Greek pocts, as Homer, Pindar, Sophocles, Euripides, Callimachus, Theocritus, Aristophanes, Anacreon. Their orators, as Demosthenes, Isocrates, and Æschines. The philosophers, whose works in that language are come down to us, are to be looked into, not so much on account of their sentiments, of which above, as their style and manner. The chief of them are, Plato, who also gives an account of the philosophy of Socrates, Aristotle, Xenophon, Plutarch, Epictetus, Longinus, Jamblichus, who gives an account of Pythagoras, Theophrastus, Hierocles, Elian. To these may be added Philo Judæus, Diogenes, Laertius, and Max Tyrius. The greatest ancient philosophers, who wrote in Latin, are Cicero, Pliny, Seneca, Lucretius, Quintillian, Lucius Apulcius, and Boethius. The best Latin poets are Virgil, Horace, Terence, Juvenal, Persius, Plautus, Lucretius, Seneca the tragic poet, Martial, Lucan, Statius, Ausonius, and Claudian

Whoever has a mind to look into the Fathers, after having got a little acquaintance with what is ascribed to Barnabas, Clement, Hermas, Ignatius, and Polycarp, and with the remains of Clemens Alexandrinus, Iræneus, Cyprian, Tertullian, Justin martyr, Origen, Jerome, Augustin, Eusebius, and Lactantius, or as many of them as he can conveniently look into, may rest contented with what he will have gained by that study.

There may be a few other ancient authors, Greek and Latin, which a gentleman may find his advantage in looking into. And there are great parts of most of those here mentioned, which it were better to pass over. There are, almost in all the ancient uninspired writers, numberless exceptionable and wrong-turned sentiments, of which the judicious reader's discernment will obviate the bad effects.

Useful books in criticism are Hesychius, Suidas, Hedericus' Lexicon, Scapula and Constantine's Lexicon; Stephens' Thesaurus; Ainsworth's Dictionary; Potter's Greek, and Kennet's Roman Antiquities; Montfaucon's Palæographia Graca, and Antiquite Expliquee; the various authors collected in Gravius' and Gronovius' Thesaurus; in Sallengre's Novus Thesaurus; in Gruter's Fax Artium; and a multitude of others enumerated by Wasse in his Memorial concerning the Desiderata in Learning, printed in Bibliotheca Literaria, Lond. 1722.

Among the ancients, Aristotle, Longinus, and ian. Among the French, Dacier and Bossu. And among the English, Addison and Pope are good critics. I cannot here help making a remark upon the manner of most of those professed critics, who undertake to translate, comment, answer or write remarks upon authors. These gentlemen seem generally to run greatly into extremes either in praising or blaming. I own I cannot persuade myself that Homer, for example, understood the anatomy of the human body as perfectly as Boerhaave, merely from the circumstance of his wounding his heroes in so many different parts. Nor can I think that Mr. Chambers could have extracted his circle of the arts and sciences out of the Iliad and Odyssey, even with the help of Pope's and Dacier's notes into the bargain. On the other hand, I cannot help thinking that there is some of the genuine spirit of poetry in Sir Richard Blackmore's works, notwithstanding what the satirical Dean Swift has, in the bitterness of his wit, said against him. Nor does it clearly appear to me that all the heroes in the Dunciad deserve a place in the list of votaries of the goddess of Dulness.

I have made this remark for the sake of taking occasion to caution readers not to let themselves be misled by critics or commentators; but, after endeavouring to fix a set of rational, clear, and indisputable marks, whereby to judge of the real excellencies or blemishes of the works they read, whether ancient or modern, to read the critics, but to use their own judgment.

The best English poets are Spencer, Milton, Shaks peare, Waller, Rowe, Addison and Pope.

I mention only those whose writings are generally innocent. Wit or genius, when applied to the corrupting or debauching the mind or manners of the reader, ought to be doomed to infamy and oblivion. And it is the disgrace of our country and religion, that such stuff as the greatest parts of the works of a Dryden, or a Congreve, and such like, should be in print.

Among the French there are several good writers in the Belles Lettres, as Corneille and Racine, Rollin, Dacier, Fenelon, Boileau and Moliere, the best writer of comedy who has flourished since Terence; his charac

ters being all well drawn, his moral always good, and his language chaste and decent.

To acquire a taste in painting, sculpture, and architecture, travel is the most effectual means. But such, whose convenience it does not suit to go abroad, may see some small collections of valuable paintings and statues in our own country, and may with advantage read on painting, and design, Harris, Du Bos, Richardson, Fresnoy, Lairesse, the Jesuit's Art of Perspective, Des Piles, Roma Illustrata, Da Vinci, Gravesande and Ditton on Perspective.

On architecture, Palladio, de Chambray, Felibien, Sebastian, Le Clerk, Perrault, Freart and Evelyn. And on statuary, Alberti and Richardson.

SECTION VI.

Of Travel.

THERE are three countries, of which it may be an advantage to a gentleman of fortune to see a little; I mean Holland, France and Italy. The first, with a view to commerce and police; the second to the elegance of life; and the last to curiosities in art, ancient and modern.

There is a pedantry in travel, as well as other accom. plishments. And where there is not a direct view to real improvement, a great deal of time and money may be very foolishly spent in rambling over the world, and staring at strange sights.

In order to reap benefit from travel, it is absolutely necessary that a gentleman know well his own country before he sets out; that nothing he may meet with may be strange to him, but what is peculiar to the place he travels through, by which means he may save himself a great deal of otherwise lost labour. This will also enable him to determine immediately in what particulars our own country has the advantage of foreign parts, and the contrary. Ít will also be necessary, that he make himself master, before he sets out, of as much of the knowledge of foreign countries, and what may be worthy of his attention in them, as can be had in books, or conversation with those who have travelled, by which means he will go properly prepared to every place, and every object. A correspondence with men of abilities and interest in the places one is to go to,

ought also to be established, before he sets out, that no time may be lost in finding out such after his arrival.

The principal objects of inquiry of a traveller are evidently the characters and manners of different nations, their arts of government, connexions, and interests, the advantages or disadvantages of different countries, as to administration, police, commerce, and the rest, with the state of literature and arts, and the remains of antiquity. An account of what one has observed in each different country, with the remarks which occurred upon the spot, ought to be constantly kept.

Nothing sets forth to view more conspicuously the dif ference between a young man of sense and a fool, than travel. The first returns from foreign parts improved in easiness of behaviour, in modesty, in freedom of sentiment, in readiness to make allowances to those who differ from him, and in useful knowledge of men and manners. The other brings back with him a laced coat, a spoiled constitution, a gibberish of broken French and Italian, and an awkward imitation of foreign gestures.

One good consequence of an English gentleman's having seen other countries, if he has any understanding, will be, his returning home more than ever disposed to enjoy his own. For whoever rightly understands wherein the true happiness of a nation consists, will acknowledge, that these highly favoured lands, were they covered ten months in the year with snow, and boasted neither tree nor shrub, would have incomparably the advantage of Italy, with her orange-groves, her breathing statues, and her melting strains of music; of France, with all her gaudy finery and outside elegance; and of Spain, with her treasures from the New World. Who would compare with happy Britain, a country, in which even all these united, but which was deprived of that one, that first of blessings, the glory of Human Nature, with-out which, life is but a lingering death! I mean, the inestimable privilege of enjoying in peace whatever heaven has lent, of inquiring freely into sacred truth, and of worshipping the Almighty Father of All in sincerity and simplicity, according to the dictates of conscience, unbiassed and unterrified by dragoons, by racks, and fires, and merciless inquisitors?

SECTION VII.

Of the comparative Importance of the various Branches of Knowledge respectively, and with regard to different Ranks and Stations.

WE have thus taken a cursory view of science, and seen what is to be studied and learned, in order to acquire the distinguished and rare character of a man of general and universal knowledge. To be completely master of every one of the branches I have here treated of, only as far as they are already known, is what no one man ever will be capable of, much less of improving them by new discoveries and additions of his own. But a man of fine natural parts, a strong constitution, a turn to application, an easy fortune, a vacant mind, and who has had the advantage of an early introduction, in a free and rational manner, into the principles of the various parts of knowledge, and of a set of learned and communicative friends, and of travel; such a person may, in the course of a life, acquire a masterly knowledge of the fundamental and principal parts of science, so as to apply them with ease and readiness to his occasions for entertaining and instructing others, as well as enriching and aggrandizing his own mind, and perfecting his whole character. Such a person may also improve some particular parts of knowledge by his sagacity and industry.

To consider only one's own entertainment and advantage, one ought rather to desire a general knowledge in a variety of ways, than to carry any one particular science to great lengths. For the advantage of learning, the improvement of a single art or science is the most valuable to man, though he may not be at all a completely accomplished character.

The most important of all sciences, is ethics, with whatever is connected with them, as theology, history, the theory of government, and the like. Next to these physiology at large, or whatever comes under the head of pure and mixed mathematics. Inferior to these in importance are the politer arts of poetry, painting, architecture and the rest. "And to possess ever so perfect a knowledge of languages only, I should reckon the lowest pitch of learning.