Chap. III. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 2^7 



yet, fays our author, all Italy, with refpedl to the number of men, 

 is not to be compared to one of the nations of Afia. This may fuf- 

 fice, he adds, for an anfwer to thofe, who, from the prefent defo- 

 lation of the earth, judge of the numbers of men in antient times*. 



But, fetting afide the authority of authors, I am convinced, from 

 the reafon of the thing, that men muft have multiplied very much 

 more in antient times, and in the firft ages of fociety, than they do 

 now: For, as they were ftrorger in body, — very much healthier, their 

 -diet and manner of life being more natural than ours, — all married 

 and begetting great numbers of children, few or none of which died 

 under age ; — it was impcffible, by the nature of things, that they 

 iTiould not multiply very much more than we of modern times. 



Thus much may fuffice for the population of the earth in antient 

 times, before our Saviour's coming. 



As to the population at that time, which was the next thing I 

 propofed to fpeak of, we muft be convinced, that it was not fo great 

 as in more antient times, if we confider the ftate of the world at 

 that time. Egypt and Greece might then be faid to be depopu- 

 lated, compared with what they were in antient times. That Egypt 

 was then very much lefs populous than it was in the reign of 

 king Amafis, when it contained 20,000 cities, and 25,000 under 

 the reign of Ptolomy Philadelphus, it is impoflible not to beheve, 

 after having been conquered, firft by the Perfians, then by the Ma- 

 cedonians, ar^d laftly by the Romans. And as to Greece, when 

 Paufanias travelled through it, it could not have raifed as many 

 ^ctXitcci^ or heavy armed men, as the i'mall city of Megara furniflied 

 to the Greek army at Platxae. The Roman empire, much greater 

 than the four empires that had been before it, viz. thofe of the Af- 



VoL. V. K k fyrians, 



X Diodorus, Lib. 2. Cap. 5. 



