ever imperfect, towards art and science, that they entertain religious ideas, and are curious in observation and enquiries, they are then getting forward into the Brazen-Age.

We may confider the Brazen-Age as that state of society when people begin to refuse immediate gratifications for fu- · ture convenience.

Very few advances from the favage ftate are neceffary for a Koriac, fometimes to feel the want of help from a wife whom he had killed in his fury— to find that if he had not gorged himself yesterday, he might have had fomething to eat to day. These sensations, often repeated, at last produce a restraint upon his inclination, and he finds that it is for his interest, sometimes to resist immediate gratification.

When a greater number of people are affociated together than in the Iron-Age.—

If

per

If in the quarrels of individuals, repeated victory happen to the fame fon, he naturally becomes a chief-When chiefs difpute, if one frequently gets the better of others, he becomes master of an extent of country; which, from the fame train of caufes and effects upon a larger scale, at last makes him a king; -this is the origin of defpotism, which undoubtedly is the most natural and ancient of all governments.*

If this

king,

* And defpotifm, fooner or later, produces liberty-Extraordinary acts of cruelty committed by a weak Prince, give the first hint for shaking off his authority-His fubjects rebel and conquer. They then make terms with their Prince, and oblige him to govern upon principles dictated by themselves, as in the cafe of King John; or refolve to have no Prince, and fo become a Republic, as formerly in England, and latterly in France-And this is the origin of all free governments. But as in the avoiding of one extreme, we naturally run into the other-A Republic, which fucceeds to defpotifm, is little better than no government at all, by perfonal liberty being pushed to excefs.

king, at his death, leave a fon of fufficient age and understanding to continue his father's confequence, he naturally fucceeds; if not, the brother, or fome other relative has a fair pretence to the fucceffion-And this was the cafe in England during the Saxon Heptarchy, and is fo even now with all Afiatic Governments, which strongly marks them to be ftill in the Brazen-Age.

All private disputes between man and man are carried on and terminated more

by

This gives an opportunity for fome one man of abilities to take the lead, as in the inftance of Cromwell. As defpotifm produces liberty, liberty in its turn may revert to defpotism, which was nearly the cafe in the reign of James the fecond. The people then perceive, that the best way to avoid the inconveniencies of either system, is by having a Stadtholder or Duke as in Holland and Venice, a Prefident as in the United States, a Directory as in modern France, or by a limited Monarchy, fuch as now established in England by the Revolution of 1688, which, with all its faults, is the most perfect conftitution yet exifting.

by force than reason. Bargains, promises, and even oaths themselves are kept or broken according to convenience.*

Cruelty

Tho' not under the fame violent form as in the Iron-Age, yet exifts in its full force. K. John burns out the eyes of Arthur; a practice that has ever obtained in the defpotic Mahometan governments. I shall not stain my paper with many examples from the numberless instances which our hiftories furnish: but fomething must be produced to prove my sertion. Permit me then just to mention a circumstance in the death of the Duke of York, (father of Edward the fourth) when

af

The intercourfe which our fettlements in India have lately had with the native princes of that country, affords many inftances of this characteristic-Perhaps Tippoo Sultan's frequent breach. of promife and treaty, is more owing to the state of fociety in which he lives, than to his having a bad heart.

C 3

when Margaret and her affociates gave him "a clout dipp'd in the blood of pretty Rutland, to dry his eyes withal." And at least one hundred and fifty years later, after the Silver-Age had begun to dawn on us, when a bishop with his own hand tortured a beautiful young woman for denying tranfubftantiation, or fome fuch reasonable caufe. Even in the reign of Charles the first (fo long is this favage quality in wearing out) the fentences of the ftar-chamber breathe the cruelty, tho' not the ferocity of the most barbarous Age. For writing a book, which at this time would scarce be deemed offenfive, the fentence was (which I abridge from Rushworth)—imprisonment for life-a fine of ten thousand poundsdegraded-whipt-set in the pillory— one ear cut off-one fide of the nofe flit -branded on the cheek-whipt and pilloried again, and the other part of the fentence repeated. This unfortunate gentleman (adds my author) was well

known