APPENDIX. in 



** fpe£tat ; qui optime norunt, quid ferat focietas humana, Account or 

 u quid falus populi, quid aequitas naturalis, quid gentium mo- 

 " res, quid rerumpublicarum formae diverfas : ideoque poffint 

 " de legibus, ex principiis et praeceptis tarn aequitatis naturalis, 

 " quam politices decernere. Quamobrem id nunc agatur, ut 

 " fontes juftitise et utilitatis publicae petantur, et in fingulis 

 " juris partibus character quidam et idea jufti exhibeatur, ad 

 " quam particularium regnorum et rerumpublicarum leges 

 " probare, atque inde emendationem moliri, quifque, cui hoc 

 " cordi erit et curae, poflit." The enumeration contained in 

 the foregoing paflage, of the different objects of law, coincides 

 very nearly with that given by Mr Smith in the conclusion of 

 his Theory of Moral Sentiments ', and the precife aim of the 

 political fpeculations which he then announced, and of which 

 he afterwards publifhed fo valuable a part in his Wealth of Na- 

 tions, was to afcertain the general principles of •juftice and of 

 expediency, which ought to guide the inftitutions of legiflators 

 on thefe important articles ; — in the words of Lord Bacon, to 

 afcertain thofe leges legum, " ex quibus informatio peti poffit, 

 u quid in fingulis legibus bene aut perperam pofitum aut con- 

 " ftitutum fit." 



The branch of legiflation whichMrSMiTH has made choice of 

 as the fubjecl of his work, naturally leads me to remark a very 

 finking contraft between the fpirit of ancient and of modern 

 policy in refpecT: to the wealth of nations *. The great object 

 of the former was to counteract: the love of money and a tafte 

 for luxury, by pofitive inftitutions ; and to maintain in the 

 great body of the people, habits of frugality, and a feverity of 

 manners. The decline of ftates is uniformly afcribed by the 

 philofophers and hiftorians, both of Greece and Rome, to the 

 influence of riches on national character ', and the laws of Ly- 

 curgus, which, during a courfe of ages, banifhed the precious 



metals 



* Science de la Legiflation, par le Chev, Filangieri, Liv. i. chap. 13. 



. I 



