In the pursuit of these fciences, it will be proper to proceed with the fame gradation and caution as in geometry. And it is always of ufe to decorate the nakedness of science, by interfperfing such obfervations and narratives as may amuse the mind and excite curiofity. Thus, in explaining the state of the polar regions, it might be fit to read the narrative of the Englishmen that wintered in Greenland, which will make young minds fufficiently curious after the caufe of fuch a length of night, and intenfenefs of cold; and many ftratagems of the fame kind might be practised to intereft them in all parts of their studies, and call in their paffions to animate their inquiries. When they have read this treatise, it will be proper to recommend to them Varenius's Geography, and Gregory's Aftronomy.

IV. The ftudy of chronology and history feems to be one of the most natural delights of the human mind. It is not eafy to live without inquiring by what means every thing was brought into the ftate in which we now behold it, or without finding in the mind fome defire of being informed concerning the generations of mankind that have been in poffeffion of the world before us, whether they were better or worse than ourselves; or what good or evil has been derived to us from their fchemes, practices, and inftitutions. Thefe are inquiries which history alone can fatisfy; and hijtory can only be made intelligible by fome knowledge of chronology, the fcience by which events are ranged in their order, and the periods of computation are fettled; and which therefore affifts

the memory by method, and enlightens the judgment by fhewing the dependence of one tranfaction on another. Accordingly it should be diligently inculcated to the fcholar, that unless he fixes in his mind fome idea of the time in which each man of eminence lived, and each action was performed, with fome part of the contemporary history of the rest of the world, he will confume his life in ufelefs reading, and darken his mind with a crowd of unconnected events; his memory will be perplexed with diftant tranfactions refembling one another, and his reflections be like a dream in a fever, bufy and turbulent, but confused and indistinct.

The technical part of chronology, or the art of computing and adjusting time, as it is very difficult, fo it is not of abfolute neceffity, but should however be taught, fo far as it can be learned without the lofs of thofe hours which are required for attainments of nearer concern. The ftudent may join with this treatise Le Clerc's Compendium of History; and afterwards may, for the hiftorical part of chronology, procure Helvicus's and Ifaacfon's Tables; and, if he is defirous of attaining the technical part, may first perufe Holder's Account of Time, Hearne's Ductor Hiftoricus, Strauchius, the first part of Petavius's Rationarium Temporum; and at length Scaliger de Emendatione Temporum. And for inftruction in the method of his hiftorical ftudies, he may confult Hearne's Ductor Hiftoricus, Wheare's Lectures, Rawlinson's Directions for the Study of Hiflory; and for ecclefiaftical history, Cave and Dupin, Baronius and Fleury.

V. Rhetorick

V. Rhetorick and poetry fupply life with its highest intellectual pleasures; and in the hands of virtue are of great ufe for the impreffion of just sentiments, and recommendation of illuftrious examples. In the practice of these great arts, so much more is the effect of nature than the effect of education, that nothing is attempted here but to teach the mind fome general heads of observation, to which the beautiful paffages of the best writers may commonly be reduced. In the use of this it is not proper that the teacher should confine himself to the examples before him; for by that method he will never enable his pupils to make juft application of the rules; but, having inculcated the true meaning of each figure, he should require them to exemplify it by their own obfervations, pointing to them the poem, or, in longer works, the book or canto in which an example may be found, and leaving them to discover the particular paffage by the light of the rules which they have lately learned.

For a farther progress in these studies, they may confult Quintilian and Voffius's Rhetorick; the art of poetry will be best learned from Bofu and Bohours in French, together with Dryden's Effays and Prefaces, the critical Papers of Addifon, Spence on Pope's Odysey, and Trapp's Prælectiones Poetica; but a more accurate and philofophical account is expected from a commentary upon Ariftotle's Art of Poetry, with which the literature of this nation will be in a fhort time augmented.

VI. With regard to the practice of drawing, it is not neceffary to give any directions, the ufe of

the treatife being only to teach the proper method of imitating the figures which are annexed. It will be proper to incite the scholars to industry, by fhewing in other books the ufe of the art, and informing them how much it affifts the apprehenfion, and relieves the memory; and if they are obliged fometimes to write descriptions of engines, utenfils, or any complex pieces of workmanship, they will more fully apprehend the neceflity of an expedient which so happily fupplies the defects of language, and enables the eye to conceive what cannot be conveyed to the mind any other way. When they have read this treatise, and practifed upon these figures, their theory may be improved by the Jefuit's Perspective, and their manual operations by other figures which may be easily procured.

VII. Logick, or the art of arranging and connecting ideas, of forming and examining arguments, is univerfally allowed to be an attainment in the utmost degree worthy the ambition of that being whofe highest honour is to be endued with reafon; but it is doubted whether that ambition has yet been gratified, and whether the powers of ratiocination have been much improved by any fyftems of art, or methodical inftitutions. The logick which for fo many ages kept poffeffion of the fchools, has at laft been condemned as a mere art of wrangling, of very little use in the pursuit of truth; and latér writers have contented themfelves with giving an account of the operations of the mind, marking the various stages of her progrefs, and giving fome general rules for the regulation of her conduct. The method of thefe writers is here followed;

but

but without a fervile adherence to any, and with endeavours to make improvements upon all. This work, however laborious, has yet been fruitlefs, if there be truth in an obfervation very frequently made, that logicians out of the fchool do not reafon better than men unaffifted by thofe lights which their fcience is supposed to bestow. It is not to be doubted but that logicians may be fometimes overborne by their paffions, or blinded by their prejudices; and that a man may reafon ill, as he may act ill, not because he does not know what is right, but because he does not regard it; yet it is no more the fault of his art that it does not direct him when his attention is withdrawn from it, than it is the defect of his fight that he misses his way when he shuts his eyes. Against this cause of error there is no provifion to be made, otherwife than by inculcating the value of truth, and the neceffity of conquering the paffions. But logick may likewife fail to produce its effects upon common occafions, for want of being frequently and familiarly applied, till its precepts may direct the mind imperceptibly, as the fingers of a mufician are regulated by his knowledge of the tune. This readiness of recollection is only to be procured by frequent impreffion; and therefore it will be proper, when logick has been once learned, the teacher take frequent occafion, in the moft eafy and familiar converfation, to obferve when its rules are preferved, and when they are broken; and that afterwards he read no authors, without exacting of his pupil an account of every remarkable exemplification or breach of the laws of reafoning.

When