that the pupil fhall not be led to dread a lecture at every turn, nor a differtation on every occurrence. While yet fuch an ingenious and cheerful turn may be given to fubjects apparently unpromifing, old truths may be conveyed by fuch new images, that the pupil will wonder to find herself improved when the thought she was only diverted. Folly may be made contemptible, affectation ridiculous, vice hateful, and virtue beautiful, by fuch feemingly unpremeditated means, as fhall have the effect, without having the effort, of a leffon. Topics must not be fo much propofed as infinuated.

But above all, there fhould be a constant, but imperceptible habit of turning the mind to a love of TRUTH in all its forms and afpects; not only in matters of grave morality, but in matters of business, of common intercourfe, and even of tafte; for there is a truth both in moral and mental tafte, little fhort of the exactnefs of mathematical truth; and the mind fhould acquire an habit of feeking perfection in every thing

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thing. This habit should be fo early and infenfibly formed, that when the pupil comes afterwards to meet with maxims, and inftances of truth and virtue, in historical and moral writings, fhe may bring to the perufal taftes, tempers, and difpofitions fo laid in, as to have prepared the mind for their reception. As this mode of preparatory and incidental inftruction will be gradual and inwoven, fo it will be deep and durable; but as it will be little obvious to ordi nary judges, it will excite lefs wonder and admiration than the usual display and exhibition fo prevalent in modern education. Its effects will be lefs oftenfible, but they will be more certain.

When it is confidered how fhort is that period of life in which plain unvarnished truth will be likely to appear in all its naked fimplicity before princes, is there a moment of that happy, that aufpicious feafon to be loft, for presenting it to them in all its lovely and engaging forms? It is not enough that they fhould poffefs truth as a principle,

principle, they fhould cherish it as an object of affection, delight in it as a matter of taste, and dread nothing fo much as falfe colour ing and artifice.

He who poffeffes a found principle, and ftrong relifh of truth in his own mind, will poffefs a touchftone by which to try. this quality in others, and which will enable him to detect falfe notions, to fee through falfe manners, and to defpife falfe attractions. This difcerning faculty is the more, important, as the high breeding of very polished fociety prefents fo plaufible an imitation of goodness, as to impofe on the fuperficial ob ferver, who, fatisfied with the image and fuperfcription, never inquires whether the coin be counterfeit or fterling.

The early habit of fifting queftions, turning about a truth, and examining an argu ment on all fides, will ftrengthen the intel lectual powers of the royal pupil, prevent her thoughts from wandering, accustom her to weigh fairly and refolve foundly; will conquer irrefolution in her mind; pre

serve her from being eafily deceived by falfe reasoning, startled by doubts, and confounded by objections. She will learn to digeft her thoughts in an exact method, to acquire a logical order in the arrangement of them, to poffefs precision in her ideas, and its natural concomitant, perfpicuity in her expreffion; all which will be of the highest importance to one who may hereafter have fo much to do and to fay in public.

With the fhades of expreffions fhe should alfo be well acquainted, and be habituated to use the most appofite and the most correct; fuch as are neither too high nor too low, too ftrong nor too weak, for the occafion; fuch as are obvious, but not vulgar, accurate but not pedantic, elegant but not artificial.

The memory fhould be ftored with none but the best things, that when, hereafter, the judgment is brought into exercise, it may find none but the best materials to act upon. Instead, therefore, of loading the memory, might it not be useful to establish it into a rule to read to her every day, as

an

an amusement, and distinctly from all regular instruction, a paffage from the history of England, a story out of Plutarch, or any fimilar author; and require of her to repeat it afterwards, in her own words? This would not only add, daily, one important fact to her stock of knowledge, but would tend to form a perfpicuous and elegant ftyle. Oc cafion would also be furnished for obferving whether the exhibited that best proof of good fenfe, the feizing on the prominent features of the story, laying less stress on what was lefs important,

But while accuracy is thus fought, the ftill more important habit of comprehenfivenefs must not be overlooked. Her mind fhould be trained to embrace a wide compafs; it fhould be taught to take in a large whole, and then subdivide it into parts; each of which should be confidered distinctly, yet connectedly, with ftrict attention to its due proportions, relative fituations, its bearings with refpect to the others, and the dependence of each part on the whole.. Where,

VOL. I.

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