in Fhiids. 333 



countries, and in summer they could not fail to be very 

 hurtful ; while fresh lakes, as they are frozen over al- 

 most as soon as the winter sets in, and long before the 

 whole mass of their water is cooled down to the tem- 

 perature of freezing, preserve the greater part of their 

 Heat through the winter, and if they are of no use dur- 

 ing the cold season, they probably do little or no harm 

 in summer. 



But I must take care not to tire my reader by pursu- 

 ing these speculations too far. If I have persisted in 

 them, if I have dwelt on them with peculiar satisfac- 

 tion and complacency, it is because I think them un- 

 commonly interesting, and also because I conceived that 

 they might be of real use in this age of refinement and 

 scepticism. 



If, among barbarous nations, the fear of a God^ and 

 the practice of religious duties, tend to soften savage 

 dispositions, and to prepare the mind for all those sweet 

 enjoyments which result from peace, order, industry, and 

 friendly intercourse, a belief in the existence of a Supreme 

 Intelligence^ who rules and governs the universe with wis- 

 dom and goodness, is not less essential to the happiness 

 of those who, by cultivating their mental powers, HAVE 



LEARNED TO KNOW HOW LITTLE CAN BE KNOWN. 



