Men thus equal

when a thief drives away his cow. in themselves will appear equal in honest and impartial biography; and thofe whom fortune or nature place at the greatest distance may afford inftruction to each other.

The writer of his own life has at leaft the first qualification of an hiftorian, the knowledge of the truth; and though it may be plaufibly objected that his temptations to disguise it are equal to his opportunities of knowing it, yet I cannot but think that impartiality may be expected with equal confidence from him that relates the paffages of his own life, as from him that delivers the tranfactions of another.

Certainty of knowledge not only excludes miftake, but fortifies veracity. What we collect by conjecture, and by conjecture only can one man judge of another's motives or fentiments, is easily modified by fancy or by defire; as objects imperfectly difcerned take forms from the hope or fear of the beholder. But that which is fully known cannot be falfified but with reluctance of understanding, and alarm of confcience: of understanding, the lover of truth; of confcience, the fentinel of virtue.

He that writes the life of another is either his friend or his enemy, and wishes either to exalt his praise or aggravate his infamy; many temptations to falfehood will occur in the disguise of paffions, too fpecious to fear much resistance. Love of virtue will animate panegyrick, and hatred of wickedness imbitter cenfure. The zeal of grati

tude, the ardour of patriotism, fondness for an opinion, or fidelity to a party, may eafily overpower the vigilance of a mind habitually well difpofed, and prevail over unaffifted and unfriended veracity.

But he that speaks of himself has no motive to falfehood or partiality except felf-love, by which all have so often been betrayed, that all are on the watch against its artifices. He that writes an apology for a fingle action, to confute an accufation, to recommend himself to favour, is indeed always to be fufpected of favouring his own caufe; but he that fits down calmly and voluntarily to review his life for the admonition of pofterity, or to amuse himself, and leaves this account unpublifhed, may be commonly prefumed to tell truth, fince falsehood cannot appease his own mind, and fame will not be heard beneath the tomb.

1

NUMB. 85. SATURDAY, December 1, 1759,

Ο

NE of the peculiarities which diftinguish the

prefent age is the multiplication of books. Every day brings new advertisements of literary undertakings, and we are flattered with repeated promifes of growing wife on eafier terms than our progenitors.

How much either happinefs or knowledge is advanced by this multitude of authors, it is not very eafy to decide.

He that teaches us any thing which we knew not before, is undoubtedly to be reverenced as a master. He that conveys knowledge by more pleasing ways, may very properly be loved as a benefactor; and he that fupplies life with innocent amufement, will be certainly careffed as a pleafing companion.

But few of those who fill the world with books, have any pretenfions to the hope either of pleasing or inftructing. They have often no other task than to lay two books before them, out of which they compile a third, without any new materials of their own, and with very little application of judgment to those which former authors have supplied.

That all compilations are useless I do not affert. Particles of science are often very widely scattered. Writers of extenfive comprehenfion have incidental remarks upon topicks very remote from the principal fubject, which are often more valuable than formal

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formal treatifes, and which yet are not known because they are not promifed in the title. He that collects thofe under proper heads is very laudably employed, for though he exerts no great abilities in the work, he facilitates the progrefs of others, and by making that eafy of attainment which is already written, may give some mind, more vigorous or more adventurous than his own, leifure for new thoughts and original defigns,

But the collections poured lately from the prefs have been feldom made at any great expence of time or inquiry, and therefore only ferve to diftra&t choice without fupplying any real want.

It is obferved that a corrupt fociety has many laws; I know not whether it is not equally true, that an ignorant age has many books. When the treasures of ancient knowledge lie unexamined, and original authors are neglected and forgotten, compilers and plagiaries are encouraged, who give us again what we had before, and grow great by setting before us what our own floth had hidden from our view.

Yet are not even thefe writers to be indifcrimi. nately cenfured and rejected. Truth like beauty varies its fashions, and is best recommended by dif ferent dreffes to different minds'; and he that recalls the attention of mankind to any part of learning which time has left behind it, may be truly faid to advance the literature of his own age. As the manners of nations vary, new topicks of perfuafion become neceffary, and new combinations of imagery are produced; and he that can accommodate himself to the reigning tafte, may always have

readers

readers who perhaps would not have looked upon better performances.

To exact of every man who writes that he fhould fay fomething new, would be to reduce authors to a small number; to oblige the moft fertile genius to say only what is new, would be to contract his volumes to a few pages.. Yet, furely, there ought to be fome bounds to repetition; libraries ought no more to be heaped for ever with the fame thoughts differently expreffed, than with the fame books dif ferently decorated.

The good or evil which thefe fecondary writers produce is feldom of any long duration. As they owe their existence to change of fashion, they commonly disappear when a new fashion becomes prevalent. The authors that in any nation laft from age to age are very few, because there are very few that have any other claim to notice than that they catch hold on present curiofity, and gratify fome accidental defire, or produce fome temporary conveniency.

But however the writers of the day may defpair of future fame, they ought at least to forbear any present mischief. Though they cannot arrive at eminent heights of excellence, they might keep themselves harmless. They might take care to inform themselves before they attempt to inform others, and exert the little influence which they have for honeft purposes.

But fuch is the prefent ftate of our literature, that the ancient fage, who thought a great book a great evil, would now think the multitude of books

a multi