The gaiety, follies, and voluptuoufnefs of the continent folicit in fuch captivating forms the inclinations of the young, that they foon become deaf to the calls of admonition. No longer fubject to the control of a teacher or a parent, they are eager to follow the dictates of their own inclinations, and to launch out into the wide ocean of indulgence and diffipation. "But if they defire to fee other countries at three or four and twenty years of age, not to learn principles, but to enlarge experience, and make wife obfervations, they will by that time be fuch as fhall deferve the regard and honour of all men where they pass, and the fociety and friendthip of thofe in all places, who are best and most eminent, and perhaps then other nations will be glad to vifit us for their breeding, or elfe to imitate us in their own country'.'

It fhould be the particular care of him, who wishes to turn his travelling to the greatest advantage, and to fave confiderable time and expence, to communicate his intentions of going abroad

of levity, however great his merit, learning, or ingenuity, will not be proper; because he will not have that natural authority and perfonal dignity, which command attention and obedience. A gravé and good man will watch over the morals and religion of his pupil; both which, according to the present mode of conducting travel, are commonly fhaken from the bafis, and levelled with the duft, before the end of the peregrination. A tutor of character and principle will refolye to bring his pupil home, if it is poffible, not worse in any respect than he was on his departure." Knox on Education, vol. ii. p. 305.

Milton on Education, p. 21.

to

to fome intelligent perfons, who have purfued the fame route, which he intends to take. It will be highly ufeful to obtain written inftructions from them, as they afford more room for deliberate reflections, than mere oral directions admit. The more time the traveller has previously beftowed upon acquiring a knowledge of the country he intends to vifit, the better will he be qualified to afk fuch proper questions on his arrival there; as will lead to the moft ufeful information.

Travelling at too early an age may be greatly injurious in its confequences. If the elements of literature and science are not acquired, when the mind is in the moft ductile ftate, and the memory is moft tenacious and retentive, a youth will never gain correct and accurate knowledge. On his return home, he will probably be engaged in business, or a conftant round of fociety, and confequently will have little leifure to attend to the improvement of his mind. Having been early accustomed to wander from one object to another, and fond of difplaying his fuperficial accomplishments, he will never apply himfelf to regular ftudy; he will refemble the gaudy butterfly, rather than the induftrious bee, which extracts fweets from every flower. He ought to go abroad a year or two before he is expected to appear upon the ftage of public life at home. By that time his difpofition and general character may be afcertained, and his habits of thinking will in a great degree be formed. Having had fome experience, and beginning to exer

cife his own judgment, he will not then be fo dazzled with first appearances; nor will he esteem the productions or the manners of foreign countries excellent, merely because they have the recommendation of novelty, and differ from his own-He will not think every opera-finger a worthy object of his affections; nor will he regard every fycophant, whofe address is infinuating, and whofe profeffions of fervice are profufe, as a fincere and valuable friend. His morals will be lefs liable to be corrupted, and his fortune more fecure from the infidious arts of parasites and courtefans. In Paris, Vienna, Bruffels, and all other great cities of Europe, artful men and women lay innumerable fnares to catch the raw and inexperienced: many of thofe young men, who refort too early to the continent, can fully atteft their fuccefs; fince from fuch improper and dangerous acquaintance, they frequently trace the lofs of health and fortune, and the facrifice of those wholesome prepoffeffions in favour of their own religion, country, and government, which were implanted in their early years. Hence too, when their minds are fufceptible of every impref> fion, they take the ftamp of foreign manners, and become deeply tinctured with frivoloufnefs and affectation.

Previous to the French revolution, there were not a few of our travelled countrymen, who, miftaking foppiflinefs for politenefs, and conceit for intellectual ftrength, eftablished a kind of commercial treaty with our Gallic neighbours, and ex

VOL. II.

C C

changed

changed candour for affectation, fteadinefs for frivolity, and religious principle for the profane levity of the French Philofophifts. They brought back little of the noble fimplicity of the English character; but rather showed how much the true ends of vifiting foreign countries might be perverted, by exhibiting on their return the manners of petits-maitres, the oftentation of fciolifts, and the profligacy of Infidels.

To contemplate the face of nature, and examine the works of art, in different countries, agreeable and inftructing as fuch researches may be, are far from conftituting all the objects, which the traveller has to occupy his attention, provided he takes proper advantage of the opportunities afforded to him of feeing and knowing the world. The difplay of manners and characters is as much open to his refearches, as the profpects of nature, or the cabinets of art. It is his important business to study mankind; and he cannot poffibly apply to that ftudy with fuccefs, unless he has attained a mature age: nor can he indeed gain a welcome admittance into refpectable and improving company for it is not reasonable to fuppofe that foreigners diftinguished by rank, abilities, or attainments, will be eager to converfe with boys juft freed from fchool: they may however be gratified by the attention of those young men, who have knowledge to communicate, as well as to gain; whofe curiofity is directed to proper objects; and who increase the reputation

of

of their country by their ingenuous difpofitions and propriety of behaviour.

66

From the expedition, with which fome travellers proceed, we are not to conclude, that knowledge of the world may be caught by a tranfient glance; or that they belong to that high order of genius, who can grafp a fyftem by intuition." They might gain as much information, if they were wafted over the continent by a balloon, as they acquire by viewing a country, during their rapid progress through it, from the windows of a carriage. The various places, through which they haften, can only appear to them like the shifting fcenes of a pantomime, which juft catch the eye for a moment, and fucceed fo rapidly as to obliterate the faint impreffions of each other. We are told of a noble Roman, who could recollect all the articles fold at an auction, as well as the names of the feveral purchasers.-The memory of fuch volatile travellers ought to be equally retentive, confidering the few hours they allow themselves for the infpection of curiofities, and the fhort time of their refidence in different places.

Ignorance of the modern languages, and efpecially of the French and the German, is a great obftacle to the improvement of many Englishmen,

In Lord Effex's Letter to the Earl of Rutland, and in that of Sir Philip Sydney to his brother, there is fome excellent advice to travellers. Seward's Biography, vol. ii. p. 358, &c.