ESSAY X.

Ο, τι μὲν πρὸς τὸν τῶ ὅλουπλου τον, μᾶλλον δὲ πρὸς τὰ φαντασμα πολέως ἀπάσης, ὅ πανταχῆ καὶ ουδαμή εσι, φέρει μάθημα καὶ ἐπιτήδευμα, τοῦτο χρήσιμον καὶ σοφον τὶ δοξασθησεται· τῶν δὲ ἀλλων καταγελᾶ ὁ πολίτικος· ταύτην τὴν αιτίαν χρὴ φάναι τοῦ μήτε ̓ ἄλλο καλὸν, μήτε τὰ πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον μεγαλοπρέπως ἀσκεῖν τὰς πόλεις, τῶν πολίτων μάλ' ἐνίοτε ουκ αφυῶν ὄντων, δυστυχούντών γε μὴν. Πῶς λέγεις ; Πῶς μὲν οὖν ἄυτους ου λέγοιμ' ἄν το παράπαν δυστυχεῖς, οἷς γε ἀνάγκη δια βίου πεινῶσι τὴν ψυχὴν ἀει τὴν αυτην διεξελθεῖν.

Πλατων.

TRANSLATION.-Whatever study or doctrine bears upon the wealth of the whole, say rather on a certain Phantom of a State in toto, which is every where and no where, this shall be deemed most useful and wise; and all else is the state-craftsman's scorn. This we dare pronounce the cause why nations torpid on their dignity in general, conduct their wars so little in a grand and magnanimous spirit, while the Citizens are too often

wretched, though endowed with high capabilities by Nature. How say you? Nay, how should I not call them wretched, who are under the unrelenting necessity of wasting away their life in the mere search after the means of supporting it?

PLATO, de Legibus, viii.

In the preceeding Essay we treated of what may be wisely desired in respect to our foreign relations. The same sanity of mind will the true Patriot display, in all that regards the internal prosperity of his country. He will reverence 'not only whatever tends to make the component individuals more happy, and more worthy of happiness: but likewise whatever tends to bind them more closely together as a people; that as a multitude of parts and functions make up one human body, so the whole multitude of his countrymen may, by the visible and invisible influences of religion, language, laws, customs, and the reciprocal dependance and re-action of trade and agriculture, be organized into one body politic. But much as he desires to see all become A WHOLE, he places limits even to this wish, and abhors that system of

policy, which would blend men into a state by the dissolution of all those virtues which make them happy and estimable as individuals. Sir James Stuart (Polit. Econ. Vol. I. p. 88. after stating the case of the vine-dresser, who is proprietor of a bit of land, on which grain (enough, and no more) is raised for himself and family-and who provides for their other wants of cloathing, salt, &c. by his extra labour, as a vine-dresser, observes-" From this example we discover the difference between Agriculture exercised as a trade, and as a direct means of subsisting. We have the two species in the vine-dresser: he labours the vineyard as a trade, and his spot of ground for subsistence. We may farther conclude, that as to the last part he is only useful to himself; but as to the first, he is useful to the society and becomes a member of it; consequently were it not for his trade the State would lose nothing, although the vine-dresser and his land were both swallowed up by an earthquake."

Now this contains the sublime philosophy of the sect of Economists. They worship a

kind of non-entity under the different words, the State, the Whole, the Society, &c. and to this idol they make bloodier sacrifices than ever the Mexicans did to Tescalipoca. All, that is, each and every sentient Being in a given tract, are made diseased and vicious, in order that each may become useful to all, or the State, or the Society,-that is, to the word, all, the Word, State, or the word, Society. The absurdity may be easily perceived by omitting the words relating to this idol-as for instancein a former paragraph of the same (in most respects) excellent work: "If it therefore happens that an additional number produced do more than feed themselves, then I perceive no advantage gained from their production." What no advantage gained by, for instance, ten thousand happy, intelligent, and immortal Beings having been produced?—O yes! but no advantage "to this Society."—What is this Society? this "Whole?" this "State?" Is it any thing else but a word of convenience to express at once the aggregate of confederated individuals living in a certain district? Let the sum total of each man's happiness be

supposed-1000; and suppose ten thousand men produced, who neither made swords or poison, or found corn or clothes for those who did but who procured by their labour. food and raiment for themselves, and for their children-would not that Society be richer by 10,000,000 parts of happiness? And think you it possible, that ten thousand happy human Beings can exist together without increasing each others happiness, or that it will not overflow into countless channels, * and diffuse itself through the rest of the Society.

The poor vine-dresser rises from sweet sleep, worships his Maker, goes with his wife and children into his little plot-returns to his hut at noon, and eats the produce of the similar labour of a former day. Is he useful? No! not yet. Suppose then, that during the

• Well, and in the spirit of genuine philosophy, does the poet describe such beings as men

"Who being innocent do for that cause

Bestir them in good deeds"

WORDSWORTH.

Providence, by the ceaseless activity which it has implanted in our nature, has sufficiently guarded against an innocence without virtue.