de suâ sobole incertis, omnique 5opy? vacuis, idoneam communis sobolis curam excitarent."

In answer to the objection against Epicurus's principle of utility, "Si utilitate metiantur omnia, ab officio quis facilè deflectet, si eam rem sibi quæstuosam fore putavit," he writes, " præter timorem ne aliquando patefacta fuerint scelera, consuetudinem esse quandam, cui mens subjecta est humana, cujusque ea vis est, ut quam virtutem utilitatis causa aliquandiu sumus prosecuti, eam et prosequeremur, quanquam aut cesserit utilitas aut cessisse videatur:" and in a note to this he adds, "I have chosen to give this answer to the objection rather than Epicurus's own, drawn from the fears and apprehensions attending upon guilt; first, because the mechanical influence of habit upon the human mind, so necessary to account for most of its operations, was a thing little understood by the ancients, and secondly, because it furnishes an answer to a great part of Cicero's objection against Epicurus. He has collected a variety of instances wherein the devoted heroes of antiquity have sacrificed their interests and pleasure to their country's good, and from hence concludes, that they are acted upon by some higher principles than a regard to private utility, which consequently in these instances could not be the end of virtue. But it appears that these worthies, if they were led on by principles of virtue at all, and not rather by a passion for glory, might, notwithstanding, be influenced by a rational convic

tion, or implicit persuasion of its utility, habitually settled in the mind, though the advantage of this particular action was not for the present either seen or considered." This was written when the author was twenty-two years of age. Whether his attention, thus drawn to this peculiar view of moral science, might induce him afterwards to bring it forward in a more enlarged shape, or this little work as well as his Moral Philosophy had gradually contracted the same complexion from any habits of mind or thought in which he had previously indulged, it is not easy to determine; but it is curious to find in so early a production an objection answered, which was afterwards dressed out in a more substantial form against his own doctrine of Expediency. It is but fair to say, that he had long been famous for the ingenious manner in which he supported a paradox, and on this essay one of his friends was in the habit of communicating an account which seems at once to clear it of all design, that he knew no one more ready or more able to support a paradox, or say any thing on any side of any subject, than his friend Paley, except his eldest son.

The Latinity of this essay, which seems to have been accounted for rather discreditably, and spoken of* rather slightly, it might be unnecessary to notice, as it satisfied the university. It cannot, however, be improper to maintain, on the authority of these quotations, that the style is not otherwise than classical, as

* See Chalmers, Meadley, and Quarterly Review.

far as it speaks for an imitation of, and acquaintance with, the best classics; that as for "the parade of ancient learning," if that is meant to apply to the style, it is not so loaded as the preface to Bellendenus, if to the matter, we should be told how a writing on ancient philosophy could well disdain ancient authority, even on points less connected with the subject than the general dress of its sentiments. It may be useful to adduce in this place, as a qualification to the opinion which has been entertained of his classical taste and attainments, the testimony of one whose correspondence is given in Appendix A. Meadley, second edition,—a man in every way capable of forming a solid opinion of classical attainments. On this very subject he says, "I had intended to give you a short sketch of Paley's talents as a classical scholar. It must suffice to assure you, as I very truly can (for in his own department a man may speak with some confidence), that wherever in his Hora Paulinæ any criticism on the Greek language is employed, his remarks, without ostentation, are eminently acute, vigorous, and just. Indeed all his knowledge seems to have been sound as far as it went, and though all his life he studied things more than words, yet he perfectly understood at the proper time how to turn an exact knowledge of words to a very substantial account." Horace, Virgil, and Cicero, were even to the latest of his life his table books, and at a time when he could have no other occasion for them than as books of amusement. He was not, certainly, a deep classical scholar, nor did

he think himself so. He was heard to say, when giving this essay and his Concio ad Clerum to one of his sons, at a time when he was labouring to infuse into him a nice distinction between the mere writing of Latin, and a classical habit of thinking in Latin, "These were the only two pieces of Latin composition I ever made public, and I got into a sad scrape with my English notes." The surmises of one of the judges at the time, "that he supposed the author had been assisted by his father, some country clergyman, who having forgotten his Latin had written the notes in English," were perfectly unfounded, for it was all his own. His own apology for English notes stands thus in the beginning of the essay: "The author of this dissertation begs he may be excused the liberty he has taken of subjoining to it a few notes; for in a composition of this limited nature, though he hopes he has collected into it whatever is material to the argument, yet the observations must needs be very general, and it is well known what little weight general observations have, unless it be at the same time recollected by what authority they are attested, and by what instances supported. Rather, therefore, than prolong the dissertation or perplex the reasoning by a variety of references and quotations, he has chosen to annex them to their respective propositions in the form of notes. He has now and then hazarded a collateral observation, and hopes it will be excused, if he has done it in English. The propriety of this is, with respect, submitted to the

learned reader,”(this, by the by, smacks of a fondness for authorship) "who will consider that no other use is designed to be made of them, than to confirm to the judges of this performance what he has advanced or observed in the body of his work."

The motto annexed to the outside cover of the copy sent in to the vice-chancellor was most happily descriptive of his bustling yet good-humoured ambition.

"Non jam prima peto, Mnestheu, neque vincere certo,
Quanquam O

The motto which is prefixed to the essay itself is,

"Insani sapiens nomen ferat, æquus iniqui,

Ultra quam satis est virtutem si petat ipsam."

The only observation he made to his friends at home at the time of gaining the prize was, "that he verily believed another prize essay would have ruined him.”

As soon as he was of sufficient age, he was ordained to be assistant curate of Greenwich; left Mr. Bracken about the same time, not, as has been stated, from any ill usage with respect to the distribution of money or presents, but from that gentleman's not mentioning to him a proposal which had been made in his behalf by a lady of Greenwich to place her son under his sole care, provided Mr. Bracken would set him at liberty from any engagement. This proposal was made known to Mr. Paley by some fortunate circumstance, but not by Mr. Bracken; and as there was no stipulated engagement between them, his usher