roducing us to other
worlds; and constantly to feel a deep and unchangeable conviction of
the necessity of doing all the good in our power, and in our way, for
the benefit of those who are to survive us!

[Footnote 113: See the note at p. 29, ante. "It is a pity,"
says Morhof, "that the _Dutch_ had such little curiosity
about the literary history of their country--but the
_English_ were yet more negligent and incurious."--And yet,
Germany, France, and Italy, had already abounded with
treasures of this kind!!]

[Footnote 114: Senebier, who put forth a very useful and
elegantly printed catalogue of the MSS. in the public
library of Geneva, 1779, 8vo., has the following
observations upon this subject--which I introduce with a
necessary proviso, or caution, that _now-a-days_ his
reproaches cannot affect us. We are making ample amends for
past negligence; for, to notice no others, the labours of
those gentlemen who preside over the BRITISH MUSEUM
abundantly prove our present industry. Thus speaks Senebier:
'Ill sembleroit d'abord etonnant qu'on ait tant trade a
composer le Catalogue des Manuscripts de la Bibliotheque de
Geneve; mais on peut faire plus raisonnablement ce reproche
aux Bibliothecaires bien payes et uniquement occupes de leur
vocation, qui sont les depositaires de tant de collections
precieuses qu'on voit en Italie, en France, en Allemagne, et
en Angleterre; ils le meriteront d'autant mieux, qu'ils
privent le public des pieces plus precieuses, et qu'ils ont
plusieurs aids intelligens qui peuvent les dispenser de la
partie le plus mechanique et la plus ennuyeuse de ce
travail,' &c.]

PHIL. Hear him, hear him![115]

[Footnote 115: This mode of exclamation or expression, like
that of _cheering_ (vide p. 20, ante) is also peculiar to
our own country; and it is uttered by both friend and foe.
Thus, in the senate, when a speaker upon one side of the
question happens to put an argument in a strong point of
view, those of the same party or mode of thinking
exclaim--_hear him, hear him!_ And if he should happen to
state any thing that may favour the views, or the mode of
thinking, of his opponents, these latter also take advantage
of his eloquence, and exclaim, _hear him, hear him!_ Happy
the man whom friend and foe alike delight t