STUDY XII. 83 



©fity, ^* It was I," fays he, " who obferved it 

 "^ firfl:." Then, if he happens to be a Scholar, he 

 fails not to apply his fyftem to it. By and by he 

 begins to calculate how much this difcovery will 

 bring him in ; he throws in fome additional cir- 

 cumftances, in order to heighten the appearance 

 of the marvellous, and he employs the whole 

 credit of his junto to puff it off, and to perfecute 

 every one who prefumes to differ from him in opi- 

 nion. Thus, every natural fentiment elevates us 

 to God, till the weight of our pafïïons, and of 

 human inftitutions, brings us back again to felf. 

 y. y. RouJJeau was, accordingly, in the right, when 

 he faid that Man was good, but that men were 

 wicked. 



It was the inflinâ: of Deity which firfl affembled 

 men together, and which became the bafis of the 

 Religion and of the Laws whereby their union was 

 to be cemented. On this it was that virtue found 

 a fupport, in propofing to herfelf the imitation of 

 the Divinity, not only by the exercife of the Arts 

 and Sciences, which the ancient Greeks, for this 

 efîeét, denominated the petty virtues ; but in the 

 refult of the divine power and intelligence, which 

 is beneficence. It conlifled in efforts made upon 

 Gurfelves, for the good of Mankind, in the view of 

 pleafing God only. It gave to Man the fentiment 



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