Of Essay Writing / Hume, David

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   Copyright 1995, Christopher MacLachlan (cjmm@st-andrews.ac.uk). See
   end note for details on copyright and editing conventions.[1]

   Editor's note: "Of Essay Writing" appeared in 1742 in Volume two of
   Hume's Essays, Moral and Political, but was removed from all
   subsequent editions of that text published during Hume's life. The
   text file here is based on the 1875 Green and Grose edition. Spelling
   and punctuation have been modernized.

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   Of Essay Writing

           The elegant part of mankind, who are not immersed in the
           animal life, but employ themselves in the operations of the
           mind, may be divided into the learned and conversible. The
           learned are such as have chosen for their portion the higher
           and more difficult operations of the mind, which require
           leisure and solitude, and cannot be brought to perfection,
           without long preparation and severe labour. The conversible
           world join to a sociable disposition, and a taste of pleasure,
           an inclination to the easier and more gentle exercises of the
           understanding, to obvious reflections on human affairs, and
           the duties of common life, and to the observation of the
           blemishes or perfections of the particular objects, that
           surround them. Such subjects of thought furnish not sufficient
           employment in solitude, but require the company and
           conversation of our fellow-creatures, to render them a proper
           exercise for the mind: and this brings mankind together in
           society, where every one displays his thoughts and
           observations in the best manner he is able, and mutually gives
           and receives information, as well as pleasure.

           The separation of the learned from the conversible world seems
           to have been the great defect of the last age, and must have
           had a very bad influence both on books and company: for what
           possibility is there of finding topics of conversation fit for
           the entertainment of rational creatures, without having
           recourse sometimes to history, poetry, politics, and the more
           obvious principles, at least, of philosophy? Must our whole
           discourse be a continued series of gossipping stories and idle
           remarks? Must the mind never rise higher, but be perpetually

             Stun'd and worn out with endless chat
             Of Will did this, and Nan said that?[2]

           This would be to render the time spent in company the most
           unentertaining, as well as the most unprofitable part of our
           lives.

           On the other hand, learning has been as great a loser by being
           shut up in colleges and cells, and secluded from the world and
           good company. By that means, every thing of what we call
           Belles Lettres became totally barbarous, being cultivated by
           men without any taste of life or manners, and without that
           liberty and facility of thought and expression, which can only
           be acquired by conversation. Even philosophy went to wrack by
           this moaping recluse method of study, and became as chimerical
           in her conclusions as she was unintelligible in her stile and
           manner of delivery. And indeed, what could be expected from
           men who never consulted experience in any of their reasonings,
           or who never searched for that experience, where alone it is
           to be found, in common life and conversation?

           'Tis with great pleasure I observe, that men of letters, in
           this age, have lost, in a great measure, that shyness and
           bashfulness of temper, which kept them at a distance from
           mankind; and, at the same time, that men of the world are
           proud of borrowing from books their most agreeable topics of
           conversation. 'Tis to be hoped, that this league betwixt the
           learned and conversible worlds, which is so happily begun,
           will be still farther improved, to their mutual advantage; and
           to that end, I know nothing more advantageous than such Essays
           as these with which I endeavour to entertain the public. In
           this view, I cannot but consider myself as a kind of resident
           or ambassador from the dominions of learning to those of
           conversation; and shall think it my constant duty to promote a
           good correspondence betwixt these two states, which have so
           great a dependence on each other. I shall give intelligence to
           the learned of whatever passes in company, and shall endeavour
           to import into company whatever commodities I find in my
           native country proper for their use and entertainment. The
           balance of trade we need not be jealous of, nor will there be
           any difficulty to preserve it on both sides. The materials of
           this commerce must chiefly be furnished by conversation and
           common life: the manufacturing of them alone belongs to
           learning.

           As 'twould be an unpardonable negligence in an ambassador not
           to pay his respects to the sovereign of the state where he is
           commissioned to reside; so it would be altogether inexcusable
           in me not to address myself, with a particular respect, to the
           fair sex, who are the sovereigns of the empire of
           conversation. I approach them with reverence; and were not my
           countrymen, the learned, a stubborn independent race of
           mortals, extremely jealous of their liberty, and unaccustomed
           to subjection, I should resign into their fair hands the
           sovereign authority over the republic of letters. As the case
           stands, my commission extends no farther, than to desire a
           league, offensive and defensive, against our common enemies,
           against the enemies of reason and beauty, people of dull heads
           and cold hearts. From this moment let us pursue them with the
           severest vengeance: let no quarter be given, but to those of
           sound understandings and delicate affections; and these
           characters, 'tis to be presumed, we shall always find
           inseparable.

           To be serious, and to quit the allusion before it be worn
           thread-bare, I am of opinion, that women, that is, women of
           sense and education (for to such alone I address myself) are
           much better judges of all polite writing than men of the same
           degree of understanding; and that 'tis a vain pannic, if they
           be so far terrified with the common ridicule that is levelled
           against learned ladies, as utterly to abandon every kind of
           books and study to our sex. Let the dread of that ridicule
           have no other effect, than to make them conceal their
           knowledge before fools, who are not worthy of it, nor of them.
           Such will still presume upon the vain title of the male sex to
           affect a superiority above them: but my fair readers may be
           assured, that all men of sense, who know the world, have a
           great deference for their judgment of such books as ly within
           the compass of their knowledge, and repose more confidence in
           the delicacy of their taste, though unguided by rules, than in
           all the dull labours of pedants and commentators. In a
           neighbouring nation, equally famous for good taste, and for
           gallantry, the ladies are, in a manner, the sovereigns of the
           learned world, as well as of the conversible; and no polite
           writer pretends to venture upon the public, without the
           approbation of some celebrated judges of that sex. Their
           verdict is, indeed, sometimes complained of; and, in
           particular, I find, that the admirers of Corneille, to save
           that great poet's honour upon the ascendant that Racine began
           to take over him, always said, that it was not to be expected,
           that so old a man could dispute the prize, before such judges,
           with so young a man as his rival. But this observation has
           been found unjust, since posterity seems to have ratified the
           verdict of that tribunal: and Racine, though dead, is still
           the favourite of the fair sex, as well as of the best judges
           among the men.

           There is only one subject, on which I am apt to distrust the
           judgment of females, and that is, concerning books of
           gallantry and devotion, which they commonly affect as high
           flown as possible; and most of them seem more delighted with
           the warmth, than with the justness of the passion. I mention
           gallantry and devotion as the same subject, because, in
           reality, they become the same when treated in this manner; and
           we may observe, that they both depend upon the very same
           complexion. As the fair sex have a great share of the tender
           and amorous disposition, it perverts their judgment on this
           occasion, and makes them be easily affected, even by what has
           no propriety in the expression nor nature in the sentiment.
           Mr. Addison's elegant discourses of religion have no relish
           with them, in comparison of books of mystic devotion: and
           Otway's tragedies are rejected for the rants of Mr. Dryden.

           Would the ladies correct their false taste in this particular;
           let them accustom themselves a little more to books of all
           kinds: let them give encouragement to men of sense and
           knowledge to frequent their company: and finally, let them
           concur heartily in that union I have projected betwixt the
           learned and conversible wor1ds. They may, perhaps, meet with
           more complaisance from their usual followers than from men of
           learning; but they cannot reasonably expect so sincere an
           affection: and, I hope, they will never be guilty of so wrong
           a choice, as to sacrifice the substance to the shadow.

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           [1][COPYRIGHT: (c) 1995, Christopher MacLachlan
           (cjmm@st-andrews.ac.uk), all rights reserved. Unaltered copies
           of this computer text file may be freely distribute for
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           permitted only for purposes of computer printouts, although
           altered computer text files may not circulate. Except to cover
           nominal distribution costs, this file cannot be sold without
           written permission from the copyright holder. This copyright
           notice supersedes all previous notices on earlier versions of
           this text file.

           EDITORIAL CONVENTIONS: Note references are contained within
           square brackets (e.g., [1]). Spelling and punctuation have
           been modernized.

           [2][Matthew Prior, Alma, or the Progress of the Mind (1718),
           Canto 3, lines 525f.]

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   © 1996