2

I know your heart and head too well to suppose
that this sentiment owes its birth to either.

I shall therefore proceed to defend the man of science
from an accusation, which as it has some facts to sup-
port it will be the more difficult to do, I mean
that in which you charge the goodness of his heart.
This charge owes its origin to those men who by the
austerity of their [manners?] endeavours to give a won-
derful opinion of their wisdom. If you observe such
a person in the midst of a large company of young
persons in [light of spirits], you see his brows constantly
knit, his attention constantly abstracted from the
company; if a young lady should dare to have the temerity
to address him, he answers her in a monosyla-
ble or if he should deign to say more it is sure not
to have any connection with the question asked him.
In short you would suppose by his appearance that he
was studying some difficult philosophical question
while in fact his whole attention is taken up with
the thoughts of appearing wonderfully wise. On the
other hand, the man of real science has
his mind extended by his [?], he feels himself [un-]
derous necessity of hiding his ignorance from the world,
he has no occasion of distance to give people a great
idea of his wisdom - he is mild, open and affable in
his conversation, though abounding with elegance
rather feels its inferiority. In short he is always a-
like ready to receive and communicate pleasure.
But sorry I am that there are some exceptions to
this general character but these are no more to be
ascribed to science than you would find fault with
music as a science because it could not make a person