第22章 Universality

I do not here speak against the taking a taste of every sort of knowledge；it is certainly very useful and necessary to form the mind，but then it must be done in a different way and to a different endÑnot for talk and vanity to fill the head with shreds of all kinds，that he who is possessed of such a frippery may be able to match the discourses of all he shall meet with，as if nothing could come amiss to him and his head was so well a stored magazine that nothing could be proposed which he was not master of and was readily furnished to entertain anyone on.

This is an excellency indeed，and a great one too，to have a real and true knowledge in all or most of the objects of contemplation.But it is what the mind of one and the same man can hardly attain unto；and the instances are so few of those who have in any measure approached towards it，that I know not whether they are to be proposed as examples in the ordinary conduct of the understanding.For a man to understand fully the business of his particular calling in the commonwealth and of religion，which is his calling as he is a man in the world，is usually enough to take up his whole time；and there are few that inform themselves in these，which is every man's proper and peculiar business，so to the bottom as they should do.But though this be so，and there are very few men that extend their thoughts towards universal knowledge，yet I do not doubt but，if the right way were taken and the methods of enquiry were ordered as they should be，men of little business and great leisure might go a great deal further in it than is usually done.

To return to the business in hand，the end and use of a little insight in those parts of knowledge Which are not a man's proper business is to accustom our minds to all sorts of ideas and the proper ways of examining their habitudes and relations.This gives the mind a freedom，and the exercising the understanding in the several ways of enquiry and reasoning which the most skillful have made use of teaches the mind sagacity and wariness and a suppleness to apply itself more closely and dexterously to the bents and turns of the matter in all its researches.

Besides，this universal taste of all the sciences with an indifferency，before the mind is possessed with any one in particular and grown into love and admiration of what is made its darling，still prevent another evil very commonly to be observed in those who have from the beginning been seasoned only by one part of knowledge.Let a man be given up to the contemplation of one sort of knowledge，and that will become everything.The mind will take such a tincture from a familiarity with that object，that everything else，hole remote however，will be brought under the same view.A metaphysician will bring ploughing and gardening immediately to abstract notions；the history of nature shall signify nothing to him.An alchemist，on the contrary，shall reduce divinity to the maxims of his laboratory，explain morality by sag sulfur and mercury and allegorize the Scripture itself and the sacred masteries thereof into the philosopher's stone.