»t792» political progrefs of Britain. 223 



stituted as to be able to protect individuals, and p reserve 

 good order, even where vices and errors subsist among 

 both the governing, and the governed. An institution 

 •which necefsarily supposes that virtue must undoubtedly 

 prevail among the one or the other, is by no means cal- 

 culated for man in an advanced stage of civil society, 

 nor can such a form of government any whei c subsist, 

 for a continuance of time. Our businefs, therefc ro;, ought 

 to be, never to hope to extirpate vice, — to eradicate error, — 

 nor to be able to lop away every species ot corruption; 

 but to correct errors in the best way we can, wheiever 

 we discover them, — to lefsen the influence of vice, and to 

 moderate the efiPects of corruption. Had the writer of 

 these efsays bestowed as much attention on the influence 

 that the corruption and vices of the lower ranks of the 

 community produce, or would produce, if unrestrained, 

 as he has done with regard to those of the higher orders \ 

 and had he with a patient discrimination suggested the means 

 by which the one and the other might have been effectually 

 moderated, he would have conferred an ef-sential benefit on 

 mankind. As he has omitted to do this, the efsays can have 

 no other good tendency, but to rouse the attention of the rea- 

 tier to a few objects that surely highly deserve his notice. 

 These things fhould have been done, and the others not left 

 undone. It is extremely doubtful however, if much good 

 can result from this kind oi partial investigation. To a mind 

 warmed by philanthropy, and illuminated by knowledge, it 

 would seem that an effectual cure fhould be ready pre- 

 scribed before the wound is probed*, otherwise, it is like 

 opening a sluice, before a channel has been prepared to 

 receive the superabundant water. In that case it must 

 jicca ion infinite havoc before it can work out a natural 

 channel for itself. But it is an easy matter to point out 

 errors 3 it refjuires talents of a very different kind to com- 



