ing pleasure and eternal honour, what are they, frequently, but fyftems of human error, monuments of the pride of man, who, impatient to be thought ignorant of any thing, boldly feizes fancy for fact, and conjecture for evidence, and with these fairy workmen, prefently runs up vast Babels of philofophy, vainly fo called. A whole lifetime is hardly fufficient to understand these pompous errors; and scarcely are they understood, before they are exploded to make room for fome other fet of notions, equally vain and perishable.

BUT, admitting that we have turned our ftudies to the nobleft of human fciences, fciences founded on truth, and promising much entertainment and useful knowledge; yet, alas! full foon fhall experience prove the truth of the remark made by Solomon, that "In much learning is much trouble; and he who increafes knowledge, increafes forrow."

P 2

See!!

how

how enviously, fharp thorns and briars fhoot up among the fweet flowers which we expected to gather. To make any confiderable progrefs in fciences, we muft renounce fome of the freedom and amufements of life; this is mortifying; confinement is wearifome; hard study fatigues the brain; intenfe thinking fours the temper; flow progress is difheartening; doubts are vexatious; and presently darkness and thick clouds ga ther over the path of fcience, and forbids us to proceed any farther. Surely man walketh in a vain fhadow, and difquieteth himself in vain.

BUT fuppofing that we could underftand all human fciences in the most perfect degree, how very fhort lived would be the pleasures arifing from them! When first made, and fresh on the mind, the difcoveries of truth are highly gratifying to curiofity, but in a fhort time they become familiar, and

thence

thence almost infipid. Hence we often fee learned men as difcontented and peevish as others; a plain proof that human learning opens no fpring of lafting happiness in the mind. Indeed, fo far from producing this very defireable effect, it frequently nurfes paffions the moft unfriendly to his happiness, both in this world and the next. The brighter talents and fuperior fame of a rival wit, often pierce his heart with the keeneft pangs of envy ; fuccefs puffs him up with pride, and renders him infufferably disagreeable; disappointment fires him with rage, or finks him into defpondency: While the flash of an unguarded witticism often lofes him a valuable friend, or creates a mortal enemy. But allowing that he were the greatest scholar and orator of the age, and could harangue on any fubject, with all the force of argument and charms of eloquence: that whenever he

.

appear

ed

ed, the impatient crowds repaired to hear the magic of his enchanting tongue: that princes were his patrons, and

the great ones of the earth his admirers; yet how vain and treacherous a good would all this be! How utterly unworthy to be coveted as the chief good of man! For yet but a few fleeting years, and the cold hand of age will be on him, and then, alas! all thefe fine talents and blooming honours, shall perish as the lovely flower perishes when touched by the killing frofts of winter. His wit shall sparkle no more; no more fhall his fancy charm us with the fplendor of its images, nor his mind aftonifh us with the vastnefs of her conceptions; his memory must then give up all her precious treafures; and dumb forever will be that tongue whofe eloquence, like fweeteft mufic, foothed each liftening ear, and led in triumph all the obedient paffions.

AND

AND are fuch fading accomplishments as thefe, fit food for an immortal foul that was born for heaven?

BUT although this acknowledged vanity and vexation of human learning, fufficiently proves the fad mistake of those who make an idol of it; yet let us not, on the other hand, run into the equal error of fuch as trample it under their feet as vain and worthlefs altogether. Along with its drofs, it contains much ufeful metal, for the fake of which we may well afford to toil.

EVEN the languages, though the leaft neceffary of all human learning, are not entirely without their ufes. We may chance to fall in with a poor foreigner who has not broken English enough to tell us his wants. We may get honest bread by interpreting, tranflating, or teaching languages. Or fhould it be our fortune to stand behind a coun

ter,