To his MUSE.

I.

Ome Muse, let's caft up our Accounts, and fee
How much you are in Debt to me:
You've reign'd thus long the Miftrefs of my Heart,
You've been the ruling Planet of my Days,

In my fpare-hours you've had your part,
Ev'n now my fervile Hand your fovereign Will obeys.
Too great fuch Service to be Free,

Tell me what I'm to have for being thy Votary.

You have Preferments in your Gift, you fay,
You can with Gold my Service pay;
I fear thy Boaft, your facred Hill I'm told
In a poor, curs'd and barren Country lies;
Besides, what's State to me, or Gold,
These you long fince have taught me to defpife.
To put me off with this, would be
Not to reward, but tax my ill Proficiency.

III.

But Fame you fay will make amends for all,
This you your fovereign Bleffing call,
The only lafting Good that never dies,
A Good which never can be bought too dear,
Which all the Wife and Virtuous prize,
The Gods too with Delight their Praises hear.
This fhall my Portion be, you fay,
You'll crown my Head with an immortal Bay.

IV.

Give me a place lefs high, and more fecure,

This dangerous Good I can't endure.

The peaceful Banks which profound filence keep
The little Boat fecurely paffes by,

But where with noife the Waters creep

Turn off with Care, for treacherous Rocks are nigh.
Then Mufe farewell, I fee your store

Can't pay for what is paft, and I can Trust no more.

of

Of the Advantages of Thinking.

the

Creature here below

for a fociable Life, has two Faculties to diftinguifh him from other Creatures, Thinking and Speaking. The one, to fit him for the Society of others; and the other, to qualine him alfo for his own. As to the later of thefe Faculties, there's no fear of its gathering Rust for want of ufe. We are rather apt to fpeak too much; and the most Reserv'd have reason to pray with the Pfalmift, Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth, and keep the door of my lips.

But the former, is that which generally lies fallow and neglected; as may be guefs'd from the intemperate ufe of the other. There are few indeed, that are capable of Thinking to any great purpose: but among thofe that are, there are fewer that employ this excellent Talent. And for ought I know, however ftrange it may feem, among the Ingenious and well Educated, there are as few Thinkers as among the Herd of the Vulgar and Illiterate. For either they live a Popular Life; and then what for Bufinefs,Pleasures,Company, Vifits, with a world of other Impertinencies, there's fcarce room for fo much as a Morning Reflexion. Or elfe, they live retir'd, and then either they doze away their Time in Drowfiness and brown Studies; or, if Brisk and Active, they lay themfelves out wholly upon devouring Books, and making Common Places; and fcarce entertain their Sulitude with a Meditation, once in a Moon.

But 'tis merely for want of Thinking that they can allow themfelves in doing fo. For by a little of this they would foon difcover, that of all the Methods of Improvement that can be ufed, there is none fo advantagious as Thinking; either for our Intellectuals or our Morals; to make us Wifer, or to make us Better. And first, for our Intellectuals. 'Tis the perfection of our Rational part to know; that is, to be able to frame clear and di

tinct

C

To his MUSE.

I.

Ome Mufe, let's caft up our Accounts, and fee
How much you are in Debt to me:
You've reign'd thus long the Miftrefs of my Heart,
You've been the ruling Planet of my Days,

In my fpare-hours you've had your part,
Ev'n now my fervile Hand your fovereign Will obeys.
Too great fuch Service to be Free,

Tell me what I'm to have for being thy Votary.

II.

You have Preferments in your Gift, you say,
You can with Gold my Service pay;
I fear thy Boaft, your facred Hill I'm told
In a poor, curs'd and barren Country lies;
Befides, what's State to me, or Gold,
These you long fince have taught me to defpife.
To put me off with this, would be
Not to reward, but tax my ill Proficiency.

But Fame you fay will make amends for all,
This you your fovereign Bleffing call,
The only lafting Good that never dies,
A Good which never can be bought too dear,
Which all the Wife and Virtuous prize,
The Gods too with Delight their Praises hear.
This fhall my Portion be, you fay,
You'll crown my Head with an immortal Bay.
IV.

Give me a place lefs high, and more fecure,
This dangerous Good I can't endure.

The peaceful Banks which profound filence keep
The little Boat fecurely paffes by,

But where with noife the Waters creep

Turn off with Care, for treacherous Rocks are nigh. Then Mufe farewell, I fee your flore

Can't pay for what is paft, and I can Trust no more.

Of

M

Of the Advantages of Thinking.

AN being the only Creature here below defign'd for a fociable Life, has two Faculties to diltinguifh him from other Creatures, Thinking and Speaking. The one, to fit him for the Society of others; and the other, to qualifie him alfo for his own. As to the later of these Faculties, there's no fear of its gathering Ruft for want of ufe. We are rather apt to fpeak too much; and the most Reserv'd have reafon to pray with the Pfalmist, Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth, and keep the door of my lips.

But the former, is that which generally lies fallow and neglected, as may be guefs'd from the intemperate use of the other. There are few indeed, that are capable of Thinking to any great purpose: but among thofe that are, there are fewer that employ this excellent Talent. And for ought I know, however ftrange it may feem, among the Ingenious and well Educated, there are as few Thinkers as among the Herd of the Vulgar and Illiterate. For either they live a Popular Life; and then what for Bufinefs, Pleasures, Company, Vifits, with a world of other Impertinencies, there's fcarce room for fo much as a Morning Reflexion. Or elfe, they live retir'd, and then either they doze away their Time in Drowsiness and brown Studies; or, if Brisk and Active, they lay themselves out wholly upon devouring Books, and making Common Places; and fcarce entertain their Sulitude with a Meditation, once in a Moon.

But 'tis merely for want of Thinking that they can allow themfelves in doing fo. For by a little of this they would foon difcover, that of all the Methods of Improvement that can be ufed, there is none so advantagious as Thinking; either for our Intellectuals or our Morals; to make us Wifer, or to make us Better. And first, for our Intellectuals. Tis the perfection of our Rational part to know; that is, to be able to frame clear and di

ftinct Conceptions, to form right Judgments, and to draw true Confequences from one thing to another. Now befides,that the Powers of the Mind are made more bright, vigorous, and active by ufe, as all other Faculties are; there is this further advantage, that by habitual thinking the Object is made more Familiar to the Understanding; the Habitudes and Relations of Idea's one towards another, by frequent comparing, become more vifible and apparent; and confequently it will be more eafie to perceive them, and fo to divide what ought to be divided, and to compound what ought to be compounded, wherein confifts the fum of what belongs to Contemplation and

Science.

Reading is indeed very excellent and ufeful to this purpofe, but Thinking is neceffary. This may do without the other, as appears in the first Inventers of Arts and Sciences, who were fain to think out their way to the Receffes of Truth; but the other can never do, without this. Reading without Thinking, may indeed make a rich Common Place, but 'twill never make a clear Head; it may indeed bring in a great ftore of Hyle, but 'tis yet without form and void, till Thinking, like the Seminal Spirit, agitates the dead fhapelets Lump, and works it up into Figure and Symmetry.

But of what advantage Thinking is to the Advancement of Knowledge, will further appear, by confidering fome of the chief Impediments of it; and how they are removed by Thinking. And the firft that I fhall mention, is the Prejudice of Infancy. We form infinite rafh Judgments of Things, before we duly underland any Thing; and thefe grow up with us, take root, fpread and multiply; till after long ufe and cufiom, we mistake them for coinmon Notions and dictates of Nature; and then we think it a crime to go about to unlearn or eradicate them. And as long as we ftand thus affected, we are condemn'd to Errours and perpetual Wandrings. So great reafon had the excellent Des-Cartes to lay the foundation of his Philofophy in an Equipoife of Mind; and to

make