Calamity chains down to Misery, must endeavour to obviate the
Danger.

My Considerations shall, on this Occasion, be turned on such as are
burthensome to themselves merely because they want Subjects for
Reflection, and to whom the Volume of Nature is thrown open without
affording them Pleasure or Instruction, because they never learned to read
the Characters.

A French Author has advanced this seeming Paradox, that _very few Men know
how to take a Walk_; and, indeed, it is very true, that few Men know how
to take a Walk with a Prospect of any other Pleasure, than the same
Company would have afforded them in any other Circumstances.

There are Animals that borrow their Colour from the neighbouring Body,
and, consequently, vary their Hue as they happen to change their Place. In
like manner it ought to be the Endeavour of every Man to derive his
Reflexions from the Objects about him; for it is to no purpose that he
alters his Position, if his Attention continues fixt to the same Point.
The Mind should be kept open to the Access of every new Idea, and so far
disengaged from the Predominance of particular Thoughts, as to be able to
accommodate itself to emergent Occasions, and remark every Thing that
offers itself to present Examination.

A Man that has formed this Habit of turning every new Object to his
Entertainment, finds in the Productions of Nature an inexhaustible Stock
of Materials, upon which he can employ himself, without any Temptations to
Envy or Malevolence; Faults, perhaps, seldom totally avoided by those,
whose Judgment is much exercised upon the Works of Art. He has always a
certain Prospect of discovering new Reasons for adoring the Sovereign
Author of the Universe, and probable Hopes of making some Discovery of
Benefit to others, or of Profit to himself. There is no doubt but many
Vegetables and Animals have Qualities that might be of great Use; to the
Knowledge of which there is required no great Sagacity of Penetration, or
Fatigue of Study, but only frequent Experiments, and close Attention. What
is said by the Chymists of their darling Mercury, is, perhaps, true of
every Body through the whole Creation, that, if a thousand Lives should be
spent upon it, all its Properties would not be found out.

Mankind must necessarily be diversified by various Tastes, since Life
affords and requires such multiplicity of Employments; and a Nation of
Naturalists is neither to be hoped, or desired, but it is surely