214 ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book II. 



by public authority in which they were taught. It is true, that 

 there were men among the Greeks, who were great philofophers, 

 and were willing to communicate their difcoveries to any who chofe 

 to be their hearers. But they had no encouragement from the pub- 

 lic, nor was any man obliged to be their fcholar. So that it is true 

 what Diodorus Siculus obferves, that, in Greece, it was by accident 

 if a man happened to get a tafte for philofophy, that he applied to 

 it. And, not only were the philofophers in Egypt taught in the 

 way I have defcribed, but every art and profeffion, even the mean- 

 eft and moft illiberal : So that I have no doubt, that even thefe arts 

 in Egypt were carried to the greateft perfedion. There was one of 

 them, which is reckoned a great curiofity among us, the hatching 

 of chickens and other birds without the incubation of the female. 

 This was practifed in Egypt, and muft have very much increaf- 

 ed the breed of fowls. 



Thus it appears, that nature in Egypt was always affifted by edu- 

 cation ; and, indeed, they ought never to be feparated : Otherwife 

 there will be nothing perfect in the charaders of men. And it is the 

 want of the union of thefe two, that is the great imperfe£tion in all 

 the governments we know, or have heard of, except the Egyptian, 

 or Indian, which was derived from it. And this is one of the prin- 

 cipal reafons, among others, which makes me think the Egyptian 



polity not only the beft that ever exifted, but better than any of 

 thofe imaginary polities that have been devifed by philofophers, 

 fuch as thofe of Plato and Ariftotle. 



Having faid fo much of the education of the people of Egypt, it 

 will be proper to add fomething concerning their manner of living, 

 and to inquire whether that was fit to make them excel in their 

 feveral arts and profeffions. And, firft, as to their priefts and phi- 

 lofophers, they had every thing furniflied to them, which they 



wanted. 



