human nature, is that which is not swayed by temper1 of any kind; but alternately employs enterprise and caution, as each is useful to the particular purpose intended. Such is the excellence which St. Evremond ascribes to Marshal Turenne, who displayed, every campaign as he grew older, more temerity in his military enterprises; and being now, from long experience, perfectly acquainted with every incident in war, he advanced with greater firmness and security, in a road so well known to him. Fabius, says Machiavel, was cautious; Scipio enterprising; and both succeeded, because the situation of the Roman affairs, during the command of each, was peculiarly adapted to his genius; but both would have failed, had these situations been reversed. He is happy, whose circumstances suit his temper;1 but he is more excellent, who can suit his temper1 to any cir

cumstances.

2. THE STANDARD OF TASTE.?

(FROM THE SAME WORK.)

THOUGH the principles of taste be universal, and nearly, if not entirely the same in all men; yet few are qualified to give judgment on any work of art, or establish their own sentiment (feeling) as the standard of beauty. The organs of internal sensation are seldom so perfect as to allow the general principles their full play, and produce a feeling correspondent to those principles. They either labour under some defect, or are vitiated by some disorder; and by that means excite a sentiment, which may be pronounced erroneous. When the critic has no delicacy, he judges without any distinction (discrimination), and is only affected by the grosser and more palpable qualities of the

(1) Temper is strictly, moderation, a combination of the "humours" (see note 2, p. 212) of the body, so harmonious that no one of them has an injurious prominence. Thus, a bad-tempered man is one in whom the choleric humour is ill-restrained, and in general the temper (or "temperament," according to modern use) of a man is that actual mixing or amalgamation of the elemental "humours" which makes him what he is. In the first of the above passages, temper seems equivalent to "humour " or " passion; " in the others, to "temperament."

(2) In opposition to the doctrine involved in the adage, de gustibus non est disputandum-"that there is no disputing about tastes "-since each man has his own-it has been maintained that there is, after all, a standard of taste to which all individual tastes should be conformed. It would be easy to show, that if each man's taste is to be received as authoritative, there can be no standard whatever.

object: the finer touches pass unnoticed and disregarded. Where he is not aided by practice, his verdict is attended with confusion and hesitation. Where no comparison has been employed,' the most frivolous beauties, such as rather merit the name of defects, are the objects of his admiration. Where he lies under the influence of prejudice, all his natural sentiments are perverted. Where good sense is wanting, he is not qualified to discern the beauties of design and reasoning, which are the highest and most excellent. Under some or other of these imperfections, the generality of men labour; and hence a true judge in the finer arts is observed, even during the most polished ages, to be so rare a character. Strong sense united to delicate sentiment, improved by practice, perfected by comparison, and cleared of all prejudice, can alone entitle critics to this valuable character; and the joint verdict of such, wherever they are to be found, is the true standard of taste and beauty.

3. CHARACTER OF QUEEN ELIZABETH.

(FROM THE "HISTORY OF ENGLAND," PUBLISHED IN 1754.) THERE are few great personages in history who have been more exposed to the calumny of enemies, and the adulation 2 of friends, than Queen Elizabeth, and yet there is scarce any whose reputation has been more certainly determined by the unanimous consent of posterity. The unusual length of her administration, and the strong features of her character, were able to overcome all prejudices; and obliging her detractors to abate much of their invectives, and her admirers somewhat of their panegyrics, have at last, in spite of political factions, and, what is more, of religious animosities, produced an uniform judgment with regard to her conduct. Her vigour, her constancy, her magnanimity, her penetration, vigilance, address, are allowed to merit the highest praises, and appear

(1) I.e. no comparison with the best models or examples.

(2) Calumny, adulation. The former is undeserved censure, the latter undeserved praise; so that these words are very appropriately placed in opposition.

(3) Constancy, i.e. firmness. The latter word would probably have suited this passage better. Firmness is more comprehensive than constancy, and implies a native and constitutional quality as distinguished from one which may be temporary and accidental. Firmness is the opposite of weakness, constancy of fickleness.

not to have been surpassed by any person who ever filled a throne: a conduct less rigorous, less imperious, more sincere, more indulgent to her people, would have been requisite to form a perfect character. By the force of her mind, she controlled all her more active and stronger qualities, and prevented them from running into excess. Her heroism was exempt from all temerity, her frugality from avarice, her friendship from partiality, her active temper from turbulency and a vain ambition. She guarded not herself with equal care or equal success from lesser infirmities, the rivalship (rivalry) of beauty, the desire of admiration, the jealousy of love, and the sallies of

anger.

1

Her singular talents for government were founded equally on her temper1 and on her capacity.1 Endowed with a great command over herself, she soon obtained an uncontrolled ascendant (ascendancy) over her people; and while she merited all their esteem by her real virtues, she also enjoyed their affection by her pretended ones. Few sovereigns of England succeeded to the throne in more difficult circumstances; and none ever conducted the government with such uniform success and felicity. Though unacquainted with the practice of toleration, the true secret for managing religious factions, she preserved her people, by her superior prudence, from those confusions in which theological controversies had involved all the neighbouring nations; and though her enemies were the most powerful princes of Europe, the most active, the most enterprising, the least scrupulous, she was able by her vigour to make deep impressions on their state; her own greatness meanwhile remained untouched and unimpaired.

The wise ministers and brave warriors who flourished during her reign share the praise of her success; but instead of lessening the applause due to her, they make great addition to it. They owed, all of them, their advancement to her choice; they were supported by her constancy; and with all their ability they were never able to acquire any undue ascendant over her. In her family, in her court, in her kingdom, she remained equally mistress. The force of the tender passions was great

(1) Temper, capacity, ability. The "command over herself" is the temper referred to. See note 1, p. 292. By capacity, Hume rather means that general ability which was shown in the particulars enumerated. Capacity is a native, but it may be an unused, faculty; ability is faculty educated, trained, and carried into action. Both are requisite in a consummate ruler, the one to devise, the other to.execute.

(2) "They enhance it" would, perhaps, have been a better expression.

over her, but the force of her mind was still superior; and the combat which her victory visibly cost her, serves only to display the firmness of her resolution, and the loftiness of her ambitious sentiments.

The fame of this princess, though it has surmounted the prejudices both of faction and bigotry, yet lies still exposed to another prejudice, which is more durable because more natural, and which, according to the different views in which we survey her, is capable either of exalting beyond measure, or diminishing, the lustre of her character. This prejudice is founded on the consideration of her sex. When we contemplate her as a woman, we are apt to be struck with the highest admiration of her great qualities and extensive capacity; but we are also apt to require some more softness of disposition, some greater lenity of temper, some of those amiable weaknesses by which her sex is distinguished. But the true method of estimating her merit is to lay aside all these considerations, and consider her merely as a rational being, placed in authority, and entrusted with the government of mankind. We may find it difficult to reconcile our fancy to her as a wife or a mistress; but her qualities as a sovereign, though with some considerable exceptions, are the object of undisputed applause and approbation.

LAURENCE STERNE.'

1. CAPTIVITY.

(FROM THE "SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY," PUBLISHED IN 1768.)

"-AND as for the Bastile, the terror is in the word. Make the most of it you can," said I to myself, "the Bastile is but an

(1) "Whatever he (Sterne) has done is wrought with the utmost care, and to the highest polish and perfection. With all his apparent caprices of manner, his language is throughout the purest idiomatic English; nor is there usually a touch in any of his pictures that could be spared without injury to the effect."-Craik, English Literature and Language, ii. 299.

"His sparkling, polished diction has ever an air of false glitter, yet it is the weapon of a master-of one who can stir the heart to tears, as well as laughter."Robert Chambers, Cyclopædia of English Literature, ii. 171.

other word for a tower, and a tower but another word for a house you can't get out of. Mercy on the gouty, for they are

in it twice a year. But with nine livres (francs) a day, and

pen and ink, and paper, and patience-albeit a man can't get out, he may do very well within-at least for a month or six weeks; at the end of which, if he is a harmless fellow, his innocence appears, and he comes out a better and wiser man than he went in."

I had some occasion (I forget what) to step into the courtyard as I settled this account; and remember I walked down stairs in no small triumph with the conceit of my reasoning. "Beshrew the sombre pencil!" said I, vauntingly, "for I envy not its powers, which paints the evils of life with so hard and deadly a colouring. The mind sits terrified at the objects she has magnified herself, and blackened: reduce them to their proper size and hue, she overlooks them.-'Tis true," said I, correcting the proposition, "the Bastile is not an evil to be despised; but strip it of its towers-fill up the fosse-unbarricade the doors-call it simply a confinement, and suppose 'tis some tyrant of a distemper and not of a man, which holds you in it -the evil vanishes, and you bear the other half without complaint."

3

I was interrupted in the heyday of this soliloquy, with a voice which I took to be that of a child, which complained "it could not get out." I looked up and down the passage, and seeing neither man, woman, nor child, I went out without further attention.

In my return back through the passage, I heard the same words repeated twice over; and looking up, I saw it was a starling hung in a little cage.-"I can't get out, I can't get out," said the starling.

I stood looking at the bird: and to every person who came through the passage it ran fluttering to the side towards which

(1) You can't get out of, &c. One of Sterne's great merits is the simple pure English he writes, without regard to rules or canons of criticism. According to some of these, as laid down by Blair and others, this sentence, actually ending in a preposition, is a terrible offence; but try to mend it by substitution or transposition, and the difficulty of making it better will be apparent. Too much of even a good thing is, of course, bad; therefore no usage should become a mannerism, but simplicity and sincerity of style must not be put down by rule.

(2) Beshrew. As shrew seems to mean to wish evil to, curse (see note 2, p. 51), so beshrew is only a stronger form of the same word. It is now obsolete.

(3) Heyday, i.e. high or festal day. So writers used to speak of the "heyday of enjoyment, of health," &c., meaning enjoyment, &c., at a high pitch.