he is indebted for all things; but he regards them alfo as the fruits of his own labour, and that renders them still more grateful to him. SECT. V. Innocency and pleasure of a rural life, and of agriculture. THE revenues and profits, which arife ru from the culture of lands, is neither the fole nor the greatest advantages accruing from it. All the authors, who have wrote upon ral life, have always fpoken of it with the highest praises, as of a wife and happy state, which inclines a man to juftice, temperance, fobriety, fincerity, and in a word, to every virtue; which in a manner fhelters him from all paffions, by keeping him within the limits of his duty, and of a daily employment, that leaves him little leifure for vices: luxury, avarice, injustice, violence and ambition, the almost infeparable companions of riches, take up their ordinary refidence in great cities, which fupply them with the means and occafions: the hard and laborious life of the country does not admit of these vices. This gave room for the poets to feign, that Aftræa, the goddess of justice, had her laft refidence there, before fhe entirely quitted the earth. *In urbe luxuries creatur: ex luxuria existat avaritia neceffe eft ex avaritia erumpat audacia: inde omnia scelera gignuntur- In ruf ticis moribus, in victu arido, in hac horrida incultaque vita iftiufmodi maleficia gigni non folent Cupiditates VOL. X: porro quæ poffunt effe in eo, We Colum. We fee in Cato the form of a prayer used by the country-people, wherein may be dif cerned the precious tokens of the antient tradition of who attributed men eyery thing to God, and addreffed themselves to him in all their temporal neceffities, because they knew he prefided over all things, and that all things depended on him. I fhall repeat a good part of it, and hope it will not be unacceptable. It is in a ceremony, called Solitaurilia, and according to fome Suovetaurilia, in which the country-people made a proceffion round their lands, and offered libations and facrifices to certain gods. "Father Mars, faid the fuppliant, I humbly "implore and conjure you, to be propitious and favourable to me, my family, and all "my domesticks, in regard to the occafion of "the prefent proceffion in my fields, lands, "and eftate: To prevent, avert, and remove "from us all diseases, known and unknown, "defolations, ftorms, calamities, and peftilen"tial air: To make our plants, corn, vines, " and trees, grow and come to perfection: "To preferve our fhepherds and flocks: To "grant thy prefervation of life and health to “me, my family, and all my domefticks," What a reproach is it that chriftians, and often those who have the greatest share in the goods of this world, fhould in these days be fo little careful to demand them from God, and be afhamed to thank him for them! Amongst the Pagans, all their meals began and ended with prayers, which are now banifhed from almost all our tables. Columella enters into a detail upon the du1. 1. c. 8. ties of the mafter or farmer, in regard to his domefticks, which feems full of reafon and humanity. manity." Care ought to be taken, fays he, "that they are well clad, but without finery : "that they are defended against the wind, cold "and rain. In directing them, a * medium "fhould be obferved between too great indulgence and exceffive rigour, in order to make "them rather fear, than experience, feverities " and chastisements; and they should be pre"vented from doing amifs by diligence, and "their mafter's prefence: for good conduct "confifts in preventing, inftead of punishing, "faults. When they are fick, care fhould be Ibid. 1.12. "taken that they are well tended, and thatc. 1. "they want for nothing; which is the certain "means to make their business grateful to " them." He recommends alfo the fame ufage of flaves, who often worked laden with chains, and who were generally treated with great ri gour. What he fays with regard to the miftrefs of Colum. in a country-family, is very remarkable. Provi- præf. 1.12, dence, in uniting man and woman, intended they should be a mutual fupport to each other, and for that reafon affigned to each of them their peculiar functions. The man, defigned for bufinefs without doors, is obliged to expofe himself to heat and cold; to undertake voyages by fea, and journies by land; to fupport the labours of peace and war; that is, to apply himfelf to the works of the field, and in carrying arms; all exercifes, which require a body robuft, and capable of bearing fatigues. The woman, on the contrary, too weak to fuftain thefe offices, is referved for affairs within doors. The care of the house is confided to her; and as the proper qualities for her employment are The lands were cultivated by flavesi X 3 attention attention and exactitude, and fear renders us more exact and attentive, it was necessary that the woman fhould be more timorous. On the contrary, because the man acts and labours almoft always without doors, and is often obliged to defend himself against injuries, God has infufed boldness and courage into him. Hence * from all ages, both amongst the Greeks and Romans, the government of the houfe devolved upon the women, that their husbands, after having transacted their business abroad, might return to their houses free from all cares, and find a perfect tranquillity at home. This is what Horace defcribes fo elegantly in one of his odes †, which Dryden tranflates thus : But if a chafte, and pleafing wife, And order all things till he come, And unbought dainties of the poor, &c. The antients feem to have excelled themselves in treating this fubject, fo many fine thoughts and beautiful expreffions it fupplies. Mr. Rollin gives here a profe tranflation of the paffage at bottom, in the Georgicks; which, it was conceived, would be no lefs agreeable in Mr. Dryden's verfion. * O happy, if he knew his happy state, The fwain, who, free from business and debate, No palace, &c. But eafy, quiet, a fecure retreat, A harmless life, that knows not how to cheat, O fortunatos nimium, fua fi bona nôrint, At fecura quies, & nefcia fallere vita Dives opum variarum; at latis otia fundis, Virg. Georgic. 1. 2. |