view but to accumulate Difficulties and Objections, they fhun the Light, and avoid the force of any Argument brought against them; their Pleasure and Glory is, never to affent. 2. They display their Humour of doubting and contradicting, when the Question is about Religion and Morality as they will indulge their Paffions without controul, they look upon every thing as falfe,or at least as doubtful, that might be a Check upon their Defires and Inclinations.

IN the fecond Section, the Author treats of the Causes of Pyrrhonifm. Pyrrhonifm, fays he, has been introduced by degrees; Men found it was fafe not to determine any thing upon one Question, because they did not underftand it thoroughly; the fame happened with regard to another Queftion, and afterwards to feveral others thus Experience taught them never to be too pofitive; but wifely to fufpend their Judgment, whenever they wanted Light or Information. What was thus prudently done with regard to divers obfcure Matters, was done afterwards out of Lazinefs; Men were glad to doubt of every thing, to avoid the trouble of examining any thing.

MR.De Croufaz gives us afterwards the particular Caufes of Pyrrhonifm. The first is the being addicted to empty Conjectures and precarious Hypothefes. This the Profeffors of all Sciences have been guilty of, as our Author fhews at large with regard to Natural Philofophy, Ethicks and Divinity. In all thefe, Sciences, vain Suppofitions have been given for Matter of Fact; Truth has been blended with Falfhood, and the ill-grounded Notions of fallible Men have been deliver'd as the Dictates of the Holy Ghost: this gave a handle to Men of Senfe,

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Senfe, but too hafty in paffing their Judgment, to maintain that there is nothing certain in the World; but this is a rafh Conclufion, fince it does not follow, that all Propofitions must be uncertain or falfe, because a great many are fo. The Author explains next how Scepticism was introduced amongst the Ancients,and afterwards amongst the Moderns: but he only enlarges here upon what he had already faid in the beginning of this Section, therefore we think it needless to repeat at large, what we have faid in a few words above. We fhall only observe, that according to Mr. De Croufaz, the Method of difputing in moft Univerfities infpires young Students with an Humour of Gainfaying, and is the Reason why afterwards they don't mind fo much how to find out Truth, as how to get the Victory over their Adversary. This the Author thinks is another Caufe of Pyrrhonism.

A boundless Ambition has alfo very much contributed to the spreading of Scepticism. In moft Countries People are obliged to pay a blind Submiffion to their Teachers in Matters of Religion: They must think and fpeak like their Rulers; and fince there is nothing they examined thoroughly, they can not be faid to know any thing certainly. If a Man happens to reflect upon what he thus took upon truft, he will foon find that he believes a great many things without the leaft ground; this will make him fufpect all the reft, from one Extream he will run into another; and from being credulous he'll become a Sceptick.

ENVY is the genuine Offspring of Ambition, and is no where more common than amongst the Learned, or thofe that are called fo: but nothing does more effectually stop the progrefs of

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all valuable Sciences than Envy: the Mischiefs it occafions are fufficiently known, and confidering how Children are educated at School, it is furprifing, that Vice does not run farther ftill. "School-Mafters, fays Mr. De Croufaz, fancy they are the greatest Men in the World,

when inftead of chaftifing their Scholars, they "know how to work upon their Pride and En"vy: one must be very little acquainted with "human Nature, not to know how great an In"fluence thefe early Suggeftions, these first Habits

have uponthe whole Life. -Young Peoplefull " of Malice and Envy, are taught to look upon "the Superiority others have above them, not

only as a Diminution of their own Fame,butalfo "as a real Difgrace. It is therefore impoffible, "they fhould afterwards acknowledge in others a "Preheminence that fo much mortifies their "Pride. Self-love will foon make them find

fome Pretence not to admit the Opinions of "those they envy for this is the Effect of Self"love; it makes us look upon our own Con

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jectures as probable, fo that we admit them "after a very flight Inquiry, and it hinders us "from examining thoroughly the Opinions of "others, and to mind the Strength of the Rea"fons they are grounded upon; if we can but

oppose against them a few Difficulties, or fufpect there is fomething weak in them, it "is enough to perfuade us, they want Evidence, "the effential Character of Truth." Thus far our Author; and here we'll obferve that what Mr.De Croufaz calls Envy,is by others call'dEmulation; but whether Envy and Emulation be two different Names of the fame Paffion, or whether they be two diftinct Paffions, the first No. XXI. 1733. odious, VOL. IV.

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odious, bafe, and mischievous, the other amiable, glorious, and ufeful; we leave our Readers to judge.

It would make this Abstract run to an exorbitant length, if we were to enlarge upon all the Caufes of Pyrrhonifm, which our Author explains, fince he finds about a dozen and a half of them, we fhall take notice of such only as feem to be the most extenfive and effectual. SFght and fuperficial Studies, fays Mr. De Grou faz, are certainly a Caufe of Scepticifm... When Men have read a great deal, and made fome. Obfervations upon what they read, they think it is time to enjoy the Fruits of their Labour: We live in an Age, in which Learning and Wit are highly esteem'd they entitle a Man to a kind Reception from Perfons of the greatest Quality but as Perfons of Quality have not time, or do not care to dive into the Sciences, fo a Man, who will make himself acceptable, muft talk of Sciences only in a fuperficial Manner: he muft not pretend to any thing more than a bare Probability; the Grandees love to perfuade themselves, that no great Trouble is required to know things as perfectly as they can be known. Thus, according to our Author, is Scepticifm countenanced by Persons of the highest Rank in the World.

ANOTHER Caufe of Pyrrhonifi is the Averfion People have for Religion; here again the Author enlarges upon what he had offered already in the firft Section: and as the Reader may eafily underftand how a corrupt Heart can induce a Man to disbelieve all Religion, we need not give an Account of what Mr. De Croufaz fays upon that Subject; we'll only obferve, that, to ridicule the Scepticks, he talks here in

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an ironical Style, of which he is fo good to inform us in a marginal Note, for fear we should mistake his Meaning.

OUR Author directs afterwards a fort of a Sermon, if I may fo call it, first to the Divines, then to the Heads of Families, and finally to all the World. We'll take the liberty to tranflate here part of that Sermon, for the ufe of our English Divines. "I beg of them, fays Mr. De Croufaz, for the fake of the Chriftian Religion, that they be conftantly upon "their guard, never to introduce any thing in"to their Syftem of Chriftianity, but what can "certainly and clearly be proved by the Holy

Scripture. I humbly defire them to confider, "whether it be not better to remain ignorant "with regard to certain Articles, than to run "the hazard of falling into dangerous Errors, by pretending to go beyond the Bounds of our present Capacity. A Doctrine, tho' uncertain, if propofed with as much confidence, as the most unquestionable Truths, "will eafily be believed by young People, "who take upon truft whatever they are taught: "But a Doctrine thus taken upon truft, if ill

grounded, may be doubted of afterwards, in that dangerous Age, when the Paffions reign 4 in a manner without controul, and Reafon begins to exert its power; and what will be the Confequence? Dreadful! One Doctrine, found falfe or uncertain, is enough to make "young People doubt of all the reft, when a "thousand Circumftances concur to create in them aDifguft forReligion and Piety. I hopeDivines will not take it ill, if I eagerly intreat them not to make themselves odious by the Power and Authority they enjoy nor out of

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