The Venetians, on the contrary, being a nation of merchants, and having been long fuccefsful in commerce, were become stationary, and unqualified for bold adventures. Being cut out of their wonted commerce to India, and not having refolution to carry on commerce in a new channel, they funk under the good fortune of their rivals, and abandoned the trade altogether. The Ruffians became a new people under Peter the Great, and are growing daily more and more powerful. The Turks on the contrary have been long in a declining state, and are at present a very degenerate people. Is it wonderful, that during the late war the Turks were no match for the Ruffians? No caufe hitherto mentioned hath fuch influence in depreffing patriotism, as inequality of rank and of riches in an opulent monarchy. A continual influx of wealth into the capital, generates show, luxury, avarice, which are all selfish vices; and felfithness, enflaving the mind, eradicates every fibre of patriotifm *. Afiatic luxury, * France is not an exception. The French are vain of their country, becaufe they are vain of themfelves. luxury, flowing into Rome in a plentiful ftream, produced an univerfal corruption of manners, and metamorphos'd into voluptuousness the warlike genius of that great city. The dominions of Rome were now too extensive for a republican government, and its generals too powerful to be disinterested. Paffion for glory wore out of fashion, as aufterity of manners had done formerly: power and riches were now the only objects of ambition: virtue feemed a farce; honour, a chimera; and fame, mere vanity: every Roman, abandoning himself to fenfuality, flattered himfelf, that he, more wife than his forefathers, was purfuing the cunning road to happiness. Corruption and venality became general, and maintained their ufurpation in the provinces as well as in the capital, without ever lofing a foot of ground. Pyrrhus attempted by prefents to corrupt the Roman fenators, but made not the flighteft impreffion. Deplorable was the change of manners in the days of Jugurtha: Pity it is," faid he, "that themfelves. But fuch vanity must be diftinguished from patriotifm, which confifts in loving our country independent of ourselves. "there έσ there fhould not be a man fo opulent as to purchase a people fo willing to be "fold." Cicero, mentioning an oracle of Apollo that Sparta would never be deftroy'd but by avarice, juftly obferves, that the prediction holds in every nation as well as in Sparta. The Greek empire, funk in voluptuoufnefs without a remaining fpark of patriotifm, was no match for the Turks, enflamed with a new religion, that promised paradife to those who should die fighting for their prophet. How many nations, like those mentioned, illuftrious formerly for vigour of mind and love to their country, are now funk by contemptible vices as much below brutes as they ought to be elevated above them : brutes feldom deviate from the perfection of their nature, men frequently. Successful commerce is not more advantageous by the wealth and power it immediately beftows, than it is hurtful ultimately by introducing luxury and voluptuoufness, which eradicate patriotism. In the capital of a great monarchy, the poifon of opulence is fudden; because opulence there is feldom acquired by reputable means: the poison of commercial opulence 2 opulence is flow, because commerce feldom enriches without industry, fagacity, and fair dealing. But by whatever means acquired, opulence never fails foon or late to fmother patriotism under fenfuality and felfishness. We learn from Plutarch and other writers, that the Athenians, who had long enjoy'd the funshine of commerce, were extremely corrupt in the days of Philip, and of his fon Alexander. Even their chief patriot and orator, a profeffed champion for independence, was not proof against bribes. While Alexander was profecuting his conquests in India, Harpalus, to whom his immenfe treasure was intrufted, fled with the whole to Athens. Demofthenes advised his fellow-citizens to expell him, that they might not incur Alexander's displeasure. Among other things of value, there was the King's cup of maffy gold, curioufly engraved. Demofthenes, furveying it with a greedy eye, afked Harpalus what it weighed. To you, faid Harpalus fmiling, it fhall weigh twenty talents; and that very night he fent privately to Demofthenes twenty talents with the cup. Demofthenes next day came into the affembly with a cloth VOL II. rolled T t rolled about his neck; and his opinion being demanded about Harpalus, he made figns that he had loft his voice. The Capuans, the Tarentines, and other Greek colonies in the lower parts of Italy, when invaded by the Romans, were no lefs degenerate than their brethren in Greece when invaded by Philip of Macedon; the fame depravation of manners, the fame luxury, the fame paffion for feafts and fpectacles, the fame intestine factions, the fame indifference about their country, and the fame contempt of its laws. The Portuguese, enflamed with love to their country, having difcovered a paffage to the Indies by the Cape of Good Hope, made great and important fettlements in that very diftant part of the globe; and of their immenfe commerce there is no parallel in any age or country. Prodigious riches in gold, precious flones, fpices, perfumes, drugs, and manufactures, were annually imported into Lisbon from their fettlements on the coafts of Malabar and Coromandel, from the kingdoms of Camboya, Decan, Malacca, Patana, Siam, China, &c. from the iflands of Ceylon, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Moluccas, and Japan: and to |