the second of the works, of which i remember to have seen the plan delineated on the leaves of the fantastical tree, was digested into the form of a letter, addressed to all the nations of europe, the substance of which is as follows:
“o ye powerful nations of europe; nations polished, ingenious, learned, warlike, made to command the rest; nations the most accomplished upon earth; the times are come: your profound schemes for the happiness of man have prospered: you enjoy it at length, and i congratulate you upon it.
293“in nature’s infancy, those uncivilised ages wherein men wandering in the fields, were fed with the products of the earth, a perfect security, easy pleasure, profound peace, or rather languishing indolence benumbed all the faculties of the soul. but when the sweets of property had flattered the human heart; when each had his inclosure and could say, this is mine; then all was in motion. a man had too much of one thing, and too little of another; he gave the superfluity for what he wanted: and trade was established. it was at first carried on among neighbours; then, from country to country; and at last, from one of the quarters of the world to the other three. from that time, mankind have formed but one numerous 294family, whose members are incessantly employed in cheating one another. the spirit of distrust, finess, and fraud, have displayed all the springs of the soul; the talents have shown themselves, the arts have taken birth; and men begin to enjoy the full extent of their understanding.
“how well these profound speculatists have conjectured, who have told us: would you have a state flourish? incourage populousness; for real strength and riches consist in a great number of citizens. to incourage populousness, enlarge trade more and more, set up manufactures, introduce arts of every kind; and, to consume superfluities, call in luxury. let the names of those who 295have opened this admirable way, be carefully preserved in our kalendar.
“it is true, by following this method, you have missed your aim, which was populousness. what fortune soever a man may raise, it is consumed by the boundless expence of luxury, which always exceeds the revenues: there is nothing left for the education and settlement of children; and means must be used to have a small number, or even none at all. long races suit only those remote times when your ancestors, plentifully furnished with necessaries, were so unfortunate as to have no idea of pageantry. it is no wonder, if people so barbarous as not to know silk, lace, tea, chocolate, burgundy, champagne, 296should so increase in the northern regions, as to over-run, like a torrent, all your countries, should found monarchies, and dictate laws, which are revered to this day.
“but what signifies populousness and multitude? rejoice, o ye fortunate nations; for you have coffee and snuff, cinnamon and musk, sugar and furs, tea and china. how happy are you! and how composed should your minds be!
“it is true, toils, hunger, thirst, shoals, storms, sooner or later destroy these insatiable traders, who traverse the seas to bring you these precious superfluities. but with how many advantages are these petty inconveniences repaid? the face of europe 297is entirely new! even to your constitutions all is changed. thousands of quintals of spices, circulate in your blood, carry fire into your inmost nerves, and give you a new sort of being. neither your health, nor your diseases are like those of your fore-fathers. their robust constitution, simplicity of manners, their native virtues, are they comparable to the advantages you enjoy? that sensibility of the organs, that delicacy of mind and body, those universal lights, those vices of all kinds.... what! will it be said, are vices also to be reckoned among the actual felicities of europe? yes, without doubt: is it not daily proved, that virtue heretofore might be useful to the prudent economy of your ancestors, but that, for enlightened 298citizens, who no longer walk by the old rules, vice is absolutely necessary, or rather changes its nature and becomes virtue.
“another advantage that you owe to the depth of your policy and extensiveness of your trade is, that perpetual occasions offer to show your courage, and to practice your military virtues.
“when formerly your countries were under that vast dominion, which swallowed up all the rest, they sunk into indolence; you had only short wars and long intervals of peace, every thing languished. but since, out of the wrecks of that unwieldy empire, a hundred petty states have been formed, every thing has revived. 299the europeans have incessantly quarrelled and fought for little spots of land; the grand art of heroism is returned, the art of sacking provinces and shedding blood: and that balance of power so much talked of, is at last established, which puts all europe in arms at the motion of the least of its parts, and by means of which, a single spark is sufficient to set the whole earth in a flame.
“let us not regret those times so productive of warriors, when country heroes, each at the head of two or three hundred vassals, continually harrassed one another. the seeds of dissention, which were grown scarce in your climates, have been sought in the farthest parts of the earth; 300and from the bosom of the two indias, commerce has brought fresh seeds of enmity, discord, and war.
“these fertile sources are not exhausted; there still remain countries to be discovered. o ye indefatigable nations! is your courage abated? what! should you confine yourselves to your late progresses, as if there remained no unknown lands? will you never go and hoist your standards, and build forts, directly under the poles? rouse yourselves, there are still left riches to plunder, countries to waste, blood to spill.
“but why should you cast your eyes on such objects? are not your possessions immense? is not your luxury carried to the utmost height? are 301there still new vices to be introduced among you? and do not you begin to shake off the troublesome yoke of every sort of duty? without doubt, you are very well, nor were you ever better. the little way you have to arrive at perfection, will soon be gone over. when modern wisdom, which timorously conceals herself still in the shade, shall appear in broad day; when she shall have raised her proud head, and shall see all europe at her feet, universally adopting her maxims, then, you will have neither religious nor moral principles; you will be at the summit of felicity.”
