Chap. XVIII. O/Ploughs. 279 



Men till it, becaufe they find Tillage procures them 

 better Food than Acorns. 



The Reafons are the fame for one and the other. 



Thefe Writers, afham'dto acknowlege fo noble a 

 Difcovery to be owing to fo mean a Foundation, 

 make no mention of the true Teachers, but attribute 

 the Invention to Ceres, a Goddefsof their own make- 

 ing ; fhe, as they pretend, firft taught the Art of 

 Tillage. With this Fable they were fo well pleafed, 

 that they never attempted to improve that Art, left 

 they mould derogate from the Divinity of Ceres, in 

 fuppofing her Invention imperfect. 



With what Inftrument Men firft tilled the Ground 

 we don't know exactly; but there may be Reafons to 

 believe it was with the Spade, and probably a wood- 

 en one, and very rough. 



For whilft People liv'd on Acorns, there was no 

 need of the Smith ; fuch Food required no Knives for 

 eating it, nor was it worth while to make Swords to 

 fight for it ; and without Iron the Spade could not 

 be well hewn, or fhap'd •, but if it had been fuch as 

 it is at prefent, there never was any thing comparable 

 to it, for the true Ufe of Tillage. Yet the Spade 

 could not make that Expedition, which was neceffary 

 when Tillage became general in the Fields ; and 

 therefore in time the Spade came wholly to be appro- 

 priate to the moft perfect Sort of Tillage in the 

 Garden. Then the Plough fupply'd the Place of 

 the Spade in the Field; and tho' it could not (fuch as 

 it was) till the Land near fo well, yet it could till 

 ten times more of it, and with leis human Labour. 



Why they did not improve the Plough, fo that it 

 might alfo till as well as the Spade, feems owing to 

 their Primitive Theory, which gave no Mathematical 

 Reafon to (hew wherein the true Method of Tillage 

 didconfift; viz. in dividing the Earth into many 

 Parts, to increafe its internal Superficies, which is the 

 Paiture of Plants. 



T 4 The 



