even the attainment of it, impoffible beyond a very limited degree. And from the introduction of an alphabet, what improvements may not be expected from the laborious induftry of the Chinese! Though moft obftinately attached to their old customs, yet there is a tide in the manners of nations which is fudden and rapid, and which acts with a kind of instinctive fury against ancient prejudice and abfurdity. It was that nation of merchants, the Phoenicians, which diffused the use of letters through the ancient, and Commerce will undoubtedly diffuse the fame bleffings through the modern world. To this view of the political happiness, which is fure to be introduced in proportion to civilization, let the Divine add, what may be reasonably expected, from fuch opportunity of the increase of Religion. A factory of merchants, indeed, has feldom been found to be the school of piety; yet when the general manners of a people become affimilated to thofe of a more rational worship, fomething more than ever was produced by an infant miffion, or the neighbourhood of an infant colony, may then be reafonably expected, and even foretold. In eftimating the political happiness of a people, nothing is of greater importance than their сараcity of, and tendency to, improvement. As a dead lake, to continue our former allufion, will remain in the same state for ages and ages, fo would the bigotry and fuperftitions of the Eaft continue the fame. But if the lake is begun to be opened into a thoufand rivulets, who knows over what unnumbered fields, barren before, they may diffuse the bleffings of fertility, and turn a dreary wilderness into a land of society and joy. In contrast to this, let the Golden Coaft and other immenfe regions of Africa be contemplated: Afric behold; alas, what altered view! LUSIAD X. Let us view what millions of thefe unhappy favages are dragged from their native fields, and cut off for ever from all hopes and the rights to which human birth entitled them. And who would hefitate to pronounce that negro the greatest of patriots, who, by teaching his countrymen the arts of fociety, should teach them to defend themselves in the poffeffion of their fields, their families, and their own perfonal liberties? Evident Evident however as it is, that the voyages of Gama and Columbus have already carried a fuperior degree of happiness, and the promise of infinitely more, to the Eaftern and Western Worlds; yet the advantages derived from the discovery of these regions to Europe may perhaps be denied. But let us view what Europe was, ere the genius of Don Henry gave birth to the fpirit of modern discovery. Several ages before this period the feudal fyf tem had degenerated into the most abfolute ty ranny. The barons exercised the most defpotic authority over their vaffals, and every scheme of public utility was rendered impracticable by their continual petty wars with each other; and to which they led their dependents as dogs to the chace. Unable to read, or to write his own name, the chieftain was entirely poffeffed by the most romantic opinion of military glory, and the fong of his domeftic minstrel conftituted his highest idea of fame. The claffics flept on the shelves of the monafteries, their dark, but happy afylum; while the life of the monks refembled that of the fattened beeves which loaded their tables. Real abilities were indeed poffeffed by a Duns Scotus, and a few others; but these were loft in the inoft trifling fubtleties of a sophistry, which they dignified with the name of cafuiftical divinity. Whether Adam and Eve were created with navels, and how many thousand angels might at the fame inftant dance upon the point of the finest needle without joftling one another, were two of the feveral topics of like importance which excited the acumen and engaged the controverfies of the learned. While every branch of philofophical, of rational investigation, was thus unpursued and unknown, commerce, incompatible in itself with the feodal fyftem, was equally neglected and unimproved. Where the mind is enlarged and enlightened by learning, plans of commerce will rife into action; and these, in return, will, from every part of the world, bring new acquirements to philofophy and fcience. The birth of learning and commerce may be different, but their growth is mutual and dependent upon each other. They not only affift each other, but the fame enlargement of mind which is neceffary for the perfection in the one, is alfo neceflary for perfection in the other; and the fame caufes impede, and are alike deftructive of both. The INTERCOURSE of mankind is the rent of each. According to the confinement or extent of intercourse, barbarity or civilization proportionably prevail. In the dark monkish ages, the intercourfe of the learned was as much impeded and confined as that of the merchant. A few unwieldy veffels coafted the fhores of Europe; and mendicant friars and ignorant pil pa grims grims carried a miferable account of what was paffing in the world from monaftery to monaftery. What Doctor had laft difputed on the Peripatetic philosophy at fome university, or what new herefy had laft appeared, not only comprised the whole of their literary intelligence, but was delivered with little accuracy, and received with as little attention, While this thick cloud of mental darknefs overfpread the western world, was Don Henry prince of Portugal born, born to fet mankind free from the feodal fyftem, and to give to the whole world every advantage, every light that may poffibly be diffused by the intercourse of unlimited commerce; For then from ancient gloom emerg'd And in unbounded Commerce mixt the world. THOM. In contrast to the melancholy view of human nature, funk into barbarism and benighted with ignorance, let the present state of Europe be impartially estimated. Yet though the great increase of opulence and learning cannot be denied, there are some who affert, that virtue and happinefs have as greatly declined. And the immense overflow of riches, from the cast in particular, has |