these colonies and the mother country, a very advantageous traffic was at firft carried on; the republic fent their colonies large quantities of the manufactures of the country, and they in return provided the republic with an equivalent in ivory and ginfeng. By this means the inhabitants became immenfely rich, and this produced an equal degree of voluptuoufnefs; for men who have much money will always find fome fantastical modes of enjoyment, How shall I mark the fteps by which they declined? Every colony in procefs of time fpreads over the whole country where it firft was planted. As it grows more populous, it becomes more polite; and thofe manufactures for which it was in the beginning obliged to others, it learns to drefs up itfelf: fuch was the cafe with the colonies of Lao; they, in lefs than a century, became a powerful and a polite people, and the more polite they grew, the lefs advantageous was the commerce which ftill fubfifted between them and others. By this means the mother country being abridged in its commerce, grew poorer but not lefs luxurious. Their former wealth had introduced luxury; and wherever luxury once fixes, no art can either leffen or remove it. Their commerce with their neighbours was totally deftroyed, and that with their colonies was every day naturally and neceffarily declining; they ftill, however, preserved the infolence of wealth, without a power to fupport it, and perfevered in being luxurious, while contemptible from poverty. In fhort, the ftate resembled one of those bodies bloated with disease, whofe bulk is only a symptom of its wretchednefs.

Their former opulence only rendered them more impotent, as thofe individuals who are reduced from riches to poverty, are of all men the moft unfortunate and helplefs. They had imagined, because their colonies tended to make them rich upon the

first acquifition, they would ftill continue to do fo; they now found, however, that on themselves alone they should have depended for fupport; that colonies ever afforded but temporary affluence, and when cultivated and polite, are no longer ufeful. From fuch a concurrence of circumftances they foon became contemptible. The emperor Honti invaded them with a powerful army. Hiftorians do not fay whether their colonies were too remote to lend affiftance, or else were defirous of fhaking off their dependance; but certain it is, they fcarcely made any refiftance; their walls were now found but a weak defence, and they at length were obliged to acknowledge subjection to the empire of China.

:

Happy, very happy might they have been, had they known when to bound their riches and their glory had they known that extending empire is often diminishing power; that countries are ever ftrongest which are internally powerful; that colonies by draining away the brave and enterprizing, leave the country in the hands of the timid and the avaricious; that walls give little protection, unless manned with refolution; that too much commerce may injure a nation as well as too little; and that there is a wide difference between a conquering and a flourishing empire. Adieu.

LETTER XXV.

TO THE SAME.

THOUGH fond of many acquaintances, I defire an intimacy only with a few. The man in black whom I have often mentioned, is one whose friendship I

could

could wish to acquire, because he poffeffes my efteem. His manners, it is true, are tinctured with fome ftrange inconfiftencies; and he may be juftly termed an humourift in a nation of humourifts. Though he is generous even to profufion, he affects to be thought a prodigy of parfimony and prudence; though his converfation be replete with the moft fordid and selfish maxims, his heart is dilated with the moft unbounded love. I have known him profess himself a man-hater, while his cheek was glowing with compaffion; and, while his looks were foftened into pity, I have heard him use the language of the moft unbounded ill-nature. Some affect humanity and tenderness, others boaft of having fuch difpofitions from Nature; but he is the only man I ever knew who seemed afhamed of his natural benevo lence. He takes as much pains to hide his feelings, as any hypocrite would to conceal his indifference; but on every unguarded moment the mask drops off, and reveals him to the moft fuperficial ob

ferver.

In one of our late excurfions into the country, happening to difcourfe upon the provifion that was made for the poor in England, he feemed amazed how any of his countrymen could be fo foolishly weak as to relieve occafional objects of charity, when the laws had made fuch ample provifion for their fupport. In every parish houfe, fays he, the poor are fupplied with food, cloaths, fire, and a bed to lie on; they want no more, I defire no more myfelf; yet ftill they feem difcontented. I am furprized at the inactivity of our magiftrates, in not taking up fuch vagrants who are only a weight upon the induftrious; I am furprized that the people are found to relieve them, when they must be at the fame time fenfible that it, in fome meafure, encourages idleness, extravagance, and impofture. Were I to advise any man for whom I had the leaft regard, I would

I

I would caution him by all means not to be impofed upon by their falfe pretences: let me affure you, Sir, they are impoftors, every one of them, and rather merit a prison than relief.

He was proceeding in this ftrain earnestly, to dif fuade me from an imprudence of which I am feldom guilty, when an old man, who still had about him the remnants of tattered finery, implored our compaffion. He affured us that he was no common beggar, but forced into the fhameful profeffion, to fupport a dying wife and five hungry children. Being prepoffeffed against fuch falfhoods, his ftory had not the least influence upon me; but it was quite otherwise with the man in black; I could fee it vifibly operate upon his countenance, and effectually interrupt his harangue. I could eafily perceive, that his heart burned to relieve the five ftarving children, but he seemed afhamed to discover his weakness to me. While he thus hefitated between compaffion and pride, I pretended to look another way, and he feized this opportunity of giving the poor petitioner a piece of filver, bidding him at the fame time, in order that I fhould not hear, go work for his bread, and not tease paffengers with fuch im pertinent falfhoods for the future.

As he had fancied himfelf quite unperceived, he continued, as we proceeded, to rail against beggars with as much animofity as before; he threw in fome episodes on his own amazing prudence and conomy, with his profound kill in difcovering impoftors; he explained the manner in which he would deal with beggars were he a magiftrate, hinted at enlarging fome of the prifons for their reception, and told two ftories of ladies that were robbed by beggarmen. He was beginning a third to the fame purpose, when a failor with a wooden leg once more croffed our walks, defiring our pity, and bleffing our limbs. I was for going on without taking any notice,

notice, but my friend looking wifhfully upon the poor petitioner, bid me ftop, and he would fhew 'me with how much eafe he could at any time detect an impoftor.

He now therefore affumed a look of importance, and in an angry tone began to examine the failor, demanding in what engagement he was thus difabled and rendered unfit for fervice. The failor replied in a tone as angrily as he, that he had been an officer on-board a private fhip of war, and that he had loft his leg abroad in defence of those who did no thing at home. At this reply, all my friend's importance vanished in a moment; he had not a fingle queftion more to afk; he now only ftudied what method he should take to relieve him unobserved. He had, however, no eafy part to act, as he was obliged to preferve the appearance of ill-nature before me, and yet relieve himfelf by relieving the failor. Cafting, therefore, a furious look upon fome bundles of chips which the fellow carried in a ftring at his back, my friend demanded how he fold hist matches; but, not waiting for a reply, defired in a furly tone, to have a fhilling's worth. The failor feemed at firft furprized at his demand, but foon recollected himself, and prefenting his whole bundle, "Here mafter," fays he, "take all my cargo, and a bleffing into the bargain."

It is impoffible to defcribe, with what an air of triumph my friend marched off with his new purchafe; he affured me, that he was firmly of opinion that thofe fellows must have ftolen their goods, who could thus afford to fell them for half value. He informed me of feveral different ufes to which thofe chips might be applied; he expatiated largely upon the favings that would refult from lighting candles with a match inftead of thrufting them into the fire. He averred, that he would as foon have parted with a tooth as his money to thofe vagabonds, unlers

for