ced feven or eight pages in a week; and fometimes it lay by without growth. like a vegetable in the winter, and did not increase half fo much in the revolution of a year. As these thoughts occurred to me in reading or meditation, or in my notices of the various appearances of things among mankind, they were thrown under thofe heads which makes the prefent titles ofthe chapters,and were by degrees reduced to fomething like a method, fuch as the fubject would admit. On these accounts it is not to be expected that the fame accurate order should be observed either in the whole bock, or in the particular chapters thereof, which is neceffary in the fyftem of any fcience, whofe scheme. is projected at once. A book which has been twenty years a writing, may be indulged in fome variety of ftyle and manner, though I hope there will not be found any great difference of fentiment; for wherein I had improved in later years beyond what I had first written, a few dashes and alterations have corrected the mistakes: And if the candour of the reader will but allow what is defective in one place to be fupplied by additions from another, I hope there will be found a fufficient reconciliation of what might feem at first to be fcarcely confiftent. The language and drefs of thefe fentiments is fuch as the present temper of mind di&ated, whether it were grave or pleasant severe or fmiling. If there has been any thing expreffed with too much feverity, I fufpect it will be found to fall upon thofe fneering or daring writers of the age against religion, and against the Chriftian fcheme, who feemed to have left reafon, or decency, or both, behind them in some of their writings: The fame apology of the length of years in compofing this book may ferve alfo to excufe a repetition of the fame fentiments which may happen to be found in diffe rent places without the author's defign; but in other pages it was intended, fo that thofe rules for the conduct of the understanding which are molt neceffary, fhould be fet in feveral lights, that they might with more frequent and more force imprefs the foul. I fhall be fufficiently fatisfied with the good humour and lenity of my readers, if they will pleafe to regard thefe papers as parcels of imperfect sketches, which were defigned by a fudden pencil, and in a thousand leifure moments, to be one day collected into landskips of fome little profpects in the regions of learning, and in the world of common life, pointing out the fairest and most fruitful fpots, as well as the rocks and wildeineffes, and faithlefs moraffes of the country. But I feel age advancing upon me, and my health is infufficient to perfect what I had defigned, to increafe and amplify these remarks, to comfirm and improve thefe rules, and to illuminate the feveral pages with a richer and more beautiful variety of examples. The fubject is almost endless, and new writers in the prefent and in following ages may ftill find fufficient follies, weaknesses and dangers among mankind, to be reprefented in fuci a manner as to guard youth against them. Thefe hints, fuch as they are, I hope may be rendered fome way useful to perfons in younger years, who will favour them with a perufal, and who would feek the cultivation of their own understandings in the early days of life. Perhaps they may find fomething here which may awake a latent genius, and direct the ftudies of a willing mind. Perhaps it may point out to a ftudent now and then, what may employ the most useful labours of his thoughts, and accelerate his diligence in the most momentous inquiries. Perhaps a fprightly youth may here meet with fomething to guard or warn him against mistakes, and withhold him at other times from those pursuits which are like to be fruitlefs and disappointing. Let it be obferved alfo, that in our age feveral of the ladies purfue fcience with fuccefs; and others of them are defirous of improving their reafon even in common affairs of life, as well as the men: yet the characters which are here drawn occafionally, are almoft univerfally applied to one fex; but if any of the other fhall find a character which fuits them, they may, by a fmall change of the termination, apply and affume it. to themselves, and accept the inftruction, the admonition, or the applaufe which is defigned in it. There is yet another thing which it is neceffary my reader fhould be informed of; but whether he will call it fortunate or unhappy, I know not. It is fufficiently evident that the book confifts of two parts: The first lays down remarks and rules how we may attain ufeful knowledge ourselves; and the fecond, how we may beft communicate it to others. These were both defigned to be printed in this volume; but a manufcript which hath been near twenty years in hand, may be easily fuppofed to allow of fuch difference in the hand-writing, fo many lines altered, fo many things interlined, and many paragraphs and pages here and there inferted, that it was not easy to compute the number of sheets that it would make in print: and it now appears, that the remarks and rules about the communication of knowledge being excluded here, they must be left to another volume; wherein will be contained various obfervations relating to methods of inftruction, the ftyle and manner of it, the way of convincing other perfons, of guarding youth against prejudices of treating and managing the prejudices of men, of the use and abufe of authority, of education, and of the various things in which children and youth fhould be inftructed, of their proper bufinefs and diverfions, and of the degrees of liberty and reftraint therein, &c. Of all which I had once defigned a more complete treatife; but my years advancing, I now defpair to finish it. The effays or chapters on thefe fubjects being already written, if I am favoured with a tolerable degree of health, will be put to the prefs, when the favourable acceptance of this first part hall give fufficient encouragement to proceed. CONTENTS. PART FIRST. Page Chap. I. General Rules for the Improvement of Chap. 11. Obfervation, Reading, Instruction by |