Account of 
De Smith, 
112 HISTORY of the SOCIETY. 
metals from Sparta, are propofed by many of them as the moft 
perfect model of legiflation devifed by human wifdom.—How 
oppofite ‘to this is the do@rine of modern politicians ! Far from 
confidering poverty as an advantage to a ftate, their great aim 
is to open new fources of national opulence, and to animate 
the activity of all claffes of the people by a tafte for the com- 
forts and accommodations of life. 
One principal caufe of this difference between the fpirit of 
ancient and of modern policy, may be found in the difference 
between the fources of national wealth in ancient and in mo- 
dern times. In ages when commerce and manufactures were 
yet in their infancy, and among ftates conftituted like moft 
of the ancient republics, a fudden influx of riches from 
abroad was juftly dreaded as an evil, alarming to the mo- 
rals, to the induftry, and to the freedom of a people. So 
different, however, is the cafe at prefent, that the moft wealthy 
nations are thofe where the people are the moft laborious, 
and where they enjoy the greateft degree of liberty. Nay, 
it was the general diffufion of wealth among the lower orders 
of men, which firft gave birth to the fpirit of independence in 
modern Europe, and which has produced under fome of its 
governments, and efpecially under our own, a more equal 
diffufion of freedom and of happinefs than took place under 
the moft celebrated conftitutions of antiquity. 
Wiruourt this diffufion of wealth among the lower orders, 
the important effects refulting from the invention of printing 
would have been extremely limited ; for a certain degree of 
eafe and independence is neceflary to infpire men with the de- 
fire of knowledge, and to afford them the leifure which 1s re- 
quifite for acquiring it; and it is only by the rewards which 
fuch a ftate of fociety holds up to induftry and ambition, that 
the felfifh paffions of the multitude can be interefted in the in- 
telletual improvement of their children. The extenfive pro- 
2 pagation 
