matter perfectly himself. There is not a finer piece of criticism than the differtation on pastorals by FONTENELLE; in which, by a number of reflections and philosophical reasonings, he endeavours to fix the juft medium, which is fuitable to that fpecies of writing. But let any one read the paftorals of that author, and he will be convinced, that this judicious critic, notwithstanding his fine reasonings, had a false taste, and fixed the point of perfection much nearer the extreme of refinement than paftoral poetry will admit of. The fentiments of his fhepherds are better fuited to the toilettes of PARIS, than to the forefts of ARCADIA. But this it is impoffible to difcover from his critical reasonings. He blames all exceffive painting and ornament as much as VIRGIL could have done, had that great poet writ a differtation on this fpecies of poetry. However different the tastes of men, their general difcourse on these subjects is commonly the fame. No criticifm can be inftructive, which defcends not to particulars, and is not full of examples and illustrations. It is allowed on all hands, that beauty, as well as virtue, always lies in a medium; but where this medium is placed, is a great question, and can never be fufficiently explained by general reasonings.

I fhall deliver it as a third obfervation on this fubject, That we ought to be more on our guard against the excess of refinement than that of fimplicity; and that because the former excefs is both less beautiful, and more dangerous than the

latter.

It is a certain rule, that wit and paffion are entirely incompatible. When the affections are moved, there is no place for the imagination. The mind of man being naturally limited, it is impoffible that all its faculties can operate at once: And the more any one predominates, the less room is there for the others to exert their vigour.

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vigour. For this reafon, a greater degree of fimplicity is required in all compofitions, where men, and actions, and paffions are painted, than in fuch as confift of reflections and obfervations. And as the former fpecies of writing is the more engaging and beautiful, one may fafely, upon this account, give the preference to the extreme of fimplicity above that of refinement.

We may alfo obferve, that thofe compofitions, which we read the oftenest, and which every man of taste has got by heart, have the recommendation of fimplicity, and have nothing furprifing in the thought, when divefted of that elegance of expreffion, and harmony of numbers, with which it is clothed. If the merit of the compofition lie in a point of wit, it may ftrike at first; but the mind anticipates the thought in the fecond perufal, and is no longer affected by it. When I read an epigram of MARTIAL, the first line recalls the whole; and I have no pleasure in repeating to myself what I know already. But each line, each word in CATULLUS, has its merit; and I am never tired with the perusal of him. It is fufficient to run over COWLEY once: But PARNEL, after the fiftieth reading, is as fresh as at the firft. Befides, it is with books as with women, where a certain plainness of manner and of dress is more engaging, than that glare of paint and airs and apparel, which may dazzle the eye, but reaches not the affections. TERENCE is a modest and bashful beauty, to whom we grant every thing, because he assumes nothing, and whose purity and nature make a durable, though not a violent impreffion on us.

But refinement, as it is the less beautiful, fo is it the more dangerous extreme, and what we are the aptest to fall into. Simplicity passes for dulness, when it is not accompanied

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accompanied with great elegance and propriety. On the contrary, there is something surprising in a blaze of wit and conceit. Ordinary readers are mightily ftruck with it, and falfely imagine it to be the moft difficult, as well as moft excellent way of writing. SENECA abounds. with agreeable faults, fays QUINTILIAN, abundat dulcibus vitiis; and for that reason is the more dangerous, and the more apt to pervert the taste of the young and inconfiderate.

I fhall add, that the excess of refinement is now more to be guarded against than ever; because it is the extreme, which men are the moft apt to fall into, after learning has made fome progress, and after eminent writers have appeared in every fpecies of compofition. The endeavour to please by novelty leads men wide of fimplicity and nature, and fills their writings with affectation and conceit. It was thus the ASIATIC eloquence degenerated fo much from the ATTIC: It was thus the age of CLAUDIUS and NERO became fo much inferior to that of AuGUSTUS in taste and genius: And perhaps there are, at prefent, some symptoms of a like degeneracy of tafte, in FRANCE as well as in ENGLAND.

ESSAY

XXI.

Of NATIONAL CHARACTERS.

HE vulgar are apt to carry all national characters

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principle, that any people are knavish, or cowardly, or ignorant, they will admit of no exception, but comprehend every individual under the fame cenfure. Men of fense condemn these undistinguishing judgments: Though at the fame time, they allow, that each nation has a peculiar fet of manners, and that fome particular qualities are more frequently to be met with among one people than among their neighbours. The common people in SWITZERLAND have probably more honefty than those of the fame rank in IRELAND; and every prudent man will, from that circumftance alone, make a difference in the truft which he repofes in each. We have reason to expect greater wit and gaiety in a FRENCHMAN than in a SPANIARD; though CERVANTES was born in SPAIN. An ENGLISMAN will naturally be supposed to have more knowledge than a DANE; though TYCHO BRAHE was a native of DENMARK.

Different reasons are affigned for these national characters; while fome account for them from moral, others from phyfical caufes. By moral causes, I mean all circumftances,

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cumftances, which are fitted to work on the mind as motives or reasons, and which render a peculiar fet of manners habitual to us. Of this kind are, the nature of the government, the revolutions of public affairs, the plenty or penury in which the people live, the fituation of the nation with regard to its neighbours, and fuch like circumstances. By phyfical caufes, I mean those qualities of the air and climate which are supposed to work infenfibly on the temper, by altering the tone and habit of the body, and giving a particular complexion, which, though reflection and reafon may fometimes overcome it, will yet prevail among the generality of mankind, and have an influence on their manners.

That the character of a nation will much depend on moral causes, must be evident to the most fuperficial obferver; fince a nation is nothing but a collection of individuals, and the manners of individuals are frequently determined by these causes. As poverty and hard labour debase the minds of the common people, and render them unfit for any science and ingenious profeffion; fo where any government becomes very oppreffive to all its fubjects, it must have a proportional effect on their temper and genius, and muft banish all the liberal arts from among them.

The fame principle of moral caufes fixes the character of different profeffions, and alters even that difpofition, which the particular members receive from the hand of nature. A foldier and a priest are different characters, in all nations, and all ages; and this difference is founded on circumstances, whofe operation is eternal and unalterable.

The uncertainty of their life makes foldiers lavish and generous, as well as braye: Their idleness, together