L E T T E R I.

extend no furtîier, than to those opinions and cus-torns which cannot be opposed ; or from whichvve cannot deviate without doing hurt, or givingoffence, to society. In ail these cases, our spécu-lations ought to be free: in ail other cases, ourpractice may be so. Without any regard thereforeto the opinion and practice even os the learnedworld , I âm very willing to tell you mine. Rut,as it is hard to recover a thread of thought longago laid aside, and impossible to prove some things,and explain others, without the assistance of manybooks which I hâve not here; your lordíïiip mustbe content with such an irnperfect, sketch , as I amable to fend you at présent in this letter.

The motives that carry m en to the study ofhistory are diffèrent. Some intend, if such as theymay be said to study, nothing more than amuse-ment, and read the lise of Aristides oi-Phocion,of Epaminondas or Scipio , Alexahder orCaesar , just as they play a game at cards, or asthey would read the story of the seven champions.

Others there are, whose motive to this studyis nothing better, and who hâve the further disad-vantage of becoming a nuisance very often to society,in proportion to the progress they make. The for-mer do not improve their reading to any good pur-pose: thelatter pervert it to a very bad one, andgrow in impertinence as they increase in learning.I think 1 hâve known most of the first kind inEngland, and most of the last in France . Thepersons I mean are those who read to talk, toíhinein conversation, and to impose in Company : who