time afterwards, fuch reputation for knowledge and acuteness, as will fcarcely ever be attained by those that defpife them.

An opinion has of late been, I know not how, propagated among us, that libraries are filled only with useless lumber; that men of parts ftand in need of no affistance; and that to spend life in poring upon books, is only to imbibe prejudices, to obftruct and embarrafs the powers of nature, to cultivate memory at the expence of judgment, and to bury reafon under a chaos of indigefted learning.

Such is the talk of many who think themselves wife, and of fome who are thought wife by others; of whom part probably believe their own tenets, and part may be justly fufpected of endeavouring to fhelter their ignorance in multitudes, and of wishing to deftroy that reputation which they have no hopes to fhare. It will, I believe, be found invariably true, that learning was never decried by any learned man; and what credit can be given to those, who venture to condemn that which they do not know?

If reafon has the power afcribed to it by its advocates, if fo much is to be discovered by attention and meditation, it is hard to believe, that so many millions, equally participating of the bounties of nature with ourselves, have been for ages upon ages meditating in vain: if the wits of the prefent time expect the regard of pofterity, which will then inherit the reason which is now thought fuperior to inftruction, furely they may allow themselves to be inftructed by the reafon of former generations. When, therefore, an author declares, that he has been able to learn nothing from the writings of his predeceffors,

predeceffors, and fuch a declaration has been lately made, nothing but a degree of arrogance unpardonable in the greatest human understanding, can hinder him from perceiving that he is raising prejudices against his own performance; for with what hopes of fuccefs can he attempt that in which greater abilities have hitherto miscarried? or with what peculiar force does he fuppofe himself invigorated, that difficulties hitherto invincible should give way before him?

Of those whom Providence has qualified to make any additions to human knowledge, the number is extremely fmall; and what can be added by each fingle mind, even of this fuperior clafs, is very little; the greatest part of mankind muft owe all their knowledge, and all must owe far the larger part of it, to the information of others. To understand the works of celebrated authors, to comprehend their systems, and retain their reafonings, is a task more than equal to common intellects; and he is by no means to be accounted useless or idle, who has stored his mind with acquired knowledge, and can detail it occafionally to others who have lefs leifure or weaker abilities.

Perfius has justly obferved, that knowledge is nothing to him who is not known by others to poffefs it; to the scholar himself it is nothing with refpect either to honour or advantage, for the world cannot reward thofe qualities which are concealed from it; with respect to others it is nothing, because it affords no help to ignorance or error.

It is with juftice, therefore, that in an accomplished character, Horace unites juft fentiments with

On the day of our departure, in the twilight of the morning, I afcended the vehicle with three men and two women, my fellow-travellers. It was easy to obferve the affected elevation of mien with which every one entered, and the fupercilious civility with which they paid their compliments to each each. When the first ceremony was difpatched, we fat filent for a long time, all employed, in collecting importance into our faces, and endeavouring to ftrike reverence and fubmiffion into our companions.

It is always obfervable that filence propagates itfelf, and that the longer talk has been fufpended, the more difficult it is to find any thing to fay. We began now to wish for converfation; but no one feemed inclined to defcend from his dignity, or firft propofe a topick of difcourfe. At laft a corpulent gentleman, who had equipped himself for this expedition with a fcarlet furtout and a large hat with a broad lace, drew out his watch, looked on it in filence, and then held it dangling at his finger. This was, I fuppofe, understood by all the company as an invitation to ask the time of the day, but nobody appeared to heed his overture; and his defire to be talking fo far overcame his refentment, that he let us know of his own accord that it was paft five, and that in two hours we fhould be at breakfast.

His condefcenfion was thrown away; we continued all obdurate; the ladies held up their heads; I amused myself with watching their behaviour; and of the other two, one feemed to employ himself in counting the trees as we drove by them, the

other

other drew his hat over his eyes and counterfeited a flumber. The man of benevolence, to fhew that he was not depreffed by our neglect, hummed a tune and beat time upon his fnuff-box.

Thus univerfally displeased with one another, and not much delighted with ourselves, we came at last to the little inn appointed for our repaft; and all began at once to recompenfe themfelves for the constraint of filence, by innumerable questions and orders to the people that attended us. At last, what every one had called for was got, or declared impoffible to be got at that time, and we were perfuaded to fit round the fame table; when the gentleman in the red furtout looked again upon his watch, told us that we had half an hour to spare, but he was forry to fee fo little merriment among us; that all fellow-travellers were for the time upon the level, and that it was always his way to make himself one of the company. "I remember,” says he, "it was on juft fuch a morning as this, that I and my Lord Mumble and the Duke of Tenterden

were out upon a ramble: we called at a little "house as it might be this; and my landlady, I "warrant you, not fufpecting to whom he was

talking, was fo jocular and facetious, and made "so many merry anfwers to our questions, that we "were all ready to burft with laughter. At laft the "good woman happening to overhear me whisper "the duke and call him by his title, was fo furprised and confounded, that we could fcarcely get a word from her; and the duke never met me from that day to this, but he talks of the VOL. III.

Q

"little

"little house, and quarrels with me for terrifying the landlady."

He had fcarcely time to congratulate himself on the veneration which this narrative must have procured him from the company, when one of the ladies having reached out for a plate on a distant part of the table, began to remark "the inconveniences of travelling, " and the difficulty which they who never fat at home "without a great number of attendants found in per" forming for themfelves fuch offices as the road re"quired; but that people of quality often travelled "in disguise, and might be generally known from "the vulgar by their condefcenfion to poor inn"keepers, and the allowance which they made for

any defect in their entertainment; that for her part, "while people were civil and meant well, it was never "her cuftom to find fault, for one was not to expect

upon a journey all that one enjoyed at one's own "house."

A general emulation feemed now to be excited. One of the men, who had hitherto faid nothing, called for the laft news-paper; and having perused it a while with deep penfivenefs, "It is impoffible," fays he, "for any man to guess how to act with regard "to the stocks; laft week it was the general opinion "that they would fall, and I fold out twenty thousand

pounds in order to a purchase: they have now rifen unexpectedly; and I make no doubt but at my return to London I fhall rifk thirty thousand pounds among them again.”

A young man, who had hitherto diftinguished himself only by the vivacity of his looks, and a