244 OLYMPIC DIALOGUE. 



a hindrance to their farther operations ; and will never 

 reft till they have made all dark around them, deprived 

 the people of all means of illumination, and ftigmatized 

 the free life of the natural judgement as the firft of 

 crimes. Formerly, while they Hill fubfifted only 

 on alms, the opulent lives and fociable manners of 

 our priefts were a fcanda-1 to them-: now, that they are 

 failing with favourable gales, the moderate revenues' of 

 our temples, of which they have got poiTeffion, are 

 far too fcanty to fatisfy the cravings of their vanity and 

 pride. Already have their pontiffs at Rome, by the li- 

 berality of filly rich matrons, of whofe enthuhaftical 

 fenfibility they have the art to take advantage in a maf- 

 terly manner, by the moft fhamelefs practice of legacy- 

 hunting and numberlefs other artifices of a like nature, 

 enabled themfelves to exceed even the firft perfonages- 

 of the empire in pomp, expence, and luxury. But, 

 as all thefe fources, though augmented by the influx 

 of ever new acceffions to their ftream, will never fa- 

 tisfy the infatiable : they will contrive a thoufand other 

 means till then unthought of, to tax the firnplicity of 

 raw and unfufpe cling people ; even the fins of the world. 

 will they transform, by their magic art into mines of 

 gold ; and, to render thefe the more productive, they 

 will invent a monftrous catalogue of novel fins, of 

 which a Theophraftus and an Epicletus had no con- 

 ception. — But wherefore do I mention this? What is it 

 to us what thefe people do or do not ; and how well or 

 ill they employ their new dominion over the fickly ima- 

 gination of a race of mortals enervated and crippled 

 both in mind and body by voluptuoufnefs and fla- 

 very ? Even the mifleaders of the reft are themfelves 



milled ; 



