probation or blame, love or hatred, different from those to which the mind from long custom has been familiarized. And where a man is confident of the rectitude of that moral standard, by which he judges, he is juftly jealous of it, and will not pervert the fentiments of his heart for a moment, in complaifance to any writer whatever. Of all fpeculative errors, thofe which regard religion, are the most excufable in compofitions of genius; nor is it ever permitted to judge of the civility or wif dom of any people, or even of fingle perfons, by the groffnefs or refinement of their theological principles. The fame good fenfe, that directs men in the ordinary occurrences of life, is not hearkened to in religious matters, which are fuppofed to be placed entirely above the cognizance of human reafon. Upon this account, all the abfurdities of the pagan fyftem of theology must be overlooked. by every critic, who would pretend to form a juft notion of antient poetry; and our pofterity, in their turn, must have the fame indulgence to their forefathers. No religious principles can ever be imputed as a fault to any poet, while they remain merely principles, and take not fuch ftrong poffeffion of his heart, as to lay him under the imputation of bigotry or fuperftition. Where that happens, they confound the fentiments of morality, and alter the natural boundaries of vice and virtue. They are therefore eternal blemishes, according to the principle abovementioned; nor are the prejudices and false opinions of the age fufficient to justify them. 'Tis effential to the ROM AN catholic religion to inspire a violent hatred to every other worship, and reprefent all pagans, mahometans, and heretics as the objects of divine wrath and vengeance. Such fentiments, tho' they are in reality extremely blameable, are confidered as virtues by the zealots of that communion, and are reprefented in their tragedies and epic poems as a kind of divine heroifm. This bigotry has disfigured two very fine tragedies of the FRENCH theatre, POLIEUCTE and ATHALIA; where an intemperate zeal for particular modes of worship is fet off with all the pomp imaginable, and forms the predominant character of the heroes. "What is this," fays the heroic JOAD to JoSABET, finding her in discourse with MATHAN, the priest of BAAL," Does the daughter of DAVID fpeak to this "traitor? Are you not afraid, left the earth fhould open and pour forth flames "to devour you both? Or left thefe holy walls fhould fall and crush you toge"ther? What is his purpofe? Why comes that enemy of God hither to poifon "the air, which we breathe, with his horrid prefence?" Such fentiments are received with great applause on the theatre of PARIS; but at LONDON the spectators would be full as much pleased to hear ACHILLES tell AGAMEMNON, that he was a dog in his forehead, and a deer in his heart, or JUPITER threaten JUNO with a found drubbing, if she will not be quiet. RELIGIOUS principles are alfo a blemish in any polite compofition, when they rife up to fuperftition, and intrude themselves into every fentiment, however remote from any connection with religion. 'Tis no excufe for the poet, that the customs of his country had burthened life with so many religious ceremonies and obfervances, that no part of it was exempt from that yoak. It must be for ever ridiculous in PETRARCH to compare his miftrefs, LAURA, to JESUS CHRIST. Nor is it lefs ridiculous in that agreeable libertine, BOCCACE, very seriously to give thanks to God Almighty, and the ladies, for their affistance in defending him against his enemies. ESSAYS, ESSAY I. OF COMMERCE. HE greateft part of mankind may be divided into two claffes; that of Shallow thinkers, who fall fhort of the truth; and that of abstruse thinkers, who go beyond it. The latter clafs are by far the most uncommon; and I may add, by far the most useful and valuable. They fuggeft hints, at least, and start difficulties, which they want, perhaps, skill to purfue; but which may produce very fine difcoveries, when handled by men who have a more just way of thinking. At worst, what they fay is uncommon; and if it fhould coft fome pains to comprehend it, one has, however, the pleasure of hearing fomething that is new. An author is little to be valued, who tells us nothing but what we can learn from every coffeehouse conversation. ALL people of Shallow thought are apt to decry even thofe of folid understanding, as abftrufe thinkers, and metaphyficians, and refiners; and never will allow any thing to be juft, which is beyond their own weak conceptions. There are fome cafes, I own, where an extraordinary refinement affords a strong prefumption of falfehood, and where no reasoning is to be trufted but what is natural and easy. When a man deliberates concerning his conduct in any particular affair, and forms schemes in politics, trade, oeconomy, or any bufinefs in life, he never ought to draw his arguments too fine, or connect too long a chain of confequences together. Something is fure to happen, that will difconcert his reafoning, and produce an event different from what he expected. But when we reason upon general fubjects, one may juftly affirm, that our fpeculations can scarce ever be too fine, provided they be juft; and that the difference between a common man and a man of genius, is chiefly feen in the fhallowness or depth of the principles upon which they proceed. General reafonings feem intricate, merely because they are general; nor is it eafy for the bulk of mankind to distinguish, in a great number of particulars, that common circumstance in which they all agree, or to extract it, pure and unmixed, from the other fuperfluous circumftances. Every judgment or conclufion, with them, is particular. They cannot enlarge their view to those univerfal propofitions, which comprehend under them an infinite number of individuals, and include a whole fcience in a fingle theorem. Their eye is confounded with fuch an extensive prospect; and the conclufions derived from it, even tho' clearly expreffed, feem intricate and obfcure. But however intricate they may feem, 'tis certain, that general principles, if juft and found, muft always prevail in the general courfe of things, tho' they may fail in parti cular cular cafes; and 'tis the chief bufinefs of philofophers to regard the general course of things. I may add, that 'tis alfo the chief bufinefs of politicians; especially in the domeftic government of the ftate, where the public good, which is, or ought to be their object, depends on the concurrence of a multitude of cafes; not, as in foreign politics, on accidents, and chances, and the caprices of a few perfons. This therefore makes the difference betwixt particular deliberations and general rafonings, and renders fubtilty and refinement much more fuitable to the latter than to the former. I THOUGHT this introduction neceffary before the following difcourfes on commerce, luxury, money, intereft, &c. where, perhaps, there will occur fome principles, which are uncommon, and which may feem too refined and fubtile for fuch vulgar fubjects. If falfe, let them be rejected: But no one ought to entertain a prejudice against them, merely because they are out of the common road. THE greatness of a state, and the happiness of its fubjects, however independent they may be fuppofed in fome respects, are commonly allowed to be infeparable with regard to commerce; and as private men receive greater fecurity, in the poffeffion of their trade and riches, from the power of the public, fo the public becomes powerful in proportion to the riches and extenfive commerce of private men. This maxim is true in general; tho' I cannot forbear thinking, that it may poffibly admit of fome exceptions, and that we often establish it with too little referve and limitation. There may be fome circumftances, where the commerce, and riches, and luxury of individuals, inftead of adding ftrength to the public, will ferve only to thin its armies, and diminish its authority among the neigboring nations. Man is a very variable being, and fufceptible of many different opinions, principles, and rules of conduct. What may be true while he adheres to one way of thinking, will be found falfe when he has embraced an oppofite fet of manners and opinions. THE bulk of every ftate may be divided into husbandmen and manufacturers. The former are employed in the culture of the land: The latter work up the materials furnished by the former, into all the commodities which are neceffary or ornamental to human life. As foon as men quit their favage ftate, where they live chiefly by hunting and fishing, they muft fall into these two claffes; tho' the arts of agriculture employ at first the most numerous part of the fociety *. Time and experience improve fo much these arts, that the land may easily maintain a much greater number of men, than those who are immediately employed in its cultivation, or who furnish the more neceffary manufactures to fuch as are fo employed. IF thefe fuperfluous hands apply themselves to the finer arts, which are commonly denominated the arts of luxury, they add to the happiness of the state; fince they afford to many the opportunity of receiving enjoyments, with which they would otherwife have been unacquainted. But may not another scheme be pro Monf. MELON in his political essay on commerce afferts, that even at present, if you divide FRANCE into zo parts, 16 are laborers or peasants; 2 only artizans; one belonging to the law, church, and military; and one merchants, financiers, and bourgeois. This calculation is certainly very er roneous. In FRANCE, ENGLAND, and indeed. moft parts of EUROPE, half of the inhabitants live in cities; and even of those who live in the country, a very great number are artifans, perhaps above a third. pofed |