One of the greatest Pleasures a Man can propofe to himself in this World is to live with a fmall, felect Company of learned and virtuous Friends, in an uninterrupted Intercourse of mutual Civilities and Endearments. A refined and masterly Converfation with Men of this Turn, brightens the Imagination, and ripens the Judgment, and convinceth us, how much the Friend improves the Scholar. As by reading we take in a vast many Ideas; fo, by Converfation, we learn to marshal them in their proper Order. The Style of feveral Learned Men has been embarraffed and perplexed; for no other Reafon, I believe, but because they had too much led the Lives of Reclufes. Their Heads, instead of a regular Train of Thinking, have been crammed with a confused Groupe of Ideas.

The Earl of CLARENDON, in his Survey of the Leviathan, informs us, that Mr. HOBBES fpent too muchTime in Thinking, and too little in Exercising thofe Thoughts in the Company of other Men of the fame, or as good Facultics: For Want whereof he contracted fuch a Morofity, that he was at the fame Time poffeffed with a Spirit of Contradiction, and yet impatient of Contradiction from others. Converfation therefore is very neceffary to beat down that overbearing Temper, and Self-sufficiency of Mind, which is fo very difagreeable to the

World.

World. Men of the most enlarged Views cannot take in the whole Compafs and Extent of Truth: Almost every-one, by a peculiar Caft of Mind, fees Things in a different Light. Wherefore Perfons of lower Attainments very often make fome Discoveries, which have escaped the Obfervation of Men of much greater Depth and Penetration: As poorer Countries can boast of some distinguishing Products, which the richer are deftitute of. Whether Providence did not wifely ordain this, that the latter might not entertain an overweening Conceit of their own Abilities, and the former have too great a Diffidence of their own Parts, I shall not presume to determine. However, the Thing itself is too obvious to admit of any Difpute; and from hence we may gather the Neceffity of interchanging our Thoughts in Difcourfe, if we would improve them to the utmost.

There are fome Men, who have excellent good Senfe, and yet are very diftrustful of it. A little Modesty indeed is a thin transparent Veil, that fhews thofe Graces, which it would feem to cover. One of this Make is like a new-blown Rofe, which is more fweet and beautiful, when it's Leaves are a little folded, than when it's Glories are fully difplayed. But, on the contrary, an excesive Modefty lays a Perfon under fuch Apprehenfions of offending, that it makes

I i3

him

him lefs capable of pleafing. To remedy this Inconvenience, a Club of fincere learned Friends may be of admirable Ufe. Here he may give the full Play to his Genius, and defcant upon any Topick with Freedom, where he is fure nothing will be discovered to his Disadvantage; and, in fhort, bring every Thought to the Teft and Examination of thofe Gentlemen; who have that ingenuous Frame of Mind, that generous Sincerity of Heart, as to be very ready and willing, that diftinguishing Judgment, and Clearness of Head, as to be very able, to point out his Beauties and Faults; to rectify his Mistakes, and applaud his Excellencies.

The last and greatest Advantage I shall mention, is that of mutual Advice: "It may "be reasonably believed," (fays the Noble Hiftorian, of the Duke of BUCKINGHAM) "that if he had been bleft with one faithful "Friend, who had been qualified with "Wisdom and Integrity, that great Perfon "would have committed as few Faults, and "done as tranfcendent worthy Actions, as

any Man who shined in such a Sphere in "that Age in all Europe." But for Want of this Happiness, "he was carried away "by the Current, or rather Torrent of his "impetuous Paffions." A remarkable and pregnant Inftance of the Advantages of Friendship! When an intimate Friend feems to be actuated with a Spirit of Sincerity;

and

and gives us to understand, he has our Interest much at Heart: This opens all the Avenues to our Mind, ftrengthens and enforces his Admonitions, fo that they never fail to make a much deeper Impreffion, than the moft masterly Strokes of a Book of Morality. We confider the Author as influenced by a Motive of doing Good in general; whereas the Friend is acted by a Concern for us in particular; and this Confideration makes us lay his Advice more to Heart. A Society of Friends will not think it fufficient to reprove a Man for flagrant, enormous Faults; but will make it their Business to animadvert upon any little Indecency or Flaw in his Conduct. Dr. HAMMOND ufed to fay, it was a poor Design in Friendship to keep the Man we admitted to our Bofom only from being fcandalous; as if the Physician should only secure his Patient from the Plague.

IIdly, Upon the Subject Matter of Converfation.

If I were to propose any Model for Conversation; I fhould chufe that of XENOPHON's Symposium, where the Discourse was diverting without any Levity or Impertinence, and inftructive without any Stiffness or Aufterity. We are told in the Bibliotheque Choife, that Mr. LOCKE, Mr. LE CLERC, and Mr. LIMBORCH used I i 4

to

to meet conftantly once a Week, and difcufs fome very important Question, which they had pitched upon before. This Method thefe famous Authors took, to enlarge the Sphere of their Knowledge by communicating their Thoughts. If Difcourfe were

altogether confined to ftated Subjects, it might perhaps be too formal; if intirely occafional, it might evaporate in light Trifles. The best Way therefore would be to obferve a Medium, and to fet apart about two Hours for some stated Subject, and to give up the reft to any incidental Converfation.

I have known fome Companies, in which, if a Man talked virtuously he incurred the Imputation of Hypocrify; if learnedly, that of Pedantry. Surely no Man of Merit will ever prostitute his good Senfe to low Ribaldry and Obfcenity, when Learning opens to him the nobleft Fields of Speculation, Wit must run very low, if nothing but the Dregs and Sediments of Impurity appear; and it is a Maxim with me, that no one, that had wherewithal to entertain a found and unbiaffed Reason, would ever addrefs himself with lewd Talk to the corrupt Paffions and Inclinations of Mankind.

To return from this Digreffion; I would by all Means, next to Virtue and Religion in general, recommend Polemical Divinity. It would be too fhocking to attack Christianity

directly