LETTER I.

extend no further, than to thofe opinions and cuf-toms which cannot be oppofed; or from which■we cannot deviate without doing hurt, or givingoffence, to fociety. In all thefe cafes, our fpecu-lations ought to be free: in all other cafes, ourpradice may be fo. Without any regard thereforeto the opinion and pradice even of the learnedworld, I am very willing to tell you mine. But,as it is hard to recover a thread of thought longago laid aficje, and impoflible to prove fome things,and explain others, without the alhftance of manybooks which I have not here; your lordfhip muftbe content with fuch an imperfed fketch, as I amable to fend you at prefent in this letter.

The motives that carry men to the ftudy ofhiftory are different. Some intend, if fuch as theymay be faid to ftudy, nothing more than anmfe-ment, and read the life of Aristides or Phocion ,of Epaminondas or Scipio, Alexander orCaesar, juft as they play a game at cards, or asthey would read the ftory of the feven champions.

Others there are, whofe motive to this ftudyis nothing better, and who have the further difad-vantage of becoming a nuifance very often to fociety,in proportion to the progrefs they make. The for-mer do not improve their reading to any good pur-pofe: the latter pervert it to a very bad one, andgrow in impertinence as they increafe in learning.I think I have known molt of the firft kind inEngland, and moft of the laft in France . Theperfons I mean are thofe who read to talk, to fhinein converfation, and to impofe in company: who