-o ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book IL 



The Hurons, when Gabriel Sagard, (an author of whom I 

 liave given an account in the Firll Volume of the Origin and 

 Progrefs of Language *), was among them in 1630, were no 

 better clotlied. The children, he fays, were brought up quite 

 naked, and left to tumble among the fnow, and yet were per- 

 fedly healthy and ftrong, and no difeafe or deformity to be feen a- 

 mono- them. He faw, in that part of the world, a vagrant nation, 

 the men of which were abfolutely naked, and the women had only 

 a cindure of Ikins about their middle, p. 77. Now, it is well known, 

 that, in that part of North America, the winters are very much more 

 fevcre than in this country. 



The Efquimaux men, who inhabit a very much colder climate, 

 have no other clothing but one coat of feal fkin, yet they have no 

 colds or rheumatifms; and, according to my information, are very 

 much healthier than v/e are, though their diet be the moft wretched 

 that can be imagined, and the moft unnatural, one fhould think, for 

 a land animal, or, indeed, for any animal ; for they live for the 

 greater part upon ftinking fifh and train oil. 



The common objedion made to man's going naked, is a very fri- 

 volous one, viz. that he has not a fur like a bear. But how do we 

 know that he requires as much heat as a bear? There are fome ani- 

 mals whofe conftitutions require a great degree of cold, fuch as the 

 rein deer, whofe native country is the coldeft countries of Europe, 

 fuch as Lapland and Greenland. There are others which require a 

 great deal of heat, fucH as the elephant, who is an inhabitant of the 

 Ton id Zone ; but Man, as he is the greateft compound we know in 

 nature, fo he is mixed alfo in this refped, and participates of the 

 nature of the animals both of the cold and hot regions, being in- 

 tended by Nature to live in both. He therefore agrees either with 

 cold or heat, but more, I think, with cold than with heat; and, ac- 



cordino;lv, 



* Page 471' 



