140 



7thly, Yet he owns that man is naturally benevolent. Here 

 there is a motive to assist his fellow man ; l)ut to what pur- 

 pose if his fellow savages never required his assistance, had 

 no language, and scarce ever met ? 



8thly, He affirms that men are depraved by society, which 

 necessitates them to hate each other; that individual interest 

 always opposes that of the social body. 



But that men should become depraved by combining to 

 assist each other is affirmed without any proof. The seller 

 and the buyer may perhaps have opposite interests with res- 

 pect to the object on sale, but assuredly they do not hate 

 each other as our orator pretends, but on the contrary, for 

 their mutual interests, wish the prosperity of each otiier. 

 The English merchants made large remittances to the Portu- 

 gese after the earthquake of 1755, which destroyed Lisbon. 

 The body of society is composed of individuals; its interest 

 is therefore the true interest of each. 



Yet he objects Pthly, that there is no lawful gain, but may 

 be exceeded by the unlawful, — 



This assertion, taken universally as it is laid down, is evi- 

 dently false : for on the contrary, unlawful gain, if univer- 

 sally practiced, would soon cease, for even a robber would 

 be robbed in his turn. The lawful is secure, the unlawful 

 precarious. 



10th, He 



