when I enter upon the awful task, I shield myself under the duty of patriotifin, against the disheartening efforts of oppofition, and the galling taunts of arrogance and prefump tion. I am fully aware of the hackneyed affectation, with which many modern writers affume the exclufive privilege of illuminating mankind; as if our predeceffors had worked through their lives, like moles in the dark, and had never rifen into the light, but by the chance of their own blind direction, or to injure the ground, through which they had emerged from their dark receffes. Impreffed, I prefume, with this idea, did the late Dr. Price thus address himself to his audience, in a discourse, which has been fince printed*:

Why are the nations of the world fo "patient under defpotifm? Why do they "crouch to tyrants, or fubmit to be treated, "as if they were a herd of cattle? Is it not "because they are kept in darkness, and "want knowledge?—Enlighten them, and

you will elevate them; fhew them they “are men, and they will act like men; give "them juft ideas of civil government, and "let them know, that it is an expedient for

* Dr. Price's Difcourfe on the Love of our Country,

p. 12.

B 4

"gaining

Modern writers nate mankind.

affect to illumi❤

The true principle of equali

zation is to allow to others

what we claim

ourfelves.

Truth to be fought imparti

parties.

gaining protection against injury, and defending their rights, and it will be impoffi"ble for them to fubmit to governments, "which, like most of those now in the world, "are ufurpations on the rights of men, and "little better than contrivances for enabling "the few to opprefs the many."

The first principle of the true equalization of mankind is to affume no right to ourfelves, which we deny to others. As, therefore, I am unwilling to fubmit my own affent to any principles, or doctrines grounded upon them, without previous investigation and difcuffion; fo do I prefume and admit the fame right in others, in the most unexceptionable latitude. To them I allow the moft unbiaffed freedom of judgment, because the fame I claim to myself. And as I experience no fmall degree of indignation, when the difference of my opinion from that of others is attributed to ignorance; fo do I feel an equal degree of indelicacy, in afcribing the difagreement of that of others from my own to ignorance of the question in agitation be

tween us.

In forming my

mind

upon the

great and ally from all important fubject of the Rights of Man, I have endeavoured to draw knowledge and information from every fource, from which

I thought

I thought it likely to fpring. Nullius addictus jurare in verba magiftri, I as readily admit of a true propofition laid down by a tory, as by a whig, by a puritan as by a church-man, by a leveller as by a royalist. If my labours, and researches do in the smallest degree contribute to settle the minds of my countrymen upon the subject, that reward will fatisfy my proudest expectations. *Whenever "the interests of truth and liberty are at"tacked, it is to be wifhed, that fome would "stand up in their defence, whether they ac

quit themselves better, than their prede"ceffors in the fame good old cause or not. "New books, in defence of any principles "whatever, will be read by many persons, "who will not look into old books for the proper answers to them."

We are affured, from the unerring authority of the holy Bible, that the days of man have been much curtailed, fince he was firft formed by his creator; and we may rationally infer, that the natural ftrength, vigor, and power of that body, which was to last many hundred years, were greater, than what are merely requifite to fupport it through a tenth part of that period; but I can no where

* Preface to Dr. Prielley's Effay on the Firft Principles of Government.

trace

The intellectual trace even a fuggeftion, that the minds and

powers of man

more nor lefs

perfect, than

were.

Antiquity not conclusive evidence of truth.

are now neither intellects of our antediluvian ancestors were more vigorous or perfect, than thofe of their they formerly pofterity; though from the excefs of their longevity they must have had the advantage of experimental information: yet Solomon, who was endowed with more wisdom, than any of his predeceffors, exifted long after this abbreviation of the natural days of man, I am free to own, it has ever appeared to me as unwarrantable to maintain, that the true principles of civil and religious liberty have only been difclofed to the prefent generation, as to attribute an exclufive preference to all the doctrines of our predeceffors, upon the mere fcore of antiquity. Every fucceeding age muft neceffarily have the advantages of obfervation and experience; but beyond these I can difcover no traits, that mark the fuperiority of the prefent age above any that have preceded it*. The more clofely we

"For as our modern wits behold, mounted a pick-back on "the old, &c. Hudib. 1ft pt. zd canto. v. 71, 72. A ban"ter on thofe modern writers, who, as Sir W. Temple

obferves, (Efay on ancient and modern Learning), that as "to knowledge, the moderns must have more, than the "antients, because they have the advantage both of "theirs and their own; which is commonly illuftrated "by a dwarf's ftanding upon a giant's fhoulders, or feeing more or farther than he." Grey's Hud. v. 1. p. 104.

attend

attend to the various excellencies of individuals within our own acquaintance, the more fully we shall be convinced, that the innate powers of men have not varied for the fe two thousand years; but that they have ever acquired a degree of excellence proportioned to the variety of the circumstances, that called them into action. Thus are obviously traced the various causes, which through the fucceffion of ages, have given birth to, encouraged, and perfected the different arts and fciences. I cannot help differing, upon this point, from Dr. Priestley*, who fays, "That "the human fpecies itself is capable of a "fimilar and unbounded improvement;

whereby mankind in a latter age are greatly fuperior to mankind, in a former age, the individuals being taken at the "fame time of life. Of this progress of the

fpecies, brute animals are more incapable, "than they are of that relating to indivi«duals. No horfe of this age feems to "have any advantage over other horses of "former ages; and if there can be any im

provement in the fpecies, it is owing to

our manner of breeding and training them: "but a man at this time, who has been "tolerably well educated, in an improved

Effay on the First Principles of Government, p. 2.

"Chriftian

Our prefent exno fuch advanpredeceffors as teaches. Dr. Priestley

istence gives us

tage over our