135 



rather different languages. Of this imaginary state, Lucre- 

 tius, lib. V. 923. gives an enchanting description ; and indeed 

 it is admirably suited to the wild delirious excursions of poetic 

 fancy ; but that the belief of its existence and superior hap- 

 piness should seriously be obtruded on the common sense 

 of mankind towards the middle of the i8th century, would 

 surely not be credited, had not its existence been confi- 

 dently supported with astonishing eloquence and subtlety 

 by the famous Jean Jacques Rousseau, in a prize discourse 

 on the origin of the inequality among men, offered to a 

 French provincial academy. His discourse did not indeed 

 obtain the prize, yet it made so deep an impression on the 

 minds of many, that Mr. De la Harpe affirms it mainly con- 

 contributed to excite that frenzy which a few years afterwards 

 desolated France.* And this seems also to have been the 

 opinion of Mr. Volney ; for he thinks that if Rousseau had 

 written in favour of civilization, " he would have prevented, 

 *' or counterbalanced the false and extravagant bias, the 

 " sad consequences of which have been exhibited to us 

 " within these few years.-f" 



As in this discourse Rousseau affirms not only that man- 

 kind originally and during many ages existed in this lowest 

 imaginable state of savage life; but also that while in that 

 state they have since been in a civilized state, it naturally 



falls 



• Cours de Liter, vol. 16. p. 337. 

 f Volney's View of America, p. 440.' English Edition. 



