S Account of the U K Pv A i ^ Book IT 
ot rinle^ bring them upon the Stage ; we may not be 
amazed at their Names, or in Doubt about their 
Force. ' 
It v/as the Praife of Ulyjffes^ the wifeft Man in his Day 
in Greece^ That he had feen and was acquainted with the 
Laws and Cufiioms, the Manners and Modes, of different 
Places and People. And this was a great Commendation, 
worthy the Pen and Pains of the immortal Horner^ who 
has juftly celebrated the Labours and Travels of that ex- 
cellent Man : But it is the Felicity of modern Times, that 
every Man may be an Ulyjfes in his Clofet ; may fail over 
the Ocean in his Elbow-chair, and travel all the World 
over in his Study. Neither is this a Flight of Oratory, a 
lively or extravagant Pidlure ^ but a plain, certain, and 
imdeniableTruth : Books and Maps will do the Work effec- 
tually ; and a fmall Degree of Application, and that only 
for a few Months, will enable us to acquire more real and 
ufeful Knowledge than it was poffible for any of the An- 
cients to become Mafterof intheCourfeof his Life ; and 
therefore if we do not excel them, is not more their Glory 
than our Fault : He who has never travelled^ fay the 
^urks \ he who has never read^ may we fay, thinks all the 
World like his Father's Houfe \ that is, has fuch narrow and 
confined Notions, as are unworthy of the human Mind, 
and fubjefthim to Wonder and Amaze, the moflfliame- 
ful Marks of Ignorance and Folly, upon every new 
Event i for to him all Changes are ftrange, and every 
Incident, becaufe unlooked for, is furprizing. 
It was proper to throw together thefe Refiedlions at the 
Clofe of this Se<fi;ion, becaufe it is the laft in which we 
iliall have Occafion to treat this Subjedt ; for we are now 
to look Abroad into more civilized Countries, where every 
thing has a fofter Air, and the Inhabitants are learned 
and polite. It is true, that the vifiting Countries, like 
thefe, feems to be moft expedient for modernTravellers,who 
are fent abroad to acquire a genteel Manner and a corredt 
Tafle ; but for fuch as travel at home, though it is cer- 
tainly more delightful and entertaining, to read the De- 
fcriptions of fair and fruitful Countries, thoroughly planted 
and carefully cultivated, abounding w/ith rich Cities, great 
Towns, and pleafant Villages, adorned in all Quarters with 
elegant StruAures, and affording every where pleafmg 
Objedls to the wandering Eye of the inquifitive Beholders, 
yet to thofe whofe Studies tend 1o higher Purpofes, this 
will feem no more than an Amufement ; for to them the 
Variation of Power, the Change of Circum (lances, the 
rifmg and falling of Nations in the Balance of found Po- 
licy, feenis to be the great, if not the only rational. End 
of fuch Enquiries. An Inftance will render my Meaning 
in this Refpedl perfedlly clear. The Beauties of Italy are 
very far from declining, her Artifts are as famous as ever, 
and her Virtuoji more fo •, but it unluckily falls out, that 
while the Italians grow more polite, they fink more and 
more in their Power. There was a Time when the Italian 
Liberty was talked of, and before that there was a Time 
when it exifted, but now the Difcourfe of it is as little 
heard as the Thing itfelf is feen. The great Topic now, 
is the P^aiance of Power ; which is no other than a Con- 
trivahce to render Slavery lighter, or at leaft make it ap- 
pear fo, by dividing it into feveral Hands. The Expe- 
dient is neceffary and therefore proper enough, fmce a 
foreign Yoke cannot be thrown off, or the antient Free- 
dom of the Italian States reftored. But this is not the 
Cafe in the North, and amongil Nations of whom moft 
People are content to know but little ; It is to combat 
thefe Notions that we venture upon thefe Remarks, in 
order to infpire our Countrymen with an Inclination to 
examine into Matters of more real Importance, and which 
will very foon, perhaps while the prelent Generation fub- 
fifts, more nearly concern us. 
The Power of Ruffia is not yet of fifty Years ftanding ; 
but, in that time, it has made a prodigious Progrefs ; 
and, at this Day, appears with formidable Greatnefs. 
From being infulted by the Poles, trampled on by the 
Swedes, and over-run by the Par tars, it has not only 
grown ftrong enough to keep ' all thefe Nations in awe, 
but has likewife made confiderable Conquefts upon 
Perfia, given a Check to the Purkijh Powder, alarmed 
the Chinsfe Empire, and fpread the Terror of its Arms 
among the Japoneze, who have fcarce heard the Names 
of other European Powders. It is worth while, there- 
fore, to enquire into the State and Forces of this Enir 
pire, and to learn fomething of that Policy, by which 
thirty Millions of People are kept in Subjedion. We 
fhall take a proper time to examine this. It is indeed 
true, that the Power of Sweden is very much decreafed, 
but we cannot fay the fame thing of their Trade. They 
have lately opened a Pafiage to the Eaji- Indies ; and 
their Dyets are very intent upon promoting every Branch 
of their Commerce ; nor is there any Reafon to fufped, 
that their Pains will be thrown away. The fame Spirit 
exerts itfelf, with at leaft equal Vigour, \n Denmark’, 
and when once the prefent War is over, and the Power 
of Prujfia thoroughly eftablifhed by a general Peace, I 
dare prophefy, that fome Attempts, of the fame Kind, 
will be made on that Side. By Methods like thefe, the 
whole Face of the North will be changed, Induftry and 
Navigation will become the Bufmefs of People that 
heretofore knew nothing of either, and in the Space of a 
few Years, that Emulation which appears lb ftrongly 
among thofe Princes, muft neceffarily produce great 
Effeds. All the old Ports in the North will be opened 
and improved, and new wilfbe heard of, that at prefent 
want Names. Every Creek will be rendered advaiitao’e- 
ous, and every filhing Town will become a Place "^of 
P rade j new Commodities will be railed, new IVIanu- 
fadures fet on Foot, and new Schemes formed, to render 
thefe beneficial to the Subjeds of thefe States, under 
whofe Protedion they rife. 
I do not pretend to fay, that fuch Changes, or Alte- 
rations, will prove detrimental to Great-Britain ; I hope 
they will not. I am far from fuggefting, that they 
fhould become Grounds to us of Jealoufy, or Envy ; 
but what I aim at, is to prove, that they are Objeds 
that demand qur Attention. While Defigns, like thefe, 
are in their Infancy, they may be bent, and turned, by 
a fuperior maritime Power, to its Advantage. We may 
perhaps be Gainers by the Variation, that will be occa- 
fioned thereby in the State of Commercial Affairs, and 
the Rife of thefe new trading Countries may be made 
very profitable to our own : But, in order to this, their 
Views mull be confidered in time, and muft be confi- 
dered with great Coolnefs and Deliberation ; that we 
not attempt to oppofe what may turn to our Intereft, 
or to be drawn in to promote Projeds beneficial to 
others and detrimental to ourfelves. Thefe are Motives, 
that fhould incline us, to look very circumfpedly in- 
to the Condition of the North. W^e gained a great Parc 
of the Trade we have at prefent, by doing this, in the 
Reign of Queen Elizabeth ; and we loft a Part of our 
Trade, by that Negligence ; which, among other mif- 
chievous Confequences, attended our fatal Civil War. 
It imports us now to provide againft any new Misfor- 
tunes of the fame Kind j which can be only done by a 
provident Application to our own Interefts, and ufing, 
in due P ime, the moft effedual Means to prevent the 
Current of P rade from running too ftrongly into the 
North ; a thing that muft be attended with extraordinary 
Confequences, which it will be for the Reputation of our 
Governors to forefee ; and in refped of which it is their 
Duty to provide. That thefe Hints may prove fome way 
ufeful to fo great and falutary a Purpofe, and prevent 
that Spirit from being extinguiflied here, which begins 
to be fo confpicuous amongft our Neighbours, is the foie 
View of their Author ; Who, fmce he can be no other- 
wife ufeful to his Country, thinks it incumbent upon 
him to exprefs his good Will towards it, by furnilhing 
Remarks worthy the Notice of thofe, who have more in 
their Power, and to whom he moft ardently wifhes 
Prudence, Diligence, and Succefs. 
C H A Vr 
