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obliged to the great modern improvement of digreffions: The late refinements in knowledge running parallel to those of diet in our nation, which, among men of a judicious taste, are dreffed up in various compounds, confifting in foups and olio's, fricaffees and ragoufts.

It is true, there is a fort of morofe, detracting, ill-bred people, who pretend utterly to difrelish these polite innovations. And as to the fimilitude from diet, they allow the parallel; but are fo bold to pronounce the example itself, a corruption and degeneracy of taste. They tell us, that the fashion of jumbling fifty things together in a dish, was at first introduced in compliance to a depraved and debauched appetite, as well as to a crazy conftitution: And to fee a man hunting through an olio after the head and brains of a goose, a widgeon, or a woodcock, is a fign he wants a ftomach and digeftion for more fubftantial victuals. Farther they affirm, that digreffions in a book are like foreign troops in a ftate, which argue the nation to want a heart and hands of its own; and often either fubdue the natives, or drive them into the most unfruitful corners.

But, after all that can be objected by these fupercilious cenfors, it is manifeft, the fociety of writers would quickly be reduced to a very inconfiderable number, if men were put upon making books, with the fatal confinement of delivering nothing beyond what is to the purpose. It is acknowledged, that were the cafe the fame among

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us as with the Greeks and Romans, when learning was in its cradle, to be reared, and fed, and clothed by invention; it would be an easy task to fill up volumes upon particular occafions, without farther expatiating from the subject, than by moderate excurfions, helping to advance or clear the main defign. But with knowledge it has fared as with a numerous army, encamped in a fruitful country; which for a few days maintains itself by the product of the foil it is on; till, provifions being spent, they are fent to forage many a mile, among friends or enemies, it matters not. Mean while, the neighbouring fields, trampled and beaten down, become barren and dry, affording no fuftenance but clouds of duft.

The whole courfe of things being thus entirely changed between us and the ancients, and the moderns wifely fenfible of it; we of this age have discovered a fhorter, and a more prudent method, to become scholars and wits, without the fatigue of reading and thinking. The most accomplished way of ufing books at present, is twofold: Either, first, to serve them as fome men do lords, learn their titles exactly, and then brag of their acquaintance; or, fecondly, which is indeed the choicer, the profounder, and politer method, to get a thorough infight into the index, by which the whole book is governed and turned, like fishes by the tail. For to enter the palace of learning at the great gate, requires an expence of time and forms; therefore men of much hafte and little

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ceremony are content to get in by the back-door. For the arts are all in a flying march, and therefore more easily fubdued by attacking them in the rear. Thus phyficians difcover the state of the whole body, by confulting only what comes from behind. Thus men catch knowledge by throwing their wit on the posteriors of a book, as boys do fparrows by flinging falt upon their tails. Thus human life is best understood by the wife man's rule of regarding the end. Thus are the fciences found, like Hercules's oxen, by tracing them backwards. Thus are old fciences unravelled like old stockings, by beginning at the foot.

Befides all this, the army of the fciences hath been of late, with a world of martial difcipline, drawn into its clofe order, fo that a view, or a mufter may be taken of it with abundance of expedition. For this great bleffing we are wholly indebted to fyflems and abftracts, in which the modern fathers of learning, like prudent ufurers, spent their sweat for the ease of us their children. For labour is the feed of idleness, and it is the peculiar happinefs of our noble age to gather the fruit.

Now, the method of growing wife, learned, and fublime, having become fo regular an affair, and fo established in all its forms; the number of writers muft needs have increafed accordingly, and to a pitch that has ma le it of abfolute neceffity for them to interfere continually with each other. Befides, it is reckoned, that there is not at this prefent a fufficient quantity of new matter VOL. I. left

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left in nature, to furnish and adorn any one particular subject to the extent of a volume. This I am told by a very skilful computer, who hath given a full demonstration of it from the rules of arithmetic.

This perhaps may be objected against by thofe who maintain the infinity of matter, and therefore will not allow that any fpecies of it can be exhaufted. For anfwer to which, let us examine the nobleft branch of modern wit or invention, planted and cultivated by the prefent age, and which of all others hath borne the most, and the faireft fruit. For though fome remains of it were left us by the ancients, yet have not any of thofe, as I remember, been tranflated, or compiled into fyftems for modern ufe. Therefore we may affirm, to our own honour, that it hath, in fome fort, been both invented, and brought to a perfection by the fame hands. What I mean, is that highly celebrated talent among the modern wits, of deducing fimilitudes, allufions, and applications, very furprising, agreeable, and appofite, from the pudenda of either fex, together with their proper ufes. And truly, having obferved how little invention bears any vogue, befides what is derived into thefe channels, I have fometimes had a thought, that the happy genius of our age and country was prophetically held forth by that ancient typical description of the Indian pygmies; whofe ftature did not exceed above two foot; fed quorum pudenda craffa, et ad talos ufque pertingentia.

gentia*. Now, I have been very curious to infpect the late productions, wherein the beauties of this kind have most prominently appeared. And although this vein hath bled fo freely, and all endeavours have been used in the power of human breath, to dilate, extend, and keep it open; like the Scythians, who had a culom, and an inftrument, to blow up the privities of their mares, that they might yield the more milk t; yet I am under an apprehenfion, it is near growing dry, and past all recovery; and that either fome new fonde of wit fhould, if poffible, be provided, or elfe that we muft e'en be content with repetition here, as well all other occafions.

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This will ftand as an inconteftable argument, that our modern wits are not to reckon upon the infinity of matter, for a conftant fupply. What remains therefore, but that our laft recourse must be had to large indexes, and little compendiums? Quotations must be plentifully gathered, and booked in alphabet. To this end, though authors need be little confulted, yet critics, and commentators, and lexicons, carefully muft. But above all, thofe judicious collectors of bright parts, and flowers, and obfervanda's, are to be nicely dwelt on, by some called the fieves and boulters of learning; though it is left undetermined, whether they dealt in pearls or meal; and confequently, whether we are more to value that which passed through, or what ftaid behind.

* Ctefia fragm. apud Photium.

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↑ Herodot, I. 4.

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