Chap.IX. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 223 



nature has no opinions of any kind, and particularly no opinions 

 concerning good or z7/, but is governed entirely, as the brutes are, by 

 inftind, that is, by Nature direding him to do the things neccflary 

 for the prefervation of the individual, or the continuation of the 

 kind ; whereas, all the adions of the civilized man, v^rhich can be 

 called human, his bad as well as his good, proceed from an opinion 

 oi good or ill in fuch adions. It is for this reafon that I do not be- 

 lieve, as I faid before *, that the Oran Outan is in the perfed natural 

 ftate, becaufe he does things that muft proceed, as I think, from fome 

 opinion formed of what is good or z7/, fuch as walking upright, u- 

 fing a ftick for a weapon, building, huts, carrying off Negroe bovs 

 and girls to ufe them as fervants ; and, above all, he fhows a fenfe 

 of honour, which diftinguilhes as much, or more than any thino- 

 elfe, the civilized man from the mere animal. And the reader may 

 here obferve a difference likewife among men in the civilized ftate : 

 For fuch of them as have not perfeded their intelledual faculties 

 fo much as to be philofophers, have only opinions concerning good 

 or ill in human life, which, as I obferved before, may be either 

 right or wrong f, and, if wrong, are the fource of all vice and 

 folly, and confequently of all the miferles of human life ; whereas 

 thofe of them who are philofophers, ha-yejcience^ or certain know^- 

 ledge of what is good or ill. 



I come now to what is to be the principal fubjed of this chapter 

 viz. To inquire whether mankind can be numerous in the natural 

 ftate? 



And I think they cannot : Firji, Becaufe it Is impoflible that many 

 men in a country can be fupported upon the natural fruits of the 

 earth merely : And, accordingly, we know of no country that is in 



the 



* Page 202. 



t See Page 203. 



