thy genius rife (if a geniullhou

hall) as the fun fromchaos;

~nd

fhouhllhen r,y,

like an Indinn,

W.rjllip

il,

(though tOO bold) fet fhouM

we ray linle more thao the (econd rule eojoin., viz.

Rt–

"mm

I"frlf.

That is, let not greal examples, or au'horities. brn •

beat thy mfon inlo tOO grcat a dlffidence

thyfdf:

thy(cJ( fa Irrmnce, as

Vldel Ihe nallfegrollllh

thy

own ntind to Ih tiche/! impor! from

abrold~

fuch bor,

rowcd richu make us poor. The man who thus rere·

rcnm himreJf, will fwn 6nd rhe world's Itf rente I

follow his o...n.

lIu ...

orls ....

,11

nand dillioguifhed; hll

the fole propenyof Ihem; which propeny alooe cao con·

fu thenoble mle of an

aUlh r ;

Iha

of Dne " ho, tO

fpeak accura e1y,

1~IIlIJ, ~nd

m,po/";

...

hile olh.r In·

n dm of Ihe prers, hQW

~Iuminous,

and learntjl (o·

elCr, ....itb doe refpcll be

fpokco, ooly

rmJ

aod

'IJIril/.

Tltis is tite diITer De tW1:en I (e

1110

lumira,iClID

lit rator , Ihe ...,JI.are ,rr.pltlhl'<l fchollr, .n<l the di'

,inely.inf~red enlhu~¡n

; th- flrn, , u the bnJlh m",n'

iog na, ; the fecond , allhe nCng

{o~.

The ...

rit~r '

Dcgle lhofe t.o I lu

,bo~c

111

o.."1'er

filrA

alon;

l!I11.n