nants, and to pour out execrations against the Romans for their perfidy? Lucullus, enriched with the fpoils of the town, felt no remorfe for leaving 20,000 perfons dead upon the spot. Shortly after, having laid fiege to Intercatia, he folicited a treaty of peace. The citizens, reproaching him with the flaughter of the Cauceans, asked, whether, in making peace, he was not to employ the fame right hand, and the fame faith, he had already pledged to their countrymen. Seroclius Galba, another Roman general, perfuaded the Lufitanians to lay down their arms, promifing them a fruitful territory instead of their own mountains; and having thus got them into his power, he ordered all of them to be murdered. Of the few that escaped Viriatus was one, who, in a long and bloody war against the Romans, amply avenged the maffacre of his countrymen Our author Appian reports, that Galba, furpaffing even Lucullus in covetoufness, diftributed but a fmall fhare of the plunder among the foldiers, converting the bulk of it to his own ufe. He adds, that though Galba was one of the richest men in Rome, yet he never fcrupled at lies nor perjury to procure money. But the corruption was general: Galba being accused of many misdemeanors, was acquitted by the fenate through the force of bribes. A tribe of the Celtiberians, who had long ferved the Romans againft the Lufitanians, had an offer made them by Titus Didius of a territory in their neighbourhood, lately conquered by him. He appointed them a day to receive poffeffion; and having inclofed them in his camp under fhew of friendship, he put them all to the fword; for which mighty deed he obtained the honour of a triumph. The double dealing and treachery of the Romans, in their laft war againft Carthage, is beyond example. The Carthaginians, fufpecting that a storm was gathering against them, fent deputies to Rome for fecuring peace at The fenate, in appearance, were difpofed to amicable meafures, demanding only hoftages; and yet, though three hundred hoftages were delivered without lofs of time, the Roman army landed at Utica. The Carthaginian deputies attended the confuls there, defiring

any rate.

to know what more was to be done on their part. They were required to deliver up their arms; which they chearfully did, imagining that they were now certain of peace. Inftead of which, they received peremptory orders to evacuate the city, with their wives and children; and to take up no habitation within eighty furlongs of the fea. In perusing Appian's history of that memorable event, compaffion for the diftreffed Carthaginians is stifled by indignation at their treacherous oppreffors. Durft the monsters, after fuch treachery, talk of Punica fides? The profligacy of the Roman people during the triumvirate of Cæfar, Pompey, and Craffus, is painted in lively colours by the fame author. "For a long time, dif"order and confusion overspread the commonwealth : "no office was obtained but by faction, bribery, or cri"minal fervice: no man was afhamed to buy votes, "which were fold in open market. One man there was, "who, to obtain a lucrative office, expended eight hun"dred talents (i): ill men enriched themselves with

public money, or with bribes: no honeft man would "stand candidate for an office; and into a fituation fo

miferable was the commonwealth reduced, that once "for eight months it had not a fingle magiftrate." Cicero, writing to Atticus that Clodius was acquitted by the influence of Craffus, expreffes himself in the follow ing words. "Biduo, per unum fervum, et eum ex gla"diatorio ludo, confecit totum negotium. Accerfivit "ad fe, promifit, interceffit, dedit. Jam vero, O dii "boni, rem perditam ! etiam noctes certarum mulierum, atque adolefcentulorum nobilium, introductiones non"nullis judicibus pro mercedis cumulo fuerunt * (k.)”

(i) About L. 150,000 Sterling.

"In two days he completed the affair, by the means of one fiave, a gladiator. He fent for him, and by promifes, wheedling, "and large gifts, he gained his point. Good God, to what an in"famous height has corruption at length arrived! Some judges were rewarded with a night's lodging of certain ladies; and "others, for an illuftrious bribe, had fome young boys of Noble family introduced to them."

21

(k) Lib. x. epift. 13.

Ptolomy King of Egypt was dethroned by his fubjects for tyranny. Having repaired to Rome for protection, he found means to poifon the greater part of an hundred Egyptians, his accufers, and to affaffinate Dion, their chief. And yet thefe crimes, perpetrated in the heart of Rome, were fuffered to pafs with impunity. But he had fecured the leading men by bribery, and was protected by Pompey. The following inftance is, if poffible, ftill more grofs: Ptolomy, King of Cyprus, had always been a faithful ally to the Romans. But his gold, jewels, and precious moveables, were a tempting bait to the avarice of Rome; and all was confifcated by a decree of the people, without even a pretext. Money, procured by profligacy is not commonly hoarded up; and the Romans were no lefs voluptuous than avaricious. Alexander ab Alexandro mentions the Fanian, Orchian, Didian, Oppian, Cornelian, Ancian, and Julian laws, for repreffing luxury of drefs and of eating, all of which proved ineffectual. He adds, that Tiberius had it long at heart to contrive fome effectual law against luxury, which now had furpaffed all bounds; but that he found it impracticable to ftem the tide. He concludes, that by tacit agreement among a corrupted people all fumptuary laws were in effect abrogated; and that the Roman people, abandoning themselves to vice, broke through every reftraint of morality and religion (k). Tremble, O Britain, on the brink of a precipice! how little diftant in rapacity from Roman fenators are the leaders of thy people!

Riches produce another lamentable effect: they enervate the poffeffor, and degrade him into a coward. He who commands the labour of others, who eats without hunger, and refts without fatigue, becomes feeble in mind, as well as in body, has no confidence in his own abilities, and is reduced to flatter his enemies, because he hath not courage to brave them.

Selfishness, among the rude and illiterate, is rough, blunt, and undisguised. Selfishness, which, in an opu

(k) Lib. 3. cap. 11.

MEN AS INDIVIDUALS. Book I. lent kingdom, ufurps. the place of patriotifm, is smooth, refined and covered with a veil. Pecuniary intereft, a low object, muft be covered with the thickeft veil: ambition, lefs difhonourable, is lefs covered: but delicacy, as to character and love of fame, is fo honourable, that even the thinneft veil is thought unneceffary. History juftifies thefe obfervations. During the profperity of Greece and Rome, when patriotifm was the ruling paffion, no man ever thought of employing a hoftile weapon, but against the enemies of his country: fwords were not worn during peace, nor do we ever read of a private duel The frequency of duels, in modern times, is no flight fymptom of degeneracy: regardless of our country, felfishness is exerted without difgüife, when reputation of character is in queftion; and a nice fenfe of honour prompts revenge for every imagined affront, without re-. gard to juftice. How much more manly and patriotic was the behaviour of Themistocles, when infulted by the Lacedemonian general, in deliberating about the con. cerns of Greece! " Strike," fays he, but first hear

"me."

When a nation, formerly in a flourishing ftate, is depreffed by luxury and felfishnefs, what follows next? Let the Egyptians anfwer the queftion. That unhappy ped. ple having, for many ages, been a prey to every barbarous invader, are now become effeminate, treacherous, cruel, and corrupted with every vice that debafes humanity. A nation in its infancy, however favage, is fufceptible of every improvement; but a nation, worn out with age and disease, is fufceptible of no improvement. There is no remedy, but to let the natives die out, and to re-people the country with better men.

I fly from a fcene fo difmal, to one that will give no pain. Light is intended by our Maker for action, and darknefs for reft. In the fourteenth century, the fhops in Paris were opened at four in the morning: at prefent, a fhopkeeper is fcarce awake at feven. The King of France dined at eight in the morning, and retired to his bed chamber at the fame hour in the evening; an early hour at prefent for public amufements. The Spaniards

adhere to ancient customs *. Their King, to this day. dines precisely at noon, and fups no lefs precifely at nine in the evening. During the reign of Henry VIII. fafhionable people in England breakfasted at seven in the morning, and dined at ten in the forenoon. In Elizabeth's time, the nobility, gentry, and ftudents dined at eleven forenoon, and fupped between five and fix afternoon. In the reign of Charles II. four in the afternoon was the appointed hour for acting plays: at prefent, even dinner is at a later hour. The King of Yeman, the greateft prince in Arabia Felix, dines at nine in the morning, fups at five afternoon, and goes to rest at eleven. From this fhort specimen it appears, that the occupations of day-light commence gradually later and later; as if there was a tendency in polite nations of.converting night into day, and day into night. Nothing happens without a caufe. Light difpofes to action, darkness to reft: the diverfions of day are tournaments, hunting, racing, and fuch like active exercifes: the diverfions of night are fedentary; plays, cards, converfation. Balls are of a mixed nature; partly active, in dancing; partly fedentary, in converfing. Formerly, active exercifes prevailed among a robust and plain people: the milder pleasures of fociety prevail as manners refine. Hence it is, that candle-light amufements are now fashionable in France, and in other polished countries: and when fuch amufements are much relished, they banish the robuft exercises of the field. Balls, I conjecture, were formerly more frequent in day light: at prefent, candle-light is their favourite time; the active part is, at that time, equally agreeable; and the fedentary part much more fo.

Gaming is the vice of idle people. Savages are addicted to gaming; and those of North America, in particular, are fond to distraction of a game termed the Platter. A lofing gamefter will strip himself to the skin; and fome have been known to ftake their liberty, though by them valued above all other bleffings. Negroes in the flavecoaft of Guinea will take their wives, their children, and * Manners and fashions feldom change, where women are lock-ed up.