Cliap, IV. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 267 



The moft remarkable country of Europe, in antient times, next 

 to Italy, was Greece; which was the feat of arts and fciences, as Ita- 

 ly was of Empire. Of the dcfolation of it 1 have fpoken in the 

 preceeding chapter ; and have (liown, that as early as the days of 

 Paufanias, who lived under the Emperor Adrian, it was depopulated, 

 compared with what it had been in antient times. That it has in- 

 creafed fmce that time under the dominion of the Saracens and 

 Turks, nobody can believe ; and I know a fenfible and learned gen- 

 tleman, who travelled through it not long ago, and who tells me, 

 that it is very thinly peopled, and little better than a defart compar- 

 ed vAth. what it was in antient times, or even with what we muft 

 fuppofe it to have been in the days of Paufanias. 



Before I come to fpeak of other countries In Europe, I will fay 

 fomething of the prefent ftate of population in Afia and America. — 



That Afia was antiently a very populous country, is evident from, 

 what I have faid * of the prodigious army which Xerxes levied in 

 it, to invade Greece. A late traveller in the Eaft, M. Niebuhr, the 

 Danifh geographer, tells us f, that the countries of Egypt, Babylo- 

 nia, Mefopotamia, Syria, and Paleftine, are fo thinly inhabited, that 

 -a great deal of good land in thofe countries lies uncultivated. 



As to the countries from whence Europe was repeopled after It 



had been depopulated by the Roman Empire, I mean the north- 



eaft parts of Afia, or that prodigious trad of country called 



Tariary ; — ^^I correfponded with Mr Bell of Antermony, who 



travelled twice through it with the Ruffian caravan, which goes 



from Peterfburgh to Pekin ; and he alTured me, that there 



is nothing like population now to be feen in that country, 



L 1 3 which 



• Page (256. 



f Vol. 2. p. 13(5. 



