66

wrong track, and that fcarcely even abilities like his own could ever fet it right again. "What have we," faid he, to do with the wars on the continent; we are a commercial nation; we have only to cultivate commerce like our neighbours "the Dutch; it is our business to increase trade by fettling new colonies: riches are the ftrength of a "nation; and for the reft, our fhips, our fhips alone "will protect us." I found it. vain to oppofe my feeble arguments to thofe of a man who thought himself wife enough to direct even the miniftry: I fancied, however, that I faw with more certainty, because I reasoned without prejudice; I therefore begged leave, inftead of argument, to relate a short hiftory. He gave me a fmile at once of condefcenfion and contempt, and I proceeded, as follows, to defcribe, THE RISE AND DECLENSION OF THE KINGDOM OF LAO.

Northward of China, and in one of the doubleings of the great wall, the fruitful province of Lao enjoyed its liberty, and a peculiar government of its own. As the inhabitants were on all fides surrounded by the wall, they feared no fudden invafion from the Tartars; and, being each poffeffed of property, they were zealous in its defence.

The natural confequences of fecurity and afflu¬ ence in any country is a love of pleafure; when the wants of Nature are fupplied, we fee after the conveniences; when poffeffed of thefe, we defire the luxuries of life; and, when every luxury is provided, it is then ambition takes up the man, and leaves him ftill fomething to wifh for: the inhabitants of the country, from primitive fimplicity, foon began to aim at elegance, and from elegance proceeded to refinement. It was now found abfolutely requifite, for the good of the state, that the people should be divided. Formerly, the fame hand that was employed in tilling the ground, or in dreffing

1

up the manufactures, was alfo in time of need a foldier; but the cuffom was now changed: for it was perceived, that a man bred up from childhood to the arts of either peace or war, became more eminent by this means in his refpective profeffion. The inhabitants were, therefore, now diftinguished into artizans and foldiers; and while thofe improved the luxuries of life, thefe watched for the fecurity of the people.

A country poffeffed of freedom, has always two forts of enemies to fear; foreign foes who attack its. existence from without, and internal mifcreants who, betray its liberties within. The inhabitants of Lao were to guard against both. A country of artizans were most likely to preferve internal liberty; and a nation of foldiers were fitteft to repel a foreign invafion. Hence, naturally rofe a divifion of opinion between the artizans and foldiers of the kingdom. The artizans, ever complaining that freedom was threatened by an armed internal force, were for difbanding the foldiers, and infifted that their walls, their walls alone, were fufficient to repel the most formidable invafion: the warriors, on the contrary, represented the power of the neighbouring kings, the combinations formed against their ftate, and the weakness of the wall, which every earthquake might overturn. While this altercation continued, the kingdom might be juftly faid to enjoy its greatest fhare of vigour: every order in the ftate, by being watchful over each other, contributed to diffute happiness equally, and balanced the ftate. The arts. of peace flourished, nor were thofe of war neglected; the neighbouring powers, who had nothing to apprehend from the ambition of men whom they only law folicitous, not for riches but freedom, were conAented to traffic with them: they fent their goods, to be manufactured in Lao, and paid a large price for them upon their return.

By

By these means this people at length became moderately rich, and their opulence naturally invited the invader; a Tartar prince led an immenfe army against them, and they as bravely stood up in their own defence; they were ftill infpired with a love of their country; they fought the barbarous enemy with fortitude, and gained a complete victory.

From this moment, which they regarded as the completion of their glory, hiftorians date their down-fall. They had rifen in ftrength by a love of their country, and fell by indulging ambition. The country poffeffed by the invading Tartars, seemed to them a prize that would not only render them more formidable for the future, but which would increase their opulence for the prefent; it was unanimously refolved, therefore, both by foldiers and artizans, that those defolate regions fhould be peopled by colonies from Lao. When a trading nation begins to act the conqueror, it is then perfectly undone it fubfifts in fome measure by the fupport of its neighbours; while they continue to regard it without envy or apprehenfion, trade may flourish; but when once it prefumes to affert as its right what is only enjoyed as a favour, each country reclaims that part of commerce which it has power to take back, and turns it into fome other channel more honourable, though perhaps lefs con

venient.

Every neighbour now began to regard with jealous eyes this ambitious common-wealth, and forbade their fubjects any future intercourfe with them. The inhabitants of Lao, however, ftill purfued the fame ambitious maxims; it was from their colonies alone they expected riches; and riches, faid they, are ftrength, and ftrength is fecurity. Numberlefs were the migrations of the defperate and enterprizing of this country, to people the defolate dominions lately poffeffed by the Tartar. Between thefe

G 4

thefe 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 fhall 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 dress up itself: fuch was the cafe with the colonies of Lao; they, in less 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, preferved 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 thofe bodies bloated with difeafe, whofe bulk is only a fymptom 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 helpless. They had imagined, because their colonies tended to make them rich upon the

firft 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 affistance, or else were defirous of shaking 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 fubjection 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,

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