104 ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book III. 



very little to do, and have confequently a great deal of leifure. 

 And, as they are, at the fame time, very well fed, they mufl: needs 

 be very profligate : And they verify the truth of that common fay- 

 ing among the Greeks, ov (r')(^o'kn S^ovKoig^ no le'ifure for Jlaves, And, 

 according to my obfervation, it is leifure, or the want of fomething 

 to do, that more than any thing elfe corrupts the manners of fer- 

 vants. 



Now, let us confider how the Greeks and Romans pafled. their 

 time and employed their leifure, compared with the way in which 

 the people of Britain pafs their time at prefent. The Romans, who 

 lived in the country, employed themfelves, as I have obferved, in 

 the moft healthy, and, I think, the moft pleafant of all occupations, 

 I mean agriculture ; and their holidays they pafled in the way Virgil 

 has defcribed, that is in military and athletic exercifes; and he adds, 

 that, by living fuch a life, the Sabines and Etrurians became eminent 

 nations, and Rome the finefl: city in the world*. And, indeed, 

 when to the occupation of agriculture is joined the exercife of arms, 

 as it was among the Romans, I think both together make a moft 

 pleafant, as well as a mofl: healthy and ufeful life. 



As to thofe who lived in town, they had palsefl:ras in the days 

 of Au;_^aftus ; and at all times they had their Campus Martins, in 

 which they pradlifed different exercifes, and among others fwim- 

 ming, one of the moft healthy and ftrengthening exercifes: And even 

 the lov^er fort of people, after they had done their bufmefs, 



Poft decifa negotia, 



as Horace expreflies it, went and entertained themfelves in the Cam- 

 pus Martius f . 



* As 



* See p. 30. of this vol. 



f The pailage in Horace is in Epifl. 7. Book 2. where he tells the pleafajit ftory of 

 Philip and Vultcivii-. 



