HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



303 



tie, Philofophical Enquiries concerning the Inhabitants 

 of the Old Continent. In imitation of the method pur- 

 fued by M. de Paw, he would collect whatever had 

 been written of the barren countries of the old world, 

 of inaccefEble mountains, of marlhy plains, of impene- 

 trable woods, of fandy deferts, and malignant climes ; 

 of difguftful and noxious reptiles and infects, of ferpents, 

 of toads, of fcorpions, of ants, of frogs, of fcolopen- 

 dras, of beetles, of bugs and lice ; of quadrupeds, irre- 

 gular, fmall, without tails, imperfect and pufillanimous ; 

 of people, degenerated, ill-coloured, irregular in ftature, 

 deformed in fhape, of bad conftitutions, daftardly minds, 

 dull genius, and cruel difpofitions. When he came to 

 the article of vices, what abundance of materials would 

 be ready for his work ! What examples of bafenefs, 

 perfidy, cruelty, fuperftition, and debauchery ; what ex- 

 ceffes in every kind of vice. The hiftory of the Romans 

 alone, the moft celebrated nation of the ancient world, 

 would furnifh him with an incredible quantity of the 

 moft horrid depravities. He would be fenfible, that fuch 

 defects and vices were not common to all the countries, 

 nor all the inhabitants of the ancient continent ; but that 

 would not fignify, as he muft follow his model in M. de 

 Paw, and make application of his logic. This work 

 would, unqueftionably, be more valuable, and more wor- 

 thy of faith than that of M. de Paw ; for as this Philo- 

 fopher does not cite againft America and the Americans 

 any but European authors, that American writer, on the 

 contrary, would, in his curious work, refer to, and quote 

 only the authors of the fame continent againft which he 

 wrote. 



DISSERTATION 



