NOTES. 433 



and even the produflions of the gramineous plants, fiich as the 

 ear of corn, bear them divided by fmooth fkins, under frail 

 capfules ; but the fruits which contain only a fingle feed, or 

 rarely two,, as the walnut, the hafel-nut, the almond, the cheft- 

 nut, the cocoa, and all the kernel fruits, fuch as the cherry, the 

 plumb, the apricot, the peach, bear it invelopped in veiy hard 

 capfules, of wood, of ftone, or of leather, conftrufted with admi- 

 rable art. Nature has fecured the prefervation of aggregated 

 feeds, by multiplying their little cells, and that of folitary feeds, 

 by fortifying their cafes. 



(28) 7^1? Arcadians 'were once more 7nifcrahle than the Gauls. It 

 would appear that the firft flate of Nations is the ftate of barbs- 

 rifm. We are almoft tempted to believe it, from the example 

 of the Greeks, prior to Orpheus ; of the Arcadians, under Ly- 

 caon ; of the Gauls, under the Druids : of the Romans, prior 

 to Numa ; and of almoft all the favage tribes of America. 



I am perfuaded that barbarifm is a malady incident to the in- 

 fancy of Nations, and that it is foreign to the nature of Man. It is 

 frequently a re-aftion merely of the ills which rifing Nations en 

 dure on the part of their enemies. Thefe ills infpire them with 

 a vengeance fo much the more fierce, in proportion as the Con- 

 ftitution of their State is more liable to fubverfion. Accordingly, 

 the fmall favage hordes of the New World, reciprocally eat the 

 prifoners taken in war, though the families of the fame clan live 

 together in the moft perfect union. For a fimilar reafon it is 

 that the feebler animals are much more vindiftive than the 

 powerful. The bee darts her lling into the hand of any one 

 who comes near her hive ; but the elephant fees the arrow of 

 the huntfman fly clofe to him, v.ithout turning afide out of hit. 

 I'oad. 



Barbarifm is, fometimes, introduced into a growing State, by 

 the individuals who join the afTociation. Such was, in it's firft 

 beginnings, that of the Roman People, partly formed of the ban- 

 ditti col lefted by i?o/KK/«j, and who did not begin to civilize till 

 the times of JVawza. In other cafes, it communicates itfelf, likc- 

 TOL. V. F f fhs 



