fort poffefs it; for if touched, they feel cold. This proves only, that their heat is lefs than that of the hand, with which they are felt; and perhaps less than that of the air, when the trial is made. But it is extremely probable, that no animal whatever can live in health, for any confiderable time, in an atmosphere of a temperature fuperior in heat to that of its own blood. Thus we find, that the animals in queftion hide themselves in the day-time among thick grafs, where there is a great evaporation; and in places, into which the rays of the fun cannot penetrate. Worms, in hot weather, during the day, lie deep in the ground; but in the night-time, when it is cool, rife to the furface to refresh themselves in the dew. When frogs, worms, and fuch other animals are exposed to air warmer than their blood, its influence is counteracted by the fame caufes which counteract its influence on the human body, the evaporation from the furface of their bodies, and the coldness of their blood. Such accidental exposure happens more frequently to them, than to the human fpecies; and, from the inferiority of their size, they would be fooner heated through, and lefs able to refift the noxious effects of the hot air, were not their power of refifting it made up in another refpect. In fuch fituations, the evaporation from the furface of their bodies is greater; for their fkin is more lax, and is always covered B.3 covered with moisture. It is, perhaps, for this purpose also, that it is rough and uneven; which, by extending the surface, causes a greater evapo ration. These may be faid to be the means through which the human body is preferved, in nearly the fame temperature, when it happens to be placed, for a time, in an atmosphere of a fuperior degree of heat. They seem to me so adequate to this effect, that I would even venture to impute the increase of the temperature of the body, from 96 to 100 degrees, which happened in the experiments, rather to the acceleration of the blood, than to the influx of heat from the external air. While the caufe of animal heat remains unknown, it would be prefumption to affert, that these are the only means, by which the body is enabled to refift the effects of external heat. There may be others; and it is not unreasonable to suppose, that as external cold, perhaps by its tonic influence, increases the power of the body to generate heat, fo external heat may diminish that power, and thus leffen the quantity of heat generated within, while the evaporation, produced by the fame cause, guards it against receiving any acceffion from without. On On the Advantages of LITERATURE and PHILOSO- To either India fee the merchant fly, Nothing to make philofophy thy friend? TH Pope's Imitations of Horace, Epist. I. Book I. HE pursuit of knowledge, when properly directed, and under due influence, is of the greatest importance to mankind. In proportion as a nation acquires fuperior degrees of it, her ftate of civilization advances, and fhe becomes distinguished from her lefs enlightened neighbours by a greater refinement in the manners of her inhabitants, and a departure from thofe ferocious vices, which mark the features of favage countries. Vices fhe will, indeed, still be addicted to, but of a different complexion from those of her more uncultivated days. Wherever a love of learning and the arts makes any confiderable progrefs, even crimes themselves lofe fomething of their atrociousness, and, though ftill offenfive, are divefted of thofe ftrong marks of brutality, which generally accompany ignorance. The horrors B 4 horrors of war itself are foftened: an enemy is treated with humanity and kindness: the milder virtues find admittance amongst the clash of arms; and men, when compelled to hoftilities, feek victory not to enslave or destroy, but in the moment of triumph feek opportunities to evince their clemency and generofity to the vanquished foe. That this picture is not too ftrongly coloured will appear from an appeal to history. In the earlier ages, we fee a conquering army hurling deftruction and defolation, murder and rapine around them, and with unrelenting fury, fcarcely diftinguishing between friends and enemies. In thefe more polished times, and the polish may be fairly attributed to the diffufion of learning and philofophy, fuch cruel exceffes are discountenanced and prohibited by the general confent of every civilized people, Nor are these improvements confined to national manners: thofe of individuals have been equally benefited. The natural tendency of a cultivation of polite learning, is, to refine the understanding, humanize the foul, enlarge the field of useful knowledge, and facilitate the attainment of the comforts and accommodations of life, How great is the contrast between the characters of the elegant scholar, and the man whofe uncultivated mind feels no reftraint, but thofe which the the laws of his country impose! A taste for polite literature, and the works of nature and of art, is effentially neceffary to form the Gentleman, and will always diftinguish him more completely from the vulgar, than any advantage he can derive from wealth, drefs, or titles. Thefe external decorations, without thofe refined manners which proceed from a proper ftudy of books and men, ferve only to render his ignorance more confpicuous; whereas a man of a polite imagination, not only fecures himself a favourable reception in the world, but as Mr. Addison obferves, "is let into a great many pleasures, that the vulgar are not capable of receiving. He can converse with a picture, and find a companion in a statue. He meets with a fweet refreshment in a defcription, and often feels a greater fatisfaction in the prospect of fields and meadows, than another does in the poffeffion. It gives him a kind of property indeed in every thing he fees, and makes the most rude and uncultivated parts of nature adminifter to his pleasures. "* Affluent circumftances and abundant leisure give the Gentleman great advantages over his inferiors, in the more refined ftudies. The cold and heavy hand of poverty chills and repreffes the efforts of genius; wealth cherishes, and, if I may be allowed the metaphor, manures and * Spectator, No. 411. pushes |