creature demands from me the food which I cannot part with without annihilating my essence; I must then keep the food, and though I should suffer much pain by sympathizing with that of my fellow-creature, yet judgment would never direct me to my own destruction, and demands from me no suffering, but an augmentation of pleasure by relieving my fellow-creature, by means not dangerous to existence, or destructive of self happiness. There are instances, however, where a sound and capacious judgment would counsel dissolution, and encourage man to annihilate the combination of his essence, by his own powers over life. Such are incurable disorders causing incessant pain, either of the mind or of the body: but, as in the first instance, the loss of judgment deprives the man of ability to put an end to his existence, it becomes the interest of society to do it, who are to protect all animate combinations of matter from misery-to keep in order identities, which resembling inns upon the road of life, to receive matter in its travelling revolutions, must be provided with every comfort. In the latter instance, where man suffers uninterrupted and excruciating bodily pain from disease, and where the judgment remains, he should authorize a fellow creature to give him relief, or seek it by precipitating himself into the arms of death or new existence.

All the actions of man, directed by judgment, must promise to be useful to, or propose happiness to self; and the laws of moral motion have rendered it impossible for the animal to perform any act, in which it does not propose its own well-being, which proves and evinces self to be the centre of moral gravitation or attraction, by whose powers the different animated and intellectualized bodies are directed in orbits, which procure the moral system or well-being and happiness of animated matter.

The present moral world is in a state of chaos; every intellectualized body, attracted by a partial centre, rolls in wild confusion in the moral regions, and by perpetual and destructive collision opposes and annihilates all system of well-being and happiness.

There is, however, at this period, a ray of light arisng from the horizon of knowledge, which promises to Delong to the glorious sun of wisdom, approaching the moral hemisphere, which by discovering the union of self with Nature, will give happiness to the moral world, by attracting the various selfs into the common and universal centre of Nature, even as the physical sun diffuses light and warmth to this planetary system.

In such a moral world, regulated by wisdom, and moved by universal sympathy, his horse is as nearly related to man as his child, [in proportion as their capability for pleasure and pain is equal;] and violence committed upon ither is violence done to self, and to Nature, the great integer of self; nay the injury is greater when applied to the horse, as he possesses not the same power of language, or signs to affect sympathy, which shakes the great chain of Nature, by whose links all essences are united. Therefore, the sensitive part of Nature, called horse, may suffer excruciating torments from our actions, without the least hopes of relief; whereas the indifference towards children is not so dangerous to the integral happiness, because the signs of language and indications of gesture shake with violence and perpetuity the chain of sympathy, and by giving constant alarm at the approach of the great and only enemy of Nature, violence, they urge man to the immediate relief of pain.

Sympathy and wisdom have a reciprocal force to keep man in the universal centre of Nature. The former demonstrates a present connection, though under a different identity, and wisdom teaches that upon the dissolution of that identity, man still continues to be a part of Nature, though assuming fresh identities, and that in removing present evil from others, he removes present and future evil from himself, and demonstrates the one, only and comprehensive principle of the morality of Nature to be, WILL FOR YOURSELF ALONE, AND ASSOCIATE THE WILL OF OTHERS BY PERSUASION ;

And the man who moves his volition or arm to violence, is a rebel against Nature, and a traitor to self, and has not yet arrived at the state of intellectual existence.

The morality of Nature, comprehending wisdom, vir tue, truth and happiness, as already defined in this work, forms the unitary, comprehensive and succinct code."Will for yourself," explained in as succinct a commentary, (sympathy and probity,) offers no mode of connection or compromise with the present system of relative morality; therefore I scatter it with the rest of the unaccommodating tenets in this work, into the soil of the human mind; and though I possess not the means of eloquence to impress it deep, to prevent the blasts of prejudice, or the rapacious vultures of interest from destroying it; yet I trust to hazard, that if only one seed among the many should find congenial soil, and take root, its product will spread to the boundaries of the earth. This metaphor of vegetation may arrest the curiosity of those who demand the mode of introducing such novel theory to practice, and they may rest satisfied, that no ray of moral truth can ever be lost; for in proportion to its evidence and importance, it forces conviction, which imperceptibly produces sentiment, and sentiment action, and this is the progress of all novel and important theory to the goal of practice.

THE SCIENCE OF NATURE

EMPLOYS the intellectual faculties in contriving means to produce subsistence, and to promote and multiply the means of pleasure of all animated Nature. The mind in these exercises acquires force, moving by these efforts, at first outwardly, till at last extreme contemplation turns its force inwardly, and then knowledge becomes science, and by flowing back upon its current, it at last reaches its source, and gains an evidence and cognition of self. From this eminence it surveys the whole moral world, and there purifying its waters or passions, it pours itscif into the tranquil channel of pleasure and benevolence, and thence fertilizes all Nature; or, in other words, it

arrives at the state of intellectual existence, and by identifying itself with all Nature, procures for itself, and other beings, or fellow-selfs, the greatest degree of happiness of which intellectuality is capable.

This science is to be acquired by reading the extensive and simple book of Nature, in travels; by studying mankind, not in history, but in person; and by much contemplation, or frequent conversation with self. These give power and energy to thought. Frequent communication or conversation with others, may obtain information as to facts; but avoid disputation, which, owing to the vanity and thoughtlessness of mankind, promotes verbal ideas, but not sentiments of truth.

The investigation of trath can only be effected by self in contemplation; for in that self disputation we are enabled to discover when the understanding is biassed by the passions, and distinguish the arguments of reason from from those of the will, and by this process alone, of abstracting the judgment from the will, can the truth of any proposition be discovered.

Disputants in writing or conversation, constantly attempt to establish an opinion, and never discuss in order to form one, and this is because they have no knowledge of self, or intellectual existence. Two intellectualized beings in the discussion of truth, inspired by the subject, could not possibly differ, as the reason alone, not the will, would operate; and though they might not succeed in their research, yet they would both rest at the same point, as they would reciprocally adopt and improve their minds with the information and invention of each other, and being equally averse to the impertinent logic of the schools, and the silly conclusion of vain syllogisms, they could not dispute like mongrel hom is, who stop short in the chase to fight, but would purse with unanimity and candor, and if the prey escape, they would be equally disappointed, and suffer their loss in harmony, though with regret, and console each other with the hopes of future associate labors.

The science of Nature consists totally in the operation

of inverting the faculties of the mind upon seli, which can be performed by the medium of contemplation alone, in order that reason may be upon its guard against the ambush of the will, which constantly surprises the mind in social discourse, except it is formed by men in a state of intellectual existence, who are much used to, and improved by the advantages of contemplation, and ther it acquires energy, and facilitates investigation and the knowledge of self, in proportion to the numbers of which that society is formed.

The moment the properties or essence of self is discovered, the study of Nature is directed to well-being or happiness, and then the faculties diverge from the centre, and take an outward course towards letters, the sciences, and mechanic arts, which are prosecuted in proportion to their utility, or produce of happiness; and the man who discovers a planet would be rewarded with a potato, as he who produces a potato would be rewarded with [the knowledge of] a planet.

I am sensible that men of learning and erudition woulu reverse the dispensation of rewards; and I would, there fore, propose, that the study of the sciences be suspend ed universally-over the whole globe-that the human mind, freed from the blandishments of the Syrens of science and arts, might be able to return to its home, and invert all the force of its faculties upon self. Rousseau treated all science as an evil; but in that he was wrong; for science is a good, as procuring pleasure and utility, if it did not precede or expel the science of Nature, or knowledge of self. These reflections will justify Rousseau's disapprobation of science, though not his opinion.

The pursuit of knowledge, or arts and sciences, produces the great enemy of wisdom, vanity; and the man of learning is infinitely further removed from a state of wisdom, than the unlettered peasant. The former, constantly environed with the mist of confirmed and learned error condensed by vanity, demands a greater proportion of light to extricate him, than the peasant in the vacuum of ignorance, where the least ray of light penetrates, and