Table Of ContentMnox's Essegh
Nouegl
ban
Grarpara Joy fie Librasy
Gove. of West Brae
KNOK‘*S ESSAYS,
Ep
one,
SPrgiict
if Tray y
No. "On Estey
Trrosk Sages of antiguib whos
proyements in knowledge, and virtue
dublous efrim to the appellation of yrisa men; were
Jet to modest to assume a name ‘whielt Wad the
Appeatance of ostentation, and rather choge to He
called Plulowphers, or Lovers of Wisdom, From
suuilat mo¥ves, many of the Modems, who heve
vefforen with great skill on eubjects of morality andi
ecitnce, have infitled their, praductions, 1 7a
ich, thought may now convey the idea of
yegular treatises und dissertatidhs, is synonymous
‘ith the word Attempts, Snd wnezos no more thigt
humble endeavours to instruct or to amuse. A
nriter who, & a Igte period, pursuing the trick of
those celebrated authors plo preceded him, boldly
promises émprovatient on hve prederessora, is
recewwed with ‘thare indigfation which aeragance,
even when supported by some alegroa of therit,
naturally excites; butehe’ why piptesses only an
attempt, however unsuecosful, has a clains lo came
dont and indulgence. Fulure hne ceased to he
ridiculous, where presumption has thet made pre»
tensions, nor confidence antiaipated surcase.
Maoy works therefbre, distinguished by tha an
arkuming title, Kave becn well received, and have
ebtamea a very exaltcd:plncdip the scale of literary
BOL. XL1e B .
2 KMOR’S ESEAYS, xh
honJWB. None have become more populatin their
own countrf, than those periediea! papers, which
were published by the Tatler, tH Guardian, and
the’Spertator, aad which haye been successively
imitated by Beer *wtiters. ‘The® taste and moraiy
of the nétion ieeteba more generully igproved
by these excgllent thopgh sliort and detached com-
jonsfthap by long, ‘regtlat, elaborate ayctoms.
9 were addressed te the heart and.imagination,
tnd fitted for the diaunts of'men eagéyed in the eu-
ploymenta of common tife;aRile, scivgtitic tyeatises?
‘of athics were calcalated only for the exerci: of
Yecholastic disputation! fuwl+their influence on the
conduct of lite, if they ever posecssed any, was'ci
cumeeribed wiflin narrow limits, -Addioqpy, Hike
peefues to whom he las oftea been compared,
ought down knowledge from those heights which
were accessible only to pypfessed stholurs, aud
phiced it within the reach of all, who, to naymal
and common sense, added the advamage of u capi
mon education. He it #as whe stripped philosophy
of that unbecoming garb in which she had been
@isgilsed by her mistaken followers, and repre+
agp hher attired by the Graces, like the Goddess
‘Benaty.
” he votaties of the severor musgs nave sometimes
ventured to despise this crertaiming species of pra-
dations, as futile ands superféial. , Thoy have
aserted that trugh needs net embellishment, and
that the ornamenfs Which sh¢ borrows from imagi-
nation age no Ress unkecdming than pnnecessary
But the real utility of titerary Inbours ia to be esti-
mated by the extent of their influence on the nae
tional mapners and yoderstanding. ‘Tyuth, how-
wprer, wheh delivered With thik systematic precision
‘which is approved io the achools of philosophy, will
Rot have charnis enoogh fo detain the common
xe KNOX'S ESSAYS. 3
reader who takes ap 2 book for tne amusement of
a leigure wu, apd who must be tempted to adimit
instruction, by the prospect of receiving pleasure.
Tn evary thousand sf those wha, bare heen dokghted
with the papers of Addiaon, poghayfuot wore than
ane haw scen the Principia df Newton, Proies
adequate ta the merits of s exulted’a genin
was Its who discovered the tre systctu of the
verse, can scarcely be bestowed; nur ig itdet action
Fron fis fae to asyers, that face his Usvories
require a painfoleattention to culap -ozn.terbem,
they will aot generally bgastentled w.,00 1 coma
mercial country like ur Own, where only thy short
‘interval which the pursuit of gain, apd the ptactice
of mechanic arts affords, will be devoted 1s letters
by the mere numerous classes af the community
Avd indeed jt rust be confessed, that though tho
abstruxer doctrines of philosophy may be high}y
iesesting to the man af science, and may quulify
, lish for a profesdor's chair, or a seat at the board of
longitude, yet'they teem nat to have eny tendency
to render him better in his eivil Bod social relstionae.
‘T never could find that ‘the Elements of Eunlid
taught any one to be & better father, hwaband, son,
or citizen. “Mathematical truth ja indeed a most
beautiful object df, contanplation ; but moral truth
is better calculated’ to excite and rewaed the atten
tion of the busy world. * *
The great Bacon, wba pointed out the path:to
those sublime heights ia phitosapty, at which hia
followers hate arrived, wood never havetbroaght
his spgculationshome to men’s business aud bosoms,
to use his qn expressions, if he had hot written his
Essaye; @ work which, as it was of the must exten-
sige consequencg, antl moat essily understood, was
tha most popular of all his productions in his own
country. The remarks tgined in it are eyeh
