_ToMariaCosway_
_Paris，July1，1787_
Youconclude，Madam，frommylongsilencethatIamgonetotheotherworld。Nothingelsewouldhavepreventedmywritingtoyousolong。Ihavenotthoughtofyoutheless，butItookapeeponlyintoElysium。Ientereditatonedoor，&cameoutatanother，havingseen，asIpast，onlyTurin，Milan，&Genoa。IcalculatedthehoursitwouldhavetakentocarrymeontoRome，buttheywereexactlysomanymorethanIhadtospare。Wasnotthisprovoking?
InthirtyhoursfromMilanIcouldhavebeenattheespousalsoftheDogeandtheAdriatic，butIamborntoloseeverythingIlove。Whywereyounotwithme?Somanyenchantingsceneswhichonlywantedyourpenciltoconsecratethemtofame。WheneveryougotoItalyyoumustpassattheColdeTende。YoumaygoinyourchariotinfulltrotfromNicetoTurin，asiftherewerenomountain。Buthaveyourpallet&pencilready：foryouwillbesuretostopinthepassage，atthechateaudeSaorgio。Imaginetoyourself，madam，acastle&
villagehangingtoacloudinfront，ononehandamountaincloventhroughtoletpassagurglingstream；ontheotherariver，overwhichisthrownamagnificentbridge；thewholeformedintoabason，it’ssidesshaggedwithrocks，olivetrees，vines，herds，&c。I
insistonyourpaintingit。Howdoyoudo?Howhaveyoudone?andwhenareyoucominghere?Ifnotatall，whatdidyouevercomefor?
Onlytomakepeoplemiserableatlosingyou。ConsiderthatyouarebutadayfromParis。IfyoucomebythewayofSt。Omers，whichisbuttwopostsfurther，youwillseeanew&beautifulcountry。Comethen，mydearMadam，andwewillbreakfasteveryday_aAngloise_，hieawaytotheDesert，dineunderthebowersofMarly，andforgetthatweareevertopartagain。Ireceived，inthemomentofmydepartureyourfavorofFeb。15。andlongtoreceiveanother：butlengthy，warm，&flowingfromtheheart，asdothesentimentsoffriendship&esteemwithwhichIhavethehonortobe，dearMadam，youraffectionatefriendandservant。”THEHOMAGEOFREASON”
_ToPeterCarr_
_Paris，Aug。10，1787_
DEARPETER，——IhavereceivedyourtwolettersofDecemb。30
andApril18，andamveryhappytofindbythem，aswellasbylettersfromMr。Wythe，thatyouhavebeensofortunateastoattracthisnotice&goodwill；Iamsureyouwillfindthistohavebeenoneofthemostfortunateeventsofyourlife，asIhaveeverbeensensibleitwasofmine。IincloseyouasketchofthesciencestowhichIwouldwishyoutoapplyinsuchorderasMr。Wytheshalladvise；Imentionalsothebooksinthemworthyourreading，whichsubmittohiscorrection。Manyoftheseareamongyourfather’sbooks，whichyoushouldhavebroughttoyou。AsIdonotrecollectthoseofthemnotinhislibrary，youmustwritetomeforthem，makingoutacatalogueofsuchasyouthinkyoushallhaveoccasionforin18monthsfromthedateofyourletter，&consultingMr。Wytheonthesubject。TothissketchIwilladdafewparticularobservations。
1。Italian。IfearthelearningthislanguagewillconfoundyourFrenchandSpanish。BeingallofthemdegenerateddialectsoftheLatin，theyareapttomixinconversation。Ihaveneverseenapersonspeakingthethreelanguageswhodidnotmixthem。Itisadelightfullanguage，butlateeventshavingrenderedtheSpanishmoreuseful，layitasidetoprosecutethat。
2。Spanish。Bestowgreatattentiononthis，&endeavortoacquireanaccurateknowlegeofit。OurfutureconnectionswithSpain&SpanishAmericawillrenderthatlanguageavaluableacquisition。TheantienthistoryofagreatpartofAmerica，too，iswritteninthatlanguage。Isendyouadictionary。
3。Moralphilosophy。Ithinkitlosttimetoattendlecturesinthisbranch。Hewhomadeuswouldhavebeenapitifulbunglerifhehadmadetherulesofourmoralconductamatterofscience。Foronemanofscience，therearethousandswhoarenot。Whatwouldhavebecomeofthem?Manwasdestinedforsociety。Hismoralitythereforewastobeformedtothisobject。Hewasendowedwithasenseofright&wrongmerelyrelativetothis。Thissenseisasmuchapartofhisnatureasthesenseofhearing，seeing，feeling；
itisthetruefoundationofmorality，¬the{tokalon}，truth，&c。asfancifulwritershaveimagined。Themoralsense，orconscience，isasmuchapartofmanashislegorarm。Itisgiventoallhumanbeingsinastrongerorweakerdegree，asforceofmembersisgiventheminagreaterorlessdegree。Itmaybestrengthenedbyexercise，asmayanyparticularlimbofthebody。
Thissenseissubmittedindeedinsomedegreetotheguidanceofreason；butitisasmallstockwhichisrequiredforthis：evenalessonethanwhatwecallcommonsense。Stateamoralcasetoaploughman&aprofessor。Theformerwilldecideitaswell，&oftenbetterthanthelatter，becausehehasnotbeenledastraybyartificialrules。Inthisbranchthereforereadgoodbooksbecausetheywillencourageaswellasdirectyourfeelings。ThewritingsofSterneparticularlyformthebestcourseofmoralitythateverwaswritten。Besidesthesereadthebooksmentionedintheenclosedpaper；andaboveallthingslosenooccasionofexercisingyourdispositionstobegrateful，tobegenerous，tobecharitable，tobehumane，tobetrue，just，firm，orderly，courageous&c。Considereveryactofthiskindasanexercisewhichwillstrengthenyourmoralfaculties，&increaseyourworth。
4。Religion。Yourreasonisnowmatureenoughtoexaminethisobject。Inthefirstplacedivestyourselfofallbiasinfavourofnovelty&singularityofopinion。Indulgetheminanyothersubjectratherthanthatofreligion。Itistooimportant，&theconsequencesoferrormaybetooserious。Ontheotherhandshakeoffallthefears&servileprejudicesunderwhichweakmindsareservilelycrouched。Fixreasonfirmlyinherseat，andcalltohertribunaleveryfact，everyopinion。Questionwithboldnesseventheexistenceofagod；because，iftherebeone，hemustmoreapproveofthehomageofreason，thanthatofblindfoldedfear。Youwillnaturallyexaminefirstthereligionofyourowncountry。Readthebiblethen，asyouwouldreadLivyorTacitus。Thefactswhicharewithintheordinarycourseofnatureyouwillbelieveontheauthorityofthewriter，asyoudothoseofthesamekindinLivy&
Tacitus。Thetestimonyofthewriterweighsintheirfavorinonescale，andtheirnotbeingagainstthelawsofnaturedoesnotweighagainstthem。Butthosefactsinthebiblewhichcontradictthelawsofnature，mustbeexaminedwithmorecare，andunderavarietyoffaces。Hereyoumustrecurtothepretensionsofthewritertoinspirationfromgod。Examineuponwhatevidencehispretensionsarefounded，andwhetherthatevidenceissostrongasthatitsfalsehoodwouldbemoreimprobablethanachangeinthelawsofnatureinthecaseherelates。ForexampleinthebookofJoshuawearetoldthesunstoodstillseveralhours。WerewetoreadthatfactinLivyorTacitusweshouldclassitwiththeirshowersofblood，speakingofstatues，beasts，&c。Butitissaidthatthewriterofthatbookwasinspired。Examinethereforecandidlywhatevidencethereisofhishavingbeeninspired。Thepretensionisentitledtoyourinquiry，becausemillionsbelieveit。Ontheotherhandyouareastronomerenoughtoknowhowcontraryitistothelawofnaturethatabodyrevolvingonitsaxisastheearthdoes，shouldhavestopped，shouldnotbythatsuddenstoppagehaveprostratedanimals，trees，buildings，andshouldafteracertaintimehaveresumeditsrevolution，&thatwithoutasecondgeneralprostration。Isthisarrestoftheearth’smotion，ortheevidencewhichaffirmsit，mostwithinthelawofprobabilities?Youwillnextreadthenewtestament。ItisthehistoryofapersonagecalledJesus。Keepinyoureyetheoppositepretensions1。ofthosewhosayhewasbegottenbygod，bornofavirgin，suspended&reversedthelawsofnatureatwill，&ascendedbodilyintoheaven：and2。ofthosewhosayhewasamanofillegitimatebirth，ofabenevolentheart，enthusiasticmind，whosetoutwithoutpretensionstodivinity，endedinbelievingthem，&waspunishedcapitallyforseditionbybeinggibbetedaccordingtotheRomanlawwhichpunishedthefirstcommissionofthatoffencebywhipping，&thesecondbyexileordeath_infurca_。SeethislawintheDigestLib。48。tit。19。28。3。&LipsiusLib。2。decruce。cap。
2。ThesequestionsareexaminedinthebooksIhavementionedundertheheadofreligion，&severalothers。Theywillassistyouinyourinquiries，butkeepyourreasonfirmlyonthewatchinreadingthemall。Donotbefrightenedfromthisinquirybyanyfearofit’sconsequences。Ifitendsinabeliefthatthereisnogod，youwillfindincitementstovirtueinthecomfort&pleasantnessyoufeelinit’sexercise，andtheloveofotherswhichitwillprocureyou。Ifyoufindreasontobelievethereisagod，aconsciousnessthatyouareactingunderhiseye，&thatheapprovesyou，willbeavastadditionalincitement；ifthattherebeafuturestate，thehopeofahappyexistenceinthatincreasestheappetitetodeserveit；ifthatJesuswasalsoagod，youwillbecomfortedbyabeliefofhisaidandlove。Infine，Irepeatthatyoumustlayasideallprejudiceonbothsides，&neitherbelievenorrejectanythingbecauseanyotherpersons，ordescriptionofpersonshaverejectedorbelievedit。
Yourownreasonistheonlyoraclegivenyoubyheaven，andyouareanswerablenotfortherightnessbutuprightnessofthedecision。I
forgottoobservewhenspeakingofthenewtestamentthatyoushouldreadallthehistoriesofChrist，aswellofthosewhomacouncilofecclesiasticshavedecidedforustobePseudo-evangelists，asthosetheynamedEvangelists。BecausethesePseudo-evangelistspretendedtoinspirationasmuchastheothers，andyouaretojudgetheirpretensionsbyyourownreason，¬bythereasonofthoseecclesiastics。Mostofthesearelost。Therearesomehoweverstillextant，collectedbyFabriciuswhichIwillendeavortoget&sendyou。
5。Travelling。Thismakesmenwiser，butlesshappy。Whenmenofsoberagetravel，theygatherknolegewhichtheymayapplyusefullyfortheircountry，buttheyaresubjecteveraftertorecollectionsmixedwithregret，theiraffectionsareweakenedbybeingextendedovermoreobjects，&theylearnnewhabitswhichcannotbegratifiedwhentheyreturnhome。Youngmenwhotravelareexposedtoalltheseinconveniencesinahigherdegree，toothersstillmoreserious，anddonotacquirethatwisdomforwhichapreviousfoundationisrequisitebyrepeated&justobservationsathome。Theglareofpomp&pleasureisanalogoustothemotionoftheirblood，itabsorbsalltheiraffection&attention，theyaretornfromitasfromtheonlygoodinthisworld，andreturntotheirhomeastoaplaceofexile&condemnation。Theireyesareforeverturnedbacktotheobjecttheyhavelost，&it’srecollectionpoisonstheresidueoftheirlives。Theirfirst&mostdelicatepassionsarehackneyedonunworthyobjectshere，&theycarryhomeonlythedregs，insufficienttomakethemselvesoranybodyelsehappy。Addtothisthatahabitofidleness，aninabilitytoapplythemselvestobusinessisacquired&rendersthemuselesstothemselves&theircountry。Theseobservationsarefoundedinexperience。Thereisnoplacewhereyourpursuitofknolegewillbesolittleobstructedbyforeignobjectsasinyourowncountry，noranywhereinthevirtuesoftheheartwillbelessexposedtobeweakened。Begood，belearned，&beindustrious，&youwillnotwanttheaidoftravellingtorenderyouprecioustoyourcountry，deartoyourfriends，happywithinyourself。Irepeatmyadvicetotakeagreatdealofexercise，&onfoot。Healthisthefirstrequisiteaftermorality。
Writetomeoften&beassuredoftheinterestItakeinyoursuccess，aswellasofthewarmthofthosesentimentsofattachmentwithwhichIam，dearPeter，youraffectionatefriend。
P。S。Letmeknowyourageinyournextletter。Yourcousinsherearewell&desiretoberememberedtoyou。
ENCLOSURE
Antienthistory。Herodot。Thucyd。Xenoph。hellen。Xenoph。Anab。
Q。Curt。Just。
Livy。Polybius。Sallust。Caesar。Suetonius。Tacitus。Aurel。
Victor。Herodian。
Gibbons’declineoftheRomanempire。Milothistoireancienne。
Mod。hist。English。Tacit。Germ。&Agricole——HumetotheendofH。VI。thenHabington’sE。IV——S’t。ThomasMoor’sE。5。&
R。3——L’dBacon’sH。7——L’d。HerbertofCherbury’sH。8——K。
Edward’sjournalinBurnetB’p。ofHereford’sE。6。&Mary——
Cambden’sEliz——Wilson’sJac。I——LudlowomitClarendonastooseducingforayoungrepublican。Byandbyreadhim
Burnet’sCharles2。Jac。2。W’m。&Mary&Anne——L’dOrrerydowntoGeorge1。&2——Burke’sG。3——Robertson’shist。ofScotland。
American。Robertson’sAmerica——Douglass’sN。America——
Hutcheson’sMassachusets。Smith’sN。York——Smith’sN。Jersey——Franklin’sreviewofPennsylvania——Smith’s，Stith’s，Keith’s，&Beverley’shist。ofVirginiaForeign。Mallet’sNorth’n。AntiquitiesbyPercy——
Puffendorf’shist’y。
ofEurope&Martiniere’sofAsia，Africa&America——MilothistoireModerne。Voltairehistoireuniverselle——Milothist。deFrance——Mariana’shist。ofSpaininSpan——Robertson’sCharlesV——Watson’sPhil。II。&III——GrotiiBelgica。Mosheim’sEcclesiasticalhistory。
PoetryHomer——Milton——Ossian——Sophocles——Aeschylus——Eurip——Metastasio——Shakesp——Theocritus——Anacreon[……]
MathematicsBezout&whateverelseMr。Madisonrecommends。
AstronomyDelalande&’c。asMr。Madisonshallrecommend。
NaturalPhilosophy。Musschenbroeck。
Botany。LinnaeiPhilosophiaBotanica——Generaplantarum——
Speciesplantarum——Gronoriiflora[……]
Chemistry。Fourcroy。
Agriculture。Home’sprinciplesofAgriculture——Tull&c。
Anatomy。Cheselden。
Morality。TheSocraticdialogues——Cicero’sPhilosophies——Kaim’sprinciplesofNat’l。religion——Helvetiusdel’espritetdel’homme。Locke’sEssay——Lucretius——TraitedeMorale&dubonheurReligion。Locke’sConductofthemind——Middleton’sworks——
Bolingbroke’sphilosoph。works——Hume’sessays——Voltaire’sworks——BeattiePolitics&Law。WhateverMr。Wythepleases，whowillbesogoodastocorrectalsoalltheprecedingarticleswhichareonlyintendedasagroundworktobefinishedbyhispencil。
REVOLTOFTHENOBLES
_ToJohnAdams_
_Paris，Aug。30，1787_