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ON

IMITATION.

Refpicere exemplar vitæ morumque jubebo,
Doctum imitatorem, et veras hinc ducere voces.

TO obferve and to imitate the actions of his fellows, is a principal employ. fent of man during the whole of his prefent exiftence. Were it not his employ ment, he would be perpetually expofed to difficulties infurmountable. Unaflifted by the experience of others, he is alike ignorant and helplefs, dependant entirely on the tardy fuccours of his own reafon for the fupply of his wants, for the prevention of his errors. We fee the narrow extent of the human powers in favage and folitary life, in the account given of it by Monf. de Pauw, in his Enquiries concerning the Americans. Speaking of a wild man taken in the forefts of Germany, he tells us, "that this fequeftered being, lowered to the level of the brutes, had preferved only a faint spark of that reafon and that power which we are enabled to exercife over all other animals, becaufe there is no other fo wonderfully organized. This favage ftole very adroitly from the, traps the bait fet for the wolves; always contriving to fecure himself from being caught by the fpring."

How much man is the creature of his fituation appears alfo from the narrative of Captain Rogers, who vifited Cape Horn in 1709. He delivered from the uninhabited inland of Juan Fernandez, a Scotchman, born in the province of Fife, who had lived in that folitary Spot four years and four months. Alexander Selkirk, for that was his name, had been barbaroufly fet on fhore there by a Capt. Stradling, who left him with his clothes, his bed, a gun, a pound of powder, and fome fhot, fome tobacco, a hatchet, a knife, a bible, fome other books which treated of religious fubjects, together with his nautical books and inftruments. During the first eight months melancholy fo overwhelmed the deferted failor, that he was frequently on the point of putting an end to his exiftence. After his powder was expended, he was obliged, in order to procure goats for his fubfiftence, to have recourfe to his fpeed. He became at length fo active, that he could pass from rock to rock with incredible swiftnefs.

By degrees folicitude for his fubfiftence to wholly occupied his mind, as VOL. XXV.

HOR.

to efface from it all moral fentiments. As favage as the brutes around him, perhaps ftill more fo, he had almost forgot the fecret of uttering intelligible founds. Capt. Rogers obferved with aftonishment, that he pronounced only the last fyllables of words. From whence we may infer, that if he had had no books, or if his exile had continued two or three years longer, he would probably have loft all powers of articulation. Man then is nothing by himself-he owes all he is to fociety. The greatest metaphyfician, the most profound philofopher, were he abandoned for ten years in a defert ifland, would become, like the brute part of the creation, dumb, ignorant, and weak. In a word, he would experience the fame changes with the unfortunate Selkirk. It is hardly neceffary to add, that the fin. gular but real diftrefs of this man fupplied the materials, perhaps, but certainly fuggefted the fubject of the entertaining Romance of Robinfon Crufoe.

Monf. de Pauw mentions alfo fome other facts to illußrate the fame truth; "Some years ago," fays he, 66 a man who had been perfecuted by the Monks on account of his opinions and his eftate, took the refolution to quit Europe, and to live like a Canadian in Canada. He remained in that country for some time, and came back at the commencement of the laft war; but he had loft his underftanding, and had loft it fo entirely that his friends were forced to confine him."

The fame thing happened, as Monf. Chevreaux informs us, to the celebrated Mathematician Martial. Finding a refidence at Paris too noify for the cultivation of Geometry, he fet out for Canada. At his return he had forgot. ten every thing, and appeared to have become a child only by living for five years among favages.

It appears then that the arts of life not only make no progrefs, but decline and perish in folitude. Even in thofe arts where nature is confidered as the chief object of study, and where to follow the footsteps of another is thought to be a proof of inferior talents, the propenfity to imitation not only exerts

itfelf,

itfelf, but is indifpenfably neceffary to their advancement. The artift, indeed, who cannot avail himself of the labours of a predeceffor without difcovering the model he has followed, will fearely be thought capable of attaining to eminence; but if fuch affiftance were entirely rejected, his art ever muft remain in its original rudeness.

Man's propensity to imitation deter mines for the most part his moral character. His habits of conduct are formed long before the effects of his conduct are comprehended by him; and he feldom understands the reafonings by which it is blamed or recommended till he is experiencing their truth.

The propenfity to imitation appears with the greateft force in young perfons, and the lower orders of fociety: it acts more feebly on the mature and enlightened, whofe understanding will be exerted to moderate its authority. However, with regard to the greater part of human actions, it may be faid to operate in all men without restraint; inducing those who are placed in the fame circumstances to copy from the fame models. Hence are derived the peculiar characters which diftinguith different nations from each other; which mark the various claffes of men in each nation, and difcriminate the individuals of every class. Hence too, cultoms and pinions formed at first by the fanciful invention of man have received their chief ftrength; have become vene rable, and even facred, and have been defended at the hazard of life; cuftoms which must not be viewed with too faftidious and philofophical an eye, nor eftimated entirely by their intrinfic value. As contributing to knit the Bands of fociety, they demand the repect even of him who is not prejudiced by their influence. He ought not, on that account, to contemn thofe communities in which fuch practices are eftablished; this is not the effect of enlarged profpects of human nature. Undoubtedly there are many indifferent things fan&tified in a manner by practice, and impofing an obligation of conformity on every individual; an obligation not to be fuperfeded by circumtances of private opinion, for imitation forms the principal tie by which the members of a community are held together; they see, reflected by their alfheistes, the Hattering image of themfelves.

Many general cuftoms, apparently abfurd, have originated from very ra tional caufes. "In the 16th century," fays an obfervingAvriter, "the Spani ards were very fubject to tumours in the throat, like the goitres which diffigure the inhabitants of the moun tainous parts of Switzerland. They contrived to hide this deformity from the eyes of ftrangers by the invention of large ruffs, which covered not only the whole length of the neck, but the ears alfo, and the lower part of the chin. Spain poffeffed at that time what France enjoyed afterwards, the empire of fashion, and the rest of Eu rope adopted eagerly a fpecies of orna. ment, ridiculous in appearance, and invented only to conceal a blemish."

The characteristical virtues and vices of different nations have been fometimes attributed to caufes merely phyfical. That air and climate thould have fome effect upon the character, does not feem improbable; provided we confine their influence to thofe qualities in which the body principally is concerned. But the cafe is not the fame with refpect to the finer and more delicate qualities, which are intimately connected with the intellectual part; for thefe, when general in any country, must be deduced from the imitative nature of the human mind. If the firft founder of a fociety poffefs an ardour for conqueft, and the congenial spirit breathed into his associates be kept alive by perpetual struggles, and inflamed by fuccefs, this quality may become characteristical of his peo ple for many fucceeding centuries

Had Rome arifen from peaceable beginnings, had the been placed amidit nations lefs warlike or more powerful, had a maritime fituation enabled her to give an early attention to commerce, the would not have been mistress of the world. Fortune, by making her now the repofitory of the monuments of elegant antiquity, makes her likewife the feat of tafte and the fine arts; and imitation has extended her gonius in this particular over the bordering provinces, which stand no longer in awe of her power.

Imitation produces effects of a like fort in fmaller focieties, comprehended in the general one of the ftate. The good of fuch focieties will be more ad vanced by the cultivation of fome qualities than of others; the former

therefore

therefore will be most attended to by the perfons who inftitute or manage thefe focieties; and the intercourfe of the members among each other gra dually will render them characteristical of the whole.

It may happen that the fituation of a particular rank of men may give them propenfity to certain vices. Thus, to the mercantile have been attributed fraud and fervile obfequioufnefs; to foldiers, fenfuality and temerity; to perfons of high birth, prodigality and pride. Mr. Hume, writing on this Tubject, has affixed a catalogue of odious vices to a numerous and refpected order of men. Without entering minutely into his reafonings, a few reflections may be fuggefted, which may tend to vindicate this order from fo fevere acharge, and may teach us at the fame time fome cautions in drawing general conclufions upon a like occafion,

One reflection is, that the more opportunity is afforded to any clafs of men for the exertion of the mental powers, the greater probability there is that it will be free from profeflional vices; from thofe efpecially which are prejudicial to fociety. By the habit of thinking our views are extended beyond our own fphere; we fee it as helping to compofe a widely-extended fyftem, whofe parts are mutually dependent;

SIR,

and if we do not feel philanthropy from this profpect, we certainly must learn a leffon of prudence.

It may be obferved too, that when the individuals of any clafs exercife the functions of their calling apart from each other, they are very unlike to contract a fimilarity of manners, efpecially if they be men of leifure, and not hurried by the engagements of the world into indifcriminate imitation.

We are indebted to Mr. Hume himfelf for an observation, which is an anfwer to his own fevere infinuations. "The fame clafs of men," fays he,

may acquire from accidental cir cumftances, in different countries and periods, different and even oppofite qualities.

It was the opinion of a Greek Dramatift, that it was impoffible a foldier could be polite. This affertion was founded probably on obfervation at the time when it was written; but it is certainly contradicted by modern ex. perience. Why may we not alfo fup. pofe, even if we admit Mr. Hume's arguments to be conclufive, that a religion whofe morality is rational and pure, may prevent profeffional vices at leaft in thofe who exercife its functions, and fubdue what he calls the genius of the order?

[To be concluded in our next. ]

ORIGINAL LETTERS OF DAVID MALLET, Esq.
I Concluded from Page 7. ]

LETTER XVII.

ABOUT two pofts ago I received a letter of yours dated the 6th of May in another from one Mr. Chrifty, which I fend you together with this. A little before I came out of town, he Came to me one day, with orders from you to receive the 10 libs. with intereft, which I owe you. I could not pay it then, for I had just agreed with a Lady in London to fend my brother an apprentice to her's, who is a rich mer chant in Jamaica, and wrote to my brother to come up hither, in order to be fent fome months to an academy, where he might learn writing and accounts. But juft as he was preparing to fet out, we had a letter from Madeira that this merchant would not need an apprentice for a year or fo; which broke all my meafures. But as I incline to do my brother all the fervice in my power,

I wrote to his friends to fend him to Perth, and ordered what money I could fpare to be paid him at Edinburgh, for I hope by Mr. Paton's affiftance to fettle him advantageoufly, notwithftanding this difappointment. At my leaving the town, I fold the copy of my poem to a bookfeller for twenty-five guineas, though I had then only finished the firft book of it, which the fevereft of all our English critics, Mr. Dennis, has read and approved; as you will find by his letter, which I fend you likewife, and defire you will return it in your firft anfwer to this. I have told you this ftory, that, if poffible, you may prevail with the perfon to whom this bill is due, not to exact payment of it till I receive this money in the winter, by which time my poem will be ready for the prefs. I fhall then discharge this debt punétually, with the intereft due till the day of payment.

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