State of Ar chit entire. Sec 179 



would annihilate fables, refeafches, conjec- 

 tures, hypothefes, difputes, blunders and 

 diflertations, that library of hunnan imper- 

 tinence. Neceflity and a litde common 

 fenfe produced all the common arts, which 

 the plain folks who pradticed them were not 

 idle enough to record. Their inventions 

 were obvious, their productions ufefuU and 

 clumfy. Yet the little merit there v/as in 

 fabricating them being foon configned to 

 oblivion, we are bountifull enough to fup- 

 pofe that there was defign and fyftem in all 

 they did, and then take infinite pains to 

 digefl and methodize thofe imaginary rudi- 

 ments. No fooner is any aera of an in- 

 vention invented, but different countries be- 

 gin to alTert an exclufive title to it, and 

 the only point in which any countries agree 

 is perhaps in afcribing the difcovery to fome 

 other nation remote enough in time for 

 neither of them to know any thing of it. 

 Let but France and England once difpute 

 which firll ufed a hatchet, and they fliall 

 never be accorded 'till the chancery of learn- 

 ing accommodates the matter by pronounc- 

 ing that each received that invaluable uten- 

 fil from the Phoenicians. Common fenCQ 

 M a that 



