colt six months old to be able to carry a man.  The mind, as well as the body, requires time to come to its strength; and the way to have it possess, at last, its natural strength, is not to attempt to load it too soon; and to favour it in its progress by giving to the body good and plentiful food, sweet air, and abundant exercise, accompanied with as little discontent or uneasiness as possible.  It is universally known, that ailments of the body are, in many cases, sufficient to destroy the mind, and to debilitate it in innumerable instances.  It is equally well known, that the torments of the mind are, in many cases, sufficient to destroy the body.  This, then, being so well known, is it not the first duty of a father to secure to his children, if possible, sound and strong bodies?  LORD BACON says, that ’a sound mind in a sound body is the greatest of God’s blessings.’  To see his children possess these, therefore, ought to be the first object with every father; an object which I cannot too often endeavour to fix in his mind.

287.  I am to speak presently of that sort of learning which is derived from books, and which is a matter by no means to be neglected, or to be thought little of, seeing that it is the road, not only to fame, but to the means of doing great good to one’s neighbours and to one’s country, and, thereby, of adding to those pleasant feelings which are, in other words, our happiness.  But, notwithstanding this, I must here insist, and endeavour to impress my opinion upon the mind of every father, that his children’s happiness ought to be first object; that book-learning, if it tend to militate against this, ought to be disregarded; and that, as to money, as to fortune, as to rank and title, that father who can, in the destination of his children, think of them more than of the happiness of those children, is, if he be of sane mind, a great criminal.  Who is there, having lived to the age of thirty, or even twenty, years, and having the ordinary capacity for observation; who is there, being of this description, who must not be convinced of the inadequacy of riches and what are called honours to insure happiness?  Who, amongst all the classes of men, experience, on an average, so little of real pleasure, and so much of real pain as the rich and the lofty?  Pope gives us, as the materials for happiness, ‘health, peace, and competence.’  Aye, but what is peace, and what is competence?  If, by peace, he mean that tranquillity of mind which innocence and good deeds produce, he is right and clear so far; for we all know that, without health, which has a well-known positive meaning, there can be no happiness.  But competence is a word of unfixed meaning.  It may, with some, mean enough to eat, drink, wear and be lodged and warmed with; but, with others, it may include horses, carriages,