now confider, natural philofophy is neither very
generally nor very fuccefsfully cultivated. This
is the period when human virtue and human abi-
lities thine with most splendour. Rudeness, fero-
Luxury has
city, and barbarifm, are banished.
made her appearance; but as yet he is the friend
and the benefactrefs of fociety. Commerce has
ftimulated and rewarded industry, but has not yet
contracted the heart and debafed the character..
Wealth is not yet become the fole object of pur-
fuit. The charms of focial intercourfe are known.
and relished; but domeftic duties are not yet de-
ferted for public amufements. The female fex
acquire new influence, and contribute much to
refine and polish the manners of their lords. Re-
Higion now affumes a milder and more pleafing
form; fplendid rites, magnificent temples, pom-
pous facrifices, and gay feftivals, give even fuper-
ftition an influence favourable to the happiness of
mankind. The gloomy notions and barbarous
rites of former periods fall into difufe. The fyl-
tém of theology produced in former ages fill re
mains: but only the mild and amiable qualities of
the deities are celebrated; and none but the gay,
humane, and laughing divinities, are worshipped.
Philofophy alfo teaches men to difcard fuch parts
of their religion as are unfriendly to good morals,
and have any tendency to call forth or cherish
unfocial fentiments in the heart. War (for in this
period of fociety enough of caufes will arife to
arm one nation against another)-war, however,
no longer retains its former ferocity; nations no
longer ftrive to extirpate one another; to procure
redrefs for real or imaginary injuries to humble,
not to deftroy, is now its object. Prifoners are
now no longer murdered in cold blood, subjected
to horrid and excruciating tortures, or condemned
to hopeless flavery. They are ranfomed or ex-
changed; they return to their country, and again
fight under its banners. In this period the arts of
government are likewife better understood, and
practifed fo as to contribute moft to the interbits
of fociety. Whether monarchy, or democracy,
or ariftocracy, be the established form, the rights
of individuals and of fociety are in general re-
fpected. The interefts of fociety are fo well un-
derftood, that the few, to preferve their influence
over the many, find it neceffary to act rather as
the faithful fervants than the imperious lords of
the public. Though the liberties of a nation in
this ftate be not accurately defined by law, nor
their property guaranteed to them by any legat
inftitutions, yet their governors dare not violate
their liberties, nor deprive them wantonly of their
of fociety:
properties. This is truly the golden age
every trace of barbarifm is entirely effaced; and
vicious luxury has not yet begun to fap the vir
tue and the happiness of the community. Men
live not in liftlefs indolence; but the industry in
which they are engaged is of fuch a nature as not
to overpower their ftrength or exhauft their spirits..
The focial affections have now the ftrongest influ
ence on mens fentiments and conduct.

opportunity of comparing this with the former ftage in the progrefs of fociety. The chief effect produced by the institutions of Lycurgus feems to have been, to fix the manners of his countrymen for a confiderable period in that state to which they had attained in his days. Spartan virtue has been admired and extolled in the language of enthufiafm; but even the character and the condition of the favage inhabitants of the wilds of America, have been preferred by fome philofophers, to the virtues and the enjoyments of focial life in the most polished and enlightened ftate. The Spartans in the days of Lycargus had begun to cultivate the ground, and were not unacquainted with the ufeful arts. They must foon have advanced farther had not Lycurgus arifen, and by effecting the establishment of a code of laws, the tendency of which appears to have been in many particulars directly oppofite to the defigns of nature, retarded their progress towards complete civilization and refinement. (See SPARTA, § 10-22.) The hiftory of the Lacedemonians, therefore, while the laws of Lycurgus continued in force, exhibits the manners and character of a people in that which we have denominated the fourth tage in the progrefs of fociety. But in the hiftery of their neighbours the Athenians, we belfold the natural progrefs of opinions, arts, and manners. The ufeful arts are first cultivated with fuch ftea dy industry, as raise the community to opu lence, by commerce with foreign nations. The ufeful arts, raised to this height of improvement, lead men to the purfuit of feience. Commerce Aill in the ufeful arts, and a tafte for fcience, mu tually aid each other, and promote farther improvements. Hence magnificent buildings, noble tatues, paintings expreffive of life, action, and paffion; and poems in which imagination adds new grace to nature, and gives focial life more ir refiftible power over the affecions. Hence are moral diftinctions more carefully ftudied, and the rights of every individual and every order in fo. ciety more accurately defined. Moral fcience is generally the first scientific pursuit which ftrongly attracts the attention of men; with the exception of Egypt and Chaldea. In Egypt, the overflow. rg of the Nile caufed geometry to be early cultivated. Caufes no lefs favourable to the study of ffronomy, recommended that science to the Chaldeans long before they had attained the height of refinement. But, in general, the laws of moraSty are understood, and the principles of morals squired into, before men make any confiderable progrefs in phyfical fcience. Accordingly, in this period, poetry, hiftory, and morals, are the branch es chiefly cultivated. Arts are generally catal inventions, and long practifed before the rules and principles on which they are founded affume the form of science. But morality is that art which met have molt conftantly occafion to practife. Beides, we are fo conftituted, that human actions, and the events which befal human beings, have more powerful influence than any other object to gage our attention. Though poetry, hiftory, SECT. VIII. Of the DEGENERACY and DECLINE and morals, be pursued with no fmall eagerness avi fuccefs in that period of fociety which we VOL. XXI. PART I.

of SOCIETY.

HUMAN affairs are never ftationary. The cir P cumftances

cumsanees of mankind are almost always chan- after gloriously shaking of the yoke of despotism ging, either growing better or worse. Their man- they fet up a republican goverposent, which, in ners are ever in a Nuctuating state. They either the course of a few years, has exhibited scenes of advance towards perfection or degenerate. Scarce tyranny, oppression, and bloodshed, to which the bave they attained that happy period in which annals of the world can furnith no parallel; and we have just contemplated them, when they be- which, after the massacre of the greatest men and gin to decline till they perhaps fall back into a the best friends of liberty in the republic, has enditate nearly as low as that from which we suppose ed in the establishment of an imperial despotism, them to have 'emerged. Instances of this unhap. more enormous, and more deftitute of every spark py degeneracy often occur in the history of man- of freedom, than that which was overthrown in kind; and we may finish this short sketch of the 1789-91. See REVOLUTION, VI, 48. hitory of society by mentioning in what manner this degeneracy takes place. Stri&tly speaking,

PART II. every thing but the simple necessaries of life may be denominated luxury ; but the welfare of socie. OF THE VARIOUS PUBLIC SOCIETIES, IN. ty is best promoted, while its members afpire af. STITUTED FOR THE PROMOTION OF ter something more than the mere necessaries of ARTS, SCIENCES, RELIGION, MORALS, life. As long as these fuperfuities are to be ob- AND HUMANITY. tained only by active and honeft exertion ; as long

HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION. as they only engage the leisure hours, without becoming the chief objects of pursuit-the em- THE SOCIETIES under consideration, are allo. ployment which they give to the faculties is fa. ciations voluntarily formed by a number of indivivourable both to the virtue and the happiness of duals for promoting knowledge, industry,or virtue. the human race.

They may therefore be divided into three clatles; But the period arrives, when luxury is no long. societiesfor promoting science and literature, focieer serviceable to the interests of nations; when ties for encouraging and promoting arts and mashe is no longer a graceful, elegant, active form, nufactures, and societies for diffufing religion and but a languid, overgrown, and bloated carcase. morality and relieving diftrefs. Societies belongThe love of luxury, which contributed so much ing to the first class extend their attention to all to the civilization of society, now bring on its the sciences and literature in general, or devote it decline. Arts are cultivated and improved, and to one particular science. The fime observation commerce extended, till enormous opulence be may be applied to those which are instituted acquired : the effect of enormous opulence is to for improving arts and manufactures. Those of awake the fancy to conceive ideas of new and the third class are established, either with a view capricious wants, and to inflame the breast with to prevent crimes, as the Philanthropic Society; new desires. Here we have the origin of that self. for the diffusion of the Chriftian religion among ishness which, operating in conjunction with ca. unenlightened nations, as the Society for the Proprice and the violence of unbridled passions, con. pagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts; or for tributes so much to the corruption of virtuous introducing arts and civilization, along with a manners. Selfilhness, caprice, indolence, effemi. knowledge of the Chriftian religion, as the Sierra nacy, all join to loosen the bonds of society, to Leona company. bring on the degeneracy both of the useful and The honour of planning and inftituting socie

. the fine arts, to banish at once the auftere and ties for these valuable purposes is due to modern the mild virtues, !o destroy civil order and sub- times. A literary association is said to have been ordination, and to introduce in their room anar- formed in the reign of Charlemagne ; (see Acachy or despotism.

DEMY and SCOTLAND, ” 11:) but the plan seems Scarce could we have found in history an ex- to have been rode and defective. Several others ample of the beautiful form of fuciely which we were instituted in Italy in the 16th century; but last attempted to describe. Never, at least, has they feem to have been far inferior to those which any nation continued long to enjoy such happy are most fourishing at present. The most encircumstances, or to difplay fo amiable and respec. larged idea of literary focieties seems to have Otable a character. But when we speak of the de- riginated with the great Bacon, Lord VER['• clining ftatofof society, we have no difficulty in LAM, the father of modern philosophy, who fe. finding inftances. Hifory tells of the Assyrians, commended to the reigning prince tv institute fcthe Egyptians, and the Persians, all once flourish cieties of learned men, who Tould give to the ing nations, but brought low by luxury and core world a regular account of their researches and zuption of manners. The Greeks, the Romans, discoveries. (See Bacon, No 2.) It was the idea and the Arabians, owed their fall to the fame of this great philofopber, that the learned world causes ;. and we know not if a similar fate does nould beunited into one immenfe republic; which, not now threaten many of those nations who have tho' consisting of malıy detached states, thould pre. long made a distinguished figure in the system of serve a mutual intelligence with each other, in Lurope. The Poriuguese, the Venetians, and the every thing that regards the common intereit Spaniards, have already fallen. The French have The want of this union and intelligence be la long been a people destitute of religion, corrupt- ments as one of the chief obstacles to the aded in morals, unsteady in condud, and flaves to vancement of science; and justly considering iba pleasure and public amusements. Among them institution of public focieties, to be the best reme: luxury had arrived at its highest pitch before the dy,for that defect, he has given, in his faucitu resolution; and the consequence has been, that work, the Neev Atlantis, the delineation of a phir

lofophical

men, just as the revolutions of state threw the ties of the Indian million are such as hardly any
civil power into the hands of the one or the other clergyman educated in a Protestant country can
party; and not a few members of the CHURCH be supposed able to surmount.
OF ROME were chared to the wilds of America by He who hopes successfully to preach the gospel
the united exertions of all. It has been often ob. among a tribe of savage wanderers, must have an
ferved, that people perfecuted for their religion ardent zeal and unwearied diligence; appetites
become the more enthufiaftically attached to it; fubdued to all the diftreffes of want; and a mind
and the conduct of those colonists was in perfect superior to all the terrors of mortality. These
harmony with this obfervation. Their zeal, in- qualities and habits may be acquired in the church
flamed by their violent removal to the other of Rome by one from infancy trained up in the
hemisphere, kept religion alive and active among severities of the monaftic orders, and fent to the
themselves; but their poverty disabled them from college de propaganda fide to be instructed in the
supplying fuel to the Name, by making provision languages, and inured to the manners and cul.
for a ministry to inftruct their offspring. The toms of the barbarous nations whose converfion
consequence was, that the new Christian com- he is to attempt ; but in the reformed churches
monwealth, without the kindly affiftance of its of Britain there are no monastic orders, por any
mother country, would have been, in the words college de propaganda fide; and yet, without the
of the Roman historian, Res unius ætatis Against regular preparation which is to be looked for in
this danger a timely aid was to be provided by such infiluriors alone, it is not in nature, what-
the society; which, as it consisted not of fanati- ever grace may effect, for any man cheerfully, and
cal members, would not entrust the important soberly, to undergo all the accumulated diftreffes
business of the mission to fanatical preachers, who, ever ready to overtake a faithful miffionary among
though always ready for such spiritual enter- savage idolaters. The failure therefore of the fo-
prizes, are never qualified to carry them on with ciety in its attempts to convert the American In-
success.

dians may be attributed, in the first instance, to
The celebrated Berkeley, who had resided some the want of a college de propaganda for training
years in Rhode land, and at his return was cal- up young men for the American mifsion.
led upon to preach the anniversary sermon before Perhaps another cause of this failure may be
the society, informs us, that the island where he found in the conduct of the missionaries, who, it
lived was inhabited by an English colony, conĝitta is to be presu.ned, have not always employed in
ing chiefly of sectaries of many different denomi- a proner manner even the scanty qualifications
nations; that several of the better fort of the in. they posiebid. The gospel, plain and limple as
habitants of towns were accustomed to assemble it is

, and fitted in its nature for what it was orthemselves regulary on the Lord's day for the dained to effect, cannot be apprehended but by performance of divine worship; but that most of an intelleet somewhat raised above that of a fa. those who were dispersed through the colony ri- vage. Such of the missionaries therefore as bevalled fome well bred people of other countries, gan their work with preaching to savage and brzin a thorough indifference for all that is sacred, al men, certainly frt out at the wrong end; for being equally careless of outward worship and of to make the gospel understood, and much more inward principles. He adds, that the missiona- to propagate and eitablish it, those savages should ries had done, and were continuing to do, good have been first taught the necessary arts of civil service in bringing those planters to a serious sense life, which, while they improve every hodily acof religion. “I speak it knowingly, (says he), that commodation, tend at the same time 10 enlarge "the ministers of the gospel, in those provinces and enlighten the understanding. For want of

which go by the name of New England, sent and this previous culture such of the savages as bave
support at the expence of the society, have, by been baptized into the faith have feldom perse-
their fobriety of manners, discreet behaviour, and vered themselves, or been able to propagate
a competent degree of useful knowledge, shown among their tribes the Chriflianity which they
themselves worthy of the choice of those who sent had been taught, and that succeffive milions
them.” Some of the missionaries sent at a later have always found it necessary to begin the work.
period, down to the era of the American revolu. anew'.
tion, had the same virtues, and were doing the To one or other of these causes, or to both,

fame good services, which procured to their pre. may juftly be attributed the little progress which
decessors this honourable testimony from one of reformed Christianity has made among the lodians
the greatest and the best of men.

of North America; and not to any want of The fociety, however, was incorporated for zeal, attention, or liberality in the directors of Other purposes. It was obliged by its charter to the society at home. During the dependence of attempt the conversion of the native Americans the United States on the mother country, great and the negro Naves; and as soon as the spiritual part of the society's funda was properly expendwants of the colonists were decently supplied, it ed.in keeping alive a just sense of religion among wab sot inattentive to these glorious objects. Its the Christian colonists from Europe, who had Success indeed in either pursuit has not been so surely the firft claims upon this best of charities; Great as could be wished. An erroneous notion, but now that America is an independent ftate, abai the being buptized is inconlistent with a fiate able to make ample provision for a regular clergy of slavery, rendered ihe selfish colonifts for a long of her own, the members of the corporation must time averle from the conversion of their negroes, be at liberty to bestow greater attention and to and made them throw every obstacle in the way expend more money than they could formerly do, sal wao made the attempt; while the difficul. on the conversion of such Indians as have any in.