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Un daa aymbolaa auivants apparattra sur la darniira imaga da chaqua microficha, salon la cas: la aymbola — ^ aignifia "A SUIVRE", la symbols y signifia "FIN". Maps, platas, charts, ate. may ba filmad at diffarant raductfon ratios. Thosa too larga to ba antiraly includad in ona axpoaura ara filmad baglnning in tha uppar laft hand cornar, laft to right and top to bottom, as many framaa as required. Tha following diagrams illustrate the method: Lea cartaa, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre film4a A daa taux da r6duction diff Arenta. Loraqua la document eat trop grand pour Atra reproduit en un aaul clichA, ii eat filmA A partir da I'angle aupAriaur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut an baa, en prenant la nombre d'images nAcessaire. Las diagrammes suivants iiluatrant la mAthode. ata Mure, d ■,M 1 IX 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 T ^^r^^'^^^ ^fP ' W-' T'' PI THE .■■■j'.'.i)' LAW '^ Ty- OF .NATURE; OR. CATECHISM OF FRENCH CITIZENS, TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH OF C. F. VOLNEY, AUTHOR OF t THE RUINS OF EMPIRES, &c. &c. AND PROFESSOR, SINCE THE REVOLUTION, AT PARIS. lO^'DOiy: fRINTED FOR D. t. EATON, 74, NBWOATS STRUT* rmCL ONE tHILLlNA. 1796. 4«' : fetf. .i f '. v^^:r\-:^ nmmfmum^m mmm *H/ li: ; f. : ( •iwWwwhi *'" " " t ■, CONTENTS. •9««9< 1 CHAPTER I. Laxjo of Nature - CHAP. II. CharaHenJlki of the L m mm mmm^m ( 5 ) Q, Which ii the third? ^ , Jf A. To be COMMON to all times, and to all coun- tries: that is to fay, one and univerfal. ! ■• Q. Is no other larv univerfal? A. No : for no other law is agreeable, or applica- ble lo all the people of the earth ; all of them arc lo- cal and accidental, originating from circumdances of places and of pcrfons ; fo that if fuch a man had not exifted, fuch an event had not taken place — fuch a law would never have been made, Q. Which is the fourth charaHer ? A. To be UNIFORM and invariable. Q. Is no other law uniform and invariable ? A. No : for what is good and virtue according to one, is evil and vice according to another; and what one and the fame law approves of at one time, it often condemns afterwards. Q. Which is the fifth character ? A. To be EVIDENT and palpable, becaufe it confifts entirely of fafts inceffantly prelient to the fenfes, and to denionftration. Q. Are not other laws evident? A. No: for they are founded on pad and doubtful fa£ls, on equivocal and fufpicious tefti- monies, and on proofs inacceffible to the fenfes. Q. Which is thefixth charaBer ? A. To be REASONABLE, bccaufc its precepts and entire do6lrine are conformable to reafon, and to the human underftanding. Q. Is I'll m\ . ( 6 ) Q. Is no other law reafonable ? A. No : for all are in contradiflion to the reafon andtheunderfland'igofmen, and tyrannically im- pofe on him a blind and impra6ticable belief. . Q. Which is the Jeventh charaBer ? • i uir. A. To L*e jufiT, becaufe in that law, the pen- alties aie proportionate to the infra£kions. Q. Are not other laws jujl? • ' "'■■' A. No: for they often exceed bounds, either in rewarding deferts., or in punifliing delinquencies; ^nd they often impu..e to meritorious, or criminal intentions, null or indiiferent a6lions. Q. Which is the eighth charaHer ? A. To be PACIFIC and tolerant, becaufe in the law of nature, all men being brothers, and equal in rights, it recommends to them, peace and tolera- tion, even for errors. Q. Are not other laws pacific ? A. No: for all preach diffention, difcord, and war ; and divide mankind by exclufive pretenfions of truth and domination. Q. Which is the ninth charaHer ? A, To be equally beneficent to all men, in teaching them the true means ofbecoming better and happier. Q. Are not other laws beneficent likewije? A. No: for not one of them teaches the means of attaining happinefs — all are confined to perni. cious and futile prafciices ; this is evident from fafta, fincQ / ( ( 7 J fince, after fo many laws, fo many religions, fo many legiflators and prophets, men are ftill as un- happy and as ignorant, as they were five thoufand years back. Q. Which ii the loft charaHcr of the law of Nature ? A. That it is alone SUFFICIENT to render men happier and better, becaufe it contains all that is good and ufeful in other laws, either civil or reli- gious ; that is to fay, it conftitutes eflentially the mo- ral part of them ; fo that if other laws were divefted of it, they would be reduced to chimerical and ima" ginary opinions, devoid of any practical utility. Q. Refume all thofe charaBtrs for me. A. We have faid that the law of Nature is, ifl, PRIMITIVE, Sdly, IMMEDIATE, 3dly, UNIVERSAL, 4thly, INVARIABLE, 5thly, EVIDENT, 6thly, REASONABLE, ythly, ju^ST, 8thly, PACIFIC, 9thly, BENEFICENT, AND, lOthly, ALONE SUFFICIENT. And it is becauie it unites all thofe attributes of perfeftion, and of truth, that the French have adopted it, and profefs it as being the moft fuitabic to :1 .4'j' ■»flPW'"^«» '^"re^w "wr ^^^"t I ■J (83 toraan; riid moft worthy ctf the author of Nature, from whom it emanates. Q. If, as you/ay, it ananaUs immediatelyfrdm God, does it teach his exijhnce ? A. Yes, mod pofitively : for, to ajiy man what- ever, who obferves with refleftion the aftonifh- itig fpeftacle of the univerfe, the more he medi- tates on th . properiies and attributes of each be- ing, on the admirablecrder and harmony of their motions ; the more it is demonftrated that there ex- ifts ^fupreme agent, an univerfal and identic mover, defignated by the appellation of God ; and fo true it is, that the law of Nature fuflices to elevate him to the knowledge of God, that all which men have pretended to know by fupernatural means, has con- ftantly turned out ridiculous and abfurd, and that they have been ever obliged to recur to the immu- table conceptions of natural reafon. Q. It is not therefore true, that the followers of the law of Nature are atheifls ? A. No, it is not true ; on the contrary, they en- tertain ftronger an-^ nobler ideas of the Divinity^ than moft other men: for they do not fully hira with the foul ingredients of all the weakneffes, and of all the paflions entailed on humanity. Q. What worfiip do they pay to him ? • A. A worfhip wholly of aftion ; the pra£lice and obfervance of all the rules which the fupreme ivifdom has impofed on the motion of each being, eternal ''y^.' > ■ >;v;j >■-*♦ f > Eternal aind unalterable rules by which it maintains the order and harmony of the univerfe, and which^ in their relations toman,con(litute the lawof Nature. Q. Has the law of Nature been known before this period ? A. It has been at all times fpok^n of : mo(l le- giflators, according to themfelves, took it as a bafis to build their laws on ; but they have only quoted fome precepts of it, and have had only vague ideas of its totality. Q. Why? A. Becaufe, though fimple in its bafis, it forms in its developements and confequences, a compli- cated whole, vhich requires an extenfive knowledg* of things, joined to all the fagacity of reafon. Q. Does not inJtinH alone teach the law of Nature ? A. No : for by inftinft is meant nothing more than that blind fentiment by which we are aftuated indifcriminately towards every thing that flatters the ferifes. Q. Why then is it /aid, that the law of Nature is engraved in the hearts vf all men ? A. It is laid for two reafbns j ift, becauffc it has li'een remarked, thait there are aQs and feniiments common to all men. This proceeds from their common organization. 2dly, Becaufe the firft philofophers have believed that men were born with ideas already formed, which is now demon- ftrated to be erroneous. B O. Phi- f , \ «p wmmmmm %M l> Ur I .0 } . Q, Philofophers then are fallible ? A. Yes, it is fometimes the cafe with thenrr« > . Q. Why/o? ' ■ ' '- -- A. ift, Bccaufe they are men. sdly, Becaufe the ignorant call all thofe who reafon well or iHi philofophers. sdly, Becaufe thofe who reafon on many iubje6b, and which they themfelves have firft Itarted, are liable to be deceived. O. If the law of Nature be not written, muji it not become arbitrary and ideal. A. No; becaufe it conhfts entirely in fafts, the dcmondration of which can be inceffantly renewed to the fcnfes, and conAitutes a fcience as accurate and as precife as geometry, or as mathematics; and it is on the very account of its forming an exaft fcience, that men, born ignorant, and living un- attentive and heediefs, have had hitherto only a fuperficial knowledge of it. CHAP. III. Principles of the Law of Nature with Relation to Man. Q. Explain to 7ne the principles of the law of Nature with relation to man ? A. They are fimpie j all of them are comprifed in one fundamental and fingle precept. O. What is that precept ? A. It is ftlf-prefervation» Q. How --vV ^■^ \l ( 11 ) '.^ Q. How does Nature order man to ^referve him- jdj? A. By two powierful and involuntary fenfations, which i: has attached, as two guides, two guardian geniufes to all his actions : — the one, the fenfation of pain, by which it admonifhes him of, and deters him from, every thing that tends to dcftroy him ; the other, the fenfation of pleafure, by which it at- tra6ls and carries him towards every thing that tends to preferve, unfold, or explain his exiftence. ' Q. Pleafure^ therefore^ is not an evil, a fin, as cafui/ls pretend. A. No, only inafmuch as it tends to deftroy life and health, which, by the avowal of thofe fame ca- fuifts, derive to us from God himfelf. Q. Is pleafure the principal objeH of our exijl- €nce, asfome philofophers have ajferted ? A. No, not more than pain; pleafure is an in- citement to live, as pain is a repulfion from death. Q. Hoto do you prove this ajfertion ? A. By two palpable fafts : the one, that pleafure, if more than is neceflary be taken of it, leads to de{lru6iion : for example, a man who abufes the pleafure of eating or drinking, attacks his health, and injures his life. The other, that pain fome- times leads to felf-prcfervation : for example, a man who fuffers 3 mortified member to be cut off, en- dures pain in order not to perifli totally. Q. But docs not even that prove, that ourfenfa- B 2 tions r i M «: *^'' il ' J,' ( .2 ) \ tions can deceive us rrfpeCiing the ei^d of our pre- Jervation ? . A. Yes J they can momentarily. "1 t Q. How do ourfenfations deceive its ? A. In two ways : by ignorance, and by paf- fjon. > • , Q. When do they deceive us hy ignorance ? '" '4?!^. A. When we aft without jknowing the afljon an4 efFeft of objefts on our fenfes : for example, when a man touches nettles without knowing their flinging quality, or when he fwallpws opium without knowing its foporiferous effeft. ^ Q. When do they deceive us hy pajfion ? A. When, confcious of the pepicious aftion of objcfts, we abandon ourfelves, notwithftanding^ to theimpetuofity of our defires, and of our appe- tites : for example, when a man who knows that wine ^intoxicates, does neyerthelefs drink it to excefs. * • > Q. What is the refult ? . ■ . A. It refults, that the ignorance in which we are born, and the unbridled appetites to which wi^ abandon ourfelves, are contrary to our preferva- tion : that confcquently, the inflruftion of ouf minds, and the moderation of our paffions, are two obligations, two laws which derive immediately from ih'2 firll law of prefervation. O. But if we are born ignorant, ismt ignorance a lavi of Nature ? A. Not .( ^3 ) ii^->':'^ -V A. Njot more than it is to remain in the n»» jked and feeble ftatc of infancy. Far from being a law of Nature, ignorance is an obftacle to the praftice of all its laws. It is the real ori- ginal SIN. -"^ ■-' Q. Why then have there been pioralips rvho have looked u^on it as a virtue and a pfrJeElion ? ♦^ A. Becaufe, from caprice, or extravagance ofdif- pofilion, or through mifanthropy, tlity have con- founded the abufcof knowledge wid) knowledge it- felf ;as if, becaufe men abufe the power of fpeech, their tongues fhould be cut out : as if perfeftion and .virtue confided in the nullity, and not in the unfold- ing cxpanfton, and proper cipploy of our faculties. Q. InJlruHion then is of indijputable ntcejjity t9 the exijlence of man ? A. yes, fo indifpenfable, that without it he is every inftant affailed and wounded by '^W the beings that furround him ; for if he does not know the ctt'efts of fire, he burns himfelf ; thofe of water, he drowns himfelf; thoie of opium, he poifons himfcif: if, in the favage ftate, he does not know the cun. ' ning of animals, and the art of leizing game, he pe- rifiies through hunger; if, in the focial ftate, he does not know the courfe of the feafons, he can neither cultivate the ground, nor procure himfelf aliment ; and fo, in the fame manner, of all his ac- tions, refpefting all the wants of his prefervation. O. But can vianfeparately by himfelf acquire all '% ■ ' -■, V ' .1 ^ ^s ( H ) hi I \ ■ \ ■»» all this knowledge necejfary to his exijlence, and to the developement oj his faculties ? if' '■ . • A. No; he can only by the help of his own fpe- cies, and by living in fociety. ; ; : / » ',*>; • » Q. But is notfociety to man a ft ate againjl Na- ture? ' A. No: on the contrary, it is a want which Na-.. t ^ A. \i\i every thing that tends to prefcrve and perfeQ man. % >f Q. FTAfl/iievil? ' * A. It is every thing that tends to fpoil or deftroy man. Q. What is meani by phyfical good and etil, and hy moral good and evil ? A. By the word phyfical, is underftood every thing that a6ts immediately on the body. Health is a phyjical good ; ficknefi is a phyfical evil. By moral, is underftood what a£is only by confe- qtiences more or lefs near. Calumny is a moral evil; good reputation is a 7»ora/ good; becaufeboth the one and the other occafion towards us, on the part of other men, difpofitions and habitudes* which are ufeful or hurtful to our prefervation, and which attack or favour our means of exiftence. Q. Every thing that tends to prefer ve^ or to prO' duce, is therefore a good ? * A. Yes : and it is for that reafon that certain le- giflators have placed in the rank of works, agree- ble to God, the cultivation of a field, and the fruit- fulnefs of a woman. Q, Every thing that tends to give death is there- fore an evil 9 A« Yes : and it is for that reafon fome legiflators have extended the idea of evil and of iin, even to the murdering of animals* * It is ftom this word habitudes (reiterated aSioHs ), in La* titi tmrett that the word mora/t and all its family) are fprung. C Q. The \^ , f * i e^'i'^'itlfkU-'. k^i^MiV f ( t8 ) Q. The murdering of a man is therefore a crime in the law of Nature ? A. Yes, and the greatefl too that can be com. mitted : for every other evil can be repaired, bur. murder alone is irreparable. Q. What is a fin in the law of Nature ? A. It is every thing that tends to trouble the or- der eflabliftied by Nature, for the prefervation and the perfcdion of man and of fociety. • Q. Can intention be a merit or a crime ? A. No : for it is only an idea void of reality; but it is a commencement of fin and of evil, by the tendency it gives towards aBion. Q. What is virtue according to the law of Nature ? A. It is the praBice of a6tions uieful to the in- dividual and to fociety. Q. What does the word individual fignify ? A. It fignifies a man, confidercd fcparately from every other. Q. What is vice according to the law of Nature ? A. It is the pratlice of actions prejudicial to the individual and to fociety. Q. Have not virtue and vice an obje^ purely f pi- ritual., and ahflraBed from thefenfes ? A. No; it is always to a phyfical end that they finally relate; and that end is always cither to de- (Iroy or to prefervc the body. Q. Have vice and virtue degrees ofjirength and inti-nfemfs ? A. Y£5> SM^sval'S^ii^t^ifedC- ,' ^r.SSsr Tr- ( i9 } )nv n- A. Yes, according to the importance of the fa- culties which they attack, or which they favour* and according to the number of individuals in. whom thofe faculties are favoured or injured. Q. Give me ^.xamples of them. A. The aQion of faving the life of a man is more virtuous than that of faving his property ; the afticn of faving the life of ten nien, than that of faving only the life of one; and die adion ufeful to mankind, is more virtuous than the aOion ulcful to one nation only. Q. How does the law of Nature prcfcribe the praHice oj good and of virtue^ and forbid that of evil and of vice ? A. By the very advantages which refult from the pra6tice of good and of virtue towards the pre- fervalion of our body ; and by the lofles which re- fult to our exigence from thepraQice of evil and pfvice. Q. Its precepts are then in a6iion ? A. Yes; they are adion itfeif, confidered in its prefent effe^ and in its future confequences. Q. How do you divide the virtues ? A. We divide them into three claffes; ift, indi- vidual virtues, as relative to man alone ; — adiy, do- meftic virtues, as relative to a family ; — 3dly, focial virtues, as relative to fociety. %. ^% C 2 CHAP. r* * • 1 . wmmmm>am»mmKM i^vnan ( to ) CHAP. V. 0/ Individual Virtues ; and of Science. m *' • -* . .. r<»* ■ *. .*. » Q. Which are the individual virtues ? A. They are five principal ones in number: ift, JciENCE^ which comprires prudence and wifdon' 2dly, Temperance, which comprifes fobri- ety and chaftity. 3dly, Courage, or ftrength of body, and of the foul, 4thly, Activity ; that is to fay, the love of labour, and the employment of time; and in fliort, CLEANLINESS or TMirity of body, as well in drefs as in habitation. Q. Hoxu does the law of Nature prefcribe sci- ence ? A. By the reafon that man, who knows the caufes and efFe6ls of things, attends in an extenfive and fure manner to his prefervation, and to the developement of his faculties. Science is to him the eye and the light that enables him to difcern clearly, and with ju{lnefs,the obje6ls admidfl: wtiich he moves ; and hence the word enlightened man is made ufe of, (o fignify a learned and inflruQed man. Science and inlirudion furnifli us, unfail- ingly, with refources and means of fubfifting j and fhis is what prompted a philofopher that was Ihip- wrecked ....^H.*f.i. - .'St-. mt" '^'IV ' ■ '%-*mammmmmmmmmm and )bri- '■) ( «« ) wrecked to fay, in the midft of his companions, who were lamenting bitterly the lofs of their wealth, f^/or my part, I carry all my wealth within me" Q. Which is the vice contrary to fcience ? A. It is IGNORANCE. Q. How does the law of Nature forbid ignorance ? A. By the grievous detriments which refult from it to our exiftence ; for the ignorant man, who knows neithercaufes nor effefts, commits, every in- ftant, errors the mod pernicious, both to himlelf and to others ; he refembles a blind man, who gropes his way at random, and runs, or is run againft, by every one he meets. Q. What difference is there between an ignorant and a filly man? A. The fame difference that there is between a blind man, who owns frankly, that he cannot fee ; and one who pretends to fee clear ; fillinefs is the reality of ignorance, together with the vanity of being learned. Q. Are ignorance and fillinefs common ? A. Yes, very common ; they are the habitual and general diftempers of mankind : it is three ^houfand years fince the wifeft of men faid, " The number of fools is infinite ; and the world has not changed." Q. Wha4 " i^^ reafon of thai ? A. Becaufe, in order to be inftrufted, much la« [)our and time are necelTary; and becaufe, men \>OTn . ."■*-. BS . ( " ) bom ignorant, and fearing the trouble, find it more convenient to remain blind, and to pretend to fee clear. *" • ; ^ Q. What difference is there between a learned and a wife mo.n ? .k^-^a ':^!:. ^ -:^. >■■ . A. The learned know, and the wife man prac- dfes. Q. What is prudence ? ' A. It is the anticipated perception ; (heforefighi of the effctls,and of the confequences of each thing: a forefeeing of the means by which man avoids the dangers that threaten him, and feizes on and creates occafions which are favourable to him : whence it refulls, that he attends to his prefervation for the prefent; and for the future in a certain and exten- five manner; whilft the imprudent man, who cal- pulates neither his fteps nor his conduft, nor ef- forts nor refiftance, falls every inftant into a thou- fand perplexities and dangers, which deftroy, more or lefs flowly, his fatuities, and by degrees his ex- iitence. Q. When the gojp el fays ^ ^^ happy are the poor of fpirit^^ does it mean the ignorant and the impru-^ d.nt ? A. No : for at the fame time that it recommends the fimplicity of doves, it adds the prudent cun- ning of ferpcnts. By fimplicity of mind is meant, integrity and honefty ; and the precept of the gof- pel is only that of Nature. C H A Po V >. ^{.- ..,»..)*<.. .V'.', .# ( 23 ) CHAP. VI. ^ ,^ 071 Temperance,^ Q. WAa/ is TEMPERANCE ? A. It is a regular ufe of ou- faculties, which makes us never exceed, in our fenfations, the end of Nature to preferve us: it is the moderation of the pafTions. Q. Which is the vice contrary to temperance ? A. The diforder of the pafTions, the avidity of all kind of enjoyments; in a word, cupidity. Q. Which are the principal branches of tem- perance ? A. Sobriety, continence, or chaftiiy. Q. How does the law of Nature prefcrihe Jo- hriety ? A. By its powerful influence over our health. The foberman digelKs with comfort; he is not over- whelmed by the weight of aliments ; his ideas are clear and eafy ; he fulfils all his functions properly; he condufts his bufinefs with intelligence; he ad- vances in age exempt from diforders ; he does not fpend his money in remedies, and he enjoys, in mirth and gladnefs, the wealth which chance, and his own prudence, have procured him. Thus, fiom one virtue alone, generous Nature draws innume- rable rccompenccs. Q. liow docs it prohibit gluttony ? A. ^y ^' •I \ i I V \\ !; n .:.^. ' yi'^ u mil 1 1. .. iniWJJl^WHiiqpippiMIlP ,• \ / A. By the numerous evils that are attached to it> The glutton, oppreffed with alinSents, digefts with anxiety; his head, troubled by the fumes of indi- geftion, is incapable of conceiving clear and di(lin£l ideas; he abandons bimfelf with violence to the dif- orderlyimpulfe of luft and anger, which injure his health ; his body becomes fat, heavy, and unfit for labour; he endures painful and expenfive diftem- pers ; he feldom lives to be old ; his age is replete with infirmities, and he becomes loathfome to him- felf. Q. Should abjlintnce andfajting be conjidcrtd as virtuous aBions. A. Yes, when one has eaten too much ; for then abftinence and fading are fimple and efficacious remedies : but when the body is in want of aliment, to refufe it any, and to let it fuffer with hunger or thirft, is delirium and a real fin againfl the law of Nature. Q. How is drunkennefs conjidered in the law oj Nature ? A. As a moll vile and pernicious yice. The drunkard, deprived of the fenfe and of the reafon which God has beitowed on him, profanes the do^ nations of the Divinity; he debafes himfelf to the condition of brutes; unable even to guide his fteps^ he daggers and falls as if he were epileptic ; he hurts, and even rifks killing himfelf; his debility in this date expofes him to the ridicule and contempt of ; iL':/=..^4^.*-«. 'v^^-Vrfc.' i^yijji^iiL m^^mm^ ^t»» ,- s^ w' ( 25 ) ' 6^ ev^ry perfon that fees him ; he makes, in his drunkenefs, prejudicial and ruinous bargains, and tuins his affairs; he makes ufe of opprobrious lan- guage, which creates him enemies and repentance ;; he fills his houfe with trouble and forroW, and ter- minates, by a prematura death, or by acacuchymi- cal old age. Q. Does the law of Natur inter diU dbJoliUely the ufe of wine ? A. No r it only forbids the aSufe r but as the tranfition from the ufe to the abiife \S eafy and prompt amongfl the generality of men, perhaps the legiflators, who have profcribed the ufe of wine,^ have rendered a fervicfe to humanity. Q. Does the law of Naturi: forbid the ufe of cer- tain kinds of meat, or of certain vegetables, on par^ ticuldr days, during certain feafons ? A. No : it abfolutely forbids, only whatever if Injurious to health; its pfecept^, in this refpe^t) vary actording to perfons, and they eonftitute a Very delicate and important fcience ; for the qua.' lity, the quantity, and the combination of aliments have the greateft influence, not only over the m'o- mentary affeftions of the Ibul, bat even oVer it* habitual difpofition. A man is not the fame fatt- ing as after a meal ; even were he fober, a glafs of fpirituous liquor, or a difh of coffee, give degrees bf vivacity, of mobility, of dilpolition to anger, fadnefs, pr gaiety; fuch a meat, becaufe it lies ^ , D heavy .1 i (i-. » a k\ .laiiiirji ' /• ■»';' ■ wmmgf^m I I I ! ' I 26 ) heavy on the flomach, engenders morofenefs and melancholy ; fuch another, bccaufe it afTifts dr- geftion, creates fprighilinefs, and an inclination to oblige and to love. The ufe of vegetables, becaufe they have little nouriftiment, renders the body weak, and gives a difpofnion to rcpofe, idle-> nefs, and eafe. The ufe of meat, becaufe it is fuH of nou'rifhtnent, ftimulates the nerves, and therefore gives vivacity, uneafinefs, and audacity. Now from thofe habitudes of aliment refult habits of con- llitution and of the organs, which forrti at length ditterent kinds of temperaments, diltinguifhing each by a peculiar eharafcleriftic. And it is for this rea- foD that, in hot countries efpeciaIly,legiflators have made laws refpefting regimen or food. The an- cients were taught by long experience, that the dietic fcicncc conftitutcd a great part of the mora) fcienee. Amongft the Egyptians, the ancient Per- lians, and even amongft. the Greeks, at the areopa- gus, important affairs were examined fafting. Andts it has been remarked, that amongft thofe people, where public affairs were difcuffed during the heat of meals, and the fumes of digeftion, deliberations were hafty and turbulent, and the refults of them frequently unreafonable, and produftive of turbu- lence and 4ifturbancc. C II A F. KSt*K.-.- ■■«)■ ■pp ( «7 ) CHAP. VII. On Continence. V I ;5,/,J Q. Does the law of Nature prcfcribe contp >I £ N c E ? A. Yes : becaufc a moderate ufe of the mod lively of pleafures is not only ufefiil, but indifpenfa- ble, to the fupport of ftrength and health; and be- caufe a fimple calculation proves, that for fome minutes of privation, you incrcafe the number of your days, both in vigour of body and of mind. .Q. How does it for bid liber tinifni ? A. 'Ry the numerous evils which refuU from it to the phyfical and the moral exiftence. The man ivho makes an abufe of women enervates and pines 9way; he is no longer able to attend to ftady or labour ; he contrafts" idle and expenfive habits, which deftroy his means of exiftence, his public confideration, and his credit. Thefe intrigues are the caufe of continual embarraflincnt, cares, quar- rels, and lawfuits, without mentioning the grievous deep-rooted diftempers, and the lofs of his ftrength by an inward and flow poifon ; the ftupid dullnefs of his mind, by the exaufting and wafte of the ner- vous fyftem; and, in ftiort, a prcrpatijre ar)d infirm old age. Q. Does the law of Nature prefcribc abfoliUe fhajiity ? Da A. No • V 4 \ '^miifm.'* TlilPP^P^ #>1 u •(««)■ A. No : for fomeiinjes exccHi of continence is injurious to healthy and occafions dangerous dif- tempers, by reafon of another law of the fame na- ture, which ordains man and woman to reproduce. Q. Why is chajtily more fonftdered fis a virtue in women than iit men ? A. Becaufe the abufe, and even the ufe of ple^- fure, is produftive, in the focial ftate, of more ini- portant difadvantages to women than to men; be- fides, the inconveniences attendant on pregnancy, and the pains of child-birth, they remain charged with the nourifliment and education of children, an cxperjce which itppoverifhes them, which injures their means of fubfifting, and at^cks their phyfical and moral exiftence. Deprived, in that ftate, of the ffefhnefs and health which conftitutes their fup^ port, carrying with them an extra and expenfive jburthen,, they are lefs fought after by men; they find no folid eftablifhment; they fall into poverty, jfnifery, and wrctchednefs, and thus drag on, in bit- ternefs, their unhappy exillence. Q. Does the law of Nature extend Jo far ai the fcruplcs of de/ires and thoughts ? A* Yes : becaufe, in the phyfical laws of the hii- mai) l?pdy, thoughts and defires inflame the fenfes, and foon provoke to aftion. Now, by another hiw of Nature in the organization of our body, thofe aftious become machinal wants, which recurs at certain periods of days or of weeks, fo th»t at. fuch a time the want is renewed of fuch an aBion I . « . I , . . , ■. . .' ■ . I ■ 1 • . ; . . 1 , ■ . . i 1 . . II:.''. ' and NVNHiMIMSPIMPHPIIIIIIil ( »9 ) and fiich a ferrction. Now if this aflion, and thii fccrction be injurious v^ the hcahh, the habitude of them becomes deft ruflive of life itfelf. Thus thoughts and defires have a true and natural im. portance. Q. Should modejly be conjidered as a virtue ? * ■t A. Yes : becaufe moftcfty, in as much as fhame of certain aQions, maint;;ii)s the foul and the body in all thofe habits, ufeful to good order, and to felf prefervatjon. The modeft woman is efteemed, fought after, and eftablifhed, with advantages of fortune, which aflurc her exiftence, and render ir agreeable to hejr ^ whilft the immodeft, impudent, and pro(litMte,aredefpifed, repulfed and abandoned ^o mifery and infamy. CHAP. VIII. On Courage, and of A^ivity, Q. yir« COURAGE, and strength op bod» AND MIND virtues in the law of Nature ? A. Yes ; and moil important virtues ; they arc the efficacious and indifpenfable means of attending to our preferyation and welfare. The courageous and ftrong man repulfes oppreffion, defends his life, his liberty, and his property. By his labour he procures himfelf an abundant fubfillance, which he enjoys ■i.-' 4''a(,m;?1.»!'.W, -i->'- •' ; . ■»*-''v ,' ^~ r ^ ( 30 ) enjoys in trarqii.illity and peace of mind. Jf he falls under misfortunes, from which his pru- dence could not proteft him, he fupports them with firmnefs and refignation ; and it is for this reafon that the ancient moralids have placed (Irength an4 courage on the lift of the four principal virtues. Q. Should wfakriefs and cowardice be conjidered fis Vices ? * A. Yes : fince it is certain that j;hey produce inr numerable calamities. The weak or cowardly man lives in perpetual cares and agonies ; he under- jnineslv3 health by the drejid, oftentimes illfounded, of attacks and dangers ; and this dread, which is an /eyilj is not a remedy j it renders him, on the con- trary, the flave of whofoever will opprefs him ; an(^ by the fervitudc and debafement of all his facul- ties, it degrades and diminifhcs his means of ex- jftence, fo far as the feeing his life depend on the will and caprice of another man. Q. But after what yoy, have faid on the injluence of aliments^ are not courage andfirength, as well as iftiany other virtues^ in a great meafure the ejfedl of our phyfical conjiitution and teinperament ? ■ A. Yes : it is true, and fo far ; that thofe quali- ties are tranfmitted by generation an4 blood with the elements on which they depend. The moft reiterated and conftant fafts prove, that in the breed of animals of every kind, we fee certain phyfical and mor^l qualities attached to the individual animals 'J:. . 1 •■^IWW *i:. ( 3i ) animals of thofe fpecies, cncreafe or decay ac- cording to the combinations and mixtures they make with other breeds. Q. But then as our will is notfujicient to procure tis thofe qualities, is it a crime to be deprived of them? A. No : it is not a crime, it is a misfortune ; it is what the ancients called a fatal fatality ; but even then it ftill depends on us to acquire them ; for as foon as we know on what phyfical elements fuch or fuch a quality is founded, we can promote its growth, and accelerate its devclopements, by a fkilful r.ianagement of thofe elements; and in this confills the fcience of education, which, according as it is direfted, perfeftionatcs or degrades indivi- dual, or the whole race, to fuch a pitch, as totally to change the nature and inclinations of them; and this is what renders the knowledge of the laws of Nature fo important, by which thofe operations and changes are certainly and neceflarily effeBed. Q. Why do you fay that aHivity is a -birtue accord- ing to the law of Nature ? A. Becaufe the man who works, and employs his time ufefuUy, reaps from it a thoufand precious advantages to his exiftence. If he is born poor, his labour furniflics him wiih fubfiltance; and ftiil more, if he is fober, continent, and prudent, lor he *oon acquires a fufficicncy, and enjoys the fVet is of life: his very labour gives l.iui virtues; for ' ' while i -.' il \,*iv,. »>W - w ■^!^"— ^^ ( 3» ) while he occupies his body and mind, he is not at- feftcd with unruly defires; his time do^« not lie heavy on him ; he contraQs mild habits, he aug- ments his (trength and health, and advances on to a peaceful and happy old age. ^ Q. Arc idlenefs andjloth vices in the law of Na- ture ? A. Yes, and the moft pernicious of all vices ; foif they lead to every other. By idlenefs and fluih, man remains ignorant, and forgets even the i'cience he may have acquired, and falls into all the misfor- tunes which accompany ignorance and folly j by idlenefs and (loth man, devoured with difquietude, in order to diffipate it, abandons himfeif to all the de- fires of his fenfes, which, increafmg from day to day, render him intemperate, gluttonous, ludful, enervated, cowardly, vile and contemptible, ^y the certain efFe6l of all thofe vices he ruins his for- tune, confumes his health, and terminates his life in all the agonies of ficknefs, poverty, and wretch- ednefs. Q. One would think, from what you Jay, that po- verty was a vice ? A. No; it is not a vice ; but it is flill lefs a vir- tue; for it is by far more ready to injure than to be ufeful ; it is even commonly the leRilt, or the be- ginning of vice; for the efTett r.t all individual vices is, to lead to indigence, and to the privation of the necell'aries of life > and when a man is in vant ■wipvpr^ '^.; f > ( 33 ) want) he is very near procuring ihcm by vlcinutii means, that is to fay, by means injurious to focicty. All the individual virtues tend, on the con^ trary, to procure to man an abundant iubfinci cej and where he has more than he is able to conlume, it is much eafier for him to give to others, and to praflife the a6tions ufcful to focicty. Q. Do you look upon riches as a virhie ? A. No ; but it is (lill lefs a vice ; it is the ufe alone of it that can be called virtuous or vicious, according as it is ferviceable to man and to fociery. Riches is like fcience^ like Jlrength and courage^ an indru'Tient, the ufe and employment alone of which determine its virtue or vice. CHAP. IX. Q. Why do you place clcanlinrji in the rank of virtues ? A. Becaufe it is, in reality, one of the moft im- portant amongft them, on account of its powerful influence over the health and prcfervation of the body. Cleanlincfs, as well in drefs as in refidence, obviates the pernicious effefts of the humicllry, the baneful odours, and contagious exalations, ^vhlch exhale from all things abandoned to putrefaBion : cleanlinefs maintains free tranfpiration ; it renews the air, refreflies the blood, and difpofes even the mind to alacrity. .-*»:» «■ N ( 34 ) From this it appears, that perfons attentive to the cieanlinefs of their body and habitations, are, in general, more healthy, and lefs expofed to dif- tcmpers, than thofe who live in the midft of filth and nadinefs ) again, it is further remarked, that cleanli" nefs carry along with it throughout all the branches ofdomefticadminiftraiionr habits of order and arrang- mcnt, which is one of the firil means and tirit ele- ments of happinefs. ' ■ Q. Uuleanlinejo^or Jilthinefs^ is therefore a real vice ? ' ' • A. Yes, aj» real a one as drunkenefs or idleneft, from which, in a great meafure, it is derived. Un- cleanltnefs is the fecond, and often the firit caufe of many inconveniences, and even of grievous difor- ders : it is a fd6i in medicine, that it brings on the itch, the fcurf, tetters, and leprofies, as much oi more, than the ufe of tainted or four aliments ; that it favours the contaginits influence of the plague and malignant fevers ; that it even produces them in hofpitals and prifons ; that it occafiors rheumatifms, by incrufting thp fliin with dirt, and thereby pre- venting tranfpiration, without reckoning the fhame- ful inconvenience of being devoured by Vf;rmin — the foul appendage of mifery and depravity, Alfo, moft part of the ancient legiflalors have laid down cieanlinefs (expreffed by purity) as one of the efTeniial dogmas of their religion ; it was for this reafon that ihcy expelled from fociety, and even punilhed corporally, thofe who were infocted with dilkmpcr& ♦ ( 35 ) diftempers produced by unclcanlinefs; tbat tliey inftitutcd and coiiiecrated ceremonies o\ ablutiom^ baths, baptifms, and of puriiicaiions tven by fire* and the aromatic fumes of incenfe, myrrh, benja- min, &c. fo that the 'entire fyftem oijlaim, all thofe rites of clean and unclean things, degenerated fince into abufes and prejudices, were only founded oii. ginally on the judicious obfenration, which wife and in[tru61:ed men had made, of the extreme indu- ence that cleanlinefs in drefs and abode exercifes oyer ihe health of tb'* body, and by an immediate confequcncc over thai of the mind and moral fa- culties. • ' ' Thus all the individual virtues have for their ob- jeft, more or lefs dire£l, more or lei's near, tlie prefervation of the man who praftifes them ; and by the prefervation of eacli man they lead to that of families and fociety which arc compofedof the Ignited fum of individuals. C H A P. X. On. JJomeJtic Virtues. G. 'What do you mean by domejlic virtues ? A. I mean thep^aclipe of aftions ufeful to a fa- mily, fuppofed to live in one and the fame houfc*. Q. What are thofe virtues^ or how are they de- nominated ? * Domeftic ii derived from the Latin vyord domuu a h.jufe. E2 A. They 9 ,+ ■% pi: f 36 ) A. They arc ceconomy, patereal love, CCNJUCAL LOVE, FRATERNAL LOVE, and the accompiifhment of the duties of master and ser- vant. . . .. ■ J ■ ■ ,. Q. What is aconomy ? . - " ■ - A. It ifi, according to the moft extenfive meaning of the wordj* tiie proper adminiftration of every thing that concer-fts the exiftence of the family or honfe; and as fubfiftence holds the firft rank, the word fljfouowiy is confined to the employment . of money for the firft wants of life. .' .^ Q. Why is (Economy a vu'tue ? A. Becaufe the man who makes no ufelefs ex- pences acquires a fuperabundancy, which is true vealth, and by the means of which he procures for himfelf and his family every thing that is really convenient and ufeful; without mentioning his fe- curing thereby refources againft accidental and un- forcfeen loffes, fo that he and his family enjoy an agreeable i nd undifturbed fufficiency, which is the bafis of human felicity. O. Dijfipation and prodigality therefore arc vices ? A, Yes; for by them man, in the end, j^; deprived of the necefiaries of life, he falls into poyerty and w retch ed nefs ; and his very friends, fearing to be obliged to rellore to him what he has ^pent with or for them, avoid him as a debtor does his creditor, and he remains abandoned by the whole world. * Oico nomos, or the good order of the houfc, Q. What hi* mmmm 1^-^ ( 37 ) C^. What is paternallovz ? *'*• '\ ♦ A. It is the affiduous care taken by paref»ts to make their children contra6l the habit of every aftion 'ufeful to ihemfelves and to fociety. Q. In what is paternal tendernefs a virtue in parents ? A. Ill this, that parents, who rear their childrrn in thofe habits, procure for themfelves during the courfe of their lives enjoyments and helps, that give a fenfible fatisfaftion at every inllant, and whicli affure to them, when advanced m years, fupporls ar..^. confolations, againft the wants and calamities of all kinds, with which old age is bcfet. O. Is paternal love a common virtue ? A. No : notwithftanding the oftc nt aiion made of it by parents, it is a rare virtue ; they do not love their children, they earefs them and fpoil them ; in them they love only the agents of their will, the inftruments of their power, the trophies of their vanity, the toy of their lazincfs : it is not fo much the good of their children that they propofc to them- felves, as their rubmiflion and obe^lieiKe; and if among children fo many are fecn ungrateful for benefits received, it is becaufe there arc among v.i,»*ents as many defpotic and ignorant benefaftors. A^. Why do you fay that conjugal love is a virtue? A. Becaufe the concord and union refulting from the love of the married, eftablifti in the heart of the family a multitude of habits and cuftoms ufeful xm h ii ^Vfy:.. • -J^' TT-^wmrwr- V" " ' .*,' \\ i ( 38 ) to its proTperity and prcfcrvarion. The united pair are attached to, and feldom quit their houfe; they fupenntend each particular direltion of it; they apply themfelves to the education of their chil- dren ; they maintain the refptfl and fidelity of do. meftics ; they prevent all diforder and diflipation; and from the whole of their good condu6l, they hvc in eafe and confideration : whilfi married per* fons, who do not loye one another-, fill their houfe with quarrels and troubles, create diffention betwjxt their children and the fervants, Icayes both indif- crimin£;ely to i^' kinds of vicious habits; each in his turn fpoils, 1 > .nd plunders the houfe; the revenues are abforbt without profit, debts accur mulate, the married pair avoid each other, or cont tend in law-fuits ; the whole family f4lls into difor- der, ruin, and difgracc, and the want of thenecefr farics to prefcrve life. •• Q. Is adultery an offence in the law of Nature ? A. Yes ; for it drags along with it a number of habits injurious to the married, and to their families^ The wife or hufband's affeftions being attachc4 to others, they negletl their houfe, avoid it, and take from it, as much as they can, its revenues or income, to expend them with the objcfl of their af- fections ; hence arifes quarrels, fcandal, law-fuits, the contempt of their children and of their fervants, and at lad the plundering and ruin of the whole fa- inily ; without reckoning that the adulterous wo- man \y '*tr*'^'T W"** -"-'*M*%; • .♦ •- 1 mtm x i j 'f ^ v^ ,..w«iHi«Wiw^.nipM * ( 39 ) man commits a moft grievous theft in giving to her hufhand heirs of foreign hlood, who deprive his real children of their icgiiimatcportion. Q. What is filial love ? A. It is, on the fide of children, the praftice of thofe aftions, ufcful to themfelvea, and to their parents. O. How does the law of Nature prefer ihe filial lovt ? A. By three principal motives, ift, by fentiment^ for the affeftionate care of parents inTpires, from the moft tender age, mild habits of attachment : adly, by juftice ; for children owe to their parents a re- turn and indemnity of the cares, and likewife for the expences they have caufed them : 3dlv, oy per- fonal intereft, for if they ufe them ill, they give to their own children examples of revolt and ingrati- tude, which authorifes them, one day or other, to behave to ihemfelves in a fimilar manner. Q. Are we to under Jland by filial love, a paffivc and blind fuhtijion f A. No, but a rcafonable fubmidion, founded on tlie knowledge of the mutual rights and duties of parents and children; rights and duties, without the obfervanpe of which their mutual conduct ii nothing but diforder. O. Why is f rater al love a virtue? A. Becaufe the concord and union which refult from the love of brothers, eftablifh tlie ftrength, fecurity, and confervaiion of the family : brothers united / i: 1 A .',/- H ni )A ...**»-'. .4.- ..^.'. ^ W^^'^ww^^'^r'w^mi^K^nj'^^'^^ ■Tf^PP"^ I ♦ If I i f ( 40 ) united, defend ihemfelves againft all opprefHon, they aid one another in their wants, they help one another in their misfortunes, and thus fecure their common exiftence ; whilft brothers difunited, aban- doned each to his own perfonal ftrength, fall into all the inconveniences attendant on an ifolated ftate and individual weaknefs. It is wh?.t a certain Scy^ thian king has ingenioufly exprefled; being on his death-bed, he called his children to him, and or- dered them to break a bundle of arrows j the young men, though (Irong and nervous, being unable to cfFeft it, he took them in his turn, and, having un- tied the bundle, broke each of the arrows feparately with his fingers. " Behold here" faid he, " the effefts of union j united together you will be invincible ; ta- ken feparately^ you will be broken like reeds." Q. What are the reciprocal duties of majlers and offervants P^ A. They confift in the pra..tice of the a£lions which are refpeftively andjuftly ufeful to both, and there begins the relatives of fociety ; for the rule andmeafure ofthofe refpeftive aflions, is the equilibrium or equality between the fervice and the recompence, between what the one returns, and the other gives, which is the fundamental bafis of all fociety. Thus all the domeftic and individual virtues, re- fer more or lefs mediately, but always with certi- tude, to the phyfical object of the amelioration and prefervation ^5 ■'W"' :^ ""VTll viS" pi ■4, f 4O pfefervation of man, and thereby are precepts fe- fuUing from the fundamental law of Nature in hi» formation. t H A P. XI. Of the fociai Virtues — of J' jlice^ 0. What is socrtTV ? A. It IS every reimion of men living fo|:(e(her tinder the claufes of an expreffed or tacit contraft, which has for its ertd, their conrmon prefervatron. Q. Are the facial virtues numerous? A. Yes; there may be as many reckoned of ihem as there are kinds of anions ufefal to fociety ; but all may be reduced to one only principle. O. What is that fundamental principle ? A. It is J (jSTiCE, which atone comprifes all the "^irttfes of fociety. Q". Why do you fay that jujlice is the fundaiatii- ial, arid almojl the only virtue of fociety ? A. Btcaufe it alone embraces the practice of al! Ac aftions which are ufeful to fociety; and bccaufe all the other virtaes, mider the denorarnations of charity, humanity, probity, love of one's country,- finccri'ty, generofity, fimplicity of morals andmo- defty, are only varied forms, and diverfificd appli- cations of the axiom, do not do to another what you would not wifh to be done to yourfclf ; which h the defiflitioft of j u ftit: c . F 9. liola \ # n ■' w t ^^ n .\'V- I V I i ( 40 Q. //oiy t/or$ the law of Nature prefer ibe juflUt ? A. r ' three phyfical attributes inherent in the organ' -iion of man. Q. ./hat are thofe attributes ? A. They arc equality, liberty, and pro- perty. Q. IIoxJ is equality a phyftcal attribute of man ? A. Becaufe all men having equally eyes, hands, mouths, ears, and the requifite want of the ufe of them in order to live, have, by this reafon alone, an equal right to life, and to the ufe of the aliments which maintain it ; they are all equal before God. O. Do you prrtend to fay ^ that all men hear equal- Ijifce equally^ feel equally, have equal wants, and equal paffions ? A. No; for it is evident, and daily fafts Ihew, that one is Ihort, another long fighted; that one eats much, another little ; that one has mild, ano- ther violent paffions ; in a word, that one is weak in body and mind, whilft another is ftrongin both. Q. They arc therefore really unequal? A. Yes, in the developement of their means, but not in the nature and effence of thofe means ; they are made of the fame ftuff, but the dimenfions of it are not equal, the weight and value of it are not the fame. Our language polfefles no one word adequate to defign or exprefs the identity of Na- ture, and the diverfityof its form and employment. It is a proportional equality, and it is for this rea- fon i « ■ ) I 43 ) Ion I have faid, equal before Cod, and in the or- der of Nature. Q. How is liberty a phyjical attribute of man ? A. Eecaufe all men having fenfcs fufficicnl for their prcfervation, no one wanting the eye of ano- ther to fee, his ear to hear, his mouth to eat, his feet to walk; they arc all, by this very reafon, con- ftituted naturally independent and free ; no man is neceffarily fubjefted to another, nor has he a right to domineer. Q. But if a man is bornjlrong^ has he not a na- tural right to majler the weak man ? A. No ; for it is neither a neceffity for him, nor a convention between them ; it is an abufive exten- fion of his ftrength : and here an abufe is made of the word rights which implies in its true meaning, jujtice or reciprocal faculties. Q. How is property a phyfical attribute of man ? A. In as much as all men being conflituted equal, or fimilar to another, and confequenily indepen- dent and free, each is the abfolute mafter, the full ^nd whole proprietor of his body, and of the pro- duce of his labour. Q. Hojv is ^^iftice derived from thofc three at- tribute^ ? A. In this; that men being equal and free, ow- ing nothing to each other, have no right to require any thing from one another, only in as much as ^ey returri an equal value for it ; or in as much as F 2 ' the 1 1 1 % \ %■ rSi'^ the balance (T what is given is iu equilibrium to what is returned, and it is this equality, this equiU- hrium, which is called jufticc, equity-,* that is to fay, that equality and jtijhce^ are but one and the fame word, the fame law of Nature, of which all the fecial virtues are only applications and deri- yajiives. ' i * } ^^f- t ( ■ h C H A P. XII. Devdopemcnt of the facial Virtues, Q. Explain to me how the facial virtues are di- vided from the law of Nature. How is charity, or the love of one's neighbou,, a precept and applica- tion of it ? ' ., A. By reafoii of equality and reciprocity ; for when we injure another, we give him a right to in- jure us in return. Thus, by attaclcing the exift- ence of our neighbour, we aft prejudicially to our own, from the effe)El of reciprocity ; on the other hand, by doing good to others, we have room and right to expeQ an eqivalent exchange : and fuch is the charafter of all the focial virtues, that they ^re ufeful to the man who praftifes them by the right of reciprocity, which they giye him over thofe ^'ho have reaped advantages from them, :f JEquUus, eequilibriufH) tsqualitas^ are all of the fame family. • II ■« IMPViill- I mMm» Q. Charity ii nothing then but jn/fice f A. No) it is only juftice, with this flight f^iffrr- cnce, that Ilrifcl juftice confines itfelf to fay, Do not do to another the harm you would not xcijh he Jhould do toyourfelj : and that charity, or the love of one's neighbour, extends fo far as to fay, Do to another the good which you would wijh to receive jrom him. Thus the gofpel, in faying, that this precept contained the whole of the law and the pro- phets, announced nothing more thap the precept of the iaw of Nature. ^ Q. Does it ejijoin pardon for injuries ? A. Yes ; in as much as that pardon is conf^flent with felf prefervation. Q. Does it prefcribe to ws, after having received a blow on one cheeky to hold out the other for a fc- cond ? A. No : for it is, in the firft place, contrary to the precept of loying our neighbour as ourfelves, fince thereby ^./e fl)ould love, more than ourfelves, him who makes an attack on our prefervation. gdly. Such a precept taken literally, excites the ivicked to oppreflion and injuftice ; the law of Na- ture has been more wife in prefcribinga calculated proportion of courage and moderation, which in- duces us to forget a firft or cafual injury, but which punifhes every aft tending to oppreflion. Q. Does the law of Nature prefcribe the doing of -• V * Sooi 1 1 ^ I i *F "O t*^'— ^ . ,-»*■— mm fW- ( 46 ) /rood to othfrs beyond the boundi of reajon and mea- I^ire? , .' . . A. Ko : for it is a furc way of leading him to ingratitude. Such is the force of fentimcnt and juHicc implanted in the heart of men, that they are not even pleafed with benefits conferred without difcretion. There is one only mcafurc with them, and that is — to be julh Q. h aims-givt'ig a virtuous all ion ? A. Yes, when it is done according to rule ; with- out which it degenerates into imprudence and vice, in as much as it encourages lazincfs, which is hurt- ful to the beggar an ' to fociety ; no one has a right to partake of the property and fruits of ano- ther's labour, without rendering an equivalent of his own induftry, Q. Does the law of Nature confidcr as virtues the faith and hope which people blend with charity ? A. No : for they are ideas without reality ; and if any effefls jrefult from them, they turn rather to the profit of thofe who have not the fame notion? or ideas, than to thofe who have them ; fo that FAITH and HOPE may be called the virtues of dupes to the profit of rogues. Q. Does the law of Nature prefcribe probity ? A. Yes ; for probity, is nothing more than re- fpc£l of one's own rights in thofe of another, a refpetl founded on a prudent and wqll combined calcul^- irr: 47 ) calculation of our intercRs, compared to thofc of others. Q. But does not this calculation^ which (mbfacfs the complicated interrjls and rights oj the focial flate^ require an enlightened under/landing and knowledge, which make it a diJ^cuU fcicnce 9 A. Vcs ; and a Icicnce fo much the more deli- cate, as the honeft man pronounces in his own caufe. Q. Probity, therefore, is afign oj extenfion and jujlice in the mind ? A. Yes ; for an honed man mod always negle6ls a prefent intercft, in order not to dedroy a future one ; whilft the rogue ads contrary, and lofes a great future intereft for a prefent fmaller one. Q. Improbity, therefore, is a Jign of Jaljer (js in the judgment and contraBion in the mind ? A. Yes ; and rogues may be defined ignorant and filly calculators ; for they do not underftand their true intereft, and they have the pretenfion of being cunning; neverthelefs, their cunning never ends but by making known what they are; the lofs of all con- fidence and eUecm ; and the good fervices which (hould rcfuk to them for their phy fical and focial ex- iftence. They neither live in peace with others, nor witlvthemfclves ; and inccffantly menaced by their confcicnce and by their enemies, they enjoy no real happinefs but that alone of not being hanged. •;. ' O. Does r • ■ e- mitmiM!-*' ,>^-een fnatched ; con- req;uently they mifs the end of juftice ; tiicy are unly perverfe contrafls by which a man feHs to ano- ther goods wVich do not belong to him; they are a real depravation of morality, in as much as they cm L olden to commit crimes through the hope of expiating them, 'wherefore, they have been the real caufe of all the evils by which the people amongft whom thofe expiatory prafiices were ufed, have becri continually tormented. O. Does the law of Nature order fmcerity ? A. Yes : for lying, perfidy, arid perjury creates diftru'ft, quarrels, hatred, revenge, and a croud of .vils amongft men, which tend to their common de- itruftion ; whilft fmcerity and fidelity cftablifh confidence, concord, and pcr^ce, befides the infinite good refuhing from fuch a ftate of things to fociety. C. Does it prefcrihe mildnejs and modejty ? A. Yes: for roughnefs and obduracy, in alienat- ing from us the hearts of other men, give therti dif- pofition or inclination to hurt ui; ofientation and vanity, in wounding their felf love; and their jea- loufy, occafion us to mifs the end of a real utility* Q. Does it prejcribe humility as a virtue ? A. No : for it is a propenfity in the human heart to defpife fecretly every thing that prefenis to it the idea of weak ncfs; and felf debafement encou- rages pride and oppreflion in others : the balance fliould be kept juft and equal. Q. Yoii Q. Tou have recloned ^mplichy otmann^W as a fjcial virtue ; what do you mean by that word ? A. I mean die reftrifting our wants and defircs to what is traly ufeFuI to the exiftence of the citizen and his family; that is to fay, the man of fimple manners has but few waiits, and lives content with a litde. O, How is }hii virtue prefcribed to us ? A. By the numerous advantages \^\\ic\\ the prac-i tice of it procures to the individual and to fociety; for the man whofc wants are few, is free at once from a croud of cares, perplexities and labours ; he avoids many qiiarrcls and cohtefts, arifing from avidity, and (icfire of acquifitibn j he fparcs himfelf the cor- roding anxieties of ambition, the inquietudes of poneffion, and the uneafmefsof lofTes; finding fu- 'pcrfluity every where, he is the real rich man, al- ways content with what he has, he is happy at little expence, and other men, not fearing any oppofition or competition from him, leave him in quiet, and if he Ihould want, are difpoled to render him all kinds of ferviccs. And if this virtue of fimplicity extends to a whole people, they aflure to themfelves abundance: rich in every thing they do not confume, they acquire im- menfe means of exchange and commerce; they work, fabricate, and fell at a lower price than othersjand at- tointo- ' V-indsofprofperity bothathomcandabroad. O. h hat is the vice contrary to this virtue ? A\ It iscupiDiTY and LUXURY. w s / I ^^ ^i ( 6' ) Q. Is li^j>ry a vice in tike individual, and /^ Jaciety ? A. Yes : and to that degree, that it may be ^lid lo embrace all the others with it j for the man who gives himfeir the want of many things, impofcs thereby all the cares and pains, lubmits to all tl\c means, juft orunjuft, to their acquisition. Does he poflefs an enjoyment ? lie covets an9- therj and in the bofomoffupcrfluiiy cfcvcry thing,, he is never rich : a commodious dwelling i ;, not fuffi- cient for him, he mull have a fupcrb ht)tei ; he^s not content with a pleoteous table ; he mud have jrare andcoftly viands; fee mult have fplcndid ai^d glittering furniture, expenfive cloaths, a train of attendants, horfes, carriages, women, ?nd a variety of theatrical as well as innumerable other amufe- ments. Now to fupply fo many expences, much money muft be had, and every method of prp- curingit becomes good and even neceffary tp him : at firft he borrows, afterwards fteals, robs, plun- ders, turns bankrupt, is ^x var with eyery or>e, ruins and is ruined. Should a nation bp involved in h iry, it occa- fions at large the fame devaftations, b) realbn thiit jit confumes its own entire produce, and finds ulelf poor even 'vith abundance i it has nothing to fcUlo foreigners; its manufaftures are carried on at a great expence, and are fold too dear; it becomes iribu- $ary fpireyerv thing i imports ; it attacks externally G ^ its ..» \ i .>.-.. * i ( 6« ) its conHderation, power, ftrcngth,anJ[incans of de- fence and prefervation ; whilft internally it under- mines and falls into the diffolution of its members; all its citizens being covetous of enjoyments, are en- gaged in a perpetual ftruggle to obtain them ; ail hurt or are near hurting themfelvesj hence arifc thofe habits and anions of ufurpation, which is de- nominated moral corruption, intefline war between citizen and citizen. From luxury arifes avidity, from avidity, invafion by violence and perfidy : from luxury arifes the iniquity of the judge, the venality of the witnefs, the improbity of the huf- band, the proftitution of the wife, the obduracy of parents, the ingratitude of children, the avarice of the mailer, the diftionefty or theft of the fervant, the delapidation of the adminiftrator, theperverfity of the legiflator, lying, perfidy, perjury, alTaflina- tion, and all the diforders of the focial ftate; [o that it was with a profound fenfe of truth, that an- cient moralifts have laid the bafis of the focial vir- tues on fimplicity of morals, or manners j reftric- tion of wants, and contentment with a little ; and a fure way of knowing the extei.* of a man's virtues or vices, ig, to find out if his expences are propor- . tionate to his fortune, and calculate from his want of pioney, his probity, his integrity in fulfilling his engagements, his devotion to the public weal, and pis falfe or fincepe love of his country. O. What do you mean by th^ word country ? . ^^- ' A. I mean r r "'^. ^^."'1 'V.:-it,\'/iHi^3.'' mm -^a^ ■■iJii)' r Y ^i { 63 ) A.I mean the communion of citizens, who, united by fraternal fentiments, and reciprocal wants? make of their refpeftive ftrength one common force, the re-aftion of which towards each other, takes the prefervative and beneficent chara^ler of paternity. In fociety, citizens form a bank of iniereft ; in our country we form a family of endearing and foft attachments; it is cJiarity, the love of one's neigh- bour, extended to a whole nation. Now as chanty cannot be ifolated from juftice, no member of the family can pretend to the enjoyment of its advan- tages, but only in proportion to his labour • if he confumes more than relults from it, he necellarily encroaches on his fellow citizens ; and it is only in as much as he confumes lefs than what he produces, or what he polfefTes, that he can acquire the means pfmakingfacrifices and being generous. Q. What do you conclude from the whole of this 9 A. I conclude from it, that all the focir 1 virtues are only the habitude of aftions ufeful to fociety, and to the individual who praftifes them ; that they all refer to the phyfical objeft, the prefervation of man; that nature hay mg implanted in us the want of that prefervation, has made a law to us of all its confequences, and a crime of every thing that de- viates from it; that we carry in us the feed of every virtue, and of every perfeQion; that it only re- quires to be developed, that we are only happy in as .*' 1 ,^i- \. 1i -«^^^•l,li:.•.•f ( 54 ) , I •smuch as ve obferve the rules eftabliflied by Na- ture for the end of our prefervation ; and that all wifdom, all perfe^ion, all law, all virtue, all phi- lofophy, coniift in the praflice of thofe axioms fopndcd on our own oirganization, . , PRESERVE thyself; INSTRUCT thyself; MODERATE THYSELF; Live for thy fellow citizens— that they may live for thee. FJNIS m ^ m t' s^-sfit -S!^i'. !*;■■■ -;/|*'^k':|fe;i-v; ■M 1* ¥ t^ «*■ '•''i^. .al'.l-: