The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1811-08-13

chaTsc,e,s OF tAc stsngers To unfold themselves,
d thus furnishing me with that a,nque. of tae,
mind which he knew enjoyed above all others.
Cacn, also, was silent, through di!lidence
which. IN general and grave conversation, lac
can seldom vanquish. farther than 10 ask short
question Tor his own Information or to supply
tact watch tie course 4 tine conversation may
require, and which ne alone may chance To pos
'ess The takers were Van rromp, Reynolds,
Hcrbar, and Sidney. / found that Van
!romp WAS not merely vi, and Gumorist: out
on the contrary that he had great variety OF
curious and practical information, and that he
was extremely acute and de Sterous in debate
Reynolds sroae peculiarly IN bellies iettres AMI
the fine arts. of winch he had not only re ID but
thought much sad ia which he displayed the
Just taste OF critic and connosseur Her
bert was distinguished by the quickness of his
perceptions, the deiicacy Of his sentiments, the
niccty ofhis Determinations, the animation and
even eagerness OF mis- manner, the irritaDility or
rather soreness of his feeling, and III snort the
ire, md tempest ofhis nml ,nl passions and
whole character While his excitement was
Kept within reasonable bounds, his mann s w re
not only respectful and polite, out scrupnlousiy
delicate, as well AS elegant and engaging out
the mo nent OF combustion was so frequent and
almost always 50 unnecessary and unexpected,
and during ITS continuance his transport eX-
cessivc and his ma amer rudely vehement, that
1t detracted very much from The pie asure watch
ne was otherwise calcul ated 20 impare. He had
never learned that self-d scipllne, winch is the
most useful of all learning; whether we regard
our own happiness or that OF Others who may
o. connected with us nor acquire q that guar
ded seif-commsRd, without which genus and
talents instead OF producing the;ri,lgh and APP
propriate effect, are always involving thcir pos
SCISSOR IN difficulties and IN aknl. aim conspic,,.
GUS To his ruin. For the want of thus discipline
and guard, Rerbert's gencrous aud noble SEN
s1piity som times tdegcnerated INTO insult mp
narshness and cruelty to- others and his fine
mind WAS frequently hurried INTO storms and
lost IN darkness. could not help suspectiny
som@times (but itm,ght not be sol that he was,
nimseii. pleased with his own impetuosity aud
that he even forced the chivalry ofhis spirit be
,onc Its natural toae, as we'll as beyond the &C
casion. was, however, very unwilling to adopt
inns opinion, because IL tended 10 impair my res
pect for his understanding to shew that his
reformation was desperate; and that the star of
ms genius would never do more than merely to
Keep above the political horizon, and then set,
| 10 rise no more.
But Sidney's appeared to be the master spi
rii: cool, collected, iicm, vigorous and self 5a-
| ianced, TIC stood, like AN eagle upon The rock.
| OF Norway's coast defym, with equal compo-
sure, the Storm that ravcd and rem, the almost
| Phere "oove, and ne surging element that tow
@r' and dasaed and rosrcd below.
| This young man was really prodigy. He
was only two and twenty years of age, Vet mis-
inclination seemed already 10 be unyersal.-
he spoke on every science and every art ike
me OF It's ablest professors There was no bro
Ken lumber, nor useless trash IN his mind -
A"S ma.eriaiS were all OF Tie best sort, and N
thS highest ORDER. The stores OF MS know
| ledge bad oeen collected with SO mucn are.
| digested with SO much reelection and pypothet.
icai application, and arranged in his memory
WIN SO much skill and method, that he could
cai them INTO use at moments warning; and
| lhere was no point which ne wished TO illus
1 AL Or \
winch ms memory cid not supply him, at once
with the hsppIest materials.
ihere were one or TWO important Particulars
| IN which lie had manifest and striking adyan.
tage over his fellow students, and, Indced. over
.he generahtyoi young men Where, for IN.
stancc, Heroert, Reynolds & Val Tronp, nad,
through indoience or hurry, passed over The
! Gordian knots winch had occurred IN the course
oil Their sludIes, Sidney seems 10 nave sopDed
and 5 item deliberately aud patiently down, re.
/ solved not to cut but 10 unite them before me
rose so as not only TO make himself master of
tue kno Wedge winch they concealed, but O dis
cover, also, how the knot came 10 be tied wIe-
ther 1t arose from the unAvod able diff uity OF he
SUBJECT, or from the want OF care or of int,liec-
tuai strength IN the author Thus ne trained
and practised his mind t. grapple 9th difficult.
ties and To suodue them; and tnGs he gave TO
MS penetration point OF 3amant which no d,f.
hcui,y could stop tura ASIDE.
/ But besides his temper of superior bard;nood
| and v,gor with which he thus Indued his mind
| there was this farther advantage iron. tins pro
cess that ms knowledge was much Superior
both IN quantity and accuracy. Sidney's coursr
| ut study had assembled cloudless d,v ~
which all is light and every object visible. wbe
Their on hill, pain in dale whereas ,he,r,e
resembied corruscation by night, IN which an.
~ thc most prominent objects are seen and hs,.
| LOO, onii by sudden and transient gimpses -
And hence, l remarked That very often IN The
course OF Their Conversations, when fAey xere
under lhe eclipse Of one of those Gordian knots
!osi Ill values, snade and darkness. Stol,eu . =
IN broad and perfect day.
IL was owing, TOO, as believe, to the ever
wakeiui, in.ense and ardent action of the n,nd
rs We'll as the collateral meditation and study
with which he had read, that his memorv ar
psarod to lave possessed faculty OF dlscrIm,.
hs''nB among tue subjects Offered 10 IFS reten
ion hnd, reJtc'.ng the ,ncum5raace of what
was worthless, TO have scizr ID ana holden with
l'dissoiuoie tenacity, every tIng lhat was lI.e
tu's f03efHer UHh az ats roofs md rIuife,f;
o"S i4c seems ~ nave ex AHMED tne lisGor,,.,;
l'|'dentS "''h whiIn he had met, with ali ina,
large soGnd, round about sense" a. Mr.
LOCKE casis ", wiHch WAS Beces,ar, TO ,,mo,u.
"''f4 al les Causes aud consequences and
renuef ~ practically useful TO the purDeses at
lie was segera. tin s., struck WITH ne su.
PerIor ,sdV&7taRe which az derived nom tn+s..
detsis oil reiatve aud aalsc el.p ,t, ,y,;.n f,.
had recorded In las memory hIstorcai facts :
! HIS fellow stuCeiGs were acquainfed with ali
! 'hc prominent incidents OF history bt,, not Ia.
Nj II 4 sa.aa.s r.sfs