which fingle inftance of the state of this most neceffary art, in those times and places; as well as its first rudiments, in like manner described by an able judget; we may, I think, be pretty well fatisfied in what condition the reft then were, in other L.i. In embalming, the body was opened with much ceremony; the perfon who performed it, fled as foon as he had done his office, and all who were prefent purfued him with ftones, as one who had incurred the public malediction, For the Egyptians regarded with horror every one who offered any violence to a human body. Goguet, Part i. B. iii. c. 1. Art. ii. The fame fuperftition prevails among the Chinese. See Lett. Edif. T. xvii. p. 389. T. xxi. p. 147, &c. T. xxvi, P. 26. A tolerable account of the ancient ftate of phyfic, may be seen in a note to p. 85. of Young's Hift. Diff. Vol. II. Add Harle's Eff. p. 80, &c. or Barchufen de Medicine Orig. et Progr. Differt. i. et xviii. or D. Le Clerc, Hift. Phyf. paffim. - Hæc + Celfus inventionem artis fcienter ponit, L. i. fcribens, - Notarunt ægrorum qui fine medicis erant, alios propter aviditatem primis diebus cibum protinus fumpfiffe, alios propter faftidium abftinuiffe; et levatum magis morbum eorum qui abftinuiffent: itemque alios in ipfa febre aliquid ediffe, alios paulo ante eam, alios poft remiffionem ejus; et optime iis ceffiffe qui poft finem febris id feciffent. fimiliaque cum quotidie inciderent, diligentes homines talia animadvertentes ad extremum perceperunt quæ ægrotantibus utilia forent. Sic Medicinam ortam inter omnes conftat.' C. Celf. ap Pol. Verg. de R. I. L. i. c. 20. Comp. Quintil. L. ii. c. 18. Add Wotton, Ref. c. 26. p. 341, &c. 2d. Ed. Max. Tyr. Diff. xl. 234. Barchufen, Diff. i. iii. p. 11, &c. How fimple the beginnings of this art were, may be observed by the story or tradition of Æfculapius going about the country with a dog and a fhe-goat always following him; both which he used much in his cures; the firft for licking all ulcerated wounds; and goat's milk for diseases of the ftomach and lungs. We find little more recorded of either his methods or medicines; though he was fo fuccessful by his fkill, or fo admired for the novelty of his profeffion, as to have been honoured with ftatues, esteemed fon of Apollo, and worshipped as a god.' Temple's Works, Vol. I. p. 280. This obfervation feems to come with fome weight from fo profeffed an admirer of all that relates to the ancients. To which we may add, that the very notion of a god of phyfic, with his feveral temples and their apparatus, will demonftrate the low ftate in which that art muft be; fince his priests and practitioners, who were to keep up his credit by performing now and then fomething extraordinary, if they could have done many real cures, would never have needed to recur to fo much fuperftition, artifice, and juggle, as was practifed all along, while fuch a notion fubfifted. Vid. Le Clerc on Efculapius, Hift. Ph. 5. 28, &c. of the ancient anatomy, ib. 104, 125. of chemistry, p. 146. other parts of the world; as also of their gradual improvements fince in all respects *. Many are indeed carried on much fafter in fome countries than in others; and fome now and then are brought to so great perfection in one country, as to feem almost incapable of any increase, for several ages; which proves against an exact, equable improvement under each period, and in each particular; which never was contended for: but is no argument against improvement in general; much lefs, any evidence that thefe See Nicholl's Conf. Parti. p. 81, 82. 1ft Ed. or Goguet de L'Origine des Loix, des Arts, et des Sciences, &c. Paris, 1758. Edin. burgh, 1761. Part i. B. iii. and Partii. B. iii, c. 2. Art. i. We may obferve, that the progress of the arts and sciences in the first ages, was exceeding flow, even among thofe nations who purfued them with the greatest conftancy and keenness. The tedious imperfect methods they had of communicating their thoughts, muft have formed a very great obftacle to the improvement of human knowledge. For many ages mankind knew no better ways of writing, than painting and hieroglyphics. Both thefe ways of writing are extremely defective: They are capable only of representing fenfible objects: Symbols are quite unfit for communicating, with precifion, abftract ideas. For which reason, mathematics in particular could make but little progress, till after the invention of alphabetical writing. This invention has, no doubt, contributed infinitely to the perfection and progrefs of the sciences. Yet at first, its utility must have been inconfiderable. It is only by communicating their ideas, that men can improve their difcoveries. But the mere invention of letters was not fufficient for this purpose. They wanted fome kind of matter, flexible and eafily transported, on which they might write long difcourfes with eafe and expedition: this was not difcovered till long after. Marble, stone, brick, metals, wood, &c. were at firft used for writing, or rather engraving upon. When fo much time was neceflary to write a few fentences, it could not be expected that the fciences fhould make a very rapid progrefs. Befides, thefe kinds of books could not be tranfported from place to place, but with great difficulty. Accordingly we find, that the sciences remained in a state of great imperfection among all the ancient nations. - Human knowledge has made greater progrefs within these laft hundred years, than in all antiquity; which is chiefly owing to the expeditious and eafy methods we have of communicating and publishing all our discoveaies.' ib, c. 2. Art, vi. p. 275. thefe grow daily worfe: and notwithstanding this, or other limitations, which might be admitted; yet from fome of the great outlines of nature; from plain appearances, in many remarkable æras, and most confiderable events; we seem to have still ground fufficient to conclude, that on the whole they are, and always have been, in the main, progreffive. Now this progrefs in arts, will neceffarily bring with it a proportionable improvement of all the other natural advantages; as health, ftrength, plenty, and politenefs: each of them tend, in some respect or other, to improve and adorn the face of nature; and lead us to apply its laws to our respective uses, much more effectually, than could be obtained without them. By them we are enabled to reap its feveral benefits, in ways more eafy and compendious; with lefs time, labour, and expence: the world is stocked more plentifully with inhabitants; and each of them supported in a way more elegant, and advantageous to itself, and all around it. In short, every thing in life becomes more comfortable, and commodious; and life itself may be faid to attain a longer date, by means of both a better, and more early education*. That this has been the cafe in later ages, There is a fenfe in which these latter generations in general have the advantage of the ancients, and in which they may be faid to out-live them viz. in that they live more in lefs time. It is a common obfervation, that children ripen and become men fooner in thefe latter ages, than formerly they did. Notwithstanding our prejudices in other refpects, we esteem fo well of ourselves in this, that we think we are more knowing in every fcience and profeffion of life, and more capable of bufinefs than our ancestors, not far back ages, feems too clear to be denied by any, who will be at the leaft trouble to compare them with the most extravagant account of former ones †. 'Tis no great compliment to the present times to fay, we are improved in every manual art, as well as thofe of government (a), the focial ones, and backwards, were at double our age. And in confirmation hereof, fome traces in Scripture may be observed, whereby it appears, that the ftate of childhood continued much longer in the infancy of the world, than at prefent; and feemed to bear proportion to the greater length of men's lives. And the fame is obferved by heathen authors. Worth. Eff. p. 422, 423. In other claffes of animals, the individual advances from infancy to age or maturity; and he attains, in the compafs of a fingle life, to all the perfections his nature can reach: but in the human kind, the fpecies has a progrefs as well as the individual; they build in every fubfequent age on foundations formerly laid; and in a fucceffion of years tend to a perfection in the application of their faculties, to which the aid of long experience is required, and to which many generations must have combined their endeavours.' Fergufon, Effay on the Hift. of Civil Society. p. 7. • When nations fucceed one another in the career of inquiries and discoveries, the laft is always the moft knowing. Syftems of science are gradually formed. The globe itself is traverfed by degrees, and the hiftory of every age when paft is an acceffion of knowledge to thofe who fucceed. The Romans were more knowing than the Greeks; and every scholar of modern Europe is, in this fenfe, more learned than the most accomplished person that ever bore either of thofe celebrated names.' ib. p. 44. + When men began to unite into focieties, to cloath themfelves, and build cottages, and apply themselves to agriculture; the perfons who fell upon the firft hints of thefe rude contrivances, were efteemed fuch mighty benefactors to mankind, that they could never fufficiently exprefs their gratitude to them. Hence they were made immortal, and divine honours were paid to them; and hence it is well known arofe the godfhip of Jupiter, Bacchus, Minerva, Ceres, and the reft of that tribe of deities: but there is not a plough-boy now, that would not have been a god, even to Jupiter himself; had he lived in his days, with his prefent skill in hufbandry.' Had the myflery of printing been invented in ancient times, Guttenberg of Mentz might have been a god of higher efteem throughout Germany, than Mercury, or Jupiter himself.' [Worth. Eff. p. 169.] Which we cannot think improbable, fince his affiftant Fuff or Fauft, attained the title of conjurer for it, in fo late times, and fuch a place as Paris. (a) The modern governments, at least in Europe, are better calculated for the general good of the governed, which is now known to be the only end of government; than the ancient ones were. The world and even our very elegancies and amusements *: the 6 world being divided into smaller kingdoms and states, these become checks upon each other, and by their mutual vigilance, the mifchievous defigns of each afpiring Prince is with more ease and safety curbed or punished. [That all great empires degrade and debafe the human fpecies, v. Robertson, Hift. Ch. V. p. 3, &c.] The balance of Power is kept up amongst them in general, as well as in most of the feparate conftitutions, by a due mixture of liberty, the grand prefervative of public fpirit, and beft excitement to each private virtue. That horrid spirit of heroism, and defire of conqueft, feems to be pretty well extinguished; thofe deadly feuds, and defolating factions, are in a great measure abated: and if at present there are fewer revolutions in Chriftendom, 'tis, because the principles of found morality are more univerfally known; men are lefs favage and fierce, and their understanding is better cultivated; and perhaps all this is owing to men of learning, who have polifhed Europe. Exam. of Machiavel's Prince, p. 18, 19. 'We begin to be cured of Machiavelifm, and recover from it every day. More moderation is become neceffary in the councils of princes. What would formerly have been called a mafter-stroke in politics, would be now, independent of the horror it might occafion, the greatest imprudence. Happy is it for men that they are in a fituation, in which, though their paffions prompt them to be wicked, it is however for their intereft to be humane and virtuous.' Montefquieu, Spirit of Laws, B. xxi. c. 16. Add Worthington's obfervations on this fubject, Eff. c. 8. p. 173, &c. Ferguson, Eff. p. 201. and Hume, Pol. Difc. xi. who makes it appear, that human nature in general enjoys more liberty at prefent, in the most arbitrary government of Europe, than it ever did during the most flourishing period of ancient times. See alfo his Hift. of Eng. Vol. II. which gives fufficient ground for the following obfervation. Those who, from a pretended refpect to antiquity, appeal at every turn to an original plan of the conftitution; only cover their turbulent fpirit, and their private ambition, under the appearance of venerable forms; and whatever period they pitch on for their model, they may still be carried back to a more ancient period, where they will find the meafures of power entirely different; and where every circumftance, by reafon of the greater barbarity of the times, will appear ftill lefs worthy of imitation. Above all, a civilized nation, like the English, who have happily established the most perfect and most accurate fyftem of liberty, that ever was found compatible with government; ought to be cautious of appealing to the practice of their ancestors, or regarding the maxims of uncultivated ages, as certain rules for their prefent conduct. ib. c. 23. fin. Comp. Various Profpects of Mankind, &c. p. 94. Goguet on the imperfection of ancient Governments, Vol. II:. B. vi. fin. and Bp. Ellys on that of our own. Tracts on Liberty, Pt. ii. or King's Effay on the Eng. Conftitution, p. 3, &c. where a just account is given of the several conflitutions now in Europe. * See Worth. Eff. p. 210, or Priestley Pref. to Hift. of Electricity, |