306 UNIVERSAL ERUDITION. 



might have been furniflied with more important 

 matters. 



V. The third and laft objeft of a genealogift 

 by profeflion, is to elucidate the defcent of noble 

 and illuftrious families : to enumerate their pro- 

 genitors, to range them in a regular feries, to 

 draw up gencalogic plans, to fupply deficien- 

 cies, to difcover affinities from the refemblance 

 of names, and to convert conjectures into de- 

 monftrations. It is neceffary to make here a 

 few obfervations. The order of fociety and 

 welfare of mankind require, that the inhabitants 

 of every country mould be ranged in different 

 clalfes ; that there mould be different ftates or 

 conditions in life, and that each ftate mould be 

 honoured according to its rank. The nobles are 

 naturally at the head of all the other ftates, and 

 on that account ought to be treated with great 

 refpect. But for any man to entertain a ridicu- 

 lous prodigality on account of his origin , to ima- 

 gin himfett formed of different materials from 

 the reft of mankind ; to reduce to the mere cir- 

 cumftance of birth all that conftitutes diftinc- 

 tion among men ; to fuppofe there can be any 

 merit in that which is owing entirely to chance, 

 and cannot have any real effect, and to give to 

 this mere incident, that preference which is due 

 to the talents of the mind and the virtues of the 

 heart, which have real and important confe- 

 quences : and on this illufive idea, the offspring 

 of vanity and weaknefs, to imagine himfelf de- 



fcended 



