And often did beguile her of her tears,
When I did speak of some distressful stroke
That my youth suffer'd. My story being done,
She gave me for my pains a world of sighs:

She swore,-in faith 'twas strange, 'twas passing
strange;

'Twas pitiful, 'twas wond'rous pitiful:

She wish'd, she had not heard it;-yet she wish'd That heav'n had made her such a man. She thank'd

me,

And bad me, if I had a friend that lov'd her,
I should but teach him how to tell my story,
And that would woo her. On this hint I spake;
She lov'd me for the dangers I had past.

OTHELLO, Act. I. Scene 8.

Philosophers think like the rest of mankind. upon this subject. Although they begin their systems with a declaration that happiness is the most valuable of all attainments; yet when they afterwards come to treat of human actions in detail, they never fail to approve of that conduct in which the greatest degree of integrity and of vigour of mind have been displayed, however much misery it may have produced. The ancient Epicureans were the only philosophers who ever expressed themselves consistently upon this point. They asserted that Felicity, or a continual succession of pleasures, is the proper and most rational object of human pursuit; and they boldly avowed, that a man acts absurdly when he

neglects his own ease and enjoyments on account of any notions of duty, integrity, or public spirit. But this opinion has always appeared odious to the common sense of mankind. The Stoics, who were the great antagonists of the Epicureans, were less consistent. They acknowledged, that our great business in this world is to produce happiness; but they asserted, at the same time, that to act steadfastly and skilfully is the only valuable object of pursuit. To reconcile these two opinions, they were under the necessity of alleging, that a wise and virtuous man is capable of being happy under disappointment, sickness, exile, and tortures. The absurdity of this assertion has cast a degree of ridicule upon the stoical philosophy, and brought its pure and elevated precepts into no small dis credit.

The truth is, that in almost all branches of science mankind succeed better in practice than in theory. Practical men were for ages accustomed to extract the metals from their different ores, and at pleasure to reduce them back to a state of ore or earth; but it is only within these few years that philosophers have understood the nature of the change that takes place in such a process; and doubts exist whether they understand it to this hour. The same thing has happened in morals. Ordinary men have found little difficulty in discerning the conduct which

their duty requires them to adopt; though phi losophers have been mightily perplexed to find out a good reason for calling one action right and another action wrong. As it is always of importance, however, that our actions should be founded upon rational principles, or that practice and theory should correspond, no apology can be necessary for an attempt to introduce greater precision and consistency into our conceptions concerning that which ought to be the employment of man in this world.

It appears to me, then, that the great object which the human race ought to pursue, and the attainment of which they ought to regard as the business of their lives, is not to produce happiness, pleasure, or felicity, in themselves or others; but that, on the contrary, the end for which they were formed, and which alone they can pursue with success, is the improvement of their whole intellectual faculties, whether speculative or active. In one word, it is the business of man in this world to endeavour to become an excellent being, possessing high powers of energy and intelligence. This is his chief good; and ought to be the great and ultimate object of his pursuit, to which every other consideration ought to be sacrificed.

If this principle, that intellectual excellence, or the perfection of the mind and of its rational powers, is the most important and valuable object of human pursuit, can be clearly establish

ed, it will follow, that those actions are good, and right, and best, which produce, not happiness or pleasure, but the greatest portion of knowledge, ability, and intellectual perfection in the world; and that those actions are the worst, which produce, or have a tendency to produce, not suffering, but the greatest degree of ignorance, of stupidity, and of intellectual weakness and degradation. It will even follow, that the rulers of nations (though they are seldom so well employed) do actually misapply their labour, and mistake their duty, when they imagine that their 'proper business consists in conferring felicity upon their fellow-creatures.

I shall here endeavour to prove, that the great task, to the performance of which the existence. of every man ought to be devoted, consists of two branches: first, to produce the intellectual improvement of his own individual mind and character; and, secondly, to produce the im provement of the minds of other rational beings,

I. 1st, IN all undertakings, the first question among rational men is uniformly this: Supposing us to engage in a particular pursuit, what prospect have we of success? The object of the undertaking may be great and valuable; but if there is no reason to expect that the pursuit of it can prosper, it is justly disregarded as an idle project that will never afford any reward for our efforts. This is precisely the case with regard to

happiness. It is no doubt a fine thing if it could be attained; but none ever pursued it with success. It is like the country in the romance, in which the stones of the field are all gems and gold, and in which overflowing plenty abounds: it is a fine country, but nobody can go there.

It is scarcely necessary to attempt to prove by arguments, that a state of happiness cannot be attained in this world*. The history of mankind, both in ancient and modern times, sufficiently establishes the fact. Some have expected to find felicity in riches; others have sought it from power, from pleasure, and even from fair and upright conduct: but they have all been unsuccessful. Disappointments have awaited them; and bad health, or other unforeseen calamities, have rendered their efforts fruitless. Even when no visible cause of infelicity exist¬ ed, it has been found impossible to enjoy a high degree of happiness for any long period, merely because all humnan pleasures diminish by a repetition of enjoyment.

Good health, and a natural cheerfulness of temper, produce as high a degree of happiness as we are capable of enjoying for any length of time. But these we cannot bestow upon our

*Three books have been written to demonstrate that happiness cannot be attained in this world. These are, Ecclesiastes, by Solomon king of the Jews; Candide, or the Optimist, by Voltaire; and Rasselas, by Dr Johnson.