be impelled to it by melancholy and discontent, but by a real distaste to the idle pleasures of the world, a rational contempt for the deceitful joys of life, and juft apprehenfions of being corrupted and feduced by its infinuating and destructive gaieties. MANY men have acquired and exercised in Solitude that tranfcendent greatness of mind which defies events; and, like the majestic cedar, which braves the fury of the most violent tempeft, have refifted, with heroic courage, the fevereft ftorms of fate. Some few, indeed, have retained in retirement the weakneffes of human nature; but the conduct of greater numbers has clearly evinced, that a man of good fenfe cannot degenerate even in the most dreary feclufion. SOLITUDE, indeed, fometimes renders the mind. in a flight degree arrogant and conceited *; but these effects are easily removed by a judicious intercourse with mankind. Mifanthropy, contempt of folly, and pride of fpirit, are, in noble minds, changed by the maturity of age into dignity of cha racter: and that fear of the opinion of the world which awed the weakness and inexperience of youth, Plato, towards the conclufion of his fourth letter, warns Dien to guard against that aufterity or haughtiness which is the companion of Solitude," "nde avdadera efna žuvosos.” youth, is fucceeded by firmnefs, and a high dif dain of thofe falfe notions by which it was difmayed the observations once fo dreaded lose all their ftings; the mind views objects not as they are, but as they ought to be; and, feeling a contempt for vice, rifes into a noble enthusiasm for virtue, gaining from the conflict a rational experience, and a compaffionate feeling, which never decay. THE science of the heart, indeed, with which youth should be familiarized as early as poffible, is too frequently neglected. It removes the afperities and polishes the rough surfaces of the mind. This fcience is founded on that noble philofophy which regulates the characters of men; and, operating more by love than by rigid precept, corrects the cold dictates of reafon by the warm feelings of the heart; opens to view the dangers to which they are exposed; animates the dormant faculties of the mind; and prompts them to the practice of all the virtues. DION was educated in all the turpitude and fervility of courts, accustomed to a life of softness and *Dion, the fon of Hipparinus, was related to, and employed, in the fervice of, Dionyfius the Elder, the tyrant of Syracuse. He perfuaded Dionyfius to invite Plato, the celebrated Gre cian philofopher, to his court. Dion, liftening to his divine. precepts, and effeminacy, and, what is ftill worse, tainted by oftentation, luxury, and every species of vicious pleasure; but no fooner did he liften to the divine Plato, and acquired thereby a taste for that fublime philofophy which inculcates the practice of VIRTUE, than his whole foul became deeply enamoured of its charms. The fame love of virtue with which Plato inspired the mind of Dion, may be filently, and almost imperceptibly, infufed by every tender mother into the mind of her child. Philofophy, from the lips of a wife and fenfible woman, glides quietly, but with ftrong effect, into the mind through the feelings of the heart. Who is not fond of walking even through the most rough precepts, became immediately infpired with the love of virtue; and, by his exemplary good conduct, rendered himself fo extremely popular, that he became odious in the eyes of the tyrant, who banished him to Greece, where he collected a numerous, force, and refolved to release his country from flavery. In this enterprize he confirmed the observation of his philosophic instructor," that power and fortune must concur with prudence and "juftice, to effect any thing great in a political capacity." He entered the port of Syracufe only with two fhips; and in three days reduced under his power an empire which had fubfifted for fifty years, and which was guarded by 500 ships of war, and above 100,000 troops. The tyrant (then Dionyfius the Younger) fled to Corinth; and Dion kept the reins of government in his own hands until he was betrayed and murdered by Callicrates, one of his moft intimate and familiar friends. "When I ex plained," fays Plato, in his seventh letter, "the principles "of philofophy and humanity to Dion, I little thought I was infenfibly opening the way to the fubverfion of tyranny, and the liberties of mankind." |