those (and in our day they are not a few) to whom obscurity is a
recommendation, result from suffering the intellect to speculate in
realms forbidden to its access; into caverns of tremendous depth and
darkness, with nothing better than our own rushlight. Surely we have
reason to suspect as much when some learned professor, after muttering
his logical incantations, and conjuring with his logical formulae,
surprises you by saying, that he has disposed of the great mysteries of
existence and the universe, and solved to your entire satisfaction, in
his own curt way, the problems of the ABSOLUTE and the INFINITE! If the
cardinal truths of philosophy and religion hitherto received are doomed
to be imperilled by such speculations, one feels strongly inclined to
pray with the old Homeric hero,--'that if they must perish, it may be
at least in daylight.' We earnestly counsel the youthful reader to
defer the study of German philosophy, at least till he has matured and
disciplined his mind, and familiarised himself with the best models of
what used to be our boast--English clearness of thought and expression.
He will then learn to ask rigidly for definitions, and not rest
satisfied with half-meanings--or no meaning. To the naturally venturous
pertinacity of young metaphysicians, few would be disposed to be more
indulgent than ourselves. From the time of Plato downwards--who tells
us that no sooner do they 'taste' of dialectics than they are ready to
dispute with every body--'sparing neither father nor mother, scarcely
even the lower animals,' if they had but a voice to reply. They have
always expected more from metaphysics than (except as a discipline) they
will ever yield. He elsewhere, still more humorously describes the same
trait. He compares then, to young dogs who are perpetually snapping
at every thing about them:--Hoimai gar se ou lelêthenai, hoti
hoi meirakiskoi, hotan to prôton logôn geuôntai, ôs paidia autois
katachrôntai, aei eis antilogian chrômenoi kai mimoumenoi tous
exelenchontas autoi allous elenchousi, chairontes ôsper skulakia te