upon occafion; at length their discourfe became intelligible one to another: but being difperfe'd into several parts of the world, they spoke not all the fame language, every one useing that dialect proper to the place, as his lot fel: upon which account there were various and all forts of languageës in the world; and thefe asfociations of men first planted all the nations of the world. But forasmuch as what was useful for mans life was not allready found out, this first race of mankind live'd a laborious and troublesome life, as being as yet naked, not inure'd to houfees, nor acquainted with the use of fire, and alltogether destitute of delicacys for their food. For not knowing as yet how to house and lay up their food, they had no barns or granarys where to depofit the fruits of the earth; and, therefor, many, through hunger and cold, perish'd in the winter but being at length taught by experience, they fled into caves in the winter, and lay'd up fuch fruits as were fit to keep; and comeing by degrees to the knowlege of the usefulness of fire and of other convenienceës, they began to invent many arts, and other things beneficial for mans life. What fhal we say? he ads, necesfity was mans inftructor, which made him skilful in every thing, being an ingenious

creature, asfifted (as with fo many fervants) with hands, feet, and a rational foul, ready to put every thing in execution.*

Aristotle pronounceës the world eternal; and confequently, ingenerate and incorruptible.†

Lucretius, the poet, who adopted the opinions of Epicurus the philofopher, and made ufe of his writeings, extols this great master for haveing been the first who taught, that this world, and all things in it, were not made by the deity, but by a fortuitous concourfe of atoms, and for delivering, by that doctrine, the minds of men from the fear of the gods, of death, and of punishments after death: all which doctrines he explains with ingenuity of argument, and elegance of stile.

Pliny, the naturalift, would have his readers. believe the world to be a god, eternal, unmeafurable, without begining, and without end.

Since, however, it is abfolutely impossible to demonstrate the origin of these things by fact or argument, reafon or science, we must, of necesfity, be content to embrace the sensible opinion

*B. 1, C. 1. See a beautiful defcription of the creation of the world, and the origin of man and other animals, in the first book of Ovids Metamorphofis.

Of beaven, B. 1, C. 12.

reported by Diodorus: "that mankind was from eternity; and that there never was a time when he first began to be."

Naturalifts distinguish moft, if not all, animals, by classes or genera: as the lion, tiger, leopard, and fo forth, are fay'd to be of the catkind, from a general refemblance, in form or figure, though not in fize or strength, to that individual. Man, in like manner, may, with equal propriety, be arrange'd under the monkeykind; there being the fame degree of analogy between the man and the monkey, as between the lion and the cat; and there being, allso, in each of these classes, intermediate animals of different fizeës, ranks, or degrees, by which the feveral fpecies, which compofe it, are approximateëd or connected, like the links of a chain: thus, between the cat and the lion, are the ferval, the fyagufh, the lynx, the tiger-cat, the ounce, the panther, the leopard, and the tiger; and, just so, between the monkey and the man, are the maimon, the wandrow, the mandril, the gibbon or long-arm'd ape, the pongo, and the ourang-outang :* each gradually increaseing in

*See, upon the affinity or resemblance of the man and monkey kinds, Ariftotles Hiftory of Animals, B. 2. C. 13, and

fize and strength. Man, therefor, in a state of nature, was, if not the real ourang-outang of the

Tyfons Anatomy of a Pigmie, p. 5, &c. Man, among other attempts at definition, has been denominated a laughing animal. Laughter, however, is not alltogether peculiar to the human fpecies. As mifter Barrow was afcending the pass of Roode-Sand Kloef, the baboons, fays he, from their conceal'd dens, in the fides of the mountain, laugh'd, fcream'd, and utter'd fuch horrible noifees, the whole time, that, to a stranger, not knowing, from whence they proceeded, they excited no fmall degree of furprife, (Travels in Southern Africa, p. 70). The Hottentots, fays captain Beeckman, are not, really, unlike monkeys or baboons in their gestures and postures, especially when they fit funing themselves, as they often do in great numbers. When they speak, they seem rather to cackle like hens or turkeys, than speak like men, (Voyage to Borneo, p. 187). "The Bosjesmans," according to Barrow, (p. 277), are amongst the uglyeft of all human beings. The flat nose, high cheek-bones, prominent chin and concave vifage, partake much of the apeish character, which their keen eye, allways in motion, tends not to diminish," (Travels in Southern Africa, p. 277). The apes correct their young in the manner of good christians. I once, fays Labillardiere, witness'd a fingular fact, which shews what authority these animals possess over their young. A large ape, that was follow'd by a very little one, thinking himself unobferve'd, took it up in one of its paws, and beat it for a confiderable space of time with the other. If the ape, he ads, knew how to proportion the punishment to the offence, the cub must have been very naughty, for he got a moft fevere beating (Voyage in search

forefts and mountains of Afia or Africa at the present day, at least, an animal of the fame family, and very nearly refembleing it. The formation, the anatomy, the ftrength, the general appearance, of the two animals, are much the fame, or would, at least, be fo in a ftate of nature. Each would make the like ufe of its hands and feet; for it can be prove'd, not onely, that man, in fuch a state, would frequently make use of his hands for feet, and walk upon all-four; but, allfo, that the ourang-outang frequently stands and walks, erect, like a civilize'd man, and occafionally ufees a ftaf. Their food, their habits, their employments, and mode of life, would, likewise, be precisely, or nearly fimilar ; and, in a word, without depriveing man of his preeminent fituation at the head of his clafs, the refembleance between him and the ourang-outang is too ftrong to deny that they are, at leaft, distinct fpecies of one and the fame genus.*

of La Peroufe), i, 137. The natives of New Holland are cover'd with vermin. We admire'd the patience of a mother, who, like most of the blacks, crush'd these filthy infects between her teeth, and then swallow'd them. It is to be remark'd that apes have the fame custom [which is wel known to the Spanish virgins, particularly toward their sweethearts].

* See doctor Tyfons Anatomy of a Pygmie, p. 92, &c.

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