io6 A V O Y A G E T O 



, '777; he received from us, have placed him in a more hazardous 



November. i r o 



fituation, with rclpech to his pcrfonal farety. Omai, from 

 being much careiled in England, loft fight of his original 

 condition; and never confidcred in wh/at manner his ac- 

 quifitions, cither of knovrledge or of riches, would be efti- 

 mated by his countrymen, at his return ; which were the 

 only things he could have to recommend him to them 

 now, more than before, and on which he could build either 

 his future greatnefs or happinefs. He feemed even to have 

 miftaken their genius in this rcfpecft ; and, in fome meafure, 

 to have forgotten their cuftoms ; otherwife he muft have 

 known the extreme difilculty there would be in getting 

 himfclf admitted as a perfon of rank, where there is, per- 

 haps, no inftance of a man's being raifcd from an inferior 

 ftation by the grcatefl merit. Rank feems to be the very 

 foundation of all diftin6lion here, and, of its attendant, 

 power; and fo pertinacioufly, or rather blindly adhered' 

 ro, that, uniefs a perfon has fome degree of ir, he will 

 certaiiily be defpifcd and hated, if he aflumes the ap- 

 pearance of exercifmg any authority. This was realljr 

 the cale, in fome meafure; with Omai ; though his coun- 

 trymen were pretty cautious of cxpreffing their fenti- 

 ments while wo remained amongft them. Had he made 

 a proper ufe of the prefents he brought with him front 

 England, this, with the knowle<]ge he had acquired by tra- 

 velling fo far, might have enabled him to form the moft 

 ufeful connexions. Dut we have given too many inilances, 

 \n the courCc of our narrative, of his childifh inattention to 

 this obvious means of advancing his intercft. His fchcmes 

 fcemcd to be of a higher, thougli ridiculous nature ; in- 

 deed, I might fay, meaner ; for revenge, rather than a 

 dcfire of becoming great, appeared to ad:uatc him from the 



beginning;^ 



