arise as to what is meant by "Philosophy," and what is
meant by "Letters." As to the other Faculties, the subject-matter which
they profess is intelligible, as soon as named, and beyond all dispute. We
know what Science is, what Medicine, what Law, and what Theology; but we
have not so much ease in determining what is meant by Philosophy and
Letters. Each department of that twofold province needs explanation: it
will be sufficient, on an occasion like this, to investigate one of them.
Accordingly I shall select for remark the latter of the two, and attempt
to determine what we are to understand by Letters or Literature, in what
Literature consists, and how it stands relatively to Science. We speak,
for instance, of ancient and modern literature, the literature of the day,
sacred literature, light literature; and our lectures in this place are
devoted to classical literature and English literature. Are Letters, then,
synonymous with books? This cannot be, or they would include in their
range Philosophy, Law, and, in short, the teaching of all the other
Faculties. Far from confusing these various studies, we view the works of
Plato or Cicero sometimes as philosophy, sometimes as literature; on the
other hand, no one would ever be tempted to speak of Euclid as literature,
or of Matthiae's Greek Grammar. Is, then, literature synonymous with
composition? with books written with an attention to style? is literature
fine writing? again, is it studied and artificial writing?

There are excellent persons who seem to adopt this last account of
Literature as their own idea of it. They depreciate it, as if it were the
result of a mere art or trick of words. Professedly indeed, they are
aiming at the Greek and Roman classics, but their criticisms have quite as
great force against all literature as against any. I think I shall be best
able to bring out what I have to say on the subject by examining the
statements which they make in defence of their own view of it. They
contend then, 1. that fine writing, as exemplified in the Classics, is
mainly a matter of conceits, fancies, and prettinesses, decked out in
choice words; 2. that this is the proof of it, that the classics will not
bear translating;--(and this is why I have said that the real attack is
upon literature altogether, not the classical only; for, to speak
generally, all literature, modern as well as ancient, lies under this
disadvantage. This, however, they will not allow; f