not blindly adore either the antient or modern Guides: Let us do Juftice to both, and pay Regard to Merit, in whatsoever Subject it fhines, not examining whether it be new or

old.

XXII.

But tho' we should happen to have fo much Strength of Soul, as may refift our Prepoffeffion in favour of the Antients, or our Inclinations to the Moderns, yet we are feldom refolute enough wholly to diveft our felves of the natural Fondnefs we have for our own Conceptions. This is one of the greatest Weakneffes of human Understanding: Man, by the Force of Self-love, thinks nothing fo properly his own as his Opinion: This he looks upon as his Creature, and therefore he renounces all other Interests, to maintain and fupport it. This Obftinacy of defending what Men have once embrac'd, has been fometimes carried to very ftrange and unnatural Extremities. Pythagoras's Scholars chofe Diog.Lato be burnt, rather than to abjure the Doctrine ert. I. 8. of their Mafter: And the Followers of Hegefias Idem.1.2. by too strict an Adherence to the Rigour of his Precepts, ftarv'd themselves to Death. Nay, the Wife Socrates weakly paid his Life for his Philofophical Perfuafion. Nor have there been inter cœwanting in thefe latter Ages, Men abfurd talitatis enough to die Martyrs to their own extravagant incommoDoctrines. For Error has its Votaries under a da,& hoc ftricter Tie, and a more abfolute Engagement eft, caligo than Truth. Nay, fome there are, who take a nec tantum fecret Pride in authorizing that by their Suf- neceffitas frage, which does not approve it felf to their errandi,sed Reafon, and blindly follow Principles that they errorum adon't understand, only that they may enjoy the இuafi Vanity of Efpoufing what is abftrufe and diffi- quidquam fit infelicius homine cui fua figmenta dominantur! Plin- Ñ. H. cult.

tera mor

mentium,

mor. Sen.

bomines

eredi meli

ùs quàm quod ipfi

renent.

cult. These are the most univerfal Illufions of Self-love; which as 'tis ridiculous in all its Motions, is never more fo, than in its Stiffness to justify its own fallacious Views: And as nothing is more irregular than what it wills and defires, fo nothing is more indefenfible than Nibil vo- what it thinks and conceives. But those Men feem lunt inter to run to the last Extravagance, who inveigh against all Opinions publickly receiv'd, can bear no Sentiments, but their own upon any Subject of Difcourfe, and pity all that happen to be of a different Perfuafion. They are so taken up Petron, with their private Notions, and so much abound in their own Senfe, as to remain Strangers to the Sense of other Men. This is properly the Character of little and narrow Spirits. For, as much Merit as there is in vigorously maintaining true Reafon, when we are once afcertain'd of its Truth, fo much Virtue there is in abandoning falfe Reason, when we are once apprized of its Falfity. This is an Ingenuity of Temper truly magnanimous, in the Judgment of Ariftotle. For there cannot be a nobler Mark of real Greatness of Soul, than thus to preserve our Liberty entire, between Truth and Falfehood, fo as to be able to affert the one, and discard the other, according to our beft Light, and our A faturnis jufteft Apprehenfion of both. 'Twas thus Hippocapitum fe crates confefs'd himfelf to have been fomedeceptum tradidit times led into a Mistake by uncertain Principles. Hippocra- So great a Modesty could only proceed from tess more as great a Capacity: For to diftruft our own fcilicet Sufficiency, is one of the fureft Characters of magnorum Wifdom.

virorum

fiduciamque magnam habentium. Nam levia ingenia quæ nibil babent, nihil fibi detrabunt. Magno viro convenit, etiam fimplex veri erroris confeffio. Cell. 1. 8.

XXIII. It

XXIII.

It requires a great Mastery of Knowledge, to be able to pronounce of Things, according to their different Degrees of Certitude; to feparate Truth from Appearance, to fix the Bounds of Probability, fo as to pafs a clear and distinct Judgment upon all Sorts of Questions. For the Disorders that arife in Mens Spirits, with regard to the great Variety of Opinions and Schemes, is owing to their Confufions and Indistinctness of Thought. For Example, Copernicus fhut himfelf up in his Study, to erect a new Syftem of the World. He reviv'd the Doctrine of Nicetas the Syracufian, That the Sun is the only Body in the Universe which preferves a conftant Reft. He rack'd his Fancy to adorn and dress up his Hypothefis; and we must own that nothing could be more finely conceiv'd, or more nicely. wrought. Yet, would it be reasonable to admit the Conjectures of this great Man, as demonftrative Proofs? Would it be juft, to overlook the Authority of all former Ages, to fet up a private Judgment as a Common Law to Mankind, and to oblige the whole World to believe that Nature is mov'd and govern'd in concert with the Imagination of Copernicus? Defcartes built a new Syftem of Phyfick upon Principles not altogether new: He himself look'd upon this Syftem as no better than a Fiction, or Ro mance, which was the Name that he gave his Philofophy among his intimate Friends. And fhall that be facred to me which was a Jeft to the Author? I confefs my felf his Admirer, but cannot fubmit to be in the Number of his Slaves: And I infift upon my firft Principle, as the Measure of all philofophical Reasonings, that we ought to proportion our Affent to the different Degrees of Certitude in the Subject of De

bate;

Debate; fo as never to entertain Truth as Probability, nor Probability as Truth. 'Tis in this Maximé Epicurus, as cited by Tully, has plac'd the Height fapientis and Excellence of Wifdom: And 'tis an Imputaeft,verita tion of Folly to do otherwife: because Things tem ab opinione feare often very widely diftant from the Reprefenjungere. tation which they bear in our Opinions and

Cic. de Ideas.

fin.

borreat à

Ælian. v.

H. l. 4.

XXIV.

It is from a wrong Genius, and a falfe Light, Non ab- that Men forfake the ordinary Procefs of Philopublicis fophy, to pursue fome extraordinary and unpramoribus &tis'd Method; and 'tis always a Sign of an evil philofo- Tafte in Sciences, not to love what is commonly phia. Sen. receiv'd: Men are very much in danger of losing themselves, when they are inclined to travel in By-paths. In the Conduct of Human Life, we cannot defert the publick Opinion, without expofing our felves to the greatest Ab. furdities. Alexander, though truly brave and vali ant, for want of this Caution rendred him felf little, and contemptible. "He wept, fays Plu "tarch, because, upon Democritus's Suppofition "of a Plurality of Worlds, he had fcarce con"quer'd the larger Part of One." And Alian well obferves, that all the Greatnefs of Soul which appear'd in this noble Reflection, became ridiculous, as being built on a false Principle. E philo- In the fame manner, according to Cicero's Judg. fophia que ment, a Magistrate, whofe Life ought to be a fufcipit publick Example, in a well-regulated State, um volup would be abfurd, if he should govern his Conduct tatis, etfi by the Opinion of Epicurus; and, inftead of cui vera Gravity and Severity, declare for Liberty and videatur, Pleasure A Perfon in Great Employment, unprocul 14- lefs he acts upon the strictest Principles, cannot men abest

patrocini

ta

ab eo viro quem autorem publici confilii, 5 regende civitatis ducem effe volumm. Cic. de Orat.

videntur

quæ non

retain Men within the Bounds of Duty. With Alia bona what Effect can he that is licentious in his Beha- & mala viour, perfuade or command, others to be re- Stoicis & gular?" If, fays Tully, in our Speeches at the cateris "Bar, we fhould follow the Stoical Notion of gentibus, "Good and Evil, of Honour and Difgrace, fo alia vis ho contrary to the Belief of the reft of Mankind ignominia: noris & "we must never expect to carry a Caufe." Nor fed ea fi feis any Thing more extravagant than Torquatus's quamur Way of arguing in the Senate, upon Epicurus's nullam Principles, as reprefented by the fame great rem dicenAuthor. There are in that Difcourfe fome re pollido expediStrokes of the finest and most delicate Railery; mus. and thence we learn, that Cicero took a Delight idem. ib. in expofing the Maxims of all Philofophy, but Ea dicas fuch as was in common Vogue; and efteem'd in Senatu nothing more repugnant to Eloquence, than fentias : Singularity of Opinion. It was the like Confide- id non puration, which engag'd Demofthenes, to keep clear dear fentiof all the various Sects and Parties that Athens re qua pu de at difo plentifully brought forth, in his Time; that cere. he might not go out of the common Ways and Cic. de Sentiments, which he judg'd the most proper for fin. the Art of Perfuafion. And Julius Cafar, though a Veseres great Philofopher in his Notions, yet was never ad ufum fo in his Ambition: He purfued no other popularem Schemes, but thofe of Popularity and Addrefs;& civilem because he knew, that thefe only could let him de rebus into the Hearts of his Countrymen. In a Word, difputant. 'tis very difficult to preferve the Character of a wife Man, and yet to recede from common Opinions; or the Character of a publick Perfon, and yet to entertain private and peculiar Conceits. And, to extend this to all Profeffions, how capricious, would it feem in a Poet, to defcribe the Earth moving about the Sun, according to Democritus's Syftem; or, according to that of Defcartes, never to introduce the Stars, or

1

Con

Stoici non

idem Off.

3.