moral conduct to be nearly the same, however the theories of philosophy may have varied; and in the author under consideration, if he discovers no systematical arrangement, he will meet many of those terse and condensed maxims of life and morals, which most forcibly convey truth, and most readily impress themselves on the recollection; and which are of excellent service to him, who in the practice of his profession is oftener under the necessity of enforcing truth, than of demonstrating it.

The translation, or the work entitled "Seneca's Morals by way of abstract" by sir Roger L'Estrange, is in this country, we presume, better known than the original. Sir Roger is strong in his commendation of Seneca. "Next to the Gospel itself," says he "I do look upon it as the most sovereign remedy against the miseries of human nature; and I have ever found it so, in all the injuries and distresses of an unfortu nate life." So Lactantius holds, "That he who would know all things, let him read Seneca; the most lively describer of publick vices and manners, and the smartest reprehender of them." He has been denomi nated the prince of erudition, and a man of excellent wit and learning.* His style however has been very generally censured: Caligula, if he be authority for any thing, compares it to sand without lime, and Quinctilian says that it is corrupt throughout. No doubt the classical scholar will not often consult the pages of Seneca for elegant and pure latinity, nor for very rare and well arranged moral wisdom; but he may with confidence and pleasure resort to him for

*L'Estrange's Seneca.

sound ethicks, conveyed in a very sententious and pithy manner, and, as was the custom of Bolingbroke, he may frequently quote him "rather for the smartness of expression, than the weight or newness of matter."* (Note 4.) XENOPHON'S MEMORABILIA. Mrs. Fielding's translation of this work is very highly and justly esteemed.

(Note 5.) ARISTOTLE'S ETHICKS. The writings of Aristotle, whom Suidas denominates the "Secretary of Nature," and whom another philosopher styles "Princeps Politicorum," maintained, during many centuries, an authority accorded to those of no other

man.

But whilst his admirers have been extravagant in their eulogy, his opponents have been no less so in their censures. While on the one hand we are informed that he was ordained a special messenger to prepare the way for divine revelation; that the mysteries of religion have been solved by his philosophy; that his moral wisdom was from Solomon, and himself of the tribe of Benjamin; that he was (according to Plato) the philosopher of truth, and styled by Cicero a man of eloquence, unbounded learning, fertility and acuteness of invention, and fulness of thought; we are, on the other hand, instructed that his writings display a vain and verbose pretence of learning; that they are too acromatick, and contain little else than a wordy and unintelligible shew of occult learning; perplexing the intellect with metaphysical and sublimated notions; leaving on the mind no definite impressions, and finally, that until the mental vassalage to Aristo

+ Boling. Works, vol. 4. 165.

telian philosophy was dissolved, intellect was at a stand, and useful science at least stationary, if not retrograde. The fact is that the truth, as is often the case, lies in the middle of these extremes; and as we have elsewhere stated, it is not for us to be enlisted on either side of these scientifick and literary contests and prejudices; our duty is to select from the writings of all that which is really meritorious, and stamped with the seal of good sense and sound philosophy. We would recommend or pass by, without reference to the fashion or idol of the day, and take for our motto, Amicus Plato, Amicus Socrates, sed magis amica veritas.

The writings of this extraordinary man unquestionably shew him to have been possessed of singular intellectual vigour, happily and richly improved by the learning of his age; and notwithstanding much may be said against some of his writings, it would still not be easy to say too much in praise of them generally. As to the merit of the work here recommended, there is at present not much diversity of opinion; in the books on Ethicks and Politicks we find him luminous, satis factory and learned. To the exertions of Dr. Gillies are we indebted for the revival of this valuable treatise. Twice, in common with his other works, has it been consigned to oblivion, and twice revived from its undeserved obscurity. "The extraordinary and unmerited fate," says Dr. Gillies, "of these writings, while it excites the curiosity, must provoke the indig nation of every friend to science. Few of them were published in his life time; the greater part nearly per ished through neglect; and the remainder have been so grossly misapplied, that doubts have arisen whether

their preservation ought to be regarded as a benefit. Aristotle's manuscripts and library were bequeathed to Theophrastus, the most illustrious of his pupils. Theophrastus again bequeathed them to his own scholar Neleus, who carrying them to Scepsis, a city of the ancient Troas, left them to his heir in the undistinguished mass of his property. The heirs of Neleus, men ignorant of literature, and careless of books, totally neglected the intellectual treasure, that had most unworthily devolved to them, until they heard that the king of Pergamus, under whose dominion they lived, was employing much attention and much research in collecting a large library. With the caution incident to the subjects of a despot, who often have recourse to concealment in order to avoid robbery, they hid their books under ground; and the writings of Aristotle, as well as the vast collection of materials from which they. had been composed, thus remained in a subterranean mansion for many generations, a prey to dampness and to worms. At length they were released from their prison, or rather raised from their graves, and sold for a large sum to Apellicon of Athens, a lover of books, rather than a scholar; through whose labour and expense the work of restoring Aristotle's manuscripts, though performed in the same city in which they had been originally written, was very imperfectly executed. What became of the original manuscript, we are not informed; but the copy made for Apellicon was, together with his whole library, seized by Sylla, the Roman conqueror of Athens, and by him transmitted to Rome. Tyrannion, a native of Amysus in Pontus, procured the manuscript by paying court to Sylla's librarian, and communicated the use of it to Andronicus

of Rhodes, who flourished as a philosopher at Rome, in the time of Cicero and Pompey; and who, having undertaken the task of arranging and correcting those long injured writings, finally performed the duty of a skilful editor."*

The work under consideration, with its sequel, the treatise of Politicks, is unquestionably the most valuable among his productions which have reached us. "The Nicomachean Ethicks," says Rennell, "afford not only the most perfect specimen of scientifick morality, but exhibit also the powers of the most compact and best constructed system, which the human intellect ever produced upon any subject; enlivening occasionally great severity of method, and strict precision of terms, by the sublimest splendour of diction. If moral philosophy, I mean specifically and properly so called, is to be studied as a science, in such sources is it to be sought. Thence will be formed a manly intellectual vigour, an ingenuous modesty and dignity of habit, an energy of thought and diction, and a reach of comprehensive knowledge which distinguish the true English scholar. On the contrary, it is to be feared that the feeble speculation which almost all modern systems of morality encourage, and the superficial information they afford, superseding the necessity of all active and real employment of the faculties, have operated more fatally upon the mental habits of the rising generation, than total ignorance could possibly have done."+

Dr. Gillies observes in the preface to his translation of the Ethicks, that "this and the treatise on Poli

*Vide Gill. Aris. 1 Vol. 34. Vide Gill. Aris. 409, Note S.