noun, alter its fignification accordingly; and, when you have obferved this in three or four inftances, you will know it in all. It is likewife the fame in the Greek, where, when you once know the roots, you will foen know the branches. Thus, in the paper I fend you to get by heart, you will obferve, that the verb fero I carry, is the root of fixteen others, whofe fignifications differ from the root, only by the addition of a letter or two, or a prepofition; which letters or prepofitions make the fame alterations to all words to which they are added: as, for example, ex, which fignifies out, when joined to eo, I go, makes I go out, exeo; when joined to traho, I draw, it makes, I draw out, extraho; and fo in all other cafes of the fame nature. The prepofition per, which fignifies thoroughly or completely, as well as by, when joined to a verb or noun, adds that fignification to it; when added to fero, I carry, it makes perfere, I carry thoroughly; when added to facie, I do, it makes perficio, I finish, I do thoroughly, I complete : when added to nouns, it has the fame effect; difficilis, hard; perdifficilis, thoroughly, completely hard; jucundus, agreeable; perjucundus, thoroughly, completely agreeable. If you attend to thefe obfervations, it will fave you a good deal of trouble in looking in the Dictionary. As you are now pretty well master of most of the rules, what you chiefly want, both in Latin and Greek, is the words, in order to conftrue authors; and therefore I would advise you to write down, and learn by heart, every day, for your own amufement, befides what you do with Mr. Maittaire, ten words in Greek, Latin, and English, out of a dictionary, or a vocabulary, which will go a great way in a year's time, confidering the words you know already, and thofe you will learn befides in conftruing with Mr. Maittaire. Adieu ! D 38 DEAR BOY, LETTER XVIII. Memory....Attention....Pofure in Reading. Tuesday. I WISH I had as much reafon to be fatisfied with your remembering what you have once learned, as with your learning it; but what fignifies your learning any thing foon, if you forget it as foon? Memory depends upon attention, and your forgetfulness proceeds ingly from a want of attention. For example, I dare fay, if I told you that fuch a day next day week you should have fomething that you liked, you would certainly remember the day, and call upon me for it. And why? Only because you would attend to it. And now, a Greek or a Latin verfe is as eafily retained as a day of the week, if you would give the fame attention to it. I now remember, and can ftill repeat, all that I learnt when I was of your age; but it is because I then attended to it, knowing that a little attention would fave me the trouble of learning the fame things over and over again. A man will never do any thing well, that cannot command his attention immediately from one thing to another, as occafion requires. If while he is at his bufinefs he thinks of his diverfions, or if 1 while he is at his diverfions he thinks of his bufinefs, 1 he will fucceed in neither, but do both very aukward1ly. Hc age, was a maxim among the Romans, which means, Do what you are about, and do that only. A little mind is always hurried by twenty things at once; but a man of fenfe does but one thing at a time, and refolves to excel in it; for whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing well. Therefore remember to give yourself up entirely to the thing your are doing, ybe it what it may, whether your book or your play for if you have a right ambition, you will defire to exy cel all boys of your age, at cricket, at trap-ball, as well as in learning. You have one rival in learning, whom I am fure you ought to take particular care to excel, and that is your own picture, Remember what is written there, and confider what a fhame it would be, if when you are decennist, you fhould not have got further than you were octennist. Who would not take pains to avoid fuch a disgrace? Another thing I must mention to you, which though, not of the fame confequence, is however, worth minding and that is, the trick you have got of looking clofe to your book, when you read, which is only a trick, for I am fure you are not fhort-fighted. It is an ugly trick, and has a dull look, and, over and above, will fpoil your eyes; therefore always hold your book as far off as you can when you read, and you will foon come to read at a great diftance. Thefe little things are not to be neglected; for the very best things receive fome addition, by a genteel and graceful manner of doing them. Demofthenes, the famous Græcian orator, being asked which were the three principal parts of an orator, anfwered, Action, action, action;-meaning, that the force and perfuafion of an orator confifted a great deal in his graceful action, and good elocution. Adieu! LETTER XIX. On Ambition ..Different Characters it affumes. DEAR BOY, I SEND you here a few more Latin roots, though I am roots,though not fure that you will like my roots fo well as those that grow in your garden; however, if you will attend to them, they may fave you a great deal of trouble. These few will naturally point out many others to your own obfervation, and enable you, by comparifon, to find out moft derived and compound words, when once you know the original root of them. You are old enough now to make obfervations upon what you' learn, which, if you would be pleafed to do, you can not imagine how much time and trouble it would fave you. Remember, you are now very near nine years old-an age at which all boys ought to know a great deal, but you, particularly, a great deal more, confidering the care and pains that have been employed Eight years of age. Ten years of age. about you; and, if you do not anfwer thofe expectations, you will lofe your character, which is the moft mortifying thing that can happen to a generous mind. Every body has ambition, of fome kind or other, and is vexed when that ambition is difappointed: the difference is, that the ambition of filly people is a filly and mistaken ambition, and the ambition of people of fenfe is a right and commendable one. For intance, the ambition of a filly boy, of your age, would be to have fine clothes, and money to throw away in idle follies; which, you plainly fee, would be no proofs of merit in him, but only of folly in his parents, in dreffing him out like a jackanapes, and giving him money to play the fool with. Whereas a boy of good fenfe places his ambition in excelling other boys of his own age, and even older, in virtue and knowledge. His glory is in being known always to fpeak the truth, in thowing good-nature and compaffion, in learning quicker, and applying himself more, than other boys. These are real proofs of merit in him, and confequently proper objects of ambition; and will acquire him a folid reputation in character. This holds true in men, as well as in boys: the ambition of a filly fellow will be to have a fine equipage, a fine houfe, and fine clothes; things which any body, that has as much money, may have as well as he-for they are all to be bought but the ambition of a man of fenfe and honour is, to be diftinguished by a character and reputation of knowledge, truth, and virtue-things which are not to be bought, and that can only be acquired by a good head and a good heart. Such was the ambition of the Lacedæmonians and the Romans, when they made the greatest figure; and fuch, I hope, yours will always be.. Adieu! : You will feldom hear from me without an admoni OU tion to think. All you learn, and all you can read, will be of little ufe, if you do not think and reafon upon it yourself. One reads to know other people's thoughts; but if we take them upon truft, without examining and comparing them with our own, it is really living upon other people's fcraps, or retailing other people's goods. To know the thoughts of others is of ufe, because it fuggefts thoughts to one's-felf, and helps. one to form a judgment; but to repeat other people's thoughts, without confidering whether they are right or wrong, is the talent only of a parrot, or at moft a player. If night were given you as a fubject to compofe upon, you would do very well to look what the best authors have faid upon it, in order to help your own invention; but then you muft think of it afterwards yourfelf, and exprefs it in your own manner, or elfe you would be at beft but a plagiary. A plagiary is a man who fteals other people's thoughts, and puts them off for his own. You would find, for example, the following account of Night in Virgil: 'Twas dead of night, when weary bodies clofe The farsinnlent order moved around, And peace, with downy wings, was brooding on the ground. Which haunt the woods, and fwim the weedy pool, Stretch'd on the quiet earth fecurely lay, Forgetting the pait labours of the day. Here you fee the effects of night; that it brings reft to men, when they are wearied with the labours of the day; that the ftars move in their regular courfe; that flocks and birds repofe themselves, and enjoy the quiet of the night. This, upon examination, you would find to be all true: but then, upon confidération too, |