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Essays, biographical, literary, moral, and critical
Essays biographical literary moral and critical Author:John Evans Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: ESSAY III. REMARKS ON DR. GERARD'S DEFINITION, AND DR. JOHNSON'S DESCRIPTION, OF GENIUS. Igneus est ollis vigor, et coelestis origo. VlHGtt. The ethc... more »rial vigor is in all the same; And erery soul is filled with equal flame. Uryden. One of the peculiar provinces of the essayist appears to be, that of presenting subjects of acknowledged difficulty in a more alluring form than that in which they are generally treated, as well as within a shorter compass. His business is rather to furnish materials for thinking, than to exhaust the objects of his speculation, by an introduction of every topic of illustration of which they are susceptible. Perspicuity rather than originality, the several combinations of variety, rather than the splendid attractions of novelty, are the means which the essayist may advantageously employ in the prosecution of his undertaking; whether his more immediate design be to communicate pleasure, or to convey instruction. The subject of the present essay has no claimto attention from novelty; but, if my conceptions of it are accurate, it is entitled to respect from its interesting connexion with the progress of intellect, and seems to demand more general investigation in consequence of the erroneous notions which are prevalent respecting it. It will easily be recognized as a subject, the general ideas of which are in a great degree indefinite, if not in some respects mysterious, when it is understood to be Genius—a term which has obtained somewhat of a cabalistic import, the possession of which is a sort of intellectual charm, instantaneously introducing its fortunate possessor to a perfect acquaintance with all the discoveries of science, and all the speculations of philosophy, without any necessity for the drudgery of application ; and thus c...« less