phants, Bears, and Wolves, upon their feveral Species, fince the Beginning of the World; though thefe agree ill enough with each other, and have a much greater Proportion of Rage and Fury in their Compofition than we have. But with respect to you ye Legiflators, ye Civilizers of Mankind! ye Orpheus's, Mofefes, Minofes, Solons, Thefeufes, Lycurgufes, Numas! with refpect to you be it spoken, your Regulations have done more Mischief in cold Blood, than all the Rage of the fierceft Animals, in their greatest Terrors or Furies, has ever done, or ever could do!

Thefe Evils are not accidental. Whoever will take the Pains to confider the Nature of Society, will find they result directly from its Conftitution. For as Subordination, or, in other Words, the Reciprocation of Tyranny and Slavery, is requifitè to fupport thefe Societies, the Intereft, the Ambition, the Malice, or the Revenge, nay even the Whim and Caprice of one ruling Man among them, is enough to arm all the reft, without any private Views of their own, to the worst and blackest Purpofes; and what is at once lamentable and ridiculous, these Wretches engage under thofe Banners with a Fury greater than if they were animated by Revenge for their own proper Wrongs.

It is no lefs worth obferving, that this artificial Divifion of Mankind, into separate Societies, is a perpetual Source in itself of Hatred and Diffenfion among them. The Names which distinguish them

are enough to blow up Hatred, and Rage. Examine History; confult present Experience; and you will find, that far the greater Part of the Quarrels between several Nations had scarce any other Occafion, than that these Nations were different Combinations of People, and called by different Names ;to an Englishman, the Name of a Frenchman, a Spaniard, an Italian, much more a Turk, or a Tartar, raife, of course, Ideas of Hatred, and Contempt. If you would inspire this Compatriot of ours with Pity or Regard, for one of thefe; would you not hide that Diftinction? You would not pray him to compaffionate the poor Frenchman, or the unhappy German. Far from it; you would speak of him as a Foreigner, an Accident to which all are liable. You would represent him as a Man; one partaking with us of the fame common Nature, and fubject to the fame Law. There is fomething fo averfe from our Nature in these artificial political Diftinctions, that we need no other Trumpet to kindle us to War and Destruction. But there is, fomething fo benign and healing in the general Voice of Humanity, that maugre all our Regulations to prevent it, the fimple Name of Man, applied properly, never fails to work a falutary Effect.

This natural unpremeditated Effect of Policy on the unpoffeffed Paffions of Mankind, appears on other Occafions. The very Name of a Politician, a Statefman, is fure to cause Terror and Hatred; it has always connected with it the Ideas of Treachery, Cruelty, Frauds and Tyranny; and thofe Writers VOL. II.

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who have faithfully unveilded the Mysteries of State free-mafonry, have ever been held in general Deteftation, for even knowing so perfectly a Theory fo deteftable, The Cafe of Machiavel feems at first fight fomething hard in that Respect. He is obliged to bear the Iniquities of thofe whofe Maxims and Rules of Government he publifhed. His Speculation is more abhorred than their Practice.

But if there were no other Arguments against artificial Society than this I am going to mention, methinks it ought to fall by this one only. All Writers on the Science of Policy are agreed, and they agree with Experience, that all Governments must frequently infringe the Rules of Juftice to fupport themselves; that Truth must give way to Diffimulation; Honefty to Convenience; and Humanity itself to the reigning Intereft. The whole of this Mystery of Iniquity is called the Reason of State. It is a Reafon, which I own I cannot penetrate. What fort of a Protection is this of the general Right, that is maintained by infringing the Rights of Particulars? What fort of Juftice is this, which is inforced by Breaches of its own Laws? These Paradoxes I leave to be folved by the able Heads of Legiflators and Politicians. For my Part, I fay what a plain Man would fay on such an Occafion. I can never believe, that any Inftitution agreeable to Nature, and proper for Mankind, could find it neceffary, or even expedient in any Cafe whatfoever, to do what the beft and worthieft Inftincts of Mankind warn us to avoid. But no wonder, that what is fet up in Oppofition

pofition to the State of Nature, fhould preferve itfelf by trampling upon the Law of Nature.

To prove, that these Sort of policed Societies are a Violation offered to Nature, and a Constraint upon the human Mind, it needs only to look upon the fanguinary Measures and Inftruments of Violence, which are every where used to fupport them. Let us take a Review of the Dungeons, Whips, Chains, Racks, Gibbets, with which every Society is abundantly ftored, by which Hundreds of Victims are annually offered up to fupport a dozen or two in Pride and Madness, and Millions in an abject Servitude and Dependance. There was a Time, when I looked with a reverential Awe on thefe Myfteries of Policy; but Age, Experience, and Philosophy have rent the Veil; and I view this Sanctum Sanctorum, at least, ́ without any enthufiaftick Admiration. I acknowledge indeed, the Neceffity of such a proceeding in such Inftitutions; but I must have a very mean Opinion of Inftitutions where fuch Proceedings are neceffary.

It is a Misfortune, that in no Part of the Globe natural Liberty and natural Religion are to be found pure, and free from the Mixture of political Adulterations. Yet we have implanted in us, by Provi dence, Ideas, Axioms, Rules, of what is pious, just, fair, honeft, which no political Craft, nor learned Sophiftry, can entirely expel from our Breafts. By thefe we judge, and we cannot otherwife judge, of the feveral artificial Modes of Religion and Society, and determine of them as they approach to, or resede from, this Standard.

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The fimpleft Form of Government is Despotism, where all the inferior Orbs of Power are moved merely by the will of the Supreme, and all that are fubjected to them directed in the fame Manner, merely by the occafional Will of the Magiftrate. This Form, as it is the moft fimple, fo it is infinitely the most general. Scarce any Part of the World is exempted from its Power. And in those few Places where Men enjoy what they call Liberty, it is continually in a tottering Situation, and makes greater and greater Strides to that Gulph of Defpotism which ät last swallows up every Species of Government. This manner of ruling, being directed merely by the Will of the weakeft, and generally the worst Man in the Society, becomes the most foolish and capricious Thing, at the fame time that it is the most terrible and deftructive that well can be conceived. In a Defpotism the principal Perfon finds, that let the Want, Mifery, and Indigence of his Subjects, be what they will, he can yet poffefs abundantly of every thing to gratify his most insatiable Wishes. He does more. He finds that these Gratifications increafe in Proportion to the Wretchednefs and Slavery of his Subjects. Thus encouraged both by Paffion and Interest to trample on the public Welfare, and by his Station placed above both Shame and Fear, he proceeds to the most horrid and fhocking Outrages upon Mankind. Their Perfons become Victims of his Sufpicions. The flightest Displeasure is Death? and a disagreeable Afpect is often as great a Crime as High-treafon. In the

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