176 ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Boole IT. 



That men, before they were civillfed, lived inlierds, and copulat- 

 ed promifcuoufly like cattle, I think I have proved by fads both anti- 

 ent and modern, that can not be controverted *. And I think froni 

 reafon and principles, fetting afide fadls, it is evident that an animal, 

 who had not yet the uft^ but only the capacity ^ of intelledt, fliould 

 live in the natural way in which all animals live that are not beafts 

 of prey. But this life muft have produced much diforder among 

 animals of fo many paflions and appetites as men. It was therefore 

 very natural, that fome (hould feparate from the herd, taking with 

 them one or more females and their children. And thus was con- 

 ftituted the family fociety, in which I believe men lived for feveral 

 ages before civil fociety was conftituted. In this way the families of 

 Abraham and Lot lived in the plains of Afia. In the fame way 

 Homer tells us, that the Cyclops lived in Sicily, every man, as he 

 fays, governing his own wife and children : And in the fame way 

 the people of Chili live at this dayt; and llkewife a people at a 

 v£ry great diftance from them, the Samoeids J. 



That detached families fhould, for the purpofe of carrying on any 

 joint work, and of providing for the neceflaries of life, or from fomc 

 other motive of convenience, unite together and form a little ftate, 

 muft I think in procefs of time neceffarily have happened ; and, as 

 Charlevoix tells us, did adually happen in North America, where 

 the firft ftates, he fays, were formed by the Union of three families. 

 More families would naturally join the few ihat had firft aflbciated, 

 and for the fame reafons : And thus at laft a great number of fami- 

 lies would be aflbciated, which would make a regular polity, and 



form 



• Vol. I. of Origin of Language, Book 2. chap. 3, 



+ Frefier, in his account of South America. 



X This faft I have learned from a book, of which I got the ufe from the King's 

 Library in London, entitled, « Memoire fur les Satnoeides et Lapons,' written by a 

 TrufTun, who was in exile for fome years at Archangel. 



