Pedant. A pedant is a man of babbling presumption, who exhausts others with the spectacle he makes of his own knowledge (no matter what the topic) and with the affectation of his style and manners.

This spiritual vice is found in all manners of dress; there are pedants in all the classes, in all conditions, all the way from the purple to the frock, from the blue cord all the way, at least, to the doctoral hood. James I [1] was a pedant -king.

Nevertheless, it is true that the blemish of pedantry is particularly attached to people of the college, who positively adore displaying the baggage of antiquity with which they are loaded. This display of utterly mind-numbing erudition has been so strongly ridiculed, and so often reproached to men of letters by men of the world, that the French have assumed the position of distaining erudition, literature, the study of the learned languages, and consequently the knowledge of all the things they procure. It has been so often repeated to them that it is necessary to avoid pedantry and write in the tone of good company, that finally serious authors have become bland; and to prove that they frequent good company, authors have written works on topics, and in tones, fit for very low company.

Notes

1. [James I of England / James VI of Scotland.]