Patience and resignation are the pillars

Of human peace on earth.

7. The bill underwent a great number of alterations and amendments, which were not effected without violent contest. At length, however, it passed both houses by a great majority, and received the royal approbation.

8. Since the time that reason began to exert her powers, thought, during our waking hours, has been active in every breast, without a moment's suspension or pause. The current of ideas has been always flowing. The wheels of the spiritual engine have revolved with perpetual motion.

9. The man who has no rule over his own spirit, possesses no defence against dangers of any sort. He lies open to every insurrection of ill humour, and every invasion of distress. Whereas he who is employed in regulating his mind, is making provision against all the accidents of life. He is erecting a fortress, into which, in the day of danger, he can retreat with safety.

10. A great eastern conqueror wrote, in the following terms, to a prince whose dominions he was about to invade :-" Where is the monarch who dares resist us? Where is the potentate who does not glory in being numbered among our attendants ? As for thee, ignobly descended, since thy unbounded ambition has subverted all thy vain expectations, it would be proper that thou shouldst repress thy temerity, repent of thy perfidy, and become just and sincere in all thy transactions. This will secure to thee a safe and quiet retreat; and preserve thee from falling a victim to that vengeance, which thou hast so highly provoked, and so justly deserved.

SECTION X.

CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF PASSAGES.

Rudiments, p. 117.

1. "There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the full, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life

Is bound in shallows and in miseries."

In this passage, the opportunities which men have of rising in the world, are depicted by a flowing tide, which bears away a vessel through the ocean; while the neglect of these is represented

as being as unfavourable to future success, as that of the mariner is to his voyage, when he sets out on it after the tide has subsided. The resemblance betwixt human life and a voyage at sea is thus clearly exhibited, and the coincidence between them is vividly marked by the metaphor tide, which is a more definite object of thought than opportunities of rising in the world, although these are to be literally understood in the description (Section I. Rule I.). 2. "The chief in silence strode before,

And reach'd that torrent's sounding shore,
Which, daughter of three mighty lakes,
From Vennachar in silver breaks,

Sweeps through the plain, and ceaseless mines
On Bochastle the mouldering lines,

Where Rome, the empress of the world,

Of yore her eagle wings unfurl'd."

Too many heterogeneous objects are combined in this passage. The torrent is first spoken of as the daughter of three lakes, and is then described as breaking in silver, sweeping through plains, and mining the lines of a Roman encampment, where the empress of the world is represented as having unfurled her wings. By crowding so many incongruous materials into one sentence, an author destroys the effect of figurative language, the purpose of which is to give the reader a more vivid idea of the object described, than could be done by using common expressions (Section I. Rules III. V.). 3. "There is a joy in grief, when peace dwells with the sorrowful. But they are wasted with mourning, O daughter of Toscar, and their days are few. They fall away like the flower on which the sun looks in his strength, after the mildew has passed over it, and its head is heavy with the drops of night."

Nothing can be more expressive of the fatal effects of sorrow upon the mind, than this comparison of them to the blighting influence of mildew upon a flower, which droops its head and withers, as a person oppressed with grief languishes and dies (Section I. Rules I. IV.).

4. Men must acquire a very peculiar and strong habit of turning their eye inwards, in order to explore the interior regions and recesses of the mind, the hollow caverns of deep thought, the private seats of fancy, and the wastes and wildernesses, as well as the more fruitful and cultivated tracts of this obscure climate."

Here the author, having determined to represent the human mind under the metaphor of a country, revolves in his thoughts the various objects which might be found in a country, but has never

dreamt of considering whether there be any common points of resemblance between these subjects of his figure. Hence the strange parade he makes with regions, recesses, hollow caverns, private seats, wastes, wildernesses, fruitful and cultivated tracts; terms which, though they have an appropriate meaning as applied to a country, have no definite signification when applied to mind (Section I. Rules III. V.).

5. "As from some rocky cliff the shepherd sees

Clust'ring in heaps on heaps the driving bees,
Rolling and black'ning, swarms succeeding swarms,
With deeper murmurs and more hoarse alarms;
Dusky they spread a close-embodied crowd,
And o'er the vale descends the living cloud.
So, from the tents and ships, a length'ning train
Spreads all the beach, and wide o'ershades the plain;
Along the region runs a deaf'ning sound;

Beneath their footsteps groans the trembling ground." The objects of comparison in this simile exactly correspond in the appearance which they present; as a swarm of bees obviously resembles a large army, and the flight of the former is well adapted to illustrate the movements of the latter, which are here described (Section I. Rule I.).

6.

"A very shower
Of beauty is thy earthly dower!

Twice seven consenting years have shed
Their utmost bounty on thy head:

And these gray rocks, this household lawn,

These trees, a veil just half withdrawn,

This little bay, a quiet road

That holds in shelter thy abode ;

In truth, together you do seem

Like something fashion'd in a dream."

In this passage, figurative language seems to be egregiously misapplied. It is difficult to conceive the idea of a shower of beauty, or how a shower of any thing can be a dower. What does the author mean by consenting years? Do the trees form the veil which is half withdrawn? A bay in a lake or sea cannot be correctly said to hold in shelter a house on land: it is not the bay which affords shelter, but the surrounding heights (Section I. Rule III.).

PART III.

ORIGINAL COMPOSITION.*

SECTION IV.

MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS (continued).

Rudiments, p. 128.

1. On Government.

I. Government is established authority in a state.

may be considered as a family.

of men.

A nation

II. Government has its origin in the nature and circumstances The wicked require restraint; and all need protection and security.

III. Government has existed from the earliest times, as we read in both sacred and profane history.

The

IV. In every part of the world, and among even the most barbarous nations, some kind of government is found to exist. three principal forms of government are Monarchy, Aristocracy, and Democracy.

V. The effects of government are beneficial: indeed without it society could not exist. Each of the three great forms of government has its advantages and disadvantages. The best form seems to be mixed or limited monarchy, like that of Great Britain.

2. On War.

I. War has been justly styled the scourge of mankind.

II. It has been sometimes undertaken merely for self-defence, or for the repression of injustice and lawless power; but generally it has originated in ambition, pride, avarice, or revenge.

When his Pupils have any difficulty in writing Essays on the subjects prescribed, the Teacher may assist them by questions and hints, which they should note down in the class, and afterwards write out, arrange, and amplify at home. The Author considers the detached sentences in Section I., the hints in Section II., and the heads in Section III., sufficiently ample for this purpose: he here adds similar outlines for Sections IV. and V.

III. We learn from the Scriptures that, before the flood, the earth was filled with violence; and the subsequent history of mankind is little more than a description of battles and sieges.

IV. In every quarter of the world, war has raged; and there is no country, which has not, at one time or another, suffered from its ravages.

V. Just wars have sometimes been attended with beneficial effects; and even out of the worst Divine Providence brings forth good: but generally wars have been most injurious in their consequences.

3. On Youth.

I. Youth has always been considered the happiest part of human life. It is certainly one of the most important.

II. In youth the world is new, and the difficulties and sorrows of life are unknown. At this season must be sown the seeds of future happiness and usefulness.

III. In both ancient and modern times, the duty of training the minds of the young has been acknowledged.

IV. Among barbarous as well as civilized nations, more or less attention is paid to prepare youth for the duties and pursuits of manhood.

V. Innumerable evils flow from neglecting to improve the season of youth. The most beneficial consequences generally follow its improvement.

4. On Old Age.

I. Old age matures the mind, while it weakens the body.

II. By the law of nature, bodily infirmities, after man has passed a certain stage, increase with years. The longer he lives, his mental powers acquire the more experience.

III. In all ages, the infirmities of age have received the sympathy, and its wisdom the reverence of mankind.

IV. In some countries, the aged are left to perish; but generally, even among the most barbarous nations, care is taken of those who can no longer support or protect themselves.

V. The infirmities of old age diminish the pleasure of living. But it has also its peculiar enjoyments, arising from its exemption from the temptations and follies of youth and manhood, its experience and wisdom, and the respect with which it is treated. These, however, are only the enjoyments of virtuous old age.