J04 UNIVERSAL ERUDITION. 



globe. The feptentrional regions were entirely 

 unknown, though they were very populous. But 

 all thefe inhabitants of Europe and Africa, 

 cfpecially thole who lived toward the two poles, 

 were nothing better than a fort of favages, with- 

 out manners and without knowledge, ignorant 

 of the ufe of letters, and, in a word, fuch as man- 

 kind in general are, without arts and fciences. 

 The Romans difcovered them by degrees, fnb- 

 dued them, and fent among them a fort of po- 

 lifhers, to make them more tame and tractable, 

 and to infpire them with notions of humanity, 

 as in our days we fend miflipnaries into the 

 fouthern countries as we difcover them. The 

 Romans bellowed on all thefe people the title 

 of barbarians, which they right well deferved : 

 they alfo fometimes fent their criminals amongft 

 them, by way of banimment. Now, if we even 

 knew the hiftory of thefe people, it would not 

 certainly, be worth the while to write it or iludy 

 it. For a hiftory that affords no inftruction be- 

 comes an object of mere idle curiofity, and is 

 only an ufelefs burden to the memory ; it wou!4 

 perhaps be altogether as interesting to know the 

 hiftory of a colony of baboons, as fuch figures 

 of men as thefe. On the contrary, it is of con- 

 fequence to us to know the hiftory of thofe po- 

 lifhed nations who inhabited ancient Afia and its 

 neighbouring countries, and, in general, of all 

 civilized people -, and of thefe we have fufficient 

 accounts in the annals that are come down 

 to us. 



XIII. Ame- 



