sff THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE MIND. formidable spectres which the understanding raises sometimes tit flatter its own laziness. Those things which in a remote and confused view seem very obscure and perplexed, may be ap- proached by gentle and regular steps, and may then unfold and explain themselves at large to the eye. The hardest problems in geometry, and the most intricate schemes or diagrams may be explicated and understood step (by step : every great mathema- tician bears a constant witness to this observation. V. In learning any new thing, there should be as little as possible first proposed to the mind at once, and that being under- stood andfully mastered, proceed then to the next adjoining part yet unknown. This is a slow, but safe and sure way to arrive at knowledge. If the mind apply itself at first to easier subjects and things near akin to what is already known, and then ad- vance to the more remote and knotty parts of knowledge by slow degrees, it will be able in this manner to cope with great diffi- culties, and prevail over them with amazing and happy success. Mathon happened todip into the two last chapters of a new book of geometry and mensuration ; as soon as he saw it, and was frighted with the complicated diagrams which lie found there, about the Frustums of Cones and Pyramids, &c. and some deep demonstrations among conic sections: he shut the book again in despair, and imagined none but a Sir Isaac Newton was ever fit to read it. But his tutor happily persuaded him to begin tire first pages about lines and angles and lie found such surprising pleasure in three weeks time in the victories he daily obtained, that at last he became one of the chief geometers of his age. VI. Engage not the mind in the intense pursuit of too many things at once: especially such as have no relation to one another. This will be ready to distract the understanding, and hinder it from attaining perfection in any one subject of study. Stich a practice, gives a slight smattering of several sciences without any solid and substantial knowledge of them, and with- out any real and valuable improvement ; and though two or three sorts of study may be usefullycarried on at once, to enter- tain the mind with variety, that it may not beover -tired with one sort of thoughts, yet a multitude of subjects will too much dis- tract the attention, and weaken the application of the mind to any one of them. Where two or three sciences are. pursued at the same time, if one of them be dry, abstracted, and unplea- sant, as logic, metaphysics, law, languages, let another be more entertaining and agreeable, to secure the mind from weariness and aversion to study. Delight should be intermingled with labour as far as possible, to allure us to bear the fatigue of dry studies the better. Poetry, practical mathematics, history, 8fc. are generally esteemed entertaining studies, and may be happily
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