LONDON:

IBOTSON AND PALMER, PRINTERS, SAVOY STREET, STRAND.

CONTENTS

OF THE SECOND VOLUME.

ON INFIDELITY IN LOVE

PAGE

1

FI-HO-TI; OR, THE PLEASURES OF REPUTATON. A CHINESE

TALE

13

ON THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORLD IN MEN AND BOOKS 35

THE NEW PHADO; OR, CONVERSATIONS ON THINGS HUMAN

AND DIVINE, WITH ONE CONDEMNED

CONVERSATION THE FIRST.

123

The universality of Evil in the World-Is no less visible in the lesser

creatures than in man-The hope of perfectibility-Change in the

temperament of L--What is pleasant when recalled is often weari-

some when acted-Love-The influence of Custom on the connubial

state-Society exacts in proportion as it is prepared to admire—

L's sadness-Distinctions between Wit and Humour-Love of

conversational argument less in vogue than formerly-Our inability

to conceive the nature of our happiness hereafter-Anecdote of

Fuseli-Plato-Quotation from Lord Herbert of Cherbury-The sen-

timent that our faculties cannot content themselves in this life, visible

in the works of genius-This sentiment more common in the English

than the Continental Poets-The spirituality of Goethe's genius-

Observations in the Wilhelm Meister-Scott's poetry greater than

his prose-The painter Blake and his Illustrations of the Night

Thoughts-Young-His gloom spreads only over this world, without

darkening the next

130

L

CONVERSATION THE SECOND.

's increase of illness-Remarks on a passage in Bacon-Advantages

in the belief of immortality-An idea in the last Conversation followed

out-A characteristic of the Sublime-Feelings in one dying at the

restlessness of life around

157

CONVERSATION THE THIRD.

The French worldly philosophers-The first step in wisdom is to learn

to think, no matter how-Thought corrects itself—Brilliant writers

less dangerous than dull ones—Why-Faults of certain philosophers-

L, the respectful affection he excites-The heart turns from

death-Passage in Bolingbroke-Private life does not afford a vent

for all our susceptibilities-A touching thought in Milton's Latin

Poems-Remarks on Byron, and the characteristics of a true poet

for the present day-Portrait of a hero in the service of truth

170

CONVERSATION THE FOURTH.

Containing L-'s history

CONVERSATION THE FIFTH.

186

The history of L- — continued in his intellectual pursnits-Helvetius--

His faults and merits-The Materialists-The Philosophy of Faith. 233

CONVERSATION THE SIXTH.

The history concluded-Progress from Morals to History-A state of

doubt most favourable to the study of the Past-Philosophical

historians dangerous-Hume and Gibbon-The advantages of Tacitus

and Polybius in actual experience-Bolingbroke the first English

Utilitarian-History the accuser of mankind-The Greeks-Portrait

of Themistocles-Patriotism and Philanthropy-The errors of old-

The divine hope of the future
243

CONVERSATION THE SEVENTH.

Description of an English landscape-The animal enjoyment of life-

Solitary persons the least repining-Cowley on the town and

country-L's mental progress from history to works of imagina-

tion-He is inspired to emulation, not by the fame of genius, but by

the luxury of composition-Genius is peculiarly susceptible of enjoy-

ment-It even enjoys sadness-L-'s studies interrupted

263

L-

CONVERSATION THE EIGHTH.

-'s occasional restlessness at the thought of death-Anecdote of the

last hours of a man unwilling to die-L--'s gratitude that the

gradual decay of his powers prepares him for his end-Criticism on

the "Night Thoughts"-Survey of contemporaneous poetry-Re-

markable distinction between the blank verse and rhyme of the same

period-The former more English-Peculiarities of the old English

Muse-Its quaint love of classical allusion-Its mixture of the grave

and gay-Its minuteness in rural description, &c.-Pope compared

with Thompson; Akenside with Johnson-Young-His tendency to

the ambitious-The views of life more gloomy in the Greek than the

Roman poets-The English Muse rather adopts those of the former-

Young imbued with our earlier poetry-The sublimest poets abound

with the homeliest images-And, in modern literature, also with the

most exaggerated conceits-Young therefore justified by their ex-

ample in his homeliness and quaintness-His sublime power of per-

sonification-His terseness-Difference between the rank of the poet

and that of the poem-The grandeur of the conception of the Night

Thoughts as compared with Childe Harold and other didactic poems

-The poet's conception is sustained throughout-The wisdom of his

maxims-The beauty of his diction-Concluding remarks on Young's

character-Apology for retailing L-'s criticisms

279

CONVERSATION THE NINTH.

The Memory becomes more acute as we approach death-L-'s obser-

vations on the saying that 'life is a jest'-The vanity of ambition-

Our errors arise from our desire to be greater than we are-Thoughts

on Superstition-The early astrologers-Philanthropy-The fear of

assisting in changes of which the good to a future generation may

not compensate the evil to the present-Contrast between the tran-

quil lives of men of genius and the revolutions their works effect-

The hope of intercourse with great minds in a future state-The

sanctity of the grave-the Phædo of Plato-The picture of the last

moments of Socrates-The unsatisfactory arguments of the Heathen

for the immortality of the soul-Revealed religion has led men more

logically to the arguments drawn from natural theology-Disbelief

involves us in greater difficulties than faith-Our doubts do not dis-

hearten us if we once believe in God--L's last hours-His farewell

to Nature-His death
325