proof of talents profoundly original, might seem to indicate, that in his other works he had adorned the very province of instruction, where the public want most remost required the exertion of those gifts, by nature and habit, so richly bestowed upon him. Be that as it will, we are told that one drop of cold water will chill and condense a mighty volume of steam: and one cannot wonder, that Paley's freedom of speculation should show itself so little in the prudent years of later life, when, at the very first outset of a young and vigorous spirit, he was rebuked for proposing, in an academical exercise, to controvert the eternity of hell torments, which even the cautious orthodoxy of our church has not made an article of faith, and the necessity of capital punishments, which has never been reckoned otherwise than a fair point for philosophical and political dis

cussion.

When I first heard of the question for the Senior Bachelors' Essay in 1765, you may remember my remark, that we might naturally anticipate, but not for vulgar reasons, Paley's choice in espousing the Epicurean rather than the Stoic cause. At no time of his life could he be mistaken for one "of those budge doctors of the Stoic fur;" and certainly not about the time of writing that Essay. The composition of it therefore found Paley going a certain road, and such an effort of study might help to determine the strong tendencies of his character, by adding the conviction of intellect to the force of nature and habit. The young academic, as some of us well recollect, lets his mind be earnestly interested in maintaining either side of a question, even

when he is not free to choose whether: but in Paley's defence of an argument freely chosen, and virtually involving the point on which his own peculiarity of feeling, speaking, and acting, very much hinged, one is easily led to fancy, that the peculiarity itself would be greatly developed in the progress of discussion. And on the whole the perusal of the Essay did not in any way disappoint the expectation with which I took it up. The young adventurer proceeds, it is true, with a more controlled and delicate step: but still it is the gait and march of Paley. This appears more strikingly in the English notes, which indeed possess the vigour and clearness of his usual style, with many things now and then in his boldest manner of expression.

What language for instance can be more pregnant with sense than his calling the Stoics" those Pharisees in philosophy;" and what more just, if we only consider that spiritual pride and hypocrisy belonged to both sects alike, and that while the one raised the observance of external rites to an equality of obligation with the moral law, the other pertinaciously maintained that all crimes are equal. The Stoic paradox, though defended by the subtlety of Cicero, stands exposed by the wit of Horace to just contempt; and must on every principle of common sense be exploded, as inhuman in its spirit. and immoral in its tendency. Paley, who never weakens the claims of duty by over-stating them, and whe marks criminality with a candid eye on a graduated scale, has been unfairly apprehended by the rigid righteousness of certain strict moralists for his chapter on Lies; a chapter which, throughout enlight

ened

ened and liberal, is more especially recommended by a note on the base artifice of decoying an enemy through counterfeit distress, and is more likely after all to offend some minds by the strong censure of pious frauds, than to injure any by a most guarded extenuation of a few secular falsehoods of the lowest

moment.

Paley most clearly understood the value of the Christian revelation to mankind; and, brought up in the school of Locke, of whose doctrines he was thoroughly master, and of Law, whose peculiar merits he afterwards recorded in a modest dedication, it is no wonder that he held in utter contempt "the pompous maxims and futile reasonings" of the greater part of the ancient philosophers. Happy had it been for Christianity, if all the eminent professors of it had kept their belief of its principles equally free from the impregnation of pagan reveries. The simplicity of evangelical truth yet labours under much incumbrance of science falsely so called. The close of that admirable chapter on reverencing the Deity, may help to show in what light Paley viewed the best metaphysical demonstrations of the immortality of the soul; independently of the dreams and figments which disgrace the right reasonings,' even when such they are, of learned heathens on the subject. Yet there exists at this day I scarcely believe it, but am told a certain fanatic Platonist; who verily maintains that the Phædo dialogue was designed by Providence, as a preliminary postscript to the Gospel of St. John.

To return to the Epicurean Essay. The minor faults in the composition are nearly the same as those, which a critical eye may

detect in that immortal letter of Locke's on Toleration, and arise chiefly from the intrusion of the English in place of the Latin idiom.

The Dissertation however is writ

ten in a good strong style; and while it shows a close and familiar acquaintance with the philosophical works of Tully, presents seve ral happy allusions to the Roman poets. Of Horace he does not make so free a use, as the very inviting occasion might have sug gested. For if ever good sense adorned and recommended the practical maxims of the Epicurean school, and exhibited the character as humane, benevolent, and amiable; unquestionably such a picture may be found in the most valuable parts of Horace's writings, which, generally speaking, are those of his later years. The moral temperament, indeed, of the Epicurean has been often found united, not unnaturally, with the mild virtues of the Christian; and when we contemplate such men as Evelyn and Cowley, in the gardens of retirement and leisure, holding converse with God and with nature, who can help admiring and loving that amenity of disposition which marks the language of their heart! nor can one in such company forget honest Isaac Walton, in whose pure and tranquil mind the dearest wish of his favourite Hooker may be traced-to "see God's blessings spring from his mother earth, and to eat his own bread in peace and privacy." Yet imagine not, that I am insensible to the very different merits of some, not individuals only, but whole families, that in bearing the Stoic name, and in practising the best moral energies belonging to it in the worst of times, have thrown a train of brightness over

the

ne any criticism on the Greek language is employed, his remarks, without ostentation; are eminently acute, vigorous, and just. Indeed all his knowledge seems to have been sound, as far as it went. No man ever abused learning less, or was less the dupe of learning. And though all his life he studied things more than words, yet he perfectly understood, at the proper time, to turn an exact knowledge of words to a very substantial account.

I must add, that his motto for the Dissertation derived singular felicity from the event of its gain

"bibebant,

" 'Brutorum et Cassi natalibus."

Such wine as Thrasea and Helvidius used to drink on the birth-days of the two Bruti and of Cassius, the first and last heroes of the Roman Republic. Yet in his speculative notions the lean Cassius was a professed Epicurean.-So much for the influence of the creed of philosophy on the good works of patriotism.

If ever that first known performance of Paley's be given from the press to his admirers, you will hardly recommend my pen, after this specimen, in the task of commenting on it: but you know the miserable want of leisure and unavoidable distraction of thought, under which I now write; and for the rest, if you still choose to print this desultory letter, you and not I undertake the responsibility with the public.

I had intended to give you a short sketch of Paley's talents as a classical scholar: it must suffice to assure you, as I very truly can, (for in his own department a man may speak with some confidence), that wherever in his Hora Paul

he might have tried without any success the year before.

"I seek not now the foremost palm to "gain.

"Though yet-but ah!"-Dryden.

Nor can I, as a Cambridge man, overcome the temptation here to recommend my own Alma Mater for this institution of the Bachelors Prizes, amongst many others calculated generally to improve the talents and direct the principles of ingenuous young men. It is something too to reflect upon with pride, that in the year 1792, when the worst of times were just opening upon us at home and abroad, ruinous to Europe, to ourselves most calamitous, the integrity of Cambridge umpires awarded the first prize to Tweddel's splendid and eloquent, but honest and bold, "Oratio pro æqua libertate." Yet a higher topic of gratulation offers itself, of a few years earlier date. The late excellent Dean of Peterborough, Dr. Peekard, master of Magdalen, and in 1785 vice-chan

cellor,

cellor, in the exercise of the latter office being himself a warm friend to civil and religious liberty, under circumstances pointing directly to the African slave-trade, proposed for the Senior Bachelors' Prizes the question of slavery in respect of its lawfulness. Thomas Clarkson, Senior Bachelor of St. John's, though first rouzed by the call of honour, soon devoted his whole heart and soul to the cause of injured humanity. The higher of the two prizes was assigned to his

Dissertation.

And almost from that moment, this righteous mannot surpassed by Howard in the active zeal and personal labours of philanthropy-became the indefatigable apostle through evil report and good report of the abolition emphatically so called; till at length, to speak the poet's language, the foul bosom of this Country hath been cleansed of the most perilous stuff that ever weighed upon the heart. For the academical institution here celebrated I would not claim more praise than is justly due to it; but to that institution ultimately, not less than to any single cause whatever, is it too much to attribute, under heaven, one of the most glorious triumphs ever obtained by the principle of good over the principle of evil?

It is time to conclude this long and digressive letter: and yet in justice to the memory of Paley, it may be right, before concluding, to state, for the silencing of cavillers, since such are abroad, that neither in the Dissertation nor in the notes is there one word or sentiment unfavourable to religion or to morality, but the strictest and most earnest regard to the interests of both. Of Epicurus's philosophy, even when rightly and can

didly understood, he is only the advocate, on the whole as preferable to that of Zeno. The Dissertator is perfectly free from every thing connected with the worst and vulgar sense of the word Epicurean, which now means nothing but voluptuous, and selfish, and base. One of his most powerful attacks on the Stoic code of morals, turns on its allowing promiscuous concubinage, the bane of personal virtue, of generous affection, of domestic and social happiness. This part of the Essay is every way worthy of the writer of those chapters on the relative duties which result from the constitution of the sexes. His reprobation of the Stoic dogmas in favour of suicide I should hardly now mention, but through you to remind those whom it may concern, that a very masterly sermon of Paley's against suicide is somewhere in existence, which ought not to be lost to the world.

There is an admired sentence of Locke, which, Paley must have had strongly in his mind, when he wrote the following paragraph which concludes his Dissertation.

Illuxit aliquando Religio cujus auctor est Deus, cujus materia ve ritas, cujus finis est felicitas. Religio aliquando illuxit quæ Stoæ paradoxon in principiis vere Epicureis fundari voluit. Sufficit ad felicitatem virtus, virtutis tamen finis est felicitas. Stabile denique quiddam est in quo pedem figamus, patetque nil veterem potuisse disciplinam, nil non perfecisse Christianam.

"At length the day-spring from on high hath visited us with a religion, which has God for its author, truth for its matter, and happiness for its end; a religion which on principles truly Epicurean esta..

blishes

68

ACCORDING to the maxim, that " every painter paints himself," each picture presents in some measure a transcript of its author's merits and defects. The judicious eye will easily discern whether the work was produced with sensibility, or want of feeling; the choice and treatment of the subject will discover whether his mind was 'elevated or low, as the detail of parts will explain in what branches of knowledge he was skilled or deficient, to what extent he had chosen and analysed the beauties of nature, and, finally whether the work was accomplished by painful patient labour, or flowed with ease and rapidity, which increased the delight and exultation of the progress. These characteristics may be as easily traced in the works of Romney, as in those of any artist that ever existed. Modest in his opinion of his own talents, he practised no tricks or deception to obtain popularity; but as he loved his art fervently, he practised it honestly, with indefatigable study and application. The circumstances of his early life seemed wholly unpropitious to the study of painting. His school education was brief and

common, as he was brought up to the business of a cabinet-maker. Yet these obstacles, great and insurmountable as they would have been, to many, were by him converted into so many steps in the ascent to excellence. If his memory was not much exercised in learning words at school, some of his other faculties were not idle. His contemplative mind was employed in observing carefully, inquiring minutely into, and reflecting continually on, the objects around him, and thus by comparing and adding the results of his own observation, with the little he was taught, he gained perhaps as much useful knowledge as is commonly acquired, in the ordinary way, with greater assistance from books and masters. His employment of cabinet-making, which, to a common observer, would seem little better than an ingenious mechanical drudgery, led his inquisitive mind to contemplate the principles of mathematical science, and to acquaint himself with the elements of architecture. When he first began to paint, he had seen no gallery of pictures, nor the fine productions of ancient sculpture; but men, women, and children

were