and I have no reafon to forbear, confidering that my actions, by producing their intended effects, contribute to carry on the univerfal chain. PART II. PROGRESS of MORALITY. [Aving unfolded the principles of morality, the next step HAV is, to trace out its gradual progrefs, from its infancy among favages, to its maturity among polifhed nations. The history of opinions concerning the foundation of morality, falls not within my plan; and I am glad to be relieved from an article that is executed in perfection by more able hands (a). An animal is brought forth with every one of its external members; and completes its growth, not by production of any new member, but by addition of matter to those originally formed. The fame holds with respect to internal members; the senses, for example, instincts, powers and faculties, principles and propenfities: these are coeval with the individual, and are gradually unfolded, fome early, fome late. The external fenfes, being neceffary for self-prefervation, foon arrive at maturity. Some internal fenfes, of order for instance, of propriety, of dignity, being of no ufe during infancy, are not only flow in their progress toward maturity, but require much culture. Among favages they are fcarce perceptible. The moral fenfe, in its progrefs, differs from thofe laft men (a) Dr Cudworth and Dr Smith. tioned: tioned it is frequently difcovered, even in childhood. It is however flow of growth, and feldom arrives at perfection without culture and experience. The moral fenfe not only ripens gradually with the other internal fenfes mentioned, but from them acquires force and additional authority: a favage makes no difficulty to kill an enemy in cold blood bloody fcenes are familiar to him, and his moral fenfe is not fufficiently vigorous to give him compunction. The action appears in a different light to a perfon who has more delicacy of feeling; and accordingly the moral fense has much more authority over those who have received a refined education, than over favages. It is pleasant to trace the progrefs of morality in members of a polished nation. Objects of external fenfe make the first impreffions; and from them are derived a stock of fimple ideas. Affection, accompanying ideas, is first directed to particular objects, fuch as my brother, my wife, my friend. The mind, opening by degrees, takes in complex objects, fuch as my country, my religion, the government under which I live; and thefe alfo become objects of affection. Our connections multiply, and the moral fenfe gaining ftrength as the mind opens, regulates our duty to each of them. Objects of hatred multiply, as well as objects of affection, and give full fcope to diffocial paffions, the moft formidable antagonists that morality has to encounter. But nature hath provided a remedy: the perfon who indulges malice or revenge, is commonly the greatest fufferer by the indulgence: men become wife by experience, and have more peace and fatisfaction in foftering kindly affection: ftormy paffions are fubdued, or brought under rigid discipline; and benevolence triumphs over felfifhnefs. We refine upon the pleafures of fociety: we learn to fubmit our opinions we affect to give preference to others; and readily fall in with whatever fweetens focial intercourfe: we carefully avoid VOL. II. Rr caufes caufes of difcord; and overlooking trifling offences, we are fatiffied with moderate reparation, even for grofs injuries. A nation from its original favage ftate, grows to maturity like the individuals above defcribed, and the progrefs of morality is the fame in both. The favage ftate is the infancy of a nation, during which the moral fenfe is feeble, yielding to custom, to imitation, to paffion. But a nation, like a member of a polished fociety, ripens gradually, and acquires a taste in the fine arts, with acuteness of sense in matters of right and wrong. Hatred and revenge, the great obftacles to moral duty, raged without control, while the privilege of avenging wrongs was permitted to individuals (a). But hatred and revenge yielded gradually to the pleafures of fociety, and to the growing authority of the moral sense; and benevolent affections prevailed over diffocial paffions. In that comfortable period, we hear no more of cruelty as a national character on the contrary, the averfion we have to an enemy, is even in war exercised with moderation. Nor do the stormy paffions ever again revive; for after a nation begins to decline from its meridian height, the paffions that prevail are not of the violent kind, but felfifh, timorous, and deceitful. Morality however has not to this day arrived to fuch maturity as to operate between nations with equal steadiness and vigour as between individuals. Ought this to be regretted as an imperfection in our nature? I think not: had we the fame compunction of heart for injuring a nation as for injuring an individual, and were injuftice equally blameable as to both, war would ceafe, and a golden age enfue; than which a greater misfortune could not befal the human race (b). (a) See Hiftorical Law-tracts, tract 1. (b) Book 2. sketch 1. In In the progrefs from maturity to a declining ftate, a nation differs widely from an individual. Old age puts an end to the latter: there are many caufes that weaken the former; but old age is none of them, if it be not in a metaphorical fenfe. Riches, felfishness, and luxury, are the difeafes that weaken profperous nations: thefe difeafes, following each other in a train, corrupt the heart, dethrone the moral fenfe, and make an anarchy in the foul: men stick at no expence to purchase pleasure; and they stick at no vice to fupply that expence. Such are the outlines of morality in its progrefs from birth to burial; and these outlines I propofe to fill up with an induction of particulars. Looking back to the commencement of civil fociety, when no wants were known but thofe of nature, and when fuch wants were amply provided for; we find individuals of the fame tribe living innocently and cordially together: they had no irregular appetites, nor any ground of ftrife. In that flate, moral principles joined their influence with that of national affection, to fecure individuals from harm. Savages accordingly, who have plenty of food, and are fimple in habitation and cloathing, feldom trafgrefs the rules of morality within their own tribe. Diodorus Siculus, who compofed his history recently after Cæfar's expedition into Britain, fays, that the inhabitants dwelt in mean cottages covered with reeds or sticks; that they were of much fincerity and integrity, contented with plain and homely fare; and were strangers to the excefs and luxury of rich men. In Friezeland, in Holland, and in other maritime provinces of the Netherlands, locks and keys were unknown, till the inhabitants became rich by commerce: they contented themfelves with bare neceflaries, which every one had in plenty. The Laplanders have no notion of theft. When they make an excurfion into Norway, which is performed in the fummer months, they leave their huts open, without fear that any thing will be purloined. Formerly, they were entirely upright in their only commerce, that of bartering the skins of wild beafts for tobacco, brandy, and coarse cloth. But being often cheated by strangers, they begin to be more cunning. Crantz, defcribing the inhabitants of Iceland before they were corrupted by commerce with strangers, fays, that they lived under the fame roof with their cattle; that every thing was common among them except their wives and children; and that they were fimple in their manners, having no appetite but for what nature requires. In the reign of Edwin King of Northumberland, a child, as hiftorians report, might have travelled with a purse of gold, without hazard of robbery: in our days of luxury, want is fo intolerable, that even fear of death is not fufficient to deter us. All travellers agree, that the native Canadians are perfectly difinterested, abhorring deceit and lying. The Californians are fond of iron and sharp inftruments; and yet are fo ftrictly honeft, that carpenter-tools left open during night, were fafe. The favages of North America had no locks for their goods: they probably have learned from Europeans, to be more circumfpect. Procopius bears testimony (a), that the Sclavi, like the Huns, were innocent people, free of all malice. Plan Carpin, the Pope's ambaffador to the Cham of Tartary, ann. 1246, fays, that the Tartars are not addicted to thieving; and that they leave their goods open without a lock. Nicholas Damafcenus reports the fame of the Celta. The original inhabitants of the island Borneo, expelled by the Mahometans from the fea-coaft to the center of the country, are honest, industrious, and kindly to each other: they have some notion of property, but not fuch as to render them covetous. Pagans in Siberia are numerous; and, tho' grofsly ignorant especially in matters of religion, they are a good moral people. It is rare to hear (a) Historia Gothica, líb. 3. among |