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it with foreft trees, which would be many 

 years in coming to perfection j and for the 

 fake of a few deer, turn adrift fo large a body 

 of his induflrious fubjecTis, who might have 

 contributed fo much to the increafe of his 

 revenues *. 



Voltaire's conclufion may be juft : but his 

 reafoning is certainly ill-founded. It proceeds 

 on the improbability of fo wide a defolation; 

 whereas it might have proceeded better on 

 the impoflibility of it. For how could William 

 have fpread fuch depopulation in a country, 

 which, from the nature of it, muft have 

 been from the ftrft very thinly inhabited? 

 The ancient Ytene was undoubtedly a woody 

 tract long before the times of William, 

 Voltaire's idea therefore of planting a forejl 

 is abfurd, and is founded on a total ignorance 

 of the country. He took his ideas merely 

 from a French foreft, which is artificially 

 planted, and laid out in viftas, and alleys. 

 It is probable, that William rather opened 

 his chaces. by cutting down wood ; than that 

 he had occafion to plant more. Befides, tho 

 the internal ftrata of the foil of New-forefl 



* Se his abridgment of univerfal hiftory. 



B 3 are 



