2S6 ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book VL 



fo much of a worfe liquor ftill, the moft unnatural and moft perni- 

 cious drink that can be imagined, I mean fpirits, which are fewel for 

 fire, fo much that they produce a quick and violent flame, by which 

 houfes and fliips have been fet on fire and confumed, I think we 

 may conclude, that the diet of the common people of England U 

 more unwholefome than the diet of any other commonality in the 

 world. 



I come now to fpeak of the laft thing I mentioned, upon whicH< 

 the population of a country depends, I mean the Occupations of the 

 people. In all nations, that have been long in a ftate of civility, 

 many things are wanted, as I have elfewhere obferved *, which are 

 not known in the natural ftate or in the firft ages of civility: And, for 

 fupplying thofe artificial wants, many arts have been invented, fome 

 of them very prejudicial to the health of the people. All arts of this 

 kind, that ever were pradifed in any country, are pradifed in Eng-* 

 land. Some of thefe may be faid to be neceflary for carrying on 

 the bufinefs of fociety; fuch as mining, or digging for minerals ; 

 and there is one mineral, which is become abfolutely neceflary in^ 

 Britain ; I mean coal for fewel,* as we want wood fufficient for 

 burning and other puipofes. Now, the occupation of mining is 

 certainly pernicious to health, for it makes men live under ground 

 like moles, and breathe an air very diflferent from the air of the open 

 atmofphere, and always more or lefs tainted with noxious mineral, 

 vapours. As to metals, after they are dug out of the mrao, there is- 

 an operation performed upon them, which is called fmeiihig ; by 

 which they are changed, by the operation of fire, from ore to me-- 

 taU and fo made fit for the ufes of life. This operation is ftill 

 more pernicious to health than the digging the ore out of the mine : 

 And there is an iron work carried on in this country of Scotland, at 



Carron^. 

 * Page 248. 



