REFLECTIONS

On the Late

Lord BOLINGBROKE'S LETTERS.

T

PART I.

On the Study and Ufe of HISTORY.

A

HE late Lord Bolingbroke has generally obtained the reputation of being one of the finest writers. in our language. This hath procured him a kind of authority in the world, which makes way for an easy and favourable reception of any thing that is published under his name. writer poffeffed of fuch talents hath it in his power to be fignally serviceable to religion, and the true interest of his country; and on the other hand, there is scarce any thing of more pernicious influence than fuch talents mifapplied. When the public was first informed of Letters written by him on the Study and Ufe of Hiftory, it was natural to expect fomething very entertaining and improving from fuch an author on fuch a fubject. And it will not be denied, that he has many good, and fome very curious obfervations, expreffed in a very genteel manner, and with great elegance and purity of ftile, but these are interspersed with others of a very different kind, and of a dangerous tendency.

In these letters his Lordship has done what he could to expofe the authority of the Scriptures to contempt; and at the fame. time has made the most difadvantageous reprefentation of the

present

present state of the government and conftitution of his country. If we are to trust the accounts he giveth us, Christianity hath no real foundation of truth in fact to depend upon; it hath been upheld by fuperftition, ignorance, and imposture; and hath been visibly decaying ever fince the revival of learning and knowlege. And our civil conftitution, instead of being rendered better at the late revolution, hath been ever fince growing worse; and our liberties are in more real danger than they were in before. The natural tendency of fuch representations is to inspire a thorough contempt and difregard of the religion into which we were baptized, and to produce endless jealousies and difcontents, if not open infurrections, against the government under which we live. No man therefore, who hath a juft zeal for either of thefe, can fee without concern fuch an infolent attempt against both. And in this cafe, the quality, the ability, the reputation of the writer, as it maketh the attempt more dangerous, rendereth it more neceffary to guard against it. If an inferior writer had faid all that his Lordship hath advanced, it would have deserved very little notice. But there are too many that are ready almoft implicitly to fwallow down any thing that cometh to them recommended by a great name; especially if it be advanced with a very peremptory and decifive air. And if an author's account of himself must be taken, there perhaps fcarce ever was a writer whofe judgment ought to have greater weight, or who better deferves that an almoft implicit regard fhould be had to his dictates, than the author of these Let

He enters upon his firft Letter with declaring, that the rules he is going to recommend as neceffary to be observed in the ftudy of hiftory, were" very different from thofe which "writers on the fame fubject have recommended, and which are commonly practifed."-But he affureth his reader (and I believe him) that this never gave him any distrust of "them.”—And therefore he proposeth to tell his fentiments

"without any regard to the opinion and practice even of "the learned world a."He declareth it as his opinion, that A creditable kind of ignorance is the whole benefit which the generality of men, even of the most learned, reap from the ftudy of history, which yet appeareth to him "of all other the most proper to train us up to private and "public virtue."Surely then the world must be mightily obliged to an author who comes to give them inftructions and

* Vol. isp. 1, 2.

.b.Ib. p. 15.

directione

directions in a matter of fuch great importance, which the generality of men, even of the most learned, were unacquainted with before.

66

In his Letter on the True Ufe of Retirement and Study, he finely reprefenteth, what a defirable thing it must be to every thinking man, to have the opportunity indulged to fo "few, of living fome years at least to ourselves in a state of "freedom, under the laws of reafon, instead of passing our "whole time under thofe of authority and cuftom."-And afks" Is it not worth our while to contemplate ourselves and "others, and all the things of this world, once before we leave "them, through the medium of pure and undefiled reafon "?"He obferves, that "They who can abstract themselves from the "prejudices, and habits, and pleasures, and business of the "world, which, he fays, is what many are though all are "not capable of doing, may elevate their fouls in retreat to a higher station, and may take from thence fuch a view of "the world as the second Scipio took in his dream from the "feats of the bleffed."- That this will enable them to"diftinguish every degree of probability, from the lowest to "the higheft, and mark the difference between this and cer"tainty, and to establish peace of mind, where alone it can reft fecurely, on refignation". -In what follows he feems to apply this to his own cafe. He reprefents himself as in a state of retirement from the world, abftracted from its pleasures, and difengaged from the habits of bufinefs: though at the fame time he declareth his refolution in his retreat to contribute as much as he can to defend and preferve the British conftitution of government; for which he expected his reward from God alone, to whom he paid this fervice. He goes on to obferve in the fame Letter, that- " he who has not cultivated his reason young, will be utterly unable to improve it old."-And that

-"not only a love of ftudy, and a defire of knowlege, muft "have grown up with us, but fuch an induftrious application "likewife, as requires the whole vigour of the mind to be ex"erted in the purfait of truth, through long trains of discourse, "and all thofe dark receffes, wherein man, not God, has hid "it.". And then he declares, that this love, and this defire, he has felt all his life, and is not quite a stranger to this industry and application.

His Reflections upon Exile tend alfo to give one an high idea of the author. Speaking of the neceffity of standing watchful as centinels, to difcover the fecret wiles and open attacks of that capricious goddess Fortune before they can reach us, he adds," I learned this important leffon long ago, and never trufted to Fortune, even while fhe feemed to be at peace "with me. The riches, the honours, the reputation, and all "the advantages which her treacherous indulgence poured upon me, I placed fo, that fhe might fnatch them away "without giving me any disturbance. I kept a great in"terval between me and them. She took them, but fhe "could not tear them from me 8. He frequently expreffeth himself in thofe Reflections, as one fuperior to fortune and exile, and that had attained to a perfect philofophic calmnefs and tranquillity, whofe mind was not to be difcompofed by any outward evils; as one who was far from the hurry of the world, and almost an unconcerned fpectator of what passes in it, and who, having paid in a public life what he owed to the prefent age, was refolved to pay in a private life what he owes to pofterity; and who was determined to write as well as live without paffion. And who would not be inclined to pay a vast regard to the fentiments of a great genius, that had always from his youth loved ftudy, and defired knowlege, and to this added industry and application; who had an opportunity for retirement from the world, and knew how to improve it; and who had made ufe of his folitude to contemplate himself and others, and all the things of this world, through the medium of pure and undefiled reafon!

But there are several things that tend to take off from that dependence one might otherwise be apt to have upon an author poffeffed of fo many advantages.

It can fearce be denied, that there is a great appearance of vanity in thefe Letters. A certain air of fufficiency breathes through the whole. He every where pronounceth in a dogmatical and decifive way, and with a kind of dictatorial authority; and feemeth to regard himself as placed in a distinguished sphere, from whence he looketh down with fuperiority and contempt upon those that have hitherto paffed for learned and knowing. To this may be added, what can scarce escape the notice of the commoneft reader, a visible affectation of advancing fomething new, and which had not been thought of, or infifted upon, before. How often doth the polite author of thefe Letters, when giving his directions, and making his obfervations upon the h lb. p. 282.

& Vol. ii. p. 234.

Study

study and use of history, put his noble correfpondent in mind, that they were quite different from any thing that had been obferved by thofe learned men who had treated of this fubject before him! In this I think him mistaken. But at present I only mention it as a proof of the defire he was poffeffed with of appearing to think in a way different from, and fuperior to, the reft of mankind, even of the learned world. Such a defire and affectation of novelty, and of thinking out of the common way, may lead perfons of great parts aftray in their inquiries › after truth, and hath often done fo.

But there are other paffions and affections that have a still lefs friendly influence, and which are apt to give a wrong bias to the mind. Such is that keennefs and bitternefs of fpirit which disposeth a man to find fault, and to put the most unfa vourable conftructions upon perfons and things. I will not charge the late Lord Bolingbroke with having been really under the influence of fuch a temper; but there are feveral things in his Letters which have that appearance; In his Reflections upen Exile he layeth it down as a rule, to live and write without paffion; he talks as if he had got about all outward evils, and had attained to a perfect tranquillity. And yet in these very Reflec tions there are feveral paffages that discover a very strong refentment, and great bitterness of fpirit. He there intimates, that his country had reaped the benefit of his fervices, " and he fuffered for them-That the perfons in oppofition "to whom he ferved, and even faved the public, confpired " and accomplished his private ruin-That these were "his accufers, and the giddy ungrateful croud his judges"That art joined to malice endeavoured to make his best "actions pafs for crimes, and to stain his character-That "for this purpose the facred voice of the Senate was made to pronounce a lie; and thofe records, which ought to be the "eternal monuments of truth, become the vouchers of im

posture and calumnyi."-This is very ftrongly expreffed. F fhall not at prefent inquire into the truth and juftness of those Reflections. I fhall only obferve, that this is not the language of a man who lives and writes without paffion, or who is fo indifferent to common cenfure or approbation, as he profeffeth. himself to bek. Nor is it eafy to reconcile this with that philofophic calmness, that moderation, and tranquillity of mind, which he sometimes makes fo great a fhew of. There are feveral parts of his Letters, as I may have occafion more diftinctly