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ture, of property, and civility, and established a juft and regular kingdom, was by them adored as the chief of their gods. That his brother, fisters, fons, and daughters, were worshipped likewise for the inventions of things ufeful, neceffary, or agreeable to human life. Neptune was worshipped for having invented the art of navigation; Vul, can, for that of forging brafs and iron; Minerva, of spinning; Apollo, of music and poetry; Mercury, of manual arts and merchandize; Bacchus, for the invention of wine; and Ceres, of corn. But we have no hiftory, at prefent, which informs us in what age this race of Saturn flourished in the world, although it is generally fupposed, that it was foon after the peopling of this country by the defcendants of Noah.The fame divine honours were rendered by the Egyptians to Ofyris; in whose temple was infcribed, on a monument, that he had traversed the greatest part of the then known world, and every-where taught men all that he found neceffary for the common good of civil fociety; by the Affyrians to Belus, the great founder of that kingdom, and the inventor of aftronomy among the Chaldeans; by the original Latins to Janus, who introduced agriculture into Italy; and these three were worshipped as Gods, by those ancient and learned nations.-The next two, of the human race, whom we find displaying their talents upon the great theatre of life, and who were afterwards deified, were the Theban Hercules, and Thefeus; both being greatly re

nowned,

then theatre of learning, their actions and fortunes are held out as the common examples of virtue and honour, and the reproaches of vice. The states wherein those wife and famous conftitutions were

displayed, made but a small part of the globe, and little notice has been taken of the other parts; which, though accounted barbarous by many celebrated authors, were perhaps lefs fo than many of thofe kingdoms whofe hiftory thofe authors have handed down to pofterity, and have as much right to give their voice in the decifion of the important question, which I have ftated, as those who have arrogated it wholly to themselves; as, upon enquiry, the wisdom, and duration, of their civil constitutions, and the examples of their lawgivers, will be found to have equalled, or exceeded, all those I have before mentioned.

When we regard the map of the world, as it lies at present before us, fince the great discoveries which have been made, during these three laft centuries, we shall see what vaft regions of inhabited country there are, which were no part of that ancient scene before mentioned; many of which were unknown to the ancients; and, although paffing for barbarous, and much overlooked by many learned modern authors, I am perfuaded will afford as much matter for fpeculation, as the other states so much celebrated in ancient hiftory, for the excellency of their conftitutions and laws, and for their respective systems of theology. All that part of Afia, to the east of the Ganges, which was ef

teemed

teemed by the ancients as the boundary of the eastern world; all the ancient Scythia, Arabia, the exterior parts of Africa, and almost all the great continent of America, with the manners and cuftoms of their respective inhabitants, are, in some measure, known to us at prefent; and, therefore, I shall take a brief furvey of the systems of theology and morality, which have, at different times, been discovered among them.

THE great and ancient empire of China, which was formed of fifteen several kingdoms, and at a moderate computation contains one hundred millions of fouls, was founded (as appears by their records, which were copied by the miffionary Jefuits, and by them efteemed unquestionable and infallible) about four thousand years ago by Fohu; who first brought them out of that state of nature in which the inhabitants of the Great Tartary heretofore lived, to live under a civil government; introduced agriculture, marriage, the distinction of the fexes by different habits, with a variety of laws, and orders, for a regular government among them. He invented characters, and left several writings of morality, civil government, phyfic, and astronomy; so that this king feems to have been the instituter of the Chineses political government.-But about two thousand and three hundred years fince, lived. Confuchee, or Confucius, the most learned, wife, and virtuous man, fay the Chineses, that ever lived in this empire; and for whom both the king and the

magiftrates, of his time, as well as all those who have fucceeded fince, feem to have had the greatest veneration that has any-where been rendered to a mortal man. He wrote many tracts, and in them digefted all the learning of the ancients, with the writings of Fohu, at least all that he thought neceffary, or useful, to mankind, as individuals, or as members of civil fociety: it does not appear. that he had any idea of a future ftate. His works were then received, and have ever fince been regarded, with fo great esteem and veneration, that none has queftioned whatever he wrote, but admitted it as the truest and best rules for paffing through human life; fo that, to this day, it is. enough in all arguments that Confucius has said it.

The writings of this great man, or at least the principal part of them, have been translated by the miffionary Jefuits; as they are the fource of all the Chineses learning, and feem to contain a body of ethics, or moral virtues, which are framed. for the conduct of men's lives, their families, and their governments, but chiefly for the latter. The principal part of his reasoning feems to be calculated to prove, that no people can be happy but under good governments, and no governments happy but over good men; and that, for the fe-. licity of mankind, all the men in a nation, from the fovereign to the meaneft labourer, fhould endeavour to be good, wife, and virtuous, as far as his own thoughts, or the precepts of others, can. inform him. The chief principles which he seems

to

to lay down, as a foundation to build upon, are, that every man should endeavour to improve, and to perfect, his own reason, to the greatest degree that he is capable of doing it, so that he may as feldom as poffible turn from the law of nature, in the course and conduct of his life: that as this is not to be done without much speculation and enquiry, it is neceffary that every man should apply himself to the study of philofophy; which teaches men what is good, and what is bad, either in its own nature, or for theirs; and, confequently, what rule of life is to be followed by all mankind, in their respective stations or capacities: that in this perfection of natural reafon confists the perfection of the body and mind, and the fupreme happiness of human beings; that the principal means to attain to this degree of perfection are to fubmit our paffions to our reason, and not to will, or defire, any thing but what is confonant to reafon, nor any thing that is not strictly agreeable to the good and happiness of our fellow-creatures, as well as of our own. For this purpose, he orders the constant practice of the several virtues so generally known, and agreed to, in the world; the principal of which he regards to be civility and gratitude. In fact, the whole tenor of his writings appears to be aimed only to teach mankind how to live and to govern well; how magiftrates, parents, and mafters, fhould govern, and how fubjects, children, and fervants should obey.

All these rules and inftructions, for attaining to wisdom

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