REFLECTIONS

On the Late

Lord BOLINGBROKE'S LETTERS.

PART I.

On the Study and Ufe of HISTORY.

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 eafy and favourable reception of any thing that is published under his name. A writer poffeffed of fuch talents hath it in his power to be fignally serviceable to religion, and the true intereft 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 Use of History, it was natural to expect fomething very entertaining and improve VOL. III.

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ing from fuch an author on such a subject. 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 there are interfperfed with others of a very different kind, and of a dangerous tendency.

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In these letters his lordship has done what he could to expose the authority of the Scriptures to contempt; and at the fame time has made the moft disadvantageous representation of the prefent ftate of the government and constitution 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 vifibly decaying ever fince the revival of learning and knowlege. And our civil conftitution, inftead of being rendered better at the late revolution, hath been ever fince growing worfe; and our liberties are in more real danger than they were in before. The natural tendency of fuch reprefentations is to infpire a thorough contempt and difregard of the religion into which we were baptized, and to produce endless jealoufies and difcontents, if not open infurrections, against the government under which we live. No man therefore who hath a juft zeal for either of these, can fee without concern such 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,

dangerous, rendereth it more necessary 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 almost implicitly to swallow 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 himfelf must be taken, there perhaps scarce ever was a writer whofe judgment ought to have greater weight, or who better deferves, that an almost implicit regard fhould be had to his dictates, than the author of these Letters.

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--36 very different from those which writers on the "fame fubject have recommended, and which

are commonly practised.” - -But he affureth his reader (and I believe him) that" this never gave him any diftruft of them."-And therefore he proposeth to tell his fentiments"without any regard to the opinion and practice ❝even of the learned world *.". -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 study of history, which yet appears to him of all other the most proper to "train us up to private and public virtue f."+ Ib. p. 15.

Vol. I. p. 1, 2.

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Surely

Surely then the world must be mightily obliged toan author who comes to give them inftructions and directions in a matter of fuch great importance, which the generality of men, even of the most learned, were unacquainted with before.

In his Letter on the true ufe of retirement and fudy, he finely reprefenteth, what" a de"firable thing it must be to every thinking man,

to have the opportunity indulged to so few, "of living fome years at least to ourselves in a "state of freedom, under the laws of reason, "instead of paffing our whole time under those "of authority and cuftom."-And asks" Is "it not worth our while to contemplate our"felves and others, and all the things of this "world, once before we leave them, through the "medium of pure and undefiled reason *?”.

"He obferves, that" They who can abstract "themselves from the prejudices, and habits, "and pleasures, and bufinefs 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

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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 "6 distinguish every de

gree of probability, from the lowest to the highest, and mark the difference between this "and certainty, and to establish peace of mind, "where alone it can reft fecurely, on refigna* Vol. II. p. 197.. ❝tion.”

❝tion *." In what follows he feems to apply this to his own cafe. He represents himself as in a state of retirement from the world, abftracted from its pleasures, and difengaged from the habits of business: 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 reafon young, will be utterly "unable to improve ic 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 likewise, as requires the whole vigour of the mind to be "exerted in the purfuit of truth, through long "trains of discourse, and all those dark recesses, " 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 aftranger to this industry and application ‡.

His Reflections upon Exile tend also to give one an high idea of the author. Speaking of the neceffity of standing watchful as centinels, to discover the secret wiles and open attacks of that capricious gaddefs Fortune before they can reach us, he adds,--" I learned this important lesson long ફ્ ago, and never trusted to Fortune, even while

*Vol. II. p. 199.

Vọl.

† Ib. p. 201, 202. + Ib. p. 205, 206.

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