382 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



can be more effectual, than thatqf 

 doing praise-worthy actions, which 

 reHect honor on those wlio gave 

 us our education ; or more be- 

 coming, than that of manifesting, 

 by some publicexpression or token, 

 that it is to their instruction and 

 example we ascribe the merit of 

 those actions. 



But the absurdity of descending 

 honors is not a mere matter of 

 philo.^ophical opinion, it is capable 

 of mathematical demonstration. A 

 man's son, for instance, is but 

 half of his family, the other half 

 belonging to the family of his 

 wife. His son too, marrying into 

 another family, his shaie in the 

 grandson is but a fourth ; in the 

 great grandson, by the same pro- 

 cess, it is but an eighth. In the 

 next generation a sixteenth ; the 

 next a thijty-second ; the next a 

 sixty- fouith; the next an hundred 

 and twenty-eighth ; the next a 

 two hundred and lifty-sixtli ; and 

 the next a five hundred and twelfth : 

 thus in nine generations, which 

 will not require more than 300 

 years, (no very great antiquity for 

 a family) our present Chevalier of 

 the order of Cincinnatus's shai'e 

 in the then existing kniglit, will 

 be but a 512th part; which, 

 allowingthepresent certain fidelity 

 of American ^^ ives to be insured 

 down through all those nine ge- 

 nerations, is so small a consideia- 

 tion, that nietliin!;s no I'easonr.ble 

 m:ui would hazard for the sake of 

 it, the disagreeable consequences 

 of the jealo::sy, envy, and ill-will 

 of his countrymen. 



Let us go bacic with our calcu- 

 lation from this young noble, the 

 51*2111 part of the present knight, 

 thj"ough his nine generations, till 

 we I'eturn to the year of the in- 

 stitution. He must have had a 



father and mother, they are two ; 

 each of them had a father and 

 mother, they are four. Those of 

 the next preceding generation will 

 be eight, the next sixteen, the 

 next thirty-two, the next sixty- 

 four, the next one hundred and 

 twenty-eight, the next two-hun- 

 dred and iifty-six, and the ninth in 

 this retiocession five hundred and 

 twelve, who must be now existing, 

 and all contribute their propor- 

 tion of tliis future Chevalier de 

 Cincinnatus. These, with the rest, 

 make together as follows : 

 2 

 4 

 8 

 16 

 S<2 

 64 

 128 

 256" 

 512 



Total. . . 1022 



One thousand and twenty-two 

 men and women, contributors to 

 the formation of one knight. And 

 if we are to have a thousand of 

 these future knights, there must 

 be now and hereafter existing one 

 nuUion and twenty-two thousand 

 fathers and mothers, who are to 

 contribute to their production, 

 unless a part of the number are 

 employed in making more knights 

 than one. Let us strike off then 

 tlie 22,000 on the supposition of 

 this double em])lo,y, and then con- 

 sider whether, after a reasonable 

 estimation oft he number of rogues, 

 and fools, and scoundrels, and 

 prostitutes, that are mixed with, 

 and help to make up necessarily 

 their million of piedecessors, pos- 

 terity will have much reason to 

 boast of the noble blood of the 



then 



