Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/43

§. 1. of this age be it poken, a more open and generous way of thinking begins now univerally to prevail. The attainment of liberal and genteel accomplihments, though not of the intellectual ort, has been thought by our wiet and mot affectionate patrons, and very lately by the whole univerity , no mall improvement of our antient plan of education; and therefore I may afely affirm that nothing (how unuual oever) is, under due regulations, improper to be taught in this place, which is proper for a gentleman to learn. But that a cience, which ditinguihes the criterions of right and wrong; which teaches to etablih the one, and prevent, punih, or redres the other; which employs in it’s theory the noblet faculties of the oul, and exerts in it’s practice the cardinal virtues of the heart; a cience, which is univeral in it’s ue and extent, accommodated to each individual, yet comprehending the whole community; that a cience like this hould have ever been deemed unneceary to be tudied in an univerity, is matter of atonihment and concern. Surely, if it were not before an object of academical knowlege, it was high time to make it one; and to thoe who can doubt the propriety of it’s reception among us (if any uch there be) we may return an anwer in their own way; that ethics are confeedly a branch of academical learning, and Aritotle himelf has aid, peaking of the laws of his own country, that juriprudence or the knowlege of thoe laws is the principal and mot perfect branch of ethics.

a thorough conviction of this truth, our munificent benefactor Mr, having employed above half a century in amaing materials for new-modelling and rendering more commodious the rude tudy of the laws of the land, conigned both Rh