PAUL AND VIRGINIA. I35 



*"• every body will thwart you there, becaufe every 

 ** body piques himfelf on his underftanding. You 

 " will ferve Mankind, fay you ? But the perfon 

 " who produces them a fingle (heaf of corn from 

 " the ground, does them a far more profitable fer- 

 ** vice than he who gives them a book.** 



Paul. 

 *' Oh ! (he who planted this papaya has given 

 " the inhabitants of thefe forefts, a much more 

 " ufeful and delightful prefent, than if (he had 

 *' given them a library :" and as he fpake, he took 

 the tree in his arms, and kiffed it with tranfport. 



The Old Man. 

 ** The beft book that ever was written, which 

 '* inculcates only thedodrinesof friendlhip, eqiia- 

 ** lity, humanity, and concord, namely, the Gof- 

 ** pel, has ferved, for many ages pad, as a pretext 

 " for the ravages of European cruelty. How many 

 " public and private tyrannies are daily pradtifed 

 " on the Earth, in it's name! After that, who can 

 *' flatter himfelf with the hope of being ufeful to 

 " Mankind by a book ? Call to mind what has 

 *' been the fate of moft of thofe Philofophers, who 

 *' preached up wifdom to Man. Horner^ who 

 ** clothed it in verfes fo beautiful, was reduced to 

 •' beg his bread all his life long. SocrateSy who 

 " gave to the Athenians fuch excellent lelTons of 



K 4 " it. 



