perform exactly the fame office as the ftrings of puppets; they themselves being only the archetypes of Monf. Pantin and Mr. Punch. That fluid, therefore, being constantly employed in moving their eyes, tongue, arms, and legs, which are in perpetual agitation, the brain is neceffarily left empty, the mind is quite inactive, and, in fhort, the man is fast afleep. On the contrary, it not unfrequently happens, that fuch perfons as appear infenfible, dull, and ftupid, are more awake than we think for; all perfons being more or lefs fo, in proportion to the activity of the animal fpirits in the brain. Those whofe fpirits are here the most active, therefore, muft be allowed to be, of all mankind, the mott perfectly awake: among these we find your philofophers, orators, poets, and men of genius. There are, however, fome whofe heads are fo unhappily fabricated, and whose brains are of fo peculiar a texture, that their animal fpirits frequently acquire a motion too violent; they ferment, boil over, and the poor creatures run mad.

From these, and fuch like phifiological reflections, Ibraima lays down the following judicious maxims, viz. That half the world are actually afleep; and that what we even call being awake, is only being afleep in a lefs degree than others. Two forts of men, he feems to grant, indeed, may be really awake; and thofe are men of genius, and madmen; between whom the difference, according to him, is very triAing for if to become mad, fays he, be to have loft one's wits, thofe are certainly in the moft danger who have wit to lofe: nay, what we call power of imagination, fublimity of genius, and ftrength of reafoning, are the very fymptoms that nearest refemble thofe of madness.

Such are the arguments of our wife Arabian, intended as a ridicule on the fimilarity of reafoning in the difquifitions of modern fophifts. Our author's farcafms, however, are often too general, and his irony not always delicate or intelligible. The reader will, perhaps, be better pleafed with a fpecimen of the moral tales, with which he has enlivened his fpeculations. The following history is related, fays he, by Ima, in his differtation on the moral and political advantages of ignorance.

THE

The Hiftory of the ORACLE of BABYLON.

HE Genius of Truth, driven out from the commerce of mankind, was on the point of quitting the earth, and retiring no body knows whither, when the repentant Babylonians thought proper to build him a temple, and facrifice

on

on his altars. Thither, therefore, he turned his steps, and dwelt in the midft of Babylon. In return for their offerings and devotion, he condescended to indulge them with the prefence of an Oracle; to inftruct them in the truth of whatever they defired to know. To this end he took poffeffion of the organs of a man, who happened to be one day in a profound fleep; and, thus endued with a human form, placed himfelf in the temple they had erected; anfwering all manner of queftions they had to propose. He recollected things paft, exposed the prefent, and foretold the future.

Never was there an oracle fo dangerous, for never was there an oracle that so often told the truth. He was univerfally confulted, and the Babylonians believed themselves in the way to be perfectly happy; as they were now no longer liable to be impofed on. But, alas! this was their misfor

Mankind are too weak to fupport the weight of truth! There might you fee a man, whofe flattering hopes had attended him to the brink of the grave, learning of the Oracle how idly they had been founded, turn mad, and die defperate. Here another, full of himself, and almost happy in the contemplation of his own merit, fall headlong on the discovery of his intrinfic value, from the highest pinnacle of felf-fufficiency, into the lowest and most abject state of humiliation. Even, philofophers, who had spent their whole lives in feeking the truth, foon began to doubt of every thing they knew, and plunged themfelves into the bottomlefs abyfs of Scepticifm. Every fentence, delivered by the oracle, was, in fact, a mortal blow to the happiness of the Babylonians. Their prefent enjoyments gave little pleasure, because they forefaw the ill confequences attending their indulgence: while the future evils, they were taught to expect, began to torment them in imagination, before they really happened.

Broken friendships, divorces, and diffolving partnerships, became the general talk; for friends began to find one another out; the women appeared to be what they really were; and those who intended to dupe others, faw themfelves already in danger of becoming dupes themselves. Peace and good order thus vanifhed with their ignorance, and difcord and confufion attended their knowlege of the truth. The towers of Babylon were falling to ruin, and its ftreets were growing defolate.

At this juncture a philofopher, named Ima, was at the head of the police. His character deferves to be known. Altho'y young, he had frequently made the human mind the

object

object of his contemplations, and had formed no very high ideas of its capacity. He looked on himself as ignorant, and esteemed few others very wife. As he found little instruction in books, he read the lefs; and thought the more: not that he flattered himfelf with making much greater discoveries than his predeceffors or cotemporaries, but that he chofe ra ther to indulge the luxuriancy of his own imagination, than to adopt the notions of others, about matters, where both were equally chimerical. The ignorance, weaknefs, and malignity of human nature, had particularly engaged his attention. I have no very great opinion, would he often fay, of mankind; but they are my brethren: I refpect them, and wifh also to be myself refpected. There is no love loft, however between us: fuch as theirs is for me, I am very indifferent about it: and fuch as I could with it to be, it is more than probable I fhall never deferve it.

Thefe reflections, which made him look on all the occurrences of life with the greatest indifference, had, at the fame time given him a tranquility of temper, and a sweetnefs of manners that nothing could difcompofe. Meanwhile, to outward appearance, eafy, carelefs, and indolent, he cherished within, an active and lively imagination, equal to the government of two Babylons. The adminiftration, who, contrary to the advice of Ima, had thus paid their devoirs to the Genius of Truth, now applied to their neglected magiftrate, to defire he would find means to get rid of him. He undertook it, and fucceeded. To this end, he conveyed privately into the temple, every morning, four or five impoftors, who mimicked the tone and gefture of the oracle to perfection. The public fwallowed the bait, and gave thanks to the Genius, for increafing the number of oracles. In a fhort time, however, it was dif covered that very little dependance was to be put on what had lately been uttered. Hence, alfo, it foon began to be fufpected, that from the firft, the people had been under a delufion; and that, tho' fometimes the oracle might have told truth, it was mere guefs-work, and had happened only by chance. Under this perfuafion, they gave theilelves no further trouble to confult the oracles.

From this time friendships recommenced; hufbands and wives were reconciled; focieties were again eftablished; and the Babylonians recovered their former peace and tranquility, in proportion to their ignorance of the truth, and as they became again the dupes of each other.

REV. Sept. 1759

S

Our

Our author has another prettily-imagined tale, which he calls the Grotto of Totis, King of Egypt. The moral of it, however, feems to be levelled too indifcriminately at philofophy and philofophers, in general: at least, it appears that he would have their inquiries after truth, directed by the fuperior wisdom of fuch as never make any inquiries at all; and the truth of their discoveries to be determined by those who take every thing on truft. We fhall quote, therefore, only the first chapter of this ftory; as we find therein a fatirical defcription of the literature and manners of the French nation.

Once on a time, there reigned a King over Egypt, who was the best of monarchs. His name was Totis. He was a father to his fubjects, and a brother to the rest of mankind. Conftantly attended by the genius of wifdom, to whom Solomon was afterwards indebted for all his glory, he formed a refolution to make the Egyptians a nation of wife men. He therefore, diftributed the fages of his court throughout the kingdom; he founded univerfities; liberally endowed colleges, and appointed profeffors in all arts and fciences. Every thing wore a promifing face. In a fhort time, he had philofophers, orators, poets, and men of fcience of all kinds : one would have thought wisdom herself, had taken up her refidence in Egypt. Unhappily the women took it their heads to become wife too; and that fpoiled all: for, as they either could not, or would not, reach up to the sciences, it was attempted to bring the fciences down to them.

It was now found neceffary, to lay the powers of genius under restrictions, and to confine them within the sphere of female understandings: to rife beyond this was a crime, and the whole circle of the fciences was in no little danger of being fhortly included within the round of an hoop-petticoat. Literature, accordingly, appealed to the tribunal of the fair fex, and the approbation of the ladies became the author's only pafsport to fame. Writers ftudied no longer to instruct, but to amufe; the great point being to fkim over a pleafing diverfity of objects, without examining any, and to tickle the imagination without troubling the judgment. Thus, they foon gave up the fublime and beautiful, for the quaint and pretty; the juft for the fingular; argument for declamation, and good fenfe for wit. A tafte for trifles became general; folly raised her head, in triumph; and wisdom flood abashed and dumb. There were few who had refolution enough to oppose the torrent; and, of thofe few, the greater part gave into an oppofite excels,

5

The

The ftile of the Egyptians was originally stiff and diffuse. By degrees it had been improved, and had arrived to fuch perfection, that their writings were esteemed master-pieces of method, precifion and elegance. But like fruit, which once perfectly ripe, begins to decay, fo now their writers began to degenerate. From that time, their ftile, no longer eafy and flowing, was perpetually breaking out in leaps and ftarts; their works becoming fo affectedly concife, that they resembled mere fketches, and looked rather like tables of contents, than finished pieces.

It was nevertheless, conceived by fome, that the old tafte might, yet, be restored; others maintained it never could. The modern ftile, faid they, is like a ftrong fpirituous liquor, to the taste of which we are accustomed; whence it is impoffible, we should ever be brought to relish fimple wine again, though the best in the world.

To give every one their due, however, the Egyptians did excel in fome few particulars. They were the first people on earth at making entertainments: their furniture, drefs and equipage, were all in high tafte; and they were indifputably the belt dancers in the univerfe. In fhort, they might, as they did, justly pique themselves on being the greatest masters in the leaft of arts. One danced, another fung, a third wrote romances, all played the fool, and called it the enjoyment of life. Let us fing, dance, and be merry, was their cry, we live but for an instant; juft to look about us, and to die.

Is it not very furprizing, that fuch people fhould fet themselves up as models for other nations? And still more furprizing, that other nations fhould acquiefce in them as fuch, and copy after them accordingly!

In our author's effay, on the Nature of the Soul, we have a recapitulation of the known arguments of Locke, Maupertuis and others: like them, too, having written a good deal about, and about it, he leaves the argument much where he took it up; and of confequence, his readers, as wife as he found them. We fhall, therefore, difmifs him for the prefent, leaving our remarks on his Voyage to Limbo, in the fecond part of his work, till another opportunity.

Memorias das principaes Providencias, que fe derao no Terremoto que padeceo Lifboa, no Anno 1755. That is, An Account of the principal Measures taken, for the public Safety, during the Earthquake, at Lisbon, in the Year 1755. Fol. Lisbon. 1759.