174 ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book H. 



Further, whatever is from God and Nature is perfed of the kind. 

 Now, whatever is perfed, or beft, is but one : Nor can we con- 

 ceive two ftates of the fiime thing different from one another, and yet 

 each of them beft, and moft perfeO:. To what is perfect, therefore, 

 nothing can be added, nor any thing taken from it : Neither can 

 there be any alteration in it, but for the worfe. Every thing, there- 

 fore, that has been added by human art, taken away or altered, 

 with refpect to the animal life of man, muft be for the worfe. 



And thus, I think, I have proved, not only from the effed but 

 from the caufe, and from the firft of all caufes, that all thofe 

 inventions, by which we think that we have improved human life 

 fo much, are truly no improvements, at leaft of our animal part, but 

 quite the contrary. 



But there is a great diftindion to be made among thefe inven- 

 tions : For, if we had only fought protedion from the weather 

 in the hollows of trees, as the New Hollanders do, or, even if we 

 had built houfes, and carried about with us that little, clofe houfe, 

 which we call clothes — nay, further, if we had made ufe of fire to 

 heat our houfes, and had even prepared our viduals with fire, the 

 decline would not have gone on near fo faft, if we had continued to 

 feed upon the natural fruits of the earth : But, when we began to 

 feed upon artificial fruits, raifed, by the art of agriculture, from 

 duno-, (whereas the natural fruits arife from the natural manure of 

 corrupted vegetables, which give to the earth an inexhauftible ferti- 

 lity *), the decline went on much faftcr ; and fafter ftill, when we 



took 



* I am well informed, that, in fome of the iflands in the Weft Indies, when the 

 ground was firft broke up, it yielded 30 crops of fugar running, without manure, 

 or change of the plant, whereas, in fome iflands that have been much cultivated, 

 fuch as Barbadoes, they are obliged to manure and change the plant every year. 

 This 1 learned from a gentleman of the name of Simpfon, who was employed by 

 Government to furvey the iflands ceded to us by the peace 1763. 



