The Sun.
London, England, 1812-10-02 00:00:00

JOHN IIOANE TOOKE.

For are following masterly delineatiOn of t.l),
-iiaracter, t: 0 lid vict , and labourli;',.intellettnal and
political.; o'i this Manovhich is founded uliona lift
of him, latelv
,ptiblished., bot'of,voliielfonly a pass.:
ing 'll-vtice is- taken, 'we are indebted to The,Quor-
terly ..q.c.riqt:,' .. ..
. .
Lt. untinneti from ottr Paper of Yesterdaya . •

" In describing,generally the character of Mr.
Tookt; we I;.tve already, anticipated many remarks
which are particularly applicable to this part of
his writings,.••• One is every where shocked by the
insolent con2l,ince with which:he prOinulgates his
own,doctrines; by„ills--contempt for the opinions
of other men,. by the. strange mixture of 'facti-
ous politics and personal abiqe with ,grammar and
nietaplivsies,. and more than all by., his unworthy,
contumelious treatment of the- most 'illustrious
amongst his contemporaries.
It is not 'only with the spirit that reigns thro'
the Diversion,: of Yuilcy that
.we. ate displeased ;
we think the form and arrangement of the work
equally objeCtionable. • ,
. • • • - ,
"'The authority of the ancients maybe pleaded
.
in favour of Dialogue, as a vehicle for philoso-
phical discussion,thOtigi some Of the principal
reasons which determined them to adopt that
forrnno longer exist. It seems, however, parti-,
cularly il.l atlaitedlo the investigation in which
.Mr. Tooke was'. es aged. Thtt-greater part of his
work (we do 4-int say-so vvitb!any. view to dispa-
rage it) consists of mere lexicography—the eritp;
meration, cit•yivzlitiOß, and definition
_of • Words.-7,,
It is, how-ever, extremely , wall calc4a.tetl. for
one , purpose, 'Mr.- Tooke . evidently had
in vie.v throughont the Work,,that of avoiding
.any Clear, formal, precise etcplanation of his sys
tem,.and of the principles which he Was desirous
to!esfablish. In generals (to use the words 'of
Mr. gtewart) he seems purposely to have confined
himself to a, statement Of premises- withotitpointing
Out (except by apiilieation or intteMio) the purposes
to which Ice means them to be applied, a mode of
writing :which, by throwing an air of niystery over
his real design, and by amusing the imagination
with the prospect of some wonderful secret after-
*ards to. be revealed, 'has given to his truly learn-
ed and original „disquisitions a degree of celebrity
among the smatterers in science, whichtbey never
wadi& have acquired if stated concisely and sys-.
teriatically in a didactic form.'. Unluckily for him,
however, this is the age of mystery, .but of
free discussion and unreserved disclosure. No man
can Jebeive credit for an unknown capital of know-
• ledge which heis unable or unwilling •to produce
upon demand. The truth is, he bad no. farther dis-
coveries to make.; if he had, his vanity would have
insured the production of themAn the thirty years
7 that elapsed between. the pUblication of his letter
to Mr. Dunning. which containnithe 4..-errn of his
subsequent philological writings,: and the close of
his literary career. . - •
" But •he was unable to deny himself
,the petty
gratification of raising an exaggerated opinion of
his talents-among theill informed part of ,his
readers;'brpretensions•which be could never re-
alize; and was content to sihk. in the esteem •of
posterity-,.. for the' sake of exciting.a,little. more
admiration in:the common. held of _his contempo.

raries. - • • , •
" He liked the bustle, of real life-f-pulverunt at-
que aciern— a great deal better than. quiet 'or mo-
nientary pursuits. - Those Who, have read -the
letter
to Mr.-Dunning will recollect the perverse. ingenu-
ity with which he contrived to graft his great phi-
lolpgical inquiry upon a legal squabble:. He comes
hot frowtheCourt of King's Bench 'td discuss
the nature of particles, of which it seems, a shame-
lot ignorance on the part of •the Judges, had just
been -manifested in a verdict .against hint. His
heat( is never clear from the polities of the day
long enough to write five pages together without
alluding to them, and he continually rouses his
readers from calm meditation upon the origin of
but, to, and from, by smart epigrams upon the
natural objects of his hostility, the Prime Minis-
ter and the Chief Justice for the time being. The
society in which he lived
,of course corresponded.
to the prevalent disposition of his mind,, and Was
rather politiCal than literary. He probably was
not in the habit of meeting persons who were ca-
' pable of diseusiing with him, upon a footing of
equality, but dictated ex cathedrai to those who
were unable to distinguish • what: was discovery
. from what was only paradox, and s'iso gave him,
as much credit for what he bad only promised as
for what he had actually perfUrmed. If he had
kept company in which topics of that nature were
more frequently and ably discussed, if, as it were,
be had breathed a more philosophic air, a benefi-
cial effect would, We think, be felt upon his writ
ings: He would have been less haughty and less
p9sitive, more clear and precise in the statement
of his views, more moderate in his estimation of
his owa labours, more accurate in ascertaining
their real tendency, and above all, he would have
seen how absurd it is, at thiatime.of day, to. ex-
pect any permanent or valuable increase of -repu-
tation from the affectation of mysterious hints and
imperfect disclosures."
• (To be continued.)

A young lady, daughter of Mr. L. a respectable
tradesman in the Strand, on Tuesday took a boat,
at Biackfriars Bridge, and desired the waterman
to row her to Westminster-stairs ; but when op-
posite Somerset House, Miss L. either from acci-
dent or design, the waterman could not tell which,
as he was looking in another direction, fell over-
bOard, and
.instantly sunk ; but in a second rose
nearly at the stern of the wherry. He immediate-
ly seized some of hef garments, and conveyed her
safely into his boat. She soon came to herself,
and attributed her ,sudden immersion to. accident.
The' man then rowed her to the shore, and con
clatited her to the house of her parent, where he
related tt,e circumstance, and met a suitable
re-
ward for his humanity. ,
On Friday se'nnight, at Arcroft, near: Berwick,
a young man employed to drive the horses which
weie". turning a thrashing-machine, got entangled
withithe wheel, by which he was so much bruised
that his death ensued shortly afterwards.

- . •
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