dulged and gratified rather than discouraged. It is a very hopeful sign in young persons, to see them curious in observing, and inquisitive in searching into the greatest part of things that occur; nor should such an inquiring temper be frowned into silence, nor be rigorously restrained, but should rather be satisfied by proper answers given to all those queries.

For this reason also, where time and fortune allow it, young people should be led into company at proper seasons, should be carried abroad to see the fields, and the woods, and the rivers, the buildings, towns, and cities, distant from their own dwelling; they should be entertained with the sight of strange birds, beasts, fishes, insects, vegetables, and productions both of nature and art of every kind, whether they are the products of their own or foreign nations : and in due time, where Providence gives opportunity, they may travel, under a wise inspector or tutor, to different parts of the world for the same end, that they may bring home treasures of useful knowledge.

III. AMONG all these observations, write down what is more remarkable and uncommon: reserve these remarks in store for proper occasions, and at proper seasons take a review of them. Such a practice will give you a habit of useful thinking this will secure the workings of your soul from running to waste, and, by this means, even your looser moments will turn to happy account both here and hereafter.

:

And whatever useful observations have been made, let them be at least some part of the subject of your conver, sation among your friends at next meeting.

Let the circumstances or situations of life be what or where they will, a man should never neglect this improvement which may be derived from observation. Let him travel into the East or West Indies, and fulfil the duties of the military or the mercantile life there; let him rove through the earth or the seas for his own humour as a traveller, or pursue his diversions in what part of the world' he pleases as a gentleman; let prosperous or adverse for

tune

tune call him to the most distant parts of the globe; still let him carry on his knowledge, and the improvement of his soul, by wise observations. In due time, by this means, he may render himself some way useful to the societies of mankind.

THEOBALDINO, in his younger years, visited the forests of Norway on the account of trade and timber, and besides his proper observations of the growth of trees on those. northern mountains, he learnt there was a sort of people called Finns, in those confines which border upon Sweden, whose habitation is in the woods: and he lived afterwards to give a good account of them, and some of their customs, to the Royal Society for the improvement of natural knowledge. PUTEOLI was taken captive into Turkey in his youth, and travelled with his master in their holy pilgrimage to Mecca, whereby he became more intelligent in the forms, ceremonies and fooleries of the Mahometan worship, than perhaps ever any Briton knew before; and by his manuscripts we are more acquainted in this last century with the Turkish sacreds than any one had ever informed us.

IV. LET us keep our minds as free as possible from passions and prejudices, for these will give a wrong turn to our observations both on persons and things. The eyes of a man in the jaundice make yellow observations on every thing; and the soul tinctured with any passion or prejudice diffuses a false colour over the real appearances of things, and disguises many of the common occurrences of life: it never beholds things in a true light, nor suffers them to appear as they are. Whensoever, therefore, you would make proper observations, let self, with all its influences, stand aside as far as possible; abstract your own interest and your own concern from them, and bid all friendships and enmities stand aloof, and keep out of the way, in the observations that you make relating to persons and things.

If this rule were well obeyed, we should be much better guarded against those common pieces of misconduct in the observations of men, viz. the false judgements of pride and

envy. How ready is envy to mingle with the notices which we take of other persons? How often is mankind prone to put an ill sense upon the actions of their neighbours, to take a survey of them in an evil position, and in an unhappy light? And by this means we form a worse opinion of our neighbours than they deserve; while, at the same time, pride and self-flattery tempt us to make unjust observations on ourselves in our own favour. In all the favourable judgements we pass concerning ourselves, we should allow a little abatement on this account.

V. In making your observations on persons, take care of indulging that busy curiosity which is ever inquiring into private and domestic affairs, with an endless itch of learning the secret history of families. It is but seldom that such a prying curiosity attains any valuable ends; it often begets suspicions, jealousies, and disturbances in households, and it is a frequent temptation to persons to defame their neighbours. Some persons cannot help telling what they know; a busy body is most liable to become a tatler upon every

occasion.

VI. Let your observations, even of persons, and their conduct, be chiefly designed in order to lead you to a better acquaintance with things, particularly with human nature; and to inform you what to imitate, and what to avoid, rather than to furnish out matter for the evil passions of the mind, or the impertinences of discourse, and reproaches, of the. tongue.

VII. THOUGH it may be proper sometimes to make your observations concerning persons as well as things, the subject of your discourse in learned or useful conversation, yet what remarks you make on particular persons, especially to their disadvantage, should for the most part lie hid in your own breast, till some just and apparent occasion, some necessary call of Providence, leads you to speak to

them.

If the character or conduct, which you observe, be greatly culpable, it should so much the less be published. You

may

may treasure up such remarks of the follies, indecencies, or vices of your neighbours, as may be a constant guard against your practice of the same, without exposing the reputation of your neighbour on that account. It is a good old rule, that our conversation should rather be laid out on things than on persons; and this rule should generally be observed, unless names be concealed, wheresover the faults or follies of mankind are our present theme.

Our late archbishop Tillotson has written a small but excellent discourse on evil speaking, wherein he admirably explains, limits, and applies that general apostolic precept, Speak evil of no man, Tit. iii. 2.

VIII. BE not too hasty to erect general theories from a few particular observations, appearances, or experiments. This is what the logicians call a false induction. When general observations are drawn from so many particulars as to become certain and indubitable, these are jewels of knowledge, comprehending great treasure in a little room; but they are therefore to be made with the greater care and caution, lest errors become large and diffusive, if we should mistake in these general notions.

A hasty determination of some universal principles, without a due survey of all the particular cases which may be included in them, is the way to lay a trap for our own understandings in their pursuit of any subject, and we shall often be taken captives into mistake and falsehood. Niveo in his youth observed, that on three Christmas-days together there fell a good quantity of snow, and now he hath writ it down in his almanack as part of his wise remarks on the weather, that it will always snow at Christmas. Euron, a young lad, took notice ten times that there was a sharp frost when the wind was in the north-east; therefore, in the middle of last July, he almost expected it should freeze, because the weather-cocks shewed him a north-east wind and he was still more disappointed when he found it a very sultry season. It is the same hasty judgement that hath thrown scandal on a whole nation

:

or the sake of

some

some culpable characters belonging to several particular natives of that country; whereas all the Frenchmen are not gay and airy; all the Italians are not jealous and revengeful; nor all the English over-run with the spleen.

CHAP. VI.

Of Books and Reading.

I.

THE world is full of books, but there are multitudes which are so ill written that they were never worth any man's reading; and there are thousands more which may be good in their kind, yet are worth nothing, when the month, or year, or occasion is past for which they were written. Others may be valuable in themselves for some special purpose, or in some peculiar science, but are not fit to be perused by any but those who are engaged in that particular science or business. To what use is it for a divine or physician, or a tradesman, to read over the huge volumes of reports of judged cases in the law? or for a lawyer to learn Hebrew, and read the Rabbins? It is of vast advantage for improvement of knowledge, and saving time, for a young man to have the most proper books for his reading recommended by a judicious friend.

II. Books of importance of any kind, and especially complete treatises on any subject, should be first read in a more general and cursory manner, to learn a little what the treatise promises, and what you may expect from the writer's manner and skill. And for this end, I would advise always that the preface be read, and a survey taken of the table of contents, if there be one, before the first survey of the book. By this means you will not only be better fitted to give the book the first reading, but you will be much assisted in your second perusal of it, which should be done with greater attention and deliberation, and you will learn with more ease and readiness what the author pretends to teach. In your reading, mark