fire, and they feemed to ftudy only the graces of inanimate beauty. Their black teeth and plucked eye-brows were, however, alleged by the Genius against them, but he fet them entirely afide when he came to examine their little feet.

The beauties of Circaffia next made their appearance. They advanced hand-in-hand, finging the moft immodeft airs, and leading up a dance in the moft luxurious attitudes. Their drefs was but half a covering; the neck, the left breaft, and all the limbs, were expofed to view, which after fome time feemed rather to fatiate than inflame defire. The lilly and the rofe contended in forming their complexions; and a foft fleepinefs of eye added irrefiftible poignance to their charms: but their beauties were obtruded, not offered, to their admirers; they feemed to give rather than receive courtship; and the Genius of Love difmiffed them as unworthy his regard, fince they exchanged the duties of love, and made themselves not the pursued, but the purfuing fex.

The kingdom of Kashmire next produced its charming deputies. This happy region feemed peculiarly fequeftered by Nature for his abode. Shady mountains fenced it on one fide from the scorching fun; and fea-born breezes, on the other, gave peculiar luxuriance to the air. Their complexions were of a bright yellow, that appeared almoft tranfparent, while the crimfon tulip feemed to bloffom on their cheeks. Their features and limbs were delicate beyond the ftatuary's power to exprefs; and their teeth whiter than their own ivory. He was almoft perfuaded to refide among them, when unfortunately one of the ladies talked of appointing his feraglio.

In this proceffion the naked inhabitants of Southern America would not be left behind; their charms

were

were found to furpass whatever the warmest imagination could conceive; and ferved to fhew, that beauty could be perfect, even with the feeming difadvantage of a brown complexion. But their favage education rendered them utterly unqualified to make the proper ufe of their power, and they were rejected as being incapable of uniting mental with fenfual fatisfaction. In this manner the deputies of other kingdoms had their fuits rejected: the black beauties of Benin, and the tawny daughters of Borneo, the women of Wida with well-fcarred faces, and the hideous virgins of Cafraria; the fquab ladies of Lapland, three feet high, and the giant fair-ones of Patagonia.

The beauties of Europe at laft appeared: grace was in their fteps, and fenfibility fate fmiling in every eye. It was the univerfal opinion while they were aproaching, that they would prevail; and the Genius feemed to lend them his moft favourable attention. They opened their pretenfions with the utmoft modefty; but unfortunately as their orator proceeded the happened to let fall the words house in town, fttlement and pin-money. Thefe feemingly harmless terms had inftantly a furprizing effect: the Genius with ungovernable rage burft from amidst the circle; and waving his youthful pinions, left this earth, and flew back to thofe etherial manfions from which he defcended.

The whole affembly was ftruck with amazement : they now juftly apprehended, that female power would be no more, fince love had forfaken them. They continued fome time thus in a ftate of torpid defpair, when it was propofed by one of the number, that, fince the real Genius had left them, in order to con- ! tinue their power, they fhould fet up an idol in his ftead; and that the ladies of every country fhould furnish him with what each liked beft. This propofal

was

was inftantly relished and agreed to. An idol was formed by uniting the capricious gifts of all the affembly, though no way refembling the departed Genius. The ladies of China furnished the monster with wings; those of Kashmire fupplied him with horns; the dames of Europe clapped a purfe in his hand; and the virgins of Congo furnished him with a tail. Since that time, all the vows addreffed to Love are in reality paid to the idol; but, as in other falfe religions, the adoration feems most fervent, where the heart is leaft fincere. Adieu.

MANKIND have ever been prone to expatiate on the praise of human nature. The dignity of man is a fubject that has always been the favourite theme of humanity; they have declaimed with that oftentation, which ufually accompanies fuch as are fure of having a partial audience: they have obtained victories because there were none to oppose. Yet from all I have ever read or feen, men appear more apt to err by having too high, than by having too defpicable an opinion of their nature; and by attempting to exalt their original place in the creation, deprefs their real value in fociety.

The most ignorant nations have always been found to think moft highly of themselves. The Deity has ever been thought peculiarly concerned in their glory and prefervation; to have fought their battles, and infpired their teachers: their wizzards are faid to be

familiar

familiar with Heaven; and every hero has a guard of angels, as well as men to attend him. When the Portuguese firft came among the wretched inhabitants of the coaft of Africa, thefe favage nations readily allowed the ftrangers more skill in navigation and war; yet ftill confidered them, at beft, but as ufeful fervants brought to their coafts, by their guardian ferpent, to fupply them with luxuries they could have lived without. Though they could grant the Portuguese more riches; they could never allow them to have fuch a king as their TottimondeJem, who wore a bracelet of fhells round his neck, and whofe legs were covered with ivory.

He

In this manner, examine a favage in the hiftory of his country and predeceffors; you ever find his warriors able to conquer armies, and his fages acquainted with more than poffible knowledge: human nature is to him an unknown country; he thinks it capable of great things, because he is ignorant of its boundaries; whatever can be conceived to be done he allows to be poffible, and whatever is poffible he conjectures must have been done. never measures the actions and powers of others by what himself is able to perform, nor makes a proper eftimate of the greatnefs of his fellows by bringing it to the ftandard of his own incapacity. He is fatisfied to be one of a country where mighty things have been; and imagines the fancied power of others reflects a luftre on himself. Thus, by degrees, he lofes the idea of his own infignificance in a confufed notion of the extraordinary powers of humanity, and is willing to grant extraordinary gifts to every pretender, becaufe unacquainted with their claims.

This is the reafon, why demi-gods and heroes have ever been erected in times or countries of ignorance and barbarity; they addreffed a people who

had

had high opinions of human nature, because they were ignorant how far it could extend; they addreffed a people who were willing to allow that men fhould be gods, because they were yet imperfectly acquainted with God, and with man. Thefe impoftors knew, that all men are naturally fond of feeing fomething very great made from the little maté rials of humanity; that ignorant nations are not more proud of building a tower to reach Heaven, or a pyramid to laft for ages, than of raifing up a demi-god of their own country and creation. The fame pride, that erects a coloffus or a pyramid, inftals a god or an hero: but though the adoring favage can raise his coloffus to the clouds, he can exalt the hero not one inch above the ftandard of humanity; incapable therefore of exalting the idol, he debafes himself and falls proftrate before him.

When man has thus acquired an erroneous idea of the dignity of his fpecies, he and the gods become perfectly intimate; men are but angels, angels are but men, nay but fervants that ftand in waiting to execute human commands. The Perfians, for inftance, thus addrefs their prophet Haly *. I falute thee, glorious Creator, of whom the fun is 'but the fhadow. Masterpiece of the Lord of human creatures, Great Star of Juftice and Religion. The fea is not rich and liberal but by the gifts of thy munificent hands. The angel treasurer of Heaven reaps his harveft in the fertile gardens of the purity of thy nature. The primum mobile 'would never dart the ball of the fun through the 'trunk of Heaven, were it not to ferve the morning out of the extreme love fhe has for thee. The angel Gabriel, meffenger of truth, every day kiffes

* Chaudin's Travels, p. 402.

'the