Studious thought on any subject; continued attention. "Monks and mystics consider contemplation as the highest degree of moral excellence; and with them a silent spectator is a divine man:" but it is evident we are not placed here only to think. There is something to be done as well as to contemplate. There are duties to be performed, offices to be discharged: and if we wish to be happy in ourselves, and useful to others, we must be active as well as thoughtful.