Essays, Moral, Political, and Literary - Faculty of Social Sciences

34 HISTORY OF THE EDITIONS. HISTORY OF THE EDITIONS. 35The review in question, one of the longest in this magazine,consists of two notices in the numbers for November andDecember, 1789, occupying in a11 51 pages. 'the object of thereviewer is not to discuss the argument of the book, but togive a synopsis of its contents, and, as far as possible, to leavethe author to speak for himself in lengthy quotations, which,however, are accompanied by an ironical comment. At theoutset the reviewer remarks upon the no st prominent blemishin style. ' This work abounds throughout with Eyotisms. TheAuthor could scarcely use that Form of Speech Inore frequently,if he had written his own Memoirs.'He is delighted, as might be expected, with the passage inwhich mistaken reasoning is explained by the blunders ofthe animzl spirits in rummaging among the cells of thebrain. The ~nelanclloly confessions of the Conclusion of theFourth Part of Book I. receive a fair share of compassion :and the article ends with the following paragraplis :' I will take Leave of our Author while he is in this chewfulMood, in this agreeable Situation; for, by looking forward,I perceive him extremely ready to relapse into profoundMeditations on incomprehensible Subjects, and so into Scepticism,Chagrin, and all that gloomy frightful Train of Ideasfrom whence he is but this Moment emerged. Whether Ishall wait upon him any more, and venture with him intothose immense Depths of Philosophy which he launches intoin his second Volume, I am not yet determined. Perhaps Ihave already and sufficiently answered the End of this Article,which is to make the Treatise it refers to more generally- known than I think it has been ; to bring it, as far as I amable, into the Observation of the Learned, who are the properJudges of its Contents, who will give a Sanction to its Doctrines,where they are true and useful, and who have Authorityto correct the Mistakes where they are of s differentNature ; and lastly, to hint to the ingenious Writer, whoeverhe is, some Particulars in his Performance, that may requirea very serious Reconsideration. It bears indeed incontestableiUarks of a great Capacity, of a soaring Genius, butyoung, and not yet thoroughly practired. The Subject isvast and noble as any that can exercise the Understanding;but it requires a very mature Judgment to handle it as becomesits Dignity and Importance; the lltmost Prudence,'I'enderness and Delicacy, are requisite to this desirable Issue.Tiille :1,11(1 Use may ripe11 these Qualities in our Antllor ; andwe shall probably have Reason to consider this, comparedwith his later Productions, in the same Light as we viewthe Jz~venile Works of Milton, or the first Manner of aRaphael, to other celebmted Painters.'Two passages in the article may be quoted, as illustratingthe xepute in which Locke and Berkeley were held at the time.A man, who has never had the pleasure of reading Mr.Locke's incomparable Essay, will peruse our Author withmuch less Disgust, than those can who have been used to theirresistible ~essonin~ and wonderful Perspicuity of that ad-mirable Writer.' . . . .' It is above twenty Years since I looked over that Piece ofDr. Berkeley's, which contains this most precious discovery,land, if I reniember right, that Gentleman himself boasts ofsome mighty Advantages that would accrue from it to theCow monwealth of Learning. The Acquisition of Sciencewas to become exceeding easy, and several Difficulties, thatwere used grievously to perplex Mathematicians and Metaphysicians,were to aink before it: In short, it was to dosuch Feats in behalf of Knowledge, as no Principle besidewas able to perform. But notwithstanding all these Benefitsthat were to accompany it, I do not find it has met with anyfavourable Reception among the Literati; or that manyPersons of Ability and Penetration are become Disciples :Its Fortune may now perhaps be more prosperous under theAuspices of its new Patron, who, we see, undertakes to raiseit above all Opposition.'The intiention to return to t'he subject was never fulfilledby the reviewer: neither the second nor the third volume ismentioned in the History of the Works of the Learned.With the exception of this criticism the Treatise was unnoticed,and Hume believed that the labour of his life had beenthrown away. This was the severest blow that Hunle everexperienced; and its history supplies the clue to the devrlopmentof his character.Henceforth, by a natural revulsion of sentiment, he re-garded the ~reatise with aversion. This feeling was strengthenedby a growing dislike to the many faults of style whichdisfigure it. The abundant Scotticisms2 became more andBerkeley's doctrirle of Abstract "I wonder (said Johnson) that he shouldGone~~il Ideas. find them." '-Boswell. The collectictll' I told him that David Hume h ~ d of Scotticisms is printod in Vol. iv.made ;t short collectio~~ of Scotticisnis.