Great Expence and a lojing 'Trade dejlruSUve. 273 
objed, into ships of war, and by induftry and toil qualify 
themfelves for war, whilfl we enervate our bodies by confuming 
fo much tea and fugar, and sip out our vitals in every fenfe? 
We alfo a&, in this inftance, as if there could be no neceflity of 
fixing bounds to our confumptions, as if our funds, to fup- 
port our expences, were inexhaustible. But experience 
feems to prove that we cannot go on at the fame rate. We 
even fhorten the period of life by overftraining industry to 
fupport luxury ; whilft luxury wounds our vitals ; thus we af- 
fiduoufiy feek our own death, naturally, and politically. As a 
modern phrafe exprefles it, we live in hot water : but if 
the veins are too full, they will be in danger of burfting. The 
trued joys arife from temperance ; health, and ferenity of mind, 
are its conftant companions : but pain and perturbation ever wait 
on excess. Providence provides for all mankind ; but if we 
confume much more than our share of the good things which 
the earth produces, we muft, in the courfe of time, be in want, 
either as a confequence of creating defires so much beyond the 
demands of nature, or from the earth being fubje< 5 t to acci- 
dents : the elements are fometimes at war with mankind, whilil 
real wars make great devaluations ; therefore to laft long, we 
muft be moderate. 
We may delude ourfelves into the belief, that private vices 
are public benefits \ but this quibbling fallacy, whilft it foothes 
the corruption of mankind, tends fo much to defiroy the diftinc- 
tions between virtue and vice, it confutes itfelf. If this do&rine 
were true, it would follow that, in order to render the commu- 
nity moft happy and flourifhing, it is necefiary that every in- 
N n dividual 
