ing at Rouffeau, and, with all the virulence of stupidity, dwell on the very minutie of his errors, without having the capacity to enjoy his beauties. What but critical dulnefs can enumerate the faults of fuch an author, and forget his excellencies, can rail at one, and not commend the other?

Errors like ftraws upon the furface flow,
He who would fearch for gold, must dive below.

In his Emile, this great author difplayed the fame genius, though in a different manner, his fancy more under the dominion of judgment. Never work spoke a deeper knowledge of the human breast. This fyftem appears chimerical to the world; and no wonder, for a man must renounce its prejudices, to educate his child on this plan. If this work was not ridiculed

ridiculed and exploded by men of this world, it would be the greatest satire on it; it would be a proof that he was inconfiftent with himself, and dull in attempting to reconcile cuftom to reafon. I have heard fome people ask how a lad is to be educated on M. Rouffeau's system, that is defigned for the army, law, phyfick, or many other profeffions that require fome knowledge, and an early introduction into life? In my humble opinion, the author of Emile never de figned his plan for the ufe of fuch gentlemen his defign throughout is to make his pupil a man of reason; and I believe it would not take M. Rouffeau many pages, to overturn all the pretenfions, which the followers of those profeffions can poffibly bring for the reafon on which they are founded. Those who bring their children up to fuch employ

ments, fhould turn to quite other au thors. Their objections are the language of prejudice; they never confider that the moment a lad is placed in one of these bleffed employments, with money for his aim, he is immediately ruined for a man of reafon, as Rouffeau would make him! His whole fcheme of education contradicts the custom of the world. Power, riches, and honours, are the ruin of mankind he would teach his pupil to renounce them all, and pafs through life poor, but happy. Half the employments of the world are abfolutely ruinous to health; which with him is the firft blef

fing. If you would have your fon gain an eftate, by no means educate him on his plan; for he would certainly teach him to defpife those riches, which you regard as the fummum bonum. Emilius would be a prodigy in the world, an un

com

common man, quite unlike the rest of the fpecies; happiness would be his aim, and virtue the means. But nothing can be more abfurd, than to imagine his noble maxims of education can be reconciled with the practice of the world, which abfolutely forbid it. Thus we judge the author by rule and criterions, to which his work has no relation, and the wonder would be if it was not condemned. But, fpite of every prejudice of mankind, his work will be immortal; and even the prefent degenerate race of mortals may find many rules fcattered up and down in Emile, that are admirable even for prefent practice. We may in part adopt the plan, and reject part, and fo by culling and patching may improve our own wretched maxims, and cannot be made worse than they are: We may learn not to facrifice the youngest years

to those which are to follow, and except for thofe profeffions to which it is abfolutely neceffary, defift from flogging our unhappy children into learned blockheads. We may learn many ufeful leffons, if prejudice will but let us open our eyes. If any part of this celebrated work deferves blame, it is the fyftem of theifm in the third volume; but even that is tempered throughout with modeft doubtfulness, and we cannot but pity the errors of so good a heart. Monf. Rouffeau has too good an understanding to reject the evidences of chriftianity, or not commend in the warmest terms its moral; but bred up in doctrines among Roman Catholicks, and falling young into the hands of a Deift, no wonder he is apt to make his reafon his only guide, and reject fome of the evidences of reve