sound, not be thrown away upon that which is already rotten.

3. Wit without wisdom is salt without meat, and that is but a comfortless dish to set a hungry man down to. Wit employed to disguise and prejudice truth, is salt thrown into a man's eyes.

4. Nothing is more absurd than to divert a man who wants to be comforted; for salt, though an excellent relisher, is a miserable cordial.

5. Jocularity should not be obtruded upon company when they are not in the humour for it; as a well bred man would no more force salt than pepper upon his guests, whose constitutions it might not suit.

LETTER, &c.

Dear Sir,

Nayland, Oct. 29th,1795.

You will want little persuasion to the study of the Hebrew language, when you know how valuable it is in itself, and what help you will find from the use of it in your other studies: for it will be of service to you as a critic, a mythologist, an antiquarian, a philosopher, and a divine. If the Hebrew were the original language (which however is disputed, as all other things are), the different languages of the world must partake of it more or less; and consequently they may be traced up to it. Unless a scholar is able to do this, he will be wanting in a very material part of his business: and, though I would not affront any man of learning who is an able critic in Greek and Latin, as if he were a person of no knowledge; I am nevertheless very certain he would see much farther, and find great satisfaction, if the Hebrew were added to his other learning.

I must leave it to the compiler of the Lexicon to collect the various instances in which later languages may be traced up to this original: but I will give you a few examples, to show how easily it may be