Page:History of the Royal Society.djvu/450

 : So will I affirm, that we shall never be made Industrious by Victory alone.

The second Thing to be corrected in the English Humour, is an Inclination to every Novelty and Vanity of foreign Countries, and a Contempt of the good things of our own. This Fondness is the usual Fault of young Travellers, but it has also ill Effects on Men of full Age: For this they are wont to alledge the Excuse of good Breeding. But if we could not study or understand our own Country, without the Imputation of ill Manners, good Breeding were the most pernicious thing in the World. For there was never yet any Nation great, which only admir'd the Customs of other People, and wholly made them the Pattern of their Imitation. This wandring and affected Humour Experiments will lessen above all other Studies: they will employ our Thoughts about our native Conveniences: they will make us intend our Minds on what is contained within our own Seas: and by considering and handling them more, will also make them more worthy of our Consideration.

The third Imperfection is on the other Extreme, and that is a narrowness of Mind, and a pusillanimous confining our Thoughts to ourselves, without regarding any thing that is foreign, or believing that any of their Arts or Customs may be preferr'd before our own. This indeed is a Perverseness, of which the English are not wholly to be acquitted: it being proper to Islands, and to such Countries that are divided from the rest of the World. This will be cur'd by the effectual Demonstrations that the Society will give of the Benefit of a universal Correspondence and Communication. And this, according to their Method, will be done without falling into the other Vice of Rh