STUDY XIII. 109 



livelihood, are under no temptation to infringe 

 them. It is farther worthy of remark, that though 

 they have gained millions by printing all our ex- 

 travagances in morals, in politics, and in religion, 

 neither their opinions nor their moral conduft have 

 been affeded by it, becaufe the people are con- 

 tented with their condition. Crimes fpring up 

 only from the extremes of indigence and opulence. 



When I was at Mofcow, an aged Genevois, 

 who had lived in that city from the days of 

 Peter I. informed me, that from the time they had 

 opened to the people various channels of fubfift- 

 ence, by the eftabliOiments of manufaâiures and 

 commerce, feditions, affaffinations, robberies, and 

 wilful fires, had become much lefs frequent than 

 they ufed to be. Had there not been at Rome 

 multitudes of miferable wretches, no Catiline wovàà 

 have ftarted up there. The police, I admit, pre- 

 vents at Paris very alarming irregularities. Nay, 

 it may be with truth affirmed, that fewer crinies 

 are committed in that capital, than in the other 

 cities of the kingdom, in proportion to their po- 

 pulation ; but the tranquillity of the common 

 people in Paris is to be accounted for, from their 

 finding there readier means of fubfiftence, than in 

 the other cities of the kingdom, becaufe the rich 

 of all the provinces fix their refidence in the me- 

 tropoli"?. After all, the expenfe of our police, in 



guards, 



