mean profeffion I was bred to? I allow, that in one moment you may be deprived of every thing that makes the disparity between us: but if ever you should be borne down by adverfe fortune, the whole world would be forced to acknowledge the injustice, and to pity and admire you. You love Idris; you are re ESSAY on the unreasonable S any action or pofture long continued, will diftort and disfigure the limbs, fo the mind likewife is crippled and contracted by perpetual application to the fame fet of ideas and as it is easy to guess the trade of an artizan by his knees, his fingers, or his fhoulders; so there are few among men of the more liberal profeffions, whofe minds do not carry the brand of their calling, and whofe converfation does not quickly discover to what clafs of the community they belong. These peculiarities have been of great ufe in the general hoftility which every part of mankind exercifes against the reft, to furnish insults and sarcasm's. Every art has its dialect, uncouth and ungrateful to all whom cuftom has not reconciled to its found; and which therefore becomes ridiculous by a flight mifapplication, or unneceffary repetition. The general reproach with which ignorance revenges the fupercilioufnefs of learning, is that of pedantry; a cenfure which every man incurs, who has at any time the misfortune to talk to those who cannot understand him, and by which the modeft and timorous are fometimes frighted from the display of their acquifitions, and the exertion of their powers, folved to die, if the does not make herfelf yours: come then, and take her out of the houfe of the mafter to whom he has fold herself, in order that yourself may become her mafter. She is not qualified to become your wife; take her then as your flave." Fears of PEDANTRY. The name of a pedant is fo formidable to young men, when they first fally from their colleges, and is fo liberally scattered by thofe who mean to boast their elegance of education, eafinefs of manners, and knowledge of the world, that it feems to require particular confideration; fince, perhaps, if it were once understood, many a heart might be freed from painful apprehenfions, and many a tongue delivered from reftraint. Pedantry is the unfeafonable of tentation of learning; which may be discovered either in the choice of a subject, or in the manner of treating it. He is undoubtedly guilty of pedantry, who, when he has made himself mafter of fome abftrufe and uncultivated part of learning, obtrudes his remarks and discoveries upon thofe whom he believes unable to judge of his proficiency, and from whom, as he cannot fear contradiction, he cannot properly expect applaufe. To this error the ftudent is fometimes betrayed, by the natural recurrence of the mind to its common employment, by the pleafure which every man receives from the recollection of pleafing images, and the defire of dwelling upon topics on which he knows himself able to speak with with juftnefs. But, because we are feldom fo far prejudiced in favour of each other, as to fearch out for palJiations of failings, this deviation from politeness is ufually imputed only to vanity; and the harmlefs academic, who perhaps intended entertainment and inftruction, or at worst only spoke without fufficient reflection upon the character of his hearers, is commonly cenfured as arrogant and overbearing, and eager to extend the reputation of his own accomplishments, without regard to the convenience of fociety, or the Iaws of conversation. All difcourfe of which others cannot partake, is not only an irksome ufurpation of the time devoted to pleasure and entertainment, but, what never fails to excite very keen refentment, an infolent affertion of fuperiority, and a triumph over lefs enlightened understandings. The pedant is, therefore, not only heard with wearinefs, but malignity; and thofe who conceive themfelves infulted by his knowledge, never fail to tell with acrimony how injudicioufly it was exerted. To avoid this dangerous imputation, and recommend themfelves more effectually to the gay world, fcholars fometimes diveft themselves with too much hafte of their academical formality; and, in their endeavours to accommodate their notions and their ftyle to common conceptions, talk rather of any thing than of that which they understand, and fink into infipidity of fentiment and meannefs of expreflion. There prevails among men of letters, an opinion, that all appearance of fcience is particularly hateful to women; and that therefore, whoever defires to be well received in female affemblies, muft qualify himself by a total rejection of all that is ferious, rational, or important; mult confider argument or criticism as perpetually interdicted; and devote all his attention to trifles, and all his eloquence to compliment. Scholars often form their notions of the prefent generation, from the writings of the last; and are not very early informed of thofe changes which the gradual diffufion of knowledge, or the fudden caprice of fashion, produces in the world, Whatever might be the ftate of female literature in the laft century, there is now no longer any danger left the fcholar fhould want an adequate audience at the tea table; and whoever thinks it necefiary to regulate his converfation by antiquated rules, will be rather defpifed for his futility, than careled for his politenefs. To talk intentionally in a manner above the comprehenfion of thofe whom we addrefs, is unquestionable pedantry: but furely complaifance requires, that no man fhould, with out proof, conclude his company in. capable of following him to the highest elevation of his fancy, or the utmoft extent of his knowledge. It is always fafer to err in favour of others than of ourfelves, and therefore we feldom hazard much by endeavouring to excel. It ought at leaft, to be the care of learning, when he quits her exaltation, to defcend with dignity. Nothing is more defpicable than the airinefs and jocularity of a man bred to fevere fcience, and folitary meditation. To trifle agreeably, is a fe cret which fchools cannot impart; that gay negligence and vivacious levity which charm down refiftance wherever they appear, are never at tainable ! tainable by him who has spent his first years among the duft of libraries, and enters late into the living world with an unpliant attention and established habits. It is obferved in the panegyric on Fabricius the mechanician, that, though forced by public employments into mingled converfation, he never loft the modefty and feriouf nefs of the convent, nor drew ridicule upon himself by an affected imitation of fafhionable life. To the fame praife every man devoted to learning ought to afpite. If he attempts the lofter arts of pleafing, and endeavours to learn the graceful bow and the familiar embrace, the infinuating accent and the general fmile, he will lofe the refpect due to the character of learning, without arriving at the envied honour of doing nothing with elegance and facility. Theophraftus, was difcovered not to be a native of Athens, by fo ftri&t an adherence to the Athenian dialet, as fhewed that he had learned it, not by cuftom, but by rule. A man not early formed to habitual elegance, betrays in like manner the defects of his education, by his rigid obfervance of the fiated forms. It is poffible to become pedantic by fear of pedantry, as to be troublefome by ill-timed officioufnefs. There is no kind of impertinence more july centurable, than his who is always Jabouring to level his thoughts to intellects higher than his own; who apologizes for every word which his own narrowness of converfe inclines him to think unufual; keeps the exuberance of his faculties under viible reftraint; is folicitous to anticipate enquiries by needlefs explanations; and endeavours to fhade his own abilities, left weak eyes fhould be dazzled with their luftre. HISTORY of AMINT OR GENTLEMEN, and EUGENIA. To the Authors of the BRITISH MAGAZINE. Chance threw me lately into fome company, where I heard the following narrative, the incidents of which appeared to me entertaining and inftructive enough to merit a place in your Magazine. It will be neceffary however to inform your readers, that I have fent it you, as near as I could recollect, in the words of the Gentleman from whom I learned it, who you will perceive was not only interested in the ftory, but was alfo the happy intrument of its ending in fo agreeable and fortunate a that minifter for his honefty whom he faw ready to betray his country, nor another for his political perfpicuity, whofe ignorance had injured the state. In parliament he fpoke the fentiments of his heart, without the leaft tincture of party prejudice; he voted as he thought his country and his confcience required. One might naturally imagine that a man of this character fhould foon have found reafon to abandon his hopes, and have quitted, in a fit of mifanthropy, the court, where honefty was no recommendation. This probably he would have done if a love of magnificence had not been his prevailing paffion; he was therefore unwilling to relinquish his hopes of that fuccefs which might fome time or other enable him to appear with greater fplendor. In the earlier part of his life he was a conftant attendant at publick places; his perfon was extremely pleafing, and his qualifications all of the most engaging kind; he determined therefore to fearch amongst the fair fex for a wife who might improve his fortune. Notwithstanding this refolution he could not guard his heart from love; he was ftruck with the beauty of a nobleman's daughter, whofe fortune was by no means adequate to his wishes. He confidered, however, that it is not wealth alone which conftitutes our happiness, and received her hand with joy. They lived for fome years not abfolutely without hopes, and in a manner fuperior to their circumftances. He faw with pain his family encreafing, whilft his fortune perpetually diminished, and often wept when he confidered in what fituation he should probably leave it. In the midft even of his gayeft moments the playful airs of his little ones had this effect. At length the time came when reflection convinced him that he no longer had reafon to hope. He determined therefore to retire with the little remnant of their fortune before he was compelled to it by the voice of poverty. In this determination he was greatly influenced by his Olivia, who for fome time paft had refigned every hope of happier hours, and had worn the appearance of ferenity without its affecting her heart. In their feclufion from the world they found that happiness which before they never knew. They were no longer anxious for events they could not direct, nor tafted pain from the difappointment of their hopes. Happy in each other, they forgot their more fplendid moments, and paffed the evening of their lives in calmness and content. Eugenia's father, at his death, left a son at the univerfity, three daughters, and his Olivia. The fon, not long after this, left the univerfity, purchased a commiffion in the army with part of his fortune, and gave the remainder to his fifters. During his refidence at college, he became acquainted with Amintor; their inclinations were the fame, and the strictest friendship bound them to each other. Olivia, whofe tender bofom never regained its eafe after the lofs of her lord, foon followed him to the regions of blifs, where lovers again unite to part no more. How melancholy a feafon must this have been for the eldest daughter, who was then about eighteen, her fifters scarce of an age to participate her grief. She informed her brother, who was then abroad, of their unhappy lofs, and begged him to return to them with all poffible hafte. It is not to be conceived how much this letter affected the worthy youth; at any time he would have wept for the lofs of a parent, at that moment it gave him additional pain, as he then found it impoffible to return to his fifters, and not improbable that he never fhould fee them more. He wrote to Eugenia, faid every thing he could imagine which might give her ease, and told her he would return as soon as he could. At the fame time he sent the following letter to his friend Amintor at the univerfity. my "I have lately received, Amintor, a letter from my fifter, which brought me the melancholy account of our having loft the beft of mothers. They are now left unguarded to the world, with nothing but their innocence to protect them. Do you, whose bofom never knew a vicious paffion, protect their little fortunes from fraud; protect them from those who can hear, unmoved, the reproaches of the ruined virgin. In remembrance of me, be the friend of innocence, and tell them, if heaven should never more permit me to see them, they had a brother who felt much more for them than for himself. "Now, whilft I write, the preparations are making for a battle; who knows what may be the confequence of to-morrow? In this ferious hour nothing gives me so much fatisfaction as the recollection of thy friendship; but for this I fhould go with much greater re. luctance to the plain, from whence what numbers must return no more.. perhaps be no more to be influenced by any thing in this life; if it fhould be fo, confider it as the request of a dying friend, and heaven will repay the kindness when I cannot- now feel my bolom lighter than it was, and fomething teils me we fall all be happy. Adieu, Amintor, may you long live the favourite of heaven, and be bleft as you deferve." Amintor, in confequence of this letter, waited on the three young ladies. When he first entered the room where they were, the eldest received him with all the politeness imaginable. The melancholy which appeared upon her beautiful countenance, and the awful drefs of them all, difpofed him to participate their grief. He was juft going to fpeak, when his eyes fell on the picture of his friend, which recalled the painful reflection, that the man, whom of all others he esteemed and loved, might be now no more. So much was the worthy youth affected by this incident, that he could not fupprefs the tears, and for fome moments was loft in filence. It is not poffible to conceive a more tender interview than this was; Eugenia, who faw him fo attentively fixed upon the picture, was anxious for her brother's fafety, and trembled when the enquired if any thing had happened to him which might add to their prefent calamity. Amintor, upon this, delivered to her the letter he had received: fhe wept as foe read it, and the little bofoms of the younger fifters caught the infection. Some time after, when they could talk with greater calmnefs, Eugenia appointed him the guardian of their fortunes, and received the pleafing intelligence, that "Before you receive this, I may their beft of brothers was well. August, 1764. 3 F Eugenia |