SECTION VII. 555 4. History is another accomplishment of youth and orna- ment of education. The narratives of the various occurrences ,in nations, as well as in the lives of particular persons, slide into younger minds with pleasure. These will furnish. the soul in time with a treasure of knowledge, whence to derive useful observations, inferencés and rules of conduct. These will enable us to gratify our acquaintance, by rehearsing such narrations at proper seasons, and render our own company agreeable and use- ful to mankind.. 5. Nor can our education be called completely elegant with- out something of poesy, in so very polite an age as this. While I mentioned some knowledge of poesy as a proper ornament of youth, I would not be understood as though I re- commended verse making to every young gentleman and lady. It is an old proverb, that poets are born and not made. And though I have been too far betrayed by an unguarded inclina- tion, into. attempts of this kind, in soins of my former years, yet while I sometimes repent of having laid out so many' days and hours of a short life in writing verses, I will not encourage others to practise it, unless they are blest with a brighter genius, and find an insuperable bent and bias of soul that way: and even then, let itbe a diversion and not a business. The thing therefore which I here recommend td persons of a polite education, is some acquaintance with good verse. To read it in the best authors, to learn to know, and taste, and feel a fine stanza, as well as hear it, and to treasure up some of the riehest sentiments and expressions of the most admired writers, is all that I mean in this advice. Nor is this a mere amusement or useless embroidery of the mind. It brightens and animates the fancy with a thousand beautiful images, it enriches the soul with many great and sublime sentiments and refined ideas, it fills the memory with a noble variety of language, and furnishes the tongue with speech and expression suited to every subject. it teaches the art of describing well, and of painting every thing to the life, and dressing up all the pleasing and the frightful scenes of nature and providence, vice and virtue, in their proper charms and horrors. It assists us in the art of persuasion, it" leads us into a pathetic manner of speech and writing, and adds life and beauty to conversation. How often have we been enabled to gild a gloomy hour of life, and to soften a rough and painful occurrence, by meditating and repeating the lines of some great poet ? Between the co. lours and the harmony that belong to verse, our senses and our souls are sometimes siveetly entertained in a solitary retirement; and sometimes we entertain our friends agreeably, we regale them its with music and painting at once, and gladden the whole company.
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