Gally, Henry (bap. 1696, d. 1769)

A Critical Essay on Characteristic-Writings

London

Printed for John Hooke

1725

"The deep and dark Recesses of the Heart must be penetrated, to discover how Nature is disguis’d into Art, and how Art puts on the Appearance of Nature."

There is no Kind of polite Writing that seems to require a deeper Knowledge, a livelier Imagination, and a happier Turn of Expression than the Characteristic. Human Nature, in its various Forms and Affections, is the Subject; and he who wou’d attempt a Work of this Kind, with some assurance of Success, must not only study other Men; he has a more difficult Task to perform; he must study himself. The deep and dark Recesses of the Heart must be penetrated, to discover how Nature is disguis’d into Art, and how Art puts on the Appearance of Nature.--This Knowledge is great; ’tis the Perfection of Moral Philosophy; ’tis an inestimable Treasure: But yet if it shou’d fall into the Hands of one, who wants proper Abilities to communicate his Knowledge to the World, it wou’d be of no Service but to the Owner: It wou’d make him, indeed, an able Philosopher, but not an able Writer of Characters.
(p. 29-30)

Uncategorized::Recesses

Reading

2 entries in ESTC (1725, 1756).

See Henry Gally, "A Critical Essay on Characteristic-Writings", from his Translation of The Moral Characters of Theophrastus (London: Printed for John Hooke, 1725).<Link to ESTC>

Reading printed edition from The Augustan Reprint Society (Los Angeles: William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, University of California, 1952).

Text from Project Gutenberg, by David Starner, Louise Hope and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team <Link to PGDP>.

09/23/2013