TH superficial judges, who, it must be confessed, make up the
greater part of the mass of mankind, talents are only liked or
understood to a certain degree. Lofty ideas are above the reach of
ordinary apprehensions: the vulgar allow those who possess them to be
in a somewhat higher state of mind than themselves; but of the vast gulf
which separates them, they have not the least conception. They
acknowledge a superiority, but of its extent they neither know the
value, nor can conceive the reality. It is true, the mind, as well as
the eye, can take in objects larger than itself; but this is only true
of great minds: for a man of low capacity, who considers a consummate
genius, resembles one, who seeing a column for the first time, and
standing at too great a distance to take in the whole of it, concludes
it to be flat. Or, like one unacquainted with the first principles of
philosophy, who, finding the sensible horizon appear a plain surface,
can form no idea of the spherical form of the whole, which he does not
see, and laughs at the account of antipodes, which he cannot comprehend.

WHATEVER is excellent is also rare; what is useful is more common. How
many thousands are born qualified for the coarse employments of life,
for one who is capable of excelling in the fine arts! yet so it ought
to be, because our natural wants are more numerous, and more
importunate, than the intellectual.

WHENEVER it happens that a man of distinguished talents has been drawn
by mistake, or precipitated by passion, into any dangerous
indiscretion; it is common for those whose coldness of temper has
supplied the place, and usurped the name of prudence, to boast of their
own steadier virtue, and triumph in their own superior caution; only
because they have never been assailed by a temptation strong enough to
surprise them into error. And with what a visible appropriation of the
character to themselves, do they constantly conclude, with a cordial
compliment to _common sense_! They point out the beauty and usefulness
of this quality so forcibly and explicitly, that you cannot possibly
mistake whose picture they are drawing with so flattering a pencil. The
unhappy man whose conduct has been so feelingly arraigned, perhaps acted
from good, though mistaken motives; at least, from motives of which his
censurer has not capacity to judge: but the event was unfavourable, nay
the action might be really wrong, and the vulgar maliciously take the
opportu