love of probity
and true honour, they think, that they have fully
attained the end of
all their labours.
2. The other species of philosophers consider man in the
light of a
reasonable rather than an active being, and endeavour to
form his
understanding more than cultivate his manners. They
regard human nature
as a subject of speculation; and with a narrow scrutiny
examine it, in
order to find those principles, which regulate our
understanding, excite
our sentiments, and make us approve or blame any
particular object,
action, or behaviour. They think it a reproach to all
literature, that
philosophy should not yet have fixed, beyond
controversy, the foundation
of morals, reasoning, and criticism; and should for ever
talk of truth
and falsehood, vice and virtue, beauty and deformity,
without being able
to determine the source of these distinctions. While
they attempt this
arduous task, they are deterred by no difficulties; but
proceeding from
particular instances to general principles, they still
push on their
enquiries to principles more general, and rest not
satisfied till they
arrive at those original principles, by which, in every
science, all
human curiosity must be bounded. Though their
speculations seem
abstract, and even unintelligible to common readers,
they aim at the
approbation of the learned and the wise; and think
themselves
sufficiently compensated for the labour of their whole
lives, if they
can discover some hidden truths, which may contribute to
the instruction
