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of working who created al things; and this may ferve as naturel Arguments of bis 
infinite Wifdom and Power. | 
Mr. Horfley i his Britannia Romana, making a fort of Apology for that Work in 
bis Preface, has thefe Words, which will not be amifs to quote for my present Purpofe, 
“ Ihave always looked on it as an Inftance of divine Wifdom, that it thould be 
“fo order’d that different Men have fuch different Taftes and Inclinations. By. 
** this means the feveral Parts of Knowledge are’ more cultivated: And I think 
“ we owe our Thanks to any one, who will apply himfelf to the Study of any 
** particular Thing ; though it feem minute, and may not {uit our Tafte or Inclina- 
“* tion to purfue it ourfelves. This gives us, at leaft, an Opportunity of ene 
**on eafier ‘Verms what can be faid on that Subjeat.” 
It ts always necefary that every Age fhould labour to difeover Something, and not 
fi ¢ down content with the Difcoveries of our Forefathers, for Experience fhews the 
Knowledge of our Anceftors dwindles away, and decays daily; for fuch is the Nature 
of Time, that it obfcures or deftroys the Knowledge of paft Ages by the many wafteful 
Events which happen in a@ long Course of Years, fuch as Fire, Rapine, Inundations, 
Lofs of the Liberties of Countries, and many other Things. But more than all thefe, 
the Change of Languages affects our Knowledge; for no Language continues the faite 
for many Centuries: Infcriptions indeed have continued fome Thoufands of Years, but 
when the Languages are dead in which they are wrote, the Senfe of them by Ages 
becomes darker and darker, till at laft they are utterly obfcure, as we find the moft antient 
are, witnefs the Monuments of the antient Egyptians, the Ruins of Perfepolis, and 
other mighty Ruins in many Parts of the World: So that we fee we cannot depend on 
the Knowledge of the Antients as a perpetual Funds we muft, as Times go, gather 
what we can from them, and add to it as much as we can of our own, that we may 
heep up the Stock we have by adding fomething in the room of what muff inevitably be 
loft ; for if we fit down content with what is already known, which is a Knowledge 
we are fure 1s decreafing every Day, we in a few Ages may know nothing, and be re- 
duced to a fiate equal to the wild Americans, fince we know that Europe itfelf bath been 
well nigh reduced to Such @ State, a few Centuries a8, by falling into a fuperfistious 
: bj]. Lethargy, - 
