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DUKE
UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY
Treasure %oom
UTDFIA
RecM.
i^_d±
Form 934— 20M— 7-35
4 f
I
T il .
UIN^-
^
OR.
A SURVEY
OF THE
REVO LUriO NS
OF
EMPIRE S.
By M. VOLNET,
Cifie of the. Deputies of the Nati-^ndl Afje*nily of j\utkcr rf Ti avals into Sy'tia and Egy^
TRANSLATED FROi\l THE FRENCH.
V '!! dwell in Iblitudc amidft the ruins of cities: I will enquire o. t 'le monuments cf antiquity what wait the v/irdom of foimci" ages ; i will a(k the afhss ot legiftatuis what caui'es hive cradled ,arul ' verthrown empires; what are tlie principles of rational piolp*.- ■ i-v cad misfnrt'Jue ; vhdt t!ie maxims upon v/hich the .jc^co ciety and tiic h;i}>pineis of man ought to be founded.
see 2.
NEW-YORK:
PRlNT^n RY WILLIAM A. DAVIS,
Dvychnk fi? Co. T. ^ J. S-wcrds, N. Judab,-
•■>>ry, Fellows 'J yJdcM, J. Beid, J. //. - '■'■
D. Dunham, T. Allen, P. ^A."i\hj
ui:::^::^^!-
t'%
PREFACE.
nearly
TH-Aplan of tbis publication was formed
arlj fhi years aro ; ajid allufions to it may
he ficn iybe PrcJ^ce to Travels in Syria and
Egypt, ahvell as n the end of that ivork^
pubUJhed A 1 7 8 7 , T/:e peiformance ivas in
fowefcrivahlnefs ichn the events of 1788 in
^France inteXupted it, Perfuaded that a de-
velopeme.it of\he theor^of political truth could
votfafficiently\3cquit a itizen of his debt to
fociety, the auh^r wifl:)eLto add practice, and
that particukrKat a tim ^^Jjen a Jingle arm
^\2s of conjaucncc in the dfence of the general
. caufe, T/cfamc d^fre of ^Mc benefit which
induced p^^^ tofufphd his zork, has Jhice en^-
gaged If io *-^fthie it; aH though it may
not poff t^^jawe merit as ij it had af>peared
nndephe cnumjiances that rave rife to it,
yet ft imagm that at a time vhen new tof^
/ton ore bur mg firth, paJfions$hat mujieom^
mikicate tbeuatvity to the r^Unous opinions
of/nien, it ts omportancc to ui/femirJe fueh
mral truths ^re calculated to ope/ate as a,
.275358
P R
E,
pj-i of cirrh and rcjlraint. It is iv'ith this lieio he has endeavoured to give to thefe truihs, hitherto treated as alyftracl^ a form Ukeh to gain them a reception. It was found impofible. not tofhock the violent prejudices pf fome read- ers^ hit the ivork^fo far from being thefuit of a d if orderly and perturbed fpirij^ has ben dic- tated by afmccre lover of order arid hunanity. After reading this perfoniance it icill be afked^ how it was pojjible, in iyS4,to have had an idea cf what did not fake plaie till the year 1790. The fclution is Jimpe : in the original plan ^ the legi/Iatorhas a Jflitious and hypothetical being: in the prefent. the author has fuhjlituted an exiftinj legifiatr ; and the reality has only made ti fubje^ additionally rntcrejling.
\
INVOCATION.
s
OLITARY ruins, facrcd tombs, ye,mciil- derlng and filent walls, all hail I To you I ad- drci"s my Iiivoeation. While the vulgar fiirink from your afpe^t with fecret terror, rcy heart finds in the contemplation a thoufar.d delici . , fentiments, a thoufaud admirable recolle<ftions. Pregnant, I may truly call you, with uiefal jcflbns, with pathetic and irrefillible acfvico to the man who knows how to confult you. A while ago the whole world bowed the nee lilence before the tyrants that oppreiied i ; and yet in tlwt hopelefs moment, you aire proclaimed the iruths thaf tyrants hold m .'u- horrence: mixing the dud of the proudef^ kings with that of the mcanefl: Haves, yo called upon us to contemplate tl; LQTJALiTY. From your caverns, Vv'huhe: mu'ing and anxious love of ■LimrviTY led ii..:., I faw efcape its venera.bie' (hade,. and. v\ith w\\ cxpecced felicity dircit its fii:^ht and m^-'^r,; my ilepsthc wax \U ^iKl^Ktt|\l iVaMce.
2 / b 0 0 6
6 INVOCATION.,
Tombs, -wlvcit virtues and potency do you ■Uiibkl Tyrants tremble at yourafpefl; you oifcn with fecret alarm their impious plea- fires; they turn from you with impatience, nd, coward like, endeavour to forget you • mid the fumptuoufnefs of their palaces. It is you that bring home the rod of juftice to the powerful opprefTor; it is ycsu that ^vref]: the ni-gottcn gold from the mercilefs extortioner, .nd avenge thecaufe of him that has none to elp; ycu cpmpenfate the narrcvv^ enjoyments .r the poor, bv dafhinp- with care the i<oblets f liic rich; to the unfortunate you oiTcr a laft ^.ndinviclabie affylum; in fine,, yoii give to the foul that jufl eqiiilibrium of itrength and rcndernefs which conflitutes the v/ifdom of the i'age and the fcience of life. The wife man looks towards yoii, and fcorns to amafs vain '■randeur and ufelefs riches Vv^ith which he mufl :.c:i pari:: you check his lawlefs flights, with- uut difarning his adventure and his courage; he feels the ncceiTity of pailing through the period ailigncd hiin, and he gives employment o his hours, and makes ufe of the goods rhat fortune has afllgncd him. Thus do you reign in tV j: wild fallies of* cupidity, calm the fever of tumultuous enjoyment, free the mind from he anarchy of tlie pyfficns, anjd raifc it above : e iitd.:: interefts which toni\ent the mafs of •. We afccLd the eminence y^u vJ- V viewiup- with on^ oh.nce thc-ii- ?.nj il''^ fucccfl:i:)n of ages, arc
INVOCATION. 7
incapable of any affe<ftions but luch as are fiiblime^ and entertain no ideas but thofe of virtue and glory. Alas! \rhen this uncertain dream of life (liall be over, what then will avail ail our bufy pafllons, unlefs they have *lef: behind them the footfteps of utility.
Ye ruins, I will return once more to attend 3^our IciTons! I will refume my place in the m.idil: of your wide fpreading folitude. I will leave the tragic fcenc of the pafllons, will love my fpecies rather from recollc<fl:ion than actu- al furvey,. will employ my activity in promo- ting their happinefs, and compofe my own happinefs of. the pleafmg remembrance that I have haflened theirs,
CONTENTS.
The Tour Meditations The Apparition
The Hcmifpheri
CHAP. I.
CHAP. II. CHAP. III. CHAP. IV.
CHAP. V. Condition of man in the ui».iverfe
CHAP. VI. Original flate of man « . - -
CHAP. ^ II. Principles of Society . - - -
CHAP. VIII. Source of the evils of Society - - -
CHAP. IX. Origin of government and laws - - -
CHAP. X. General caufes of the ]M-ofpenty of nations
CHAP. XI. Generr.l caufes of the profperity and ruin of an- cient flates - - - - - CHAP. XII. LcfTons taught by ancicTt, repeated in modc.n times - - ' -.
Page
12 1^
22 29
4^
41
C)t
i© CONTENTS.
CHAP. XIII. Will the human race be evei in a better condition than at prefent --....
CHAP. XIV. The grand obflacle to impvovement CHAP. XV. The new Age - - - , _
CH7\P. XVI. A free and Icgiflativc people - . -
CHAP. XVTI. 'J"he univeifd bafis of all rioV;t and all law -
CHAP. XVIII. Conftcrnation and conl^oiracy of Tyrants
CHAP. XIX. General afTembly of the. people - . .
CHAP. XX. i' he invcfligation of truth - . -
CHAP. XXI. The problem of religious contradictions
CHAP. XXII. Origin and genealogy of religious ideas
SECr. I. Ori'^in of the idea of God: worfhip of the ele- raents and the phyfical powers of nature SECI\ IL Second fyilem : \vorrnip of the ftars or Sabeifm
SEC r. III.
Third fyiteni : v/orHTiip of fymbols, or Idolatry
bECT. IV. Fourth (yllem : worfnip of two principles, or
Duanfm --_.-_ 22S
SECT. V. Myfricui or moral worfnipj^or tb.e fyftem of a fu- ture ftate --.--- 236 SECT. VI. Sixth fyOem; the animated vorld, or v/orfiilp
of the uniyerfe under different fyilems - 243
SEC r. .VII. Seventh fyftem: V/oi fiiip of the Soul of the
95 |
105 |
112 |
^'5 |
120 |
124 |
127 |
134 |
150 |
192 |
199 |
203 |
.2ir |
THE
RUINS:
or. Religion of Mofei.
the world (You./)F THE REVOLUTIO]
Religion of Zoroafter - --_-■»- o
SECT. XI. Budoifm, or religion of the Samaneans - 264
SECT. XII. Braminifm, or the Indian fyfleni - - 265
SECT. XIII. Chriftianity, or the allegorical worfhip of the fun under the cabaliftical names of Chris-en or Chrift, and Yes-us or Jefus - - ibid
CHAP. XXIII. The end of all religion the fame - - 281
CHAP XXI \^ Solution of the problem of contradi(5tions - 297
3© CONTENTS.
CHAP. XIII. Will the human race be evei in a better condition
than at prefent 93
CHAP. XIV. The frrand obflacle to impvovemcnt - - loc
CHAP. XV. The new Age . _ - - -
CHAP. XVI. A free and Icgiflatlvc people
CHAP. XV^ 'i'lie univerfal bafis of all ri"^
Jl*
THE
RUINS:
OR
A .SURVEY OF THE REVOLUTIO] OF EMPIRES.
CHAP. L
Till; TOUR.
I
N the eleventh year of the reigii of Abd-nl- Hamid, fon of Ahmed, emperor of the Turks; when the No';aIan Tartars were driven iVom. the Crhnea, iind a MulTuIman prince, of the blood of GengisKhau, became the vailal and ^uard of a woman, a Chriilian, and a queen ;*"
* Eievi'iifh y:ar of yihd-ul-IIdmld, Thit i?, - of the Chriltian sera, and 1198 of the Hegua. '1 i r cn;ifrration of the Tartars took place in Match, inniicdi- .(tcly on the nianifeflo of the emprefs declai'ng the Cri- T,\hi to be incorporated with Ruffia. . . . y-1 ivlnjfuinwn f-r'uicc ^f tl:- twmc cf Gctigis Khan. It was Clialiin Gv.e - ra". Gengis lUian was borne tind fervcd by the I:': : V ' ')!n hi conquered : Chahin, on tlic contrary, a 'ountry for a penfion of ei^^hty thoufand '. ■ : the cotnmilhon of captain t.f guards to . I He afterwards returned home, .hJ:\.u-c.w^
■isflranoi':id by t)ie Turk*;.
A SURVr.Y CT THE
"^^ d in the cir-pirc* of ihc Ottomans,
1 ^ou^ crfcd the provuiccs which forraerij iuui \ngdorns of Ec^ypt and of Syria. >vsi'ecting ali rny attention to what concerns hr.ppincfs of mankind in albite of fociety, entered cities, and fliidied the manners of iheir inhabirants; I gained adniifTion into pa- laces, and cbferved the condii61: of thofc who govern : I Y/andered over the country and ex- ^.nincd the condition of the peafants; and no where perceiving ought but robbery and dc- Vc^.dation, tyranny and wretchednefs, my heart was opprefied with forrow and indignation.
Every day T found in my route fields aban- doned by the plough, villages deferted, and cities in ruins. Frequently I met witli antique iir>onu^nents; wrecks of temples, palaces, and fcrn"fications; pillars, aquedufts, fepulchres. By tliefe objccls my thoughts were direftcd to pait 'igcs, and my mind abforbed in ferioi^is ;;nd profound meditation.
iVvrived at iiamfa on the borders of the Orontcs, and beino- ?d no preat diilance from the city of Palmyra, fituated in the defert, I refolved to examine for myfelf its boafled mo- numents. After three davs travel in barren iolitude, and having paifed through a vallsy filled with grottoes and tombs, my eyes were iuddenly flruck,, on leaving this valley ai'd en- tering- a plain,, with a mod: a{loni{hmgfcei>eof ruins. It conilf ted of a couutlcfs iniikiiude oi Ibperb columns ilandmg crec""*-, /and wV-'^ like the aveniu-s of our parks, extena.._ r-vo-ular fiU:£ rAvih^r than the eye could reach.
REVOLUTIONS OF EJ^IPIRIiS. I 5
■ Among tliefe columns niagliifrt^ifli' edifices were obfcrvable, fomc entire, otliei's in a (late half demoli(l:icd. The ground was covered on all fides with fra;;mcnts of iimilar buildings, cornices, capitals, fhaUs, entablatures, and pilallures, ail conllru'fted of a marble of ad- mirable whitenefs and exquifitc workmandiip. After a walk of tlarcc quarters of an lumr along thcfe ruins, I entered the inclofure of a vafl: edifice v. hicli had fonncrly been a temple dedicated to the fun; and I accepted the hof- pitality of fome poor Arabian pcafants, who had eilablifhed their huts in the very area of the temple. Here I refolved for fome days to vemain, that I might contemplate, at kilure, the beauty of fo many Ihipendous works.
Every day i vifitcd fomc of the monu- ments which covered the plain ; and ore evening that, my mind lofl: in reflection, I had advanced as far as tlic Va/ky of Sepidcbrcs^ I afcended the heights that bound it, and from which the eye commands at once the Vvhole of the ruins and the immenfity of the defert.... The fun had jull funk below the horizon ; :-« flreak of red fiill marked the place of .hiv defcent, behind the diltant mountains c; Syria : the full moon appearing with brlght- nefs upon a ground of deep blue, rofe in th*: call from the fmooth banks of tlie Euphrates : the fky was unclouded ; the i;ir calm and ierene j the expiring light of day ferved to foften the horror of approaching darkncfs ; the rcfrclhing breeze of the night gratefnlly relieved the intolerable fultrintTs vS the d,iv
l6 A SURVEY OF THE
that had preceded it ; the fhephcrds had led the camels to their flails ; the grey firmament bounded the lilent ilandfcape ; through, the v/hole defert every thing was marked with fliilnefs, undiriurbed but by the mournful eries of the bird of night, and of fome cbacah^ .... The duik incrcafed, and already I could dif- tinguidi notliingmore than the pale phantoms of walls and columns. . . .The folitarinefs of the iituation. the fsrenity of evening, and the grandeur of the fcene, impreiTed my mind with religious thoughtful nefs. The view of an il- lufrrious city deferted, the remembrance of pc.]^: times, their comparifbn with the prefent irate of thing*;, all combined to raife my heart 10 a drain of fublime meditations. I fat down on the bafe of a column ; and there, my el- bow on my knee, and my head refting on my hand, fornetimes turning my eyes towards the defert ; and fornetimes fixing them on the ru^ ins, I fell into a profound reverie.
CHAR II.
MEDITATIONS.
ERE, faid I to myfelf, an opulent city once flouriihed; this was the feat of a powerful empire. Yes, thefe places, now fo defert, a living multitude formerly animated, and an
■'* An animal conridcrabl5'' like tiic k-^.^., but lefscvmninn, ^nd of a frightful afpe(^i. It lives upon deadbociie?, p.:"-:!
ioc\-^ and nihi'^ are the places of its hsbitaticn.
RJIVOLUTIONS OF it M 1*1 R IS. i;
ii^'tivc crowd circulated in theilrects whicli at prefent are fo (oWuij, Within tliofe Wrills, where a mourrtful filencc reigns, tlie noife of the arts and the fiiouts of joy and fcflivity continually fefoimded. Thefe heaps of mar- ble formed regular palaces, thefe proHrate pil- lars were tlie mi^.jeflic ornaments of temple^ thefe ruinous galleries prefent the outlines or public j)iaccs. There a numerous people af- fembled for the refpc£^abie duties of its Vv<>r- fliip, or the anxious cares of its fubfiftciK^ ; llierc iuduflry, the fruitful inventor of fourcc<; of enjoyment, collected together the ri-ches pf cv-ery climate, and the piu^ple of Tyre was rxchangcd for the jn'ccious thread ofSerica; *ht {oh ufmes of Cailimere for the finnptuou^ carpets of liydia ; the amber of the Baiiir for the pearls and perfumc-J of Arabia; the gold of Ophir •''>^- :' f ^c^^';cr of Thuie"* ....
'■* Thf prririiAa tf:"rf.:rfl Gj . ']''hat is the (iik i -■ ■
f^-.nallj*- derived f. om the ?roi in-iinoiis country where the; gnat^ civ.vV terr^inater.; ?A\d which r;]:>V/f.or5 to have Lccn the cradle of the Chlneffi Km-]Sr\*. . . . The i'lf.: Cefjin\r.'. live Tlinvk whith IzeLiel fL-emstobu^ (kfcTibcd under the sppeii^iiioM of C'ho\id"choud. . . Thr Gdd f^f Cthir. This countrv, \vhi<'h v/*s ot twelve A r;ib cantons, nnd which h■.>si'^ much aaa :u i<n- rucccisfully been fought for bv the .afitiQiinncs, hils 'jft Kov/cvcr fofiie IfdCe of itielf in 0:or, in ihe pfc. €&' OtniiV.] ut?on the PerTi.m (>uh>h, iicivdibmurir rr.? '^de to the Sf.e^cr'.ns, v/ho i.ic celebrated hy .- ,
••'r plenty of gold, nnd on the other to Aul' -r ■ where the Prarl iiiheiy was carried on. Sec tlie > ;..i:^<':r of Kzckich \vhich [■ives a very curious .n '1 amerce of A Tut at thiit p-. fj 2
iS A SURVEY OF THE
And now a mournful llccleton is all that fubfifts of this opulent city, and nothing re- mains of its powerful government but a vain and obfcurc remembrance ! To the tumultu- ous throng which crouded under thefe porti- cos, the folitude of death has fuccecded. The filence of the tomb is fubflituted for the hum of public places, llie opulence of a commer- cial city is changed into hideous poverty. The palaces of kings are become the receptacle of deer, and unclean reptiles inhabit the ianflua- ry of the Gods. . . .What glory is here eclip- fcd, and how many labours are annihilated ! . . . . Thus periih the works of men, and thus do na- tions and empires vanifh away !
The hiftory of pafl times flrongly prcfentcd itfelf to my thoughts. I called to mind thole liiflant ages W^hen twenty celebrated nations inhabited the country around me. I pi6lured lo myfclf the AlTyrian on the banks of the Tjgris, the Chaldean on thofe of the Euphra- tes, the Perfian whofe power extended from the. Indus to the Mediterranean. I enume- rated the kingdoms of Damafcus and Idumea ; cf Jcrufalcm and Samaria; and the warlike jflates of the Philifdnes; and the comniercia] rey>ublics of Phcxnicia. This Syria, faid I to jnyfelf, now aimod: depopulated, then con- tained a hundred flourifliing cities, and a- bounded with towns, villages, and hamlets.*
* Thh Syrift contained a hundred Jlour'ipj'ing clil'j. According to Jofcphus and Strabo, there were in Syriu nyelve millions of fouls ; and the traces tliat remain cr r»ihi\re aiKi babitiUioD csrfnm the calcitl-ition.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. I9
Every where one might have fcen cultivated fields, frequented roads, and crowded habita- tions. Ah! what are become of thofe ages of abundance and of hfe ? What are become ol fo many productions of the hand of man? Where arc thofe ramparts of Nineveh, thofe walls of Babylon, thofe palaces of Perfopolis, thofe temples of Balbec and of Jerufalem ? Where are thofe fleets of Tyre, thofe dock- yards of Arad, thofe work-lhops of Sidon, and that multitude of mariners, pilots, merchants, and foldiers? Where thofe hufbandmen, thofe harvelfs, that picflure of animated nature of which the earth feemed proud? Alas! I have traverfed this defolate country, I have vifited tlie places that were the theatre of fo much fplendour, 'and I have beheld nothing but fo- htudc and defcrtion! I looked for thofe an- cient people and their works, and all 1 could find was a faint trace, like to what the foot of a pafienger leaves on thefand. The temples are thrown down, the palaces demolilhed, the ports filled up, the towns deflroyed, and tlic earth fiript of inhabitants, feems a dreary bu-
rying-place Great God! from wh-^pce
proceed fuch melancholy revokiti^ms? For^ \tlrat caufe is the fortune of thofe countries fo flrikingly changed? Why are fo many oitle* dellroyed? Why is not that ancient popmki* tiqn re-pi'oduced and perpetuated?
Thus abiorbed in contcmpkilion, new idc:i'; lOnLiiiually prefcnted thcmfelves lo my thoughts. Every thing, continued I, mjilcad-; i:^) judgment, and fills my heart with trou-
A SURVEY OF TM2
[)ie and uncerraint}'. When thefe countries cn)oyed what coriltitutes the glory and felicity of mankind, they were an ufibelicvhig people who inhabited them : it was the Phoenician.^ offering liaman faicraficcs to Molocb, who broDght together within his Wiills the riches of every climate ; it was the Chaldean, prof- r.rating himfclf before a ferpent*, who fubiii- gated o-pulent cities, and laid wafte the pala- rr : of4:ings and the temples of the Gods ; ii: V/;»s the Ferfian, the woriliipper of ire,- who rolleifted the tributes cf a hiindrtd nations ; thty were the inhabitants o^ this very city, vdorers of the fan and (lars, who erciTted'fo v/.:\r>v monuments of affivience and' luxury, iC liiyierous fiocks, fertile fields, abundant har- \t!ls^ everT thing that fhorJd have been the reward of piety ^ was in the hands o{ idolaters : kvA now that a believing and holy people oc- caY'j the countries, nolhicg is to ])e fecn but ■ oiscude and (lerlliry. The c;irth under thefe /V^yiri hands prodiires only briars and worm- wood. Jvlan fows in anguhia, and reaps vex- ation and cares; warj^^minc, an d'*pea:i fence, .itjutult him ihturn. Yet, are not thefe the children of the prophets? This C'hriilian, this MufTiihnan, this Tew, arc ihcv not the elet> of lieaven, loaded v/idi gifts and miracles? Wliy then is thi^ race, beloved of the Divinity, de- prived of the favours v^'hicii vfere formerly llio v'ered upon the Heathen? Wiiy do thclc hiud^. consecrated by the blood of the martyT^-. \\.) icnger boafl tlieir former temperature an. i
♦ REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIHES. 21
fertility? Why have thofe favours been bd- nlllied as it were, and transferred fpr fo many ages to other nations and different climes?
And here purluing the courfc of vicifiltudes which have in turn tranfmitted the fceptre or the world to people fo various in manners and religion, from thofe of ancient Afia down to the more recent ones of Europe, my native country defignated by this name, was awaken- ed in my mind, and turning my eyes towards it, all my thoughts fixed upon the fituation in wh i ch I hi ad 1 e f t i t * .
I recollected its fields fo richly cultivated, its roads (o admirablv executed, its towns in- habited by an immenfe multitude, its iliip5 fcattcred over every ocean, its ports filled with the produce of either India ; and comparing the aClivity of its commerce, the extent of ilii navigat."on, the magnificence of its buildings, "the arts and indullry of its inhabitants, -with ;ill that Egypt and Syria could formerly hoaft of a iimilar nature, I pleafed myfclf with the idea that. I had found in modern Europe the pail f^:»lcndor of Aiia : but the charm of my reverie was prefenlly diflblved by the lafl flep in the comparifon. Reile£ting that if the places before me had once exhibited this ani« mated pi(51urc : who, faid I to myfelf, cay af- ihrc me tiiat their prcfent defokition will not one day be the lot of our own country ? AVho Ivuows but that hereafter forne traveller like myfelf v^ill ft down upon the -banks of the ^l;i .'. the Thames, or the Zuyder fea, w^here ■•* In the year i 782, at the clofc of the American W:.:.
22 A SURVEY OP THE •
now, in the tumult of enjoyment, the heart and the eyes are too flow to take in the mul- titude of fenfiitions ; who knows but he will fit down folitary amid filent ruins, and weep a people inuyned, and their grcatnefs changed into an empty name ?
The idea brought tears into my eyes ; and covering my head with llie flap of my gar- ment, I gave myfclf up to the moll: gl4)0iny meditations on imman affairs. Unhappy man ! ' laid I in my grief, a blind fatality plays with thydefliny ?* a fatal ncceiTity rules by chance the lot of mortals ! Butiio : they are the de- crees of celcflial juTtice that are accompiilliing ! A myflerious God exercifcs his inconiprehen- fible judgments! he has doubtlefs pronounced a fecret malediction againfl the earth : he has ilruck with a eurfe the prcfent race of men, in icYeriQ:e of Dall Fenerations. Oh! who Ihall dare to fathom the depths ot the Divinity?
And I remained immoveable, plunged in profound melancholy.
CHAP. III.
T II E A P P A R I T I O N .
Nnhe mean time a noife Ilruck my ear, like to the agitation of a flowing robe, and the
* y^ bl'mil fatality. This is the univerfiil and rooted
T-jrejiidicc of the Ejiii. ** It was written," is there ti-^c
ifrvcr to every thing. Hence rci-alt cih unconccr.Ti anc-
ipatliy, the moll povvcrJV.l ImpcdiraeRts to inttrufiiun a-sfl
^ivil'.Xiitiou.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 2 '^
flow ileps Oi a foot upon t^je dry and nidling grafs. Alarmed, 1 drew my mantle from my head; and calling round me a timid glance, fuddenly, by the obfcure light of the moon, thrpugh the pillars and ruins of a temple, I thought I faw, at my left, a pale apparition, enveloped in an immenfe drapery, fnnilar to what fpc^lrcs are painted when ilfuing out of the tombs; I lliuddcred ; and while, in this troubled ll:ate.|^was hefitating whether to fly, or afcertain the rccdity of the vilion, a hollow voice, in grave and folemn accents, thus ad- dreiled me :
How long will man importune the heaven; with unjud complaint? How long with vain clamours, \vili he accufe Fate as the author of his calamities? Will he then never open his eyes to the light, and his heart to the infinua- tions of truth and realon ? This truth every where prefents itfelf in radiant brightnefs ; and he docs not fee it! The voice of reafon Itrikcs his ear ; and he does not hear it ! Unjuil man i if you can for a moment fufpcnd the delulion which fafcinates yourfcnfes; if your heart br , capable of comprehending the language of ar- gumentation, interrogate thefc ruins! read the lelfons which they prefent to yoi- ! . , . And facred temples, venerable tomb:^! \xd}As once glorious! the witneiTes of twenty different ages appear in the cinife oi^ nature herfelf ! come ro the tribunal of found undcrd^mdini^, . 'hear teftimony againd an unjufl accufatioi' cor found, the declamations cf falfe v/ildoj (jr hypo.iitical piety, and avenge the h.^i^
^.; A 5Uk\EY OF '1 HE
and the rarth of Ji^an who ciiluinniatcs them, \Vhat is this bh'nd fatality, that, without order or laws, fports with the lot of mortals ? What this unjiiil neceility which confounds iie ifiue of actions, be they thofe of prudence or thofe of foHy ? In what confift the male- dictions of heaven denounced againll thefd countries? Wlierc Is the divine curfe that per- petuates tliis fcehe of defolation ? Monuments of pad ages ! (^y^ have the heavens changed ^ their laws, and the earth its coxj] fe ? Flas the ^nn cxtinc^niflied his iires in the req-ion of '.ace? Do the feas no lonG:er fend forth iouds? Are the rain and the dew fixed in the ;r? Do the mountains retain their fpringsr \re the flrea.ms dried' up ? and do the plants o more bear fruit and {c(^d ? Anfwcr, race of .iichood and iniquity, has God troubled '.e primitive and invariable order which he imfelf affigned to nature? Has heaven de- 'cdto the earth, and the earth to its inhabi- nts, the bleffiiigs that were formerly difpcn- d r If the creation has remained the fame, .. iis fources and its inllriiments are cxaftly r liat once they were, wherefore faouldnotthe pre fentracehave every thing within their reach ^hat their an'ceflors enjoyed ? Falfely do vom ccufe'I^ate and the Divinity : injuriouily do :ftr to\God the cj.vic of your evils. Tell ^ne, pcrv>S^fe and hypocritical riicc, ifnbeie ■•c(xs are .^efoiate, if powerful cidci. ai'er.edn- . 4 to ibliUKiC, is» it he that has occ^iiioned iic ruin ? Is k his hand that hae. thrown 'own tbeie walls, fapped thefs temple-:. mi:ii-
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 25
lated thefe pillars ? or is it the hand of man ? Is it the arm of God that has introduced the:
' fword into the city and fet fire to the country, murdered the people, burned the harvefls,
^ rooted up the trees, and ravaged the pafturcs ? oris it the arm of man? And wlien, after this devaflation, famine has ftarted up, is it the vengeance of God that has fent it, or the mad fury of mortals? A/^Hien, during the faixiine, the people are fed with unwholefome provifi- on, and pellilence enfues, is it inflifted by the anger of heaven, or brought about by human imprudence? When war, famine, and pelli- lence united have fwept away the inhabitants and the land has become a defert, is it God who has depopulated it? Is it his rapacity that plunders the labourer, ravages the produ(5livc fields, and lays wade the country; or the ra- pacity of thole w^o govern? Is it his pride that creates murderous wars, or the pride of kingr, and their minillers ? Is it the venality of hi;^ decifions that overthrows the fortune of fami- lies, or the venality of the organs of the laws ? Are they his paiTions that, under a thoufand forms, torment individuals and nations; or the pafiions of human beings? And if in the an- guilh of their miisfortunes they perceive not tl\c remedies, is it the ignorance of God that is in fault, or their own ignorance? Ceafe, then, to accufe t!ie decrees pi Fate or the judgments of Hcaveni If God is good, will he be the author i-unidiraent r If he is jufl:, will he be C
26 A SURVE^LOF THE
the accomplice of your crimes? No, no, the ciipricc of \t^hich iVAxn complains is not the ca- price of defliny : the darknefs that miilcads his reafon is not the darknefs of God; the fource of l^is calamities is not in the difla-ut licavens, but near to him upon the earth: it is not concealed in the bofom of the Divinity ; it refides in himfelf, man bears it in his heart. You murmur, and fay: Why have an unbe- lieving people enjoyed the blelhngs of heaven and of the earth? Why is a holy and chofen race lefs fortunate than impious generations ? Deluded m.an! where is the contradiction at which you take offence? Where the inconfifU cncy in which you fuppofe thejufiiice of God to be involved? Take the balance of bleffmgs kfud calamities, of caufes and effects, and tell me — when thofe infidels obferved tlie huvs of the earth and the heavens, when they regula- ted their intelligent labours by the order of 1 he feafons and the courfe of the flars, ought Ixod to have troubled the equilibrium of the world to defeat tlieir prudence? When they cultivated with care and toil the face of the country around you, ought lie to have turned aiide the rain, to have withheld the fertilizing dews, and caufed thorns to fpring up? When, to render this parched and biu-ren foil produ(n:- ive, their induilry conftruiRed aquediicls, dug canals, and brouq-ht the diilant w^aters a« r-;>> the deferts, oudit he to liave hliohied the h-.ir veils WJiich art had created; tohave.deiv)-- ];-ited a country thathadbcen peopled in peace:-
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 2J
to have demolilhcd the towns which labour had caufed to ilourifh ; in fine, to have deranged •^vA confounded the order cftabliihed by the wiidom of man? And what is this infidelity which founded empires by prudence, defend- ed them by courage, and flrengthened them by juftice; which raifed magnificent cities, formed vafl ports, drained peflilential marllies, covered the fca with fhips, the earth witli in- habitants, and like the creative fpirit, diflufed life and motion through the world. If fuch is impiety, what is true belief ? Docs holinefs confili: in dell:rU(5lionr Is then the God that peoples the air with birds, the earth with ani- mals, and the water with reptiles : the God that animates univcrfal nature, a God that de- lights in ruins and fepulchres? Docs he ajk devaflation for homage, and conflagration for facrifice? Would he have groans for hymns, murderers to worlhip him, and a dcfert and ravifhed world for his temple? Yet fuch, h(J\' \\x\d. faithful generation , tire your Avorks ! Tiitlc .re the fruits of your //V/j / You have niaf- iacred the people, reduced cities to afhes, de- ilroyed all trace of cultivation, made the earth a folitude, and you demand the reward of your labours! Miracles are not too much for vour advantage! For you the peafants that )'ou/ ',ave murdered fliouid be revived; the wij'^s > ou have throvrn down fhould rife again.: ihc .arYeil«*you have ravaged ihould iioix^; the ^ onduits you have broken down ih^-ild be rc- ^ -^rpi. rije laws of heaven :»^-i eaith, thofc
A SURVEY OF THK
laws which God has eflabliilied for the difplay of his greatneis and his magnificence, thofe laws anterior to all revelations and to all pro- phets, thofe laws which pailion cannot alter, and ignorance cannot pervert, flioiild be fu- j)erfedtd. Palhon knows them not; ignor;;nce which obferves no caiifc and predicts no eflTft, ] las fiiid in the foolifhnefs of her heart : " Eye- '• rv thing comes from chance; a blind fatal- *' iiv dillribiitcs good and evil upon the earth; *' fiiccel^s is not to the prudent nor felicity to '' to die wife.'* Or <:\{^^ aifuming the lan- guage of hypocrify, - ihe has faid: " Every *' thing comes from God;' and it is his fove- ^' reign plcafnre to deceive tlie fage and to con- *•' fciiind the judicious." And flie has contem- pjatcd the imaginary fccne with complacency. *^ Good!" Ihe has exclaimed. " I then am ^' 'as well endowed as the fcience that defpifes "' me! The cold prudence which evermore "■^ liaunts and torments m.e, I will render ufe- '-^ Icfs by a lucky intervention of Providence." C'upidity has joined the chorus. " I too will '' opprefs the weak; I will wring from him ^'' the fruits of his labour: for fuch is the de- ^' crcc of heaven 5 fuch the omnipotent will ^' of fate." For myfclf, I fwear by all laws liuman and divine, by the laws of tiie human \\^^x\^ that the hypocrite and the deceiver (uMbe themxfelvcs deceived; the imjuit mm iliall pf/jili in his rapacity, and thc'tyranl: iu his ufurj^tt-Oon : the fun (iiall change its couric, ]:cfcre foUy^f^H prevail over wifdom and
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 29
fcience, bbfore llupidity fliall fiirpaf s prudence in the delicate art of procuring to nian l-is true enjoyments, and of building his happi- nefs upon a folid foundation.
AJKMI — -
CHAP. IV.
I
THE HEMISPHERE.
-L HUS fpoke the apparition. Adoniflicd at his difcpurfe, and my heart agitated by a divernty of refledions, I was for fome time fjlent. At lengthy ailuming the courage to fpeak, I thus addrclfed him : O genius of tombs and ruins ! your hidden appeanmce and your feveiity have thrown my fenfcs into dhbrder, but the juflncfs of your reafoning reftorcs con- fidcHce to my foul. Pardon my ignorance. Alas I if man is blind, can th;U vrhich conUi- tutes his torment be alfohis crime? I v;as un- able to didinguiili the voice qf rcafon; but liie .nioment it was known to me, 1 g^vt it wel- come. Oil! if you can read ifiy heart, you know how defirous it is of Iruth.and with what ardour it feeks it; you knovv' that it k m this purfuit I am no^v fcnmd.in thiZfe remii^e pk\ce5:. Alas! I have wandered on the earth, 1 havr vi^Ked cities and countries; auvd pgrce*'/:!:r f 'i -■ where mifery and defolation^ th. t- :r I. of the evils by whkdi my fellov. turcs i^.rc tormented has deeply r.£Sicied iUy mind: 1 have faid to myfclf with a ilgh: h
j-> A SURVEY OF TH£
man, then, created to be the vi^lim of pa?ii and anguifli? And I have meditated upon hu- man evils, that I might find out their remedy. I have faid, I will feparate myfelf from cor- rupt focieties; I will remove far from palaces where the foul is depraved by fatiety, and from cottages where it is humbled by mifery. I will dwell infolitude amidil the ruins of ci- ties: I will enquire of the monuments of an- tiquity what was the wifclom of former ages: in the very bofom of fepuichres I will invoke the fpirit that formerly in Afia gave fplcndcur to dates and glory to their people : I will en- quire of the aflies of legiflators what caufes have erected and overthrown empires; what are the principles of national profperity and misfortune; what the maxims upon which the peace of fociety and the happinefs of man ought to be founded.
1 Hopped; and cafting down' my eyes, I waited the reply of the Genius. Peace and happinefs, faid he, defcend upon him who practifes jufticei Young m-^u, fmce your heart tearches after truth with fincerity ; fince you can diflinguiili her f^fm through th.e mift of jfrejudices which blind the eyes, your enquiry Ihall not be vaiii: I will difplay to your view this tr\ith of which you are in purluit; I will (liew to your reafon the knowledge which yow defire; I will reveal to you the wifdom of the tombs, and the fcience of ages — Then ap- proaching me, and placing his hand upon my Lead, Rife, mortal, faid "he, and difengage
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 3 1
jrourfelf from that corporeal frame with which you are incumbered. .. .Inllantly, penetrated as with a celellial flame, the ties that fix us to the earth Teemed to be loofened ; and Hfted by the wing of the Genius I felt myfelf hke a hght vapour conveyed in the uppermoit regi- on. There, from above the atmofphere, looking down towards the earth I had quitted^ I beheld a fcene entirely new. Under my feet, floating in empty (pace, a globe fimilar to that of the moon, but fmallcr, and lefs lu- minous, prefcnted to m^e one of its faces* ; and this face had the appciu-ance of a dijk va- riegated witli fpots, fome of them white and nebulous, others brown, green, and p;rcy ; and while I exerted my powers in difcerning and difcrimlnating thefe fpots — Difciple of trutli, faid the (yenius to me, have you any recollec- tion of this fpeclacle? O Genius, I repiicdn if I did not perceive the moon in a different part of the heavens, I iliould fuppofe the orb below me to be that planet; for its appearance refeinbles perfedlLy the moon viewed through a telcfcope at the time of an cclipfe; one might be apt to think the variegated fpots to be feas and continents.
Yes, laid he to mc, they are the feas rmd continents of the very liemiiphere you inhabit.
What, exclaimed I, is that the earth that is inhabited by human beings?
* Sec pl;ite I. reprefcnting half the terren:rial globe.
no A SURVEY OF TH£
It is, replied he. That brown fpace which occupies irregularly a confiderable portion of the diik, and nearly furroimds it on all fides, is what you call the' main ocean, which, from the fouth pole advancing towards the equator, firil forms the great gulf of Africa and India, then llretches to the eall: acrofs the Malay Iflands, as far as the confines of the Tartary, while at the weft it inclofcs the continents of Africa and of Europe, reaching to the north of Afia.
Under our feet, that peninfula of a fquare ligure is the defert country of Arabia, and on the left you perceive that great continent, fcarcely iefs barren in its interior parts, and only verdant as it approaches the fea, the in- habitants of which are diitinguilhed by a fable complexion.* To the north, and on the other fide of an irreeular and narrow fea.t are the tYAc\s of Eur6pe, rich in feriile meadows and in 'dll the luxuriance of cultivation. To the right from the Calpian, the extended rugged fiirfacc and fiiow-topt hills of Tartary. In bringing back the eye again to tlie foot over which we are elevated, you fee a large w^hite ipace, the melr.nchoiy and uniform defert of (^.obi, cutting off the empire of China from the reft of the world. China itfclf is that fur- ] owed furface vfhich feems by a fiidden ohii- qui'»:y to efcape from the view. Farther on, thefe vaft tongues of land and fcaltered points,
* Africa. -\- The rieditenancun.
P.EVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. -33
T.TC the Deninfula, and iflands of the Malayans, tlie unfortunate proprietors oF aromatics and perfumes. Still nearer you obferve a triangle which projects ftrongly into the fea, and is the too failious peninfula of India.* You fee the crooked windings of the Ganges, the ambi- tious mountains of Thibet, the fortunate valley of Caflimere, (12) the difcouraging deferts of Perfia, the banks of the Euplirates and the Ti- gris, tlie rough bed of the Jourdan, (4) and the mouths of the folitary Nile. (See the plate).
O Genius, faid I, interrupting him, the or- gan of a mortal would in vain attempt to dif- tinguiih objects at fe great a dillance. Imme- diately he touched my eyes, and they became more piercing than thofe of the eagle; not- withilanding which, rivers appeared to me no more than meanderingribbons, ridges of moan- tains irreimlar furrows, and [^reat cities a neil of boxes varied among themfelvcs like the IquaKcs in a chefs board.
The Genius proceeded to point out the dif- ferent objects to me v/ith his finger, and to dcvelope ihem as he proceeded. Thefe lieaps of ruins, faid he, that you obferve in this nar- row valley, laved by the Nile, are all that re- main of the opulent cities that gave luflrc to
'■■' Thz too famous psnlnfida f.f India. Ot vvliai real j;ood has b^en the commerce of India to the mafs of the people? Cii the contrar)-, how great '..he evil orcarioned. by the fvipcrftition of t!iis country havin<T been added to tiie ^fjeneral iuperfUtion \
34 A SURVEY OP THE
the ancient kingdom of Ethiopia*. Here is tlie monument of its fplendid metropolis, Thebes with its hundred palacesf, the proge-
* yincient kingdom of Eth'iop'ia. In the next volume of the Encyclopedia will appear a memoir refpediiig the chronology of the twelve ages anterior to the pafling of Xerxes into Greece, in which I conceive myfelf to have jroved, that Upper Egypt formerly compoled a diffindl kingdom, knowa to the Hcbrev/s by the name of Kousy Z'ciX CO which the appellation of Ethiopia was fpeciallv j-iv'cn This kingdom preferved its independeuce to the t'me ofPfunmeticu'?, at which perioil, being united to the )>ower Egypt, it loft its name of Ethiopia, which thence- forth was bellowed upon the nations of Nubia, and upon The dilTlTent hordes of Blacks, including Thebes, their raetropolis.
\ Thehes tvith its hundred palaces. 7'he idea of a city witii a hundred gates, in the common acceptation of the v/ord, is fo abfurd, that I am aftonifhcd the equivoque has not. before been felt.
It has ever been the cuftom of the Eaft to call palaces, nnd iioufes of the great by the name of gates, bccaufe the principal luxury of thtfe buildings confifts in the ilngular ^- 'tv leading from the ftieet into the court, at the fartheil: f. ^'.remity of v/hich the palace is lituated. It is under the vcitibule of this gate that converfition is held v/ith paf- fcngers, and a fort of audience and hofpitalit)' given. l\Yi this v/as doiibtl^fs known tO Homer; but poeis make; no commentaries and readers love the marvellous.
This city of Thebes, now Longfer, reduced to the con- •i'.llon of a miferable village, has left altoniihing n^^onu- ritnts of its magnificence. Particulars of this may be Jcen in the plates of Norden,. in Pocock, and in. the recent tra\els of Bruce. Thefe monuments give credibility to ill! that Eloraer has related of its fplendour, and led us to iafcr of ifs political power and external commerce,
Its geograpiiical poHtion was favourable to tliis tvvo- t'''d objeci. For, on one fide, the valley of the N.iig*
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 35
nitor of ckies, tlie memento of human frailty. It was thercj that a people, fmce forgotten, dif- covered the elements of fcience and art, at a
fingularly fertile, mud have early occafioncd a numerous population; and, on the other, the Red Sea giving com- munication with Arabia and India, and the Nile with Abyfllnia and the Mediterranean, Thebes was thus natu- rally allied to the richeft countries on the globe; an alli- ance that procured it an a(n:ivity fo much the greater, as Ijowcr Egypt, at iivfi: a iV/amp, was nearly, if not to'.ally, uninhabited. But when at length this country h'dd been drained by the canals and dykes which Scfciiris conftru(Jt- ed, poj)ulat!on was introduced there, and w;.rs arofe which proved fatal to the power of Thebes. Commeice then took another route, and defccnded to the point of the Red Sea, to the canals of Scfodris (fee Strabo,) and wealth and a«^ivity were transferred to ^IcKiphir.. This is manifcllly what Diodorus means, v.'hen he tells us (Lib. T. feifl. 2.) that as fbon as Memphis was edabliflied and made a whoiefonie and delicious abode, kings abandoned Thebes to fix themfelves there. Thus 1 hebcs continued to decline, and Memphis to flourifa till the time of Alex- ander, who, building Alexandiia on the border of the lea, caufed Memphis to fall in its turn ; fo that profperity and power feem to have dcfcended hirtorically dep by ilep along the Nile: whence it refults,^ both phyficallv ..nd hiilorically, that the exigence of Thebes was piior. to that of the other cities. Thv testimony of writers is " very pofitive in this refpeft. " *' The Thcbans,*' fays Di- odorus, " confider themfelves as the moi\ ancient j)eopJc '* of the earth, and afTert, that with them originated phi- " lofophy and the fcience of the fears. Their fitiration, ** it is true, is infinitely favourable to aihononiical obferva- *' tion, and they have a more accurate divifion of time *' into months and year than otiier nations," ^:c.
What Diodorus fays of the Thebans, every author and .limfelf elfcwhere, re])cat of the Ethiopians, which tends more firmly to c(h:bl;fli the identity of phice of which I have fpokcn. " The Ethiopians conceive themfelves (fays
3^ A SURVEY OF THE
time ■\vlicn all other men were barbarous, and that a race now regarded as the refufe of fo- ciety, becaufe their hair is woolly and their
" he, Lib. III.) to be of greater antiquity than any other *' nation : and it is probable that, born under the lun's ** path, its warrnth may have lipened them earlier than ** other men. i hey fuppofe tbemfeh'es alfo to be the *' inventors of divine worihip, of fel^ivals, of folemn af» *' fcnibhea, of facrificcs,and every other religious pradice. *' Ihey affirm that the Egyptians are one of their colo- " nics, and that the Delta, which was formerly fea, be- " came land by the conglomeration of the earth of the *• higher country which was wafiied down by the Nile. ** They have, like the Egyptians^ two fpecies of letters, *' hieroglyphics, and the alphabet ; but among the Egyp- ** tians the fird was known only to the prieils, and by "them tranfmitted from father to fon, whereas both *' fpecies are common among the Ethiopians "
•^ '11)2 Ethiopians," fa^^s Lucian, page 985, " were " thciirfl: who invented the fcience of the liars, and gave *' niW^cs to the planets, not at random and without mean- **>^^'but dcfcriptive of the qualities v/hich they con- " ceived them to poflefs ; and it was from them that this '* artpafied. flillinan im'pcrfedl: ftate, ' to the Egyptians." It would be eafy to multiply citations upon tliis fubjecfl:; from all which it follows, that we have the ftrongeft rea- Ion to believe that the country neighbouring to the tro- pic was the cradle of the fciences, and of confcquencc tliat the the iirit learned nation was a ration of blacks; for it is incontrovertible that by the term Ethiopians, the ancients meant to reprefent a people of black complexion, thick lips, and v/ooly hair. I am therefore inclined to believe, tlmtche inhabitants of liOwer Egypt v/ere origi- nally a foreign colony inipotted from Syria and Arabiij a medhy of diifcrent tribes of Savages, originally fhepherds ;<ud f (hcrn''cn5 who by degrees formed themfelves into a ration, and who, by nature and dcfcent were enemies of the Tbebans, by whom they were no doubt <kfpifcd and ^caicd as barbarians.
\
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 37
fkin is dark, explored among the phenomena of nature, thofe civil and religious fyllems which have fmce held mankind in awe. A little lower the darkfpots that you obfcrve, arc the pyramids ( i ) whole maftes have over- whelmed your imagination. Farther on the coafh (3) that you behold limited by the fea on one iide, and by a ridge of mountains on the other, was the abode of the Phoenician na- tions; there Hood tlie powerful ciiies of Tyre, Sidon, Afcalon, Gaza, ami Berytus. This llream of water, which feems to difembogue itfelf into no fea (4), is the Jordan ; and thele barren rocks wereformerlythefcene of events, whofe tale may not be forgotten. Here you Inid the delert of Horeb, and tlie hill of Sinai, (5) "^vhcre, by artifices which the vul.>;.ir were unable to penetrate, a fubtle and daring lead- er gave birth to inllitutions of memorable in- fluence upon the hiRory of mankind. Upoi the barren ftrip of land which borders on this defert, you fee no longer any trace of fplen-
b
I have faggeficd the fame ideas in my travels into Sv- rui rounded u])on theb-'dck. complexion of t'ne Spliinx. I have (ince afceitaincd that the antique images of fhebais hive the fume chara(5leriiHc ; and Mr. Bruce has offered a multitude of anala(!0us f^dls, but diis traveller of v/hom
T 1 - - .
-i heprd iome mention at Cairo, has fo interwoven tlicfs fads with certainyfyftematic opinions, that we fhould have
•>urf: ro his narratives with caution.
it i* (ingular'thal Africa, fituated fo near u<?, ihould be the country on earth which is the IcAl known. Th?. Unglldi ar<,* at tliis moment malvinjr attempts, the f.ccels of w-jirh o ^-•^^ to excite our emulation.
V> A rilJAVEV Or TUL
cior; aiid yet here v/as formerly the magnziiic of the v:orId. Here vrcre the ports of the Idumeans*, from whence the fleets of the Phof-
* Here were the ports of the Idumeans. Aikh (Eloth) ,ind A tfiom-Gaber (Hcfion-Gcbcr). The name of the ijr(t of thtfc towns (tijj fjbfiih in its ruins, ;it the point of the gulph of tlie lied .^ea, ^nd in the route ^^ hich the pilgrims take to Mecca. i-IcGon has at urcfont no trace, any more than Qiiolzoum and Farun : it ^as, })Ov/evcr, the hrrboar for the fleets of Solomon. T!ie veffels of Oiis piincc, condtitlcd by the Tyrians, failed along the cor>.(t of Arabia to Ophir in the Perfian Gulpli, thusopen- in<^, a comipvinication v/ith the merchants of India and Ceylon. That this n;ivigatioh vas entirely of' Tyrian invention, appears both froiii the jrllots and Hiip-buiiders ciTi'.!;]oyod by the Jews, and the names that were rjiven to the trailing iliandc, viz. Tynis and Aradiis, no v Barhain. '! he voyage v. as perfoi%)cd in two different modes, ei- ther in canoes of ofjer and ruflies, covered on the ov.tiide viih ikinn done over vyith pitch: thcfe ve/Tels v ere una- ble 'to quit the Red ."ea, or {o much as to leave the flicre. 'ITk: fccond mode ofcarryinr; on the trudc was by means cf vcfp-:ls v^ith decks of the fizc of our long boats, Avhich v/ere aMc to pafs the ifniit and to weather the dangers oi the ocean : but. for this j^urpofc it was neceiTary to bring ti>e wood from Mou«t Lebanus and Cilicia, where it is veiy fine and in great abundance. This wood v/as firft conveyed in floats from 'Farfas to Plienccia, for v, iiich rcafjii tii^^veffi^ls were Culled (hips of Tarfi.^ ; from whence it has been ridicaloafly inferred that ti^' y ^>ent round the 1 oniontary of Africi as far ?z Tortofii in Spain. From rhrrinccia it v/as u-anfported oa the baek,s of f.an-^cls to tli^ ■. ed Sea, v\ hich prailice ftili continues, bcGavfe the ihurcs of this iVa are abfclutely uni)rovid.cd with w;^rd cv?p for fiel. Thcic vefleh ipcnt a co.r!pse':e yt^jn tlcrr Vo)- -loc, that ij, f;iled one yca^-, fbjburacd another, imd d:.l not rvturn till the tiiivd. Thi^ tcdioufhcl:^ was ov. in^ fi.ft to treir crniziug from port to pt-rt, as they do at' prefer*'? fj:ondly to their being delainfjd by the Moi;- joon c ; a.-d ihirdiv becauicj accoiding i ' ;-
RtVOJ.UTIONS OF EMPIRi-:S. 39
iiiciaiis iind the Jc^ts, coartij).^ tlie peninfui.i of Arabia, bent their voyages to the Perfian gulf, and imported from thence tlic pearls of Hevila, the gold of Saba and Ophir. It v/as Iiere on the fide of Oman and Bahrain, that cxifled that fite of nia^inillccnt and hixii- ricns commerce, which, as it was tranf- phmted from country to country, deculed upon the hie of ancient nations. Biiher were bron^rht the ve:i:etable arom^atics. and the pre- ci'jus llones of Ceylon, the fliawls of Cafll- mere, the diamonds oF Golconda, the aDibcr of the Maldives; the mu/k of Thibet, tlie aloes of Cochin, the apes and the peacocks of the continent of India, the incenfe of Pladramut,
culations of Pliny and Strabo, it \tas the orcJln^ry prac- lice among the uncients to fpend three years in a voyage of twelve hundred le<^gues. Suoli a ccnamcrcc muii: ha\c been very expenfive, particuiarly as they were obliged ?o carry with thein their provifions and even freih v/atsir. — For this icafon Solomon made hinrifelf maficr of Palmy- ra, which was at that time inhabited, and was p.lready the magazine and high road of merchants by the way of lln- {'hiates. This connuell brought Solomon much ntr.rrr to the country of gold and peat Is. This altcinativc o-\\ route either by the Red Sea cr by the river Euphv.ucs was to the ancients, what in later times h^s. been the al- ternative in a voyage to the Indies, cither by croilina the Klhmus of Suez, or doubling the Cape of Good H{>' .. it appears that till the time of Mofes this trade v/ar. car- ried on acrcfs the dcfert of Syria and f heuis; that ailer- wards it fell into the hand:> of the l^hcenicians, Who fixed ■''i fite upon the Red Sea, and that it w.:s mutual jcalnii-
/ that induced the kings of Nineveh and Babylon to u;i- ccitajie the defh-u-flion of Tyre and jcrufilcm. I infiil: &.-2 more upon thefe facts, becaufc I '.; • ? - vtr feen ar,v
^.i»g reafor.able upon the fubjed
40 A SURVEY OF t!HH
the myrrh, the filvcr, the gold dull, and the ivory of Africa. From hence were exported /bmetimes by the Black Sea, in iliips of Egypt and S}ria, thefe comm.odities, which confli- tuted the opulence of Thebes, Sidon, Mem- phis, and Jerufalcm ; fometimcs afcending the coiirfe of the Tygris, and the Euphrates, they awakened the a(rnvity of the i^ifyrians, the Medes- the Chaldeans, and the Per^ans, ijnd, according as they were ufed or abufed, cherifned or overturned their wealth and prof- pcrliy. Hence grew up the magniiicence of Perfepolis, of which you may obferve the mouldering columns (8); of Ecbatana (q), whcfe fcvcn fold walls are levelled with the earth; of Babylon (lo), ihe ruins of which are trodden under foot of men*; of Nineveh (i i), whofe name feems to be threatened with the fame oblivion, that has overtaken its greatnefs; of Thapfacus, of Analho, of Gerra, and of the melancholy and memorable Palmy- ra. O names, forever glorious! celebrated fields! famous countries! how replete is your afDcft with fubiime inuruclion! How many profound truths are written on the furface of
* Falylcr.j the ruins of -awich are trodden uneJer fovf of .nn:. It aj^pears that Babylon occupied on the Eiiflcrn bunk of the Euphrates a fniice of ground fix Ifjagues in length. Throughout this Ipace bricks sie found, hj iTiCaKsof which, d;-iily additions are made to the tov/il 0£ Hejle. Upon many of thefe are charafters written with a nail fimibr to thofc of FerfepoHs. I am findtbicti for thefe faf.s to M. de Beauchi.n-.p, grand vicar of Babylon, y. traveller equally difHnguifhcd for his knowledge yf '^U tioncmy and veracity.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 4I
this earth! Ye places that here witnelTed the life of man, in fo many dillcrent ages, aid my recoUedlion while I endeavor to trace the re- volutions of his fortmie! Say, what were the motives of his condu(fl, and what his pov/ers? Unveil the caufes of hii misfortunes, ttuch him true wifdom, and let the experience of paft ages become a mirror of inilru^lion, and a germ of happinefs to prefent and future ge- nerations !
■><» ■>»*mi:mFT££!SLiSm-s::i
CHAP. V.
CONDITION OF MAN IN THE UNIVERSE.
A
FTER a fliort filence, the Genius thus rdumed his iiiIlru(ftions:
I Iiave already obferved to you, O friend of truth, that man vainly attributes his misfor- tunes lo obfcurc and imaginary agents, and fecks out remote and niyflerious cauies, from which to deduce his evils. In the general or- der of the univerfe, his condition "is doubtleis 'ubjeOed to inconveniences, and hds exilfencc >)ver-ruled by fupcrior pcvvcrs; but thefe pow- ers a;-e neliher die decrees of a blind deitinv, nor the caprices of fantaftic beim:^3. Man u rned, like the woild of which he forms by natural lav/s, regular in their ope- '■•^'" '^i:enr in their eiTccl-s, immutable D 2
42 A SURVEY OF THE •
in their elTence; and thefe laws, the common fource of good and evil, artt neither written in the diftant flars, nor concealed in myfteri- our codes : inherent in the nature of all ter- reftrial beings identified with their exigence, they are at all times and in all places prefent to the human mind; they a<ft upon the fenfes, inform the intellect, and annex to every adioit its punifhment and its rcv.-ard. Let man flu- dy thefe laws, let him underdand his own na- ture, and the nature of the beings that fur- round him, and he will knov/ the fprings of his delliny, the caufes of his evils, and the re- medies to be apphed.
When th^ fecret pov/cr that animates tlic univerfe, formed the globe of the earth, he flam.ped on the beings which compofe its cf- jlential properties, tbatbccame the rule of Hieir individual adion, the tie of , their reciprocal connections^ and the caufe of the harmoLy-of the whole. He hereby eftabliihed a regular order of caufes and eife61s, of principles and confcquciiccs, which under an appearance of < liance, governs the univerfe, andtnaintains Hit equilibrium oi' the VvTjrld. Thus he gave to fire mofion and adivity, to air elailicily, to matter Vv'eight and denfity: he made air lightrrithan water, metals heavier than earth, wood Icfs cohefive than.fLecl; he ordered the ^acie to afcend, the Hone to faM, the plant to vegAtate; to mian, whom he decreed to expofe tci tlic CiiCGunter of lb mauy fubftanccs, iind yet \^ ed to preicrve his fi-ail exiilencc, he gave iaculiy of perception. Ily this faculty, cvch"
REVOLUTIONS OF E'rvIPIRES. 43
a^lion Injurious to his life, gives him a fenfa- ticm of pain and evil, and every favourable a(ftioH a fenfation of pieafure and good. By thefe imprcilions, fometimes led to avoid what is ofFennve to his fenfes, and fometimes attra<ft- ed tov/ards the objects that foothe and grati- fy them, man has been necelTitated to love and prefcrve his exiftcnce. Self-love, the de- fire of happinefs, and an averfion to p;iin, are the eilential and primary laws, that nature herfelf impofed on man, that the ruling pow- er, whatever it be, has eftabliflied to govern him: and thefe laws, like thofe of motion in the phyiacal world, are the fmiple and prolific principle of every thing that takes place in ihe mortal world.
Such then is the condition of man: on one fide, fubjecled to the aclion of the elements around him, he is expofed to a variety of ine- vitable evils; and if in this decree Nature ap- pears too fevere, on the other hand, jufl and even indulgent, fue has not only tempered thofe evils with an c(|ual portion of benefits, ihe has moreover given liim the power of aug- menting the one and diminifhing the other. Slie has feemingly faid to him, *' Feeble work *' of my hands, I owe you nothing, I give you '^ life. The world in v\^hich I place you was *' not made on your account, and yet I ?rant '' you the ufe of it. You v\'ill find in it a mi.<- '' lure of good and evil. It is for you to dif- ui Ih them ; you mufldirecfl: your own lleps ■ i/i the paths of fiov\^ers and of thorns. Be '^" the ai bltrator of your lot \ I place your dcfli-
44 A SURVEY OF THE
" ny in your hands.'' Yes, man is become
the artliicer of his fate; it ishimfelf who has created in turn the viciilitudes of his fortune, his fucceiTes and his difappoi-ntments ; and if, when he relle^ls on the forrows whicli he has aflbciated to human hfe, he lias room to la- ment his weaknefs and his folly, he has per- haps Hill more right to prefume upon hi^ force, and be confident in his energies, w^h^n he recollects from what point he has fct out, and to what heidits he has been capable of elevating himfelf.
CHAP. VL
ORIGINAL STATE OF MAN.
N the origin of things, man, formed equal- ly naked both as to body and mind, found liimielf thrown by chance upon a land confu- fed and*favage. An orphan, defer ted by the uiikno',yn ])ower thcVt had produced him, he iliw no fupernatural beings at hand to adver- tife him of his wants that he owed merely to his fenfes^-.and inform him of duties fpringing iolely from thofe wan is. like other animals, Tv'ithoLit experience of the pall, without know- ledge of the future, he wandered in fored^, guided and governed purely by the ailections of riis nature. By the pain of hunger he wa: direfted to fetk food, and he provided for nis lubuilencc; by the inckmency cf the weather.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 45
the delire was excited of covering his body, and he made himfelf clothing; by the attrac- tion of a powerful pieafure, he approached a fellow-being, and perpetuated his fpecics.
Thus the imprcflion he received from exter- nal obje<Sls, awakeninghis faculties, developed by degrees his undcrllanding, and began to in- flrucl: his profound ignorance: his wants called forth his indudry; his dangers formed his mind to courage; he learned to dillinguifli ufeful from pernicious plants, to refid the ele- ments, to feize upon his prey, to defend his life; and his mifery w.is alleviated.
Thus jh^'Iove, aver /Ion to pain., and dcfire cfhappinefs, v/erc the fnnple and powerful mo- tives v\'hich drew man from the favage and babarous ilate in which Nature had placed him: and-now that his life is ibwn with cnjoy- m^ent, that he can every day count upon fbme picafurc, he may applaud himfelf and fay: '' It is I who have produced thebleiTmgs that " encompafs mc; T am the fabricator of my ♦ " own felicity; a fecure habitation, commodi- " ous raiment, an abundance o^ wholelomc " provifion, in rich variety, fmiling valleys, '^ fertile hills, populous empires, thefe are the '' works of my liand, but for me, the earth, " given up to diforder, would have been no- " thing more than a poifonous fwamp, a {■3^' '* vage forell, and a hideous dcfcrt !" True, mortal creator! I pay thee homage! Thou hail meafured the extent of the heavens, and counted the (lars, thou hafl: drawn the li?7ht- niiv:; r om the clouds, conquered the fury of the
4^ A SURVEY CF THE
fca and the temped, and fiibjccted ail tlie ele- ments to thy wili^ But, oh! how many errors arc mixed with theie fublime energies!
'"»'»« ••*??CB3C'3«*
CKAP. VII.
FRINCIPLL3 01' SOCIKTV.
N the nierm time, wandering in woods ?.nd upon the borders of rr-ycrs, in purfalt of deer 2.nd of fifh, the firll human beines, hunters and fiihermen, befet with dangerij aiTailed by enemies, tormented by hunger, by reptiles, and by the anim/als they chaled, fek their in- dividual weaknefs; and, impelled by a com- mo'Pi want of fafety, and a common fcnti- ment of the fame evils, they united their pow- t tt; and their flrength. When one mim was expofed to danger^ numbers fucconrcd and defended him; when one failed in provifion, :inoLher ihared v/idi him his prey. Men thus alTociated for the fecurity of their cxifhence, for tlie aug^mentation of th.?ir faculties, for the proteL^cion of their enjoyment; and the prin- ciple of fociety was that of fcif-love.
Afterv/ards, inrtrucied by the repeated ex- perience of diverfeaccidenLS,by th^ fatigues of a Y/andering life, by the anxiety rcfiilting fr,em frequent fcarcity, men reafoned with themleivcg gnd i^id: *=' VVliy ihould weconiumeour days " in fearch of die fcattcred fruits vvhkh a par- ^' iimonious ibil aiii;)rds ? Why weary curielvcy
RKVOLUTrOKS OF EMPIRES. 47
'^.in tlie purfuit of prey that efcape us' in the "^ wooda or the waters? Let us alTcmbk under " our hand the animals that nourilh us; let us '■^ apply our cares tatli? increafe and defence " of thciR. Their produce will ailord us a " iupply of food, with their fpoils we may " clothe oiu'ieives, and we (hall live exempt " from the fatigues of the day, and folicitude '' for the nn^rrow." And aiding each other, tlicy icizcd the nimble kid, and the timid ihecp: they tamed the patient camel, the fe- rocious bull, and theimpeiuous horfe; and ap- plauding themfelves on the fuccefs of tlieir in- duflry, they fat down in the loy of their hearts, and begiin Lo talle re[jofe and tranquillity : v.nd tlui;] fef'Iovc^ tlie principle of all their rcr.fon- ing, was the inlligator to every art and eve- ry enjoyment.
Now that men could p:.'^ ilicir days in Li- hire, and the communication of their ideas, tliey turned upon the earth, upon thcdiea-
ns, and upon themfelves an eye of curiofi- ty and reflection. Tliey obferved the courfe of the feafon^, the acli on of the elements, the properties of fruit and plants ; and they appli- ed their minds to the Diultiplic4ilion of theiv enjoyments. Remarking in certain countries; tliC nature of feeds, v/hich contain within ■lei-rtfelvcs the faculty of reproducing the pa-
■ •" plant; u.ey emploved to their (r,fn ad-
• ^" this property of Nature; they corn-
o the earth barley, v heat and rice,
ed a produce equ?i to their moft fan-
Thu5 1 hev fou od &c me:
48 A SURVEY OF THE
obtaining Avithin a fmall compafs, and without the necdlity of perpetual wanderings, a plen- tiful and durable ilock of provifion; and en- couraged by this difco(fcry, they prepared for thcmfelves fixed habitations, theyconftruc- tcd houfes, villages and towns; they alTumed the form of tribes and of nations: and thus Wiis felf4ove rendered the parent of every thing that genius has eiTefled, or human pow- er performed.
By the foJe aid then of his faculties has m.an been able to raife liinifelf to the afloniihinsr
o
height of his prefent fortune. Too happy would have been his lot. had h^,fcrupulouily obferving the law imprinted on his nature, conftantly fulfilled the obje<^of it! But, by a fatal im.prudence, fom.etimes overlookinor a.nd fomctimestranfgrefiing its limits, he plunged in an a.byfs of errors and misforranes ; andyt"//^- love^ now difordered, and nov/ blind, was con- verted into a prolific foiirce of calamities.
CHAP. VIII.
SOUPvCJi OF THE EVILS OF SOCIETY.
i-N reahiy, fcarcely were the Riculties of men expanded, than, fcized by iihe attradlion of objci^s which flatter the fenfes, they gave tiiemfelves up to imbridled defircs. The fweer fenfations which nature had annexed to their true wants, to attach tliem to life, n >
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 49
longer fufficcd. Not fatisficd with the fruits which the earth oiTered them, or their induf- try produced, they were defirous of heaping up enjoyments, and they coveted thofe which their fallow creatures poUciTcd. A flrong rofe up againft a weak man, to tear from him the profit of his labour: the weak man folici- ted the fuccour of a neighboin-, weak hkc himfelf, to repel the violence. Thi^ flrong man in his turn allbciated himfeh^ wittLanotlicr Itrong mian, and tliey faid : " Why Ihould v/e " fitigue our arms in producing enjoyment^ '' which we find in the hands of the feeble, '• v/ho are unable to defend themf elves ?. Let '• us unite, and plunder them. They fiirdl " toil for us, and we will enjoys in indolence '"• the fruit of their exertions." The ftrong thus ailbciating for the purpolc of oj)preirion, and the weak for refiftance, men reciprocal Jv tormented each other, and a fatal and gener.il difcord was ercabliihed upon the cirth, in which the paflions, aiTuming a thoufand rxw forms, have never ceafed to venerate a re:Vi- ^ n- train of calamities.
I'hus that very principle of felf-lovc, which when reftrained within the limits of prudenee, w^as a fource of improvement and felicity, be- came, transformed in its blind and difordered flate, imo a contagious poifon. Cupidiry, t^.^ '' •uglucr and companion of ign.ijranr-/
odv'^ed all the milchicfs that have d.
E
:;.: A St^RVEY OF THfi
Yc?, ignorance and the love of accumula- tion, tliefe are the two fources of all the plagues that infcd the hfe of man ! They have infpired him with falfe ideas of his happineis, ttmi prompted liim to mifconltrue and infringe the laws of nature, as they related to the con- necfiion between him and exterior objects. Through them his conducl has been injurious to his own cxiilcnce, and he has thus violated the dutv he owes to him.fclf ; they have forti- fied his heart againfl compaffion, and his mind againfl the dictates of jufcice, and he has thus violated the duty he owes to others. By ig- norance and inordinate defn*c, man has armed hiipfelf againfl man, family agamit family, tribe againfi: tribe, and the earth is converted into ri bloody theatre of difcord and robbery. Tliey have fown the feeds of fecret war in the bofom of every ilate, divided the citizens from e?ch other, and the fame fociety is ccnilituted of cj-'preiTors and opprelTrJ, of rnaftcrs and They have taught the heads of na- i.c'is .with audacious infolence to turn the r.rms of the fociety againfl itfelf, and to build i-pcn mercenary avidity, the fabric of political (le^potifm: or they have taught a m.ore hypo- critical and deep laid profe6>, that impofcd as tlie diciate of heaven, lying fanclionc-and a facrilegious yoke; thus rcnda^ing avarice the fource of credulity. In hne,' they hrvre cor- rupted c' cvy idea of good and evil, 1'iiif.nl:., virjie ^ndvice: they have nviiicdu^n." on: 'v. a Ticver ending labyrinth of calarairf ;a:d i.liii •;e. iQrriorance and the loveof accu-
REVOLUTIONS OF LMixRE^.^ 5 I
inulation! .... Thcfe are tlic malevolent be- ings that have laid waftc tlieiarth; thcle arc the decrees of- fate that have overtiu-ned em- pires; thefe arc the celeilial maledictions thai have Uruck thofe walls once fo glorious, and converted the fplcndoun of a populous city in^ to a fl-id fpec'tacle of ruins! .... Since then it was from his own l)oiora all the evils proceed- ed that have vexed the life of man, it w'as there alfo he ought to have foughi tlic re^ncdies, where only they are to be found.
CHAR IX.
:^1GI>J OF GOVERNMENT AND I.AWG.
^ li-v ^j-L;i.;u ioon arnve«.twuer ^
tired o- .lie ills they occedioncd fdch fighed after peace; and reficc^ini^onl- and caufes of thofc ills, they faid: '' " tually injure one auother by our paliions, " and from a defirc to grafp every thingj we "^^ in reality poflefs nodiiu'''-. What one r:- * viihes to-day, another tears from him i '* morrow, and our cupidity rebbundi. " our own heads. Let us eilablifli . arh:- ^' trators who fliall decide our, claims ard ap^ "' peafe our vanances. When the firongxi- '-' fei up againft the weak, tie arbitratoi- '''' ih\]\ repel iiim; and thi? life and property 'ck being under a common guarantee ^' and prcte^Hon^ we fliall enjoy all the blef- '' fiDgs of nature."
\2 A ?URVEY OF THE
Ccnvcntions, tacit or exprcfTed, v/ere ilnu introduced into ibciety, and became the rule t)f the actions of indiviuals, the meafure cf iheir chiiins. snd the law of their reciprocal relations. Chiefs were appointed to enforce the obfcrvLince of the ccmpa(9:, and to thefe the people cntruded tlie h'^^lance of rights, and the Avcrd to punifh violations.
Then a happy equilibrium of powers and v^f a<flion w^as edablifliedjy/hich condituted the [ ubiic fafety. The naiiies of equity and juf- tice w^ere acknowledged and revered. Every- man, able to enjoy in peace the fruits of his. labour, gave hiinfcif up to the energies .of his foul; and a<5iivity, awakened and kept alive by the re?i]iiy or the hope of enjoyment, for- ced art and nature to difplay all their trea- furcs. The fields were covered with harvefls, tl\e valleys with flocks, the hills with vines, the fea wiih fnips, and man w^as happy and powerful upon the earth.
The diforder his imprudence had caufed, l)is v;iiclora thus remedied. But this wifdom was fiili the eifcc^t of the laws of nature in the organization of his beirg. It was to fecure his ow^n enjoyments, that he was led to refpc<^^ ihofe of another, and the dehre of accumula- tion found its ccrr-eciive in enlightened ftlr- love.
Self-love, the eternal fpring of aaion in eve- ry individual, was thus the neceflafy bafis of all aiTociations ; and upon the obi#ryan'ceor this natural law has the fate of every nation ■depende<i. Have the factitious and conven-
REVOLUTIONS O? EMPIRES. 5^
lional laws of any focicty accorded with this law, and correfponded to its demands? In that cafe every man, prompted by an overpower- ing inftin6l, has exerted all the faculties of liis nature,^ and the public felicity has been the refult of the various portions of individual fe- licity. Have thefe laws, on the contrary, re- trained the effort of man in his purfuit of hap- pinefs? In that cafe, his heart, deprived of all its natural motives, has languiilied in inaction, and the opprefTion of. individuals has engen- dered o-encral weaknefs.
o
Self-love, impetuous and rain, renders man the enemy of man, and of confequcnce perpetually tends to the dilfolution of focicty. It is for the art of legiilation, and for the virtue of minitlers, to temper the grafping fclfiflinefs of individuals, to keep each man's dehre to poileis every thing in a nice equipoife and tlius to render the fubjech happy, in order that, in theftruggle of this with any other focicty', all tlie members fliould have an equal intercH iu the periurvation and defence of the coi . weaUli.
I'rom hence it miows, that the internal, fplendour and^'proi^^erity of empires, hav/e been in proportion to the equity of their go- vernments; and their external power refpe(fi:- ivcly, in proportion to the number of \)tr- fjus iniereiled in the maintenance of the politi- cal collitution, and their decree of interell ia \.h,\i ui^untenance.
i. 2
:i A STTRVEV OF THR
Oil the other hand, the mukiplication of j-ncn by compHcating their ties, having render- ed the demarcation of their rights a point of difficult dec ifion: the perpetual play of the ]:)affions having given rife to unexpefted inci- dents; the conventions that were formed ha- virig proved vicious, inadequate, or null; the authors of the laws having either mifunder- '^ood. the object of them, or diiTembled it, and the perfon appointed to execute them, inftead of reflraining the inordinate defn-es of others, having abandoned themfelves to the fway of thefr own avidity; focicty has, by thefe caufes united, been thrown into trouble and diforder; and defective laws ^nd unjuft government, the refult of cupidity and ignorance, have been the foundation of misfortunes of the people and the fubverfion of dates.
CHAP. X.
RAl. CAUSES OF TKK PROSPERITY OF A N C I E N T vS TAXES.
I'^UCH, O man; who enqnirefi: after wif- :-)om, Iiave been the caufes of the revolution of thofe anciein ili'ites of which you contemplate the ruins! Upon whatever fpot Ifix my view, s:,r to wha-cver pcricxi my thoughts recur, the fiir.e principles of elevation and decUiic. -^v rrofperity and dcHrLiciion, prefent themfclvci \-^ ^'"X r)Viid, If a people were rowerfu], it
REV01.UTI0NS OF EMPIRES. $^
an empire ilouriflied, it was bccaufe the laws x)f convention were conformable to thofc of nature; becaufe the government procured to every man rcfpcchively the free ufe of his fa- culties, the equal fecurity of his perfon and property. On the contrary, if an empire has fallen to ruin or difappeared, it is becaufe the laws were vicious or imperfefl, or a corrupt government has checked their operation. If iaws and governmiat, at firfl: rational and iufl, have afterwards become depraved, it is becaufe the aliernative of good and evil de- rives from the nature of the heart of man, from the fucceiTion of his inclinations, the progrefs of his knowledge, the combination of events and circumftanccs ; as the hiftory of the human fpecies proves.
In the infancy of nations, when men flili lived in foreffs, all fubje(St to the fame wants, and endowed with the fame faculties, rhey ' were nearly equal in ftrength ; and tlii-; equality was a circumflance highly advan- tageous in the formation of fociety. Each individual findincv himfelf iiidenendent of every other, no one was the Have and no one ])ad the idea of being mader of another. — Untaught man knew neither fervitudc nor tyranny. Supplied with the means of pro- viding fuflicienily for his fy])fiiLv:n:e, he •tlion^ht not of borrovv'ln? from Aranpcrs. Owing nothing, and exacting nothing, he judged^ of the rights of others bv' h\^ own. Ignorant alfo of the art of jr.uhipiying en- joyment;, he providAl only wh^t was necci-
5<>- A SUPvVEY OF THE
fary; and fuperHuity being unknown to him, the defire to engrofs of confequence remained imexcited ; or if excited, as it attacked others in thofe polfeilions that were wholly indifpen- fable, it was refilled with energy, and the very forefight of this refiltance maintained a falutary and immoveable equilibrium.
Thus original equality, without the aid of convention, maintained perfonal liberty fecur- ed individual property, and produced order and good manners. Each man laboured fe- parately and for himfelf ; and his heart being occupied, he Vv^andered not in p^urfuit of un- kdwful denres: His injoyments were few,ibut his v/ants were fatisiied: and as nature had made thefe wants lefs extenfive than his abi- lity, the labour of his hands foon produced ;ibundance; abundance population j the arts developed themfelves, cultivation extended, V).nd the earth covered with nunie' ous inhabit tants, Y/as divided into diilerent dumaias.
I'he relations of men becoming compli- cated, the interior order of fociety vv^as more difTicuk to m/aintaiii. Tiiiie and induftry hav- ing created aflluence, tiipidity avv'oke frcm its fiiimber ; and as equality, e?dy between iiidividuals, could not iubfill: between fam.i- !i-;3, the riaticnal balance vras deilroyed. it was rjeceiTary to fupply the lofs by. means of an ariilicial balance ; it was neceilary to ap- point chiefs, and eftablifh lav/s ; but as thefe were occationed by cupidFty,in the experience; of primitive times they could not but partake t'f the origin from.v;hich they fprung. VaiU
REVOLUTIONS OF ^EMPIRES. ^'/i
Otis circumllances, however, concurred to tem- per the diforder, and make it indil|Deniible for governments to be julL
States being at firft weak, and having ex- ternal enemies to fear, it was in reality of im- portance to the chiefs not to oppreiij the fub-. jecc. By diminidiing the intereii: of the citi- zen in their government, they would have di- miniAied their means of refillcnce ; they v/ould have facilitated foreign invalion, and iluis en- dangered cheir own cxiflence for fiiperfluoas enjoyments.
Internally, tlie cliarafler of the people was repellent to tyranny. IMen had too long contracted habits of independence; their v;ants were too limited, and the confcioufnefs of their own ilreno-th too infenaniblc from their minds.
States being clofely knit together, it was diiTicult to divide the citizens, in order to op- prefs fonie by means of others. Their ccmmu- liication with each other was too eafy, and their intercds too limpie and evident. Be- fide, every man being at once proprietor and cultivator, he had no inducement to fell him- felf, and the defpot would have been unable to find m.ercenaries.
If dlffenrions arofe, it v/as between family and family, one faction with another; and a confiderable number had ftill one common in- tereii. Difputes, it is true, were in this cafe more warm, but t1ie fear of forcii^n invafion appsafed the difqord. If the oppreilion of tV p:?.rty was effcaed, the earth being open be
58 A SURV£Y OF THE
fore it, and men, flill fimplc in their manners, finding every where the fame ad\^antages, the party migrated, and carried their indepen- dence to another quarter.
Ancient flates then enjoyed in themfelves numerous means of profperity and power:
As every man found his well being in the conftitution of his ccuntr)'', he (di a lively in- terefl in its prefervation : and if a foreign pow- er invaded it, having his habitation and his Held to defend, he carried to the combat the ardour of a pcrfonal caufe, rmd his patriotic c xcrtions were prompted by felf-defence.
As every action ufeful to the public excited its elleem and i^ratitude, each was eaoer to be ufeful, and talents and civil virtues were mul- tiplied by felf-love.
As every citizen was called upon indifcri- minatcly to contribute his proportion of pro- perty and perfonal effort, the armies and the trcafuries of the (late v/ere inexhauftible.
As the earth was free, and its poiL^fiion eafy and fecurc, every man was a proprietor, and the divifion of property, by rcndering luxury impoilible, preferved the purity of manners.
As every man plrmghed his oAvn field, cul- tivation m.as more aclive, provifions more abun- dant, and individual opulence conilituted uic public wealth.
As abundance of provifion rendered fuK fiflence eafy, population rapidly increaUvd, and flates quickly arrived at their })leniitKk..
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. $()
As the produce was greater than the con- fumption, the dciire of commerce flarted up, and exchanges were made between d liferent nations, which were an additional flimulus to their a(5i:ivity, and mcreafcd their reciprocal enjoyments.
In fine, as certain places in certain cpochas combined the advantage of good government with that of being placed^ In the roadof cir. ula- tion and commerce, they became rich maga- zines of trade, and powerfnl feats of domin- ion. It was in this manner that the riches of India and Europe, accumlatcd upon thcbankis of the Nile, the Tigris, and the Euphrates, gave lucce^hve exiflence to the fplendor of a thoufand nictropolilTes.
The people, become rich, applied their fu- perfiuity of means tohiboui'sof public utility; and this was, in every (late, the n?ni of thofc works, tlie ma/nificence of which a'lonliJie^^ the mind; tbofe Wells of Tyre,* thofe artificial banks of the Euphrates, thole conduits of Me-
* Tcofe wells cf Tyre. Sec rcrpe(5ling tl^efe monu- ments my Travels into oyria, vol. ii. p. 2.4.
Thofe artificial hanh of the Euphrates. Fron^ t he to^vn or villA^e cf Samouat the courfe of the Eiiphr.ites is ac- companied with a doui>)e b.ink, which dcfcends .is f.ir/a» its jan<5tioR with the Tiv^ris and from thence to the fcJi, being a leni^th of about an hundred IcifTue?; French moa- furc. 'i he height oftiiefe irtifcird banks is not, nnifo-m, bjjf incrcaf'.^s as you ajJvancpc from the fca; it(Jfvy be efti- i^atc'l at from twelve to (vhct^ feet. . Biif \ov thcni the irrundation oi the rivei wi'-uid bury the cpunrry around, v.'iich is fli-t, to an extent of t\vtnijf<k^KV^rty ilve leajrucs, ^j-.i r- - "'♦-:'ith(bndinr *■■ '^ '■ "' "- ^■^•■'■: hasbcrjn
/>€) A SURVEY OF THE
dea, * thofe fortrefles of ilie Dcfert, thofc aqucdu^cs of Palmyra, thofe temples, thofc
porticos And thefc immenfe labours
were little opprcffivc to the nations t*hat com- pleted them, becaufe they were the fruit of the equal and united efFort of individuals free to a(^ and ardent to defire.
Thus ancient dates profpcred, becaufe fo- cialinflitutions were conformable to the true
in modern times an overflow which has covered the whole triangle formed by the juncflion of this river to the Tigris, being a fpace of country of 1 30 fquare Ititigues. By the flagmition of thefe waters and epidemical difeafe of the molt fatal nature was occafioned. It follows from hence, 1 . That all the lint country bordering upon thefc livers was orig'nal'.y a marfli; 2. That this marlli could not have been inhabited previoudy to the conftruction of the banks in q jeftion ; 3. 1 hat thefc banks could not have been the work bvt of a population prior as to date: and the clcv^-'tion cf Babylon therefore mult hcne been pode- rior to that of Nineveh, as I think I have chronologically demonltrated in the memoir above cited. See Enclope- die, vol. xiii. of A ntiquities.
* Th,afE contjuits of.Mcdt^. The modern Aderbidjan, whicl^ wa,s a part of Medea, the mountains of Kouderlhin, and,S.hofe of Diarbekr, abo\Tnd v.'itli f ibterrancan canalc, by-nieans of which the ancient inhabitants conveyed wa- ter to their pi»rched foil, in order to fertilize it. It was regarded as a meritorious aclancl a religious duty prefcri- bcd by Zorfaficr, who, inflead 'of preaching celibacy, sjiortifxations, and other pretended viitues of the monk- !|]'foitj', repeats continually in the [vaiTages that are prc« fcived re'f^>e(fting him in the S..d-der and the Zend aye fta, *' Thnt,r^'^v;<5tion moll rjleifiKg to God is to p]on^"T>';- r.d '• Lultivate/t^e/eiifth, to v/ater it ^\'Ci\ running itreahis, '* io nuiHiply Ve^etiJtion and livhVg beings, tohavt **' mercus flotk^^ /yyui-ig and fruirful vi'.T;,!ii; ., . •A''-'i' '' uf children, &c. &c.''
K.EVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRKI. 6l
laws of nature, and becaufe tlic fubjc(^s of thofe flates, enjoying liberty and the fecurity of their perfons and their property, could difplay all the extent of their faculties, and all the energy of felf-love.
CHAP. IX.
GENERAL CAtTSl':S OF THE REVOLUTIONS AND RUIN OF ANCIENT STATES.
I
N the mean time the inordinate defire of accumulation had excited a conilant and uni^ verfal ifrugj^le among men, and this flruggle,, prompting individuals and focieties to recipro- cal invafions, occafioned perpetual commo- tions and fuccelfive revolutions.
At fird, in the favage and barbarous (late of the firfl human beings, this inordinate de- fire, daring and ferocious in its nature, taught rapine, violence, and murder ; and the pro- grefs of civilization was for a long time at a ftand.
Afterwards, when focieties began to br formed, the effe£l of bad habits communicit« ing itfelf to laws and government, civil inllii- tutions became corrupt, and arbitrary and faf^iop.s- rights were eilabliilied, which gave the people depraved ideas of juilice and mo- rality,
Becaufe one aaan 5 for example, was^flron-
F
6l A SURVEY OF THE
ger than r^nothcr, thi:^ Inequality, the rcfttit oFaccidentj^vas taken for the hiw of nature,* and btcaufe the life of the v/cak was iu his ]:ov.'cr, and he did not take it from him, he arrogated over his perfon tlie abfurd right of property, and individual flavsry prepared the way for the "ilavery of nations.
Becaufe. the chief of a family could excr- cifc an abfolute authority in his own houfe, ]ic made his inclinations and aife<rtions the lole rule of his condu^^t ; lie conferred and with- held the conveniences and enjoyments of life without refpedi: for the law of equality or iudice, and paternal tyranny laid the founda- lion of political defpotifni. f
* Thh irirqtuilify, the irfttit of c!cc':aa;t, 'rras iaienfor the Idiv cf natfre. Alnici]: rill the ancient philofophcrs :invi politician::, have htid it down as a principle that men ;iro born untqualj thkt nature has created fome to be free and Ci;;iers to be flavcs. Exprcfiions of this kind are to be found in Ari'totle, i'nd even PlatOj called the divine, d(!ubt.!c(^ ir the fiinic f^nfe as the n^ythological reveries v."hic!-i he promubatcd. With ail the people of anticjuity, the Gauls, the Romans, the Athenians, the right of the fi:ronop(i: v/as the riojit of nitions ; and from the fiime rr;-inci-;le arc d:rived all the pojitical diioiders and public ii: tional cr'mos th.at at prelent exid.
+ Patcrnil iyrcnvj In'ul ths fcufuhttion ofpol'ii'ical dcf- pollffii. Upon this finole exprei^ion it would be eafy to Vv r :tc A loc'T and important chapter, vVe might prove in it, beyond coniradidion, that all tlve '-ibufes of nation; 1 5-'.)veinnients have fprung from tliofe of domeiHc go.vern- j^;;;nt. F-'oni that government called patr'arciilir-v^hieh f.!psr{ioial minds have cxtolkd withcut havii;^. ;'. Nuniberleis hid:^: demon itr ate, thaf with c^■e. y xiv t-nt pecr>]e, iw r verv f.va^ea::dbarb;irousfl:ate, the r.v 'her; the; ciuef^ofthc :' '_ , is u.diefj'ot, and a cruel aard'i'rf
REVOI.UTIONS OF EMl-IIxES. 63
In focieties formed upon fucifbafcs, time eind induftry having developed riches, inpr- dinate deCiYc^ rcllricSicd by the r.iws, Ix'aimc Artiiicial without being Ms a£iive. Under the mafk of union and civ'l peace, it en^rn- dcretl in the bofom of every fhite an inteiliac war, in which tlic citizens, divided intooppo- fite corps of orders, cli^Tes, and fii.niilics, aimed to appropriate to themfelvcs, under the name of Jl'prems power, the ability of grafping and controlling every thing at the will of their painons. It is the Ipirit of rapacity, the dif- guifes of which are innumerable, but its ope- ration and end uniformly the fame, that has been the perpetual fco.urge of nations.
fkfpot. The wife is his Have, the children Iris f.i van*-^. This kincT fleeps or fmckcs his pipe, \^'hilcj^is wife and d:iiighters perform nil die drudgery of the houfj, and even that of tillage: and cultivation, as far as occupations of this nature are pradliftd in fach focieties; and no fooner have the hoys acquired (nength than they arc allowed to beat the females and make tlieni Icive and wa;tiipon then as they do upon. their fathers. -Sinvlar to this is the iia'te' of our cwn uncivilized pey.fants. In proportion as civil ization f})rcads, the manners become ni0!C mild, and ll:e condition of the women improves, til), by a contrary CKcefs, they arrive at domii'.ion, and then a nr.tion becoruc > effeminate and corrupt. It is remarkable that parentd uthoyity is great accordingly as the government is def- .potic. Oiiina, India, and Turkey, are {hiking examples of tlijs. One v.ould fuppofe that tyrants gave th^mfelves accomplices, and interefied fubaltern def))uL3 to maintain their authority. In oppofition to this ihe K omans will he cited; but it rcnuins to he pro\ed that the Romans v/ere men truly free ; und their quick pafilige from their republican dcipotifni to t'lcir abjccl fervilitv under the '.-mperors, gives room at leall for confidcrablc doubts as ■ o that freedom.
64 A SURVSY OF THE
Sometimes oppofing focial compacH:, or de- iiroying that which already cxifled, it has abandoned the inhabitants of a country to the lumukuous fliock of all their janing princi- ples ; and the diiTolved flates ufider the name of anarchy^ have been tormented by the paf- fions of every individual member.
Sometimes a people jealous of its liberty, having appointed agents to adminiiler, thefe agents have aflumed to tliemfelvcs the powers oi which they were only the guardians; have employed the public funds in corrupting elections, gaining partizans, and dividing the people againll itfelf. By thefe means, from temporary, they have become perpetual, from elccTtivc, hereditary magidrates ; and the llate, agitated by the intrigues of the ambi- tious, by the bribes of the wealthy leaders of Tactions, by rne venaity ot the indolent poor, by the empiricilm of declaimers, has been troubled with all the inconveniences of demO" cracy,
• In c«c country, the chiefs equal in ftrength, mutually afraid of each other, have formed vile compacts and coalitions and portioning out power, rank, honours, have arrogated to- themfelves privileges and immunities; have creeled themfelves into feparatc bodie:; and diilin<n: clalfes; have tyrannifcd in common over x\\c people, and, under the name Oiarijh- cracy y the ftate has been tormented by the paf- fions of the wealthy and the great.
In another country, tending to «:hc fame end by different nicTavo.facrsdhnpqfiorshdiyQU-
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 6^
ken advantage of the credulity of the ignorant. In thefecrccyof temples, and behind the \eil of altars, they hare made the Gods fpeak and 'Ji£t; have delivered oracles, worked pretended miracles , ordered facriiices, impofed otTcrings, prcfcribed endowments ; and, under the name of theocracy and rcIigio?i, the ilatc has been tormented by the pailions of prieds.
Sometimes, weary of its difordcrs or of its tyrants, a nation, todiminifli the fourccs of its evils, gave itfelf a fmglc mailer. In that cafe, if the powers of the prince were limited, his only dclirc was to extend them: if inde- finite, he abufcd the trull: that was confided to him, and, under the name ol monarchy^ the Hate was tormented by the pailions of kings and princes.
Then the fa^ious, taking advantage of the general difcontent, flattered the people with the hope of a better maftcr: they fcattcred gifts and promifes, dethroned the defpot lo fubilitute themfelves m his ftcad; and difputes for the fuccefnonorthcdivifion of povfr-^ have tormented the (late 'with the difordcrs ;ri:ji devafiation of civil war.
lu fine, among thefe rivals, one individual more artful or more fortunate than the rcfl, gaining the afcendancy, concentred the whole power in himfelf. By a fingular phenome- non, one man obtained the mallery over mil- lions of his fellow creatures againfl their will, and without their confent; and thus the art of tyranny appears alfo to have been theoH^pring
F2
66 A SURVEY Oy THE
of inordinate defire. Obferving the fpirit of egodfm that divided mankind, the ambitious adroitly fomented this fpirit: he flattered the vanity of one, excited thejealoufy of another, favoured the avarice of a third, enflamed the refentmcnt of a fourth, irritated the paffions of all. By oppofmg interefls or prejudices, he foved the feeds of divifions and hatred. He promifeu to the poor the fpolls of the rich, to tlie rich the fubjugation of the poor; threat- ened this man by that, one clafs by another; and ifolating the citizens by diilruil:, he form- ed his own flrength out of their weaknefs, and impofed on them the yoke of opinion, the knots of which, they tied v/ith their ovv'n hands. By means of the army he extort- ed contributions; by the cont/lbutioiis he dif- pofed of the arnay ; by the co/rcfoonding play of money and places, he bound all the people with a chain that vwis not to be broken, and the Hates which tliey compofed feh into the flow decay of defpotifm.
Thus did one and the fame fpring,. vary- iv'Z its action under all the forms that have been enumerated, inceiliinily attack the con- tinuity of Hates, and an eternal circle of vicif- fitudes have iprung from an eternal circle of paffions.
This conilant ipirit of egotiiiii operated two principal effects equally deftrucllve : the one, that by dividing ibcieties into all their fractions, a ftate of debility was produced which facilitated their diilblution; the other, that always tending to concenter the power in 2 ihigle hand, it occaflcned a fucceihve ablbrp-r
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 6/
rion of focietlcs and dates, fatal to their peace and to their common exillence.*
Jull as in a fmgle (late, the nation had been abforbed in a party, tliat party in a family, and that family in an individual, there alfo ex- ited an abforption of a fimilar kind between Hate and Hate, attended with all the mifchiefs in the relative fituation of nations, that the other produced in the civil relation of indivi- duals. One city fubjefted its neighbour city, and the rchilt of the conqucil was a province; province fwallowcd up province, and thus produced a kingdom; between two kingdoms a conquefi: took phice, and thus furnidied an empire of unwieldy bulk. Did the internal force of thefe Hates increafe in proportion to their mafs? On the contrary it was diminiih- ed; and far from the condition of the peoplr being happier, it became every day more op- preflive and wretched, by caufes inevitably flowing from the nature of tilings.
Becaufe, as the boundaries of ftate became exterided, their adminiitration became more complicated and diiTicult; and to give motion to the mafs it Vv'as necefiary to nicreate the p^re-
'* Ahvays tcndhig lo concenter the poioer in ajin<r!e hand. It Is remarkable that this has in all instances lieen the conliant progiefs oiTocieties J beginning with a (Irate oF anarchy or democracy, tliat is, with a gve:.t divifion Oi pjwcr, they have paffed to ariitocracy, and from ariRo- cracy to nrinarchy. Does it not hence follow thatthoio. \v]io coniiitute llates under the democratic form, deftiuc ihcm to undergo all the intervening troubles between that and nionarchv : and that the fupreme adminiflratioi by ii fiiigle chief is tWSinOJl natural government, as v> lII ■y: ''-'- \ '■■.?: vi.iijul.aed fl>r p^-nce ?
6$ A SURV£Y OF THE
rogatives of the fovereign, and all proportion was thus annihilated between the duty of go- ▼crnors and their power.
Becaufe defpots feeling their weaknefs, dreaded all thofc circumftances that developed the force of nations, and made it their fludy to attenuate it.
Becaufe nations, eftranged from each other by the pTcju-dice of ignorance and the feroci- ty of hatred, feconded the perverfity of go- vernments, and employing a (landing force for reciprocal offence, aggravated their fiavc-
Becaufe, in proportion as the balance be- tween Hates was broken, it became eafy for the llrong to overwhelm the weak.
Becaufe, in proportion as flate became blended with Hate, the people were ftripped of their lavrs, their cufloms, every thing by which they v/ere difHnguifhed from each other, and thus loil the great mover feliiihnefs which gave them energy.
And defpots, confidering empires in the light of domains, and the people as their pro- perty, abandoned themfelves to depredations and the hcentioufnefs of the mofl arbitrary au- thority.
And all the force and wealth of nations were converted into a fupply for individual. cxpence and perfonal caprice ; and kings,, in the wearifomnefs of fatiety, followed the dic- tates of every facfitious and depraved taile.*
* u^nd k}ngs followed the d\6tates of every depraved iaft. It is ct|:u!ly worthy remark, that tlie condu<5l and man-
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 6q
They mud have gardens conflrufted upon *irches, and rivers carried to the lumniit of mountains; for them fertile fields mud: be changed into parks for deer, lakes formed where there was no water, and rocks elevated in thofe Jakes ; they mud have palaces con- dru<5t:ed of marble and porphyry, and the fur- niture ornamented with gold and diamonds. Millions of hands were thus employed in de- rile labours; and the luxury of princes being imitated by their parafites, anddefcendingdep bj dep to the lowed ranks, became a gene- ral fource of corruption and impovcriflimcnt. And the ordinary tributes being no longer adequate to the infatiablc third of enjoyment, they were augmented: the confcquencc of which was, that the cultivator finding his toil increafe without any indemnity, lod his cou- rage: the merchant feeing himfelf robbed, took a difgud toindudry; the multitude con-
ners of princes,and kings of every country and every age, are found to be precifcly the fame at iiaiiiar periods whe- ther of the formation or diffolution of empires. HifK-)- ry every where prefents the fame pi<5lures of luxury and folly ; of parks, gardens, lakes, rocks, palaces, furniture, c X cefs of the tabic, wine, women, concluding with brutality. The abfurd rock in the garden ofVerfailles has alone cofl: three millions. I have fomctimes calculated what might have been done with the expence of the three py- ramids of Gizah, and I have found that it would eafily have conrtrudted, from the Red Sea to Alexandria, a ca- nal 1 50 feet wide, and 30 deep, completely covered in with cut ftones and a parapet, tog^her with a fortified and commercial town confifting of four hundred houf«?^> fnrnilhed with cilterns. What difference in point of utility between fach a canal and thefe pyramids?
70 A SURVEY OF THE
demncd to a flate of poverry, exerted them- Iclvcs no farther than the procurement of ne- ceil^.ries required, and every fpecies of pro- du<5live ii<fciviiv was at a ftand.
And the furcharge cf taxes rendering tlie poilefiion of hinds burthenfome, the humble ]:Toprietor abandoned his field, or fold it to the man of opulence : and the mafs of wealth centered in a few individuals. As the laws ;^nd inftitutions favoured this accumulation, nations were divided into a fmall body of in- dolent rich, and a multitude of mercenai-y poor. The people reduced to indigence, de- bafcd themfeives; the great cloyed with fu- perfiuity, became depraved; and the number of citizens interelled in the prefervatlon of the (late decreallng, its ftrcngth and exillence were by fo m.uch the more precarious.
In another view, as there was nothing to excite emulation or encourage inftru(ftion, the minds of menf'^ funk into profound igno- rance.
The adminiftration of aiiairs being fecret and myfterious, there exiiied no means of re- form or hope of better times : and as the chiefs ruled only by violence and fr.md, the people confidered them but as a facfhcn of public ene-r mies, and ail harmony between the governed and the governors was at an end.
The iratcs of opulent Afia become enerva- ted by all thefe vices, it happened at length H|: that the vagrant and poor inhabitants of the deferts and the mountains adjacent, coveted the enjoyments of the fertile plains, and inlH-
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. ^I
gated by a common cupidity, they attacked l^olilhed empires, and overturned the thrones ofdefpots. Such revolutions were rapid and eafy, becaufe the policy of tyrants had enfee- bled the citizens, razed the fortrelTcs, deilroy- cd tlie v/arHke fpirit of refiftance, and becaufe t tie opprelTed fubject was witliout pcrfonal in- tcrefl, ^nd the mercenary foldicr without cou- rage.
Ijordes of barbarians having reduced whole nations to a (late of flavery, it followed that empires, formed of a conquering and a van- quiihed people,, united in ihefr bofom two ciafks of men elTentially oppoiitc and inimi- cal to each oiher. All the principles of foci- ety were diflblved. There was no longer ei- ther a common iriercll:, or public fpirit: on the contrary, a dillindion of cafls and condi- tions was eitablifhed, that reduced the main- tenance of difordcr to a regular fyitcm; and accordin,Q;iy as a man was descended from this or that blood, he vras born vaffal or tyrant, live ilock or proprietor.
The oppreiTors being in this f;ife lifj numerous than the cppreircd, it became necef- fary, in order to fupport this falfe equilibri- um, to bring ihe fcience of tyranny to perfeoti- 051. The art of governing was now nothing- more tlian that of fubjecting the many to the icw, I'o obtain an obedience' fo contrary \o inuin<rt, it was necejQary to eftablifl-r the ir.olL uvere penalties; and tlic ciuehy of the 1 iws rendered the manners atro.cious. Ih:: iWiAntC ■ ' '' perfons alio eilabli thing in the
7^ A SURVE7 OF THE
{late two codes of juflicc, twofpecies of rights? the people, placed between the natural incli- nations of their hearts and the oath they were obliged to pronounce, had two contradi£lory confciences; and their ideas of juft and unj'afi: had no longer any foundation in the under- handing.
Under fuch a fyllem the people fell into a llate of depreffion and defpair ; and ihe acci- dents of nature increafmg the preponderance of evil, terrified at this groupe of calamities they referred the caufes of them to fup/erior and inyifible powers : becaufe they had tyrants upon earth, they fuppofed there to be tyrants in heaven ; and fuperilition cam-c in aid to ag- o;ravate the difaflers of nations.
Hence originated gloomy and mifantliropic fyflems of religion, w^hich painted the Gods malignant and envious like hum.an defpots.
To appeafe them, man offered the facrifice of all his enjoyments, puniflied himfelf with privations, and overturned the laws of nature. Confidering his pleafures as crimes, his fuf- fcfings as expiations, he endeavoured to che- rifn a pafTios for pain, and to renounce felf- love; he perfecuted his feufcs, detelfed his life, and by a felf-dcnylng and unfociul lyflem of morals, nations were plunged in the ilug- Giifiinefs of death.
But as Drovident nature had endowed the htart of man with inexhauflible hope., perceiv- ing his defires difappointed of hr.ppinefs htre, he purfaed it elfevvh^^re; by a fweet iilufion, he formed to himfelf another country, an afy-
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. '] '^
him, where, out of the reach of tyrants, he ihould regain ail his rights. Hence a new dif- ordcr arofc. Smitten with his imaginary- world, man defpifcd the world of nature, for chi- merical hopes he negle£led the reality. He no longer confidcred his life but as a fatiguc- ing journey, a painful dream; his body..as a prifon that withheld him from his felicity; the earth as a place of exile and pilgrimage, which he difdained to cultivate. A facred floth then cihibliilied itfelf in the world; \S\t fields were defertcd, wade lands increafed, empires were difpcopled, monuments neglect- ed, aiid every where ignorance, fuperllition and fuiaticiim, uniting their baleful eliefts, multiplied devallations and ruins.
Thus, agitated by their own pnffions, men, whether in their individual capacity or as col- leiftive bodies, always rapacious and improvi- dent, pafling from tyranny to ilavery, from pride to abjeCtnefs, from prefumptlon to de- fpdr, have been themfelves the eternal inftru- mcnts of their misfortunes.
Such was the fimplicity of the principles that regulated the fate of ancient dates; fuch was the feries of caufes and elTecls, confecu- tive and connected with each other, according to which they rofe or fell in the fcale of hu- man welfire, juil as the phyfical caufes of the human heart were therein obfcrved or in- fringed. A hundred divers nations, a hun- dred powerful empires in their inceilant vicif- fitudcs have read again and again thefe in-
G
74 A SURVEY OF THE
iMiiftivc lefibns to mankind. ... And tliefc IciTuns are miitc and forgotten! The difeafes of pail times have appeared again in the pre- fent! The heads of the diulnxiit p-overnments
o
have pra-ilifed again without reftraint, explo- ded projeclis of deceptiooi and defpotifra! The people have wandered as before in the laby- rinths of fuperilition and ignorance!
And what, added the Genius, calling up liis ., energies afrefli, is the confcquence of all this? 1 Since experience is ufelefs, fnice fahitary ex- amples are forgotten, die feenes which were ^.Ctcd before are now ali^iit to be renewed ; re- volutions will again agitate people and em- pires; powerful thrones will, as before, be overturned; and terrible cataftrophes remind tlie human fpecies, that the lav.s of nature and liie precepts of Vvifdom and truth cannot be trampled en in vain.
;--»acacS3'T?!^i;^l:'36S;S«»aB"
CHAF. XIL
!-.£SbONS TAUGHT BY ANCIKNT, REPEATED IN MODERN TIMJ^fif
J*
T
An this manner did the Genius addrefs me.
Struck with the reafonablenefs and coherence
of.his diiccurie, and a multiplicity of ideas
croudin^ upon my mind, which, wnile itvcy
thwarted my habits, led my judgement at ti e
iame tune captive, I remained abibrbed m*
trcfound lilence. Meanwhile, as in this ibm-
REVOLUTIOx\^S OF EMPIRES. 75
hrc and thoughtful difpontion I kept my eyes fixed upon Afiii, clouds of iinoke and of flames at the north, on the fnores of the Black Sea, and in the iields of the Cnmea, fuddcnly at- tra£led my attention. They appeared to ai- ccnd at once from every part of the peninfuki, and pailmg by the iflhmus to the cf^ntinent, they purfued their courfe, as if driven by an cailerly v/ind, along the miry lake of Afoph, and were loll in the verdant plains of the Co- ban. Obferving more attentively tlie couric of thefe clouds, I pcrccivcfdthat they were pre- ceded or followed by fwarms of living beings, which, like ants dlilurbed by the foot of a paffenger, were in lively aolion. Sometimes they feemed to move towards and rulii againil each other, and numbers al'ter the concuHion remained motionlefs. Difquietcd at this fpcc- tacle, I was endeavouring to dillinguiih the objecls, when the Genius laid to me: Do you fee thofe iires which fpread over the earrh, f and are you acquainted vvith their caufcs and effects? — O Genius, I replied, I fee columns of flame and fmxoke, and as it v/ere infcdls th at- accompany them; but discerning with diiii- cuity, as I do, the mafies of towns andmonu^ ments, how can I'dillinguiih fuch petty crcc;- . -turcs? I can fee nothing more than that thefe jnfe<[ls feem to carry on a fort of mock battles; they advcince, they approach, they attack, theypurfuc. — It is no mockery, faid the Ge- nius, it is the thing itfelf. — And what name, replied I, Ihall we give to thefe fooliih ani- malcula? that deilroy each other? Do they
70 A SURVEY or THE
live only for a day, and is this fliort life fur- ther abridged by violence and murder? Tlie Genius then once more touched my eyes and T?iy ears. Liiien, faid he, to me, and obferve. —Immediately, turning my eyes in the fame direction, alas! faid I, tranfpierced with an- guiili^ thcfe columns of fiamx, thefe infecls, O Genius! they are men, and the ravages of war! Thefe torrents of flame afcend from towns and villages fet on fire! I fee tliehorfe- jnen that light them. I fee them, fword in hand, ovcr-rim the country. Old men, wo- !nen and children, in confufed multitudes, f y before them. I fee other horfemen, w^ho, with their pikes upon their ilioulders, accom- pany and direct them : I can even dillinguifa ])y their led horfes, by their kalpaks^ and by their tufts of hair,* that they are Tartars; 2.vA without doubt thofe who purfue them in triangular hats and green uniforms are Muf- covites. I unckrfland the whole: I perceive that the war has juft broken out afrefh be- tv/een the empire of the Czars and the Sub
tans. Not yet, replied the Genius; this is
only the prelude: thefe Tartars have been
'■^' By ihtir led horfes^ is'c. A Tartar horfcraan has al- ways two horfes, of which he leads one in hand. . . .The kalpak i3 a bonnet made of the fldn of a flieep or other a- niraai. The part of the head covered by this bonnet is fhaved, with the exception of a tuft, about the fize of a crown piece and which is fuifered to grow to the length of feven or eight inches, preclfely where our priefts place their tonfure. It is by this tuft of hair, worn by the ma- jority of MiifTulmans, that the angel of the tomb is to take the eled and carry them into Paradife.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 77
and would ilill be troublefome neighbours ; they lire ridding themfelves of them. Their country is an obje6i: of convenience to their lefs unciviHzed enemies; it rounds and makes complete their dominions; and as thefirlHlep in the projeci: that has been conceived, the throne of the Guerais is overtiu-ned.
In reaHty I faw the Ruffian flag hoiftcd over -the Crimea, and their veiTels fcattered upon the Euxine.
Meanwhile, at the cries of the fugitive Tartars, the MuffuJman empire was in commo- tion, " Our brethren,'' exclaimed the chil- dren of Mahomet, "are driven from their '• habitations ; the people of the prophet are " outraged; infidels are in polleffion of a con- " fecrated land,^ and profane the tem.ples of " Illanifm! Let us arm ourfelves to avenge '' the glory of God and our own caule.
A general pre|xiratioa for war then took place in the two empires. Armed men, pro- vilions, ammunition and all the murderous ac- coutrements of battle were every where aiTem- bled. My attention was particularly attra<^- ed by the immenfe crowds that in cither na- tion thronged to the temples. On one tide
G2
* Injideh are in the poffcffion of a cotifecrotcd loud. It is not in the power of the fultan to c<:.aQ to a foreign pow- er a province inhabited by true believers. The people, in- fligii-xl by the lawyers, would not fail to revolL Tiiis is one reafon which has led thofe who know the Turks, to regard as chimerical the ceding of Candia, Cyprus and. Egypt, projeded by certain European potenuitcs.
7? A SURVEY OF THE
the MuffulmansaiTembled before theirmofqties^ wailied their hands and feet, pared their nails, and combed their beard: then fpreading car- pets upon tire ground, and turning them- ielves towards the fouth, with their armsfome- tiines crolTed and fometimes extended, they performed their genuflections and proftrations. Reco]le<fting the diiallers they had experien- ced during the lad war, they cried :
" God of clemency and pity, haft thou then abandoned tlly faithful people? Why doil thou, who has promifed to thy prophet the do- minion of nations, and fignalized religion by i'o many triumphs, deliver up true believers to the fwe)rd of infidels?" And the Imans and the San tons faid to the people: " It is the challifement of your fms. You eat pork, you drink wine, you touch things that are unclean: God has puniilied you. Do penance; purify yourfelves; fay your creed;* fall from the ri- iing of the fun to its fetting; give the tenth of your floods to the mofques; go to Mecca, and Godwin make your arms viclorious." Then aiTuming courage, the people gave a general jQiout. ' " There is but one God," faid they, in a tranfport of rai^e, " and Mahomet is his ^- prophet! accurfed be everyone thatberiev- " eth not!, . . .Indulgent God! grant us the " favour to exterminate tbefe Chrilrians : it * • is for tl>y glory v/e light, and by our death '■ we are martyrs to thy name."— And ha-
'■ T'hcr.e ic^but one God, and Mahomet 13 his prophet.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 79
ving offered facriliccs, they prepared theni- felves for battle.
On the other h?aid, the Ruillans on their knees exclaimed:- " Let us give thanks to " God, and celebrate his power: he has " flrengthened our arm to humblehis enemies. " Beneficent God! iiicline thine car to our " prayers. To plcafe thee we will for three " days eat neither meat nor eggs. Permit " us to ^exterminate thefe impious Mahomet- *' ans, and overthrow their empii-e^ aud we " will give ihec the tenth of the.fpoii, and " trcCc new temples to thy honour." The prieds then filled the churches with fmoke, and fa Id to the people: ^' Vv"e pray for you, " and God accepts our incenfe, aiid bleiTcs *' your arms. Continue to fad and to fight; " tell us the faults vou have fecrctlv commit- " ed; bedow your goods on the church; we " will abfolve you of your fins, and vou diail " die m a date of grace.'' And they fprink- led water en the people, didributed among them little bones of departed faints to ferve as amulets and taliiiuans; and tlic people breathed nothing but war and dedruction..
• Struck with this con trading picture of the fam.e pailions, and lamenting to myiclf their pernicious coniequences, I was rtflcfting on the diiiiculty the common judge v/ould -iiiKi in- complying vvith fuch oppoiite demands, when the Genius, from an impulfe of anger vehe- mently exclaimed :
What madnefs is this which drike;. my car? What blind and f:.:d inianity podedes the
?,0 A SURVEY or TH*
human mind? SLicrilegious prayers, return to the; earth from whence you caniel Ye con- cave heavens, repel thei'e murderous vow:r, thefe impious thankfgivings! Is it thus, O man, you worlliip the Divinity ? And do you think that he, whom you call Father of all, can receive with comiplaifance the homage of free-booters and murderers? Ye conquerors, with what fentiments does he behold your arms reeking with blood that he has created? Ye conquered, what hope can you place in ufelefs moans? Is he a man that he Ihoukl change, or the fon of man that he (liould repent ? Is he governed like you by vengeance and compafhon, by rage and by wearinefs? Bafe idea, how much unworthy of the Being of beings ! Hear thefe men, and you would imaoiinc that God is a beim^ capricious and
O O a.
mutable; that now he loves, and now he hates ; that he chaftifes one, and indulges another ; that hatred is engendered and nou- rifhed in his bofom ; that he fp reads fnares for men, and delights in the fatal clie6ls of imprudence ; that he permits ill, and punifli- es it ; that he forefees guik, and acquiefces ; that he is to be bought with gifts like a par- tial judge ; that he reverfes his edi<fts like a-n undifcerning defpot ; that he gives and re- vokes liis favours becaufe it his will, and is to be appeafed only by ferviiity like a favage tyrant. I now completely underfland what is the deceit of mankind, who have pretended that God m.adc man in his own image, and who have really made God in theirs ; who.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 8i
have afcribed to him their weaknels, their errors, and their vices : and in the conclufjon, furpriled at the contradiflory nature of their own affertions, have attempted to clokc it with hypocritical humiUty, and the pretend- ed impotence oi' human rcafo]!, calling the dehrium of their own undcrlbiiidings the fa- cred myderies of heaven.
They have fai<i, God is without variablcnefs and they pray to him to cha;Ai;e. They have laid that he is inconiprehc'iublc, ind ihey have undertaken to be iuleiprcier.; of his will.
A race of impoflors has made its appear- ance upon the earth, who, pretending to be in the coniidence of God, and taking upon thTmfelves the office of indr acting the people, have ooened the flood-Cfatcs of falfehood and iniquity. They have affixed merit to a(5i:ions which either rtrc indiiTerent or abfurd. They have digiiiiied witli the appcliacion of virtue the obfervance of certain uuCcares, and the repetition of certain "\."oni3 rmd t: -^.mes. They have taught the impiety of eating cerWiia meats on certain days riih jr than on othcr.'^. It is thus the Jew would fooner die than work on the iabbath. It is thus the Perfraii would endure fufFocation before he would blow the fire with his breath. It is thus the Indian places fupreme perfection in fmcaring himfelf with cov/-dung, and myfleriouily pro- nouncing the word Awn*, It is thus the
* Pronounchir m'^jlerioujly the ivord Ainu. This word is in thq religion of the Hindoos a facred emblem of the Divinity. It is only to be proaounced in fecrei,
82 A SURVEY OF THE
Mufiulmim iK^Iieves himfelf piirilicd from all Ills fms by the ablution of his head aad liis r.rms ; and difputes, fabre in hand, whether lie ought to begin the ceremony at the elbow* cr the points of his fingers, ir is thus the Chrifiian would believe himfelf damned, were he- to eat the juice of animul food inflead of milk or bulter. What fub lime and truly ce- leilial do6lrines! What purity of morals, and how v-orthy of apoillediip and martyrdom ! I Vvnti crofs the feas to teach thefe admirable laws tp favage people and diftant nations. I will fay to them : " Children of nature, how " long will you wander in the paths of igno- '' ranee ? How long will you be blind to the ""' true principles of morality and religion ? '' Vifit civilized nations, and take IciTons of " pious and learned people. They will tea.ch '- you, that, to pleafe God, you muit in ccr-
wlthout beino beard by any one. It is formed of three letters, of which the firfi:, a, figinifies the principle of all, the Creator, Brama; the fecond,, tt, the confervator, \'ichenou; and the laft, ?«- the dedro^'-er who puts an e':d to ;d], Chiven. It is pronounced hke the monofyl- i .ble om, and • expreffes the unity of thofe three Gods. 'J'he idea is precifely that of the Alpha and Omega men- tioned in the New redaraent.
* Whether he ought to begin the ceremony at the elboiv, l^c. I'his is one of the grand points of fchifm between the partizans of Omar and thofe of AH. Suppofe two Mahometans to meet on a journey and to accoft eacli other with brotherly aiie^51ion : the liour of prayer ar- rives ; one begins his ablution at his fingers, the other at^ the elbow, and infhmtlvthey are mortal enemies, O iub- linie importance of religious opinions! O profound i>hi- lofophy of the «.uthors of them !
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPlRtS. 83
" tciin months of the year faint all day with " hunger and thiril. They vfiW teach you " how you may ilied • the blood of your " neighbour, and purify 3X)urfc:lves from the " llaiii, by repeatino^ a profclTion of faith, " and m.aking a methodical ablution: how «' you may rob him of his goods and bc~ab- '' folvcd from the guilt by flmring thnn with "^ certain perfons, v>ho(e profellion it i? to " lite in idknti's upon the labour of others."
Sovereign and myftcrious ' power of the Univerfe! fecret Mover of nature! univcrfal Soul of every thing that lives! infinite and in- compreheniiblc Being, whom., under fo many forms, mortals have ignorantly vorfhip}>ed! Cod, who in the immenfity of the heavens doif guide revolving worlds, arfd people the abyfs of fpace v»ith mJUions of luns: fay, what appearance do thofe human infecls, wliich I can with dilTicuky diftinguiih upon the earth, make in thy eyes? When thou direif^eit- the Ihirs in their orbits, what to thee are tlie w^orms that crawl in the dull? Of what im- portance to thy infinite greatnefs* are their diftincftion of fecTrs and parties? And how art thou concerned with the fubtleties engender- ed by their folly?
And you, credulous men, fliew^ me the clT)c?.cy of your prafticcs ! During the many ages that you have obferved or altered them, wliut diange hcive your prrfjypi ions \v)T,ugIit in th^ laws of nature ? Tlas the fun {I:one villi gixatcT biiliiance? Has the courfe of the kafons at all varied? Is the earth more
§4 '^ SURVEV OF THE
fruitful, arc the people more happy? If God is good, how -can he be pleafed with your penances? If he is infinite, what can your homage add to his glory? Inconfiltcnt men, anfwer thefe qucflions!
Yc conquerors, who pretend by your arms to ferve God, what need has he of your aid? If he wiflics to punilli, are not earthquakes, volcanos, and the thunderbolt in his hand? And does a God of clemency know no other way of correcting but by extermination ?
Ye MuiTulmans, if your misfortunes were the chaflifements of heaven for the violation of the the Jive precepts^ would profperity be ihowered on the Franks who laugh at thefe things? If it is by the laws of the Koran that God judges the earth, Vvhat ^^'cre the princi- ples by which he governed the nations that exiiled before the prophet; the numerous peo- ple wdio drank wine, ate pork, and travelled not to Mecca, yet to whom it was given to raife powerful empires? By what laws did he judge the Sabeans of Nineveh and of Baby- ion; the Perfian, v/lio worlliipped fire; the Greek and Roman idolaters; the ancient king- dom.s of the Nile, and your ov/n progenitors, the Arabs and Tartars? How does he at pre- fcnt judge the various nations that are igno- rant of your woriliip, the numerous cafls of Indians, the vail empire of the Chinefe; the fwarthy tribes of Africa, the Iflandcrs of the Atlantic Ocean, the colonies of America?
FrefLimptuous and ignorant men, who ar- rogate to yourfclves the whole earth, y/cre
REroI.UTIONS OF EMPIRES. b
i
God to fummon at once all p'Afl and prcfcnt generations, what portion would thole Chrif- tian and MulTuhiian Iccis, calling themfelves imiverfal^ bear in the vafc alTemblagei^ Whaf: \^ould be the judgment of his fair and impar- tial juRice refpe6ting the aftual mafs of man- kind ? It is in eiHmiiting the general fyftem of his government that you wander among multiplied abfurdilies ; and it is there that, in reality, truth prcfents itfelf in all its evidence. It is there that wx trace the fimple but pow- erful laws of nature and reafon; the laws of the common mover, the general caule; of a God impartial and juil:, wlio xhcX he might (cvid. his rain upon a country, afks not who is fophet; who caufes his um equally to Ihine on all tribes of m.en, whether diftinguiih- cd by a fair or a fable complexion,- on the Jew as on the Mulmlman, on the Chrifrian as on the Heathen; who multiplies the inhabit- ants of every country with Vv4iom order and induflry reign: ^vho gives pro^lsriLV to . every empire v/here juilice is obferved, where the powerful is retrained, and the poor man , protected by tiie lav-rs; where the weak lives ^ in fafety, and where all enjoy the right*; which ^ they derive from nature and an equitable npa6i:.
'"^,. '\ are the principles by which nation*;
:d ! This is the true rciigic^i i:y which
'e^-- s is regulated, and which,
V T decided that of yoin-
j.iie your anceilors;
ii
S6 A .SURVEY OF TrfE
them by what means they rofe to greatnefs, V, litn, idol'fiters, few in number and poor, they came from the defcrts of Tartary to encamp in thefe fertile countries ! Aik them if it was by lilamifm, at that period unknown to them, that theyconquered the Greeks and Arabs; or by their courage, prudence, moderation and unanimity, the true pov. ers of the focial Hate. Then the Suhan himfclf adminiitered jullice and m.aintaincd order : then the prevaricating judge and the rapacious governor Vv^ere pun- iihed, and the mukitude hved ineafe:the cultivator was fecure from the rapine of the janizary, and the fiekis were produ<5iive: tlie pubHc roads were fafe, and commerce fiourilh- ed. It is true you vrerc a league of robbers, but among yourfelves you Vv'cre juft. You fubjugated nations, but you did not opprefs them. Vexed by their own princes, they preferred being your tributaries. " Of what ^' importance is it to me, faid the Chriilian, " whether my nradcr^be pleafed with images ^' or breaks them in pieces, provided he is '' juil towards rac ? God will judge his doc- '^ trine in heaven." You were temperate *ind hardy; your enemies foft and effeminate: you were Hvilled in the art of battle ; they had forgotten its principles : you had experi- enced chiefs, v/arlike and difciplined troop-, ; the hope p^ booty excited ardour ; bvavcry Vs'as recompenfed ; difobedience and cowardice punifiied ; and all the fprings of the human heart were hi action. You thus conquered a
KLVMLXJTIO^^S O? EMPIRES. Sy
hundred nations, and out of the mafs found- ed an immenfe empire.
But other manners fucceeded. The laws of nature, however, did not lefs operate in your misfortunes than in your profperity. — You defrroycd your enemies, and your grafp- ing ambition, dill in force, prayed upon your- felves. Having become rich, you commenced an internal conted refpecting the divifion and the enjoyment of your riches, and diforder Avas generated through every clafs of your fociety. The Sukan, intoxicated with his greatnefs, mifundcrflood the object of his fun(5^ions, and all the vices of arbitrary power prcftntly unfolded themfelves. Meeting with nc obllacle to his defires, he became a depraved character. Weak, and arrogant at the fiime time, he fpurned the people, and would no longer be influenced and dire.ll:cd by their voice. Ignorant, and yet flattered, he neglc(5led all infiru^lion, all iludy, and funk^ into total incapacity. Become himfeL^ un- qualified for the conduct of affairs, he com.mit- ted the truil to hirelings, and thefe hirelings deceived him. To fatisfy their own pafTioiis,' they (limulatcd and increafed his; they mul- tiplied his vrants, and hh enormous luxury devoured every thing. He wiis no longer content with the frugal table, tlie modefuat- tir^, and the/impleliabitaiionof hisancdlors: :' the earth and lea muft he cxhauiled to latif- : iy his pride ; Jcarce f 'xlv:d from
the pole, and coil' |ua(or:
he confumed at a me*t; Uiv- Ui^
uS A SURVEY OF TH|i
?iid in a day the risvenue of a province. He ])ecanie infefted -^.vith an army of women, eu- nuchs, and courtiers. He was told that tiie virtue of kings confnled in liberality; and the munificence and treafures of the people Tvere delivered into the hands of parafites. In imi- ration of the mailer, the fiaves were aifo dtd- rou2 ofiiaving magniiicent holifes, furniture of biiquifite vvcrknianlhip, carpets richly em- broidered, 'vsifes of gold and filver for the vi- jeil ufes; and all the wealth of the empire was -wallowed up in the S-^rai,
To fupply this inordinate luxury liie davcs and the women fold their influence: and vc- nahty introduced a general depravation. They fold the favour of the prince to the Yifci, and the Yikr fold the empire. They fold the law to the Cadi, and the Cadi fold juilicc. They fold the altar to the priell, and the prieil fold xie-aven. And gold obtaining every thing, nothing was left unpraftifed to obtain gold. "For gold, friend betrayed friend ; the child liis father; the iervaift his mailer; the wife her honour; tke merchant his confcience ;- and there no longer exifled in thefLUte cither ':;ood fliith, manners^ concord, or ftability.
The Pacha, who piirchafed his ofTiGe, pre-. i^ntlY had reccurie to the iyflcm of farming '<: for a revenire, and exercifing upon it every fpecies of extortion. He fold the colleclfion of the taxes, the command of the troops, the acniinirtration of the diliricls; and in propor- ■ion as every employment was temporary, ra- Dine, dilmiins: itielf irom rank ''■ - ■'\.. -
Rr.'^LUTIONS OT EMPIRi;?,. 89
j-apid arid j^rccipitate. The excifemrai op- preiTedthc merchant by his exactions, and trade ^vas iiiinihiiated. The Aga flript the liuf- bandman, and cakivation was degraded. ^ The labourer robbed- of his h"ttle capiuil, had not wherewith to fow his field : taxes ncverthelefs became due, and he was unable to pay them ; he WMS threatened with corporal purjifhmeiit, [■id driven to the expedient of a loan : fpecie, ;r want of fecurity, was vrithdrawn from cir- culation; the interefl of money became enor- mous, and ufury. aggravated the mifery of the poor.
-Inclemient feafons, periods- of dearth, had rendered the harvells abortive, but povern- ment would neither forgive nor poflpoijc i ; demands. Diflrefs began its career : a part of the inhabitants of the villaws took refupe in the cities ; the burthen upon thofe that
mained became greater, their ruin v/as cen- , ;;nmated and the country depopulated.
Driven to the lail extreinity by tyranny and infult, certain villages broke out into rebellion. The Pacha confidcred tlie event as a fubje^t of rejoicing ; he made vrar upon M-.^m, took their houfes by florm, ranfacked leir goods, and carried olflheir cattle. The
■ became a defert, and he exclaimed : '-V^hat care I ; I fiiall be ]-emoved from it "^- u)-morrow."
Yet a'^.iin, the want of cultivaHon led
;. Periodical rain hveijilr*-
:lowed the banks and covered tlie
T-T n
C;e A SURVEY OF TI^
country with fwamps; thefe fw^Pmps exlialed ii putrid air, which fpread chronical difcafes, peftilence, and fickncfs of a thoufand forms, and was followed by a ftill farther difeafe of population, by penury and ruin.
Oh! who can enumerate all the evils of this tyrannical fyflem of government !
vSometimes the Pachas make war of them- felves, and, to avenge their perfonal quarrels, provinces are laid wafle. Sometimes, dread- ing their mailers, they aim at independence, and dravv^ upon their fubje^ls the chaftifemeiit of their revolt. Sometimes, fearing thefc very fubjecfts, they call to their aid and keep in pay foreign troops, and to be fure of them, they indulge them in every kind of robbery. In one place, they commxnce an aciion againfl a rich man, and plunder him upon falfe pre- tences. In another, they fuborn witneiTcs, and impofe a iine for an imaginary offence. On all cccafions they excite the hatred of feci:s againil each other, and' encourage in- formations for the fake of increafmg their own corrupt advantages. They extort from men their property; they attack their per- fons; and v;hen their imprudent avarice has heaped into one mafs the i^iches of a province, the fupreme government, v/ith execrable per- iidy, pretending to avenge the oppreffed in- ]ra]:>itants, draws to itfclf their fpoil in; the ipoil ol: the culprit, and wantonly and vainly ^' expiate in blood the crime ;6f which it Tvas ■f!cif the accomplice. '-^
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 9I
O iniquitous beings, fovereigns or miniflcrs, who fport with the life and property of the people! was it you who gave breath to man, that you take it from him? Is it you who fer- tihzc the earth, that you diiTipate its fruits? Do you fatigue your arms with ploughing the field? Do you expofe yourfelves to the heat of the fun, and endure the torment of thirfl in cutting down the harvefl and binding it into Hieaves? Do you watch like the Ihepherd in the nocturnal dew? Do you traverfe dcferts like the indefatioable merchant? Alas! when 1 have refle6i:ed on the cruelty and infolcncc of the powerful, my indignation has been roufed, and I have fliid in my anger: What! will there never appear upon the earth a race of men who ihall avenge the people and punifh tyrants! a fmall number of robbers devour the multitude, and the multitude fulFer them- felves to be devoured! O degraded people, awake to the recognition of your rights! au- thority proceeds from you, yours is all the' power. Vainly do kings command you in the name of God and by their lance: foldi^ers, obey not the fummons. Since God fupports the Sultan, your fuccour is ufelefs; fmce the fword of heaven fuitices him, lie has no need of yours ; let us fee what he can do of himfelf. The foldiers have laid down their arms; and lo, the mailers of the world are as feeble as die meanefl of their fubje^ls! Ye people, know then that thofe who govern you arc your chiefs and nq.t your mailers ; your guar- dians appointed b^^yourfclves, and not your
t-)2 A SURVEY OF THIL
proprietors; that your Vvealth is your own, and to you they ^re accountcible for the ad- miiiiitration of it; that kings or fubjecls, God has made ali men equal, and no human being has a right to opprefs his fellow-creatures.
But this nation and Its chiefs aclaiowledge not thefe facred truths. . - . Be it fo; they Vvill fuller the ccnfequences of their error. — The decree is gone forth; the day approaclies when this coloiliis of power fliaU be dafhed to pieces, and fall crufiiQd by its own wxiglit. Yes, I fwear by the ruins of fo many dcmol- i filed em.pires, that the crefcent fliall undergo i.he fame fate as the fcates whofe mode of go- vernment it has irnita.ted! A foreign people fnaU drive the Stultans fi-orn their metropolis ; the throne of Orkhan fliail be fubvefted ; the but ihoot of hisrace fliall be cut oit; and the horde of the Oguzians,* deprived of their chief, fliairbc difperfed like that of the Nogi- ■^■.v\. in this diliblution the fubiects of the e\npii-e, freed from the yoke that held them together, will refume their ancient diflinfiions, and a general anarchy take place, as happen- ed in the empire' of the Sophis,t till there fiiall arife amono- the Arabs, the Armenians, or the Greeks, legiilators who fhall form new ftaLcs,
> The ho:- Js of Cgu%ii'ii:. Before tin; Turks tooK the name of their chief Cthraan I. they bore that of Ogu- zians : and it ^^ as under this ap])elhitior! that they v.'cre driven out of IVru'ry by Gen^^isj.and can^e from the b'jid-:-; of Glhoan ic fettle theiiilelves in Anatolia.
-j- A general vjianly^- tahe plaet.. ns happened it: the ■' ■■- y':ri: of the SopUs. In Periii^ lifter \\xi (^^x-^ cf Thaiv::. - iloui;:;aii, eachprovinc. hud its ' . . i ij: Ibr^v yf.:ir
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. o-J
Oh.! werv"! a ikgacious and hardy race of men to be found, what iriatcriais of greatnefs and calory are here ! . . . . But the hour of delliny is arrived. The cry of war llrikes my ear, and the catailrophe is about to commence! In vain the Sultan draws out his armies; his ig- norant foldiers are beaten and fcattered. In vain lie calls upon his fuhjecls ; their hearts are callous; his fubie<^.> I'cply : " It is decreed ; " and what is it to us who is to be our nipf- '* ter? we cannot lofc by tlis cliange/* In vain thcfe true believers invoke heaven and ihe prophet, the prophet is dead, and heaven v/ithout pity anAvers: " Ceafc to call upon " me. You are the authors of your calam:- "^ tics, find yourfelves their remedy. Natur::: ' •• has efl'abiifhed laws, it becomes you to Drac- " tife them. Examine and reflect upon the '* events that take place, and profit by expe^i " riencc. It is the folly of man that wwk; '^ his dcitruclion ; it is h1^ wlfdom that mud *^ fave him. The people are ignorant; let them g^i underilanding; their chiefs are depraved; let them correct their vices and amend their iivcG, for fuch is- the dec: ^ nature: K^incc ike evils of fociety Jlow fro?n "'' ignorance and liwrdinate dcfire^ men ivill ne- ^^ ver ceaTe io he tormented, till tkey Jhall beco/V? ' inielUgc-nt and w'fe ; t 'ill they Jhall praclifc the art of jnftice^ founded on a knoi^dedge of
C6
4C
ii
''lefc ciiicrs v/erc in a coriflant Hcite of war. In lii-s Mcv/ the Turks do not f ly without rc.ifon : " Ten years-, - (•;" a tyrart are Icfs doltrudivc tlian ii fingle ni^ht oi'
94 A SUR'VZY Oi< THE
" the ^' CI' ions rdaihns in ivhich they ft and and " the levies of their oiun organizaiiGn.^'^
* A fingulir moral phenomenon made its appearance" in Europe in llie year 1788. A great nation, jealous of its liberty, cont^-;i<5ted a fondnefs tor a n^/tion the enemy of liberty: a nation friendly to the arts for a nation that dctelis them ; a mild and tolerant nation for a perfecuting and fanatic cue; a facial and gay nation for a nation whofe charaderifHc are gloom and miflmthrophy ; in a word, the . French were fmitten with a pafiion for the Turks : they were dcilrous of eagaging in a war for them, and that at a time wlien a revolution in their own country was juft at its commencement. A m'an who perceived the true nature of the lituation.. wrote a book to dilTur.de them from the var i it vas immediately pre- tended tluit he was paid by the government, which in reality willied the war, and fhich was upon the point of {hutting him up in a ftate prifon. Another man w^rote to recommend the war: he v/as applauded, and his word taken in payment for the foience. the politenefs and importance of the Turks. It is true tlvat he believed in his ov/n tliefis, for h-2 had found among them people who call: a nativity, and alchyrnifls who ruined his fortune j x\she found Martiniils at Paris, who enabled him to fup with Scfollris, and Magneiiferc who concluded with de^ (liroylng his exigence. Notv/ithfhmding this, the Turks were beaten by the I^uiTians, and the man vvho then pre- dicted the fr.'I of their empire, perfids in the predidtiorj. The rcfait of this fall v/ill be a conr-lcte change of the poiicicai fyfbm, as far as it relates to the coafl of the Me- ditcri'anean If, however, the French become important in proportion as they beconie free, and if they make uie of the advantage tliey will obtain, their progrels may eafi- ij prove of the moft honourable lort, iniTmuch as, by the \. ife decrees of f?.te, the true intereft of mankind eveimf^r;? accords with their true morality.
CHAP. Xlli.
WILL THE HUMAN RACH Bi: EVE II IN A EKT TER CONDITION THAN AT PRESENT ?
TPRESSED with foiTov%^ at the predic- tions of the Genius and the feverity of his rea- soning: Unhappy nations, cried I, buiiling into tears! Unhappy my own lot! I now de- i'pair of the felicity of man! fnice his evils flow from his own heart, fuice he mufi: himfelf ap- ply the remedy, woe forever to his exiilence ! ' For vv hat can redrain the inordinate defire of the powerful ? who fliall enlighten thc-igno- rancc of the weak ? "Who initnicl- the multi- tude in the knowledo;e of its nights, and forcv; the chiefs to difcharQ^e the duties of their ila- tion! Individual will not ccafe to opprefs indi- vidual, one nation to attack another nation, and never will the day of profperity and glo- ry again dav/n upon thefe countries. Alas! conquerors will come; they \Vill drive avv-ay the oppreiTors, and v/ili cflabliih themfelves in their place ; but. fuccceding to their power, they will fucceed alfo to their rapacity, and the eartli will have chansfed its tyrants vrith- out leiTening the tyranny.
Then turnliig towards the Genius : O Ge- nius! faid T, defpair has taken hold of my • ' : ■'. While you have inlh-uclcd me in th-:- .:..... of man, the depravity of governors, and \\vz abiec1:ners of thof:? who <ire governed, h;.v. . :.:vea luc a diu^ull to life; and iiiicc
CO A SURVEY OF TflE
there is no alternative but to be the accom- plice or the victim of opprelnon, what has the virtuous man to do Liii: to join his aflics to thole of the tombs!
Ihe Genius, fixing rj^on me a lock of feve- rity mixed with compalBon, was filent. Af- ter a few minutes he replied: It is then in dy- ing that virtue-confj^il:^.? The wicked man is indefatio[able in the confimimation of vice, and tlie iuR diiliearrened at the firil obdacle whicii (lands in the way of doinf^: p-ood!.... Bat fuch is die humi^n j'cart: fuccefs intoxicates ic to preiuraption, difappoiniraent dejects and ter- rifies it. Always the viclim of the fenfation of the moment, it judgesnotof things by their nature but by the impulfe of pallion .... Mortal, who deipaireii: of the huaian race, upon what profound calculation of reafonines and events is your judgment formed? Have )'ou fcrutinized the organization of fenii!:>ic beings, to determine v/idi preciiion Vvdicther the forinp-s that incline them to happinefs are weaker than thole wliich renel? or rather, ■"icv. ing at a glance the hidory of the fpecies, f.nd judging of die future by the example of tlie pad, have you hence difcnvered wi:h cer- tainly, that all prvjficiency is impofiible? Let me afR.: Have focieties, nnce their origin, w-iAz no ilep towards iaih-u£li6n and a belter ihue of things? Arc n'en dill in the woods deilitnte of every-ihing., ignorant, hupid and i'rrocioii?? Are there no r; ./ons advanced be- ';■■ / i :i\: rerioJ, 7vhe:i ■ ' _iig was :^i
upon the face of the elobe but lavage lice-
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 97
hooters or favas^e ilaves ? If individuals have at certain times, and in certain places, become better, why lliould not the mafs improve? If particular focieties have attained a confidera- ble degree of perfe(5lion, why lliculd not the progrefs of the general fociety advance? If firfl obftacles have beenovereome, why ihoukl fucceeding ones be infurmoun table? .
But you are of opinion that the human race is degenerating; Guard yourfelf againfl the illufion and paradoxes of mifanthropy. DiiTatisficd with the prcfcnt, man fupj^sofes in the pad a perfedlion which does not cxill, and which is merely the difcoloration of his cha- grin. He praifes the dead from enmity to the living, and employs the bones of the fiithers '-is an inllrument of chaflifement againfl tl^c children.
To ellabliih this principle of a retrograde perfection, it is neceifary that we fliould con- tradi(rt the teflimony of fa£ls and reafon. Nor - is this all ; ihc fads of hiflory might indeed, be equivocal, but it is farther neccflary tliat we Ihould eontradicT: tlie living faft of the na- ture of man; that we Ihould allert tliat He is born v.'ith a perfect fcience in the ufe of his fenfcs ; that, previous to experience he is able to diftinguilli poifon from aliment; that the fagacity of the infant is greater than that of' his be.rdcd progenitor; that the blind jnan can walk Vvith more affu ranee than the man endowed with fight; that man, the creature of civilization, i^lefs favoured bycircumiliinces
>^ I
9$ A SURVEY O? THE
than the caanibal; m a Avord, that there is ii« ti*uth in the exifting gradation of inflruclion and experience.
Young man, beHeve the voice of tombs and the teilimony of monuments. There are countries which have doubtlefs fallen off from ■what they were at certain epochas: but if the undcrftanding were to analyfe thoroughly the wifdom <;f.id felicity of their inhabitants at thofe periods, their glory would be found to have lefs of^-eality than of fplendour; it would be feen that even in the mofl celebrated ftatcs of antiquity, there exifled enormous vices and cruel abufes, the precife caufe of their infla- bility ; that in general the principles of govern- ment were atrocious; that, from people to- people, audacious robbery, barbarous wars, and implacable animolities were prevalent ;* that natural right Vv^as unknown; that moral- ity was perverted by fenfelefs fanaticifm and deplorable fuperilition ; that a dream, a vifion, an oracle, were the frequent occaiion of the mofl terrible commotions. Nations are not perhaps yet free from the power of thcic evils; but their force is at leafh diminifncd, and the experience of pafr times has not been Wildly loll. Within the three laft centuries efpecially the lieht of knowledge has been in- treafed and diiicminated ; civilization, aided
* FroTV people io people larlarous -ivcrs iver." privcimL Rend the hillory of the wars of Rome z<.vA Q?.x\hdgc, v\ Spaita rind MeiVma, of Athens and SynicuC'^j of the lie- hie-vV'3 cind the Phosnicians : yet theie are the naiions ot wliich ^intiquit}^ boails as being inofl: pcllfhed !
REVOLltTIONS OF EMPf-RES. gi)
by various happy circumflances, has percepti- bly advanced, and even inconveniences and abiifes have proved advantageous to it: for it* conqucHs have extended kingdoms and flatea beyond due bounds, the people of diiTcrent countries, uniting under the fiune yol \ have 1o(l that ipirit of efirangement and divifiou which made tliem all enemies to one another. If the hands of power have been llrengthen- cdr, an additional degree of fyftem and harmo- ny has at leallbeen introduced in it'-.excrcife. If wars have become more general in the mafs of their influence and operation, they have been lefs deflru(fi:ive in their details. If the people carry to the combat lefs perfonality and lefs exertion, their flruggles are lefs fan- guinary and ferocious. If they are lefs free, they are lefs turbulent; if they are more eifc- minate, they are more pacific. Defpotifm it- felf feems not to have been unproduiflive oi* advantages : for if the government has been abfolute, it has been lefs perturbed and tern- pefiuous; if thrones "have been regarded as hereditary property, they have excited lefs diilention and expofed the people to fcwtr convulsions; infuie,if defpots, Vv-rth timid and myileric^us jealoufy have interJi<!'ted.all knov;- ledge of their adminirtration, all rivalfiiip for the dire£lion of affairs, the pafllons of man- kind excluded from the political career, have fixed upon the arts and the fcience of nature; the fphere of ideas has been enlarged on eve- ry fide; man, devoted' to abllrafi: Ihidies, ha;> better undenlood his place in the fyileni of
ICO A SURVEY OF THE
nature, and his focial relations; principleshavc been more fully difcull'ed, objects more accu- rately difcerned, knowledge more widely dif- iufed, individuals made m^ore capable, man- ners more fociable, life more benevolent and pleafmg.^ thefiDecies at large, particularly in certain countries, have been evidently gain- ers: nor can this improvement fail to proceed, Unce its two principal obtlaclcs, thofe which have hitherto rendered it fo flow, and fre- quently retrograde, thediitlculty of tranfmit- ting ideas from age to age, and communica- ting them papidly from man to man,havebeen removed.
With the people of antiquity, every can- ton and every city, ha,^/ing a language pecu- liar to itfelf, flood aloof from the refl, and the refult was favourable to ignorance and anarchy: they had no communication of ideas, no participation of difcoveries, no harmony of intereils or of will, no unity of acfion or condu61. Befide, the only means of difFufmg and tranfmitting ideas being that of fpeech, fugitive and limited, and that of Vvritino,-, ilov/ of execution, expenfive, and acquired by few, there refulted an extreme difiiculty as to in- ib'u^lion in the firll inftance, the lofs of ad- vantages one generation might derive fi-om the experience of another, inftability, retro- gradation of fcience, and one unvaried fcene of chaos and childhood.
On the contrary, in the modern world, and particularly in Europe, great nations having allied themfelves bv a ibrt of univerfal Ian-
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. lOl
guagc, the firm of opinion has been placed up- on a broader iDafis ; the minds of men have fympathifed, their hearts have enlarged ; we have feen agreement in thmking, and concord in ailing : in iine, that facred art, that m.emo- rabie gift of celeflial genius, the prefs, furnifli- ed a means of communicating, of diffufmg at one inftant any idea to millions of the fpccies, and of giving it a permanence Viilch all the power of tyrants has been able neither to fuf- pend nor to fupprefs. Hence has the vafl mafs of inftru^tion perpetually incrcafed ; hence has the atmofpherc of truth eontinually grown brighter, and a llrength of mind been produced that is in no fear of counteracftion. And this improvement is the neccllary cffecfi: of the laws of nature; for by the law of fen- fation, man as. invincibly tends to make him- felf happy, as the flame to afcend, the flone to gravitate, the water to gain its level. Hi* ignorance is the obilacle which mjlleads liini as to the means, and deceives him i^.fpc6ting caufcs and eliecls. By force of experience he will become enlightened; by force of errors he will fct himfelf right-; he Vv'iil become wife and good, becaufe it is his inierell; to be fo : and ideas communicating^ themfelves throurh a nation, whole ciaffcs will be in- {l:rii£led, fcicncc will be univerllJIy familiar, A all men v/ill underlland what are the prin- 'lc3 of individual happinefs and of public fe- iicity: they v/iil undcrfland v/hat are their r^^"'^ "*"c^-'?hnon^, tlicir rights and their C^d-
I 2
I02 A SURVEY OF THE
ties in the focial order; they will no longer be the dupas of inordinate defire ; they will perceive that morality is a branch of the fci- ence of phyfics, compofed it is true of elements complicated in their operation, but fimple and invariable in their nature, as being mo other than the elements of human or^^anization it- felf. They will feel the neceffity of being moderate and juft, becaufe therein confiUs the •Advantage and fecurity (3f each ; that to wiih to enjoy at the expence of another is a falfe calculation of ignorance, becaufe the refult of fucli proceeding, arc reprifals, enmity and re- venge ; and that diihonefly is invariably the oifspringof folly.
Individuals will feel that private happinefs is allied to the happinefs of fociety:
The weak that inflead of dividino; their in- terefts they ought to unite, becaufe equality conftitutes their Itrength:.
The rich, that the meafure of enjoyment is limited: by the conllitution of the organs,, and th'cit laflitude follows fatiety:
The poor,^that the higheil degree of hum.an. felicity coniiffs in peace of mind and the due employment of time :
• Public opinion, reaching kings on their thrones, v/.ill oblige them to keep themfclves within the bounds of a iregular authority :
Chance itfelf ferving the c^ufe of riations-, will give them fom.etimes incapable chiefs, who, through weaknefs, will fuffcr them to- become free; and fometimes enlighteried chiefs, who v/ill viituoufly einancipate than*;
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. I03
Individuality will be a term of greater com- prehenfion, and nations, free and enlightened, wilj hereafter become one complex individual, as fmgle men are now: the confequenccs will be proportioned to the flatc of things. The communication of knowledge will extend from focicty to fociety till it comprehends the whole earth. By the law of imitation the example ©f one people will be rollowed by others, who will adopt its fpirit and its lav/s. Defpots themfelvcs, perceiving that they can no long- er maintain their power without jullicc and beneficence, will be induced, bothfrom neceffi- ty and rivaliliip, to foften the rigour of their government ; and civilization Y/ill be univcr- ^1.
i\mono- nations there will be cflablillicd an equilibrium of force, which, containing them, within the limits of jull rcfpeft for their reci- procal rights, v/ill put an end to the barbarous pratStice of war, and induce them to fubmit to civil arbitration the decifion of their difputes,* and the whole fpecies will become one grand fociety, one individual family governed by the fame I'pirit, by common laws, and enjoying all the felicity of v/hich human nature is capable.
This great work v>'i!l doubtk^fs be long ac-
* The cLcj/lon of their difpuies, WWaI v-, a people ?, An individu?.! of the fociety at large. \Vli;tt a v/^ir ? A duel octwccn two individual people. In what manner ou^bt a iociety to juH: when two of its rn-mbers ffjiit ? Interfere and reconcile, or rcpiefs them. In t'lc days of the Abbe de Sftint-Fienc this v as treated as a di^arn, butlr-p-MK- '■'(jx the huiiiaii race it begins to be realized.
I04 A SURVEY OF THE
complifhing, becaufe it is neceffary that one and the fame motion lliould be communicated to the various parts of an immenfe body; that the fame leaven fliould afhmiiate an enor- mous m.afs of heterogeneous elements: but this motion will effectually operate. Already fociety at large, having paffed through the fame l-lages, as particular focietics have done, promifes to lead to the fame refults. At lirll difconne(5led in hs parts, each individual flood alone; and this intcllec^tual folitude conllituted its age of anarchy and childhood. Divided afterwards into fections of irregular fize, as chance dire<^ed, which have been called Hates and kingdoms, it has experienced the fatal ef- fe^s which refultfrom the inequality of wealth and conditions ; and the ariflocracy by which great empires have domineered over tlieir de- pendencies, have formed its fecond ai^^e. In procefs of time^ thefe paramount chiefs of the globe have difputed with each other- for fu- periority, and then was feen the period of faction and civil broils. And now the par- ties, tired of thejr difcords and feeling the want of laws, figh for tlie epocha of order and tranquillity. Let but a virtuous chief arife, a powerful and juft people appear, and the earth will arrive at fapreme power, it waits a legillativc people; this is the objecl of its vviihes and its prayers,, and my heart hears it cr^-. . . . Then turninp- to the quarter of ths wt(1 : Yes, continued he, a hoi low .nolle alrea- dy ilrikes my car; the cry of liberty, uttered, upon the farther ihorcs of the Atlantic, I'*is-
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. I05
reached to the old continent. At this cry a fecret murmur Jigainfl oppreilion is excited in a powerful nation; a falutai-y alarm takes place refpe^ling its iituation: it enquires what it is and what it ought to be; it examines in- to its rights, its reiburces, and what has been the condu(51: of its chiefs. . . . One day, one reflection more. . . . and ai>immenfe agitation will arife, a new age will make its appearance, an age of alloniihrncnt to vulgar minds, of furprife and dread to tyrants, of emancipation to a great people, and of hope to the whole world.
CHAP. XIV.
THE GRAND OBSTACLE TO IMPROVEMENT.
X HE Genius flopt. My mind, however, preoccupied with gloomy forebodings, yield- ed not to pcrfuafion , but fearful of oifending him by oppofnion, I made no reply. After a fliort interval ; fixing on me a look that tranfpierced my foul: You are filent, faid he, and your licart is agitated witli thoughts which it dares not utter! — Confufedand ter- rified: O Genius, I made anfwer, pardon my Wf^akncfs: truth alone has doubtlefs proceed- ed from your lips; but your celeftial intelli- gence can diflinguiili its traits, v/here to my grofs faculties there appear nothing but clouds. I acknowledge it, convidlion has not penctra-
lo6 A SURVEY OF THE
tcJ my foul, and I feared that my doubts might give you olTencc.
And what is doubt, rephed he, that it fliould be regarded as a crime? Has man the power of thinking contrary to the impreiTions that are made upon him ? If a truth be palpa- ])le5 and its obfervance important, let us pity the man who docs not perceive it: his punilh- ment will infalhbly fpring from his blindnefs. If it be'uncertain and equivocal, how is he to fuid in it what does not exifl ? To behevc without evidence and demonflration is an ?i£t of ignorance and folly. The credulous man involves himfelf in a labyrinth of contradi£l:i- cns ; the man of fenfe examines and difcufTes every queflion, that he may be confident in his opinions; he can endure contradiction, be- caufe from the collifion evidence arifes. Vi- olence is the argument of falfehood; and to impofe a creed authoritatively, is the index and proceeding of a tyrant.
Emboldened by thefe fentimcnts, I replied : O Genius, fmce iny reafon is free^ I drive in vain to welcome the llatterinp; hope with which you v/ould confole me» The fenfble and virtuous foul is prone enough to be hurried away by dreams- of fancied happinef3 ; but a cruel reality inceffantly rccals its attention to fuffering: and v/retchednefs. The more I me-
o
ditate on the nature of man, the more I exa- Eiine the prefent date of fociety, the lefs pof- fd)le does it appear to me that a world of wif- com and feliciiy fnould ever be realized. 1 furvey the face of our whole hemifpherc, and
REVOI.UTIONS OF EMPIRES. I07
Ro where can I perceive the germ of a happy revohition. All Afia is buried in the moil profound darknefs. The Chinefe, fubjcflcd to an infolent defpotifm,* dependent for their fortune upon the decilion of lots, and held in^ awe hj flrokes of the bamboo, enflaved by the immutability of their code, and by the ir- remediable voice of their language, oifer to my
* 77'<* Chinefe fuhjedcd to an infolent defpotifm. The emperor of China calls himfelfthe Ton of heaven. Tjiat is, of God ; for In the opinion of the Chincfe, the mate- rial of hc.iTen, the arbiter of fatality, is the Deity himfelf. ** The emperor only fhows himfelf once in ten months, ** left the peo])le accuftomcd to fee him, might lofe their ** refpec^ ; for he holds it as a maxim that power can on- ** ly be fiip])orted by force, that the people have no idea ** of juftice, and arc not to be governed but by coercion." Narrative of two Mahometan travellers in 851 and ^775 iranflrttcd by the Abbe Rcnaudot in [718.
NotwithftandinjT what is iifierted by the mjirionarics, this fituation has underoone no change. The bamboo, IHII reigns in China, and the ion of heaven baftinades, for the moil tri\ial fault, the Mandarin, who in his turn baftinades the people. The Jefuits may tell us that this is the beft governed country in the v orld, and its inhabi- tants the happieft of men : but a fingle letter from Am- yot has convinced me that China is a truly Turkifn gov- ernment, and the account of Sonnerat confirms it. ^ JScc Vol. II. of Voyage aux Indies, in 410.
!r/>f irremediable voice of their hngua<re. A'", long as ihe Chinefe Ihall in writing make ufe of their prefjnt cha- racter?, they can be cxpec'led to ^lake no progrefs in ci- vilization. The •Jieceirary introdufl^y ilcp midi be the gi\ing them an alphabet Hke our own, or the fubilituting in the room of their language that of the Tartars : the im- provement made in the latter by I\I . de Lcnglcs, is c;ilcu!at- ed to introduce this change. See the Mantchoa alphabet, the f rodudion of a mind truly learned in the foruiation of lafiguage.
ic8 A SUPvVEY OF THE
view an abortivt*. civilization and a race of automata. The Indian, fettered by preju- dice, and manacled by the inviolable inilituti- ©n of his cafls, vegetates in an incurable apa- thy. The Tartar, wandering or fixed, at all times ignorant and ferocious, lives in the bar- barity of his anceflors. The Arab, endowed with a happy genius, lofcs its force and the fruit of his labour in the anarchy of his tribes and the jealoufy of his families. The African, degraded from the (late of man, feems irreme- diably devoted to fcrvitude. In the North I fee nothing but ferfs, reduced to the level of cattle, the live flock of the eilatc upon which they live.* Ignorance, tyranny, and wixtch- cdncfs have every where ftruck the nations with flupor; and vicious habits^ depraving the natural fenfcs, have dedroyed the very inftincl of happinefs and truth. In fome countries of Europe, indeed, reafon begins to expand its wings ; but even there is the knov/iedge of in- dividual minds common to the nation? lias the fuperiority of the government been turned 10 the advantage of the people? And thefe people, who call themfelves poliHied, are they not thofe who three centuries ago fJied the earth with their injuflice? Are they not thofc W'ho, under the pr^te^'^^t of commerce, laid In- dia wafle, diibeoplcd a new continent,, and who at prefenrfiibjecl- Africa to the moft in-
* In the north I fee nothing hut ferfs. l^c\ When this v.?.s wtitten the revolution in i'ohnd had not t >kcn i^lace. 1 bcc ie-dve to apologize to the virtuous nobles ja-jd cu- 'liohtcncd prince by \vhoni it was eftcded.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 1 09
human llavery ? Can liberty fpring up out of the bofom of defpots, and jufliice be adminif- tered by the hands of rapacity and avarice?
0 Genius! I have beheld civilized countries, and the iilufion of their wifdoni has vaniflied from my fight. I faw riches accumula ted in the hands of a few individuifls, and the mul- titude poor and dcllitute. I faw all right and power concentered in certain claffcs, and the niafs of the people paflive and d^^pendent. I faw the pahiccs of princes, but no incorpora- tion of individuals as hich, no common-hall of nations. I perceived the deep attention that was given to the intereils of government ; but no public interell no fympathetic fpirit. I law that the v.hole fcience of thofe v.lio command confided in prudently opprefling; and the re- lined fervitude of poliihed nations only ap- peared to me the more irremediable.
With one obflacle in particular my mind was fenfibl)^ (truck. In furveying the globe,
1 perceived that it was divided imo twenty dilTerent fyilems of religious worfliip. E'acii nation has received,' or formed for itfelf, oppo- fite opinions, and afcribing to itfelf excliifive- ly the truth, has imagined every otlier tol^e in error. But if, as is the faci, in this difcord- ance the majority deceive themfelves, and de- ceive themlelves Vvitli fmcerity, it follows that the human mind as readily imbibes f-ilfeliood as truth; and in that cafe how is it to be cn- li^^;hiencd? IIovv^ are prejudices to be extirpa- ted that iirll take root in tl:e mind? How is
K
iio A surveV of the
ihe biuidap-e to be removed from the eves when ilic ilril :-irticlc \i\ every creed, the firil dogma of all religions, is tlie profcription of doubt, of examination, and of the right of private iudenienti How is truth to make itfelf known? if {he refort to. the demonilration of argu- jiient, pulillanimous man appeals againfh the evidence to his confckncc. If Ihe call in the uid of divine authority, already prepoiTelTed, he oppofes an authority of a fmiilar kind, and treats all innovation as blafphemy. Thus, in Ills blindnefs, riveting the chains upon him- ielf, dues he become the i'port of his igno- rance and palfions. To dlilQlve thefe fatal ihackles, a miraculous concurrence of happy circumfiances would be necelfary. It would be neccifary that a whole nation, cured of the vielirium of Iviperilitioii, il^ould no longer be liable to the imprcylk^ns oi fanataciim: that, freed from tlie 3oke of a fiilfe doctrine, it ihould vohuitariiy embrace tlie genuine fyf- I cm of morality andreaibn: that it Ijiould be- come at once courageous and prjdent, wife ..^}d docile; that every iudi vidua!, acquainted with his righis^ (houjd icrupuloiTll}' obierve their limits; that the poor ihonld know how to reiiil ieduciion, and the rich the allurements of avarice ; that there ihould be found upright imd diiiuterefted chiei^: th:it its ]y! ants Ihould be itized wkh a i])int of madncfs and iolly; that the people, recovering their -powers, thould perceive their inability to £xerci(e them, nud coDnri:.: to arpomt delegates; thathavmg i;:-!l QY<f:^xA ikcir mi:giilraies, they ihould
REVOLUTIONS OF JiwIPi-RLS. Ifi
know both how to refpeft ami how to judge: them ; that in the rapid rcnoviition of a whole nation pervaded with abul'c, each individual removed from his former habits, fliould fiifler patiently the pains and felf-denials annexed ; in fine, that the nation fliould have the cour- age to conquer its liberty, tlie Vv^fd om to fe- cure it, the power to defend It, and the gene- roiity to communicate it. Can fober judge- ment exDe<^.t tliis combination of circumllan- ces? Should fortune in the infuiite variety of her caprices produce them, is it likely that ]• Ihould live to fee that day? V\'iil not this frame long l)efore that have mouldered in tlif tomb ?
Here opprelled \A-ith forrow, my heart de- prived me of iittenmcc. The Genius made uo reply; but in a low tone of voice I heard him fay to himfelf : " Let us revive the hope '' of this man; for if he who loves his fel- *• low creatures be fuiTered to defpair, wliat '• is to becom.c of nations? The ^afl: is pe-- " haps but too mucli calculated to dcje^ hi^ji. ^^ Lcj: us ihcn anticipate futurity; let us uu- '- veil the aiioniuiini^ ai^e that is about to " arife, that virtue, feeing the end of its vHilt- '' es, animated with new vigour, nviy redo;.-- '• ble its efR)ri;> to haften the accompli (hmenf;
4; f.L :- "
CHAP. XV,
THE Nr.W AGE.
OCARCELY had the Genius uttered to iiimfelf thefe words than an immenie noife proceeded from tlie Vvxil, and turning my eyes to that quarter, I percei-ved, at the extremity of the Mediterranean, in the country of one vf the European nations, a prodigious move- ment, fimilar to what exiifs in the bofom of a large city when, pervaded with fedition, an innumerable people, like waves, fiucluate in the Itreets and public places. My- ear, Itruck with their cries which afcended to the very heavens, didinguilhed at intervals thefc nhrafes;
" "What is this new prodigy? What thist '-' cruel and myflerious fcourgc? We are a nu- ^' merous people, and v/e want flrength! We '- liave an excellent foil, and VvX are deilitute, *' of provifion! We are active and laborious, ^^ and we live in indigence! We pay enormous '^^ tributes, and we are told that they are not ^^ fufliclent! We are at peace without, and our "^^ perfbns and property are not fafe v/ithin! " What then is the fecret enemy that devours
From the midil of the concourfe, fome in- dividual voices replied: '^^ Erecl a llandard of '' diftin-rtion, and let ail thofe who, by ufeful ^' labours, contribute to- the fupport and main- '* tenance of fociety, gather round it, and you
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. II3
" Will difcover tlie enemy that preys on your " vitals/'
The flandard being ere^ied, the nation found itfelf iuddenly divided into two bodies of unequal magnitude and diilmiilar appea- rance : the one innumerable and nearly inte- gral, exhibited in the general poverty of their drefs, and in their meagre and funburnt faces, the markof toil and wretchednefs ; the other, , a petty groupe, a valuelefs fra^lion, prefented, in their rich attire, embroidered with gold and filver, and in their llcek and ruddy complexions^ • thefymptoms ofleifure and abundance. Con- fidcring thcfe men more attentively, I perceiv- ed that the large body was conilituted of la- bourers, arthlms, tradefmen. and every profef- iion ufcful to fociety; and that in the leiTer gronpe there were none but priefts, courtiers, public accountants, commanders of troops, in Ihort the civil, military, or religious agents of government.
The two bodies being front to front allem- bled, and havin^; looked whh aih)nifbment at each other, I faw the feelings of indignation and refentment fpring up in the one, and a fort of Danic in the. other; and the larr-e faid to the fmall body:
Why Hand you apart ; arc you net of Our number?
No. replied the groupe; you are the peo- ple; vv^e are a privileged clafs; we have, tiws^, :i.{lru^..: and rights peculiar to ouriclvc3.'
K 2"
114 -'^ SURVEY OF THE
People, And what labour do you perform in the fociety ?
Privileged Clafs, None: we are noi made to labour.
People, How then have you enquired your w^ealth?
Privileged Clajs. By taking the pains to govern you.
People, To govern us I and is this v/hat you call governing? \¥e toil, and you enjoy; we pro^ duce, and you dlffipate; v/ealth flows from US,' a4Kl you abforb it. . . . Privileged men, clafs dilHncl: from the people, form a nation apart, and govern yourfelves.*
Then deliberating on their nev/ fituation, fome among the groupe faid : Let us join the }:cople, and partake their burthens and cares: for they are men like ourfelves. Others re- plied: To mix W'ith the herd would be degra- ding and vile; they are born to fcrveus, who
"* .An$ govirn ycvrulijrs. This dialogue between tlie people and the inciclcnt claiTes, is ?ppJicRbieto every foci- ety; it contaiffs the feeds of all the political vices and dif- orders that p;evaiis, and which may thus br defined; men \'- ho do nothing, ?.ni\ wlio devour the fiibfiaRce of others ; i;r.d men v/ho arrogate to therr.felvcs particular rights and <xclafive privileges of 'vvcallh and indolence. Compare 'be Manilouks of i"^qy]:t> the nobility of Europe, the Nairs of India, the Erairs of Arabia, the patricians, of Rome, the ChrilH^.n cioroy, the Imans, the.; Bramins, the Bonzes, the Lamas, &c.' £cc. and yon wiUfind in all t\ie i;.me chararteriilic feature — " Men Hvin^^ in idleneis *' iX toe cxrcnce o^ thofc \'<)\o labour,'*
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. II5
arc men of a fuperior race. The civil govern- ors faid: the people are mild and naturally fervile ; let us fpeak to them in the name of the king and the law, and they will relurn to their duty. . . . People ! the king decrees, the fovcreign ordains.
People, The king cannot decree any thing whicii the fafety of the people does not demand; the fovereign cannot ordain but according to law.
Ci-vil Governors. ^ The law calls upon you for fubmiilion.
People, The law is the general will; aiid ill a
new order.
Civil Govej-nors, You are in that c.\(c rebels.
People, %
A nation cannot be a rebel; tyrants only are rebels.
Civil Governors, The king is on our fide, and h to fubinit.
People, KinQ;s cannot be feparated from i\v:. nation in which they rcii^m. Our kin-^ cannot be on )'our fide; you have only the phantom of Ills countenance.
Then the njilitary governors advanced, and they faid: The people are timorous; it is pro- per te|||h-eatcn them; they will }icld to the
challife this
influ^fi^c o%force. . . . Soldiers
in'ciiilfiiiutntudc!
Il6 A SUPvVE-Y OF THK
People. Sroldiers, our blood flows in your veins! wiU you flrike your brothers ? If the people be deilroyed, who will maintain the army?
And tlie ioldiers, grounding their arms, faid to their chiefs : We are a part of the peo- ple ; we wliom you call upon to fight againfl them.
Then the ccclefiaftical governors faid : There i^but one refource left. The people arc fup^TlPnious; it is proper to overawe them **ft1^ ^he names of God and religion.
PrieJIs. Our dear brethren, our children, God has :ip] to govern you.
People, Prodirce the patent of his commiflion.
Pr'iejis. liou mud ixave faith; reafon leads men in-
;o guilt.
People, d you govern us without reafon ?
Pi^lejls, Te God of peace; religion enjoins vovt'to obey.
People, No; judice goes before peace; obedience implies a lav;, and renders ncceiiary the cog- nizance of it.
Priefis. This world v^as intended for trii^^ and fuf- fcring.
People. Do you then iliow u: thr ? -^uinpie of '' ' ''' ^
in>{.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRICS. II7
Fricjis, Would you live without Gods or king^r
People,. We abjure tyranny of every kind.
Friejh, You mud have mediators, perlbns who may atl in your behalf.
People. Mediators with God, and mediators with ihe king! Courtiers and pric^fls, your fervices are too expenfive; henceforth we fairs into oin- own hands.
Then tlie fnialler groupe ex^ over with us; the multitude are And the people replied : You fliall we are enlightened, and we wil
refentment Vv^e cannot but feel, but we confent to pafs it by: we were flaves, we migh^iow command ; but vre aik only to be free, and free v,e are.
CHAP- aVI.
A rRLL AND LEG ISL ATIVT. PI
NOW reficc^ed with myfelf tliat public power was at a ftand, that the habitual go- vernment of this people w^as annihilated, and I fhu^ldered at the idea of their falling into the diirotfition of anarchy. But t'akiuQ: their af- fairs immediately into their confidcration, they (juickly difpelled my apprehenfions.
Il8 A SURVEY OF THE
" It is not enough, faid tliey, that v/e have " freed ourfeh^es from parafitcs and tyrants, '' we mud prevent for ever the revival of their '"^ power. We are huiriaii beings, and wc " know, by dear bought experience, that eve- '^ ry human being in^elfantly grafps at autho- ^' rity, and v.ilhcs to enjoy at the expence of *^' others. It is therefore neceflary to guard *• ourfeives beforehand aoainfl this unfortu- *-' nate propenfity, the proHfxC parents of drf- '- cf^rd :^, is necelliiry to eftabiilli rules by ^^ Vvhich our rights are to be determined and ^ c ; . jnied. But in this invefli nation
'• :id difhcuk qaeilions are i'nv-ol"ved,
^' ' :and all the attention and faeul-
'' liC!. oi ii.c v/ifeil; men. Occupied in our ^^ reipc^ivc caliings, v/c have neither leifurc ''• forthefe ftudies, nor are wc competent of ^' ourfeives to the exercife of fuch fan6i:ions. '' Let us {c\c£i from our body certain indivi- •*^ duiils to whom the employment wiil be pro- '!i:-:p^r. ■ To them l^t our common powers bf- ^mc^ie crated to frame fbr iiz a n^lem o^govcni- ,.: letus couftitu tc them there- . "vcs or our interefi and our wills;
-• at^>-j&iiat this repreientaxion mjv be as accu- '- rate as poinble, and have comprehended in ^' it the whole diverhty of cur -v^ilis and inte- '^ reils, let the individuals that compiii*: it be ^' numerous and ciuzens like ourlelves."
The iele61ion being made, the people thus addrciled their delegates: ^-V^^e hiLher\o Jived " in "a fbcicty fonived by chance, witliout: K>i;- '^■* ed clauica, wirhoiit nre conventious, wi>h?.
ItEVOI.UTiONS OF :<MP1RES. II9
'• out ftipulation of rights, v/itbout reciprocal '^ enr^aocments; and a multitude of diforders " and evils have been the refuk of tliis confuf- ^' ed flate of things. We v/ould now, v/itli '' mature deliberation, frame a regular com- " pa£l; and wc have made choice of you to " draw up the articles of it. Examine then " with care what ought lo be its bafis and " princi})les. Inveiligate the obje£^ ;ind ten- " dency of every afTociation ; obferve whatare '• the rights which every individual brings ia- " to it, the powers he cedes for 'the pui5!ic ' good, and the powers which he relrrves '' entire to himf::h\ Communicate to us ecjifjita- '•' blc laws and rules of condu(5i-. Prepare for us '^ a new fyllcm of government, for we feel " th:it the principles, which to this day have " guided us, are corrupt. Our fathers have " wandered in the patlis of ignora.nce, and we " from habit have trod in ibeir Heps. Every *' thing is conduced by violence, fraud, or '^ dglufon; and the laws of morah'ty and re:i- " fon are ilill buried in obicurity. Do you '' tinfold tlic chaos; di (cover the time," order, '^ and connexion of things; pubhdi your code " of laws and rights; and we i^Jll coJiForm to ."it.''
And this people raifed an irr-inenfe throne in tlie form of a j:>yramid, and fjating upon it the men they had cWofen.^ (aid to rhcjn; ^' We "' raj fe you this d?.y above ur, ■ \-c,u may ''' take a nurre comprshenfivc v.^w of our re- ''^ lotions, and be e ::iited -^h-^-r r--; ::!mo-fpi"i'^r'/ '* u-\:i\r '"^aiiicns.
I20 A SVRtEY OF THE
" BiiL remember that you are citizens like " ourleives: that the power which v/e confer " upon you belongs to us: that we give it as '"' a truil for which you are refponfible, not as *' exclufive property or hereditary right; that *"' the laws Yvhich you make, you will be the " firll to fubmit to; that to-morrow you will ^' clefcend from your itations, and rank agiiin '^ with us; that you will have acquired no *' diilineniihini^ ri<mt, but the ricrlit to our '^ gratitude and elleem. And oh! with what '^ «lory will the univerfe, that reveres fo many '■-apollles of error, honour the iiril ailembly " of enlightened and reafonable men, who *=' fliall have declared the immutable principles '- of jufiice to mankind, and confecrated in "the very face of tyrants the rights ofnati-
" onsl"
-y race or tyi
CHAP. XVIL
niE TTNIVERSAL BASIS OF ALI. RIGHT AND ALL I,AVv'.
JL HESE men chofcn by the people to invef- iigate the true principles of morality/and reafon (hen proceeded to the object of their miffiou imd after a long examhration, having difco- vered a univerfal and fundamental principle? 1 hey kiid to their conflituents: '• We have em- '' plo^'^cd our faculties in llic invefligation you ^^ dcmaiid ofus, and we conceive the fbilow- " ing to be rlie primordial balls and phvikal ^'^ origin of all iul].ice and of ridit.
REVOLUTIONS OT 'EMPIRES. 121
" Whatever be the active power, the mov- " ing caufe that dirc^ls the univerle, this pow- " cr having given to aU men the fame organs, '' the fame fenfations, and the fame wants, has '' thereby fufficiently declared that it has ahb *' given them the fame rights to the ufe of its " benefits; and that in the order of nature all " men are equal.
*' Secondly, inafmuch as this povvcr has *' given to every man the ability of preferving " and maintaining his own exigence, it clearly " follows that all men arc conllituted indc- " pendent of each other, that they are creat- *' ed free, that no man can be fubje^l and no '-' man fovereign, but that all men are the '• unlimited proprietors of their own perfons.
" Equality therefore, and liberty are two " efl'ential attributes of man, two laws of the " Divinity, not lefs cfTential and immutable "*" than the phylical properties of inanimate " nature.
" Again, from the principle, that every man '^ is the unlimited mailer of liis own perfon, it " follows, that one infeparable condition in '' every contract and engagement is the free " and voluntary confent of all the perfons ••' tlierein bound.
'' Farther, becaufe every individual is equal '' to every other individtral, it follows that the "balance of receipts and paymer.ts in political '' i^- " N'. oughtto be rigorouilyin equilibrium '• w'l'i eacli otiier: lb that from the idea of
L •
122 A SURVEY OF TME
*^ equ.ality immediately flows that other idea '• equity andjuflice,*
" Finally, equality and liberty confliitute the " phylical and unalterable bafis of every union ^' of men in fociety, and of confequence the " neceiTary and generating principle of every ''• law and regular fyllem of government.!
" It is becaufe this bafis has been invaded, *^ that the difcrders have been introduced a- " mong you, as in every other nation which " have at length excited you to reliitcnce. It *• is by returning once more to a conformity *^ with this rule that ycu can reform abufes ** and reconllitute a happy order pf fociety.
'' We are bound, however, to obferve to *' you, that from this regeneration there will *' refuk an extreme ihock to be endured in *- your habits, in your fortunes, and in your ^' i;reiudic4;s. Vicious contra.£is mufl be dif-
* The etymology of the words ihemfelves trace out to lis this conneifiioii : equdihr'ium, eqiialitas, cquitas., are ail of on€ family, and th'e phyfical idea of equalit)'^, in the fciiksof a balance h the fource and type of all the red.
-'" Equo.U'y r[v.ii lilcri-j copJllUiie the phyfcal lafii. In the declaration of rii^hts tiiere is an inverfion of ideas in the {ix'\ article, liberty being placed before equality from wliich it in reality fprings. This defe(5l is not to be won- dered at,: the fcis^nce of the lights of man is a new fci- e^nctj". it %was in'/ented yt-iLcrdny by the Americans, to-dip/- Cvi French arc perfecHng it, but tljcre yet remains a '■Teat deal to be donC. In the ideas that con''Htute it there ir? a j\er.calog!.C'^ order which, from it^. bafis,/ phy- fical^ouality, to the minUteil and moft ren)t>te .branches of fjovcrnment, ought to proceed in an uninterrupted ie- ri--; (jf in^ererces. ~ T-lris will be demon (iiiHted \\\ the fe- coiid . .
i^LL'VOLUTlONS OF EMPIRES. , 1 23
^^ folved, unjuft prejudices aboH (lied, imagiiia- " ly diftiiiftions furrendered, and iniquitous " defcription* of property abrogated : in fmc, ^^ you mud fct out once more from the (late " of nature. Confidcr whether you are ca- " pable of thefe mighty facrifices.''
They conchided : and while I reflee^ed upon the inherent cupidity of the human heart, I was induced to beHcve that thef^eople would rejcv^ a melioration prefented under fach au- fl:ere colours. I was miilaken. Inftantly a i-ad croud of men tlironeed towards the throne 'id folemnly abjured all riches and didin^iions. ^Infold to us," cried they, " the law-s cf ■' cxjuality and liberty : we difclaim all future "•^ pofleiTion that is not held in the facred namf: '* of juflice, Equality, liberty, juftice, theie **^ are our inviolable code, thefe names Ihall ** infcribc our fiandard."
Immediately the people raifed a mighty uandard. varied wirh three colours, and upoa which ihofe three wcH-ds were written. They unfurled it over the throne of ihele^i^iflat'^r-. and now, for the fird time, the fymbol of verial and equal juflicc appeared upon the earth. In fi-ont of the .throne the • people built an alcar, on which they placed golden fcales, a fword. and a bookjAvith this le;^> '■'^! To equrd law, the proteftor, and the ji- They l,hen drew round the throne a v;ill am- phitheatrCj and the nation feared ilfeif to htar the publication of the law. Millions of men, ill ael of fl;icmn appeal to heaven, lifted up their hd-^^ r-o--:!--'- -n.-] Avc^re -that thcj
i24 -^ SURVEY or THE
would live equal free and jufl; that they would rcfpe(ft the rights and property of each other; that they would yield obexiience to the law and its minillers regularly appointed." A fight like this, (o full of fublimity and ener- gy, fo intereiling by the generous emotions, it implied, melted me into tears, and addrelT- ing myfelf to the Genius, I faid: " Now " may I live; for after this there is nothing *' which I am not daring enough to hope."
CHAP. XVIIL
CONSTERxVATION AND C0Ny;-MRACV Oi' TYRAKTS,
AlEANWHILE, fcarcely had the folcmii cry of liberty and equality refoundcd through the earth, than aftonifnment and apprehenfion were excited in the dilTerent nations. Ii^i one place, the multitude moved by defrre, but wavering betv/een hope and fear, between a fenfe of their rights and the habitual yoke of ilavery, betrayed fyniptoms of agitation: in another, kings, fuddenly roufed from the fleep of indolence and defpotifm, were alarmed for the fafety of their thrones: every where thofc clalTes of civil and religious tyrants, who de- ceive princes and opprefs the people, were kized with rage and conilernation;. and coii- certing plans of perfidy, they faid to oneano^ thcr: " Woe*be to us, fliouid this fatal cry «.' of liberty reach the ear of the multitude,
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 12 J
" and this dcilm(Slive fpirit of juftice be Jli- " {^::min;itcd/'. . . . And feeing the flandarcl waving in the air: '• What a iwarm of cviL> (cried they) are inchided in thefe t]\?e words! " If ail men are equal, where is our exclu- " fi?c right to honours and power? IF iUl " men are, or ought to be free, what becomes " of our ilavcs, our vallals, our property? If all are equal in a civil capacity, where are our privileges of birth and fucceHicn, and what becomes of nobility? If all are equal before God, where will be the " need of mediators, and what is to be- *' come of the priedhocd? Ah! let us now accomplifli without a moment's delay thj dellrut^tion of a germ fo prolific and conta- gious ! let us employ the whole force of our *' art againil this calamity. Let us found the *' alarm to kings, that they may join in our *' caufe. I.ct us divide the people; let u:. engage them in war, and turn afide their attention by conquells and national- jealou- fy. Let us excite their apprchenfions re- fpe6ting the power of this free nation. Let us forni a grand league againft the common enemy. I^et us pull dovai liiis facrilcgous
«(
a
cc i<
*' flandard, demolilh this throne of rebelii^ " on, aJid quench this fire of rcvokirion in. •^ :; ^;ul;i^t."
And in reality, the civil and rt^ligioira tyra!>t 3 of the people entered into a general combi- nation, and having gained, either by conllraint or fedu£ti(;n, multitudes on their fide, they lUi- viiuccd in an hoililc manner aeainli: the free
126 A SURVi;Y OF THE ^
nation. Stirrounding the altar and the throne of natural law, they demanded, with loud cries: " What is this new and heretical do6lrii!t? What this impious altar, this la- crilegiotis worfliip? .... True believers and loyal fubjefts! Would you not fup- pofe that to-day truth has been iirll difco- vercd, and that hitherto ycAi have been involved in error? Would you not iiippoie that thefe men, more fortunate than your- felves, have alone the privilege of being- wife? and you, rebel and guilty nation, do you not feel that your chiefs millead you? That they adulterate the principles of your faith, and overturn the religion of your fa- thers? Tremble, lell the v/rath of heaven be lighted againfl you ; and haflen by fpeedy repentance, to expiate your er-
c.
<6
Ci.
*' ror.*^
But inacceffible to feduclion as to terror, the free nation kept filence: it maintained an rvHi9 difcipline in arms, and continued to ex- hibit an impofing attitude.
And the lei^iflators faid to the chiefs of na- lions : " If v^'hen v/e went on with our eyes " hood-winked, our fleps did not fail to be *^' enlightened why, now that the bandage is "^^ removed, fliould v/e conceive that we are ^* involved in darknefs? it \\'& who prcfcribc '• to manknid to exert their faculties, deceive ^' ani miilcad them, what can be expected -' from' thole ^vho deilre otAj to maintain them '■'' in blindjieis? Ye chiefs of, 'naticns^ If ycu
REVOLUTIONS OF £MPIRE3. 12;
*^' poflefs truth communicate It: we fliall rc- " ceive it with gratitude ; for with ardour *' we purfuc it, and with iiitcreft Ihall engage *' in the difcovery. We are men, and maj '' be deceived; but you alfo are men, and as *' fallible as ourfelves. Aiiiil us in this laby- ^' rindi, where the human fpecics has wan- '^ dered for lb many ages: afTid us to dilli- '' pate the illufjon of evil habits and preju- ^^ dice. Enter the lids witli us in the iliock " of opinions whidi difputc for our accept- *' ance, and engage with us in tracing the " pure and proper charafler of truth. Let " us terminate to-day the long combat of " error: let us edabliih between it and truth ** a folemn conted: let us call in men of eve- ^'^ ry nation to adld us in the judgment : le: " us convoke a general affc^mbly of the " Vv'orld; let them be judges in their ov/n " caufe ; and in the fucceffivc trial of every *' fydem let no champion and no argument be ''' wanting to the fide of prejudice or of rea- " fon. In fine, lei; a fair examination of the " refult of the whole give birth to univerfal '^ harmony of minds and opinion ."
-T 1 iTfmu'il"iriTitf ■■■!
CHAP. XIX.
THi: GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF Tie|;'K,PECPi l:.
T
IIUS fpoke the legiilators cT tliis free people; and the multitude, feized with the r,.:,.:. ,c admiration' v.hich every reafonable
iZlj A SURVEY OF THE
propofitlon never fails to mfyire, iliouted their applciufe, and the tyrants remained alone, over^ whelmed with confufion.
A fcene of a new and aflonilliinp; nature then prefented itfdf to my vjew. , All the people and nadons of the globe, cvu'y race of iwcn from every dltFerent ciirn.-ite advanc^nj qi> all fides, fccrnrd to ailemble in one inclofurc and form in diihmt groupes an immcnfe con- grefs. The motley appearance of this innu- merable crov.d,. occasioned by a diverfity oi drefs, of features and of complexion, exhibit-. cd a moil extraordinary and moll attradlivc fpc^^lacle.
On one fide I could diftingnifli the European >vith his iliort andclofe habit, his triangular hat-, fm.)Oih chin and -powdered hair; and on the op- pofitc fide the Afiatic with a flowing robe, a long beard, a fliaved head and circular turban: here I obferved the inhabitants of Africa, their ikin of the colour of ebony, their hair woolly, their body girt with white and blae iifli-ilvin, and adorned wi^h bi"acelets and collars of coral,, fliel^ and glais beads; the Laplander with his pi/ked^onnet and bisliiowlhoes; the Samoicde with-gluwing limbs and wi'h a ftrong odour; the Ton '^•oufe with h is bonnet iliaped like a horn and .agliisidolspendentfromhisneck; theYa- koute v/ithhis freckled il<.in ; the Calmuc vvilh ikittened note and little eyes forced as it v/crc to have no correfpondence M'ith each other. Fariher in the diflance were the Chinefe at- tired in iilk and wiih their hair han^^ins; in trt:iles; ilvz lapancfe of minified race: the.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 1 2i)
Malayans with fpreadlng cars, with a ring in their nofc, and a vail hat of the leaves of the palm-tree;* and the Ta toned inhabitants of the iflands of the ocean and of the continent of the Antipodes.! The contemplation of one fpecies thus infinitely varied, of one nn- dcrdanding thus modified with extravagance, of one organization aiTuming fo contrary ap-- pearances, gave me a very complicated fenfa- tion, and cxcit.ed in me a thoufa nd thoughts. J; I contem};lated with ailoniihment this grada- tion of colour, from a bright carn;:ition to a brown fcarcely lefs bright, a dark brown,, a muddy brown,. bronze, olive, leaden, copper.
* ^ va/t hut of iJje ha'i'cs cf the palin-tre;. Tliis fpecies of the palm-tree is called Latanicr. Its leaf, fi niilar to a t'.in-mount, grows upon a (lalk iiTuirg diredll^ iVom the caith. A fpccinien may be fccn in the boUni garden.
-|- The countr}'- of the Popovs, or New Guinea.
:j: Tijf contemplation of one fpecies thus Ivfn'itcly varied, A hall of coftumas in one of the galleries of the Lourre, would m every point of view be an intereiTIng elbiblifli- ment: it would furnifh an admirable treat to the curiollty of a great number of men, excellent models to the artii^, and ufefil fubjeL^:? of meditation to the phyficianuj^be i> l;>ropher, and the legillitor. Pi.^lurc to your le<5tion of the ▼arious faces and figtires of tre and nation, exhibiting accurately colour, featiT ^
form: what a fi- Id for inve ■ligation and enriuiriy as to the influence! of climate, manners, aliment, (kc. I It might truly be (Hied the faience of man ! BufFon has utt^mpted a cha])ter of this nature, but it only ferves to cvhibit more Ihikindy our iiduid ignorance. Such a coilcilion it u fiid is bcoan at Peterfburg, birt ic is fatd at the fame timtj 0 be as imperfe(2: as the vocabulary of the thice hundred langupges. The enferpritc would be worthy of the French >
i
\T^0 A SURVEY O? THE
as far as to the blacli of ebony and jet. I ob- ferved the CaiTimercan with his rofe coloured cheek next in vicinity to the funburnt Hindoo; the Georgian (landing by the Tartar; and I reflected upon the effect of climate, hot or cold, of foil mountainous or deep, niarlhy or dry, wooded or open. I compared the dwarf of the pole with the giant of the temperate zone; the lank Arab with the potbellied Hol- lander; the fquat figiire of the Samxciede v/ith the tall and ilender form of the Sclavonian •,;nd the Greek; the greafy and woolly head of the negro Vvitli the (hining locks of the Dane; the ilat-faced Calmuc, v.iih his eyes ?.ngle-wifc to each other and his nofe crufiicd to the oval and fwelling vifage, the large blue eyes and the aquiline nofe of the Circafriau- and the Abafnn. I contratled tlie painted li- pens of India with tlie v/orkmanlike cloths of E^iropc; the rich furs of Silefia, the various clothing of favage nations, ildns of fiiiies, ulattinff of reeds, interweavinf^ of leaves and of feathers, to-jether vdth the blue flained n- gures of ferpents, ftars and flowers v*'iih .^j^^tlielr ikin is varied. Sometimes the ge- Fi^W aijpearaDce of this multitude reminded me of the enamelled incadov/s of the Nile ^nd the Euphrates when, after rains and in- undations, millions of fiowers unfold thern- i"clves on all fides; and fometiraes it refemblcd, in murmuring, found 2.Rd bufy motion, the innumerable fvvarms pf grafshoppers which alight in the fpring like a cloud upon the plains of Hauran.
REvoxirnoNs of empires. 131
At iight of fo many living and percipient ani- mals, I recoUe£i:ed, on one fide, the iminenfc multitude of thoughts and fenfations which were crowded into this fpace ; and on the other reflected On the conteft of fo many opinions and prejudices, and the druggie of fo many ca- pricious pafGons ; and I was ftruck with iillon- iOimcnt, admiration and apprchenfion .... When the legiilators, having enjoined filencCj prefently fixed my attention on themfelves.'
" hihabitants of the earth, faid they, a free *• and powerful nation addrciles you in tlie '^ name of juflice and of peace, and oPfers as '' the fiirc pledge of its fmcerity, its conviclion " and experience. We where for a long *' time tormented with the fame evils as you ; '' we have enquired into their origin, and we " have found them to be derived fromvio- '' lence and injiidlcc, which the inexperience '' of pad ages cilabllfiied into laws, and tire " prejudices of the prefent generation have " fupported and cheriihed. Then, abolifhing '^ every facritioiis and arbitrary inllitution, " and afcending to thf fource of reafon and '' of right, we perceived that there cxilled in ^^ the order of the univerfe, and in tlf^ pHyfi- " cal conftitution of man, eternal and immii- " table lav/s which waited only his obfervancc '' to render him happy, O men of different *■' climes, look to the heavens that give you «* light, to rhxj earth that nourhhes you! Since '' tli y pfefcnt to yo.u all the fam.e gifts; fmce **• 11... power that dir^fts their motions has be-
13^ A SURVEY OF THE
^' iloAved on you tlie fame life, the fame organs, " the fame ^vants, lias it not alfo given you the '' fame right to tlieufeof its benefits? Has itnot '*• hereby declared you to be all equal and *' free? What mortal then lliall dare refufe to '' his fellow creature that which is in-anted him *' by nature? O nations! let us banifli all ty- % ranny and difcord! let us form one fociety, " one vail family ; and fince mankind are all *' conflituted alike, let there henceforth cxifl *' but one law, that of nature; one code, that " of reafon; one throne, that of juUice; one *^ altar that of union."
They ceafed : and the multjiude rended the fkies with applaufe and acclamation ; and in their tranfports made the earth refound with the words equality, juflice, union. But diffe- rent feelings prefently fucceeded to this iirll emotion. The do£lors and chiefs of the peo- ple exciting in them a fpirit of difputation, there arofe a kind of murmur, which, fpread- ing from groUpe to groupe. Was converted into uproar, and from u'proar into diforder of the firll magnitude. Every nation aiTum.ed exchifive ■ pretenfions, and claimed the prefe- rence for its own 'opinions and code.
*■' You are in error, faid the parties point- ing at each other, we alone are in poli'eilioi} of reafon and truth :ours is the true law, the genuine rule of juifice and right, uie fole means of Iiappineis and perietlion; all other men are either blind or rebcllicus." And the agitation became extreme.
REVOLUTIONSOF KMFIRBS. I33
But the legiflators having proclaimed filcnce? <'' People, faid they, by what impulfe of paf- fion are you agitated? Where will this quarrel conduct: you? What advantage do you expeft from this difiention ? For ages has the earth been a field of difputation, aiid torrents of blood have been (lied to decide the controver- ^y: what profit have you reaped from fo ma- ny com.bats and tears? When the llrong has fubjccted the weak to liis opinion, lias he there- by furthered the caufe of evidence and truth? O nations, take counfel of your own wifdom 1 If difputes arife between families or individu- als, by what mode do you reconcile tliem? D-j you not appoint arbitrators? Yco, exclaimed the multitude unanimouHy. Treat then the authors of your prefent diffentions in a fnnilar manner. Command thofe who call themfelves your inltruclors, and who inipofe on you their creed, to difcufs in your prefence tlie argu- ments on which it is founded. Since they appeal to your interefts, -inideriland in what manner your interefls are treated by them. ... And you, chiefs and doclors of the people, before you involve thcrn in the difcordance of your opinions, let the f'eafons for and againd thefe opinions be fiiirly difcUlTed. Let us cf- tabliih a folemn controverfy, a public invefli- g-ition of truth, not before the tri-bunal of a frail individual, or a prejudiced party, but in pretence of the united informati(.a and inter- ' ells 'of meinkind; and let the natural icvXc
134 ^ SURVEY OP THE
of the whole fpecies be our arbitrator and judge."
CHAP. XX.
THE INVr^STlGATION OF TRUTH.
HE people having by iliouts expreffed their approbation, the Icgiflators faid : " That we may proceed in this grand work "with or- der and regularity, let a fpacious amphithea- tre be, formed in the fand before the altar of union and -peace: let each fyllem of religion and each particular feet ereci: its proper ajid diftinguifliing flandard in points of the cir- cumference; let its chiefs and its do£^ors place themfelves round it, and. let their followers be ranged in a right line terminated by tlie llan- dard."
Tlie amphitheatre being traced out, and order prolaimed, a prodigious number of ilan- dards were inflantly railed, fnnilar to what is fccn in a commercial port when, on days of fcilivity^ the flags of a hundred nations flream Irom a forelt of mads. At fight of this allo- niihing diveriity, I addreiled myielf to the Genius: I (csrcclj fuppofed the earth, faid I, to be divided into more than eight or ten dit- lerent fyilems of religion, and I then dcfpair- xd of conciliation: how can I now hope for '.^^ncord wlicn I behold thoufands of different parties!— "Tliele, liowcvcr, replied the Gem-
REVOLUTt€uNS OF EMPIRES, 1^^^
US, are but a part o^ what exiit: and yet they would be intolerant !
As the groupcs advanced to take their fla- . tions, the genius, pointing out to me the fym- bols and attributes of each, ttius explained to
me tiieir meaning.
That firn groupc, laid lie, will) a grccii ilandard, on which you fee diiplayed a orofs, a bandage, and a fabre, is formed of the fol- lowers of the Arabian prophet. To belie vr m a God (without knowing what he is;) to have faith in the words of a man (without uu- derllandino- the lan^nac-e in which he fpeaks ;> to travel iiito a dcfert in order to*pray to the Deitv i^who is every where Oto walh the hands with water (and not abflain from, blood ;) to fad all day (and praccife intemperance at night) to give alms of their own property (and to plunder the property of their neigh- bour ;) fiicli are the meaus or pcrfetflion infti- tuted by Mahomet, fuch the fignals and char- a^teriuics of his true foUovvcrs; and whoever profeil'es not thefe tenets, is confidcretl as a re- probate, has the facred anathema denounced againll him, and is devoted to thefword. , A God of clemency, the author of life, luis, ac- cording to them, indiruted thefe iav/s ofoj'- preflion and murder; has iuftituted tliem lx)r the wliole univcrfe, though hchaseondefccnd - cd to reveal ihem but to one m.an; has eda- blilhed them from ail eternity, though thet" were made kftown by him but yeilcrday. Thcfc ia>vs are fu.01cient for all the purp(7fe;
13^ A SURVEY OF THE
of life, and yet a volume is added to them ; this volume v/as to dilTufe light, to exhibit evidence, to lead to perfection and happinefs, and yet, in the very life-time of its prophet, its pages, every where abounding with ob- fcurc, ambiguous and contradicl:ory paifages, needed explanation and comimcntaries ; and the perfcns who undertoolc to interpret them varying in opinion, became divided into fecis and parties oppofite and inimical to each other. One maintains that Ah is the true fucceffor, and ariotiier takes the part of Omar and Abou- bekre. Tills denies the eternity of the Ko- ran, that the nccelTity of ablutions and pray- ers. The Carmite profcribes pilgrimage, and alloYv'"s the ufe of wine; the Hakemite preach- es the doctrine of tranfmJgration, and thus arc there ic£ts to the number of feventy two, of which yen may enumerate the different fiand- ards.* In tliis dilcordance. each aicribing the evidence exclufively to itfelf, and ftigmatizing ibe reft with herefy and rebellion, has turned againft them its fanguinary zeal. And this religion, which celebrates a beneficent and merciful God, the common pirent of the whole human raccj converted into a torch of difcord and an incentive to war, has never ceafed for twx^Ive hundred years to whelm the
* T/jzis are there feBs to the tiurnher of feventy two. The Mufmlnians enumerate in common feventy t\\'0 feds : tut I read, whi'e I reficied among them, a v/oik which gave an account of mere than eighty all eoually v/ifa and injportant.
REVOLUTIONS' OF EMPIRES. 137
earth in blood, and fpread ravage and defola- tion from one extremity of the ancient hemif- phere to the other.*
The men you fee d 1(1 ingiii (lied by their vaft \yhite turbans, their hanging fleevcs and long rofiu'ies, are the Imans, the Mollas, an^l the Muftis; and not fcir from them are the Dervifes with a pointed bonnet, and the San- tons with their facred tonfure. Tliey utter with vehemence their fevcral confcilions of faith ; they diTpute with eagernefs refpecting the more or lefs important fources of impuri- ty; the mode of performing ablutions; the attributes and perfccPcions of God ; tlie Chai- tan and tlie good and evil Genii; death; the refurreclion ; the interrogatory wl licli iucceeds the tomb; the paifagc of the perilous bridge, and its hair-breadth efcapes ; the balance of good ami bad works ; the pains of hell and the joys of paradife.
By the fide of thefe, that illll more nmnci - ous groupe, with (landards of a wliiee ground ilrewed with croiTes,confj lis of the wor(h;p- pers of Jefus. Acknowledging the fame God
M 2
* Has never csafid fur tivdvc hundred yr^r:. Rend _the hifbry of IflamilV.'i by its own writers, -.md you vnIII be convinced that one of the principal caulus oi: ihe wars \vh',ch have d.'folited Afia and Africa, fincc the days cf Mahomet, iias been the anodoHcal fanatacifm of its doc- trine. Caifar has been fuppofed to have dc'iioyed three millions of men: it would be intoreuing to make a fi.ni- lar calcuhtion refpeaing; every founder of a religious, fyllcm.
138 A SCIRVEY O? TH3
as the MulTalmans, founding (heir beJief oa the fame books, admitting like them a firft man, v/ho loil the whole human race, by eat- ing an apple, they yet feel towards them a holy horror ; and from motives of piety, thefc two fefts reciprocally treat each other as im- pious men and blafphcraers. Their chief point of diffention is, that the Chriftian, after admitting ihe unity and indivifibilitvof God, proceeds to divide him into three perfons, — making of each an entire and complete God, and yet preferying an identical whole : he adds, that this Being, who fills the univerfc, reduced himfelf to the flciture and form of a man, and ailumed material, periiliable and limited organs, without ceafmg to be imma- terial, eternal, and infinite. The Muikilmang on thf contrary, not able to comprehend thefc myilcries, tbou.^h he readily conceives of the eternity of the Koran and the miffion of the prophet, treats them as abfurdities, and rejefls. them. as thevifionsof a difordcred brain. Hence xefuli the moil implacable animofities.
Divided among" themfelves, the Chriiliaa fe£ls are not kfs numiCrous than thofe of the Muffulman religion ; and the quarrels that agitate them are by fo much the more vio- lent, iince the objects for wliich they contend heino" inacceffible to the fenfes, and of confc« (]ucnce incapab-e of demxonftration, the opi-- wions of each ffcTiary can have no other foun- d.ation than that of his will or caprice. Thus. ;^reeii!g that God is an incojnprchcnliblc and
PvEVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. I 39
liiikaown being, they ueverdielefs difputc refpeding kis ellence, his mode of a£Hag and his attributes. Agreeing diat his fuppofcd transformation into man is an enigma above the human underftanding, they (till difputc rcfpc6ling the confufion or difti action of two wills and tvfo natures, the cliangc of fub- ftanee, the real or fi6litious prefence, the mode of incarnation, &c. See. Hence innumerable fe^ts, of which two or three hundred have al- ready perifaed, and tliree or four hundred ftill exiit, and cire reprefentcd by that multi- tude of colours in which your fight is bewil- dered. The firll in order, furrounded by a groupe abfurd and difcorJant in their attire, red, purple, bhick, white and fpeckled, with heads wholly or partially Ihaved, or with their hair fhort, with red caps, fqiiare caps, here with mitres, there with beards, is the ftand.ird of the Roman pontiff, who applying- to the priti^hood the pre-eminence of this city in the civil order, has crefced his fupremacy into a point of religion, and made of his pride an article of faith.
At the right, you fee the Greek PontiiF, who, proud of the rivallliip fet up by his me-= tropolis, oppofes equi^tl pretenfions, and fup- ports them againd tlie Wellern church by the fupericr antiquity of that of the Eall. At the left, are the (landards of two recent chiefs,*^ who, throwing olF a yoke that was become •tyranuicaf, have, in their reform, ere^Tted a]-. * Luther arjd Calvin.
140 A SURVJZY OF THE
tars ag^infl altars, and gained half Europe from the Pope Behind them are the inferior feels into which thefe grand parties are again fubdlvided, the Nellorians, the Eutycheans, the Jacobites, the Iconoclafts, the Anabaptiils^ the Frefbyterians, the Wiclefites^ the Oliand- rins, the Manichcans, the Pie tills, the Ada- mites, theEnthufiafls, the Quakers, the Weep- ers, together with a hundred others ;* all of diilinfc parties, and of a perfecuting fpirit. when Urong, tolerant when weak, hating each other in the name of a God of peace, forming to themfelves an exclufive paradife in a religi- on of univerfal charity, each dooming the rcll in another world, to endlcfs torments, and realizing here the imaginary hell of futurity. Next to this groupe, obferving a li nc^le ilandard of hyacinth' colour, round which were gathered men in all the various dreiTes of Europe and Afia : Here, faid I to the Ge- nius, we ihali at leailfind unanimity. At firfl fight, replied he, and from, an incidental and temporary circumftancc this would feem to be the cafe : but do you not know what fyflem of worfnip it is ? Then perceiving inHebrev/ letters . the monogram of God, and branches of the palm-tree in the hands of the Rabbins : Are not thefe^ laid I, the children of Mofes,
* The Ncjlonav.s, the Eutycheans., and a hmulred others, Confult upon tliis fubjei]: Dlcfionna'ire des H&refies par V Ahhe Pluquet, in tv/o volumes, o6tavo ; a work admirably calculated to inrplre the mind .. ith pbiloibphy, in tbje fenfe that the Lacedemonians taught their children tcm- nerance by (hewing to them the drunken Keliotes,
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. I4I
dilperfed over the earth, and who holding every nation in abhorrence, have been them- felves univerfaliy defpifed and perfecuted ?— Yes, replied the Genius, and it is for this very reafon that, having neither time nor liberty to difpute, they have prefcrved the appearance of unanimity. Bitt in their re-union, no foon- er {hall they compare their principles, and rea- fon upon their opinions, than they will be di- vided, as formerly, at lead into two principal fe£ls,* one of which, taking advantage of the filence of their lepiflator, and coxifinin^^ itfelf to the literal fcnfe of his books, will deny eve- ry dogma not therein clearly underilood, and of confequcnce will reje(fl as inventions, the immortality of the foul, its tranfmigration into an abode of liappincfs or feat of pain, its rc- furrecftion, the lad judgment, the exigence of angels, th'i revolt of a fallen fpirit, and the poetical fyftem of a world to come : and this favoured people, whofe perfetTcion confids in the cutting off a morfel of their 11 dh, this atom of people, that in the ocean of mankind is but as a fmall wave, and that pretends that the whoJe was made for them alone, will far- ther reduce by one half, in confecjucnce of tlieir fchifm, their already trivial weight in the balance of the univerfe.
The Genius then directed my attention to another groupe, the uidividuals of which were clothed in white robes, had a veil covering the
t i he Sadclucees and the Pharil^cs.
J 4- -"^ SURVEY OF THE
mouth, and were ranged round a ilandard of the colour of the clouds gilded by the rifmg [•an. On this fcandiird was painted a giobe, one hemifphere ot which was black and the other whit>?. The fate of thefe difciples of Zoroailer,* continued he, this obfcurc rem- nant of a people once fo powerful, w^ill be fi- milar to that of the jews. Difperfed as they are at prefcnt among other nations, and perfe- cuted by all, they receive v/ithout difcuiTion the precepts that are taught them: but fo foon as their Mobed and their Deiloursf iliall be rellored to their full prerogatives, the con- troverfy will be revived rcfpecHng the good and the bad pi-inciplc, the combats of Ormuz, God of light, and Ahrimanes, God of darkncfs ; the literal or allegorical fenfes of thefe com- bats; the good and evil Genii; the worfliip of iireand the elements; pollution c^nd puri- fication; the refurrci^ion of the body or the foul, or both; I the 'renovatioti of the prefeat
* Difciples of Zoroaftcr. They arc the Parfes, better known by the opprobrious name of Gaures or Guebres, anothsr word Cor infidels. They arc in Afia v/hat the jews are in Europe, The rj^ne of their pope or hinli- prieft is Mobcd.
\ Their Dcjlours I that is to fay, their priefts. See, refpe<5ling. the rites of this religion^ Henry, Lord, Hv>ic and the Zcndavefla. Their coftuma is a robe With, a belt of four knots, and a veil over the raoutii for fear of pol- luting the ^ire with their breath.
^. The refun-CLi'ion of ihc body., or the foiiU orofbctif. The Zoroaftrians are divided bet 'feen two opinions, one party believing that both foul and body will rife, the other, ihat it will be the foul only. The Chriftians and Ma- ftometans have embraced tl;-: moil folid of the two,
RK VOLUTIONS OT EMPIRES. I43
world, or the production of a new w4iich is to fucceed it. The Paries will ever divide themfelves into icS:s by fo much the more numerous as their families fliall haVe contra(fl- ed different manners or opinions during their difperfion.
Next to thefe are ftandards which exhibit upon a blue ground monllrous figures of hu- man bodies, double, trcple, or quadruple, with the heads of lions, boars and elephants, and tails of fiihes, tortoifes, &c. Thefe are the flandards of the Indian fcifts, who find their Gods amidft the animal creation, and the fouls of their kindred in reptiles and in- fe£ls. Thefe men anxioufly fupport hofpitals for the reception of hawks, ferpents and rats, and look with horror upon their brethren of mankind! They purify thcm.felves with the dung an^ urine of a cow, and confidcr them- felves as polluted by the touch of a heretic! Tlicy wear a net over their mouths \ti\ by ac- cident a lly fliould get down their throat, and they fliould thus interrupt the progrefs of a jxniiied fpirit in its purgatory; but with all this humanity in unintelligible cafes, they think themfelves obliged to let a Paria* pcrllh
'^ Thfy 'icear a net oi>cr thar mouths^ l^c. According to the fyiiem of the Metempfycholls, a ioul, to undergo purification, pafles into the body of fome infci^ or ani- »nal. It is of importance not to dillurb this penajice, as
the work mull: in that cafe begin afrcfli Piiriap This
is the name of a call or tribe reputed uncltf^n, bcc^vif^ t})ty e;:» c-f v->h.t hr.s tnjoycd life.
144 -^ SURVEY OF THE
with hunger rather tjian reheve him! They woriliip the fame Gods, but inhil themlelves under hoftile llandards.
Tiiis firil: flandard, feparated from the reft, and on which you fee reprefented a figure with four heads, is the llandard of Erama, who, though the Creator of the univerfe, has neither followers nor temples, and Vv'ho, re- duced to ferve as a pedellal to the Lingam,t receives no other mark of attention than a h-ttle water fprinldcd every morning over his ihoulder by the Bramin, and a barren fong in i.}]s praiiC.
Tiic fccond llandard on which you fee painted a kite, Iiis body fcarlet and his head white, is tiiat of the Vichenou, who, though j>referver of the univerfe, has paiTed a part .of his life in malevolent a^lions. Sometimes you fee him under the hideous fori^is of a boar and a lion tearing the entrails of man- Idnd; fometimes under that of a horfe,t foon to appear upon the face of the earth, with a fibre in his hand, to deflroy the pre- lent inhabitants of the v/orld, to darlcen the ibirs, to drive the planets from their fpheres, to Ihake the whole earih, and to oblige the
* Brama — reduced tofcri)eas a pedyial to tie ZJngam. Sec Sonnerat, P'^vfage nux Jjudes, Vol. I.
* Hideous forms of a hoar, a I'lon^ i^c. Thefe arc tjie incarnations of ^'ichenou, or metamorp-jofes cf the fun. He is to come at the end of the world, that is ^it the expiration of '4,he great period, in the form of a hoife, hke the fcur horfii's of the.apoc'ilypf.i.
REVOLUTIONS Or KiMPIRES. I^:;
mighty ferpent to vomit a flame whiv:h fliall confmnc the globes.
The third (landard is that of Chiven, the deilroycr of all things, the God of defblation, and who neverthclefs has for his emblem the inllrament of produ<^ion ; he is the mod de- tcftible of the three and he has the grcated number of followers. Proud of his attributed and characf^er, his partifans in their devotions* cxprafs every fort of contempt fbr the other Gods, his equals and his brothers, and imita- ting the inccnfiftency tlK*.t charaflerifes him, they profefs modcdy and chaflity, and at the fame time publicly crovv'n with flowers and bathe with milk and honey the obfcene image of the Lingam.
Behind them. camiC the lefs magnificent flan- dardsof a multitude of Gods, male, female, and hermaphrodite, related to and connedled with the three principal, who pafs their lives in intelline war, and are in this refpect imita- ted by their worlliippers. Thefe Gods have need of nothinfT, and receive offerino^s with- out ceafmg. Their attributes are omnipo- tence and ubiquity, and a Bramin with fomc petty charm imprifons them in an image, or in a pitcher, and retails tlieir favours accord- ing to 1-iis will and pleafure.
N
'* In i-b.-ir rltvotioft^ iffc. When a {e(5liirv of Chiven liciirs t'^.c nimc of Vichonou pronounced, he flops his cars, flica, and m'.riiic!; hiriifi;!!".
146^ A .SURV£Y Of THK
At a flill greater diibmce you v/111 obfervc a multitude of other flandards which, upon a yellow ground, common to them all, have diiierent emblems figured, and are the fland- ards of one God, who under various names, is acknowledged by the nations of .the eafl. The Chinefe wor(hip him under the name of Fot;* the Japanefe denominate himBudfo; tlie inhabitants of Ceylon Beddhou ; the peo- ple of^ Laos Chekia; the Peguan Phte; the Siamefe Sommona-Kodom ; the people of Thi- bet Budd and La; ;:11 of them agree as to moll points of hishiflory; they celebrate his peni- tence, his fuiierings, his hifts, his fun61:ions of mediator and expiator, the enmity of another God his adverfary, the combats of that ad- x/erfary and his defeat: but they difagree refpe(5ting the means of reconmiending them-
* The Ch'incfe ivorftjip tinder the name of Fot. The original name of this god is Balis, v/hich in Hebrew llg- nliies an egg. ') he Arribs pronounce it Baulh giving to the dh an emphatic found whicli makes \l approach to dt. Kemj)fcr, an accurate travtljer, writes it Budfoy which iT.uu be pronounced Boudfo, whence is derived the name of Biidfoiit and Bonze, applied to the priefts. Clement of Alexandria in his Stroniata, \vrites it Bedou, as it is pronounced alio by the Cliingulais; and St. Jerome, Bond- da and Boui-n, A t Thibet they call it Budd ; and jience me naiA'>e of the country called Boud-tin and Ti-budd: it, was in this province that this fyiiem o{ relioion was tirli: ii^;alcated in Upper Ada: La is a C(;:Tuption of 'Allah^ the oanie of God in the ayriad language, from which nia- FjV of the Eallern dialects appear to be derived. '1 he Ciiineic having neithci h rtor d. have fupplied their place bv /'and /, and i}ave tlicrcfoic faid Fout^
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRLS. 1 ^y
felves to his Rivour, refpc6ling rites cind ccre^ monies, rcfpecting the dogmas of their inte- rior and their pubhc doariiie. Thus the Ja- panefe Bonze, in a yellow rooc v, ith his head uncovered, preaches the*' eternity of fouls and their fucceilive tranfmi^n-ation into dincrent
o
bodies, "while his rival, the Sintoifl, denies that the foul can cxift independently of the fenfes,* and maintains that it is the mere re- fult of the orf^anization v/ith which it is con- ne^lcd, and with which it periihes, as the found of a flute is annihilated when you break it in pieces. Near him the Siamcfl.% with Ihaved cyc-browi, and with the Talipat fcrecn in his hand,! I'^'commcnds alms-giving, puriiications and oiTcrings, at the very time that he believes in blind neccffity and immu- table flue. Ihe Chincfc Ho-Chan? facrifi-
o
ces to the fouls of his anccllors, while his neighbour, the follower of Confucius, pre- tends to difcover his future defliny by the tof- fing of counters and the coniunction of tlie ilars.]; ObfervG this infant attended by a nu-
* That the foul can cxij^y Cl/r. See in Kempfef tli^'. dodriiie of the Sintollb, wliich is a mixture of that oi Ej^icurus and the Stoics.
f Talipat frceen. It is a leaf of the Latanicr f|:eclt» of the palm tree. Hence the bonzes of Slam take the appell ition of Talapoia. Tl\e ufe of this fcreen is aa cxciufive priv'ilege.
\ CotijunSioK of thcfars^ The feflarlcs of Confuciu-^- are no Icfs addicted to alhology than the bonzes, •■: u indeed t]*e nr.aL'dy of errry caitcrn naltoa.
1-48 A SURVEY OF THE
mercus crowd of prieils \vitli yellow gar- ments and bonnets: he is the grand Lama, and die God of Thibet has juft become incarnate in his perfon.* He however has a rival on the banks of the Baikal; nor is the Calmuc Tartar in this refpect any way behind the Tartar of La-fa. They are agreed in this knportant doctrine, that God can become in- carnate only in a Jiuman body, and fcorn the ilupidity of the Indian: who looks down with reverence npon cow-dung, though they thern- telves prcfcrve with nc lefs avv:e the excre- ments of their pontilf.f
T The ^rand Lama. The Delai-La-Ma, or imniv^rnfe high prieils of La, is the fame perfon wiiom ws hnd men- tioned in our old books of travels, by the name of Preft- ?r John, from a coiruption of the Perfian word Djihariy which jGgnifies the woild, to which has been prefixed the French word prefkre ox. pretre, prieft. Thus the priefl world and the God world are, in the Perfian idiom, the^ fame.
-j- The excremrnts of their pont'ljf. In a recent expedi-. tioH; the EngHfh have found certain idols of the Lamas iiiled in the infide with facred pafViis from the clofc fi:ool" of the high priefl. Mr. Haftings, and Colonel PoUier who is now at Laufanne, are living witnelTes of this iid^.^ and undoubtedly v,:orthy of credit. It will be very ex- traordinary to obferve, that this difgufling ceremony is conne6led with a profound philofophical fyftcii, to wit, :that of the metempfychofis, admitted by the Lama*;.— When the Tartars fwallo v thefe facred relics, whicli they are accudomed to do, they imitate the laws of the univerfe, the parts of which are inceffantly abforbed and pafs into the fubrtance of each other. It is upon the mo- del of the ferpent who devours his tail, s.n.d this fcrpen' is Biidd and the world-
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 149
As 4;hefe flanciai-ds pa (Ted, an innumerable crowd of others prerented themfclves to our eyes, and the ^renius exclaimed: I iliould never come to a coiiclulion were I to detail to vou all the different iyilems of belief \7hich divide thefe nations. Here the Tartar Hordes adore^ under the figure of anini?ds, infecrs and birds, the good and the evil Genii, who, under a principal but indolent divinity, govern the nnivcrle, by their idolatry giving us :ni image of the ancient paganifm of the w eilern Vv'orld^ You fee the flrange drefs-of their Chamans, a robe of leather fringed with little bells an^l rattles, embroidered with idols of iron, ciaw.^ of birds. Runs of ferpents, and heads of owls: they are agitated with artiikial cunvullions, and with magical cries evoke the dead to de- ceive the living. In this place you behold the tboty inhabitants of Africa, who^ -^fV'hilc tliev v.'orlhip their Fetiches^ entertain the fjnie opi- nions. The inhabitant of Juida adores God under th.' figure of an enormous fcrpent, which for their misfortune the fwine regard as a delicious morfel.* The Teleutea.n drei- ies the figure of his God in a variety of gau- dy colours, like a Ruffian foldicr; and the.
N2
* The inhahitan: of Ji:iJa, i^:; It h equcntly Jia]>- pc:is tlv.it the fivine devour the very fptcies of icrpents . the negroes adore, wb.icii is a fourceof gjcatcli^folatio'i' in the country. P!v3r;<!ent de Bronis h.is given us in his hillorv of thv r.:'-b.\ ■: cmhw:, coDtftion of abfr.rditi: ^
l^O A SURVEY OF TH£
Kamchadalc, iinding that every thing goes on ill in this world and vmder his chmate, rc- prefetlts God to himfcif under the figure of an iJl-naturcd and arbitrary old man,* fmok- ing hh pipe and fitting in his traineau employ- ed ia the hunting of foxes and martins. In fme, there are a hundred other favage nati- ons, who entertaining none of thcfe ideas of civilized countries refpe^ting Cod, the loul,, and a future flatc, cxercife no fpeciesof wor- iliip, and vet are not lefs favoured with the gifts of nature in the irreligion to which na^ ture has dedined them.
CHAP. XXI.
f llbE.LEM OF RELIGIOUS CONTRADICTIONS.,
J- HE different groupes having 'j ken their Nations, and profound filence fucceeding to the
of this nature. . . . The Teleutean drejfes, iffe. The Tc- leuteans, a Tartar nation, paint God as wearing a veduve of" all colours, particularly red and green ; and as thefe conuitute the uniform of the Ruffian dragoons, they com- pare him. to this defcription of foldiers. 1 he Egyptians n\[o drefs the God Woild in a garment of every colour., ICufebius Prigp. E'vang- p. lij^/. 3- The 1 eleuleang call God Bou, which is only an alteraticij of Boudd, the God Egg and World.
* The Kamchadale reprefents God under the Jigure of nn lU natured <fnd arbitrary old rr.aiu Confult upon this
REVOLIJTIONS OF EMPtRRS. I5I
coiifufed Uproar of the mulikude, the legifta- tors faid, " Chiefs and doflors of the people t you perceive how the various nations of man- kind, living apart, have hitherto pnrfued dif- ferent paths, each believing its own to be that of truth. If truth however, is one, and your opinions are oppofite, it is manifcil that fomc of you mud be in error: and fmcc fo many men deceive themfelves, w^hat individu^tl Ihall dare fay, I am not midaken ? Begin then by being indulgent refpcfting your difputcs and diilenti )ns. Let us all feek truth as if none of us had pofTefiion of it. The opinions which to this day have governed the earth, produced by cliance, difieminated in obfcuri- ty, admitted without difcuOion, credited from a love of novelty and imitation, liave in a manner clandeflinely ufurped their empire. — It is time, if they are founded in reality, to give them the folemn ftamp of certainty, and to legitimate their exiilence. Let us this day cite them to a conunon and general examina- tion ; let each make known his ci^eed; let the united ailembly be the judge, and let us ac- knowledge that to be the only true one which is proper for the whole human race."
Then in order of nofition the iiril dandard at the left beinof dcfn-ed to foeak : " There can be no doubt," faid they, '- that ours is
fvihjecl a work e\n\t\td, D-fcrip/ion des Peuphx fomjiii n ht Ruffe, and it will be ibimd tliat the pitfture is nat over- charged.
h^CL A SIIRV£V OF THE
the only true and infiiHible docflrine. hi the firft place, it is revealed by God himfelf."
" So aifo is. ours,*' exclaimed all the other Handardo, '•' and there can be no room for doubt."
'' But it Is at leafi: neccflary to explain it,*' faid the legillators, " for it is impoiTible for us to believe any tiling of \i'hich we are Ignorani.*'
'' Our docinne,*' refuined the flrfl fland-. ard, " is proved by numerous facls, by a crowd of mirachs, by refurre<^ ions from the dead, by torrents ihddenly dried up, moun* tains removed from their Htuaiions, &c."
" We alfo,*' cried the reil, *^^ are in pof-. feflion of miracles Vv'ithout number^ and each began to- recite the mon: incredible things.
" Their miracles,*' replied the firft ilandr ard, are. imaginary or the prefliges of the evil fpirit who hus deluded, them.**
To this it was anfwcred by the others : " They are yours on. the contrary, that arc imaginary ;'* and each fpeaking of himfelf added: " Ours. are the only true ones, all other miracles are faiie."
" Have you hving vv-itneiiesof their truth?.'* the leq-iilators aiked.
" No,'* they univerfally anfwercd: *' they are ancient fa^is of which the v/itneiTes are dead ; but thefe fafis are recorded."
''Be itfo," replied the Icgiilators : '' but as they contradict each other, wLq fliall re- conctle them ?''
REVOLUTTONS OF EMPIRES. I c;^
'' Juil arbiters !*' ci:ied one of the itand- ards, as- a proo^' that our witncil'es. have fcea the truth, they died in confirmation of it; and our creed is fcaled with the blood of martyrsJ'
" So alfo is ours," exclaimed the rcll: " we Jiave thoufands of martyrs, who have died \\\ the mofl agoniziii-g tortures; w^ithout in a flngle inftance abjuring the truth," And the Clirif- tians of every fe(f^, the Muliulmans, the In- dians, the Japancfc, recounted end lefs. legends of confeilors, martyrs, penitents, &c..
One oi thefe parties havini{ denied tlic mar- tyrology of the other: '' We arc ready," cried they, *•' to die ourfelves to prove the infalli- bility of our creed."
Inilantiy a crowed of men of every fe£i: and of every religion, prefcnted- themfelves to en- dure whatever torments might be inili<Sled on. them ; and numbers of them began to tear their arms, and to beat tlicir head and their breafl without diPjovering any fy mptoiii of pain.
But the legiflators putting a (lop to this vio- lence : " O men!" faid they to them, '* hear with compofure the words we addrefs to you. If you die to prove that two and two make four, will this truth gain additional confu illa- tion by your death ?"
" No," was the general anfwer.
" If you die to prove thjsy are five„ v.'iil this make them five ?"
*• No," they again replied,
"'- What then docs your perfuafion prove.
154 -^ SURVEY OF THE
fince it makes no alteration in the exigence of things ? Truth is one ; your opinion? are va- rious ; many of you rnuil therefore be mifla- ken. And fince man, as is evident, can per- fuade him felt of error, how can his perfuafi- on be regarded as the demonflration of evi- dence ? Since error has its martyrs, what is the fignet of truth ? Since the evil fpirit works miracles, what is diftinruifhin^.:'- charaifteriflic of the Divinity ? Befide, why this uniform rcfort to incomplete and inluificient mjracles ? Why not rather, inPcead of thefe violations of nature, change the opinions of rational be* ings ? Why murder and terrify men, inllcad of enlightening and inllriKTting them ?
" O credulous mortals, and obftinate in your credulity ! as we are none of us certain of what palled yeilerday, of what is paiiing this very day before our eyes, how can we fwear to. the truth of what happened two thoufand years ago ? Weak and at the fame time proud beings 1 the laws of nature are Tu^mutable and profound, our underfiand ings full of illulion and friv^oliry, and yet we v;ould decide upon and comorehend every thino-. — ~ But in realky it is eafier for the whole human race to fall into error, than an atom of the univerfe to change its nature.**
" Well then, faid one of the do6lors, let us leave the evidence of h£ty fnice fuch evi- dence is equivocal, and let us attend to the proofs of reafon, and the iiitriD<ic merit of the; do(Srinc hkUV
REVOLWTIONS OF EMPIRES. I 55
An Iman of the law of Mahomet, with a look of confidence, tlien advanced in the fand, and having turned himfelf towards Mecca, and uttered with emphafis his confellion of faith: " Let God be praifed!'' faid he, in a grave and authoritative voice; " the fight Ihines in aU its fplendor, and the truth has no need of examination." Then exhibiting the Koran: " Behold the fight and the truth in their genuine colours! In this book every doubt is removed; it wiH conduct the blind man fafely, who (liall receive without difcuifion the divine word, given to the prophet to fave the fimple and confound the wife. God hath appointed Mdhomet to be his miniiler upon earth; he has delivered up the world to him that he might fubduc by his Avord fuch as refufe to believe in his law. Infidels difpute his authorit)^ and refifl the truth: their ob- duracy proceeds from God, v/ho has hardened their hearts tliat he might inflict upon them the mod dreadful chaftifements.*
Here a violent murmur from all fides inter- rupted the Iman. ^' What nuui is this,'* cried every groupe, '* who thus gratuitoufiy commits outrage? By wlrat right docs he pre- tend, as conqueror and tyrant, to impofe his creed on mankind? Has not God created
^ This pafTigc contains the fcnfe and nearly the very words .»F the fnil chapter of the Konin; and the reader will obferve in general, that, in the pidlures that follow, the writer has endeavored to give as accurately as pofli- ble the letter and fr/iiit of the opinion? of each party.
156 A SURVEY OF THE
•US as Vv'cll as him with eyes, uiiderllanding and reafon? Have we not* an equal right to make ufe of them in determining W'hat we cught to reject-, and what to behcve-f If he have the right to attack, have not we the right to defend ourfelves? If he be content to be- lieve without examination, are w^ therefore not to employ our reafon in the choice of our creed?
'* And what is i\\\s fplendid doctrine which fears the lighi\? "What this apolfle of a God of ciemency, wiio preaches only carnage and murder? What thns Ood of juflice who pu- nches a bhndnefs which himfelf lias caufed? If violence and perfecution are the arguments ^f truth, mildnefs and charily, mull they be tlie indices of falfehood?"
A =man advancing from the next groupe rhen faid to the 'Iman> " Admittiiig that Ma- homet is the apoflle of the better doctrine, the prophet of the true religion, condefccnd to tell us, in praftifmg this doctrtne, whom ar-e we to follow, his fon-in-law Ali, or his vi- cars Omar and Aboubekre.?*"
At the mention of thefe names 2 terrible fchifm arofe among the Muflulmcn. The partizans of Omar r.nd of Ali, treating each other as heretics and blafphemers, were equal- ly laviHi of execrations. The difputc even
* His f(/n- in lazu y///, or h:s vicars Omar end Ahoulflrt. Thefc are the two giand parties Into hich the Muf^vl- mans rre divided. 'I'he Turks hiive embraced the se- cond, the Pcrfiiins the full.
REVOLUTIONS OF EINIPIRKS. I57
became fo violent, that it was neceflary for the neighbouring groupes to interpofc, to prevent their coming to blows.
Some degree of tranquillity being at length reftored, the legiflators faid to the Imans : — " You fee what are the confcquences v/hich refill t from ycur principles ! were they carri- ed into pra(^ice, you would by your enmity defcroy each other till not an individual would remain : and is it. not the firfl law of God, that mnn Ihould live?" Then addrciTm^ themfelves to the other groupes : " This fpi- rit of intolerance and exclufion," ft id they, *^ is doubtlefs fliocking to every idea of juf- rice, and dclfroys the whole bans of morals H^d fociety : ihall we not, however, before we entirely rcjc*^ this cede, agree to hear fome of its dogmas recited, that we may not decide from forms only, without having in- veiligatcd the religion itfelf r"
The groupes having confented to the pro- pofal, the Iman began to explain to them how God, who before time had ipoken to the na- tions funk in idolatry by twenty four thou- fand prophets, had at length fent the lad, the extract and {x:rfeclion of all the reft, Mahomet, in whom was veiled the falvation of peace: he informed them ihat to prevent the word of truth from beiag any more perverted by in- iidels, the divine clemency had \\;||jttcn with its own fingers the chapters of the Koran ; a^l thai: the Koran, by virtue of its character
O
s
IfS A SUPxVEY OF THE
the word of God, was, like its author, un- created and eternal. He proceeded to ex- plain to them the dogmas of 111 amiim; that this book had been tranfmitted from heaven leaf by leaf in twenty-four thoufand miracu- lous vifions of the angel Gabriel ; that the angel attnounced his approcich by a fmall ilill .knocking, which threw the prophet into a cold fweat; that Mahomet had in one nif^ht tra- verfed ninety heavens, mounted upon the ani- mal called Borak, one half woman and one Ifalf horfe: that bein--^ endowed with the Q-ift of miracles, he walked in \}i\^ funfnine unat- tended by a fiiadow, ■ auffd with a fingle word trees already withered to refume their verdure, filled the wells and the cifterns wil^PJ wAter, and cut in two equal parts, the body of the moon ; that, authorized by a commif- iion from heaven, he had propagated, fword in hand, a religion the moil v/orthy of Gocl for its fublimity, the miOil fuitable to man for the fmipiicity of its injunctions, confifbng indeed only of eight or ten principal doflrines, fuch as the unity of God ; the authority of Maho- met, the only prophet of God; our duty to pray iive dmes in a day; to fail one month in the year; to repair to Mecca one time in our lives; to pay the tenth of i;ll that we poiTcfs; to drink no wine, to eat no pork; and- to make v/a^iipon the infidels,* upon v. n-
diwions every MuiiulmuR, being ii: :in
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. . I 59
apoflle and a martyr, fliould enjoy in this life a thoufand bleiTmgs, and in the world to come, after a folemn trial, his foul being weighed in the balance of good works, his abfolution pronounced by the two black angels, and his progrefs performed over the bridge that croil- es the infernal pit, as narrow as a hair, and as keen as a razor, fhould be received into the feat of delights, bathed in rivers of milk and honey, embalmed in the perfumes of India and Arabia, and live in uninterrupted commerce with thofe chafte females, the cc- leltial Houris, who prefent a perpetually re- newed virginity to the elecl, who preferve a
rpetual vigour.
An involuntary fmile was vifiblc in the countenance of every one at this relation', and the various groupes, rca Toning upon tliefe ar- ticles of belief, unaniinouily faid: "^Isitpofli- ble for reafoiiablc beinq;s to have faith in fuch reveries ? Might one not fuppofe that a chap- ter had been jufl read to us from the Thoufani and One nights?'*
A Samoiede advancing in th * fand then
'" 'd: " The paradifc of Mahomet h in my
Moion excellent; but one of the meiins of
pruning it puzzles me extremely. If, as this ] : ophet ordains, it is neceffary to abllain from meat and drink between the rifmo- and fettini^ > :* '^efun, how in our country is fuch a fait
rt, to make war upon infidels is confidered by them ils a:i obliqstory precept and au ad of rtligion. See Relund de kclig. Muhc.ui.
l6o A SURVEY OF THE
practicable, where the fun continues above the horizon for fix months too^ether?"
To vindicate the honour of their prophet, the MulTulman docftors denied the poflibihty of this; but a hundred people bearing tellimony to the fac]:, tlie infallibility of Mahomet fuf- tained a violent lliock.
"It isfniguiar," faid a European, " that God fhould continually have revealed v/hat was going on in heaven, without ever having in- formed us of whatpalles upon earth."
" Their pilgrimage, faid an American., is to me an infuperable diiUculty. For let us fup- pofe a generation to be twenty-five years, andr the number of males exiiliup^ on the eiobe to be a hundred millions: in this cafe, each being- obliged to travel to Mecca once during his life, there \\ould be annually engaged in the pilgrimage four millions of men; and as it v/ould be impracticable for them to return in the fame year, the number would be doubled, or in other Vvords would amount to eight mil- hons. Where are provifions, accommodation, water and ftlfels to be found for this univerfal proceifion? What numerous miracles would it not be neceffary to work !"
'•The proof,'' laid a Gatholic Divine, 'Mhat the reIiii[ioii of Mahomet is not a revealed reli- gionis, thatthemajorityof ideasuponwhichitis founded cxiiled for a longtime before it, and ^hat it is nothing more than a confufed mixture formed out of the truths of our holy religion and that of the Jews, which an ambitious man
REVOLUTIONS O? EMPIRES. l6l
hiis made ferve his projects of dominion, and his worldly views. Turn over the pages of his book : you will fee little eife than the hil- tories of the Old and New Telhiment travelH- ed into the mod abfurd tales, and the reil a tiffae of vague and contradictory declamation, and ridiculous or dangerous precepts. Ana-, lize the fpirit of thcfe precepts and the conducfl of their apo-lle: you will find a fubtle and da- ring cliara6i:er, which, to arrive at its end, works, it is true, with admirable ikill upon the pailions of thofe whom It wilhes to gov- ern. It addreir::rs irfelf to fimrje and credu- lous men, and it tells them of prodigies; they are ignorant and jealous, and it flatters thpir vanity by defpiling fcience; .tliey are poor an J rapacious, and it excites their avidity by tiie hope of plunder; having nothing at firil: to give them on earth, it creates treallires in lieavcn; it makes them long for death as the fupreine bleilmg ; the dailardly it threaten-i witii hell; to the brave it promifes paradife ; the weak it llrengthens by the principle of fatality; in (liort, it produces the attachment it requires, by every alkuxmentof the feafes, and the fafcination of all the paHion-^
'^ ilov/ dilTerent is the charafler of the Cnriftian doclrine! and how much does Its em* pile eilablilhed on the wreck of every natur- al inclination and the extiii(!:lion of all the paf- llons, prove its celefliid origin? Mow forcibly docsks mild and compallionciLe morality atteil
O 3
l62 A SURVEY OF THE
its emanation from the Divinity? Many of its dogmas, it is true, are beyond the reach of human iinderilanding and impofe on reafon a refpeclful ftlence; but this very circumflance the more fully confu'ms its revelation, fince the faculties of men could never have invented fuch fublime mylleries." Then with the bi- ble in one hand, and the Four Evangelifls in the other, the doctor began to relate that in the beginning, God (after having paffed an eternity without doing any thing) conceived at length the defign (without apparent motive) of forraino; the world out of nothinp": that having in fix days created the whole univerfe, he found himfelf tired on the feventh: that having placed the firll pair of human beings in a delightful garden to make them complete- ly happy, he neverthelefs forbade them to tafle of the fruit of one tree wdiich he plant- ed within their reach: that thefe firil parents having yielded to temptation, all their race (as yet unborn) were condemned to fuiTer the pe- nalty of a fault which they had no fliare in committing: diat after permitting the humaa fuecies to damn themfelves for four or five thoufand years, tliis God of compaiTion or- dered his well beloved fon, engendered with- out a mother and of the fame age as himfcii., to defcend upon the earth in order to be put to death, and this for the falvation of mankind, the majority of whom have neverthelefs con- tinued in the roaM to fm and damnation : that to remedy this inconvenience, this God, the
REVOLUTIONS OF EJvIPIRES. I O3
fon of a womr.n, who was at once a mother and a virgin, after having died aiad rifen again, commences a new exiilence every day, and under the form of a morfel of doudi is mul- tiplied a thoufand fold at the pleafure of the bafed of mankind. Having explained thefe dogmas, he was going on to treat of the doc- trine of the Sacraments, of abfolution and an- athema, of the means of purifying men from crimes of every fort with a drop of water and the muttering half a dozen words; but he had no fooner pronounced the names of indulgence, papal prerogative, fiiiiicient grace and cire(fi:u- al grace, than he was interrupted by a thou- fand voices at once. It is a horrid corruption cried the Lutlierans, to pretend to fell for mo- ney the pardon of fni ; it is contrary to the • fenfe of the gofpel, f^iid the Calvinifls, to talk of the real prefencc in the Sacrament. The Pope, exclaimed the Janfeniils, has no pow- er to decide upon any thing withou" a council. Thirty fcfts at once mutually accufed cacli other of herefy ai.d blafphem.y, and theif voices were fo confufed that it was no lono;cr poilible to diilinguidi a word they uttered.
After fome lime, filence being at length redored, the MuiTulmans faid to the legiila- tors: " Since y6u have rejctfed our doctrine as containing things incredible, can you poili- bly admit that of the Chriilians, which is ftill more contrary to jufticc and common fcnie ? An immaterial and infinite God to transfoi-m himfclf into a man ! To have a ioa as old ai
164 A SURVEY OF THE
himfclf! This God-man to become bread, which is eaten and undergoes digeilion! What abfurdities liave we eqiiiil to thefe ? Is it to thefe men belon:^ the exOlulive ri'jht oF ex- acling a bund obedience ? And will you ac- cord to them privileges of faith, to our de- triment ?"
SoRie favage tribes then advanced : — " What/' faid they, '' becaufe a man and a woman eat an apple fix thousand years ago, is the whole human race to be involved in damnation? And do you call Godjull: ? — What tyrant ever made the children refpon- fible for the fms of their fathers ? FIov/ can one man anfwer for the avftions oi^ another ? V/ould net this be overthrov/ing every princi- ple of equity and.reafcn ?"
" Where," ^ exclaimed oth:frs, '' are the witncfTes and proofs of all thefe pretended facls ? It is impoflible to receive them with- out evidence. I'he moil trivial acftion in a court of judicature requires tv/o witneffcs, tad are we to believe all this upon mere tradi- tion and heariliy P'
A Jewiih rabbin then, addreiTing the aiTem- bly, faid : '•' For the general fa-cls we are in- deed fureties : but as to the form a?id aopli-
J. X
cation of thofe facts, the caf<5 is diiferent, and the Chriilians are here condemned out of their own mouth. I'hey cannot deny tliat vre^ are thellock froEi v.diich they are descended, the trunk upon which they have been grafted : from whence it fellows by an inevitable 61-
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 165
lemmn, that either our law is from God, and then theirs is a herefy, Unce it differs from ours y or our law is not from God, and then whatever proves its fahchood, is deitriKftive of theirs.''
" But there is a proper line ofdin:in\Si:ion," faid the Chrillian, " to v/hich it is neceilary to attend. Your Liw is of God as typical and p^xparative, not as final and abfohue ; you are but the image, of which we are the reality."
" We are not ignorant,'* replied the Rab- bin, " that fuch are your prctciiiions ; but they are perfc«SiIy fuppoiitious and falfe. Your fyflem rclls entirely on myllical*, vifionary, and allegorical interpretalions. You pervert the letter of your books, fabftitute continual- ly for the true fenfe of a pallagc the moil chi- merical ideas, and find in them v/hatcver is agreeable to your fancy, jull as a roving ima- gination difcovers figures in the clouds. You ha\'^ thus imagined a fpiritual Meftiah, vdiere our prophets fpeak only of a political king. You have interpreted into a redemption of the human race, v*'hat refers folely to the re- cihabliihment of our nation. Your pretend- ed conception of the virgin is derived from a
* Tour fyfum rc/ls enl'irely on mylVi^ul hiterprctatlons. AVhen we read tlie fathers of the ciiurch and Ice upon what arguments they have built the edifice of rehgion, we are inevpreifibly altoninied with their credulity or their knavery: but allegory was the rage of that period, the Pagans employed it to explain the aftionsof their (jod^', and the Chiiftians at^d in the fame h\n\, when they em. ploycd.it after their faihion.
l66 A SURVEY OF THE
phrafe which you have wrefled from its true meaning. You conilrue every thing as you plea-fe. You even find in our books your doc- trine of the Trinity, though tliey contain not the moil indire£l allufion to it, and though the idea was an invention of profane nations, and admitted into your code, together with a mul- titude of other opinions of every worfnip and feet of which it is compofed, during the chaos and anarchy of the three iirll ages/^
At thefe words, tranfportcd with indigna- tion, and crying out facrilege, blafphemy 1 the Chriilian doclors v^'ere diipofed to lay violent hands i^on the Jev/ : and a motley groupe , of monks fome in black, fome in white, ad- vanced with a ftaiiaard on wliich pincers^ a gridiron^ znd a funeral pile ^ and the words, juftice^ charity and 7nercy^ were painted*, ex- claimed : " It is proper to make an example of this impious heretic, and to burn him ajive for the glory of God." And already they had piflured to their imaginations the fcenc of torture, when the MufTulmans in a tone of irony faid to them , '' Such is the religion of peace, wliofe humble and humane fpirit you havefo loudly vaunted ! Such that evange- lical charity which combats incredulity with no other weapon than mJldnefs, and oppofes only patience to injuries ! Hypocrites, it is thus you deceive nations ! It is in this manner you have propagated your deflrudive errors !
^ This defcription anfv/ers exactly to tlic colours of the Inciairidoa of Spanifn Jacobins,
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIPs-ES. I 6/
When v/eak, you have preached liberty, tole- ration, and peace ; when power has been in your hands, you have praclifed'"violenee and perfccution i" And they were beginning to recite the wars and murders of Chriftianitr, when the legiflators demanding filence, af- fuagcd for a while the difcord.
" It is not, rephed the monks in a tone of aiFecflcd mildnefs and humility, ourfehxs that we would avenge, we are defn'ous only of defending the caufe ?aid glory of God."
" And what right have you, fa id the Imans, to conilitute yourfclves his reprefcntatives, more than we? Have 3'ou privileges t^at we are not favoured witili? j%e you lacings of a different nature from us?"
*^ To take upon ourfelves to defend God, is tOMufult his wifdom and power, faid ano- ther groupc. Does He not know better than mortals what is becoming his dignity?"
" Certainly, rejoined the monks; but his ways are fercet."
" You howev^er, faid the Rabbins, will al- ways find the difiiculty iniuperable of proving that you enjoy the excluiive privilege of com.- prehending them," x\nd the jrAVS, proud of finding their caufe fapportcd, fondly pleafed themfelves wiilx the idea iheir books
would be triumphant, when the P»Iobe/ the P.:Hes begged leave to fpeak.
•"' "have heard," faid he to the le'^i'.a- < account of the Jews and Chriili-
l68 A SURVEY OF THE
ans, refpcffling the origin of the world, and though they have introduced various corrup- tions, they have related a number of fact^ v/hich our religion admits ; but we deny that they are to be attributed to the Hebrew le- giflator. It was not he v/ho made known to mankind thefe fublimc dogmas, thefe celcilial events : it v/as not to him that God revealed them, but to our holy prophet Zoroailicr ; and proofs of this are to be found in the very books in-queftion. - If you examine with at- tention the detail of laws, of rights, and of precepts eftabiiihed by Mofes, you wfil no v.'here find the moll tacit indication of what conftitutes at prefect the bafis of the Jcwiili and Chriftian theology. You will perceive no trace either of the immortality of the foul, or a life to come, or hell; or paradife, or the revolt of the principal angel, author of all the evils which have afflicted the human race, 8zc, Ihefe ideas wTre unknown to Mofes, and this '.appears from indifpiifable evidence, fince it was not till fmv: hundred years after him tliat they were firll promulgated by Zoroafter in Afia."*
The Mobed added, addrefTing himfelf to the Rabbins: " It was not till this epocha, till af- ter the a'?e of your fird kings, that thefe ideas
* // li'^s not 'tlH f'-tir hur'clrsd y.'ars after. Seethe Chronology of the Tv/eive Ages, in which I conceive ■ j-'-^yfelf to h<ve ckpily proved that Moles hve'd :ho\\t .1400 years before Jdlis Chrii^, iind Zoroafter about a thoufand.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES* 169
appeared in your writings ; and then their ap- pearance was furtive and gradual, according as there grew up a political relation between your anceiloi's and ours. It was particularly at the period when, conquered and difperfed by the kings of Nineveh and Babylon, your progenitors reforted to the banks of the Ti- gris and the Euphrates, and refided in our country for three fucceffive generations, that they imbibed our manners and opinions, which before tliey had regarded wath averfion, as contra|-y to their law. When our King, Cy- 3us, had delivered them from flavery, they felt attached to us from fentiments of grati- tude ; they became our difciples awd imitators, and introduced our peculiar do6^rines into the correfied publication of their facred books j*
P
* In thi corred^ed puhl'icahon of their Jacved hoolsi la the liiil periods of the Chriftian church, not only -the nioft learned of thofe who have fince been denomin;itcd heretics, but many of the orthodox conceived Mofjs to have writtt n neither the lav nor the Pentateuch, but that the work was a compilation made b)'- the elders of tlie peoj)le and the Seventy, who, after the death of Mofes, collcclcd his fcattered ordinances, and mixed with iheni things that were extraneous; fmiilar to what happened as to the Koran of Mahomet. See Les Clem:nt'ines Honi-l. 2. fe(^l. 51. and Homel. 3. feet. 42.
Modern cities, more enlightened or more attentive than the ancients, have found in Gencfis in paiticulir, masks of its having been compofed on the return from the captivity ; but the ])rincipal proofs hroe efcaped them. Thcfe I mean to exhibit in an analyfis of the book of Genefis, in which I fhall demoniirate that the tenth chai>- ter, among others, which treats of the pretended gencru-
IJO A SURVEY OF THE
for your Genefis in particular was never the work of Mofes, but a compilation digelled after the return from the Babylonifli captivity, and containing in it the Chaldean opinions re- fpecting the origin of the world.
" At iirfl the pure followers of the law, oppofnig to the emigrants the letter of the text and the abfolute lilence of the prophet, endeavoured to overpower thefe innovations ; but they ultimately prevailed, and our doc- trine, modiiied according to your ideas, gave rife to a new fec^. You expelled a king, the rellorer of your political independence; we announced a God, the regenerator of the world, and the faviour of mankind. Thcfe ideas blended together, conilituted the tenets of the Effenians, and through them became the bafis of Chridianity. Jev/s, Chriilans, Mahometans, however lofty may be your pre- tenfions, you are, in your fpiritual and imma-
^ionsnf the man crJIod Noah, is a real geographical pic- ture of tr.c WJrJd, as it was known to the Hebi'cws ;it the epoch of the captivity, which was bounded by Greece or Hellas at ihe Weft, mount Caucafes at the North, Perfia at the Ealt, and Arabia and Upper £pypt at the South. All the ^pretended perfonages from Adam to Abraham or liis father Tcrah, are mythological beings, iuirs, conllellations, countries. Adam is Bootes; Noah is Ofyrii-, Xiiutlirus Janus, Saturn'; that is to hy Capri- corn, or the ciilellial Genius that ojiened the ye^r. The Alexandrian Chronicle fays exprcfsly, page 85^ that Nimrod was fappofcd by the Perfi ans to be their firit king, as having invented the art of hunting, and that l»e was tranflated into heuven v/lieie he appears under the name of Orion.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 1 71
terial fyllem, only the blunderiug followers of Zorafcer!"
llaviiio: thus commenced his difcoiirfe. tlic Mobed went on to the detrdl of his religion; and fupporting his fentimcnts by quotaticns from the Zaddcr and the Zendavcfta, he re- counted, in the fame order as they are found in the book of Genefis, the creation of the world in ^\y. gaharis ;* the formation of a firft man and a firll woman in a peculiar and celef- tial habitation, under the reign of pcrfe<^
* Creaiion of the lorLl hi J/x gahans, or periods, or into fix g;ih;in-bars, th;;t is fix periods of time. Thefo ]):ricd:: arc \^\\xt Zoroafter cA\s the thoufands o^ God orofilgln, meaning the fix fummcr rnon'Ji'^. In the fiiil.. f:ty the i-'ern<ins, God created (anangcd in order) the heavens; in the fecond the v/aters; in the third the earth; in the fourth trees ; in the lifth animals ; and in ihe fixth man ; corrcfpondin^; v/ith the account in Gcnc- fis. For particul.irs fee Hyde, ch. 9, and Hsnry Lord, ch. 2. On the reh'gion of die ancient Perlians. It is rc- mirkable that the (xmz tradition is found in the facrcd books of the Pkrurians, which relate th it the fvbric/itor of all ti)ings had comprifed the duration of his work in a pci iod of twelve thoufind years, which period was i\'\(- tributcd to the twelve iioufes of the ll.n. 'In the lirft tlioriand. God made heaven and earth ; in tlie focond the firmament; in the third the fea and the "aters; in the fourth the fun, moon and liars; in ' the filth the foul of animal;, birds and reptiles; in the iixth man. Sec Sui- das, at the word I'yrrhcna; which ihews firli: tlie identi- ty ol- their theological and a(h-olooical opinions ; and f:- c;»ndly the identity, or rather confufion of id^as, between abfolute and fyflematical creation, that is, the periods af- fi^ned for renewing the face of nature, wiiich were at iirlh the period of the year, and afterwards periods oi' 60, of 6co,of 25,000, oJ 36,000, and of 43 2,000" yciri.
IJ% A SURVEY ©P THE
^ood ; the introdu^ion of evil into the world by the great lizard, the emblem of Ahrimanes, the revolt and combat of this maleficent geni- us of darknefs, againft Ormuz the benevolent God of light; the dilfribution of angels into white and black, good and ill; their hierarchy confilling of cherubim, feraphim., thrones, dominion f, &c. tbfe end of the vrorld at t^he clofe of fix thou fan d years; the coming of the Lamb, the regenerator of nature ; the new world; the life to come in an abode of felicity orangiiifh; thepaffage of fouls over the bridge of the abyfs; the celebration of the myllerics of Mithra ; the unleavened bread that is fet apart for the initiated : the baptifmi of new- born children; extreme un<^ion and auricular confellion:* in a word, he repeated fo many
' * jiur'icular confcffion. T he modern PaiTes and the ancient Mithriacs, who are the fame fed, obferve all the ChrKHan facraments, even the laying on of hands in con- firmation. " The pried: of Mithra," faj^s TeituIHan, {de Proefcriptione, ch. 40. ) " promifes abfohition irom fin on confeilion and baptifm ; and, if I riglitly remember, M4thra marks his foldiers in the forehead i^with the chrifm called in the Egyptian Kouphi;) he celebrates the facri- fice of bread, which is the refurredion, and prcfents the terown to his follower?, menacing them at the fame time with the fword, &c."
Jn thefe myflcries they tried the courage of the initiated i^vith a thoufand terrors, prefenting fire to his face, a fword to his breafl:, Sec. they alfo offered him a crown which he refuitd, faying, God is my crown : and this crown is to be feen in the celefiial fphere by the fide of Bootes. The perfonages in thefe mylleries werediftin- guifhed by the names of the animal conftellations. The ceremony of m.afs is nothing moie tlian an imitation oj
RErOI.UTIONS OF EMPIRES. 17?
ai^ticles analagous to tliofe of the three pre- ceding: rclirious, that his difcourfe leemed to be a commentary or a continuation of the Ko*- ran or the Apocalypfe.
But the Jewifli, Chriftian, and Mahometan doclors excepted to this detail, and treating the Paries as idolatrous worfliippers of fire, charged them with falfchood, invention, and iilteration of fa<fi:s. A violent difpute then f.rofe refpc6ting the dates of events, their or- der and fuccellion, refpecting the origin of opinions, their tranfmiilion from one people to another, the authenticity ot the books which eftablilli tliem, the epocha when thefe books were compofed, the character oF their compilers, the value of their- tell imony; and tlie various parties proving, each againll the red, contradi<ftions, improbabilities, and the counterfeit nature of their ])ooks, accufcd one another of having founded their creed upon popular rumours, upon vague traditions, upon abfurd fables invented by folly, and admitted without examination by unknovrn, ignorant, or partial writers, at doubtful periods and dif» ferent from thofe to which their partifans re- ferred them.
A loud rumour was now excited under the (landards of the various Indian fe^ls, and the
P2
ihcfr niyflerles and thofe of Eleufis. The bencdidion t.h£ J^oni be loif/j youy i" a literal trann.ition of the foimu- lir of admifiion chou-k, a:n, f-la. See Beaufoh. Ji]ji* Du Manh'heifine<i Tol. ii.
174 ^ SURVEY OF THE
Bramins, enlering their protell againfl the claims of the Jews and the Paries, faid : '' What are thefe iipftart, and almofl un- loiown people who thus arrogantly confider themfelves as the founders of nations and the depofitaries of the facred archives ? To hear their calculations of {ivc or fix thoufand years, one would fuppofe that the world was but ©f yeilerday, whereas our monuments prove a duration ©f inany thoufands of "centuries. And in what refpe^l are their books prefera- ble to ours? Are then the Vedes, the Chaf- ires, the Pourans, inferior to the Bible, the Zendavefta;, the Sadder?* Is not the tefliimo-
* T'/je Vecks^ the Chafircs^ and the Pouraus. Thefe arc the facred volumes of the Hindoos ; ^hey are fometimes written Vedamsy pQiiranams, Chajli-aus^ beciaife tlie Hindoos, like the Perfians, are accuftomed to give a nafal found to the terminations of their words, which we leprcfentby the affixes on ^vnian, and the Portuguefe by the affixes om and am. Many of thefe books have been tranfl.ited, thanks to the liberal fj^irit of Mr. HaiHngs, who has founded at Calcutta a literacy fociety and a print- ing prefs. At the fime time, hov'ever. that we exprefs our gratitude to this fociety, we muil be permitted to f:ompiain of its exclufivc fpirit, the number of copies print- ed of each book being fuch as it is impoffible to purchase them even in England; they are wholly in the hands of the Eaft India proprietors.. Scarcely even is the Afiatic IMifceHany known in Europe, and a man mu!t be very learned in oriental antiquity before he fo much as hear"* of the Jones's, the \\ ilkins's and the Halhed's, &c. A? to the facred books of the Hindoos, all that are yet in our hands are the Bhagvat Geeta, the Ezour-Vedara, tli^ Bagavadam, f^d certain fragments of the Chadres printed *,t the end of tihe Bhagvat Geeta. Thefe books are In In-, doftan what tlie Old and New Tcflament are in ChrlfK
RE\^OLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. I 75
nj of our progenitors and our Gods of equal value with that of the Gods and progenitors of the wedei'Q world? Oh! were we permit- ted to reveal to profane men the myileries of our religion! Did not a facred veil juftly hide our do<5lrine from every eye!"
The Bramlns fuddenly obferving a profound filence: " How, fa.id the legiihuors, can we admit yeur doctrine, if you refufe to make it known? How could its firft authors propagate it, when, having fole polfciTion of it, they re- garded even their own people as profane? Has heaven revealed it that it might be kept afccrct?*'
The Bramins, however, perfuled in their filence ; and a European at this moment offer- ing to fpcak, remarked that their fecrecy was at prcfent an empty form, that their ficred books were divulged and their do(5lnne ex- plained: he accordingly undertook to recapi- tulate its feveral articles.
Beginning with an abftraif^ of the four Vedes, the twenty eight Pourans, and the five or fiK Cliaflres, li*" recounted how an immate- rial, infinite, eternal, and roand Being, after having palTed an unlimited portion of time in felf-contemplation, defirous at length of ma-
cndom, the Koran in Turkey, the Si^dder and the Zen- davelia among the Parfcs, Sec. Wlien I have ttken an cxtenfivefiirv^y of their contents, I iiave fometimes alked myfeli", what would be the Jofs to die humm race ifa new; Omar condei-nned them to the flames; and unable to dif- cover any milchieF that would enflic, I call tlie imaginary cbeft that cuntaiiis them, tiis bm of Pandora.
176 A SURVEY OF THE
nifefling himfclf, feparated the faculties of male and female which wore hi him, and ope- rated ana<^ of generation of which th^^Lia- gam remains the emblem : how from this firft acl were born three divine powers, of the names of Brama, Bichen, or Vichenou, and Chib or Chiven,* the iirft deputed to create, the fccond to preferve, the third to deflroy or chynpje the form of the univerfc. He then detailed the hiftor^ of their exploits and ad- ventures, and related how Brama, proud of having created the world or the eight Bobouns (or fpheres) of probation, and of being pre- ferred to his equal Chib, this pride occafion- cd between them a combat in\\'hichthe globes or celcflial orbits were broken to pieces as if they had been a balket of eggs: how Brama, overcome in this conteil:, was reduced to fervc ?iS a pedeflal to Chib, metamorphofed into the Lingam: how Vichenou, the preferver of the univerfe, had. in the difcharge of his fun(5lion, ^ilumed nine animal and mortal forms: how under the firft, that of a fidi, he faved from the univerfal deluge a family by whom the earth was repcopled ; afterwards, in the Ihape
* Brama^ B'lchcn or Vichensu, Chib or Ch'roen. — Thefe names are differently pronounced according to the different diaie(fLS; thus they l;i.y Birmah, Bremma, Brouma. Bkhm has been turned into Vichen by the cafy exchange of a B for a /^% ?.nd into Vichenou by means of a grHmmaticid affix. In the fime manner C/jiA» which is fynonomous v/ith Satan, and Ijgniiies adverfitya is frequently written Ch'ih-a and Chiv~en; "he is called aUl) Roueier .-^xid Routr-en, that is. the dcftroyer.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. I77
of a tortoife,* drew from the fea of milk the mountain Mandreguh-i (the Pole) then, under that of a boar, tore the entrails of the giant ]u-ennlacheir€n, by whom the earth had been funk in the abyfs of Djole, from which he delivered it; how he became incarnate under the form of the Black Shepherd, and bearing the name of Chrif-en, refcued the world from the venomous fcrpent Caiengam, whofe head he cruflicd, after having himfclf received a, wound in his heel.
Faffing to tiie hillory of tlic fecondary Genii, he unfolded to the ailembiy how the Eternal, for the dilplay of his glory, had cre- ated divers orders of angels, v/hofe office it was to fmg his praifes and dire<5l the univerfe: that a part of thefe angels had revolted under the conduifl of an ambitious chief, who wifli- ed to ufurp the power of GoJj and take the reins of government into his own hands: that God precipitated them into a v/orld of dark- nefs as a puniflimc^it for their mifdceds: that at laft, touched with compaffiion, he confented to withdraw them from thence, and to receive them again into favour after previously fubje^ft- ing them to a long (late of probation: that for thij purpofe, having created fifteen orbitg
* In the Jhaps of a tortoife. This is the conftellatiot* teftudo, or the lyre, which was at fir (I a tortoife on account of its flow motion round the Pole ; then a lyre, becaufe it is the (liell of this reptile on which the lliings of the lyre arc mounted. See an excellent memoir of M, Du^ j^uisfur rOri^lne (ics Con/lcllaitonSj in quarto^
178 . A SURVEY OF THE
or regions of planets, and bodies to inhabit them, he obliged thefc rebellious angels to un- dergo eighty Teven tranfmigrations: that the fouis, thus purified, i-eturned to their primitive fource, to the ocean of lil^ from which they Iiad emanated: that as all living beings con- tained a portion of this univerfal foul, it was an act of great criminality to deprive them of it. He was proceeding to develope the rites and ceremonies of this religion', when, fpeak- inp- of offerings and libations of milk and but- ter to Gods of wood and of brafs, he was in- terrupted by an univerfal murmur mixed with loud burfls of Luighter.
Each of the diixercnt prouoes reafoned in ics ovv'n particular manner reipecting this fyf- lem: " They are idolaters, fald the PvlmTul- mans, *' it is our duty to exterminate them." '' They are mad, f;;>.id the followers of Confu- cius, '• it is our duty to cure them>.*' " What abfurd Gods, cried the reft, " a fet of fat jncjukcys begrimmcd with fmoke, whom they 'wafli like children's clouts, and from whom thdy drive away the flies, lured by the tafte of honey, who v/ould oth^rwife defile them with their excrements !"^
At thefe words a Bra.niln,burrLing with in- dignation, exclaimed : " Thefe are iufcru- tafile myfteries, the profound emblems of truth, w^hich you are not v/orthy to knaw."
And how comes it,'* replied a Lama of Thibet, " that you are more worthy than \YC? Is it becaufe you pretend to be fprung
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. I79
from the head of Braina, while the reil of mankind derive their origin f.iom the Icfs noble parts of his body ? If yoti would fnp- port the fable of your origin and the vain dif- tin£lions of your cafls, prove that you are of a nature different from us ; prove at lead by hillorical teflimony the allegories you main- tain; nay, prove that you are really the au- thors of this fyilem; for on our part we are to prove, if that were neceilary, that you have only ilolen and disfigured it; that you have borrowed die ancient paganifm of the weflern world, and blended it by an abfurd conceit with the purely fpiritual nature oi" our Gods,* a nature which (loops not to addrefs itfelf to the fenfes, and was wholly unknown to the vrorld till the miflion of Beddou."
Inilantly innumerable voices demanded to be informed of this nature, and to hear of that God with whofe very name the majority of them \\'ere unacquainted. In purfuance of this demand, the Lama refumed.
" In the begining," faid he, " there was one God, felf-exillent, who palled through- a whole eternity, abforbed in the contempla- tion of his own rcfieftions, ere he determined to manifefl thofe perfections to created beings, when he produced the matter of die world.
* 7l'a/ you have borrowed the anaent Pagariifm of the IVcJhrn avoritl. All the ancient opinions of the EgyjJtian and Grecian tlicologians are to be found in India, and they appear to liave been inuorjced, by means of the comnuice of Arabia and the vicinity of P.ifia, time ini- nn^moriul.
rSo A PURVEY OF TH£
The four elements at their production lay in a flate of mingled confufion, till he breath- ed upon the face of the waters, and they im- mediately became an immenfe bubble, Ihaped like an egg, which v,'hen complete became the vault or globe of the heavens in which the world is inclofed.* No fooner was the earth and the bodies of animals produced, than God, the fource of motion, beflowed upon them as a living foul a portion of his fub- flance. Thus the foul of every living thing, being only a fraction or feparate part of the miiverfal foul, no percipient being is liable to perifh, but merely changes its form afid mould as it paiTes fucceiTively into different bodies. But of all the fubllantial forms that of man
* Breathed upon the face of the nvaters. 7'his cofmo- gony of the Lamas, the Bonzes, and even the Bramins, as Henry Lord afTerts, is literally that of the ancient Egyptians. ** The Egyptians," fays Porphyry, " call Kneph, intelligence, or efficient caufe of the univerfe. Lhey relate that this God vomited an egg, from which was produced another God named Phtha or Vulcan, (ig- neous principle or the fan) and they add, that this egg is the world." Eufeb. Frscp. Evang. p. 115.
" They rc])refent," fays the fime author in another place, '* the God Kneph, or efficient caufe, under the form of a man in deep blue (the colour of the Iky) hav- ing in his hand a fceptre, a belt round his body, and a fmall bonnet royal of light feathers on his head, to denote how very fubtile and fugacious the idea of that being is.'" Upon which I ihall obferve that Kneph in Hebrew fig- nifies a wing, a feather, and that this colour ot fl<:y-blue is to be found in the mi^jority of the Indian Gods, and is, under the name of Narayan, one of their moil didir- guifhing epithets.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. l8l
is moft pleafing to the Divine being, as mod refembling his uncreated perfections; and man, when, by withdrawing himfelf from the commerce of the fenfes, he becomes ab- forbed in the contcmphition of his own na- ture^ difcovers the Divinity that refides in it and himfelf becomes worthy of Divinity. Thus is God inceffantly rendering himfelf incarnate; but his greateil and moft folemn incarnation was three thoufand years ago, in the province of Caflimcre, under the name of I'ot or Beddou, for the purpofe of teaching the do(^rine of felf-denial and fclf-annihila- tion." The Lama proceeded to detail the hiiiory of Fot, obferving that he had fprung iVom the right intercoflal of a virgin of the royal blood, who, when flie became a mother, (lid not the lefs continue to be a vircfin : that the king of the country, uneafy at his birth, Vvas defirous to put him to death, and caufed all tlij males who were born at the fame period to be mailacred: that being faved by iliep- herds, Beddou lived in the defert to the age of thirty years, at which time he opened his commmillion, preaching the do6trine of truth and cading out devils : that he performed a multitude of the mod adonifhing miracles, i"))ent his life in fading and the fevered mor- lifications, and at his death bequeathed to his difciples the volume in which the principles of his religion are contained. The Lama then began lo read.
lo2 A SURVEY OF THE
" He that forfakelh his father and his mo- ther (fays Fot) to follow me, fliall become a perfeft Samanean (a heavenly being.)
" lie that keepeth my precepts to the fourth degree of perfecftion, fliall acquire the power of flying in the air, of moving earth and heaven, of protrafting or jQiortcning liis life, and of rifmg again;
''- The Samean looks with contempt on rich- es, and makes vSt only of fuch tilings as are itriclly nccelTary. He mortifies the ileih, fub- dues his palhons, fixes his defires and alfeflions en nothing terrellrial, meditates v/ithout ceaf- ing upon my doctrine, endures injuries with patience, iuid bears no enmity againfl his neighbour.
" Keaven and earth (fays Fot) diall pafs away; defpife therefore your Dodies v/hich are compofed of the four perifliable ele- ments, and think only of your immortal fcnl.
'^ Ileax'ken not to the fuggefl ions of the fielli : fear and forrow are the produce of the paflions: flifie the paflions, and fear and for- row \^ill thus be dcilroycd.
" Whofoever dies (fays Fot) Vv'ithout hav- ing received miy do6trine, becomes again and again an inhabitant of the earth till he fhall have embraced it."*'
The Lama Vv'as o-oincr on Vv^ith his e»tra<^s wh.en tlic ChrifLians interrupted him, obferv- ii)<7 that this religion was an alteration of theirs; that Fot was Jefus himicif disfigured.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPirvHS. 183
and that the Lamas were nothing more than a degenerate fed of the Neflorians and Ma- nichcans.
But the Lama,* fupported by all tlic Cha- mans, Bonzes, Gonnis, Talapoins of Siam, oF Ceylon, of Japan and of China, d em onilrn ted' to the Chrlllians from their own Theologians, that the doftrine of the Samaneans was known through the Eafi upwards of a thoufand years
* That the llamas ivsre a ikgcnci-aie feci of the Nejlorl- Hns, This is aflcrted by our miriionarlcs, and among others by Gcorgi in liis unfiniilicd work of the 1 hibetan alphabet: but if it can be proved that the Manicheans were but r>la2iari(b, and the ii^norant echo of a doclriiie that exilted iifteen hundred years b'jfore them, what be- comes of the declarations of Georgi? See upon this fub- yz&.. Beaufcb. Hill, du Manicheifme.
But ih.' I^nnia dcmonjlrated^ ^c. The eaRern writers in general agree in placing the birth of Bedcu IC27 years before Jefus Chri;!, which makes him the contera- porary of Zoroailer with whom, in niy opinion, th'jy confound him. It is certain that his doctrine notorioufiy cxirted at that epocha ; it is found entire in that of Or- pheus, Pythagoras, ;M»d the Indian gymn.or»..phi(t3. ij..c the gymnofophi(l:s are cited at tlie time of Alexander as m ancient feci already divided into Brachmans and S;».- mancans. See Bardcfiinss en SiuvJ jcrcms ■, Fftire a T;?- v}cn. Pythagoras lived in the ninth century before Jefas Chrift; See Chronology of the twelve ages; and Ori-i-.j- us is of (lill greater antiquity. If, as is tlie cafe, l]\e doc- trine of Pythagoras and that of OrpJieus are of 'Egyc'ti- an origin, that of Ledou goes back to the coAraOii fource; and in reahty the Egyptijn pricfb recite th;. Hermes as he was dying faid: " I hive hitherto i'-- • ■ • exile from my country, to which I now return, not for me, I afccnd to the ceklH.il nbode whcrc'<!ach ;u- you will follow in his turn : there O^jd. is: t"'.-; '•" \- o-v.y death." Ciialcidius in Thin.isum.
184 A SURVEY OF THE
]^>cfore Chriflisnity cxifled; thar their name was cited previous to the reign of Alexander, and that that of Boutta or Beddou could be
Such was the proFeinon of faith of the Samanenns, the fedai ies of Orpheus, and the Pythagoreans. Faither, Hermes is' no ether than Becloii himf::lf ; for among the India n?, Chinefe, Lamas, Sec. the planet Mercury and the corrciponding day of the Week ( VVednefday) bear the name of Bedou, and this accounts for his being placed in the rank of mythological beings, and difcovers the illiiflion of his piretcnded exiftcnce asa man, flnce it is evident that Mercury was net a human being, but the Genius or De- can, who, placed at the fummer folflice, opened the Egyptian year ; hence his attributes taken from the con- l^eilaticn Syrius, and his name of Anubis, as well as that of Efculapius having the figure of a man and the head of a dog: hence his fsrpcnt. which is the Hydra, emblem of the Nile (Hydor, humidity;) and from this ferpent he Teems to have derived his name oi' Kermes. as Remes (with afchin) in the oriental languages, ilgniiSes ferpent. Now Bedou and Hermes being the fame names, it is manifefl; of what antiquity is the iyd^m afcribed to the former. As to the name of Samanean it is precifely that of Chaman prcferved in Tartary, China, and India, The interpretation given to it is, man of the woods, a hermit mortifying the ilefii, fuch Lcln;j the characfleriltic cf this fe&; but its literal meaning is, celeflial (Samacui) and explains the fyflcm of thofe who are called by it. — ,The fy(i/(5m is the fmie as that of the feftaries of Or- rhcus, of the Eilenians, of the ancient Anchorets of Perfia and the whole Eafiern country. See Porphyry, de Abilin. Animal.
Thefe celefiial and penitent men carried in India their infanity to fuch an extreme as to wifh not to touch the earth, and they accordingly livedin cages fufpended to Tiie trees, where the people, whofe admiration was not lefs abuird, brought them provifions. During the night there were freqnent robberies, rapes rnd murders, and it was at length d: covered that they were commited by tbofc
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 185
traced to 3. more remote antiquity than that of Jefus — ^' And now/* laid they, retorting upon the Chriftians, '' do you prove to us that you are not yourfelves degenerated Samane- ans; that the man \dioni you coniider as the author of your feci: is not Fot himiclf in a different form. Demonflrate his cxiilence by hilloricai monuments of io remote a period as thofe which yv^c have adduced;* for as it ap- pears to be founded on no authentic tcflimo- ny, we abfoluiely deny its truth; and \rc maintain that your gofpels are taken from (he books of the Mythriacs of Pcrfia, and the
n-^n. v/ho, dcTcending from their cages, thus indemnified themfclves for their rcilraint during the day. The Bra- mlns, their rivals, embraced the Gp{3ortiinity ofextermiat- ing them ; and from thnt time their name in India has been fynonomons with hypocrite. See Hi(h de la Chine, in 5 vols quarto, at the note page 50; Hilh de Hues, 2 \ols. and prefice to the Ezoiir-Vedarn.
*'• Danonjlrate his rxi/ienre, cifr. I'hcre are r^bfolutcly fio other monuments of the exillencc of Jef js ChriH uj .1 human being, than a pafl'ige in Jofephus [uintiq, yucj. lib. 18. r. 3.) a iingle plirafc in 'i\citus [u^nnal. lib. i^. .-. 4.4.), and the Gofpels. But the pafTage in JcfcpLus is unanimoafly scknowicdged to be apocryphal, and to have been interpolated towurds the clofe of the third century, [See Trad, de yofi^he.p^r M. Gd'tf); and th?.t of 'f'acitus is fj v:\gdc and fo evidently taken from the d:- pofition of the Chrillians before tjie^tribun ils, that it niny le ranked in the clafs of evangeJicalViqords. h remains t.) enquire of what authority arc thc^.. rcc^ds ." All tiic world know?," fays Fauftus, v/hc, though a Miiii- i .'.,\n, v.as one of the molt .learned men of the third L.-'.ii.n-y, " All the v%'orld i:no.v.'o that th^ gofpels were li^i'.her viittcn br JJ^ds Ch'ift, cor his apolLlvrs. bat bv
1 86 A SURVEY OF THE
Eflenians of Syria, who were themfclves onlf reformed Samaneans.***
Thefe words excited a general outcry on the part of the Crillians, and a new difpute more violent than any preceding one w^as on the point of taking place, when a groupc of Chinefe Ciiamans, and Talapoins of Siam came forward, pretending that they could ea- fily adjuil every difference, and produce in the aifembly a uniformity of opinion. And one of them fpeaking for the reit, faid: " It is time that w^e fiiould put an end to all thefe frivolous difputes by drawing afidc the veil
certain unknown perfons, v/ho rightly jud^^_,ing that they fhould not obtain belief rtfpccling things v hich they had rot feen, placed at the head of their recitals the names of contemporary apoftles." See BeuufoL. vol. i. and //;/?. des jlpologtjles de la Rel'ig. Chret. tar Birrigni, a fa.- gacious writer, who has demonftrated the abfbkite uncer- tainty of thofe foundations of the Chriftian religion ; fa that the exiftence of Jcfus is no bcttei' proved than that of Ofiris and Hercules, or that of F^ or Bedou, with whom, fays M. de Giiigne?, the Chinefe continually confound him, for they never call Jefus by any other iiame than Fot. Hi/l. tie Huns.
* Tour gofpels are taken fro tn the looks of the ^Tiihriacs.. That is to £iy, from the pious romances formed out of the 'acred legenfis of the myflerics of Mithra, Cejcs, Ifis, &c. from whence are equally deriyed the books of the Kinr doos and the P!onzes. Our miiTicnaries have long re- marked a ft riking refemblance between thofe books and tJie gofpels. M.. Wilkins cxprcfsly mentions it in a note in tlie rihagva,t-Geet:u. All agree that Krifna, Fot ei;id ]efu5 have the fime chara{51:cri{fic features ; bit religiciis l^rejudice has ftood in the > ay of driiwing 'm.Vi\ this ci;:- QumlLincc the ]>roper and natural iniereru:c.- 'J'c tiiSe iiiid reafon mull it. bt left to ujfpiay the truth.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 187
and cxpofing to your view the interior and fccret do£^rine which Fot U+mfclf, on his death-bed, revealed to his difciplcs.* Thcfc various theological opinions are mere chime- ras; thcfe accounts of the attributes, adions, and life of the Gods are nothing more than allegories and myilerious lymbols, under which moral ideas and the knowledge of the opera- rations of nature in the a6lion of the elements and the revolutions of the planets, are ingc- nioufly depicted.
" The truth is, that there is no reality in any thing; that all is illufion, appearance, a dream; that the moral metempfychofis is no- thing more than a figurative fcnfe of the phy- lical metempfychofis, of that fucceffive motion by which the elements of a body is compofed, and which never perifli, pafs, when the body itfelf is diirolvcd, into a thoufand others, and form new combinations. The foul is merely the vital principle refulting from the proper- ties of matter and the aftion of the elements in bodies in which they create a fpontaneoas movement. To fuppofe that this refult of or-
* Ttbf IrJeiior andftcnidodnne. The Biidfoiils hare two " ' * " .-'...
lerioi
may he aflced, v/hy . ,
lie do(5trine recommends offerings, ex^jinuons, endow- ments, &c. the prieds find their profit in pre;ic!ving it to the people ; vvhere.is the (;ther,, teaching the vmity of Y/orMIythirg';, and attondcd wiih no iiicre,'it is thoii«;ht ^jii^oper to nj^ke it known only to adcyis. C:ia the tcacii- 4crs'?.nd foilowcrs oF this religion he better c!;.iicd tlv.^ii ^,:-f ttindvi the heads of knavery ar.d crcdidiiy ?
l6b A SURVEY OF THE
ganizatlon, v/hich is born with it, developed ■\vilh it, fieeps with it, continues to extd ^vhen organization is no more, is a romance that may be pleating enough, but that is cer- tainly chimerical. God himfelf is nothing more than the principal mover, the occult power difFufed through every thing that has being, the fimi of its Liws and its properties, the animating principle, in a word, the foul of the univerfe; which, by reaibn of the infinite diverfity of its conneclions and opera- tions, confidered fornetimes as fimple and fom.etimcs as multiple, fometimes as a6live and fomerimes as paluve, has ever prefented to the human mind an infolvable enioima. What we can comprehend with greciteil perfpicuity is, that matter does not pcrilh; thatitpcf- felTes eiTentiai properties by which the world is governed in a mode fnnilar to that of a living and organifed being; that, with refpecl to man, the knowledge of its laws is what conifitutes his wifdom; that in their obfcr- vance confift virtue and merit; and evil, lin, ^ice, in the ignorance, and violation of them^ that happinefs and misfortune are the reipec- tive refult of this obfervancc or ncglcft, by the fame necefl].ty that cccafions light fubllan- ces to afcend, heavy ones to fail, and by a flitality of cauibs and eflefts the chain of which extends from the fm.allell atom to the fLi created maFuitude and clcvatbn.*
lOii] 01 bram and tne theology
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. I 8^
A crowd of Theologians of every feet in- ftantly e.^claimed that this do<ftrine Avas ranic materialifm, and thofe Vv4io profeffed it impi- ous Atheiib, enemies both of God and man, Vv'ho ought to be extirpated from the earth. — " Strange reafoning,'' rephcd the Chamans. "* Suppofmg U3 to be millaken, which is by no means inpoffible, fmcc it is one of the attri- ])utes of the human mind to be fubjc^t to illu- fion, wliat right have you to deprive beings like yourfelvcs of the life which God has given them ? If heaven confulers us as culpable, and looks upon us v/ith horror, why does it dif- penfe to us the fame bleiiings as to you? If it treats us with endurance, what right have you to be Icfs indulgent? Pious men, who fpeak of God with fo much certainty and coniidencc, condefcend to tell us what he is; explain, fo that we may comprehend them, thofe abdra^l and metaphyfical beings which you call God and the foul; fubflances without matter, ex- illence without body, life without organs or fcnfations. If you difcover thefe beings by means of your fenfes, render them in like manner perceptible to us. If you fpeak. of them only upon teftimony and tradition, fliow us a uniform recital, and giv^ an identical and determinate balls to your creed.*'
dogmas, compared v/ith thofe of the ancient phllofophers of Greece and It:i!y, give a complete reprcfentatlon of the whole fyllcm of ihc Stoics and Epicureans, mixed with aflrological fupcrRitions, and fomc traits of Pytha- gorifm.
irjO A SURVEY OF THE
There now arofe a warm controverfy be- tween the Theologians refpecling the nature of God and his mode of aain? and manifeO:-
o
kig nimfeif ; r^fpe^ling the foul and its union with the body, whether it has exidence pre- vious to the organs, or from the time of their formation only ; refpecting the life to come and another world ; and every fe(9:, every fchool, every individual, diifering from the rcll 'IS to all thefe points, and ailigning for its dilfent plaufible reafon and refpetflabie but op- pofite authorities, they were all involved in an incxiricable labyrinth of contradictions.
At length, the legiflators having reilored fi- ience, recalled the difpute to its true objecSl:, and faid : " Leaders and inflruclors of the people, you came hither for the purpofe of invefticatinor truth; and at firil every one of you, coniidcnt in his own infallibility, demand- ed an implicit faith: prefently, however, you felt the contrariety of your opinions, and con- fented to fubmit them to a fair comparifon and a common rule of evidence. You proceeded to expose your proofs : you began with the al- legation of f?.6ts; but it prefently appeared that every religion and every (cCi had its mi- racles ai*d its martyrs, and had an equal cloud of v/itneiles to boall;, who were ready to prove the re^itude of their fentiments by the facrifice of their lives. Upon this firfl: poiut therefore the balance remained equal.
'• You next paiTcd to proofs of reafoning: the I'iXmc argumcats v/ere aitcnia.te]y applied
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. I91
to the fupport of oppofite propofitions ; the fame all'crtions, equallj gratuitous, werefuc* ceffiveiy advanced and repelled; every one was found to have an equal reafon for denying his aflent to the fyflcm of the others. A far- ther confcqiicnce that arofe from thus con- fronting your fyflems was, that, notwithftand- ing their diffimilitude in fome points, their re- fcmblance in others v/as not lefs (Irlkinq;. Each of you claimed the firfl depofit and the origi- nal difcovery ; each of you taxed his neigh- bour with adulteration and plagiarifm; and a previous quell ion to the embracing of air^of your do(ftrine, appeared to refult from therof- tory of opinions.
"• A flill qreater embafraflment arofe when you entered into the explication of your doc- trines: the more alhduous were your endea- vours, tlie more C4:)nfufed did they appear; they refled upon a bafis inaccefTible to human underlhniding, of confequencc you had no means to judge of their validity, and you rea- dily admitted that, in alTerting them, you Svere the echos of your fathers. Hence it became important to know how they had come into the hands otf" that former genera- tion, who had no means of learning them dif- ferent from yourfelves. Thus the tranfmif- fion of theoio2:ical ideas from countrv tocoun- try, and their lirlt rife in the human under- hand ing, were ecually myllei'ious, and the qucflion became every moment more compli- aitcd with metapbyiicii! fubilety and antiqua- riaH rcicarch.
>
ig-2 A SURVEY OF THE
" But as tliefc opinions, however extraor- dinary, have fome origin; as all ideas, even ♦ the mofi abflraaed and fantaflical, have in na- ture fpmc phyfical model, we mud afcend to that origin in order to difcoycr what thi« mo- del is, and how the underllanding came by thofe ideas of Deity, the foul and immaterial beings that are fo obfcure, and which form the foundation of fo many religious fyflems; we mull trace their Hneal defcent and the alter- ations they liave undergone in their var-ious fucceincns and ramifications. If therefore there are in this aficm.bly men who have made th4h obje£ls their peculiar ftudy, let them come forward and endeavour to difpel, in the prefenceof the nations of the e^.rth, theob- fcurity of opinions in which for fo long a pe- riod they have^ail wandered."
CHAP. XXIL
ORIGIN AND GENEALOGY OF RELIGIOUS IDEAS.
JLXT thcfe words a new groupc, formed in
an inftant of' individuals from every ftandard,
but undiinnguiilied by any, advanced in the
fand, and one of the members, fpeaking in
the name of the general body, faid :
• " Legillatcrs, friends of evidence and of
truth!
REVeLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 1 93
" That the fabjeci: of which we treat fhould be involved in io many clouds, is by no means aftonifliing, fmce, befide the difFiculties that are pecufiar to it, thought itfelf has, till this moTnlHit, ever had (hackles impofed upon it, and free enquiry, by the intolerance of every religious fyftem, been interdicted. But now that thought is unrcllrained, andmaydevclopc all its powers, we will cxpofe in tlie f.KG of day, and fubmit to the common judgment of aflembled nations, fuch rational truths as im- prejudiced minds have by long and laborious iludy difcovercd: and this, not with the dc- fign of impofuig them as a creed, but from a dcfire of provoking new lights, and obtaining better information.
" Cliicfs and inflruftors of the people, you are not ignorant of the profour^d obfcurity in which the nature, origin, and hiflory of the dogmas you teach are invelbpcd. Impofed by force and authority, inculcated by educa- tion, maintained by the imSuence of cxamolc, they v/ere perpetuated from age tm age, and habit and inattention llrengtheiKd their em- pire. But if man, enlightened by tvXperiencc Hud reflefHon, fummon to the bar of ma^ ture exarain-^tionthe prejudices of his.fiafaib- cy, he prefcntly difcovcrs a raullitude of iu- congruities^'and contradi<51ions wliich awakc:i his iagacity and call forth die exertion of h;i rrn'onrnr" powers. "
R
-J 94 A SURVLY or THE
" x\.t firll, remarking the various and op- .pofite creeds into which nations are divided, we are led boldly to rcjcd: the infallibility claimed by each; and arming ourfelves alter- nately with their reciprocal prct^nfiQ^s, to conceive that the fenfes and the underdand- ing emanating dire<ftly iroRi God, arc a law not lefs facred, and a guide not lefs fure than the indire^L and contradidlorj codes of the prophets.
" if wc procee-d to examine the texture of the codes themfelves, wc flialb obferve that their pretended divine laws, that is to fay, kws immutable and eternal, have rifen from/ the comiplexion of times, of places, and of perfons; tliat tlieie codes iffue one from ano- ther in a kind ef c^enealopjcal order, mutual- ly borrowing a common and fmiilar fund of ideas, vrliich every infliivtor modifies agreea- bly to his fancy.
•• If w^e afcend to{hc fource of thofe ideas, we ihall find th>-t it is lofl in the night of time, in ^he Uifancy cf nations, in the very . origin of tl-^'. world, to vrhich tliey claim alli- ance; and there, immiCrfed in the obfcurity of cliaos, and the fabulous empire of tradition, they are' attended with fo many 'prodigies as to be fecmingly inacceflible to tne, human un- derflaiidinq-. But this prodiqious ilate of things gives birth itfelf to a ray of reafoning that reiblvcsthe uifl;culty; for if the miracles beld out in iylle^'^s of religion have;"aB:uaiiy cxiiled; if, forinihuice, metamcrphofe:;/ ap-
REVOLUTIONS Oi< EMPIRES. 1 95
pavilions, and the converfations of one or more Gods, recorded in the iacrcd books of the Hindoos, the Hebrews, and the Parfcs, are indeed events in real hlilory, it follows tint nature in thofe times was perfecftly nnHk« the nature that we are acquainted with now; that men of the prefent age are totally differ- ent from the men that formerly exiiled ; and confequently that we ought not to trouble our lieads about them.
^' On the contrary, if thofe miraculous facTts h.ave had no real exiilenco in the phyfical or- der of things, they mull be regarded folcly a-i productions of the human intcllecl: : and the nature of man, at this day, capable of mak- ing the moil fantailic combinations, explain:. the phenomenon of thofe monders in hillory . The onlr diHicukv is to afcertain how and for v/hat purpofc tjie imagination invented them. If we examine with attenlion the kibjecis that are e>diibited by them, if we analize the ideas which they com.bine and affociate, and-weigii with accuracy all their concom.itant circum- {l:ances, we fhall find a folution perfe^Ttly civi- formablc to the laws of nature. Thofe fabu- lous Hories have a figurative fenfe differeia. iVom their apparent one, they are founded o\\ fimple and phyfical fa^ls: but thefe fa(fl:s, be- ing ill conceived and erroneouily reprefented, have been disfio^ured and chanired from their original nature by accidental caufes dependar;'. on the human mind, by the confufion of Qgn; made ufc of in the repreoentatloii of obje^i^.
ig6 A SURVEY OF THE
t)y the equivocation of words, the defeat of language, and the imperfection of writing. Thefc Gods, for example, who a6t fuch fingu- lar parts in every fyilcm, are no other than the phyfiCcil powers cf nature, the elements, the winds, the meteors, the Ihirs, all which have been perfonifiedby the necelliiry niechan- ifm of language, and the manner ip which ob- jeccs are conceived by the underilanding. Their life, their manners, their adions, are only the operation of the famx powers, ^nd the whole of their pretended hiilory no more than a defcription of their various phenome- na, traced by the firfl naturaliil that cbfervcd them, but taken in a contrary f-nfe by the vulgar who did not underiland it, or by fuc- ceeding generations who forgot it. In a word, all the theological dogmas refpecHng the ori- gin of the world, the nature of God, the re- velation of his laws, the manifeflation of his pcrfon, are but recitals of aiironomical fa els, figurative and emblematical narratives of tli-j motion and infliience of the heavenly bodie?. The very idea itieif of the Divinity, vvhich is at prefent fo obfcn-e, abilracled and metaphy- fical, was in its origin rr.erelyacompofitof the powers of the material univcrfe, conlidered fometimes analytically, as they appear in their sgents and their phenomena, and fometlme^i lynthetically, as forming one whole and cxhi- biting an harmonious relation in ail its part£. Thus the name of God has been beitowed fcinctimes upon the wind, the fire, the water,
RKVOLU'l'IOxMS OF EMPIRES. l-j']
and the eiemeHts; fometlmes upon the fuu, the liars, the planets, and their influences; fbinctimes upon the univeiTe at large and the matter of which the world is compoied; iomc- times upon abflracl and metaphyiical proper- ties, luch as fpace, duration, motion, and in- telligence; but in every inftance the idea of a Deity has not flowed from the miraculous revelation of an invifible world, but hai been the natural reiult of human reilc<51lon, kas follov/ed the progrefs aad undergone the chansres of the fuccellive improvement of in- telle<5l, and has had for its fubje^l the vlfible univerfe and its different agents.
" It is then in vain that nations refer the origin of their religion to lieavenly infpirati- on ; it is in vain that they pretend to defcribe a fupernatural ihite of thin^^s as firll in the or- der of events : the original barbarous flate of mankind, attefted b'^ their own monuments,* belies ail their aflertions. Thefe aifertioiij are IHII more vi^loriouHy refuted by confider- ing this great principle, that man receives no ideas but through the medium of his fenfc^ : \
R2
* The original la rh a rousjliUe cf mnaliiJ. Ji is C\i unanimous tefKmony of hittory, and even oF legends, thr.t tlie fir(t human beings were every \vliere lavago'., and th t It w.J.s to cix'iiize them, and tei.c'i \}':m to rrir'^.e ivr^i--] thit the Gods manifoffed themrel; •; .
■\- Alan nxtlves no h/casy l^s 'Vhc rock, on wiiicu ill L]\e ancients have Ip'it, and which his occafroned uU thair errors, has been their fuppofing the idea of God to be innate and cocte;n.d \v!lh the foul j and hence ah &m
ig^ A SURVEY OF THE
from hence it appears that every fyfiem which iifcribes liuman vvifdom to any other fource than experience and fenfation, includes in it a ufleron proteron, and reprefents the iafl re- fults of underdanding as eariied in the order of time. If we examine the different reli^i- ous fyftems which have been formed refpe^i- ing the a^liorf' of the Gods and the origin of the world, v/e ihall difcover at every turn an anticipation in the order of narrating thingr, which could only be fuggeiled by fubfequent refie^lion. Reafon, then, emboldened by thefe contradictions, hefitates not to rejc-f^ whatever does not accord with the nature of things, and accepts nothing for hiilorical truth tha.t is not dipable of being eilabiiflietl by argument and ratiocination. Its ideas and fuggcftions are as follow:
" Before any nation received from a neigh- bour nation dogmas, already invented; before one generation inherited the idea of another, none of thefe comiplicated fyfiems had exift- eiice. The firfl: men, the children of nature, whofe confcioufnefs w^as anterior to experi- ence, and Vv'ho brought no preconceived knov/- icdge into the world with them, were born without any idea of thofe articles of falih v/hich are the rcfiilt of learned contentions ; of thofe religious rites which had relation to arts and p2a6!:ices not yet in exiitence ; of thofe
reveries developed In Plato and Jamblicu?. See th« 'rimaeus, th; Plaedon, and.De Myikrics ^Egyptiorup,
I.
-• D'
REVOLUTIONS OF JIMFIRES. 199-
precepts which fiippofc the paiTions ah-c?.dy developed; of thof^i laws v/hich have refer- ence to a language and a focial order hereaf- ter, to be produced; of that God, whofe at- tributes are abRraflions of the knowledge of nature, and the idea of whofe conduct is fug* gelled by the experience of a dcfpoiic govern- ment; in line, of that Ibul and thofe fpiritual exidences which are fa id not to be the objecl of their fenfes, but which, however, we mud forever have remained unacquainted with, it our fenfes had not introduced them to us. Previouily to arriving at tliefe notions an ini- mcnftft catalogue of exiflino: fafts mufl have been obferved. Man, originally favage, mult liave learned from repeated trials the ufe of his organs. Succeillve generations mull Iiavc invented and refmed upon the means of fub- fidence; and the underllanding, at liberty to difengage itfelf. from the wants of nature, muil have rifen to.the complicated art of com- paring ideas, digcfiing reafonings, and feizing upon abilra^l friuilitudes.
Sect. J. Ongi?i ef the idea of God: Worfrnp of the elements y and, the phyfccd powers of
iUtliHi*
" IT was not till after havino^fur mounted thofe obitaclcs, and run a long career in the night of hidory, that man, reilet^ing on his fiate, began to perceive his fubjcfcion to forces fuperior to his own and independent of his will. The fun gave ]iim liglit and warmth j
2€)0 A SURVEY 01' THE
iire burned, thunder terriiied, the winds buf- feted, water overwhelmed him; all the vari- ous natural exiilences acted upon him in a manner not to be/ refilled. For a long time, an automaton, Ivz remained pallive, without enquiring into the caufe of this acStion; but the very mom.ent he was deiirous of account- in'j to himfelf for it, alloniihment feized his mind; and palTmg from the furprife of a iir'l thought to the reverie of curiofity, he form- ed a chain of reafoning
'• At lirft, ccnlldering only the action of the elements upon him, he inferred, relatively to himfelf, an idea of weaknefs, of fubjeclion, and relatively to them, an idea of power, of domination; and this idea was the primativc and fundamental type of all his conceptions of the Divinity.
" The action of the natural exiflences, in the fecond place, excited in him fenfations of pleafure or pain, oi good ^r evil ; by virtue of his organization, he conceived love or a- veriion for them, he defircd or dreaded their prefence; and fear or hope was the principle of every idea of religion.
'^ Afterwards, judging every thing by com- parifon, and remarking in thoie beings a mo- tion fpontaneous like his own, he fuppofed there to be a will, an intelligence inherent in that motion, of a nature flmllar to what exill- ed in himfelf: and lience^ by way or inference he llarted a freih argument, liaving expe- ricncrid that certain nifodes oi bchatiour tow-
RSVOLUTIONS O? EMPIRIS. 20f
ards his fellow creatures wrought a change in their aiTefiions and governed their conduct, he spplied thofe pra<fl:ices to the powerful beings of the univerfc. '' When my fellow crea- ture of fuperior ftrength/' liiid he to himfelf, '* is difpofed to injure me, I humble myfelf before hlra, and my prayer has the art of ap- pealing him. I will pray to the powerful be- ings that flrike me. I will fupplicate the fa- culties of the winds, the planets, the waters, and they will hear me. I will conjure them to avert the calamities, and to grant me the blcffings which arc at their difpofal. My tears will move, my offerings propitiate them, and I Ihall enjoy complete felicity."
" And, fimple in the infancy of his resi- fon, man fpoke to the fun and the moon, he animated \^ith his underflanding and his paf- fions the great agents of nature; he thought by vain founds and ufelcfs practices to change their inilcxible laws. Fatal error! He dcfired that the water ihould afcend, tlie mountains be removed, the itone to mount in the air; afid fubftituting afanjdtlic to arcdl world, he condituted/or himfcif beings of opinion, to the terror cf his mind and the torment of his race.
*•' Thus the ideas of God and religion fprung, like ail others, from phyfical obje£ls, 2.nd wci'G in the underftimding of man the produce cf his fenlations, his wants, thecir- (jimilances of his life, and the progreiTivs flatc i'i' his know led i^e.
202 A SURVEY OF THE
" As thefe ideas had natural beings for their firil: models, it refulted from hence that the Divinity v/as originally as various and ma- nifold as the forms under which he feemed to ^61 : each being was a power, a Genius, and the firll; men found the univerfe crowded with hinmriCrable Gods.
'• In like manner the ideas of the Divinity having had for motors the affeclions of the hu- man heart, they underwent an order of divi- fion calculated from the fenfations of pain and pieafure, of love and hatred: the powers of nature, the Gods, the Genii, were clailed into benign and nraleiiccnt, into good and evil ones ; and this coniHtutes the univerfality o£ thefc two ideas in every fylLeiH cf rdi- ron. ^.^
" Thele idess, analogous to the condition of their inventors, v/ere for a long time con- fufed and grofs. Wandering in woods, befet with wants, deflitute of refources, men in their favage ftate had no leifure to make com- parifons and drav/ conclufions. Sufferinsj more ills than they tailed enjoyments, their mod habitual feni:iment wr.s fear^ their theo- logy terror, their worfliip ccnimed to certain m.odes of falutation, of offerings which they prefented to beings wliom they fuppofcd to be ferocious and greedy like themfeives. In their ib.te of equality and independence, no one took upon him the office of mediator vv^ith Gods as infubordinate and poor as himfclf. No one having any fupcrfiuity to difpofe cfj
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 203
there exiiled no paralite under the name of pried:, nor tribute under the name of vidim, nor empire under the name of .ahar; their dogma and morality, jumbjed together, were only felf-prefervation ; and their rehgion, an arbitrary idea without influence on the mutual relations exidiing betv/ecn men, was but a vain homage paid to the viliblc powers of nature.
" Such was the firfl and neceffary ©rigin of every idea of the Divinity.
The orator then addrcfhncT the favacfe nati- ons, laid; " We appeal to you, who have re- ^teived no foreign facfiitious ideas, whether )'our conceptions have not been formed pre- cifelyin this manner? We aik you alfo, learn- ed theologians, if fuch be not the unanimows record of all the monuments of ;intiquity ?*
SrcT.II. Second Syftcni : Worjh'ip cf the Stars ^ or Salcifnu
" BUT thofe fame monuments oiTer us a more methodical and more complicated fyflcm, that of the worfliip of all tlie frars, adored at one time under their proper form, at ano- tlier under emblems and figurative fymbois.
^^ Record of all the monuin^uts of ahll^.-'y. It clear] j rcfults, fays Picitarch, from the-verlcs of Or-plicus and ilie ficreci books of the Eqvptians and Plnry^iiiriS, th<>t ", he ancient theology, not only of the Greeks, but of ?.Ii n'tions. was nothincr more thiin a fyllem of phyfic?^, a yltture of the operations of natare, Wrapped up in inylle- lious allcL'ories nnd cp.iTmgticai fvjiibols, in a manner that ike i'-inorant multitude attended ratlicr to their p^jp-irent
?2e4 ^ SURVEY OF THE
TJiis worfliip was alfo the efFe6i: of the kno\r- ledgeof man inphyfics, and derived hr;mcdi- atcly from iiie firft caufes of the focial flate; that is to fay, from wants and arts of the firfl degree, the elements as it were in the forma- tion of fociety.
" When men began to unite in fociety, ihey found it necelTary to enlarge the means of their fubfillence, and confequenlly to ap- ply themfelvcs to agriculture: and the prac- tice of agriculture required the obfervation
than to their hidden me?.ning, and even in what they underftood of the latter, fuppofed there to be fomcthing more deep than what they perceived. Fiagment of a work of Piiitarch now loft, c^uoted by Eufebius, Frxpar. Evang. lib. 3, eh. i, p. 83.
"1 he majority of philofophers. fays Porphyry, and aincng r.thers Cseremon (who lived in Egypt in the firft age of Chriftanity), imagine there never to have been any other world than the one we fee, and acknowledged no other Gods of ail thofe recognized by the Eg3q)tian3, than fucli as are commonly called planets, fignsof the Zodiac, and conflellations ; whofe afpCifls, that is, rifing and fetting, Tire fuppofed to inflaence the fortunes of men; to which they add their divifions of the figns into decans and dif- penfers of timie. v/hom they ftyle lords of the afcendant, whofe names, virtues in the relieving difterapers, riling fetting and prefages of future events, a.re the fubje6ts of almanacks; (for be it obferved, that the Egyptian pricOs had almanacks the exa(5^j counterpart of Matthcv/ Lanf- berg's); for when the prieRs affirmed that the fan was ibe archite61: of the univerfe, Chtcremon prcfently con- cludes that all their narratives refpexSting Ifis and Ofiris, iogether with their other Ucred fables, referred in part to the pl;inets, the phafes of the mooin and the revokition of-. tbiC fun, and in part to the ftars of the daily and ni.gl|(;Iy' hemifphercs and' the river Nile; in a v/ordy in ill cafc^ to
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPlllKS. 205
and knowledge of the heavens.* It vras nc- ceiTary to know the periodical return of the fame operations of nature, the fame pheno- mena of the llvies ; it was neceffary to regu- late the duration and fucceilion of the feafons, months and year. In order to this it was re- quifite to become acquainted wiih the march of the fun, which in its zodiacal revolution ihowed itfelf the firfl and fupreme agent of all creation; then of the moon, which by ils
S
))hyflca] and natural exigences and never to fuch as migl.t l)C immaterial and incorporeal . . . All tkefe philofophers believe that the afcs of our will and the motion of our bodies depend upon thofe of the fhirs to ^.vhich they are fubje<5led, and they refer every thing to the laws of piiy- fical neceflity, which they call deftiny or Fatvm^ fup- pofing a chain of caufcs and ellc<a:s which binds, by I know not what connexion, all beings together, from the meaneft atom to th.e fupremell power and primary influ- ence of the Gods ; fo that, whether in their temples or in their idols, the only fubjctSt of v. orPnip is the powTr of uefHny. Pvrpbyr. Epiji. ad janAnntni.
* The pratilce of a^ri::.hiire required the ohfervatlon £ndlnoivkdge vf the heaijens. It continues to be repeated every day, on the indirect authority of the book of Ge- nefis, that arrrcnomy was the invention cf the children of No;;>.. It has been gravely faid, that while wander- ing ihephcrds in the plains of Shinar, they employed their l-Jfure in compofrng a planatary fyflem : as if flicp- lierds h: d occafion to know more than tlie polar (tar, and if neceflity w^as not the fole motive of every invention! \\. the ancient fiiepherds were fo ftudious and fagacious, I10W does it hiippen that the modern ones are fo ftnpid, i;;norant, and ijiattentive ? And it is a fii«5t that the Arabs of the defert know not fo many as iix ccnAelia- tions, and underiland not a "word cf aibcnomy.
.^
2C6 A EURVEY OF TlfS
changes and i-eturns regulated and diHributed lime ; flnallj of the fliirs, iind even of ih:^ |.la- i-ets, \vhich5 by their appearance and dii'ap- pearancc on the horfzon and the noclurnal hernifphere, formed the miniitefl divifions. In a v/ord, it v/as ncceflary to ellabhiii an entire fyflcm of ailronomy, to form an ahiianac ; ;ind from this labour there quickly and fpontanc- oufly refulted a new manner of confidering ihe dci^iinant and governing powers. ' Hav- ing obferved that the prbduftions of the earth lore a regular and conPcant conncdion v;ith ;he phenomena of the heavens; that- the w birth, growth and decay of each plant, were -^ aUied to the appearance^ exaltation and de- cline of the h.rac planet, the fame groupe of •tars; in Ihort, that the languor or activity of •vcgttaiicn feemed to depend on celeilial in- iluenceSj men began to infer irom this an idea of aclion, of power, in thofe bodies, fupcrior to tcrreflnal beings; ai:d the ilars diipcnfing icarcity or abundance, became po^\crs, Gc- Lii * Gods, authors t;i c^cvd dad evil,
*■' Cc/i'ii, Coils, authors of good and e-vll. ■ X*- i'T'pe?.i'S th'^t by the Vv'oids genius- the ancients denutccl>„ quality, u generative } -- wer, for v\vz fcllov^ing wofdsj wLlbU are' all of one family, conrey this nic^^ninr: rcncrarv> rcn6c, c,'-ne{Is, gcnviSj gens.
TLe S:ibc::ns. iincient ?.vA modern, fays Llrmonidcs, ; cknowicd^e a piincipJ Gcd, the riiiiktr and inh^ibitant Ci Leaver: ; but on nccoiibt of his rrcat diirance they cc;i- ceive hi;:: to be inacccfiiblc; and in kuiiation ci" the eo^i- duvuchi -cj:Ie towiirds their kins^sj they employ ■.-■■ ^ ■■' a: ^13 v.'iih hiniy the plarxts and tlicir an^^l?, \vk'-
iiE\'oi.u'riON3 OF em?ir::3. 237
■'' A3 ibe Tcate of locliij had already intro^ vluced a methodical hierarchy of rank:>, ein- ployments and conditions, men, continuing to reaibn. from comparifon, transferred their new acquireti notions to their theology, and the re- sult was a complicated fyflem of gradurd Di- vinhies, in which the fun^ a^ the fird God, ^va3 a military chief, a political king ; the mooij a queen, his confoi't ; the planets,' fer- vant^, bearers of commands, mcflcngers; -Cind the. multitude of liars, a nation, an army of hcroc"», of Genii, appointed to govern the world under the command of 'their oilicers ; ,€vcry individual kid a name, functions, uttri|^ ])uies, drawn frojn its conneJlions and inidu- cnees^ and even a fex derived from the gcnde:* of its appellation,*
'^ As the iuitc of focicty had introduced cer- tain Hfige.5 and comple:: pra£l:ieesS, wordiip, leading the van, adopted fimilar ones. Cere- monies, fimple anvl private at firil, became puVdic and folemn ; oiTcrings were more rich ' and tnore numerous ; rites more methodical ; places of alTembly; chr.pels and temples v/erc
&..11 princes and potcnt;;tC3, p.rul v hom they nippoT:: {-) rsfiJe in tl'iofe luminoui bodie? as in palaces or t.Jjsrna. dcSi 5:c. Mjrc-Nehuchlmy pirs 3. c, 29.
* yind even a fex derived f ram ihi' ryendrr of its r.ppcUa^ tloK, According tr> the gender of the objcft was in tb-i I:iiignige of the nation inafculine or feminine, the Divinity \\ ho l)ore its name v/ds male or female. Thus the Can- padocIan3 called the moon God, and the fun Goddcfs ; a circumthnce which gives to th: fame beings a perpe'tvi' ►d V aiety in ancient mythology.
2qS a suPvVey of the •
created; ofncers, pontiffs, credited to ad- minificr; forms and epochas were fettled ; and religion became a civil act, a political tie. But in this developement it altered not its jird principles, and the idea of God was flill that of phyficai beings, operating good or ill, that is to fay, impreiihig fenfations of pain pr pleafure : the dogma v.as the know- ledge of thbir laws or modes of acting ; virtue and fm the obfervance or infringement of thofe laws ; and morality, i^i its native fim- plicity, a judicious practice of all that is conducive to the prefervation of exigence, to the well-being of the individual and of his fel lo w crea t ures. *
" Should it be ailced at v/hat epocha this fyftem took birth, vre fnall anAver, fupported ])y the authority Oi the monuments of aflro- nomy itfelf, that its principles can be traced back with certainty to a period of nearly feventeen thoufand years. f Should we far-
* McralUy tuas a judicious pracl'ic^ of all thdt is condu- rl'vs to t/je prefervation of cxijicnce. We ma,y add, fays Pidcarch, that thefe Egyptian priefts always regarded the prefcfvatlon of health as a point of lirft importance, and itG indifpenfibly necellary to the praclice of piety and the fervice ot the Gods. See X-iv-, ?.ccoViXi'i-Sii Ifis and Ofiris towards the end.
f l^hat its principhs (thofe of aflronomy) can he tra- ced lack to a period of i 7 coo years. The hillorical ora- tor follows here the opinion of M. Dupuis, who, in hi.i learned memoir concerning the origin of the conilell;!- tions, has afBgned many plaufible reafons to prove that Lilra was forintriy the hgn of the vernal, and A7-ies oi
■9
thcr be afked to \vhat people or nation it ought to be attributed, we fliall reply that thofe felf-fame monuments, feconded by u.}:i- nimous tradition, attribute it to the fird tribes of Egypt. And when reafon finds in that re- gion a concurrence of all the phyiical circum- Icances calculated to give rife to it; when it iinds at once a zone of heaven, in vicinjty of the tropic, equally iVce from the rains oi tiie equator, and the fogs of the north ;'^~ v,hcn
S 2
[he no6turnaI equinox ; that is, that fince the origin of tlie acflurvl aRronomicul fyfieni, the ])roccfluon of ths eouinoxes has carried t'orward bv feven liixns tlie primitive ' oi der of the Zodiac. Now e(i:imating the procenion at about feventy 3'ears and a half to a degree, tiiatis, 2,115 years to each fign ; and cLierving that y^ries was in its iUleenth degree, i)447 years before Chriit, it follows that the firlt decree o^ Libra could not have coincided
O
with the vernal equinox more lately than 15,194 years before Chrilt, to Vv'hich if you add i 790 years iince Chri.l, it appears that 16,984 have elapfed fmcc th.e ori- gin of the Zodiac. The vernal equinox coincided with the firll: degree oi Arhs 2,^04 years before Chrifi:. and v/ith the lirlt degree of Tanrns 4,6 ( 9 y^rs before Chriil. Now it is to be obferved, thit the worfaip of the Bull is the principle article in the t!i;jolog!cal creed of the Egyp-- tians, Perfi ms, ja^anefe, 3cc.; from v/hence it clearly fol- lows, that fonie general revolution took place among thefe rations at that time. The chronology of five or fix thoufmd years in Genefis is little agreeable to thir. hypo- thefis; but as the booV of Genefis cannot claim to be confidered as a hiilory farther back than Abraham, we are at liberty to make what arranrements we pjeafv: in the etcinity that preceded. ,
* Whzn nafon finds there a '::^one cj hca'vev. equally free /■ . - ''- rahu of il;c equator and ths Jogs of ihe North, f
no A 5JRV:.V OF THE
it finds ihers the central point of the aniiqii* fphere; a fahibrious climrite ; animmenfeycL manageable ri'v-er; a knid fertile Avilbout art, without fatigue; inundated, without periilen- tial exhalations; fituate between two feas w hich lave the lliores of the richeil ccuntries -—it bccoirxs manifefi: that the inhabitant cf tlie d}itri>51f, cf the Nile, inclined to agricui- ture from the nature of his foil ; to commerce, from the facility of communication; to geo- jr»etry, from the annual ncceiTity of meafuring Iiis pofTefnons; to ailronomy, from the Hate of his heaven, cTcr open to obfcrvation, mufi: iirfl have palled from the favage to the fbcial llate, and confcquently attained that phyfical ,^nd moral knowledge proper to civilized man, '• It WclS thus, upon the diuant (liores of th-e Nile, and among a nation of fible complex- ion, that the complex fyflcm cf the wcrfhip of the liars, as connecied with the produce of the foil and the labours of .agriculture, v/as conllruificd. The wor&lp of the ilars under their proper form.s, or their natural attributes, was a fnnplc procefs of the human underfland- ■ing ; but in a fliort time ihe miukiplicity of objects, thei;- relations, their a^ion and re- jKflion, ha.^ing confounded the ideas and the iigns that rcprefenled them, a confequence
M. Brallij in placi r.g the fail: aflrononicrs at otlingen-
ilvoy, near ih'i Baiikal, p:ad no attention to ;,his tVv'ofcJU
.circumflaiiicc : 't equally argues againd their being pbcctl
.It Axouin on account of the rainc, and 1I12 Zi-KOjIy cf
\i?yhich Mr. Eru^T fpealvS.
■RETOL'UTIONS OF Ei^IPIRES. 2 11
rcfulteJ as abfurd in it5 nature and pcrnicioa'^ in its tendency.
Sect. III. Third fyjlem : 'worjhip of fymhoh^ cr idolatry, " FROM t!ie indant tbds agricolar race had turned an eye of oblervation on the flars, they found it necelTary to diftinguidi indivi- .duals or groupes, and to alTign to each a pro- per name. A ccnfiderable dilTiciiIty here prefented itfelf; for on the one hand, the ce- leflial bodies, fimilar in form,, olTered no pe- culiar character by which to denominate them, and on tlie other hand, language, poor and in a flate of infancy, had no expreiiions for fo many nev/ and metaphyfical ideas. The ufual flirauhis of genius, neccfht 3% conquered ,all obllacles. Having remarked that in the -annual revohition, the renewal and periodic :al appearance of the prod unions of the rarth were conflantly connec):ed with the ri- fmg and fetting of certain (lars, and with their poiition relatively to the \Mn^ the mind, by a .natural mechanifm, affociatid in its thought terrcflrial and celedial objects, wdiich had in fa ft a certain alliance; and applying to them the fame fign, it gave to the flars and the groupes it formed of them, the very names of the tcrreilrial o'-'^-r^s to which they bore ai7initvJ'
* i\Iafi ^nve lo thrjlars^ilfc, " The ancients," fays Mrtlmonides, '* direfliug all their attention to :iarlcu!tuTe., ;ave names to the iTirs derived from their occupa,tiptt ■Joring th^ year." ILre Nch. pars 3.
212 A SURVEYOR' THE
" Thus the Ethiopean of Thebes called ftars of inundation, or of- Aquarius, thofe under which the river began to overflow;* flars of the ox or bull, thofe under which it was convenient to plough the earth ; flars of the lion, thofe under which that animal, dri- ven by thirfl from the deferts, made his appear- ance on the banks of the Nile ; Ifars of the flieaf, or of the harvefl maid, thofe under which the harvefls were Pot in ; ftars of the lamb, flars of the goat, tliofe under which thofe valuable animals brought forth their young : and thus was a firft part of the diffi- culty refolved.
*•' On the other hand, man, having remark- ed in the beings that furrounded him certain qualities peculiar to each fpecies, and having invented a name by which to defign them, fpeedily difcovered an ingenious mode of ge- neralizing his ideas, and transferring the name already invented to e^ery thing bearing a fi- milar or analagous property or agency, enrich- ed his language vvith a multiplicity of meta- phors and tropes.
^' Thus the fame Ethiopian, having obferv- cd that the return of the inundation anfwered conflantly to the appearance of a beautiful fuir towards the fource of the ^lile, which fcemcd to warn the hufbandman againit be- ing fu.rprifed by the waters, he compared this iiciicn v/ith that of the animal who bv bark-
* This niufl' have been JvsiQ.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 213
iiig gives notice of danger, and called this flar the dog, the barker (Syrius). In the fame manner he called ilars of the crab, thofe which iliowed ihemfelves when the fun, hav- ing reached the bounds of the tropic, return- ed backvv^ards and fideways like the crab or Cancer ; iliars of the wild goat, thofe the fun being arrived at its greated altitude, at the top of horary gnomon, imitated the action of that animal who delights In climbing the high- eft rocks; ftars of the balance, thofe which, the days and nights being of the fame length, feemed to obferve an equilibrium like that in- ftrument; (tars of the fcorpion, thofe which vrere perceptible when certain regular winds brought a burning vapour like the poifon of the fcorpion. In tlie fame manner he called by the n?urie of rings and ferpents the figured traces of the orbits of the liars and planets;* and lliis was the general means of appellation of all the heavenly bodies, taken in groupes or individually according to their connection with rural and terreltriai operations, and the analogies which every nation found them to bear to the labours of the iield and the objccl.s of their climate and foil.
" l^rom this proceeding it refultcd that ab- je6l and terreftrial beings entered into affocia-
* I hey called ly the n nines of ferpents thejiourcd traces (jf the orbits. The ancients had verbs from the fublbn- \\\QS, crab^ rroat^t^r-tojfe^ as the French have at jirtfcnt the \cvhsferj?efiicrj co^r/etier. The hiliorv ofa'i languages is nearly the fame.
214 -"^ SIJRVi^Y OF THE
tion Tviili the fuDerlorand powerful beinj^sof the heavens; and this ailociaLlGn became more rivetted every day by the very conilitiition of 'lan2,'uaa^e and the mcchanifm of the mind. Men vv'ould fay, by a natural miCtaplior : "• The bull fpreads upon the earth the germhis of fc-- <:undity-(in fpring); and brings b«ck abiind- ancc by the revival of vegetation. The lamb (or rain) delivers the heavens from the ma- levolent Genii of winter; and faves the world from the fcrpent (emblem of the Vvcl feafon). The fcorpion poura out his venom upon the earth, mvl fpreads difeafcs and death, S:c,
'" This language underffcood by every body, •was at lirft attended \yith no inccnvenicnce ; but in procefs of time, when the almanac had been- regulated, the people, who could do without further cbfervaiion of the ilcies, lofl fight of the motive which led to the adop^ tion of thefe exprcilicns; a-rd the allegory (1111 remaining in the pra£lices of life, became a ■fatal ]l:umblin>>block to the underflanding and reafon. Habituated to join to fymboh the ideas of their models, the mind fmally con- founded them ; then thofe fame animals which the imagination had raifed to heaven, defcend- .ed again on the earth; but in this return, decked in the livery and invefled with the at» tributes of the liars, they impofed upon their own authors. The people, imagining that they fav/ tlieir Gods before them, found it a more cafy talk to offer up their prayers, llicy demanded of the rum of their flock, the in-
R]I VOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 1 1 :;,
fjfience which they expected from the celeflial nim; they prayed the fcorpion not to pour < out his venom upon Nuttire ; tliey revered the fifli of the river, the cnib of the fea, and the fcarabeus of the llime; ancf by a feries of cor- rupt, but infeparable analogies, they loft themfclves in a labyrinth of confequent ab- furdities.
" Stich Ttas the orioiii of this ancient and fingular \vorlhip of animals; fuch the train of ideas by ^vhich the character of the Divinity became common to the meaned of die brute c rcation; and thus was Ibrmcd the vail, com- })licated, and learned theological fyftem which, i'rom the banks of the Nile, conveyed fi'om country to country by commerce , war, and cohqueft, invaded all the old vrorld; and which modiiied by times,' by circumftanccs, and by ]-»reju4ices. is ilill to be found among a liun- dred nations, and ful^fjls to this day as^he fe- cret and infeparable bafis of the theology of thofe ev(fn vdio defpiie and reject ii."
..\: 1/ ■ words, murmurs bein^i h(ft;rdd}i \aiious groupcs: '' I repeat it," continued the orator. " People of Afrie;i! hence, ibr ^ example, h.as rifcn among you tlbe adoration of your Fctcchcs^ plants, animals, pebbles^ Ints of woo.i, before which your ancellors v.ould never have been fo abfiu'd as to prof- trate themfei\es, if tliey had not feen in them 1 i''"^^'-"'. ^-:^^-t. ':in": cf the nature of the
• hr.d not fL-^n'tn ihcm tnJ'ifmans partak'itJ^ of thf
2l6 A SURVEY OF THE
Nations of Tartary! this is equally the origin of your Marmowzeis^ and of the whole' train of animals with which your Chamans ornament their magic robes. This is the ori- gin of thofe figures of birds and ferpents, which all the favaoe nations, with mvflic and facred ceremonies, imprint on their flcin. In- dians! it is in vain you cover yourfelves with the veil of myflery : the hawk of your God Vichenou is but one of the thoufand emblems
learned of the Jews (Maimonides) having facredly af" figned to each planet a colour, an animal, a tree, a me- tal, a fruit, a plant, formed from them all a fjgai e or re" prefentation of the ftar, taking care to {t\t€t for the pur" |.ofe a proper moment, a fortunate day, fuch as the con- junxftion of the f!:ar, or fome other favourable afpecl. They conceived that by their magic ceremonies they could introduce into thofe figures or idols the influences of the fuperior beings after which they were modelled. ThefeweretheidoisthatLheChaldean-Sabeansadored;and in the j^rformace of their vorfhip they were obliged to be diefled in the proper colour. The ailrologers, by their practices, thus introduced idolatry, defirous of being regarded as the difpenfers of the favours of heaven ; and as agriculture was the fo!e employment of the a.ncients, the)^ fucceeded in perfuading them that the rain and other blefilngs of the feafons vx'ere at their difpofal. Thus the whole art of agriculture, was exercifed by rules ofaftro- logy» and the priefb made talifmans or charms which v/ere to drive av/ay locufts, tiles, $zc. Gee Malmonidesy' lilore, Nehuchim, pars g. <". 29.
The priefis of Egypt, Perfia, India, &c. pretended to bind the Gods to their idols, and to make them come from heaven at tlicir pleafure. They threatened the fun and moon, if they v\Aere difobedient, to reveal the fecret myiteries, to fi"ake the ikies, ^cc. &c. Eufeb. Pracep. Evang. p. 1 98, and lamhUcus de Myjlenu JEgypt^
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPiax:*. llj
C)f the fun in Egypt^ and iiis incarnations m a filb, boar, lion, turtle, together with all his monftrous adventures, are nothing more than the metamorphofes of the fame flar, v/hich pafling fucccflively through the figns of the twelve animals,* was fuppofcd to ailume their forms, and to a6i: their allrononiical parts.f Japanefe! your bull which breaks the egg o: the world, is merely that of the heavens, which, in times of yore, opened the age of llie creation, the equinox of fpring. I^/a!)- bins, Jews ! tliat fam.e bull is the A^^is wor- fhlpped in Egypt, <ind which your ancciLors adored in the idol of the golden calf. It is HJfo your bidl, children of Zoroader! that, facrificed in the fymbolic m)-ileries of Mi- thra,. {lied a blood fertilizing to the world, j/ailly, your bull of the Apocalypfe, ChriRi- nns! witli his wings the fymbol of tlie air, lias.no other origin : your lanid of God, Im- molated, like the bull of IMithra, for the fal- \ .aion of the world, is the felf-fune fun in the i!gn of the celeflial ram, which, in a fubfe- qncnt age, opening tlie equinox in his turn, wac deemed to have rid the world of the reien (.f (_\il, that is to lay, of the ferpeiit, of the ' Tgefnake, themxOtiicr of winter and emblem
* The Zodiac.
-f- Tie Si.'ti I'jaj fuppofcd to affinne thnr firms y and lo aU. <jfr. (the forms of the t'A clvcanin7al=;. ) I'hcfe arc the V ry '.vords of lambliou'^ dc Symbolis yEfryptiorum, c. 2, ijv^. 7. The um v/as tlic grand Protfjs, die uni' ... iM nietiimonihiit.
Zl'S A SURYJIY OF THE
of die Ahrimanes or Satin of the Prifians, )oiir inrtitutors. Yes, vainly docs your im- prudent 7xal confign idolaters to the torments of the Tartarus which they have invented: the whole bafis of your fyllem is nothing more than the worlhip of the flar of day, v^hofe attributes you have heaped upon your chief perfonage. It is tlie fun which, under the name of Orus, Vv-as born, like your God, in the arms of the ceieilial virgin, and paiTcd through an obfcure, indigent, and^deftitute childhood, anfwcring to the fcafon of cold and froil:. It is the fun, which, under the nam.e of Ofn-is, pcrfecuted by Typhon and the tyrants of tlie air, was put to death, laid in a dark tomb, the emblem of the hemifiihere of \vinter, and v/hich, riling afterwards from the inferior zone to the higheil point of the heavens, awoke triumphant over giants and the deilro\dng angels. Ye priefls ! from whom the murmurs proceed, you wear ycurfelves its figns all ovei; your bodies. Your toninre is the difk of the fun 3 your dole its Zodiac;*
■* 2^CK\'r ten rare is the djl cf ih fun ; yourjlo!:^., lift. Thsfc Arabs, (?a'S HcrccloUis, fh<ive their lieads in r. cir- cle and p.honi ilie temples, in imitation of Bacchus (that is the fun), v ho fliavcs himfelf, in this i^anner. Tererni- uh ipCcikK-aifoof this cu^om. The tuft cfhjiir whicli the ~\h:hometii?iS preferve, is taken-alfo from the h.n-,, who v.a;. |-.ajriied liv the Egyptians at the winter fohlice, as
i:,.? in '.I but a.hncle hair on his head To/'r ftole i's
7.(jLh(n\ 'J"he robes of the ^^ddeis of Syria and of l)ia- i.,t. lif E-jUicfu!.;, f:oni V hence are bono ' ed the drtfs of the pricfi::^, liave the twelve animals of the Zodiac painted 01: them. . . . Rcjari:: arc found npon aH the indiaa
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. llC)
your rcfaries the fymbok of the Ibrs an J pb^ nets, roiuiits and prelates! 3'our mitre, yoiir crolier, your mantle, are the emblems of Oli- ris; and that cruciiix qf wliich you boad the myllery, without comprehending it, is thr-^ crols of Scparis, traced by the hands 01 Egyptian pricfts, on the plan oF the figura- tive world, which, palling through the equ;-^ noxes and the tropics, became the emblem of future life and refurrec^ion, becaufe it touclied the gates of ivory and horn through v;hich the faul \va^ to pafs in its way to heaven.''
Here the clocirors of the dilTcrent grouper I lokcd with aflonidiment at one another,' but none of them oreaking fdcnce, the orator continued.
" Tliree principal caufej concurred to pro- duce this confufion of ideas. Firif, the ne-- ccfiity, on account of the infant ilatc ot lanL^aia^T^c, of making; ufe of fi^rurativc ex- preilions to depicl: the relations of things; expreilions that, pafling afterwards from a proper to a general, from a phyfical to a moral fenfe, occafioned, by their equivocal and fynonimous terms, a multiplicity of raif- takes.
" Thus having at {n-[i faid, that the (un furniounted and palfed in its courfe througli
idols, con'lruirted more th.m four thoufmd y^wrs ago; and their uf^ in the Ea(l has been univerfal from time ini- mjmjri;il. . .\ The ciofier ispiecifely the Ibiff of Bootc; or Oiiris (See plate IIJ. Ali the Lamas v/car the m'ltrt or cip in the flupe of x cone, wliich w„s un cublem of, the K:n.
2 20 A SURVEY OF THE
the twelve anlni:ils, they afterw:<^v(is fuppofed that it combatteci, conquered, and killed them, and irom this was compoled the hiftorical life of Hercules.
'" Kaving hid tint It regulated the period of rural operations, "bf feed time and of har- veil ; that it diftribiited the feafons, ran through the climates, fwayed the earth, ^c. it "was taken for a legillative king, a conquer- ing warrior, and hence they formed the itories of Ofiris, of Bacchus, and odier frmi- lar Gods.
' " Having faid that a planet entered into a fi?n, the coniunclion was denominated a mar- riagCj adultery, inceft:* Iiaving farther fiiid, tliat it was buried, becaufe it funk below the hcrizoD, returned to ]iv:;ht, and c^aln- ed its ftate of eminence, they gave it the epithet of dc?xl, rifcn again, carried into heaven, &c.
'' The fecond caufe of confufion was the material figures themfeives, l)y which thoughts w^ere originally painted, and v/hich, under the name of hieroglyphics, or facred characlers., were the firft invention of the mxind. Thus to denote an inundation^ and the necelTity of preferving one's-felf from it, they painted a boat, the veiTei Argo; to exprefs the wind,
"* Hjv'iri'y fii! d that a planet cntived into ajigr:^ their con' 'fvnSkn cr.'j Jnionuna'cd a marr'icgc^ Idc. '1 hcfe ijre tl;? "very words of Plutarch in his account of Ifis and Ofiris, The Hebrev/3 fay, in fpeaking of t.he generations of ti\e 'atriarchs, ct ingrcjus efi hi earn. From this continual cjuh/ocjue of anci',-nt language, proc-^eds every mifbilcc.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 22 1
they painted a bird's wing ; to fpecify the ica- fon, the month, they dehncated the bird, of pailage, infect, or animiil, which made its ap- pearance at that epoch ; to exprbfs winter they drew a hog, or a ferpeut, which are fond of moid or miry' places. The combination of tliefe figures had alfo a meaning, and was fub- llituted for words and phrafes.*t But a2
1^ 2
* See the examples cited in note p. 220.
f TLr evmh'tnation of ihifeJi<Th'ri:s hod nifo a veani'ii:^. 'i'he reader will doub; lels fee with jileafare fome examples of ancient hieroglyphics.
*' The Egyptians (f^y*? Kor-appolo) reprefcnt eternity by the figures of the fun and moon I hey dehgnatc the world by the blue feipent with yellow fc.-.ies (Ihirr, it is the Chinc-fe Dragon), ll they were defirous ofexnret- fjTig tlie year, they drew n ]:ifture of Ifii, who is ;.ita in their language called Sullus, or dog-ilar one of tlie firtl conftellations by the rifmc; of ^ hich the year co ^^.mences ; its infcription at Sais was, // li I ihat rif< in ihc cotifielL-
" They alfo reprefent the year by a palm tree, and the month by one of its branches, becaiife it is the nature of lh!s tree to produce a branch every month. They far- thajrep^PlBt it b^ the fourth part of an acre of land.'"* (^Fn^ whojjsracre ditided into four denotes the beffcxtile period of four years. The abbrevirition of this ilgure of a iieid in four divifions, 15 manit'eflly the letter^' J or /jct, t]ie f;vcnthin the Samaritan alphabet; and in general all tjic letters ot the alphabet are merely astronomic il hierogly- phics; and it is for this reafon that the mode of writing i.i from right to left, like the march oftlic ftaF$)w— •' They denote a prophet by the image of a dooy becauf: the do;; ftar [yln-}i,'L}s) by its rifing gives notice of the inundati- on. Nouh: in Hebrew^fignifiCG })rop]iet,' — Tii€y repre- fent inundation by a lion, bee lufe it takes place under that flgn : and hence, fays Plul:.f ch, the culiom of plac-
112 A SURVEY OF THE
there v»'as nothing fixed or precife in this fort of JanoT.age, as the nuniberof thofe «%ures cind thicir combinations became exceiTive, and burdenfomc tJ the memory confufions and
}ng at the g:;t.?s of temples fgiires of Jions with water ifili- i ig fi-om their montris. — They exprefs the idea of God ?nd defliw}'^ by a fi:ar. They alfo reprcfent God, ffiys Porphyry, by a bl^ck flone, becaiife his nature is datk r.nd obfcure. AH white things exprefs the celcftial and Juminous Gods : all circular ones the world, the moon, rlie iim. the defi:in>2s ; all fomicircular ones ;;g bows and crefcents, are all defcriptive of the moon. Fire and the Gods of Olympus they reprefent by pyramids and obe- li Ocs: (the name of the fim Baal is found in this latter word) : the fun hj a cone (the mitre.^^--Or]ris) : the earth, by a cylinder (v/hich revolves )^h the generative power of the air by the pha/us, and that of the earth by a lirianfrie, emblem of the female origin. Eh'fcb. Praccp.
" Clay, fays lamblicus de Symbolis, feci. 7. c. 2. de- notes mat.i^r, the generative and nutrimental power, every 'thing which receives the warm'th and fermentation of life.'^
*' A man fitting upon the J.cfos or Nenuphari^TC'^rc- fents the moving fpirit (the fun) which, in lik^^r^imer as that }:^ant lives in the water without an)Eyg£Tni"^un'ca- I'cn with clay, exifts equally dJfHncSc froni ming in empty fpacc, rcPdngon itfelf : it is rf;ur, parts, like the leaves, the fiovv-ers angjffli 1.0s. ( Br;ima has the eyes of the I-,ot.c llcadirfcn, to denote his intelligence: his eye iwims over every thing like the fiov/er cf the Lotos* on the Vvyters.). j\ man at the helm of a (liip, adds lamblicus,^ dcfcrip- rive of 'the fun which governs all. And Porphyry tells vn that tlve iuo i; Jv'fo renrefcntcd Iv a m.an in a \\\r;>xt(t-^ iro upon an amphibious crocodile (emblem oi air and Vv-ater.) •\,
'* As ElcT^lvvntine they v.tt junred tlic fi'^iirc of a n:at) in a fi'cmg pofture, painted bUie, having the hcrsd o- a IZ1V.J znA the horns of a"gV)ar which eiir6!v;p;:f^ ' ; ' '''.- ■
RF.VOI^UTIOKS OF EMPIHES. 22^
falfe interpretations were the iirft and obvi- ous refult. Genius having afterwards invent- ed the more fuiiple art of applying figns to founds, of which the number is limited, and
all vhich rcprefented the fun and moon's conjun«flion at thefign of the ram; the blue colour denoting the power of the moon, at the period of iundion, to raife water in- to clouds. Eufc'h, Prartp. Evavg. p, i i 6.
" • he hawk is an emblem of the fun and of light, on account of his pipid flight and his foaring into^ the highcll re^icins of the air where heht abouniis.
A filh is the emblem of avcrfion, and tlic H'lppopciomfis c^f violence, becaufe it is faid to kill its father and raviHi its mother. Hence, fays Plutarch, the emhkmatical in- fcription « f the temple of Sais, where v/e fee painted on the vcflibulc, i. A cliild, 2. An old man, 3. A hawk,
4, A filli, 5. A hipjiopotamu? ;. which fignify, i. En- trance, into Hie, 2. r>epavture. 3. Gcd. 4. Hatred.
5. Injut^'v^. vSee Ijis and Op.rif*.
" The Egyptiatts', adds h:l reprefent the \vorId by a Scarabeus, bacaufe this infecT purties. in a direction con- trary to that in v. hich it proceeds, a b.-tll containing its rggs, juil: as the heaven of the fr^cd ftars caufes the revo- lution'of the fun, the yoke of an egg, in an oppofite di- rcccion to its own. - ♦ '^'
" 'J hey reprefent the world alfo by the number^i;?, l'M'\'-^ ^M^ cfj^he elements, which, fays Diodoras, av.e earth, Vvatej^, aiq^ve, and ether, orfpirifus. The Indl- tns have the fame number of elements, and according to M^robius's myflic?, tlil}^ are the fuprenic CJocI, or/r-- vii/;}? triclilef tlie intelligence, or mens, born of him, the fiul of the world which proceeds from hinr, rlie ccleRial f^iiiercs and all things terrelkiaJ. IUnce,;idds ikitaTch, tiie analogy between the Greek ^cnle, flvc^ -^r.^ pan dW^
" Tiie air,." fiy; he ai'ain, " is the embleru of Ty-
j lion, bcciufe liketliat animal he \z ofa rcddifli colour.
'•'"'nv i'yphon f^Rifits whatever, is of arr-";'-i' n- r^iyey
I (and in Hebrew I Snd vhe three . rd^
:o be fuiTncd from tb5 fiimc root /./,(/. ....
324 ^ SURVEY or TilrS
of paintinc^ the word inilead ot the thought, hieroglyphic piclures were, by means pf al- phabetical writing, brought into dilule; and from day to day their forgotten fignifications made way for a variety gi iilufions, equivoques and erroi's.
" Laftly, the civil organization of the iiril flates was a third caufe of confufion. Indeed, " when the people began to apply themfeh^es to agricuhure, the formation oir" the rural calen- dar requiring continual ailronomical obferva.- tions, it was neceilciry to chuic individuals whofe province it (liould be to watch the ap- pearance and fetting of certain ilars, 'to give notice of ihc return of the inundation, of particular winds and raii^s, aiHi(, the proper time for fowing every fpecies 5f grains Thefe men, on account ot tireir oiiice, were exempt- ed from the common occupations, and tlie fo- ciety provided for their fubfiftencc. In this fituation, folely occupied in making oKferva- tions, they foon penetrated the gi-eat phenom- ena of nature, and dived into the fecret of various of her operations. ^lieyTlecaifffe acouainted with the courfe of the'flars and planets; the connection \v1ih, their abfence and return had with the productions of the 'earth
blictil has fjirther told us that clay v/r'.s the emblem of mat- ter ; and i)C elfewhere adds, that all evil and corruption proceeded from mi-tter^ which ccmp;ired with the.phrafe of MacrobJus. au' is J>frij7j.,tt'c-, liable to change in the ce- leflial fj^herej gives us the theory, firli: phyfical, then mo- ral^ of the fyfbm of^oou and evil cf the imcienls.''
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 225
and the a^livity of vegetation ; the medicinal or nutritive properties of fruits and plants; the aclion of U\c elements, and their recipro- cal aiiinities. But, as there were- no means of communicating this knowledge otherwife than hj the painful and laborious one of oral in- ilrutfhon, they imparted it only to their friends and kindred; and hence refuited a concentra- l;ion of fcicnce in certain families, who, on this ac. ount aflumcd to themfelves exclufive privileges, and a fpirit of corporation and fe- parate diftincfiion fatal to the public weal. By this continued fucccilion of the fame la- bours and enquiries, the progrefs of know- led g^c it is true was haflened, but, bv the ravf- lery that accompanied it, the people, plunged daily in the thickefl dnrkncfs, became more fuperfirtiGus and more flivifh. Scekir^ hu- man beings produce certain phenomena, an- nounce, as it were at will, eclipfes and comets^ cure difcafes, handle noxious ferpent^, they fuppofed them to have intercourfc with celef- tial powers; and, to obtain the good or have the ills averted Vvhich tlxcy expected from thofe powers, they adopted thofe extraordinary hu- man beings as m.ediators and interpn-eteri. And thus were eftablilhed in the very bofoni of Hates kicrilegious corporations of hypo- critical and deceitful men who arrogated to themfelves everr kind of power; and priefls, being at^once allronomer.s, divines, nutiu-aU ills, jMiyiicians., necromancers, interpreters of the Gods, wracles of ihc people, rivals of
226 ' - A SURVEY OF TPIE
kings or their accomplices, inilitiited under the name of rehgion an empire of m)^ftery, which to this very hour has proved ruinous to the nations of mankind.''
At thefe words the priefts of all the groupes interrupted the orator; with loud cries, they accufed him of impiety, irreligion, blafphemy, and Vv'ere unwilling he fnould proceed: but the legiilators having obferved, that what he related was merely a narrative of hiftofical fafts; that if tli^fe facts were falfe or forged, it would be an eafy matter to refute them — and that if every one were not allowed the perfect liber-ty to declare his opinion, it would be impoffible to arrive at truth — he thus went on v/ith his difcourfe.
" From all thefe caufes, and the perpetual aiTociation of diffnnilar ideas, there followed a flranee mafs c-f diforden in theoloPT, mo- 1-ality, anti tradition. And firlf, bccaufe the (tars v/ere reprefented by animals, the quali- ties of the animals, their likings, their fym- pathies, their averfions, were transferred to the Gods and fuppofed to be their a£lions. Thus the God Icbneumon made war againii: the God crocodile; the God wolf wanted to eat the God fheep; the God ilork devoured the God ferpent; and the Deity became a Ifrange, whimfical, ferocious be-ing, whofe idea mifled the judgmeiit of man, and ^corrupt- ed both his morals and his reafon.
''♦ Again, as every famdly, every nation, in the fpirit of its worihip adopted a partical;ir
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 227
flsr or conflellation for its patron, the affecli- 0113 and antipathies of the emblematical brute were transferred to the fcclarics of this wor- fliip; and the partifans of the God dog were enemies to thofe of the GoJ wolf; the wor- fliippers of the God bull, abhorred thofe who fed upon beef, and religion became the author of combats and animofities, the fenfelefs caufe of frenzy and fuperftition.*
" Farther, the names of the animal liars having, on account of this lame patronage, been conferred on nations, countries, moun- tains and rivers, thofe objects were nlfo taken for Gods; and hence there arofe a medley of geographical, hilforical, iind mythological be- ings, by which all tradition was involved in confufion.
" in fine, from the analogy of lliclr ftip- pofed actions the planetary Gods having been taken for men, heroes, and kings, kings and heroes took in their turn the ii£i:ions of the Gods for models, and became, from imitation, Vv'arlike, conquering, ianguinary, proud, laf- civious, indolent; and religion coniecrated the crimes of defpots, and perverted the princi- ples of gqv'ernments.
* The ]'•..,.. !\ ..i.ij: <-j j- r. ■jt^.i'y!!. "I'hziz nrc proiier- th'j v/orcls of Flutarch, who ichitcs that thofe varioi s oAins were riven by a kinp of Ecvpt to tlic diiferert ,— . t., '';''^'; 'te and tnduve ilieai, ^nd thcfe, kini^shi.d . ::a the cart of priclb. &e IJh l5 Ojris.
2 2S A SURVEY or TIIJ-
Sect. IV. Fout^tb fyjicm : Worfoip of two principles^ or Dualifm,
'' IME AN WHILE the agronomical priefts, enjoying in their temples peace and abund- iince, made every day frcih progrefs in the fcicnccs ; and the fyftem of the world gradu- ally difplaying itfelf before their eyes, they ilartcd fucceluvely various hypothefes as to its agents and cilecfls, which became fo many fyllems of theology.
'' The navigators of the maritime nations,
<.nd the caravans of the Alia tic and African
Nomades, having given them a knowledge of
il'.e earth, from the Fortunate Ifiands to Seri-
(a, and from the Baltic to the fources of the
]\ile, they difcovered, by a comparifon of the
diilerent Zones, the rotundity of the globe,
which gave rife \o the new theory. Obferv-
ing that all the operations of nature, during
'the annual period, were fummed up in two
principal ones, that of producing, and that of
deflroying : tliat upon the major part of the
globe, each of thefc operations was equally
accomplilhed from one to the oiher equinox;
that 'is to fay, that during the fix months of
iiimmer all was in a ilate of procreation and
increafc, and duriu'^- the fix months of v/inter
all in a ftate of languor and nearly dead,
they fuppofed uature to contain tv,"o contrary
]:owers iihvavs (Iruo-o-linp- with and refiflin^j^
each other; and coniiderin^ in the ilimc Hdit
?he celelllal fphere, they divided the fii6i:ures i -y which they rcprcfcnted it into tVv'o lialvcs or heniifphercs, io th.at thofc conllclla'cions which appeared in the fiimincr heaven formed a Jirccfc and fiipcrior empire, and thoic in the v.-inter heaven an oppolite and inferior one. No\v as the hnnmer conileliatioiTS V\'ere accom- panied v,iih the fcafon of long, ^\^^lrnu and un- clouded days, togetlier with that of fruits and Iiarvcllsj they v/ere deemed to be tiic pov/ers cT light, fecundity, and creation : and hv i:anlition from a phy(ic?J to a moral fenfe, to be Genii, iingels of fcience, beneficence, pn- lity, virtue: in like manner llie VA^inter con- ilellations, being: attended with lon'^ nii^bit^ and tlie polar fogs, were regarded as Genii of clarknefs, deflriiftion, death, and, by llmi- lir tranfitioM, as angels of wickedneis, igno- 1 .;"ice fm, vice. By rhisdifoofal, heaven was divided into two domains, two fi'flions; and iiie analbcry of hum cin ideas opened ahx*adva Ta'l career to the flights of inia-jinatLon : Init '7. particular circuniilance dctcnnined, if it did t occafion tlie rniilakc and iilulion. (Con- iult Plate 11.)
^' bi the projection of the celenial fphcrc 'lr:v<\Yi by ailronomical pricfls/' tlxC Zodiac
U
' ithepi'rjjdkn of the- cdtjital Jpherc. IliC ancient . .^ ;:> had three kir.d offj^hereSj y<\\\c\\ it niaV be ufeful to m; ke linown to the re iider.
' ' .id inj^.uftbirl?," fays Por];byiy, *'' thiit Zo-
2-70 A SURVEY OF THE
and the conrtclliitions difrofed in a circular or^ dcr,prcfcnted their halves in diametrical oppo- iition: the winter hciniiphere ^vas adverle,
pleafantly filnatcd in the mountains adjicent to Pcrfla, ibrmed the idea of confecrating it to Mithra (the fun) creator and father of all things: that is to f^y. haying nadc in this cavern fevcr;d geomilrical divifions, reprelen*- ino the feafons and the elements, he imitated on ainviW f -ale the order and dlipofitlon of the univerfe by Mithra. Vfter Zoroafter, it became a cullomto confeciate caverns for the celebration oi myfterics: fo that in like manner as temi)les were dedicated to the Gods, rural altars to heroes nnd'terrefhial deities, &c. fubterrancous abodes to inicr- ual deities, fo caverns and grottoes ^vere conlecrated to the world, to the univerfe, and to the nymphs: and from hence Pvthagoras and Plato borrowed the idea ot cad- in-, the earth a cavern, a cave, ^. Jufre Nyi:ipharum.
"such was llic fail projctlicn of the fphere in rehet ; thouoh the Pcrfians inve the honour of the mvention to Zororikr, it is doubtlefs due to the Egyptians ; for we may fuppofe from this projeaion being the moft fimple O.uitlasthemofl ancient; the caverns or Thebes, full o^ iimilar T^iaurcs, tcrd to Rrengthen this opinion.
The ibliowing was the f^cond projeaion: - I he pro- T.hets or hieropl^ants," fhy? Bilhop eynnehus, " wno had Iv cr initiated in the myfterles, do not permit the common workmen to form idols or images of the Gods; but they dcfcer.d themfelves into the facred cav.es, where th-v bsvc concealed coffers containing cert^im Iphercs ui)on which they conftruathol^ images feeretly ana with- c^t the knowledge of the people, who delp-ife i^r^\'j^^^ natural thinas and wifh f;)r prodigies and fades. ( oyn. in Calvit.) ^That is, the ancient pncits hai amidlary l^>hercs like ours; and this paflnge, which io we.1 agrees ^irich that of Chcercmon, gives us the key to all their the- olo'/ical adrology. m. it
ilaftlv, thev had flat models of the nature of Mate i., ^^ uh thi^ diiiercnce that they were pf a ^^ly .compliaited r. ">u^e hi'vii-' every fiaitious divifion demean und-lub-
REVQLUTIONS OF EMPIRHS. 2^1
cor.trary, oppofite to, being the Antipodes or that of fummcr. By the continued metaphor tliefe words v/crc converted into a moral lenfc :ind the adverfe angels and Genii became re- bels and enemies.! From that period the whole adronomical liiflory of the condcllations was turned into a political liiflory; thcheavens became a lumian. Hate, where every thing hap- pened as it does on earth. Now as the cxill- ing llates, for the moil part defpotic, had their monarchs, and as the lun was the apparent fovc^-eign of the Ocies, the funimer hemil'phere (empire of light), and its conflellations (a na- tion of white angels), had for king an cnlight-
dccan, with tbc hicro^lypic figns o{ their influence. Kiroher has given us a copy of one of them in his Egyp- tian CEdipin, and Gybelin a figured fragment in his boo!: of the calendar (under the name of the Kgyptian Zodi- ac), i'he ancient Ejvptian^, fays the afiroiof^cr Julius Firniicas (Adron. lib. ii. and lib. iv. c. 16.) divide each (igaof the Zodiac into three feclJon>; and each fc6lion was under the direction oi^ an imaginary being whom they called decan or chief of ten ; {"o that there were three decans a month, and thirty three a year. Nov/ thefj dicans, who were aifo c;dled Godj ( TLoi) icgulatcd the delHnies of mankind — and they were placed particu- larly in certain ilars. They afterwards iinagined in ee- ry ten three other Gods, whom they called arbiter-,; fo that there were nine for every month, and thefe were fir- iher divided into an iniinke number of powers. ( I. he Perfians and Indians made their fphcres en hmllar plans ; and if a pi«5lure thereof were to be drawn from the de- ^:riptlon given by Scaligcr at the end of Manilius, we 'I'.ouid find in it a complete cxplr nation of their hiero- , lyphics, for every article forms one.)
* T/^e adverC' Gcn'i';. If it v/ai for tiiis rCctfon tii' Perlian 3 always wrote the name of Ahrlmar.es invcrt.'d
empire of darkntfs and woe), together Vv'ith its liars (a nation of l^lack angels, giants, or demons), had for a leader a malignant Genius whofe part was affigntd by the dilTerent peo- ple of the earth, to that ibr \yhich appeared io them the n-iofc remarkable. In Egypt it was originally the fcorpion, the firil fign of ii:e Zodiac after the balance, and the hoary chief of the vjintry figns : then it was the bear or the polar afs, called Typhen, that is to fay deluge,* on account of the rains which
* Typhon^ that is to ft^y iJsl/^ge. Tyj>hon, pronounced Touphon by the Greeks, is precifely the totiphan of the Arabs, v/hich fignifies deluge; and thefc deluges in my- thology arc nothing more tlinn winter and the ruins, or -Jie overflov/ing of the MiJe ; as thc^l pretended fires v hich r.re to dcilroy the woild, arc firnply the fanimer feafon» And it is for this rerdon that Ariibtle [De Mdtor lib. i. c, xiv)j fays, that the winter of the great cyclic year is a deluge; andits iiminieraconfl<Jgri^;tion, "Tne Egyptians," l:y3 Porphyry, ''employ every year a talifman in remem- hranceof the world : at the 5umnier foiilice they mark their houies, flocks and trees v/ithred, fuppofing that on that day the whole world had been fet on fire. It was aifo at the f mie jjen.od that they celebrated the pyrric or fire dance. " (And this illufhates the origin of puriiication by fiie and 1-y water; for having denominated the tropic of Cancer tiie g:ite of hc-aven, and the genial heat of celcPiial fire, and that of Capricorn the gate of delage or of water, it was imagined that the fpirit or fouls who pa/Ted througli tbcfe gates in tlicirway to and froni heaven, were roa/c- ed or bathed', hence the baptifm of Mithia, and the paf^ fage thj^-QUgh flar.:!?, obferved througliovt lb? Eail ior;^ bt^forc Mcifc?).
REVOLUTIONS OF ExMPIRES. 2^^
poured down upon the eartli during the do- minion of that ft'cir. In Periia in a lubfcquent period* it was the ferpcnt, \vhich under the name of Ahrimanes, formed tlie bafis of tlic fvilem of Zoroafler ; and it h the fame, Chril- Lian3 and Tews, that is become vour ferpent of Eve (the celeflial origin), and tliat of the crofs; in both cafes the emblem of Satan, the '">reat adverfary oi' the ancient of days, funo by Daniel. In Syria it was the hog or wild bora*, enemy of Adonis, becaufe in that coun- try the office of the northern bear was made to devob^e upon the animal whofe fondnefs for niire and.dirt is emblematical of Vv^inter. And it is for this reafon that you, children of Mo- frs and Mahomet, hold this animal in abhor- rence, in imitation of the priefcs of Memphis and Balbec, who detefled him as the mur- ilerer of tlieir God, the fern. This is likewife, O Indians! the type of your Chib-cn, which was once the Pluto of your brethren, the Greeks and Romans; your Brama a!fo (God the creator), is only the PcrHan Ormuzd, and the Onris of Egypt, wliofc very name expref- fes a creative power, producer of forms. And thefe Gods were worihipped in a manner ana- logous to their real or fictitious attributes; •«in J rh'^^ worfliip, on accx)unt cf the di.^'erence
U-2
* !ii P:rfia m a fuhfcqusnt penoil. That is when tlve r.im becarae the cquinoKiiLl (Ign, or rather v/hcn the alter- aiion of t]ie fliic^ Hicwcd that it was no' Ion-»er the V-'l
234 '^ SURVr.Y OF TITS
of its objt'cl:?, v.TiS divided into t^vo diflinc^^ branches. In one, tlie benign God received a worlhip of joy and love; w- hence arc deri- ved all religious afts of a gay nature,* feili- vals, dances, banquets, offerings of flowers, milk, honey, pcrJumes, in a v/ord, of every thing that delights the fenfes and the foul. In the other, tlie malign God, on the contrary, received a v\"orihip of fear and pain; whence originated all religious a6ts of the fombre kind,! tears, grief, mourning, felf-denial, blood-offerings, and cruel facrifices.
" From the fame fource flowed the divifion of tcrrellrial beings irito pure and impure, fa-
* Whence ar.- d.'rhyd oil nl'ig'wiis c.cis of a gay naliwe. All the ancient fcitivrils rerpe(5t:ing the return ;;nd exalta- tion of the {x.7i were of this dcfcrlption : hence the hihj'ia of the Roman calendar at the period of the paiTagc, Puf- cha, of the vernal equinox. The dances were imitations of the inarch of the planets. Thofe of the Dervifes ilill reprefent it to this day.
\ All rclglras aczs cf the fomlre kind. " Sacrifices of blood," fiys Torphyry, *' were only ofTcred to Demons fT.d evil Genii to avert thicir v rath. Demons are fend cf blood, humidity, flench." Apud.EuJch. Pr<2p.E'v.p 173.
"The Egyptians," fliys Pkitarch, only offer hlcody victims to Typhor. They facrifice to him a red ox, and the anirprl immolated is held in extcration and lorided Vvfith all the fns of the people." "1 he goat of Mofts. See JJis and Qfrr'ts.
Dircjfon of ierrcjlr'ial lungs into jure and inip\:re. fccrul find ahomim:U:\ 8trabo iliys, fpesking of xMofes, and the leva's, *' Circumcifion and the ptchihiticn of certain kinds of mCc.t fprung from fupciftition." And I obferve re- fpeftingthe ccrcrrony ot circin-ncilion, th;.t its objedt was to take from the fymbol of Ofais, [PhalJus) the prctend-
\
REVOLUTIONS OV LMPIRKS. 2^^
crcd or abominable, according as their fpecies was found among the rcfpefriveconilcllation.s or the two Gods, and made a part of their domains. This produced, on one hand, the fupcrftitions of pollution and puriilcation ; and on the other the pretended efficacious virtues of amulets and talifmans.
" You now und crlhrnd," continued the orator, addrellmg himfelf to the Indians, Per- fians, Jews, Cbriiliansand IMuflulmars. ")^ou nov/ undcrfland the oripin of thofc ideas of combats and rebellion, which equally pervade your refpecftivc mythology. You perceive what is meant by white and black angels; by the cherubs and feraphs with heads of an ea- gle, a lion or a bull ; the Deus, devils or de- mons witli horns of goats and tails of fnakcs ; the thrones and dominions, ranged in feven orders or gradations, like the feven fpheresof the planets; all of them beings a*fling the fame parts, partaking of the fame attributes in the Vedas, the Bibles, or the Zendavella : v.hetlicr their chief be Ormuzd or Brama.^ Typhcn or Cliib-en, Michael or Satan; whe- tLer their form be that of giants with a hun- drcd arms and feet of ferpents, or that of Gods metamorphofed into lions, ftorks, bulls and cats, ns they appear in the facrcd talcs of the Greeks and Egyptians: you perceive the fucceliive genealogy of thefe ideas, and how
ct\ cbfLKlc to rccu;idil.y ; an oo'>aclc vhich bore the fc; 1 ,.)hon, " Vv-i;ofc nature," fiiys Flatirch, ** is mate I ; > .!! thiit lAndi.-Si ''pp^j^s, carfc: oljliiicihn^'
2 jO A i^o RVi. Y CI-
in proportion to their remotenefs from their iburces, and as the mind of man became re- fined, their groh forms W't^re purified, and reduced to a fece lefs diocking snd rcpu!- live.
'• T'liC/ jniL as the fyftein of two oppo- fit^:; principles or Deities originated in that of fymbols ; in tlie fame manner you will iind a new fydem fpringoiit of this to which 't ferved in its turn as a foundation and fup- pcrt,
Sf.ct. V. Mjjiical or moral vjorfolp^or the fvjlefii of a future Ji ate,
" IN reahty, when the vulgar heard talk of a new heaven and another v/orld, they foon gave a body to thefe fi^lions; they erc-fled on it a folid llage and real fcenes; and their no- tions of geography and ailronomy ferved to rtrengthen, if they did give rife to the allu- ilon.
'* On the one hand, tncPhenician naviga- tors, thofe v/ho paffed the pillars of Ilercules to fetch the pewter of Ihule and the amber of the Baltic, related that at the extremity of the world, the boundaries cf the ocean (the Mediterranean), Vvhere the fun fets to the countries of Ana, there were fortunate lilands^ the abode of an cverlading f|5ring ; and at a iarther diliance, hyperborean regions, placed under the earth (relatively to the tropics), where reigned an eternal nio^ht.* From
'^ Nu^hts of iix months diir:i:!on..
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 237 '
flories, badly underflood, and no doubt confu- fddly related, the imagination of the people* compoied the Elylian FidJ^,* delightful i^Dots in a world below, having their heaven, their fun and their flars; and Tartarus, a place of darknefs, Iiumidity, mire, 'diid chilling frofh Now, inafmuch as mankind, inquiiltive about all that of which they are ignora-rti:, c\nd dcfi- rous of a protracted exiilencc, had already exerted their faculties refpeifting v/hat was to become of them after ^eath: inafmuch as they had early rcafoned upon that principle of life which animates the body, and whicli quits it without changing the form of the body, and had conceived to themfelves airy fubibnccs, phantoms and ihades, titey loved to believe that they fliould refnme in the fubtcrrancaa world that life which it v/as fo painful to lofe; and tliis abode appeared commodioi:s for the reception of thofc beloveci objcJls which they could iiot prevail on themfelves to renounce.
*•' On the other hand, the aflrolcincal and philofophical prieds told fuch llories of their heavens as perfcftly quadrated withthefe fic- tions. Having, in their metaphorical lan-^-^ guage, denominated the equinoxes and f©!- ftices tlie gates of heaven, or the entrance of the feafons, they explained the terrefh-ial phe- nomena by laying, that through the gate of
* Elyf'f.Ti-ftlr's. /!J'^., in tlie Ilieni:i?.n or Hebrew language tlgnincs d'lr.cin^ and joyous.
23B A SITRVEA' OF THE
horn (iirfl the bull, aftenvards the ram), vi- « vifying fires delcended, which, in fpring, gave life to vegetation ; and aquatic Spirits, which caufed ac the folllice, ilie overflowing of the Nile: that tlirough the gate of ivory (origin- ally the Bowman, or Sagittarius, then the . Balance) and through that of Capricorn, or the urn, the emanations or influences of the heavens returned to their fource and reafcend- cd to their origin; and the Milky Way Vv^hich paffes through the doors of the folilices, fecm- ecl to them to liave been placed there on pur- pofe to be their road and vehicle.* The cc- Jeftial fccne fartlier prefented, according to their Atlas, a river (the Nile, defignated by the windincrs of the Hydra) : t02:ethcr w'ith a barge (the veiTcl Argo), and the dog Syrius, both bcariup; relation to that river of which they foreboded tlie overflowing. Thefe cir- cumJlanccs, added to the precedinf^ ones, in- creafed the probability of the fiction ; and thus, to arrive at Tartarus or Elyfium, fouls were obliged to crofs the rivers Styx and Acheron, in the boat of Charon the ferryman, and to pafs througli tlve doors of horn and ivory, which were guarded by the maftiiF Cerberus. At length a civil ufage was joined to all thefe inventions, and gave them confiflency.
The inhabitants of Egyjl: having remark- ed that the putrefaction of dead bodies be- ciime in their burning climate the /burce of
* Tlje m'ilky~iL\Tj^ '^(::(t Miicrch,. SoTv.f St'lp. c. 12.-
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 239
peflilence and difeafcs, the ciiilom was intro- duced, in a great number of ftates, of burying* the dead at a diflancc from the inhabited dif- tri<^s,inthedefertwhichlicsatthc we{L To ar- rive there it was necefTar j to crofs the canals of the river in a boat, and to pay a toll to the fer- ryman, othcrwiie the body remainino-unburied, would have been left a prey towildbcalts. This cullom fuggeiled to her civil and religious le- giflators, a powerful means of affc^iing the manners of her inhabitants, and addrefTmcr fit- vage aud uncultivated men with the motives of lilial piety and reverence for the dead, they introduced as a neceiTary condition the under- going thrtt precious tri-il which ihould decide \\ hether the deceafed deferved to be admitted upon the footing of his family honors into tlic black city. Such an idea too Vv'ell accord- ed with the refl of the buftncfs not to be in- corporated witk : it accordingly entered for an article into religious creeds, and hell had irs Minos and its Rliadamanthus Vv'itli the wand, the chair, the guards, and the urn, af- ter the exafi model of this civil traniacftion. The Divinity then, for the firll time, became a fubjeift of moral and political confideration, a legil]^tor, by fo much (lie more formidable as, wjiile his judgment was final and his decrees without appeal, ii.: was unapproacha- ble to his lubjects. This mytliological und iabulous creation, corapofed as it was of fcat- tered and difcordant parts, then became a icurce.of /nture puni&menis and rewards, in
■24.0 A SURVEY OF THE
which divine juRice was iiippofed to corrc<!t. .the vices and errors of this tranfitory (late. Afpiriiual and myflical lyilemjiiich as I have mentioned, acquired (o much the more crcdit oS it apphed iticif to the mind by every argu- ment fuiied to it. The oppreiTed looked thi- ther for an indemnification, and entertained the confoling hope of vengeance: the opprcll- cr expected by the coftlinefs of his oilerinfT^s to fecurc to himfelf impunity, and at the iaine time employed tliis principle to infpire the vulgar Avith timidity: kings :;id prieils, tlie heads of the people, iaw in ic a nev/ fource of power, as tlicy refcrvcd to themfclves the rrivelepc of awardinor *he favours or the cen- hire of the great judge of all, according to the opinion thevihculd inculcate of the odiouf- nefs of crimes, and the meritorioufnefs of vir- tue.
'^ Thus, then, ?ra invifibie and imaginary Yi'orld entered into competition witii thit \vhich Y7as real. Such, O Periians, was ilie origin of your renovated earth, your city of refiirrection, placed under tlic eqiuitor, and diflii:gui(lied from ai; other cities by this iln- rular attribute, that the bodies of irs inhabit- ^i:ts cait no (hade.* Suchj O Jews and
or\ this fiibicct a pafi^fre ia Piotercn, lu intereiling and cx- ])lanatoiy v^'^\': whole of this fvficn-i, th;ct -vip flial! c;t': \t r"r:l'rc. ' v'J'rrb'livedthat the ihcoiy cfo;::>^-id a.id e^■il had nt all t:n:c3 occupied tVe' attention oFphiloi\;|)hcr3 and theolppianF, he adds : '^ Many flipnofe th;re L^ he two Goda cfoiric/jtc inchnationi:, on: dchghth^;] \\-\ g. hid} the
^ REVOLUTIONS OF LMPIRirS. 'Zj;.1
Chrlilians, difciples of the PerfuiriS, was tiT? fource of your new Jerudilem, your pciradif* and your heaven, modelled upon the adrolo- gical heaven of Hermes. Meanwhil:, ycur hell, O ye Muffuhnans, a fubterraneous pit
X
other in evil, the firft of thefe is called particularly by the .name of God, the fecond by that of Genius or Demon. Zoroafler has denominated them Oromaze and Ahri- niancs, and has faid that of whatever fdls under tlie cog- nizance of our fenfes, light is the bcfl rcprefentation of the one, and darknefs and ignorance of tlie other. He adds, that Mirhra is an intermediate beinjr, and it is for this reafon the Perfians call iNlitlira the msdiator or h:kr- iv.ediator. Each of thefe Gods has diilindl plants and animals confeciated to him: for example, dogs, birds' and hcdgehofTs belong to the good Genius, and all cqua- tic animals to the eviloTC.
'* The Perfians alfo fay. that Orcmaze wr.s bcrn or formed out of the purcft lijfnt; Ahrimanes, on the con- tr.iry, out of the thickefl darkncfs: that Oromaze made llx Gods as good as himfclf, and Ahrinjines oj)pofed to them fix wicked ones : that Oroni;uze a.Rerwardc multi- plied himfelf threefold (Hermes trifmegiftiis), and re- moved to a difcance as remote from the fun r,s the fun is remote from the earth; thrt he there fon-ned. liars, and, amon^ others, Syrius, which he placed in the heavens as a guard and centinel He made alfo tv/enty-four othti* Gods, which he inclofed in an egg; but Ahrimanes cre- ated an equal number on his part, wlio broke the ego, and from that moment good and evil weie mixed (in tl'^e iiniverfe). But Ahrimanes is oned^y to be conquered, and the earth to be made eq-.nl and fmooth, thatrai men n";;iy live happy
** Theopom;)us add;, from tlie books of the M.-igi,
tliiit one of thefe Gods reijns in turn every three tholi-
fand ven.r:',. 'daring which the othor is kept in fui^jc^ction;
.'tcrwaids contend with e<piai weapons during
-4" A SURVEY OF THE
fill-mounted by a bridge, your balance of fouls and good vrorks, your judgment pronounced ])y the angels Monkir and^ Nckir, derives its attributes from the myfterious ceremonies of the cave of Mithraj* and yoitr heaven is ex-
a rirn;!ar portion of time, bat that in the end the evil Genius will fAl (never to life Again). Then men will become happy, and theirJ)odies caft no fhade. 1 ho God Avho meditates all thefe things reclines at prefent in repofe, v/aiting till he fnail be pleafed to execute them." See insand.O^ris.
I'here' is an apparent allegory through the whole of this p^flage. The egg is the fixed fphere, the world : the fix Gods of Oroma?.e are the fx figns of fummer, thoie of Ahrimanes the (Ix figns of winter. The forty- eight other Gods are the forty-eight conlielktions of the iincient iphere, divided equally between Ahrimanes and Orom::Z5. 1 he office of Syrius, as guard and centlnel, telU us tha,t the origin cf thefe ideas was Egyptian : iinally., the expreffion that the earth is to become equal and fmooth, and that the bodies of happy beings are to ca(': no fhade. proves that the equator was conlidered as their tiue paradv-fs*
''•' The cave of MUhra. In the caves which pr lefts e^-ery where conHruded, they celebrated mylleries which coniifjcd (i;iys Origen again (l Celfds) in imitating the notion of the fiars, the planets and the heavens. The initiated took the name of conflellations, and aflumed the figures of animals. One ws a lion, another a raven, and a third a ram. Hence the ufe of mafks in the firft reprefjntation of the drama. See Ant. Devoilc, vol. i». p. 244. " In the m.yH cries of Ceres the chief in the proceiTion called himfelf the creator; the bearer of the torch \. as denominated the fan : the perfon nearefc to ilie altar, the moon ; the herald or deacon, Mercury. In Egypt there v/a:^ a felHval iji which the men and women veprefented the year, the age, the feafonSi -the difterent p-^rts of the day, and they walked in proceilion after Bacci;u3. Athen. i;b. 7= ch. 7. In die cave of Miih-
REVOLUTION'S 07 EMPIRES, 24]
actly coincident with that of Ofiris^ Ormnzd,
and Brama.
Sect. VI . Sixth fijlcm : The animated 'ivorlr!., or "ujorjlnp of ihe unl-vcrfe under different emblems.
" WHILE the nations v/ere lofiag them- iiilves in the dark labyrinth of mytholoj^y and fables, the pliyfiological prielh, piirfuint; their lludies and enquiries i^joiit the order and dif- polkion of the univerfc, came to frdh refults, iind fet up freUi fyllcms of powers and mov- mx caufcs.
o
" Long confined to fimple appearance, ihey had only feen in the motion of the ib.irs an luiknown play of luminous bodies, which they fappofed to roll round the earth, the central point of all the fpheres ; but from the moment they had difcovered the rotundity of our pla- net, the confequences of this firH: hCa led them to other confiderations, and from infer- ence to inference they rofe to the higheil con- ceptions of agronomy and phyfics.
" In truth, having conceived the enlight- ened and fimple idea, that the celellial globe
ra was a lad'-ler with fcvon ftep?, reprsfcnt^ng the fevcn f])hcres of the phmets, by means of which fouls afcendcd ii:ul defcendcci. This is iHecifcly the ladder in [i'.cob'.s vl'ion, which fiiows that at that epoclu the whole fyllem v/Ls formed. There is in the French king's library -a fli- perb volume of pictures of the Indian Gods, in which tlic ladder is reprcfentcd with the fouls of men mount- \m it.'*
^44 ^'^ Su'RVEY OF THE
is a (mall circle infcribed in the greater circle of the heavens, the theory of the concentral circles naturally prefented itfelf to their hy- pothtfiSj to refolve the unknown circle of the tirredrial globe, by known points of the celeftial circle; and the meafure of one or fcveral degrees oT the meridian, gavcprecife- ■^ ly the total circumference. Then taking for compafs the diameter of the earth, a fortu- nate genius defcribed with aufpiciou^ boldnefs tiie immenfe orbits of the heavens; and, by an unheard of abilra£lion, man, who fcarcely |)eople tlie grain of fand of which he is the inhabitant, embraced the infinite diilances of the ilars, and launched himfelf into the abyfs of fpace and duration. There a new order of the univerfe prefented iifelf, of which the petty globe that he inhabited no longer ap- peared to him to be the centre: this im.portant part was transferred to the enormous miafs of the fun, wdiich became the infiamcd pivot of eight circumiaccnt fpheres, the movements of Vi^hich v.ere henceforward fubmitted to exa^i: calculation.*
*' The human mind had already done a f^reat deal by undertaking to refolve the dif- |:()fition and order of the great beings of na- ture; but not contented with this fail effort, it w^iihed alfo to refolve its mechaniim and dif- cover its origin and motive principle. And here it is that, involved in the abftra^ft and rne-
*' Er.aB c at i 1.1 at ion. Coufj.lt the ancient aftionoiny of M. Baiily, and you ^vill find our '^{leviions refpeding the kno-,vicd:Te of the piiclls amply proved.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 245
tapliyfical depths of motion and its iirfl caufe, of the inhei-s^nt or communicated properties of matter, together with its fuccefiive forms iind extent, or in other words, of boandlefs fpace and time, thcfe phyfiological divines loil themfelvcs in a cliar)s of fubtle argument and fcholaflic controverfv.
" I'he ciSiion of th:^ fun upon terrcflrial bodies having- fivl led -them to confider its fiibdance as pure and elemen^tary firc^ they made it the focus and refervoir of an oceair of igneous and kiminous lluid, which, under the name of ether, iillcd the univerfe, and nouriihed ths beings contained therein. They afterwards difcovered, by the analyfis cS a more accurate philofopoy, this £re, or a fimilarto it, entering into the compofiiioa of all bodies, and perceived that it was the grand agent in that fpontaneous motion, which in animals is denominated life, and in plants ve- getation. From hence they were led to con- ceive of the mechanifm and action cif the luii- vcrfe, as of. a homoc>eneou3 whole, a fm^le body, whofe parts^ hov/ever dilLijtt in place, had a reciprocal conncvftion with each other:* and of ilie v»'orld as a living fubllance, ani- mated by the org.inical circulation of an ig- r.jjus or rather elc^hical lluid,! which, by an
* yl r.iJrw ' cnn^^lon. 'Thefe are tU^'vcry V/Drd3
f Or rarfjer (/..,, -J Jiuin, 'Ihe nicrr I cnnCdci: vhut the ancle:;" .. ^;^■'^od by ether, '?.v.A fvh, ;in,l wiiat the Indi , the i^rongev . ,
■ ' 7 bcLwc^n w ■ :l:uu1 fluid. A iu.:...jcS i:^^
24'<> A SUR\'LV o:- THE
analogy borrowed from men and animals, was fuppoicd to have the fun for its heart.*
" Meanwhile, among the theological philb- fophers, one feft beginning from thefe {nin- ciples, the refult of experiment, laid : That nothing was annihilated in the world; that the elements were unperifhable; that th.ey changed their combinations, but not their na- ture ; that the Hfe and death of beings were nothing more than the varied modifications of the fame atoms; that matter contained in itfelf properties, wdiich were tlie caufe of all its. modes of ezdlling; that the world was eternal, f having no bounds either of fpace or duration. Others faid: that the whole univerfe was God ; and according to them. Go:! v/as at once cirect and caiifc, agent and patient, moving
ul, piir.c ![■')€ of V aimth and motion, pervading the uni- verfe, form jr.g the niRtter of the ftars, having fnuill round p;.iticle?, which infinriate thtmfelves into bodies, and till th.'m Ly dilating itfelf", ho. their extent what it wiL', V. hat can more ftronply refemble eledricity ?
* iVds fuppoficl, (ijc. Natural philofophers, fays Ma- cixbAv.-, call Oie fun the heart of the world. 8om. Scip. c. 20. The Egyptians, fays Plutarch. clU the ITalt tlie face, the North the right fide, and the South the left- fide of the world, becaufe there the heart is placed. I'hey continually compare the ivniverfe to a man t and hence the celebrated microccfm cf the Akhymilb. We ob- ferve, by the by, that the Alchymilrs, Cabahlls, Tree-ma- fcDG, Mag^ctifers, Fv^artinifts, and every other fach furt_ of vifiom.iies./are but the mifiaken difclples of this anci- ent fcbool : v/e f '.y niiftaken, becaule, in fpiie of their prttenfions, the thread of the occait fcience is broken.
f Thai -L' iu:rU: ^S'c. S^e the Pyihi;grK'an Ced- ing; Lucanus.
RKvoj.yriox3 of empires. 247
principle and thing moved, having for laws the invariable properties Vvliich conftitute fa- tality; and they defignated their idea fomc- times by the emblem 'of Pan (the great ALi.) ; or of Jupiter, with a ilarry front, a pla- netary body, and feet of animals; orbythefym- bol of the Orpliicegg,* v.diofeyolkfufpendediii the middle of a liquid encompailed by a vault, reprefented the globe of the fun fwim- ming in ether the middle of the vault of hea- Ten;t or by the eniDlem of a large round ferpent, figurative of the heavens, where they placed the firil principle of motion, and for that reafon of an azure colour, fludded v.'ith gold fpots (the liars), and devouring liij tail, that is, re-entering into himfelf by wind- ing continually like tlie revolutions of tlie fpheres; or by the emblem of a man, with his feet prefTed and tied together lo denote
* Vide CEdip. -^gypt. Tome. II. page 205". f T.he Orph'ic egg, 'J his co!Tipaiiron of the fan with die yolk of aaeg^j refeis: i. To its round and yeJiow ii- gure; 2. To Its central fitantion ; 3. To th3 germ or principle of life contilned in the yolk. May not the ovrd form of the egg all tide to the elipfis of the orbs? I am inclined to this opinion. The word Orphic o:fters a hirthcr obf^rv.ition. IVTacvoblus fays (Som vScip. c. 14. ani c. 20), that the fan is the bniin of the unlvcrfe, and that it is from an.Iogy that the (liulj of a human be- ing is round, like the planet, the i^jX of int.c!Ilgence.. Now the word Orph ( with ain ) fignifies in Hebrew thebn'.i'i anditsfeat (cervix.) : Orpheus, then,isthefameas Bedouor Baits ; and the li onzes are thof^ very Grphics which Plu- tarch leprcfents a3<^uack^, who ate no meat, vended t:df- m;i'is, iind little fiones, and deceived individuals, and even governments- themfelvcs. See a learned memoir of Frcret I'-'irL'sOrt)'.'' I'us- A:^'L J.^ Iri', r'l'w^jl 2 ■?./« '?.•.' ii;'.':.
243 A SURVEY OF THE
immutable exiflence, covered with a m^intlc of ail colours, like the appearance of nature, and wearing on his head a fphere of gold,* figurative of the fphere of the planets; or by that of another man fometimes feated upon the flower of Lotos, borne upon the abyfs of the waters, at others reclined upon a pile of twelve cuPaions lignifying the twelve celeftlal - ilgiis. And this, O nations of India, Japan, vSiara, Thibet, and China,- is the tlieology, which, invented by the Egyptians, has 'been tranfmiitcd down and preferved among your- felves, in the pictures you give of Brama, Beddou, Sommanacodom, and Omito. This O ye Jews and Chriilians, is the counterpart of an opinion, of which you have retained a certain portion, when you delcribe God as the breath of life moving upon the face of the waters, alluding to the wind,t which at the origin of the world, that is, at the departure of the fpheres from the iisin cf the Crab, announced the overflowings of the Nile, and feemed to be the preliminary of creation.
Sect. VII. Se'venth-fijiem: Worjhip of the Soul of ihc I'i'crld^ thai is^ the elanent of ' ftre^ rbe vit^J principle cf the uni^ocrfc,
<•' BUT a third fct of the theological phi- lofbphers^ dl%ulied with the idea of a being at
* IVr^yi"^, cfc;. Sec Torphyry in Ei:leb:u3, Frsep. Evang. lib. 3. p. I 15.
-|- JHuiltng, tfc. { he Northern or Etefivn v/ind, \\hk!i cc?rViiiicac;s reguiarly at the iolil-ic-;, Wi^h the iu- undation.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 24Q
once cfFcifl: and caufe, agent and patient, and uniting in one and the fame nature all contra- ry attributes, didinguiilied the moving princi- ple from the thing moved ; and laying it down as a datum that matter was in itfclf inert, ihey pretended that it received its properties from a diilinfl agent of which it was only the envelope or cafe. Some made this agent the igneous principle, the acknovvdedged author of all motion; others mridc it the fluid called ether, becaufe it was thought to be more ac- tive and fubtile: now, as they denominated the vital and motive principle in animals, a foul, a fpirit; and as they alv/ays reafoned by comparifon, and particularly by comparifon with human exillence, they gave to the mo- tive principle of the whole univerfe the name of foul, intelligence, fpirit; and God was the vital fpirit, which, diirufcd through all beings, animated the vail body of the world. This idea was reprefentcd fometimes by You-piter, eiicnce of motion and animation, principle of exigence, or rather exillence itfelf;* at other tim.es by Vulcan, or Phtha, elementary prin- ciple of fire, or by the altar of Vcfta, placed centrally in her temple, like the fun in the fpheres; 'and again by Kneph, a human being dreffed in d^vp blue, holding in his hands a fceptrc and a girdle (the Zodiac), wearing on his head a cap with feathers, to cxprefs the
* Tou-yitery This is the true pronuncintion of the
Jupilor of the I.j^tins Lxifcncc tffflj\ 'i hi^isthc fig-
liiftaition (ji tlic word Ti.u,
2^0 A SURVEY OF THE
fugaclty of "^thought, and producing from his mouth the great egg. .
^'^ As a coi:!fequence from this fyflem, every being containing in itfdf a portion of the ig- neous or ethcrial uuid, the univerfil and com- mon mover, and that fluid, foul of the world, being the Deity, it foUov/ed that the fouls of all beings were a part of God himfelf, par- taking of all his attributes, that is, being an indivifible, fimple, and immortal fubftance ; and hence is derived the v/hole fyflem of the immortality of the :-)ul, which at iirfl was eternity.'* Hence ,alfo its tranfmigrations
* *The tmmortal'tty of the fouh ivhiih at Jtrjl ivas eternity. In the fyftem of the firft fplritualills, the foul was not created with, or at the fame as the body, in order to be inferted in it : its exiilence was fuppoied to be anterior 2.nd from all eternity* Such, in a few words, is the doc- trine of Macrobius on this head. Som Sclp. pajjlm,
*' 'Pnere exifts a luminous, igneous, fubtle fluid, which under the name of ether and fpiritus, fills the univerfe. It is the elTentiai principle and agent of motion and life, it is the Deity, \lhen an earthly body is to be animat- ed, a fmall round particle of this fluid gravitates through the milky way towards the lunar fpherc, where, when it arrives, it unites with a groiTer air, and becomes fit to afroci.ite with matter : it then enters and entirely fills the body, Sinimates it, faflers, grows, increafcs, and diminiflics with it ; laftly, v/hen the body dies, and its grofs ele- ments dilTolve, this incorruptible particle takes its leave prit, and returns to the grand ocean of ether, if not re- tained by its union ^^ ith the luj^ir air : it is this air or ^as, which, retaining the (hape of tlie body, becomes a phantom or ghofl:, the perfetH: reprefentation of the de- ceafed. The Greeks called this phantom the image or idol of the foul ] the Pythagoreans; its chariot, its frame ;
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIR.ES. ^251
known by the name of metempfychofis, that is to fay, palTagc of tlie vital principle from one body to another; an idea which fprung from the real tranfmigratlon of the material elements. Such, O Indians, Budfoids, Chrif- tians, Muilulmans, "vvas the origin of all your
?.nd tlie Rabb'.niccd School, its vefTcl, or boat. When a jnjn had conduc5led hinifelfweli in this world, his whole foul, that is its chariot and ether, afccndcd to the moon, where a reparation took place : the chariot lived in the lunar Eiyfium, and the ether returned to the fixed fphcrc, that is, to God : for the fixed heaven, fays Macrobius, was by many called by the name of God, (c. 14.) If a man had not lived virtaoufly, the foul remained on earth to undergo purification, and was to wander to and fro, like the ghoib of Homer, to whom this dodrine mud have been known, fmce he wrote after the time cf Pherecydes and Pythagoras, v/ho were its promulgators in Greece. Herodotus u'^on this cccafion favs. that the
i.
whole romance of the foul and its tranfmigrations wa<! invented by the Egyptians, and propagated in Greece by men, who pretended to be its authors. I know their names, adds he, but fnall not mention them, (//7>. 2.) Cicero, however, has pofitively informed us, that it was Pherecydes, miftcr of Pyth'gora'^. TufcuLlih. \.fc^. 16. Now admitting th.U this f^'ilem was at that period a no- velt)', it accounts for Solomon's treating it as a fable, who lived 130 years before Plierecydcs. *' Who know- eth," faid he, " the fpirit of a man that it gocth up- wards ? I fiid in my heart concei^ning the cfiatc of the fons of men, that. God might manifcfi: them, and that they might fee that they themfclvcs arebeafh. For that which befalicth the fbns of men, bcfaliclh hearts ; even one thing beFallcth them : as the one dicth, fo dicth the other ; yea tl^ey iuive all one breath, fa tJiat a man hatli no pre-eminence above a bcaft : for ail is vanity," Eccles. c. III. V. \\\. ■ And furh had been the opinion of Mofes, as a Iranf-
2K2 A SURVJZY OF THE
ideas of the fpiritualityof the foul! Such Was the fource of the reveries of Pythagoras and Plato, your indiiutors, and who were them- felves but the echoes of another, the laif icS: of vifiOnary philofophers diat it is necclTary to examine.
Sect. Vill. FAghth fyjlcm: Theivorld a ma- chine: worjhip of the De?ni-Qurgos, or fu- preme artificer.
" HITHERTO the theologians, in exer- clfmg their faculties on the detached and fub- tile fiib(f.ances of ether and the igneous prin- ciple, had not, however, ceafed to treat of ex- igences palpable and perceptible to the fenfes, and their theology had continued to be the theory of phyfical povvers, placed fometimes exclufivcly in the fiars, and f:;metimes dilTc- minated through the univerie. But at tlie period at which v/e are arrived, foine fuperS- cial minds, lofrng the chain of ideas which had dire^led thefe profound enquiries, or igno- rant of the fa^h which ferved as their bafis, rendered abortive alltherefuhs thatliad been obtained from them, by the introduction of a ilrau'-^-e and novel cliinicra. Ihev pretended
lator of Herodotus (M. Archer of the Academy of In- fcrlj--tLons) jcdly oblervesin note 3S9 of the fecoud bookj V. hereheiayo alfo that the immortaliry cf the fouHvas not Introduced among the Hebrews till their int,ircoiiife with the AiPyrians. ■ In other refpccfts, the whole Py- tha(';o!c:in fyilem, properly an;uyied, appears to be msreiy a fylfem of pliyfics badly uiid^rilood.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. ^J-?
that the univerfe, the heavens, the flars, the fun differed in no refpeft from an ordinary niachuie; and applying to this hynothefis a corapiinfon drawn from' 'the \rorks of ar^ they ere^ed an edifice of the moil whiin^^cal fophjfms. " A machine," faid they " can not form itfcif, there mufl be a workman to comtruait; its very exillence imph'cs thi':. 1 he world is a machine: it has therefore an artificer."*
" Hence tJic Demi-ourgos, cr fupremc ar- t'ticer, the autocrator and fovcreign of tlic univtTfe. It was in vain that the ancient plii- iofuphy obje^ed to the hypothcfis, tk^t this artificer did not fland in Jcfs need of parcn^<; and an author, and that a fcheme, which ad- ded only one h'nk to the chain by takin- th^- attribute of eternity from the world and ^nv^ ing It to the creator, was of little vahie. ihefe innovators, not contented with a fnil paradox, added a fecond, and applyinp- to their artificer, the theory of human underliandino- pretended that the Demi-ourgos fafhioned his machine upon an archetype or ide:i extant in his mind. In a word, jufl as their mailers the natural philofophers, had placed the prfl mum mobile m the iphere of the fixed ilars under the appellation of intelligence and rca-
Y
2CA A SURVEY OF THE
foil, fo their apes, the fpiritualills, p.dopting the fame pnnciple, made it an attribute of the Dcmi-ourgos, rcprefenting this being as a difliii6l fubflance, necelfarily exifling, t© which they apphed the terms of Mens or Logos, in other words, imderflanding and fpecch. Separately from this being, they' li.eld the exigence of a fohu* principle, or foul of the world, which taken with the preceding made three gradations of divine perfonages:- iirft, the Demi-ourgos, or fupreme artificer ; fccondly the Logos, underflanding or fpeech ; and thirdly, the fpirit or foul of the world.* And this, O Ghriilians, is the iiction on which you have founded your doclrine of the Trini- ty; this is the fyflem, which, born a Heretic in the Egyptian temples, tranfmitted a Hea- then to the fchools of Greece and Italy, is now Catholic or Orthodox by the converfion of its partifans, the difciples of Pythagoras and Pla- to to Chriflianity.
" Thus the Deity, after having been ori- ginally confidered as the fenfible and various action of meteors and the elements; then as the combined pov/er of the flars, confidered in their relation to terreurial obje(fls; then as thofe terreftrial objects themfelves, in confe- quence of confounding fymbols, v^ith the things they reprefented ; then as the com- plex power of Nature, in her tv/o principal
* The dcml-ourgo.f, the logos, and the f^irit. Thefe are this real types of the Cbriftian Trinity.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 255
operations, of proJu£lioii and deftruclion; then as the animated world without dillinclion of agent and patient, caufe and eiiccl:; then as the folar principle or element of iirc ac- knowledged as the (o\c caufe of motion — the Deity, I fay, confidered under all thefe differ- ent views, became at lall a chimerical and ab- flracTt being; a icholailic fiibtlety of fubllancc without form, of body without figure; a true delirium of the mind beyond the power of reafon at ail to comprehend. But in this^its lad transformation it feeks in vain to conceal itfclf from^the fcnfes: the feal of its origin is indelibly il'amped upon it. Alii ts attributes, borrowed from the phyfical attributes of the univerfc, as immeniiLy, eternity, indivifibility, incomprchenfiblenefs; or from the moral qua- lities of man, as goodncfs, jultice, majclly; and Its very names,* derived from the phyfic-
* //x very ns:we. In our laft aoalyfis wc found all the names of the Deity to he derived from fomc miiteriai ob- jctfi io which it \Vu3 fuppofed to reljde. VV'e have given a conliderahle number of hiftances ; let us add one more relative to cur "<vord Go:/, This is known to be the Dcus of ths Latins, and the T/j^os of tUe Greeks Nov/ by tiic confcllion of Plato {in Craiyb) of Macrobius [Saturn lib. I. c. 24.) and of Pljtarch [Jjis iff Ojiris,) its root is i/j^iti, wliich Hgnifies to wander like J^Ian^i;:, that is to f iv, it is fynonimous With planets ; becaufe, add our authors, both the /ancient Greeks and barbarians particularly wor- fliippedthe planets. I know that fuch enquiries int',* etymologies have been much decried : but if, as is the Cc-f J, words are the reprefentatire iigns of ideas, tlie ge- nealogy of the one becomes that of tl;e other, and a good etj^mobgical dictionary would be the moft perfefl hiflovy of the human underflanding. It would only be KecciTu-
2^6 A SURVEY OF THE
:il beings which were its types, particularly the fun, the planets, and the world, prcfent to us continually, in fpite of thofe who would corrupt and difguife it, infallible marks of its r:enuine nature.
" Such is die chain of ideas through which the human mind had already run at a period
ry in this enciniry to obferve certain precautions, which have hitherto been negleded, and particularly to mj;ke an cxadt comparifbn of the vaUie of the letters of the dif- ier-:;nt. dph.bets. But, to continue our fabje^n:, v.e fhall sdd that in the Phenician language, the word i/:al:> (with i/in) figniiies alfo to wander, and appears to be the deri- ve'tion of iliin. If v.'e fuppofe Drus to be derived froni the G reek Zeus, a proper name of 'J'ov-pher, having -zaiv, I live, for its root, its fenfe will be precifely that of you, ycd will meanyiy/ of the world, /g-Avcz/j- principle. 8ee Efte (B4.) Dlv'VSy which only fignifies Genius, God cf the fccond order, appears to me to come from the ori- ent?.! v/ord d'lv fubftituted for d'lh, wolf and chacal, one of t'le emblems of the fun. At Thebes, fays Macrobius, the fun was painted under the form of a wolf or chacal, for there are no wolves in Egypt. The reafon of this emblem, dcubtlcfs, is that the chacal, iilie the cock, an- nounces by its cries the fun's rifmg ; and this reafon is coniiri!2ed by the analogy of the words lykos, wolf, and lyke^ light of the morning, whence comes Inx-
D'lusy Y.'hich is to be underilood alfo of the fun, mud: l-e derived from cllhy a hawk. *' The Egyptians," fiys Porphyry [Rufih, Prccccp. Evang. /. 92,) " reprefent the fun under tlic eniblem of a hawk, becaufc this bird foars to the hip^heil: regions of air v.fhere light abounds." And in reality v/c continually fee at Cairo large flights of thefc b'rds, hovering in the air, from whence they defcend not bit to ftun us with their flirieks, which are like the rao- ricfylh-ble dih : and here, as in the preceding example, w:2 find an analogy between the w ord d'tesy day, light; and Dlua, God. Sun.
REYCLUTI0N5 O? EMPIRES. 25?
.interior to the pofitive recitals of hiftory; ar.d fince their fyflematic form proves them to h:ivc been the refult of one fceneof lludyand invefLi- gation, e'v'Cry thing inchnes us to place the thea- tre of in veftigation, where its primitive elements vrerc generated, in Egypt. There their progress vras rapid, becaufc the idle curiofity of the theological philofophers had, in the retirement of the temples, no other food than tlic enig- ma of the univerfe which was ever prefent to their minJs; and becaufe, in the political dii- iVntions which long difunited tliat country, each (late had its college of priells, Vv'ho, l)eino- in turns ^luxiliaries or rivals, haflened by -their difputes the progrefs of fcience and difcoverv.^"*^ Y 2
*Thc prdr-nfs cj fumce and aij'iover". One cf t )fs that all thcfe ryfrems were invented in Eoiypt,
One cf the
proors that all thcie lyftems were invented m Egypt, is
that thi*; is the only country where we fee a complete
'■ody ordo^rtrine formed from tiie rcmotcfl antiquity.
C'lcinens Alcriiindrinus li:is tranfc^itted to us {Slrcr>:a!,
h. ().) i. curior.s det:-Ml of the*42 ^ciumes whic'i wt.c
(.orne in the procciLon of Ifis. ** I he pritft," fays he,
H oj .i'lmnter, carries one of the fymbclic infhuments of
nv.dlc. and two of the books of Mercury ; one cortair-
ing ]iymnr> of the Gcds. the other the lilt qfgkinrs. Next
to him the horofi-npe (t]\e regidator of tiWie,) carries 'a
; dm and a dial, fymbols of aftrolcgy ; he mull know by
I'.cart the four books of Mercuty which treat of r.fhoJcr^ :
the liiil on the ord^r of the planets, the fecond on the
illlnj^s of the fan and moon, and the two laft on tlie riling
.'■d afpcift of the fh'.rs. Thsn comc". the ficrcd author,
V 'x\\ feathers on his hc:\d (like Kueft) and a book in Iris
iind, together with ink, and a retJ to write v/ith '(«s is
■ill the pravflice a^nongths Arabs). He mud be vcrfed
., ! U-i-Kdi^v'-.i^Q r-^^v ;.nd::fl;ind the 'I'-iPri-^t^^-'n ofth':
SjS ' A SURVEY OF THE
'^^ On the borders of ilie Nile there hap- pened at that diftant period, Vv^hat has fnice been repeated all over tlie globe. In pro- portion as each fyftem was formed, it excited
univeiTe, tlie courfe of the fun, moon, flars, and planets, be acctuaiiUed with the divilion of Egypt into 36 no-mes, with the couife of the Nile, with inftrumcnts, meafuies, ficred ornaments, and facred places. Next conies the itole bearer, who carries the cubit of JLifti(;e, or meafure of the Nile, and a cup for the libations ; he bears alfo in the procefnon ten volumes on the lubjed: offacrifices, hymns, prayers, offerings, ceremonies, feiHvals. Laflly arrives the prophet^ bearing in his bofom a pitcher, fo as to be expofed to viev/ ; he is followed by perlbns carry- ing bread (as at the marriage ofCana). This prophet, as prefident of the myileries, learns ten other fa cred vo- lumes, v/hich treat of the laws, the Gods, and the difcip- iine of the priefts. Now there are in all forty -two volumes, thirty-fx of which are lludied and got by heart by thcfe perfonages, and the remaining fix are fet apart to he con- iulted by th.p pajlaphores : they treat of medicine, the con- fhuclion of the human body (anatomy), difeafes, rerne- •lies, iniiruments, &c. &c.^'
We leave the reader to deduce all the confcnuences of in Encyclopedia. It is afcribed to Mercury ; but Jambll- CU3 tells us that each book, compofed by prieus. v/as dedi- cated to that God, who, on account of his title of Genius or ihcan opening the zodiac, prelided over every enterprife, ble is the yams of the Roma-ns, and the Guianefa of the Indians, and it is remaikable that Tarais and Gmcines ■nx't honvcnymous. In fhcrt, it appears that thef^ books are the fc'urce of ail that has been tranfmitted to us by tl;e Greeks and Latins in every fcicnce, evea in alchymy ne- cromancy, &c. What is mod: to be regretted in their Iqfs is that part which related to the principles of niedi- cine and diet, in which the Egyptians appear to have ■':-?s?Afi a confiderable progr'jTs, and to have delivered many uflutl cbfcrvatlons.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. . 259
by its novelty quarrels and fchifms : then, gaining credit even by perfccuLion, it either deftroycd anterior iJc^is, or incorporated it- felf with and modified them. But political inllitutions taking place, all opinions, by the aggregation of dates and mixture of differ- ent people, were at length confounded; and the chain of idea? being loll, theology, plun- ged in a chaos, became a mere logogryph of old tradhions no longer undcrlfood. Religi- on, lofmg its obje^i:, was now nothing more than a political expedient by which to rule the credulous vulgar; and v/as embraced ei- ther by men credulous themfelves and the dupes of their ov/n vlfions, or by bold and energetic fpirits, who formed vart: proje(Si:s of ambition.'*
Sect. IX. Religion of Mo/fs^ or ivcrfblp of the SquI of the World (Tou-piter ),
" OF this latter defcriptlon was the He- I>i-e^T iegiilator, who, defu-ons of f::parating his nation from every other, and of forming a dillinci: and exclulive empire, conceived the defign.of taking for its balis religious preju- dices, nnd of erecting round it a iacrcd ram- part of rites and opinions. But in vain did he profcribe tlie worfliip of fvmbols, tlic r:Mgni[ig religion, at tliat time, in Lov/er Kgypt and Plienicia:* his God was not on
* The rci<^u':n;r^ y,-. << At a ccn;iin period/' fays Piiuarcb fde Hide) '' .ill the Eovpt-bas h.iv^: th^ii nni-
200 A SUliVEY OF THE
that account the lefs a.n Egyptian God, of the invention of thofe pricils whofe difciple Mofes had been; ZiXi6.7^abcub* detected by
mal Gods paiDted. The Thebans are the only people Vvho do not employ painters, becaufe they v/orfhip a God whofe form comes not under the feafes, and cannot be reprefented." And this is the God whom Mofes edu- cated at Heliopolis, <idopted ; but the idea was not of his invention.
* ^4itd Tahfjuh. Such is the true pronunciation of tiic Jehovah of the moderns, who violr.te, in this refpetT:, every rule of criticifm ; fmce it is evident that the anci- ents, particularly the EaClern Syrians and Fhenicians, were acquainted neither with the "Je nor the /'', which are of Tartar origin. The fubfifting ufige of the Arabs, which wo have re-eftablifiied here, is confirmed by Dio- dorus, who calls the God of Mofes /rt-rc, {J'lh. i), and laiv and lahouh are mrinifelily the fame word : the iden- tity continues in that of loti-p'iier ; but in order to render it more complete, we fuall demonlhate the f unification to be the fame.
In Hebrev:, that is to fay, in orre of the dialects of the common language, of Lower Afia, J'ahouh is the pai^ liciple of tiic verb Jnh^ to exift, to be, and fignifies exit- ing ; in other words, the principle of life, the mover or even motion (the univerfal foul of beings.) Now what is Jupiter? I^et us hear the Greeks and J^t^-tir-s explain thririr theology. *' The Egyptians," fays Diodorus, after Manatho, piiefl: of Mcnnohis, " in piving names to the ^ve elements, called j/Js/ri/, or ether, Toup'iter. on account cf the true meaning of that word : io\ Jphit is the fource of life, author of the vital principle in animals; nnd for this reafon they confidercd him as the father, the gene- rator of beings." For ths fime leafon Homer fiys, fa- ther, and king of men and gods. [Diod. I'lh. i. fee. i ).
" Theologians/' fays J-dacrobius, *^ conficer 7'cu~piter as the foul of the world." Hence the words of Virgil : *' Pv'Iufes let us begin with You-piter : the world is full ofYou-piter." [Somti. Sj!^. <h. 17). And in the Satut- fiulia. he fiys, '^ Jupiter is the f;m hiriiiclf^" It wa- this
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 26t
his very name, which means eiTence of be- ings, and by his fymbol, the iiery bufli, is nothing more than the foul of the world, the
alfo which made ^'^irgiI fay, *' The fpirit nourlHies the life (of beings), and the fou! diffufed through the vail members (of the univerfl-), agitates the whole mafs, and forms but one immenfe body."
'* loupiter," fciys the ancisnt verfes of the Orphic fe^f^ which originated in Egypt; verfes coIle<5l£d by Onoma- critusin the days of Plfillr.itus. ** loupiter, reprefontcd with the thunder in his hand, is the beginning, origin, end. and middle of 2 11 things: a (ingle and univerfal power, he governs every thing ; heaven, earth, fire, wa- ter, the elements, day, and night. Thefe arc what con- fiitute his immenfe body: his eyes are the fun and moon: he is fpacc and eterni'.^ : in fine," adds Porphyry, '• Jupi- ter is the world, the univerfe, that which coniHtutes tli*: eiTcncc and life of all beings. Now," continues the fa;r!C author, " as philofophers diilored in opinion rtf- peding the nature and con(t:itucnt.parts of tiiis God. and as they could invent no fi cure that flioald rcprcfent all his attributes, th^y painted him in the form of a man. lie is In a fitting polI;ure, in allufion to his immutable efTtnce ; the upper part of his body Is uncovered, becjufe It IS in the upper regions of the univerfe (the liars) that he molt confpicuouily di(j)lays himfelf. He is covered from the waill downwards, becaufe refpedting tcrreftrial things he is more fecrct and concealed. He holds a fceptre in his left hand, becaufe on the left fide is the Iieart, and the heart Is the feat of the underftanding, which, (in human beings) regulates every action." Lujeb. Praper. E-vcn^. p. 1 00.
The following paflage of the geographer and philofo- pher, Strabo, removes levcry doubt as to the identity of the ideas of Moles and thofe of the heathen theologians.
" Mofes, who was one of the Egyptian priells, taught his followers that it was an egregious error to reprcfent the Dcily under the form of animals, as tlve Egyptians did, or in tlic fliape of man, as was the pradicc of the
2.62 A SURVEY OF THE
principle of motion, which Greece fhortly af- ter adopted under the fame denomination in her I^ou-piter^ generative principle, and un- der that of Ei, exiilence;* which the Theb-
Greeks and Africans. That alone is the Deity, faid he, which confiitutes heaven, earth, and every living thing ; that which we call the ivorU^ the fuvi of all things, nature ; and no reafonable perfon will think of reprefent- ing fuch a being by the image of any one of the objects around us. It is for this realon, that, rejecling every fpc- cies of images or ido^ls, Mofes v/ifned the Deity to be worfhipped without emblems, and according to his pro- per nature ; and he accordingly ordered a temple wor- thy of him to be ere-fled, &c. Geograph, I'lh. i6, /. J 104, edition of 1707.
'i'he theology of Wofes has, thet, differed in no refpc'cfb from that of his followers, that'is to fay, from that of the Stoics and Epicureans, who confider the Deity as the fjul of the world. 1 his philofophy appears to ha^e taken birtli, or to have been di/fcminated when Abraham came into Egypt (200 years before iViofes), iince he quitted his fyfteni of idols for that of the God Tahouh', io that v/c may place its promulgation about the feventeenth or eighteenth century before Chrifl ; which correfponds with what we have faid before.
As to the hiRory of IVTofes, Diodorus prope riy repre- sents it when he fays, 111. 34 \^ 40, '* That the Jews v/ere driven out of Egypt at a time of dearth, wh^n tlie country v/asTid] of foreigners, and that Mofes, a man of extraordinary prudence and courage, feized this opportu- nity of eftablifliing his religion in the mountains of J udea." It v/ill feern paradoxical to affertj-that the 600,000 arm- ed men whom he conducSced thither ought to be reduced to 6cco ; but I can confirm the afTertion by fo many proofs drawn from the books themfclves, that it will be neceiTary to corre<51: an error v/hich appears to have arifen from the miilake of the tranfcribers.
* Ely exijlence. This was the monyfyllable written on . the gate of the temple of Delphos. Platarch has made it the fubied of a diliertation.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 263
;ins confecrated by the name of Kncph\ which Sais worihippcd under the emblem of Ifis veiled, with this infcription : / am all that has been, all that is, and all that will be, and no mortal has drawn afide my veil ; which Py- thagoras honoured under the appellation of Vejla, and which the Stoic philofophy defined with precifion by calling it the principle of fire. In vain did Mofcs wlih to blot from his rehgion whatever could bring to remem- brance the worihip of the (tars ; a multiplici- ty of traits in fpite of his exertions flill re- mained to point it out: the feven lamps of the great candleftick, the twelve Hones or ligns of the Urimt of the high priell, the fcaft of the two equinoxes, each of which at that epoch a formed a year, the ceremony of the lamb or celediAl ram, then at its fifteenth degree, laflly, the name of OHris evi?n pre- ferved in his fong,t and the ark or coller, an imitation of the tomb in which that God was iiiclofcd; all thefc remains to bear record to . the genealogy of his ideas and their derivation from the common fourcc."
Skct. X. Religion of Zoroq/tcr.
" ZOROASTER was alfp a man of the fame bold and energetic [tamp, v/ho five cen-
'|- The 7Wir,i of Ofiris preferred in his fnng. Thcfc are t>c litem! cxprefiions of the book, of Deuteronomy chap. 2. " The v/orks of 7/o?,'r are perfect." Now T/hur lus been tranHiited by the wqrd creator ; its proper figni- ficatlon is to gWefonnSf and this is one of the definitioas of OUris in Plutarch.
264 A SURVEY OF THE
tiiries after Mofes, and in the time of David, revived and moralized among the Medes and Ba(fl:ri2ns the whole Egyptian fyflem of Ofi- ris, under the names of Ormuzd and Ahri- manes. He called the reign of fummer, vir- tue and good ; the reign of winter, fm and evil; the renovation of nature in fpring, cre- ation; the revival oi the fpheres in the fecu- lar periods of the coniun^ion, refurre<fl:ion ; and his future life, hell, paraxlife, were tht Tartarus and Elyfium of the ancient adrolo- gers and geographers; in a word, he only co.nfccrated the already exiiling reveries of the myftic fyflem.
• Sect. XL Bifdoi/m, or religion of the Samaneans*
" IN the fame rank mufl be included the promulgators of the fepulchral doclrine of the Samaneans, who, on the balls of the metemp- fychofis, raifed the mifanthropic fyflem of felf-renunciation and denial; who laying it down as a principle that the body is only a prifon, where the foul lives in impure confine- ment; that life is but a dream, an illufion, and the world a place of palTage to another country, to a life Vvithcut end; placed virtue and perfe^lion in abfoiute infenfibility, in the abnegation of phyfical organs, in the annihi- lation of all being: whence refulted the fafls, penances, macerations, folitude, contemplat*- ons, and all the deplorable practices q^ the mad-headed Anchorets.
REVOLUTIO^JS OF EMPHli:S. 267
Ancient of Days (Ormuzd,) of the^ rebel- lious angels, the celatial combats, the immor- tality, of the foul, and the refurrection, do^.;- raas unknown to Mofes, or rejefted by liini, fmce he obfervcs a perfetl iilence reipect- ing them, became naturalized ;u:ionj the Jews. ;
'' On- tbjeir return to their country, tlic emigrants' brpught back witli them Tiiele ideas; and :4£,the firu: inapvations occnfioned difputes betw,een their partilans, the Hiari- fees, and the adherents to the ancient nation- al vv'orihip, the Sadducees : but the former, feconded by the inclination of the people and the habits they had already contracted, and fupported by the authority of the Perfiaiis, their deliverers, linaliy gained the afcendancy, and the theology of Zoroafler was confecratcd by the children of Mofes.*
••' A fortuitous analogy between tv^o lead- ing ideas, proved particularly favourable to this coalition, and formed the baiis of a lafc
angels of the Perfnns; :ind Jambli'jus in his Egyptian Myft-ries. ilS:. 2. c. 3. fpe.iks oF anocls, Lirclung.?!s, ienipliim, &:c. like a true Chiilhr.n,
* Theology of Zoroajlcr. '' The Vvholc phil'ji^jphy of *' the gymnofophifts," f::y3 Diogenes Laenius oa the aiitliority of ^n ancient writer, " is derived from th.it of *' the Miigi, and many afiert tliat of the Jews to have "the fime origin." L}b. i. c. 9. I.Icsjdllicnes, an iiilbrian of repute in the dviys of Se'leucus Nicanor, iind who wrote particularly upon India, fpeaking of t!ie phi- lofophy of the ancients rcl.oecbng natural things, pats the brachmansand the Jews precifjy on the fancj footin'j.
268 A SURVEY OF THE
fyrrem, not lefs furprifing in its fortune than.in the caufes of its formation.
" From the time thiit the AfTyrians had de- ilroyedthe kingdom of Samaria, fomeiiiga- cioiis fpirits forefliw, annomiced, and predict- ed the fame Kite to Jeriifalem: and all their predidioRS Vvereframped by this particularity, that they always concluded with prayers for a happy re-eiiablilhment and regeneration, ^'vhich were in like Jiianner f[3oken of in the way of prophecies. The enthufiafm of the Hierophants had figured a royal deliverer, who v-/'^s to re-cflabiiih the nation in its anci- (nt glory: the Hebrews were again to become M pov/erful and conquering people, and Jeru- falem the capital of an empire that was to ex- teisd over the whole world.
*^ Events having realized the firft part of ihofe prcdiftions, the ruin of Jerufalem, the people dun? to the fscond with a firmmefs of belief proportioned to their misfortunes ; and the aiiilcled Jews waited with the impa- tience of want and of defn^e, for that vifto- fious king and deliverer that was to come, in order to five the nation of Mofes, and re- ft ore the throne of David. ^ ^' The facved and mythological traditions ef precedent times had fprc:\d ove/ all Afia a tenet perfctPcly analogous. A great mediator, a final judge, a future favlour, was fpoken of, who, as king, God, and victorious legiilator, was to refuoi-e the golden age upon earth
*, J
To rrflore the golden cge vpon card. This is tUc .^ea.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 269
to deliver the world from evil, and regain for mankind the reign of good, die kingdom or ' peace and happinefs. Thefe ideas and ex- preilions were in every mouth, and they con- foled the people under that deplorable (late: of real fufFenng into which they had keen plunged by fucccilive con(]ueik«: and conquer- ors, and the barbarous deipotifm of their go- vernments. This refcmblance between the oracles of different nations ?did the predic- tions of the propliets, excited the attention of the Jews; and the prophets had dcubtlefs been careful to infufe into their piOures the fpirir and llyle of the facred books employed in the -Pagan myfleries. Tlie arrival of a great ambaiTador, of a final faviour, wai therefore the f^encral cxneftation in fudea, when at len<xth a fins^ukir circumilancc was made to determine the prccife period of his
commg.
''It was recorded in tl^.e ficred books of the Perilans and tlie Chaldeans, " that the world, corapofed of a total revolution of twelve thoufand periods, was divided into two partial revolutions, oF Vv^hich one, tho age and reiga of good, vras to terminate at the cxpiratio^f fix thonrand, and the other, the age anJBp^n of evil, at the expiration of another f^« thoufand.
" Their firll authors, had meant by thck-
270 A SURVEY OF THE
rcclt?Js the annual revolution of the great celefHal orb (a revolution compofed of twelve months or figns each divided into a thoufand parts), and the two fyflematir periods of win- ter and fummer, each confifling equally of fix thoufand. But thefe equivocal exprefllons having been erroneouily explained, and hav- ing received an abfolute and moral, inffead of their aftrological and phyfical fenfe, the re- fult was, that the annual was taken for a fe- cuiar v/orld, the thoufand periods for a thoii- fand years; and judging, from the appearance of things, that the prefent was the age of misfortune, they inferred that it would termi- nate at the expiration of the fix thoufand pre- tended years.*
* At ihc expiration cflheJJx ihoufund pretended years. \\\. have already leen, note 29, this tradition cunerjt among the Tufcans; it was difieminated through mofl: nations, i.Tid fhows us what we ought to think of all the pretended VreatiOiTS and terminations of the world, which are niere- jy the beginnings and endings of aftroncmical periods in- ■venteci by aftrologcrs. 'i jiat of the year or folar revolu- tion, being the mod {imple and perceptible, ferved as a model to the reft, and its comparifon gave rife to the ^'rtdil: whimiical ideas. Of this defciiption is the idea of iTie four ages of the woild among the Indians. Origi- sVaWs thefe four ages were merely the four fcafons ; and . s each feafon xvas under tlic fuppofed iniiuence of a ]:li;- fiet; it bore the name of the metal appropriated to tiiut l.Uinfct: thus i])ring was the age of the fun, or of gold ; i<'u.nicr the age of the moon, or of hlver; auturr.n 'the ipe of \ z-?.'!?-, or of brals ; ''and winter the age of Mars, <r of iron. Aftcrw:T:"ds Vvlicn alii onomtrs invented the rre-.'t vc. r of 25 and 36 thouf.md common year?, "v, hich k.u! k^r i:;? cire(*i the hjirrina back ?l]the ilaii to f re
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 2/1
" Now, according to the Jer.ifli computa- tion, Hx thoufand years had aheaJy nearly
point of departure and a general conjunftion, the ambi- guity of the terms introduced a fimilar ambiguity of ideas; and the myriads of cehuial figns and periods of duration which were thus meafured; were cMfily converted into lo many revolutions of tiie fun. Thus the different pc- riod:^ of creation which have been fo great a fourcc of dilHculty and mifapprehenfion to curious enquirers, wer* in reality nothing more than hypothetical calculations of aftronomical peitods. In the fame manner the creation of the world has been attributed to different feafons of the year, jufl as thefe different feafons have ferved for the fiditious period of thefe conjundions; and of con- fequcnce has been adopted by different nations for tl.e commencement of an ordinary year. Among the Egyptians this period fell upon the fummer folllicc, which was tlie commencement of their year; and the departure of the fphcrc?, according to their conjc(5lures, fell in like manner upon the period when the fun enters Cancer. Among the Perfians the year commenced at firft in the fpring, or when the fun enters Aries ; and from thence the full: Chridians were led to fuppofe that God created the world in the fpring : this opinion is alfo favoured by t]j,e book of Geneiis ; and it is farther re- markable, that the world is not there faid to be created by the God ofMofes [Tahovh), but by the Eloh'im or gods in the plural, that is, by the angsls or gcnt'i^ for fo the '.^ ord conftantly means in the Hebrew books. If we farther obferve tliat the root of tlie word EJuh'im fignifics ilrong or powerful, and that the Egyptians called their Asians rtrong and powerful leaders; attributing to them the creation of the world, we fnall prefently perceive that the book of Genefis affir r.s neither more nor Icfs thfin ihiit the world was created by the dccansy by thofe very p;enii whom, according to Sanchoniathon, Mercury ex- cited again il Saturn. r;nd who V/ere callcil Eloh'nv. It nir.y be farther allied why the plural fubilantlvc Elohim is madv' to agree wiih the CngiTlar ^vcrb hara {j^w'i. Eiohim
272 A SURVEY OF THE
elapfed fmcc the fuppoled creation of the world.* This coincidence produced confi- derable fermentation in the minds of the peo- ple. Nothing was thought of but the ap- proaching termination. The Hierophants were interrogated, and their iacred books ex- amined. The great mediator and final judge was expefled, and his advent defired, that an end may be put to fo many calamities. This was fo much the fubje<ft of conv«rfatlon,'that fome one was faid to have feen him, and a ru-
creates). The t-eafon is that after the Bahylonifh capti- rity the unity of the Supreme Being was the prevaihng opinion of the Jevvs; it was therefore thought proper to introduce a pious folecifm in language, which it is evi- dent had no exifknce before Mofes: thus in the names of the children of Jacob many of them are compounded of a plural verb, to v hich Elohim is the nominative cafe un- derflood, as Raouhen (Reuben), they ha'Jje looked upon me, and Samaonni (Simeon), tbey have granted me my prayer^ to wit; the Elohim. The reafon of this etymo- logy is i;o be found in the religious cieeds of the wives of Jacob, whofe gods were the taraphhn of Laban, that is, the angels of the Perfians, and the Egyptian decans.
* Six thoufand years had already nearly elapfedjincc the fuppofed creation of the 'vjorld. According to the com- putation of the Seventy, the period elapfed confifted of about 5,600 years, and this computation was principally followed. It is vv^ell known liow much, in the firft sges of the church, this opinion of the end of the world agi- tated the minds of men. In the fcquel', the general councils, encouraged by finding that the general confla- gration did not come, pronounced the eMpec>ation that prevailed heretical, and its believers were called Millena- nans ; a circumftance curious eno-jch, fince it is evident from the hiuory of the gofpels tr::at JeUis ChiilVv/Cis a Millenarian, and cf confequence a heretic.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 273
mour of this kind was all that was wanting to edablifli a general certainty. The popu- lar report became a demonllratcd fa^l; the imaginary being was realized; and all the cir- cumilances of mythological tradition being in fome manner conne(fi:cd with this phantom, the refult was an authentic and regular hillo- ry, which from henceforth it was blafphemy to doubt.
" In this m.ythological hiHory the follow- in<T traditions were recorded: " That, in the beginning, a man and wonran had, by their fall, brought fin and evil into the world.** (Examine Plate II.)
'^ By this was denoted the aflronomical h£t of the ccledial Virgin, and the herdfmcn (Bootes) who, fitting helically at the autumn- al equinox, rcfigned the heavens to the win- try conilellations, and fecmed, in fmking be- low the horizon, to introduce into the world the Genius of evil, Alirimanes, reprefcnted by t'le confLcllation of the fcrpent.*
^^ Thai ihe 'H'oman had decoyed and f educed the man,''^
* CcvjHdlahon rf tic fcrpen\ '' TJie Perf]ans," %s Chardin, " call the conlrcllution of the ferpcnt Ophiucus^ ferpent of Eve; and tJiis ferpcnt Ophlucus or Ophioneus plays a fimilar part in the tlieology of the Phenicians," for Phcrccyder., their difciple and tb.e maftcr of Pytha- I'^oras. faid " tliat Oph'tfmeus ferpcnt'inns had been chief of the rebels againft Jupiter." See Marf. Ficin. Apo!. Socrat. p. m. 797. col. 2. I fhall add that epbub (with ain) fi^nifies in Hebrew ferpent.
* deduced the man. Inaphyfical fcnfe to feduce, yi*' ducej-c^ means only to attra*5t, to draw ;ifter us.
274 A SURVEY OF THE
*' And in reality, ;he Virgin letting iirfl, appears to draw the herdfman (Bootes) after her.
" That the woman had ieivpicd h'lm^ by offering him fruit pleafant to the fight arid good for food^ ivhlch gave the hwujledge of good and cvil.^^
" Manlfellly alluding to the Virgin, who is depi(fled holding a bunch of fruit in her hand, which fhe appears to extend towards the herdfman: in like manner the branch, emblem of autumn, placed in the pifture of Mithra* on the front of winter and fummer, feems to open the door, and to give the know- ledge, the key of good and evil.
" That this couple had been driven from the celefiial garden^ and that a cherub iviih a flaming fivord had been placed at the door t$ S:uard it,"
" And when the Virgin and the Herdfman iink below the V/eilern horizon, Perfcus rifes on the oppolite lide,! and, fword in hand,
* Picture of M'tthra. See this pidlure in Kyde, pag« III, edition of i 760.
-j- Ptrfeus rifes on the oppfte fdc, R ather the head of N'-eduft ; that head of a woman once fo beautiful, which Perfeus.cut otf, and which he holds in his hand, is only that of the virgin, whofe head fmks below the horizon at the very moment that Perfeus rifes; itnd the ferpents which furround it are Orphiucus and the Polar Dragon, who then occupy the zenith. This fiiev/s us in v/hat manner the ancients compofed all their figures and fables. They took fuch con Itellations as they found at the fame time on the circle of the horizon, and col- leciing the different parts, they formed groiipes which
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 275
this Genius may' be faid to drive them from the fumraer heaven, the garden and reign of fruits and flowers.
" That from this virgin would be horn^ ivoidd fpring up a jhooi^ a child^ that floould crufh the ferpaif 5 head^ and deliver the world from fin.^^
'' By this was denoted the Sun, which, at the period of the fuirmer foKlice, at the pre- cife moment that the Perfian Magi drew the horofcopeof the new year, found itfelfin tlic bofom of the Virgin, and which, on this ac- count, was reprefented in tlieir aftrological pictures in the form of an infant fuckled by a chailc virgin*, and afterwards became, at the
ferved tlieni as ;m alm?nac In liicroglynliic charac5lers. Such is the fociet of all their pictures, and the fokuion of ?.ll their myiliological monitors. The virgin is alfo An- dromeda, delivered by Perfeus from the v/haic that pur- fites her (pro-fquifnr.)
* Ijv a chfie 'jurohi. S>v.zh was the pidure of the Pcrfinn fphere, cited by Ahcn .Ezra in the Caelum Por- iicuri of Biaeu, j). 7 J. " The pi<5]:ure of th^ fin'} decan of the Virgin," fiys that riter, ** repr*fents a t^ea i^||i|l'! virgin with flowing hair, fitting in a cKair, with tv?o^rs of corn in her hanil, andfuckling an+^ijrfant, called Jcfws l)V fonie nations, and Chii(t in Greek.'
In tiie library of the king of France is a manufcr'nt in A rabicif^ marked 1165", in which is a piifture of the tv.'clve %rts; «nd that of the Virgin reprtfents a young wo'.nan with p. n^n fart hy her fide: the whole f:ene in- deed of the birth of Jcfus is to be found in flic adjacent part of the he^ivens. The (lablc is tlie conitollation of ti^c charioteer and the goat, foiraerly Capricorn ; a con- (hilatlon called ^r^y^;/-.- /7<9pf(: Hcniori'}. Jlfr!-: of loir, in, J the word /wis found in the name lou-ftph (Jofi-ph). At no great diftancc :; die afs of Typhon (t!ie great (he
^76 A SURVEY OF THE
rernal equinox, the RaRi orX.amb, conqueror of the conftellation of the Serpent, which difappeared from the heavens.
" That in bis infancy, this reftorcr of the divine or celefiial nature, would lead a mean, humble, oh [cure and indigent Ife.^^
" By which was meant, tha.t the Vv^inter fun was humbled, deprefied below the horizon, and that this firft period of his four ages, or the feafons, was a period of obfcurity and indigence.^ of falling and privation.
" That being put to deal L by i he wicked, he would glorioujly rife again, afcend from hell into heaven, where he would reign forever ,''
bear), and the&6^or bull, the ancient attendants of the rnanger. "Pet^r the Porter, is Janus with his keys and bald forehead': the twelve apofUes are the genii of the twelve months,, occ. This Virgin has a6led very difie- reut parts in the various fyi^ems of mythology : fhe iias been the Ifi.s of the Egyptians, who faid of her in one of their infcriptions citecf by Julian, the fruit I hii'vc brought forth isthifnn. The maiority of traits drawn by Plu- tarch apply to her, in the fame iiianner as thofe of Ofiris "^mly ta Bootes: alfo the fevcn principal ftars of the flie BPf?-, called David's chariot, were called the ch^iriot of 0{^i\h {See Ktrkcr) :, and the cro'^n that is fituated be- hind, formed of \x\j, was called Chcn-OJirk, the tree o-f Ofiris. The Virgin has like-ufe been Ceres, v.'hofc myfteries v/ere the fame Mth thofe of Ifis vmd Mithra; ilie-'has been the Diana of the Ephefians; the great god- defs of Syria, Cybcle, drawn by lions; Minerva, the mother of Bacchus ; Aflrai^a, a challe virgin taken up nto heaven at the end of the golden age; Thcms, at whofe feet is the balance that was put in her hands; tlie Sybil of Virgil, who dcicends into hell, or fnks b.low tjic hemifphcre V'/ith a branch in her hand, &c.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRllS. 1^ ^
" By thefe ej^prciiions was defcribed the life of the fame Sun, who, terminating his career at the winter fohlice, vNien Typhon and the rebelHous angels exercifed then* fway, feemed to be put to death by them ; but {hort- ly after revived and rofe again* in the firma- ment, where he fliil remains.
" Thefe traditions went fliil farther, fpeci- fying his aflrological and myflerious names, maintaining that he was called fometimes Chris or Confervator;* and hence the Hindoo God,
A a
* Rofe agcAn In thejirmamcnt. Rrjurgcrs^ to rife a fe- cofid time, cannot lignify to return to life, but in a nic-- laphorical fenfe ; but we fee continually miftakes of thij kind refult from the ambiouous meaning of the words made ufe of in iMcient tradition.
* Chris ^ or cov.fcwator. The G reeks ufcd to exprefs by X, or Spaniili iota, the afpirated hd of the Orientals, who f^id hclr'is. In Hebrew heres ftgnifies the fun, but in Arabic the meaning of the radical word is, to guird, to prefer ve, and of hciris^ guardian, prefciver. It is the proper epithet of Vichenou, which demonftrates at once the identity of the Indian and Chiiilian 'i'rinitics, and their common origin. It k>manifeilly but one fyftcm, which, divided into two branches, one extending to the call,^and the other to the well, cifumed two different forms: Its principal trunk is the Pythagorean fyflem of the fou! of the world, or hu-pitsr. The Cjnthct pltrr. or father, having been :.pplied to the demi-ourjTOs of rialo, gave rife to an ambiguity w hich caufed an enquiry to be n^adc refpc(rtinn the fon of this father. -In the opi- nion of the philcfophers the {^^w was underf landing, Not:: and Logos^ from which the Latins made their Fci-lum. Andth.uswe clearly perceive the origin of the denial father -And of the Fcrlum his fon, proceeding fioni him (Mais Ex Deo nata, f?.ys Maciobius) : the
-7 '2 *-*^ SURVEY OF THE
Chris-en, cr Cliriilna ; and the Chrillkn Chris-tos, the fon of Mary. That at other times he was called Yes, by the union of three letters, v/hicli, according to their numerical value, form the- number 608, one of the fo- lar periods. t And behold, O Europeans, the name which, v/ith a Latin termination, has ■become 3:our Yes-us or Jtfus; the ancient and cabaliificai name given to young Bacchus, the clandeftine fon of the virgin Minerva, who in the whole hillory of his hfe, and even in his
anhha ox J^irUus 7wrS, wr.s the Holy Ghofl: and it is tor this rc;:{bn thcit Manes, Eaillides,' Valentinins, and father pretended heretics o£ the firii: ages, who traced thin^;s to their fource, faid, that God the Father was the f 'xrcmc inaccellible hght (that of the heaven, the pnmvm
■ molik, or the aplfnus) ; ri:e Son the fe^ndary lioht refi- d?nt in the fun, ard ilie HcJy Ghod the atmofphere of the earth (See Beamb. \ oL 11. p. ^'86): hence, among the Syrians, the reprcfentation of the Holy Gholl: by a dovc^ the bird of Venus Urania, that is, of the air. Th.e ^jyr:jns [fdy s J\i^/nus de Gerry.anico) affert that a dove i-A lor a certain rmn.ber of d?yL- on the egg of a fifli, and that from this incubation Venus v/as born: Septus Emyi- ffpiis alfo obferves [Irjl. Pyrrh. lib. 3. c. 23) that the Syrians abftain from eating doves; which intimates to lis a period commencing in the fign Pifces^ in the vvint;^ fold ice. We may flirtker obferve, that if Chris comes from //jr£,'^i' by ?. cbiin, it will fignify ari'ificer, an epi- thet belonging to the iun. Thefe variations, which n:u:t have embarraiTed the ancients, prove it to be the real type of Jefus, as had be^en already remarked in the time of Tertullian. " Many, fiiys this writer, *' fuppoie w"th greater probability that the fun is ouf God, and they le- fer us Lo the religion of the Feifians."; ApologsLc. 16.
■\ Om of ihe folcrpriods. See a curious ode to the
■ Sun, by Matirius C:4>ella, tranflated by G cbelin.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMP^RKS. 2^9
death, calls to mind the hillory of the God of the Chrillians; that is the ibir of day, of which they are both of them emblems.
At thefe words a violent murmur arol.: on the part of the Chriilian groupcs; l^it the Mahomerans, the Lamas, and the tftndoos having called them to order, the orator thiu concluded his difcourle.
^' You are not to ])c tok^," faid he, J- in what manner the reil: of tills fyileni was formed in the chaos and anarciiy of the three iirlt centuries; how a multiplicity of opinions divided the people, all of which were em- braced with equal zeal and retained v/ith equal oblHnacy, becaufe alike founded on an- cient tradition, tiiey were alike facred. You know how, at the end of the three centuries, government having cfpoufed one of thefe feels, made it the orthodox reli?-ion ; th'\t is to fav, the predominant religion, to the excUifion of the reil, which, on account of their inferiori- ty, were denominated herefies; how, and by what means of violence and fedu^flion this re- ligion Vvas propagated, and gained ftrength, and afterwards became divided and weaken- ed; how, fix centuries after the innovation of Chriilianity, aiiother fyfiiem was formed out of its materials and thofe of the Jews, a'ld a political and theological empire was created by Mahomet at the cxpence of that of Moles and the vicars of Jefus.
" Now if you take a retrofpect of the whole hiftory of the fpirit of religion, you
2§0 A SURVry OF TPIE
\?ill Rnijj that in its origin it had no other au- thor than the fenfations and wants of man: -that thz idea of God had no other type, no other model, th.m tfcat of phyfical powers, material exillences, operating good or evil, by impreffions of pleafure or pain on fenfible beings. You will find that in the formation f'f every fyflem this fpirit of rehgion pm-fued die fame track, and was uniform in its pro- r-cdings ; that in all, the dogma never failed /io reprefent, under the name God, the opera- lions of nature, and the paiiions and preju- dices of men; that in all, morality had for its fole end, defire of happinefs anj averfion to pain; but that the people and the majoriry of legifiators, ignorant of the true road that led thereto, invented falfe, and therefore contra- ry ideas of virtue and vice, of good and evil; that is, of what renders man happy or mifera- ble. You v>^ill find, that in all the means and caufes propagation and eflabliilrment exhibited the fame fcenes, the fame paiiions, and the fame events, continual difputes about words, falfe pretexts for inordinate zeal, for revolu- tions, for wars, lighted up by the ambition of chiefs, by the chicanery of promidgators, by the credulity of profelytes,. by the ignorance of the vulgar, and by the grafping cupidity and the i:^tolerant pride of all. In Ihort, you will find that'the whole hiftory of the fpirit of religion is micrelythat of the fallibility and uncertainty of the human mind, which, placed in a world that it does net comprehend, is yet
REVOLUTIONS OF LMl'lRi:3. ^Sl
dcfirouj of folving the enigma ; and v/hich, tlie r.fionilliing fpeftator of this mydcrious and vi- fible prodigy, imagines caufec, kippoftsends, builds fyflems; then, finding one dcfe(fi:ivc, abandons it for another not lefs vicious; hates the error that it has renounced, is ignorant of the new one that it adopts; re^jec^s the trutli of which it is in purfuit, invents chimeras of heterogenous and contradi6i:ory beings, and, ever dreaining of wifdom and happinefs, lofes itfelf in a labynnth of torments and iilu- iluns.'*
>duawi«aG:aC2SI£!!IIS£)B8Dn»
TIIK EKD OF ALL RELIGIONS Till: S i.Mi'.
KUS fpake the orator, in the name of thofe who had made the orloii'i and penealo- gy of religious ideas their peculiar iludy.
The theologians of the dilTercnt fyllcms new expreffed their opinions of this difcourfe. *' It is an impious r.cprefentation," faid fome, '* v/]).ich aims at nothing lefs than the fubvci'- iicn of all belief, the introducing infubordl- nation into the minds of men, and annihila- ting our power and mlnillry/*' — '-' It is a ro- mance," faid others, '* a tiflue of conjectures, fabricated with art, but defciLute of foundi- ticn." — The moderate and prudent faid, " Suppofmg all this to be true, where is the vS't of revealing thefe m}rLeries? Ouropiai-
A a 2
2^2 A SURVEY or TllE
ons are doubtlcls pervaded -vviLb errors, but thofe errors are a neceflary curb on the mul- titude. The world has gone on tikis for two thouiand years: v. by Tnould we now alter its courfe?'*
The murmur of difapprobation, which ne- ver fails to arife againit every kind of innc- vatioD, already began to ir.crcafe, when a nu- nierous i^rouDe of plebeians and untaudit men of every country and nation, v/iihout prophets, without doclors, withoui religious woriliip, advancing in the fand. attracted the iittention of the whole aiTembly; and one of them, addrefling himfelf to the legiilators, fpoke as follows.
'* Mediators and umpires of nations! The ilranf^e recitals that have been made during the whole of the pre lent debate, we never, till this day, heard of; and our underilanding, ailoniihed and bewildered at fuch a multitude of dc'ctrines, forne of them learned, others abfurd, and all unintelligible, rem,ains in doubt and uncertainty. One refieciion hov/cver has ilruckus: in reviewing fo many prodigious faxts, fo many contradi^lory affertions, we could not avoid a/Icing ourfelves. Of what importance to us are all thcfe difcuilions ? Where is the neceiiity of cur knowing v hat happened five or Wk thoufaiid )-cars ago. in countries of vhich we are ignorant, among men who will ever be unknown to us? IVuc or ialie, of what importance is it to i;s to i^now whether the world has crdfltd /:■■ :'.ca-
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 2$^
Tand years or twenty tlvjiifcinJ ; whether it v/as made of fomething or of nothing; of it- felf, or by an artilicer, equally m his turn re- quiring an author? What! uncertain as \vc are of what is paffmg around us, fliall we pretend to afcertain what is tranfa(^ling in the fun, the moon and imaginary fpaces? Having for- gotten our own infancy (liall we pretend to know the iniancy of the world? Who can attdt what he has never i'ccn? Who can certify the truth of v/liat no one compre- hends?
" Befide, Vv^iat will it avail as lo our exig- ence whether v^^e believe or rejetfl thefe chime- ras ? Hitherto neither our fathers nor our- felves have had any idea of them, and yet wc do not perceive that on that accou)it we liave experienced more or iefs kin, more or ids fubfiitence, more or Iefs good or evil.
" If the knowledge of thefe things be ne- celTary, hov/ is it that v/ehave lived as happily Vv^ithout it as thoic v/hom it has io much dif- quieted? if it be fuperiluous, why Ihould we now take uoon ourfelves tlie burthen?'' — Then addreinno; himfelf to tii'e doctors and theologians: liow can it be required, 6f u?, poor and ignorant as wc are, whofe every mo- ment i-. fcarccly adequate to ihe cares of our faoiiilence and the labours of whicii you reap tiic : roil.; how can it be rcquir-;'.! of us to be verieu ;ii ihe i.uinerous hiilories you liave re- late J^ ij read the variety of books which you h;.'.v. qujicd, and lo learn the diirerent !an- ffiu.^es'in wiitch &^-'' i'-^ewriuin? li our lives
£84 A SURVEY OF THE
v/erc protra£lcd to a ihoufand years, fcarcely would it be fulHcient for this purpofe.'*
" It is not neceiTary," faid the doctors, ^' that you iliould acquire all this fcience: we poiTefs it in your ftead."
*' Meanwhile," replied thefe children of fimplicity, " with all your fcience, do you agree among yourfelves? What then is its util- ity? Befides, how can you an fwer for us? If the faith of one man may be the fubflitute of the faith of many, what need was there that you fhould believe ? Your fathers mipht be- iievpforyou; and that would have been the morereafonable, fmcethey were the eye-vvit- nelTes upon whofe credit ycu depend. Ladly, what is this circiimilance which you call be- lief if it has no pracuical tendency? And what practical tendency can you difcover in this quedion, v/hether the v;orld be eternal or no?
" To believe wrong refpecfting it would- be ofTcnfive to God," faid the doclors.
" How do you know that?" cried the children of fimplicity?
" From our fcriptures," replied the do£i-ors.
" We do not underftand them.," rejoined the fim.ple men.
" W^e underftand them for you," faid the do<5^crs. '
" There lies the diiTicolty," refumed the fimple men. '' By v^hat ri dit have you ao- pointed yorirfelves mediators between God and us ?
^'Bjthecommandcf God," laid the do^lors.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 285
" Give us the proof of that command," fiiid the fimple men.
" It is in our fcriptures," fiiid tlie dolors.
" VvTe do not undcriland them," anfwered the fimple men ^ nor can v;e underfland how a juft God can place you over our heads. Why does our common Father require us to believe the fame propofitions with a lefi de- gree oFevidcnce ? He has fpoken to youj be it fo: heisinfallible, he cannot deceiveyou. But wc are fpoken toby you; and whowill allure us that you arc not deceived, or that you are incapable of deceiving? If v/e are midaken, how can it confift with the jullicc of God to condem.n us for the negle^ of a rule \yidi which we were never acquainted ?"
'' He has given you the law of nature," faid th.e doilors.
'' What is the law of nature ?" iliid the fimple men. " If this law be fufficieni, why does he give us another ? If it be infufBcicnt, why did he give us that?
" The judgments of God,*' replied the dolors, " are myilerious ; hisjufticeis not reftrained by the rules of htm^an judice."
" If juflice with him ami v/ith us," faid the fim.ple men, " mean a diHerent thing, what criterion can wc have to judge of his iufticc? And once more, to what purpofe all "thcfe laws? Wliat end does he propofe by them?" .
" To render you m.Qrc happy," replied a debtor, " by rendering you better aiid more
■.-»*^**..^»**!P:
2 86 A SURVr.Y OF THE
virtuous. God has manifclled hiinfeif by fo many oracles and prodigies to teach mankind the proper ufe of his benefits, and to diffaade them from injuring each other."
" If that be the cafe/' faid tlie fimple men, "theftudiesand reafonings you told us of are unnecefTary : we want nothing but to have it clearly made out to us which is the religion that bed fulfik the end that all pro- pofe to themfclves."
Inilantly, every groupc boafting of the fu- • perior excellence of its morality, there arofe among the partifans of the different fyflems ofworfnipa new difpute more violent than any preceding one. " Ours," faid the Ma- hometans, " is the pureft morality which teaches every virtue ufeful to men and accep- table to God. A¥e profefs jullice, difmtcrefi:. ednefs, refignation, chanty, alms-giving, and devotion. We torment not the foul with fu- perflitious fears; v/e live free from alarm, and we die without remorfe."
" And have you the prefumption," replied the Chriilian priefls, " to talk of morality? You, v/hofe chief has pra£l:ifed iicentioufnefs, and preaclied doorrines that crc :i fcandal to ali purity, and the leading principle of whofe religion is homicide and war. For the truth of this we appeal to experience. For twelve, centuries pafl your f^matacifm has never ceafed to fpread defolation and carnage through the nations of the earth: and that Afia, oncefo fiouriihing, now languiilies *in infigniiicance
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 287
and barbarifm, is afcribable to your do(5^rine; to that do6lrine, the friend of ignorance, the enemy of all infl;ru<5tIon, which, on the one hand confccrating the moll abfohite defpotihn in him who commmands, and on tlie other im- pofmg the mod bhnd and pailive obedience on thofe who are governed, hiis benumbed all the faculties of man, and phmged nations in a ftate of brutality.
" How different is the cafe with our fubllme and celeilial morality! It is fhe that drew the earth from its primitive barbarity, from the abftird and cruel fuperllitions of idolatry, from human fircrifices,* and the oreies of Pa^^aa myflery: it is Ihc that has purified the man- ners of men, profcribed inccH: and adultery, poliihed favage nations, aboliilied ilavcry, in- •troduced new an 1 unknovni virtues to the world, univerfal charity, the equality of man- kind in the eves of God, foroivencfs and for- getfulnefs of injuries, extin^fiion of the paili- ons, contempt of worldly greatneis, and in fhort, taught the necelfiLy o^i a life perfecftly ho- ly and fpiriiual."
'• We admire," faid the Mahometan^ " the eafe with which you can reconcile the evanr
* Iliinun facnjices. Reid the cold declaration of Eufc'hius ( /'Ar/.'. E'vav'T. hb. \. *>. II.) \vho pretends that, fmce the comirig of Chrift, there have neither beea wars, nor tyra'.its, nor cannibiila, nor f)dojnitci, nor per- foas 'co!nmittin;:r incctf, nor f:v;ioes deilroyin'T thtir ])a- riints, &:c. Wiien we read t!\Ll"e iathers of the churcli w J :;re .idoniibed tit ihelr inlinccrity or infatuation.
288 A suRVizv or the
gelical charity and mceknefs of which you fo much boaft, with the injuries, aiul outrages that 3'ou are continually exercidng towards your neighbour. When you criminate with fo Jittle ceremony the morals of the great cha- racter revei-ed by us, we have a fair opportu- nity of retorting upon you in the conduct of him whom you adore: but we difdain fuch advantages, and, confining ourfeh/es to the rea! objecSt of the queflion, v/e maintain that your gofpel morality is by no means charafter- ifed by the perfcdion which you afcribe to it. It is not true that it has introduced into the world new and unknown virtues: for example, the equality of mankind in the eyes of God, and the fraternity and benevolence which are the confequcnce of this equality, were tenets formerly profeiled by the feci:of Hermeticsand Samaneans,* from whom you have your de- fccnt. As to forgivenefs of injuries, it had been taught by the Pagans themfelves; but in the latitude you give to it, it ceafes to be a vir- tue, and becomes an immorality and a crime. Your boaflcd precept, to him that flrikes thee on thy right cheek turn the other alfo, is not only contrary to the feelings of man, but a flagrant violation of every principle of juftice; it em.boidens the wicked by impunity, degrades the virtuous by the fervility to which it fub-
* ScFc of Samcneons. The equality of mankind in a ft ate cf nature and in the eyes of God was one of the principal tenets of the Samaneans, and they appear to be the only ancients that entertained this opinion.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 289
je61s them; delivers up the world to difoiv-er and tyranny, and difTolves the bands of fociety ^ fuch is the true fpirit of your do<5i:rine. The precepts and parables of your gofpel alfo never represent God other than as a defpot, afling by no rule of equity, than as a partial father, treating a debauched and prodigal fon with greater favour than his obedient and virtuous children; than as a capricious mafter, giving the iame wages to him v/ho has wrought but oiie hour, as to thofe who have borne the bur- then and heat of the day, and preferring the hid comers to the fu-fl. In fliort, your mora- lity throughout is unfriendly to human i>:tcr- courfe, a code of mifanthropy, calculated to give men a difgufl for life and fociety, and at- tach them tQ folitude and celibacy.
" With refpcfl: to the manner in which you have pra^lifed your boafled docirine, we in our turn appeal to the teflimony of facl, and aik : was it your evangelical meeknefs and for- bearance which excited thofe endicfs wars among your feclaries, thofe attrocious perfecu- tions of what you called heretics, thofe cru- fades againfi: the Arians, the; Manicheans, and the Proteflants ; not to mention thofe which you have committed againfi: us, nor the facri- legious aiTociations (lill fubfiiling among you, formed of men who have fv/orn to perpetuate them?* Was it the charity of your gofr:)ol
Bb
* The oath taken by the knights of the Order of Mal- t?., is to kill, or make the Mahometans prifoaer?, for tJie gloiyof God.
tgO A SURVEY OF THZ
t]i?.t led yon tn extermkiLitc whole nations in America, and to dedroy the empires of Mex- ico and Pern; that makes you dill defolate Africa, the inhabitants of which you fell like cattle, notwithftanding the abolition of Havery that you pretend your religion has efFe£ted; that makes you ravage India whofe domains you ufin-p; in fliort, is it charity that has prompted you for three centuries pad to dif- turb the peaceable inhabitants of three con- tinents, the molt prudent of whom, thofe of Japan and Chiaa, have been condrained to banidi you from their country that they might qfoipe your chains, and recover their doraedic I'ranqmUity?"
Here the Bramlns, the Rabbins, the Bonzes, theChamans,theprieds of the Molucca Illands and of the coad of Guinea, overwhelming the Chridian doctors with reproaches, cried: '^ Yes, thcfe men are robbers and hypocrites, ])re.aching fnnplicity to inveigle confidence ; liumility, the m.ore eafy to enllave; poverty, in order tt) appropriate all riches to themfelves ; ihey promife another world, the better to in- vade this; and, while they preach toleration imd charity, they commit to the dames, in the name of God, thofe who do not worflup him exactly as they do.
*•' Lying pneds," retorted the midionaiics, "it is )^ou who abufc the credulity of ignoraiV' Nations, that you may bend them, to your y^k- : ypur minidry is the art of impodure and de- ception: you liave made religion a fydcm of
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 201
avarice and cupidity: you feign to \\X7C coi'- reipondence with ipirits, and the oiVicles they iifue are your own wills: you pretend to read theftars, and your defircs only are what de(li- ny decrees: you make idols fpeak, and the Gods are tlie mere inilruments of your pafi:- ons: you have invented ilicriiices and liba- tions for the fake of the profit you would thu<: derive from the milk of tlie flocks, and the* flelli and fat of viclims : and, under the cloke of piety, you devour tlie oiferings made to Gods who cannot eat, and the fubllance o-f the people, obtained by induffry and toil."
" And you,'' replied the Bramins, the Bon- zes, and the Chamans, " fell to the credulous furvivor vain prayers fur the fouls of his dead relatives. VxTith your indulgences and abfc- lutions you have arrogated to yourfelves the power and functions oi- God himfclf ; and, making a traffic of his grace, you have put heaven up to au'vlion, and have founded, by your fyllem of expiation, a tariff of erimes that has perverted the coufciences of mcn."^
* Pf.rvi'rfi-cJ! the corifclerces of men. A? long as it fhall be nriffibie to obtain puriliciUion from crimes and exemption from punilliment by means of money or otlicr frivolous privSticcs; as long as kinc^s and greit men lliall fuppofc that building temples or infi.iLutipg foundation?, will ab- folve them from the guilt of oppreiiion and liomicidc; cs long as individuals (hull imagiwe that they may rob and cheat, provided they obferve fail during lent, go to con- feiTion, and receive extreme urN^liort, it is impofliule there iliould e.xifl in focicty any morality or virtue ; ard it is from a deep convidion of truth, that a modern philofo-
29^ A SURVEY OF THE
" Add to this," faid.the Imans, '^ that -v^'iih thcie men has originated the moil infiduoiis of all vvickednefs, the abfurd.and impious ob- ligation of recounting to them the mofl impe- netrable fecrets of a61:ions, of thoughts, of vd- leties (confefiion) ; by means of which their infolent curioiity has carried itsinquifitioneveu to the facred fan6ruary of the nuptial bed,* and the inviolable afylura of the heart."
By tlius reproaching each other, the chiefs of the different worlhins revealed all the crimes or the miniftry, all the hidden vices of their profeiTion and it appeared that the fpirit, the fyilem of conduct, the action and manners of priefls were among all nations, uniformly the fame ; that, every where they had formed fccret affociations, corporations of individuals er^emies to the reft of the fociety :t — that
phsr has called the docTtrine of expiations la verole des Jochtes.
* Has carr'ii-d its 'inq^nfilhn pven to the facred fan Huary (f ihi nuptial bed. The Muirulmans, who fuppofe \ro- men to have no fouls, are (hocked at the idea of confef- iion, and fay ; Ho.v can an honed man think of Hdcning to the recital of the adlions or the fecret thoughts of a woman ? May we not alfo aflv, on the other hand, how can an honell woman confent to reveal them?
* That every cohere they hud formed feret ajfociattons y intiriics to the rejl of the fociety. That we may underlland the general fcehngs of pricOis refpecting the reft o f man- kind, Y/hom they always call by the name of the people, Jet us hear one of the dodors of the church. ** The people," fi_,s Bifhop Synnefius. in Calvit. page 3 1 5, are defirous of being deceived, v/e cr^nnot act otherwife ref- pe(5ling them. The cafe was fimilar with the ancient pritils of Egypt, and for this reafon they fhut tkeuifelves
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 293^
they had attributed to themfelves certain pre- rogatives and immunities, in order to be ex- empt from the burthens which fell upon the
Bb 2
up in their temples, and there compored their mv Series out of the reacii of the eye of the people." And forget- ting what he has ju(i: before faid, ho adds: '' for had the people been in the lecret tliey might have been offended at at the deception played upon uhem. In the mean time how is it pofiibie to con'du6t one-felf otherwife with the people fo long as they are the people? For my own part, to niy- felf I ilull always be a pliilofopher, but in dealing wi'ui the mik of mankind I ihali be a prieft."
" A little jargon," fays Gregory Nazianzen to St. Je- rome [Hieron.ad. Ncp,) "is all that is necefT-.ry to ini- pofi on the people. The lefs they com-prchend,^ the more they admire. Our forefathers and djclors of^tI\e church have often Tiid. not what they thought, but what circumftances and necelTity dilated to thc:u."
*' We endeavour," fays Sanchoniaton, '" to excite ad- miration by means of the marvellous." [Pr^r^. Evan^. Vij. 3.
Such was the condufl of all the priefls of antiquity, and is ftill that of the Bramins and Ldmas, who are the exac'H: counterpart of the Egyptian priefts. Such was the pra^ice of the Jefuits, who marched with ha'iy in'ides in the fame, career. It is ufelefs to point out the whole de- pravity offjch a doctrine. In general every ailbciation which has myftery for its bafis, or on an oath of fecrecy, is a league of robbers againft fociety, a lea",ue divided \\\ its veryboibm into knaves and dupes, cr in other words agents and innuments. It is thu5 we o.i:^ht to iudae of tiiofe modern clubs, which,, under the n'imc of Illuniin^- tiils, Martini.us, Cagiioilroniff-, Frcc-maw.is and rvltf- mcrites, infect iiurcpe.. I'hefe focicLics i^re ths follies and deceptions of t.ie ancient C:ibalifb, Mig'ciaris, ()r- phics &c v>-lio, fays Plutarch, led into crrcrs of confi- dtiable m::gniludc, no:'o."iv ii-divlia.;!:, h.x k:»-g-: .in-^ natioiis.
294 A SURVEY OF THE
Other claiTcs: — that they fliared neither the toil of the hiboiirer, nor the perils or the fol- dicr, nor the vicillitudes of ths merchant: — • rhat they led a life of ceHbacy to avoid domei- tic inconveniences and cares : — that, under the garb of poverty 5 they found the fecrct of be- coming rich, and ©f procuring every enjoy- ip.ent: — that, under the ixanie of mendicants, they col!c£led impofls more conftderable than thofe paid to princes : — -that under the appel- lalior. of gifts and oiTerings, they obtained a certain revenue unaccompanied with trouble ()r cxpence :— -that upon the pretext of fe- chifion and devotion, they lived in indolence and licentioufnefs : — that they had made ahns a virtue, that they might fubfilf in com.- i ort upon the labour of other men : — that they had invented the ceremonies of worfliip to attract the reverence of the people, cal- ling ihemfelves the mediators and interpreters •'>f the Gods v'ith the fole view of afTurnin? all his power ; and that for this purpofe, accord- ing to the knowledge or ignorance of thofc upon whom they liad to work, they had made rhemfelves, by turns, afLrclogers, callers of planets, augurers, magicians,* necromancers,
* 705/7 mac/e iheirfclves In turns ajirologersj cajlers cf i-lan°tT^ magicians^ he. V hat is a rnagician, in t]\e i^ui': in which peo])le imdcrlland t]:ie word? a mun who bv words and eeitures pretends loail on fupernatural hc- 1- -y, and compel them to dtfcend st his call ;ind obey h.^s (ndcr:. Such was the condiid of tlie ancient priei.is.. and fuch is ftiil that of all pried-s in idolatrous nations, ^fv^r which reafbn we have givtn them the dciiomhiauijn vt
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 295
quacks, courtiers, confcfTors of princes, always aiming at influence for their own exclulivc ad- vantage : — that fomctimes they had exalted the prerogative of kings and held their per- fons to be facred, to obtain their favour or participate in their power; — that at others they had decried tliis do6lrinc and preached the murder of tyrants (rcferving it to them- felves to fpecify the tyranny), in order to be revenged of the flights and difobedience they had experienced from them: — that at all times they had called impiety what proved injurious to their interefl; had oppofed public inflruc- tion, that they might monopolize fcience ; and, in Ihort, had univerfally found the fe- fecret of living in tranquillity amidil the anar- chy they occafioncd ; fecure, under the def- potifm they fanclioned ; in indolence, amidil the induifry they recommen Jed ; and in abun-
And when a Chriftian pric;^ pretends to make God de- fcend from heaven, to fix himtoa morfel of leaven, and to render, by means of this talifman, roulspiireandinaftateof nrace, what is all this bat a trick of m'oic ? And wnere is the difference between a Chaaiart of i'artary who in- vokes the genii, or an Indian Bramin, who makes his Vichenou defcend in a veflel of water to drive away evil fpirits ? Yes, the identity of the fpirit of priefts in every age and country is fully eilabliflied! Every where it is the aifamption of an exclufive privilege, thepretended fa- culty of moving at will the powers of nature ; and this al- famption is fj direct a violation of the ri^ht of equality, that whenever the people rn;'.il regain their importance, they will for ever aboliHi this facrilegious kind of nobility, Avhich has been the type and p '.rcut iiock of the et.h:v fpccies of nobility.
2g6 A SURVEY OF THS
dance, in the very bofom of fcarcity ; and all this, by carrying on the fmgular com- merce of felling words and geilures to the credulous, who paid for them as for commo- dities of the greated value*.
Then the people, feized with fury, were upon the point of tearing to pieces the men who had deceived them ; but the Icgiflators, • arreting this fally of violence, and addreffing the chiefs and doctors, faid : " And is it thus, O inHitutor, of the people, that you have raifled and abufed them?''
And the terrified priefts replied : " O le- giilators, we are men, and the people are fo
^ Who paid for them as for commodities cf the greatefl I'ahie. A curious \"ork. would be the compsratire hiito- ry of the agnufes of the pope and the /j^7/?/Zr of the grand I.ama. It v/ould be worth while to extend this idea to religious ceremonies in general, and to confront, column by column; the a.naIogous or contralling points of faith and faperilitious pradices in all nations. There is one more fpecies of f jperfcition which it would be equally falutary to cure, blind v::neration for the great ; and for tliis pur- pofe it v/ould be '^oTiZ fuificient to write a minute detail of the private life of kings and princes. No work could be fb ph!iof3phical as this: and accordingly v/e have feen what a general outcry was excited among kings and the 'panders of kings, when the Anecdotes of the Court of Berlin firit appeared. What would be the alarm wer€ the pubhc put in poiTciTion of the fequel of this woik? Were the peiDpie fdirly acqn.i'n..:d with a'l the crimes and all the abfurd:ties of tnis Ipccics of idol, they would no longer be expofed to covet their f;;eci jus |)]e;tfures, of v;hich thephtuiible and hol'ow ;• ■:;c dilaibs their
peace and hinders them' f^om enicy^r, - ■\vi ru;::I] ;t:oi€ ic- iid happinc!^ cf their o-';'n coDd:*-; n.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 297
fupcrditious ! their weakncfs excited us to take advantaoe of it*."
o
And the kings fiiid: " O legiilators, the people are fo fervile and {o ignorant ! they have prodrated thenifeh'es before the yoke which we fcarccly had the boldncfs to fliow to thcmf."
Then the legiilators turning towards the people, faid to them : " Remember what you have jufi: heard ; it contains two important truths. Yes, it is yourfelvcs that caufe the evils of which you complain ; it is you that encourage tyrants by.a bafe flattery of their power, by an abfurd admiration of their pre- tended beneficence, by converging obedience into fervilily, and liberty into licentioufnefs, and receiving every impofition with credulity. Can you think of punifliing upon them the errors of your own ignorance and ftlfiimiefsr"
And the people fmitten with cciifufion re- mained in a melancholy filence.
CHAP. XXIV.
SOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM OF CONTRA- DICTIONS.
X HE legiilators then refumed their addrefs. " O nations!" faid they, " we have heard
* Confider in this view the Bi ab;:nters.
f The inhabitants of Vienna, for example, who har- tiefTed themfejves like cattle, and ^drew the chariot of Leopold.
298 A SURVEY OF THE
the difcuilion ^f your opinions; and the dlf- cord that divides you has fuggefted to us vari- ous reflections, which we beg leave to propofe to you as queftions which it is neceifary that you Ihouid foh^e.
" Confidering, in the Urd place, the nume* rous and contradictory creeds you have adop- ted, we would aik on what motives your per- fuaiion is founded : Is it from deliberate choice that you have enlifled under the banners of one prophet rather than under thofe of ano- ther? Before you a.dopted this doclrine in pre- ference to that, did you firft compare, did you maturely examine them? Or has not your be- lief been rather the chance refult of birti], and of the empire of education and habit? Are you notbcrn ChriPiians on the banks of the Tiber, Mahometans on thofc of the Eu- phrates, Idolaters on the iliores of India, in the fame m.anner as you are born fiiir in cold and temperate regions, and of a fable com- plexion under the African fun? And if your opinions are the effcS: of your pofition on the globe, of parentage, of imitation, are fuch fortuitous circuirj fiances to be regarded as grounds of convl'ftion, and arguments ol truth ?
'' In the fecond place, v/hen we reflcfl on the profcriptive fpirit and the arbitrary intole- rance of your miutual claim.s, we are terrified at the confcque.ices that flow from your prin- ciples. Nations ! who reciprocally doom each other to the thunder-bolts of cekftial wrath.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 299
fuppofe the imiverfal Being, whom you re- vere, were at this moment to dcfccnd from heaven among this crowd of people, and, clothed in all his power, were to fit upon this throne to judge you : fuppofe him to fay — ^' Mortals! I confent to adopt your own prin- ciples of juflice into my adminidration. Of all the diflerent religions you profefs a fnigle religion {liall now be preferred to the refl ; all the others, this vail multitude of flandards, of nationSj'jf prophets, Ihall be condemned to everlafting deitrutlion. Nor is this enough : among the dilTerent fe£ls of the chofen religion one only (liall experience my favour, and the reft be condemned. I will jro farther than this: of this fingle fe(ft of this one religion, I will reject all the ir^dividuals whofe conduct- has not correfponded to their fpeculativc pi-e- cepts. O man ! few indeed will then be the number of theeleft you afflgn me! Penurious hereafter will be the flream of beneficence M'hich will fucceed to my unbounded mercy! Rare and folitary will be the catalogue of ad- mirers that you henceforth delline to m.y greatnefs.and m.y glory.
And the leo^iflafors rifmo: faid : '' It is enough ; you have pronounced your will. Ye nations, behold the urn in which your names Ihill be placed; one fingle name (hall be drawn {'vom the iTiultitude: approach and conclude this terrible lottery^"-— But t;]ie peo- ple, feized with terror, cried: '• No, no; we vsc bretiircn iin J equals, we cann;U con-
300 A SURVEY OF THE
fent to condemn each Other." — Then the le- giilators having refumed their feats, conti- nued : " Omen! who difpute upon fo ma- ny Tabjc(^s, lend an attentive ear to a problem v/efubmit to you, and decide it in the exer*- cife of your own judgments.'* — The people accordingly lent the flri^lefl: attention j and the legislators lifting one hand tov/ards hea- ven, and pointing to the fun, faid : " O na- tions, is the form of this fun which enlightens you trianguhu' or fquare ?" — And they re- plied with one voice, /' It is neither, it Is
round . " ^ ^ 4-^^^^~^''^'^l ^^ J^'^r^
Then taking the golden balance that was upon the altar, " This metal," ailced the le- giilators, " vrhich 3^ou handle every day, is a * mafs of it heavier than another mafs of equal dimenfions of brafs? — " Yes," the people again unanimouily replied ; '• gold is heavier than brafs."
The leo^iilators then took the fword. " Is this iron lefs h2.Fd than. lead?" — No," faid the nations.
" Is fup-arfweet and gall bitter? — " Yes." *' Do you love pleafure, and hate pain?"
'' Refpecling thefc obje^ls and a multiplici- ty of others of a fmiilar nature,^youhave then but one opinion. Now tell us, is there an abyfs in the centre of the earth, and are there inhabitants in the moon?"
At this queftion, a general noife was heard, and every nation gave a dificrcnl: aniwcr.
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES, 30I
Some replied in the affirmative, others in the negative ; fome faid it was probable, others that it was an idle and ridiculous qiieflion, and others that it was a fubje(fl: worthy of en- quiry; in fliort, there prevailed among them a total difagreement.
After a fliort interval, the legKlators hav- ing reflored filence: " Nations," faid they, " how is this to be accounted for? We pro- pofed^to you certain- queflions, and you were all of one opinion without diflindtion of race orfe^l: fair or black, difciples of Mahomet or of Mofes, worlliippers of Bedou or Jefus, you all gave the fame anfwer. We now pro- pofe another quellion, and you all diH'er! whence this unanimity in one cafe and this dif- cordance in the other?"
And the groupe of fmiple and untaught men replied : " The rcafon is obvious. Re- fpe^ling the firft queflions, we fee and feci the objedls; wefpeak of them from fenfation: refpefliing the fccond, they are above the reach of our fenfes, and we have no Q:uide but conjecture."
" You have folved the problem," faid the legiflators; " and the following truth is thus by your own confeflion eflablilhed : Whene- ver obje^s are prefent and can be judged of by your fenfes, you invariably agree ifi opini- on y and you differ in fentiment only when they are abfcnt, and out of your reach.
" From this truth flows another equally clear and deferving of notice. Since you
Cc
302 A SURVEY OF THE
agree refpefting what you with certainty know, it follovv s, that when you difagree, it is becaufe you do not know, do not underhand, are not lure of the objecl in queltion: or in other words that you difpute, quarrel and fight among yourfcives, for what is uncertain, for that of which you doubt. But is this wife? Is this the part of rational and intel%erit be- .
'' And is it not evident, that it is not truth' for which you contend; that it is not her caufe you are jealous cf maintaining, but the caufe of }^our own paflions and prejudices; that it is not the object as it really exifts that you wiili to verify, but tlie object as it appears to jou; that it is not the evidence of the thing that you are anxious iliould prevail, but your perfonal opinion, your mode of feeing and judging? There is a power that you want to exercife, an interefl that you want to main- tain, a prerogative that you want to af- furae; in lliort, the whole is a druggie of vanity. And as every individual, when he compares himfelf with the other, fxnds him- felf tobe his equal and fellow, he refuls by a fimilar feeling of right ; and from this right which you all deny to each other, and from the inherent confcioufnefs of your equality, fpring your difputes, your combats and your intolerance.
" Now, the only way of reftoring unanimi- ty is by returning to nature, and taking the ^ order of things which flie has eflablifced for
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. 303
your dlreclor and guide ^ and this farther truth will then appear from your uniformity of fentiment.
" That real objcifts have m thcmfclves au identical, condant, and invarible mode of cx^ iftence, and that in your organs exills a fnni- lar mode of being ciTcclcd and imprelTed by them.
" But at the fame time, inafmuch as thefe organs are liable to the direction of your wili^ you may receive different impreiiions and find yourfelves under different relations tov/ards the fame objects : fo that you are with ref- pedl to them, as it Vvcre a fort of mirror, ca- pable of reflecting them fuch as they are, and capable of disfiguring and mifreprefenting them,
" As often as you perceive the objecft'?, fuch as they are, your feelings are in accord with the obje£ls, and you agree in opinion ; and it is this accord that conflitutes truth.
" On the contrary, as often as you differ in opinion, your dill'entions prove that you do not fee the objedls fuch as they are, but vary them.
" Whence it appears, that the caufe of your diiTentions is not in the objefts them- felves, but in your minds, in the manner in which you perceive and judge.
" If therefore we v/ould arrive ?1 uniform- ity of opinion, we mud: previoufly eflabliih certainty, and verify the refemblance which our ideas have to their models. Nov/ this
304 A SURVEY OF THE
Cannot be obtained, except fo far as the ob- je<51s of our enquiry can be referred to the tef- timony and fubjedied to the examination of our fenfcs. Whatever cannot be brought 'to this trial is beyond the limits of our under- ilanding; we have neither rule to try it by, nor meafure by which to inditute a compari- fon, nor fource of demonilration and know- ledge concerning it.
" Whence it is obvious, that, in order to live in peace and harmony, we mufl confent not to pronounce upon fuch fubje<Sls, nor to annex to them importance ; we mufl draw a line of demarcation between fuch as can be verified and fuch -as cannot, and feparate by an inviolable barrier the world of fantaflic he- inous from the world of realities : that is to fay, ail civil effefi: mud be taken away from theological and religious opinions.
" This, O nations, is the end that a great people, freed from their fetters and prejudi- ces, have propofed to themfelves; this is the v/ork in which by their command, and under their immediate aufpices, we were engaged when your kings and your prieds came to in- terrupt our labours Kings and priefts,
you may yet a while fufpend the folemn pub- iication of the law of nature ; but it is no long- er in your power to annihilate or to fubvert them,
A loud cry was then heard from every quar- ter of the general alfembly of nations; and the wliolc of the people, unanimouily teflify-
m
REVOLUTIONS OF EMPIRES. ^^^^
ing their aclherc^fnce to the fentimeiit^ of the legiflators, encouraged them to reir.me their facred and /ubhme undertaking. " Invcfti- gat€," iarid they, " the laws which nature, for our direction, has implanted in our breads, and form from thence an authentic and immu- table code. Nor let this code be calculated for one family, or one nation only, but for the whole without exception. Be the legif- lators of the human race, as ye are the inter- preters of their common nature. Shew us the line that feparates the world of chimeras, from that of realities j and teach us, after fo many religions of error and delufion, the reh- gion of evidence and truth."
Upon this, thelegiilatorsrefuming their enqui- ry into the phyfical and conftituentattributcs of man, and the motives and aifeflions which go- vern him in his individual and iocial capacity, unfolded in the following terms the law on which Nature herfelf has founded his felicity.
END Of THE FIRST PART.
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