generation facrificed to the happiness of the next. But when this flame is extinguished, and the world delivered from its evils, truth, after a very flow progrefs, fits down with monarchs on the throne, and is worshipped in the affemblies of nations. Shall we then believe, that light diffused among the people is more destructive than darkness, and that the knowledge of the relations of things can ever be fatal to mankind?

Ignorance may indeed be lefs fatal than a fmall degree of knowledge, because this adds, to the evils of ignorance, the inevitable errors of a confined view of things on this fide the bounds of truth; but a man of enlightened understanding, appointed guardian of the laws, is the greatest bleffing that a fovereign can bestow on a nation. Such a man is accustomed to behold truth, and not to fear it; unacquainted with the greatest part of those imaginary and infatiable neceffities, which fo often put virtue to the proof, and accustomed to contemplate mankind from the most elevated point of view, he confiders the nation as his family, and his fellow citizens as brothers; the diftance between the great and the vulgar appears to him the lefs, as the number of mankind he has in view is greater.

The

The philofopher has neceffities and interefts unknown to the vulgar, and the chief of thefe is not to belie in public the principles he taught in obfcurity, and the habit of loving virtue for its own fake. A few fuch philofophers would conftitute the happiness of a nation; which however would be but of fhort duration, unless by good laws the number were fo increased as to leffen the probability of an improper choice.

СНАР.

CHAP. XLIII.

Of Magiftrates.

ANOTHER method of preventing crimes is, to make the obfervance of the laws, and not their violation, the intereft of the magi ftrate.

The greater the number of those who conftitute the tribunal, the lefs is the danger of corruption; because the attempt will be more difficult, and the power and temptation of each individual will be proportionably less. If the fovereign, by pomp and the aufterity of edicts, and by refusing to hear the complaints of the oppreffed, accuftom his fubjects to respect the magiftrates more than the laws, the magiftrates will gain indeed, but it will be at the expence of public and private fecurity.

CHAP.

CHA P. XLIV.:

Of Rewards.

YET another method of preventing crimes is, to reward virtue. Upon this fubject the laws! of all nations are filent. If the rewards, propofed by academies for the difcovery of useful truths, have increased our knowledge, and multiplied good books, is it not probable that rewards, distributed by the beneficent hand of a sovereign, would alfo multiply virtuous actions? The coin of honour is inexhauftible, and is abundantly fruitful in the hands of a prince who diftributes it wifely.

CHAP.

CHA P. XLV.

Of Education.

FINALLY, the most certain method of preventing crimes, is to perfect the system of education. But this is an object too vast, and exceeds my plan; an object, if I may venture to declare it, which is fo intimately connected with the nature of government, that it will always remain a barren fpot, cultivated only by a few wife men.

A great man, who is perfecuted by that world he hath enlightened, and to whom we are indebted for many important truths, hath most amply detailed the principal maxims of useful education. This chiefly confifts in prefenting to the mind a fmall number of felect objects; in fubftituting the originals for the copies, both of phyfical and moral phenomena; in leading the pupil to virtue by the easy road of fentiment, and in withholding him from evil by the infallible power of neceffary inconveniences, rather than by command, which only abtains counterfeit and momentary obedience.

CHAP.