74 



STUDIES OF NATURE, 



ihe always fuffers him to perceive the immortal 

 confiftency of her plans. It is on this (he wifhes 

 to fix his heart and mind. She aims not at ren- 

 dering Man ingenious and proud; her object is 

 to render him good and happy. She univerfally 

 mitigates the evils which are neceffary ; and uni- 

 verially multiplies ble flings in many cafes fuper- 

 iluous. In her harmonies, formed of contraries, 

 fhe has oppofed the empire of death to that of 

 life y but life endures for a whole age, and death 

 only an inftant. She allows Man long to enjoy 

 the expanfions of beings, fo delightful to behold; 

 but conceals from him, with a precaution truly 

 maternal, their tranfient ftates of diflolution. 



If an animal dies ; if plants are decompounded 

 in a morafs, putrid emanations, and reptiles of a 

 difgufting form, chace us away from them. An 

 infinite number of fecondary beings are created 

 for the purpofe of haftening forward the decom- 

 pofitions. If cavernous mountains and rocks pre- 

 fent appearances of ruin ; owls, birds of prey, the 

 ferocious animals, which have made them their re- 

 treat, keep us at a diftance from them. Nature 

 drives far from us the fpedacles and the minifters 

 of deftruction, and allures us to her harmonies. 

 She multiplies them, in fubferviency to our necef- 

 iities, far beyond the Laws which fhe feems to 

 have prefcribed to herfelf, and beyond the mea- 



fure 



