It3 



Bello Jugurtliino,* says, Africam, imtio habuere Getuli 4- 

 Libyes, Asperi incultiqite— hi neque moribus, neqm lege aut im- 

 perio ciijusquam regebantur ; vagi, pahuifes, qjfas nox coegerat 

 sedes habebant. — Nay, the ancient inhabitants of Italy, Sal- 

 lust tells us were savages,f for he calls them. Genus hominum 

 acrreste, sine legibus, sine imperio liber urn at que solutinn. 



Such savages exist even at this day in Asia, America, 

 Africa and Europe. The principal circumstances that re- 

 gard the most remarkable of these 1 shall briefly mention, 

 and shew, that though most, if not all of these are, through 

 God's benignant providence, content and satisfied with then- 

 desolate state, yet that it cannot be denominated happi/, 

 much less the happiest, is an undertaking that might well be 

 thought superfluous, if not ridiculous, if the contrary had 

 not been maintained by the most powerful and imposing 

 orator that perhaps ever existed. ;]: His paradox I shall, m 

 the sequel minutely consider. 



Before I proceed further I feel it necessary to remove a 

 mistake that has generally prevailed, in considering the con- 

 dition of savages; it consists in confounding content with 

 happiness ; and as many savage tribes are content with their 

 situation, it is inferred that they are happy. In what that 

 VOL. XI. Q happiness 



• Cap. 18. t De Bello Catalin. Cap. 6. 



+ Jean Jacques Rousseau, in his treatise, Sur I'origine de I'inegalite parrai les hosames. 



