IneverseriouslysettledmyselftothereadinganybookofsolidlearningbutPlutarchandSeneca;andthere，liketheDanaides，I
eternallyfill，anditasconstantlyrunsout;somethingofwhichdropsuponthispaper，butlittleornothingstayswithme。Historyismyparticulargameastomatterofreading，orelsepoetry，forwhichIhaveparticularkindnessandesteem:for，asCleanthessaid，asthevoice，forcedthroughthenarrowpassageofatrumpet，comesoutmoreforcibleandshrill:so，methinks，asentencepressedwithintheharmonyofversedartsoutmorebrisklyupontheunderstanding，andstrikesmyearandapprehensionwithasmarterandmorepleasingeffect。AstothenaturalpartsIhave，ofwhichthisistheessay，Ifindthemtobowundertheburden;myfancyandjudgmentdobutgropeinthedark，trippingandstumblingintheway;andwhenIhavegoneasfarasIcan，Iaminnodegreesatisfied;Idiscoverstillanewandgreaterextentoflandbeforeme，withatroubledandimperfectsightandwrappedupinclouds，thatIamnotabletopenetrate。Andtakinguponmetowriteindifferentlyofwhatevercomesintomyhead，andthereinmakinguseofnothingbutmyownproperandnaturalmeans，ifitbefallme，asoft—
timesitdoes，accidentallytomeetinanygoodauthor，thesameheadsandcommonplacesuponwhichIhaveattemptedtowrite（asIdidbutjustnowinPlutarch’s\"DiscourseoftheForceofImagination\"），toseemyselfsoweakandsoforlorn，soheavyandsoflat，incomparisonofthosebetterwriters，Iatoncepityordespisemyself。YetdoIpleasemyselfwiththis，thatmyopinionshaveoftenthehonourandgoodfortunetojumpwiththeirs，andthatIgointhesamepath，thoughataverygreatdistance，andcansay，\"Ah，thatisso。\"IamfarthersatisfiedtofindthatIhaveaquality，whicheveryoneisnotblessedwithal，whichis，todiscernthevastdifferencebetweenthemandme;andnotwithstandingallthat，suffermyowninventions，lowandfeebleastheyare，torunonintheircareer，withoutmendingorplasteringupthedefectsthatthiscomparisonhaslaidopentomyownview。And，inplaintruth，amanhadneedofagoodstrongbacktokeeppacewiththesepeople。Theindiscreetscribblersofourtimes，who，amongsttheirlaboriousnothings，insertwholesectionsandpagesoutofancientauthors，withadesign，bythatmeans，toillustratetheirownwritings，doquitecontrary;forthisinfinitedissimilitudeofornamentsrendersthecomplexionoftheirowncompositionssosallowanddeformed，thattheylosemuchmorethantheyget。
Thephilosophers，ChrysippusandEpicurus，wereinthisoftwoquitecontraryhumours:thefirstnotonlyinhisbooksmixedpassagesandsayingsofotherauthors，butentirepieces，and，inone，thewholeMedeaofEuripides;whichgaveApollodorusoccasiontosay，thatshouldamanpickoutofhiswritingsallthatwasnoneofhis，hewouldleavehimnothingbutblankpaper:whereasthelatter，quiteonthecontrary，inthreehundredvolumesthatheleftbehindhim，hasnotsomuchasonequotation。——[DiogenesLaertius，LivesofChyysippus，vii。181，andEpicurus，x。26。]
Ihappenedtheotherdayuponthispieceoffortune;IwasreadingaFrenchbook，whereafterIhadalongtimerundreamingoveragreatmanywords，sodull，soinsipid，sovoidofallwitorcommonsense，thatindeedtheywereonlyFrenchwords:afteralongandtedioustravel，I