letters to his son, 1749-第2章

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tc。

The　same　in　civil　matters：　inform　yourself　of　the　jurisdiction　of　a　court　of　justice；　of　the　rules　and　numbers　and　endowments　of　a　college；　or　an　academy；　and　not　only　of　the　dimensions　of　the　respective　edifices；　and　let　your　letters　to　me　contain　these　informations；　in　proportion　as　you　acquire　them。

I　often　reflect；　with　the　most　flattering　hopes；　how　proud　I　shall　be　of　you；　if　you　should　profit；　as　you　may；　of　the　opportunities　which　you　have　had；　still　have；　and　will　have；　of　arriving　at　perfection；　and；　on　the　other　hand；　with　dread　of　the　grief　and　shame　you　will　give　me　if　you　do　not。　　May　the　first　be　the　case！　God　bless　you！




LETTER　LXIV

LONDON；　February　7；　O。　S。　　1749。

DEAR　BOY：　You　are　now　come　to　an　age　capable　of　reflection；　and　I　hope　you　will　do；　what；　however；　few　people　at　your　age　do；　exert　it　for　your　own　sake　in　the　search　of　truth　and　sound　knowledge。　　I　will　confess　（for　I　am　not　unwilling　to　discover　my　secrets　to　you）　that　it　is　not　many　years　since　I　have　presumed　to　reflect　for　myself。　　Till　sixteen　or　seventeen　I　had　no　reflection；　and　for　many　years　after　that；　I　made　no　use　of　what　I　had。　　I　adopted　the　notions　of　the　books　I　read；　or　the　company　I　kept；　without　examining　whether　they　were　just　or　not；　and　I　rather　chose　to　run　the　risk　of　easy　error；　than　to　take　the　time　and　trouble　of　investigating　truth。　　Thus；　partly　from　laziness；　partly　from　dissipation；　and　partly　from　the　'mauvaise　honte'　of　rejecting　fashionable　notions；　I　was　（as　I　have　since　found）　hurried　away　by　prejudices；　instead　of　being　guided　by　reason；　and　quietly　cherished　error；　instead　of　seeking　for　truth。　　But　since　I　have　taken　the　trouble　of　reasoning　for　myself；　and　have　had　the　courage　to　own　that　I　do　so；　you　cannot　imagine　how　much　my　notions　of　things　are　altered；　and　in　how　different　a　light　I　now　see　them；　from　that　in　which　I　formerly　viewed　them；　through　the　deceitful　medium　of　prejudice　or　authority。　　Nay；　I　may　possibly　still　retain　many　errors；　which；　from　long　habit；　have　perhaps　grown　into　real　opinions；　for　it　is　very　difficult　to　distinguish　habits；　early　acquired　and　long　entertained；　from　the　result　of　our　reason　and　reflection。

My　first　prejudice　（for　I　do　not　mention　the　prejudices　of　boys；　and　women；　such　as　hobgoblins；　ghosts；　dreams；　spilling　salt；　etc。）　was　my　classical　enthusiasm；　which　I　received　from　the　books　I　read；　and　the　masters　who　explained　them　to　me。　　I　was　convinced　there　had　been　no　common　sense　nor　common　honesty　in　the　world　for　these　last　fifteen　hundred　years；　but　that　they　were　totally　extinguished　with　the　ancient　Greek　and　Roman　governments。　　Homer　and　Virgil　could　have　no　faults；　because　they　were　ancient；　Milton　and　Tasso　could　have　no　merit；　because　they　were　modern。　　And　I　could　almost　have　said；　with　regard　to　the　ancients；　what　Cicero；　very　absurdly　and　unbecomingly　for　a　philosopher；　says　with　regard　to　Plato；　'Cum　quo　errare　malim　quam　cum　aliis　recte　sentire'。　　Whereas　now；　without　any　extraordinary　effort　of　genius；　I　have　discovered　that　nature　was　the　same　three　thousand　years　ago　as　it　is　at　present；　that　men　were　but　men　then　as　well　as　now；　that　modes　and　customs　vary　often；　but　that　human　nature　is　always　the　same。　　And　I　can　no　more　suppose　that　men　were　better；　braver；　or　wiser；　fifteen　hundred　or　three　thousand　years　ago；　than　I　can　suppose　that　the　animals　or　vegetables　were　better　then　than　they　are　now。　　I　dare　assert　too；　in　defiance　of　the　favorers　of　the　ancients；　that　Homer's　hero；　Achilles；　was　both　a　brute　and　a　scoundrel；　and　consequently　an　improper　character　for　the　hero　of　an　epic　poem；　he　had　so　little　regard　for　his　country；　that　he　would　not　act　in　defense　of　it；　because　he　had　quarreled　with　Agamemnon　about　a　w…e；　and　then　afterward；　animated　by　private　resentment　only；　he　went　about　killing　people　basely；　I　will　call　it；　because　he　knew　himself　invulnerable；　and　yet；　invulnerable　as　he　was；　he　wore　the　strongest　armor　in　the　world；　which　I　humbly　apprehend　to　be　a　blunder；　for　a　horse…shoe　clapped　to　his　vulnerable　heel　would　have　been　sufficient。　　On　the　other　hand；　with　submission　to　the　favorers　of　the　moderns；　I　assert　with　Mr。　Dryden；　that　the　devil　is　in　truth　the　hero　of　Milton's　poem；　his　plan；　which　he　lays；　pursues；　and　at　last　executes；　being　the　subject　of　the　poem。　　From　all　which　considerations　I　impartially　conclude　that　the　ancients　had　their　excellencies　and　their　defects；　their　virtues　and　their　vices；　just　like　the　moderns；　pedantry　and　affectation　of　learning　decide　clearly　in　favor　of　the　former；　vanity　and　ignorance；　as　peremptorily　in　favor　of　the　latter。　　Religious　prejudices　kept　pace　with　my　classical　ones；　and　there　was　a　time　when　I　thought　it　impossible　for　the　honestest　man　in　the　world　to　be　saved　out　of　the　pale　of　the　Church　of　England；　not　considering　that　matters　of　opinion　do　not　depend　upon　the　will；　and　that　it　is　as　natural；　and　as　allowable；　that　another　man　should　differ　in　opinion　from　me；　as　that　I　should　differ　from　him；　and　that　if　we　are　both　sincere；　we　are　both　blameless；　and　should　consequently　have　mutual　indulgence　for　each　other。

The　next　prejudices　that　I　adopted　were　those　of　the　'beau　monde'；　in　which　as　I　was　determined　to　shine；　I　took　what　are　commonly　called　the　genteel　vices　to　be　necessary。　　I　had　heard　them　reckoned　so；　and　without　further　inquiry　I　believed　it；　or　at　least　should　have　been　ashamed　to　have　denied　it；　for　fear　of　exposing　myself　to　the　ridicule　of　those　whom　I　considered　as　the　models　of　fine　gentlemen。　　But　I　am　now　neither　ashamed　nor　afraid　to　assert　that　those　genteel　vices；　as　they　are　falsely　called；　are　only　so　many　blemishes　in　the　character　of　even　a　man　of　the　world　and　what　is　called　a　fine　gentleman；　and　degrade　him　in　the　opinions　of　those　very　people；　to　whom　he；　hopes　to　recommend　himself　by　them。　　Nay；　this　prejudice　often　extends　so　far；　that　I　have　known　people　pretend　to　vices　they　had　not；　instead　of　carefully　concealing　those　they　had。

Use　and　assert　your　own　reason；　reflect；　examine；　and　analyze　everything；　in　order　to　form　a　sound　and　mature　judgment；　let　no　（authority）　impose　upon　your　understanding；　mislead　your　actions；　or　dictate　your　conversation。　　Be　early　what；　if　you　are　not；　you　will　when　too　late　wish　you　had　been。　　Consult　your　reason　betimes：　I　do　not　say　that　it　will　always　prove　an　unerring　guide；　for　human　reason　is　not　infallible；　but　it　will　prove　the　least　erring　guide　that　you　can　follow。　　Books　and　conversation　may　assist　it；　but　adopt　neither　blindly　and　implicitly；　try　both　by　that　best　rule；　which　God　has　given　to　direct　us；　reason。　　Of　all　the　troubles；　do　not　decline；　as　many　people　do；　that　of　thinking。　　The　herd　of　mankind　can　hardly　be　said　to　think；　their　notions　are　almost　all　adoptive；　and；　in　general；　I　believe　it　is　better　that　it　should　be　so；　as　such　common　prejudices　contribute　more　to　order　and　quiet　than　their　own　separate　reasonings　would　do；　uncultivated　and　unimproved　as　they　are。　　We　have　many　of　those　useful　prejudices　in　this　country；　which　I　should　be　very　sorry　to　see　removed。　　The　good　Protestant　conviction；　that　the　Pope　is　both　Antichrist　and　the　Whore　of　Babylon；　is　a　more　effectual　preservative　in　this　country　against　popery；　than　all　the　solid　and　unanswerable　arguments　of　Chillingworth。

The　idle　story　of　the　pretender's　having　been　introduced　in　a　warming　pan　into　the　queen's　bed；　though　as　destitute　of　all　probability　as　of　all　foundation；　has　been　much　more　prejudicial　to　the　cause　of　Jacobitism　than　all　that　Mr。　Locke　and　others　have　written；　to　show　the　unreasonableness　and　absurdity　of　the　doctrines　of　indefeasible　hereditary　right；　and　unlimited　passive　obedience。　　And　that　silly；　sanguine　notion；　which　is　firmly　entertained　here；　that　one　Englishman　can　beat　three　Frenchmen；　encourages；　and　has　sometimes　enabled；　one　Englishman　in　reality　to　beat　two。

A　Frenchman　ventures；　his　life　with　alacrity　'pour　l'honneur　du　Roi'；　were　you　to　change　the　object；　which　he　has　been　taught　to　have　in　view；　and　tell　him　that　it　was　'pour　le　bien　de　la　Patrie'；　he　would　very　probably　run　away。　　Such　gross　local　prejudices　prevail　with　the　herd　of　mankind；　and　do　not　impose　upon　cultivated；　informed；　and　reflecting　minds。　　But　then　they　are　notions　equally　false；　though　not　so　glaringly　absurd；　which　are　entertained　by　people　of　superior　and　improved　understandings；　merely　for　want　of　the　necessary　pains　to　investigate；　the　proper　attention　to　examine；　and　the　penetration　requisite　to　determine　the　truth。　　Those　are　the　prejudices　which　I　would　have　you　guard　against　by　a　manly　exertion　and　attention　of　your　reasoning　faculty。　　To　mention　one　instance　of　a　thousand　that　I　could　give　you：　It　is　a　general　prejudice；　and　has　been　propagated　for　these　sixteen　hundred　years；　that　arts　and　sciences　cannot　flourish　under　an　absolute　government；　and　that　genius　must　necessarily　be　cramped　where　freedom　is　restrained。　　This　sounds　plausible；　but　is　false　in　fact。　　Mechanic　arts；　as　agriculture；　etc。；　will　indeed　be　discouraged　where　the　profits　and　property　are；　from　the　nature　of　the　government；　insecure。　　But　why　the　despotism　of　a　government　should　cramp　the　genius　of　a　mathematician；　an　astronomer；　a　poet；　or　an　orator；　I　confess　I　never　could　discover。　It　may　indeed　deprive　the　poet　or　the　orator　of　the　liberty　of　treating　of　certain　subjects　in　the　manner　they　would　wish；　but　it　leaves　them　subjects　enough　to　exert　genius　upon；　if　they　have　it。　　Can　an　author　with　reason　complain　that　he　is　cramped　and　shackled；　if　he　is　not　at　liberty　to　publish　blasphemy；　bawdry；　or　sedition？　all　which　are　equally　prohibited　in　the　freest　governments；　if　they　are　wise　and　well　regulated　ones。　　This　is　the　present　general　complaint　of　the　French　authors；　but　indeed　chiefly　of　the　bad　ones。　　No　wonder；　say　they；　that　England　produces　so　many　great　geniuses；　people　there　may　think　as　they　please；　and　publish　what　they　think。　　Very　true；　but　what　hinders　them　from　thinking　as　they　please？　　If　indeed　they　think　in　manner　destructive　of　all　religion；　morality；　or　good　manners；　or　to　the　disturbance　of　the　state；　an　absolute　government　will　certainly　more　effectually　prohibit　them　from；　or　punish　them　for　publishing　such　thoughts；　than　a　free　one　could　do。　　But　how　does　that　cramp　the　genius　of　an　epic；　dramatic；　or　lyric　poet？　or　how　does　it　corrupt　the　eloquence　of　an　orator　in　the　pulpit　or　at　the　bar？　　The　number　of　good　French　authors；　such　as　Corneille；　Racine；　Moliere；　Boileau；　and　La　Fontaine；　who　seemed　to　dispute　it　with　the　Augustan　age；　flourished　under　the　despotism　of　Lewis　XIV。；　and　the　celebrated　authors　of　the　Augustan　age　did　not　shine　till　after　the　fetters　were　riveted　upon　the　Roman　people　by　that　cruel　and　worthless　Emperor。　　The　revival　of　letters　was　not　owing；　neither；　to　any　free　government；　but　to　the　encouragement　and　protection　of　Leo　X。　　and　Francis　I；　the　one　as　absolute　a　pope；　and　the　other　as　despotic　a　prince；　as　ever　reigned。　　Do　not　mistake；　and　imagine　that　while　I　am　only　exposing　a　prejudice；　I　am　speaking　in　favor　of　arbitrary　power；　which　from　my　soul　I　abhor；　and　look　upon　as　a　gross　and　criminal　violation　of　the　natural　rights　of　mankind。　　Adieu。




LETTER