222 ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book IT. 



among them. — The Ethiopian Kings to be confidered as of the fame 

 country.— Proof of the perfedion of the Government of Egypt, is 

 the duration of the fame Government in India, notivithfianding all 

 the conquefh that have been made in that country. — People in In- 

 dia divided in the fame manner as in Egypt. — The Hindoos of In- 

 dia, a very happy people. — ^ntient Egypt to be confideted as pre- 

 ferved in India. — The prefent flat e of Egypt, compared ivith the 

 antient, jnofl lamentable. 



IN the preceding chapter I have given the general plan of the 

 Egyptian Conftitution and Government. In this chapter, I 

 propofe to make fome obfervations upon it, which I hope will con- 

 vince the reader, if he be not already convinced, that it was the 

 moft perfedt form of government that ever exifted, and even more 

 perfedl than thofe imaginary forms, which the Greek philofophers 

 devifed, but which were never executed. 



And, in the firfl place, I think I have proved very clearly, that 

 the Egyptian polity had not that fault, which I have obferved in the 

 heroic governments of Greece, of giving the people too much power ; 

 for there it was they, who ultimately determined every thing ; and in 

 fome of the ftates in Greece, in later times, all diftindion was abo- 

 lifhed betwixt the different ranks and orders of men, and the 

 Joweft of the people governed as much as the higheft. Now the 

 people in all countries muft neceffarily confift, for the greater part, 

 of the third divifion of men mentioned by Hefiodjthat is, of men 

 who can neither give good counfel, nor will take it. It is, there- 

 fore, not to be wondered, that though they fometimes got good 

 counfel from their orators, they did not take it : And it was a moft 

 fenfible obfervation of a Scythian, who came to Greece, that the 



•wife 



