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them, have followed another and very different 

 scent ; and instead of the common designs of 

 satisfying their appetites and their passions, and 

 making endless provisions for both, they have 

 chosen what they thought a nearer and a surer 

 way to the ease and felicity of life, by endeavor- 

 ing to subdue, or at least to temper, their pas- 

 sions, and reduce their appetites to what nature 

 seems only to ask and to need. And this design 

 seems to have brought philosophy into the 

 world, at least that which is termed moral, and 

 appears to have an end not only desirable by 

 every man, which is the ease and happiness 

 of life, but also in some degree suitable to the 

 force and reach of human nature : for, as to 

 that part of philosophy which is called natural, 

 I know no end it can have, but that of either 

 busying a man's brains to no purpose, or satis- 

 fying the vanity so natural to most men of dis- 

 tinguishing themselves, by some way or other, 

 from those that seem their equals in birth and 

 the common advantages of it ; and whether this 

 distinction be made by wealth or power, or 

 appearance of knowledge, which gains esteem 

 and applause in the world, is all a case. More 

 than this I know no advantage mankind has 

 gained by the progress of natural philosophy, 

 during so many ages it has had vogue in the 

 world, excepting always, and very justly, what 



