XV111 
P R 
E F A C E. 
of all God’s vifible creatures, he is under 
tht greated obligations to his Creator, 
for having given to him the fil'd: place 
afnohgft created beings in this lower 
ivbrld, and alfo the command, dominion 
and rule over all the beings inferior to 
hlrhffelf that cover the face of this globe, 
having even denied them the means of 
doping from man’s unbounded will and 
tyrahhy. The human race is not only 
thus fuperior to the other creatures on this 
earth, but each particular man feems in- 
tended by his Maker to be equally tree, 
and not fubje&ed to the arbitrary will of 
any other man. Tyrants over men are 
the efifed: of popular depravity, vice, and 
unbounded ambition 5 and, when ufurped 
power perfecutes, opprefies, and tortures 
mankind beyond a degree of human fuf- 
fbrance, a door is left open for their 
efcape, Which Providence has denied to 
brutes. The goodnefs of God to man is 
a mydery our weaknefs can never unravel. 
We are all naturally tyrannical, and all 
fdek and endeavour to gain power and 
dominion over each other. We, with 
Yegret, fubmit to the fuperior power of 
thofe dronger or more powerful than 
ourfelves. Oiir compacts with one an- 
other a rife from the mutual jealouly and 
fufpScion each one has of his neighbour’s 
villainy. Should a juft, iublijne, and 
•highly rational created being, far above 
the condition of man, condescend to give 
us a real hidory of fame of our greated 
heroes, wiled lawgivers, and canonized 
^faints, what Shocking Scenes of lawlefs 
-force, brutal cruelty, cunning, circum- 
vention, deceit, vile hypocrify, and fa- 
Crilegious frauds, 'would fuch a faithful 
hidory’ be filled with h It would certainly 
make men appear more infamoufiy 
wicked, than men have made infernal 
fpirits in the aerial hidories they have 
les outrages de I’Etre imtnenje ; ce pendant , 
il doit avouer , avec toute Fhumilite et tout e 
la reconmijjance pojfible , quentre toutes les 
creatures vijtbles de Dieu , il a les plus 
grande s obligations a foti Createur , de lui 
avoir donne le premier rang parmi les etres 
trees de ce bas monde, avec la fuperiorite , 
le commandement , et la domination fur tous 
les autres etres audeffous de lui , qui couvrent 
la furface de ce globe terrejlre , et a qui 
Dieu a refufe meme les moyens d'echapper a 
la volonte et a la tyrannic Jans homes de 
Fhomme . Le genre humain ejl nonjeule- 
rnent ainfi Jhperietir a toutes les autres crea- 
tures fur la terre, mais chaque homme en 
particulier femble deftine, par Jon Createur, 
a etre egalement libre , fans etre fujet a la 
volonte arbitraire d'aucun autre homme . 
Les tyrans des nations font Feff'et de la de- 
pravation populaire, du vice , et d'une am- 
bition demefuree ; mais, quand la puijjance 
tfurpee perfecute , opprime , et tourmente le 
genre humain , il y a pour s\xhapper une 
porte ouverte , que la Providence a refufee 
aux brutes. La bonte de Dieu pour V homme 
tft un myjlere, que notre foiblejje ne pourra 
jamais expliquer . Nous Jbmmes tous natu - 
rellement tyranniques ; nous tachons , et nous 
nous efforcons tous a nous emparer du pou - 
voir et de la domination Fun Jhr 1' autre. 
Nous nous J'oumettom avee regret au pouvoir 
J'<perieur de ceux qui font plus forts , ou 
plus puijj'ants que nous . Les contrails, que 
nous jaifont Fun avec V autre, naiffe?it de 
nos jnloufies mutuelles, et du Joupcon que 
chacun a de Finjujlice de Jon prochain . Si 
quelquetre cree, jujle , fublime, et tres rai - 
jbnnable, J'ort audefl'us de hi condition de 
F homme, vouloit bien condefcendre a nous 
donner la vraie hijloire de quelques uns de 
nos plus grands heros, de nos plus Jages 
• Ugijlateurs , et de nos faints canomjes , que lies 
feenes choquantes de violence injujle, de cru- 
aute brutale , d' artifice, de fupercherie , dc 
