clares his deteftation at ufing freedom with truth (a) and yet no man deals more in feigned ftories (b). In the 22d book of the iliad, Minerva is guilty of grofs deceit and treachery to Hector. When he flees from Achilles, fhe appears to him in the fhape of his brother Deiphobus, exhorts him to turn upon Achilles, and promifes to affift him. Hector accordingly, returning to the fight, darts his lance; which rebounds from the fhield of Achilles, for by Vulcan it was made impenetrable. Hector calls upon his brother for another lance; but in vain, for Deiphobus was not there. The Greeks in Homer's time must have been strangely deformed in their morals, when such a story could be relished *. A nation begins not * Upon the ftory of Jupiter being deceived by Juno in the 14th book of the Iliad, Pope fays, "That he knows not a bolder fiction in all anti"quity, nor one that has a greater air of impiety." Pope it would feem was little acquainted with antiquity for fuch acts of impiety were common among the Greeks; and in particular the incident mentioned in the text, is not only more impious, but also a more grofs violation of the laws of morality. (a) Book 14. (b) Book 14. book 15. to to polish nor to advance in morality, till writing be common; and writing was not known among the Greeks at the siege of Troy. Nor were the morals of that people, as we fee, much purified for a long time after writing became common. When Plautus wrote, the Roman fyftem of morals must have been extremely impure. In his play termed Menæchmi, a gentleman of fashion having accidentally got into his hands a lady's robe with a gold clasp; inftead of returning them to the owner, endeavours to fell them without fhame or remorfe. Such a fcene would not be endured at prefent, except among pickpockets. Both the Greeks and Carthaginians were held by the Romans to be artful and cunning. The Romans continued a plain people, with much fimplicity of manners, when the nations mentioned had made great progrefs in the arts of life; and it is a fad truth, that morality declines in proportion as a nation polishes. But if the Romans were later than the Greeks and Carthaginians in the arts of life, they foon furpaffed them in every fort of immorality. For this change of manners, they were indebted to their rapid con quefts. quefts. The fanguinary difpofition both of the Greeks and Romans, appears from another practice, that of expofing their infant children, which continued till humanity came in fome measure to prevail. The practice continues in China to this day, the populoufnefs of the country throwing a veil over the cruelty; but from the humanity of the Chinese, I conjecture, that the practice is rare. The Jews, a cloudy and peevish tribe much addicted to bloodshed, were miferably defective in moral principles. Take the following examples out of an endless number recorded in the books of the Old Testament. Jael, wife of Heber, took under her protection Sifera, general of the Canaanites, and engaged her faith for his fecurity. She put him treacherously to death when asleep; and was applauded by Deborah the prophetess for the meritorious action (a). That horrid deed would probably have appeared to her in a different light, had it been committed against Barac, general of the Ifraelites. David, flying from Saul, took refuge with Achifh, King of Gath; and, tho' protected by that King, made (a) Judges, iv. 5. VOL. IV. U War 1 1 dah. war against the King's allies, faying, that it was against his own countrymen of Ju→ "And David faved neither man nor woman alive to bring tidings to Gath. “And Achish believed David, faying, He "hath made his people Ifrael utterly to abhor him therefore he fhall be my "fervant for ever (a)." This was a complication of ingratitude, lying, and treachery. Ziba, by prefents to King David and by defaming his mafter Mephibofheth, procured from the King a gift of his master's inheritance; tho' Mephibofheth had neither trimmed his beard, nor washed his cloaths, from the day the King departed till he returned in "And peace. "it came to pass, when Mephibosheth was come to Jerufalem to meet the king, "that the king faid unto him, Wherefore "wenteft thou not with me, Mephibo"fheth? And he answered, My lord, O 66 king, my fervant deceived me; for thy "fervant faid, I will faddle me an afs, "that I may ride thereon, and go to the "king; because thy fervant is lame, and " he hath flandered thy fervant unto my "lord the king. But my lord the king is (a) 1 Samuel, xxvii. 11. as an angel of God: do therefore what "is good in thine eyes. For all my fa"ther's houfe were but dead men before my lord the king: yet didst thou fer "thy fervant among them that did eat at "thine own table: what right therefore "have I to cry any more unto the king ? David could not poffibly atone for his rashness, but by restoring to Mephibofheth his inheritance, and punishing Ziba in an exemplary manner. But hear the fentence: "And the king faid unto him, Why fpeakeft thou any more of thy 1 matters? I have faid, Thou and Ziba "divide the land (a)." The fame king, after pardoning Shimei for curfing him, and swearing that he should not die; yet upon deathbed enjoined his fon Solomon to put Shimei to death: "Now therefore "hold him not guiltlefs; but his hoary "head bring thou down to the grave with "blood (b)." I wish not to be misapprehended, as intending to cenfure David in particular. If the best king the Jews ever had, was fo miferably deficient in morality, what must be thought of the na (a) 2 Samnel, xix. 24. (b) 1 Kings, ii. 9. tion |