I might here mention the Military Pedant who always
talks in a Camp, and is storming Towns, making Lodgments
and fighting Battles from one end of the Year to the
other. Every thing he speaks smells of Gunpowder;
if you take away his Artillery from him, he has not
a Word to say for himself. I might likewise mention
the Law-Pedant, that is perpetually putting Cases,
repeating the Transactions of Westminster-Hall,
wrangling with you upon the most indifferent Circumstances
of Life, and not to be convinced of the Distance of
a Place, or of the most trivial Point in Conversation,
but by dint of Argument. The State-Pedant is wrapt
up in News, and lost in Politicks. If you mention
either of the Kings of Spain or Poland,
he talks very notably; but if you go out of the Gazette,
you drop him. In short, a meer Courtier, a meer
Soldier, a meer Scholar, a meer any thing, is an insipid
Pedantick Character, and equally ridiculous.
Of all the Species of Pedants, which I have [mentioned
[4]], the Book-Pedant is much the most supportable;
he has at least an exercised Understanding, and a
Head which is full though confused, so that a Man
who converses with him may often receive from him hints
of things that are worth knowing, and what he may
possibly turn to his own Advantage, tho’ they
are of little Use to the Owner. The worst kind
of Pedants among Learned Men, are such as are naturally
endued with a very small Share of common Sense, and
have read a great number of Books without Taste or
Distinction.
The Truth of it is, Learning, like Travelling, and
all other Methods of Improvement, as it finishes good
Sense, so it makes a silly Man ten thousand times
more insufferable, by supplying variety of Matter to
his Impertinence, and giving him an Opportunity of
abounding in Absurdities.
Shallow Pedants cry up one another much more than
Men of solid and useful Learning. To read the
Titles they give an Editor, or Collator of a Manuscript,
you would take him for the Glory of the Commonwealth
of Letters, and the Wonder of his Age, when perhaps
upon Examination you find that he has only Rectify’d
a Greek Particle, or laid out a whole Sentence
in proper Commas.
They are obliged indeed to be thus lavish of their
Praises, that they may keep one another in Countenance;
and it is no wonder if a great deal of Knowledge,
which is not capable of making a Man wise, has a natural
Tendency to make him Vain and Arrogant.
