E6 THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE MIND. examines every turning before he ventures upon it, will come sooner and safer to his journey's end, than he who runs through every lane he meets, though he gallop full speed all the day. The man of much reading and a large retentive memory, but without meditation, may become, in the sense of the world, a knowing man ; and if he converses much with the ancients, he may attain the fame of learning too ; but he spends his days afar off from wisdom and true judgment, and possesses very little of the substantial riches of the mind. XII. Never apply yourselves to read anyhuman author with a determination before-hand either for or irgainst him, or with a settled resolution to believe or disbelieve, to confirm or to oppose Whatsoever he saith ; but always read with a design to lay your mind open to truth, and to embrace it wheresoever you find it, as well as to reject every falsehood, though it appear under ever so fair a disguise. How unhappy are those men who seldom -take aii author into their hands, but they have determinedbefore they begin, whether they will like or dislike him ! They have got some notion of his name, his character, his party, or his principles, by general conversation, or perhaps by some slight view of a few pages : and having all their own opinions adjusted before-hand, they read all that he writes with a prepossession either for or against him. Unhappy those who hunt and purvey for a party, and scrape together out of every author, all those things, and those only which favour their own tenets, while they :despise and neglect all the rest ! XIII. Yet take this caution. I would not be understood here, as though I persuaded a person to live without any set- tled principles at all, by which to judge of men'and hooks and things ; or that I would keep a man always doubting about his foundations. The chief things that I design in this advice, are these three : 1. That after our most necessary and important principles of science, prudence and religion, are settled upon good grounds, with regard to our present conduct and our future hopes, we should read with a just freedom of thought, all those books which treat of such subjects as may admitof doubt and reason- able dispute. Nor should any of our opinions be so resolved apon, especially in younger years, as never to hear or to bear an opposition to them. 2. When we peruse those authors who defend our own set- tled sentiments, we should not take all their arguings for just and solid : but we should make a wise distinction betwixt the corn and the chaff, between solid reasoning and the mere super- ficial colours of it; nor shouldwe readily swallow down all their lesser opinions because we agree with them in the greater. 3. That when we read those authors which oppose our most certain and established principles; we ahouldbe ready to receive
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