aged the acquifition of those exercises, by bestowing little premiums and badges of diftinction upon those who excelled in them. To have gained a prize in the Olympic, Ifthmian or Nemæan games, gave illustration, not only to the perfon who gained it, but to his whole family and kindred. The obligation which every citizen was under to ferve a certain number of years, if called upon, in the armies of the republic, fufficiently impofed the neceffity of learning those exercises, without which he could not be fit for that fervice.

That in the progrefs of improvement the practice of military exercifes, unless government takes proper pains to fupport it, goes gradually to decay, and, together with it, the martial spirit of the great body of the people, the example of modern Europe fufficiently demonftrates. But the security of every fociety must always depend, more or less, upon the martial spirit of the great body of the people. In the present times, indeed, that martial fpirit alone, and unfupported by a well-difciplined ftanding army, would not, perhaps be fufficient for the defence and fecurity of any fociety. But where every citizen had the fpirit of a foldier, a smaller standing army would furely be requifite. That spirit, befides, would 'neceffarily diminish very much the dangers to liberty, whether real or imaginary, which are commonly apprehended from a ftanding army. As it would very much facilitate the operations of that army against a foreign invader, so it would obftruct them as much if unfortunately

they should ever be directed against the conftitution of the state.

The ancient inftitutions of Greece and Rome feem to have been much more effectual, for maintaining the martial fpirit of the great body of the people, than the establishment of what are called the militias of modern times. They were much more fimple. When they were once established, they executed themselves, and it required little or no attention from government to maintain them in the most perfect vigor. Whereas to maintain, even in tolerable execution, the complex regulations of any modern militia, requires the continual and painful attention of government, without which they are conftantly falling into total neglect and difufe. The influence, befides, of the ancient inftitutions was much more univerfal. By means of them the whole body of the people was compleatly inftructed in the ufe of arms. Whereas it is but a very small part of them who can ever be fo inftructed by the regulations of any modern militia; except, perhaps, that of Switzerland. But a coward, a man incapable either of defending or of revenging himself, evidently wants one of the most effential parts of the character of a man. He is as much mutilated and deformed in his mind, as another is in his body, who is either deprived of fome of its most effential members, or has loft the use of them. He is evidently the more wretch. ed and miferable of the two; becaufe happiness and mifery, which refide altogether in the mind, muft neceffarily depend more upon the healthful

or unhealthful, the mutilated or entire ftate of the mind, than upon that of the body. Even though the martial spirit of the people were of no use towards the defence of the fociety, yet to prevent that fort of mental mutilation, deformity, and wretchedness, which cowardice neceffarily involves in it, from fpreading themselves through the great body of the people, would ftill deferve the most serious attention of government; in the same manner as it would deferve its most serious attention to prevent a leprofy or any other loathfome and offenfive disease, though neither mortal nor dangerous from fpreading itself among them; though, perhaps, no other public good might refult from fuch attention befides the prevention of fo great a public evil.

The fame thing may be faid of the grofs ig norance and ftupidity which, in a civilized society, feem fo frequently to benumb the understandings of all the inferior ranks of people. A man without the proper ufe of the intellectual faculties of a man, is, if poffible, more contemptible than even a coward, and feems to be mutilated and deformed in a still more effential part of the character of human nature. Though the ftate was to derive no advantage from the inftruction of the inferior ranks of people, it would still deserve its attention. that they should not be altogether uninstructed. The ftate, however, derives no inconfiderable advantage from their inftruction. The more they are inftructed, the lefs liable they are to the delufions of enthusiasm and fuperftition, which, among ignorant nations, frequently occafion the most

dreadful diforders. An inftructed and intelligent people befides, are always more decent and orderly than an ignorant and ftupid one. They feel themfelves, each individually, more respectable, and more likely to obtain the refpect of their lawful fuperiors, and they are therefore more difpofed to respect those superiors. They are more difpofed to examine, and more capable of feeing through, the interested complaints of faction and fedition, and they are, upon that account, lefs apt to be mifled into any wanton or unneceffary oppofition to the measures of government. In free countries, where the safety of government depends very much upon the favorable judgment which the people may form of its conduct, it must furely be of the highest importance that they should not be disposed to judge rafhly or capricioufly concerning it.

ARTICLE III.

Of the Expenfe of the Inftitutions for the Inftruction of People of all Ages. 1.

THE inftitutions for the inftruction of people of all ages are chiefly thofe for religious inftruction. This is a fpecies of inftruction of which the object is not fo much to render the people good citizens in this world, as to prepare them for another and a better world in a life to come. The teachers of the doctrine which contains this inftruction, in the fame manner as other teachers, may either depend altogether for their fubfiftence

upon the voluntary contributions of their hearers; or they may derive it from fome other fund to which the law of their country may entitle them; fuch as a landed eftate, a tithe or land tax, an established falary or ftipend. Their exertion, their zeal and industry, are likely to be much greater in the former fituation than in the latter. In this respect the teachers of new religions have always had a confiderable advantage in attacking those ancient and established systems of which the clergy, repofing themselves upon their benefices, had neglected to keep up the fervor of faith and devotion in the great body of the people; and having given themselves up to indolence, were become altogether incapable of making any vigorous exertion in defence even of their own establishment. The clergy of an established and well-endowed religion frequently become men of learning and elegance, who poffefs all the virtues of gentlemen, or which can recommend them to the efteem of gentlemen; but they are apt gradually to lofe the qualities, both good and bad, which gave them authority and influence with the inferior ranks of people, and which had perhaps been the original causes of the fuccefs and establishment of their religion. Such a clergy, when attacked by a set of popular and bold, though perhaps ftupid and ignorant enthusiasts, feel themfelves as perfectly defenceless as the indolent, effeminate, and full-fed nations of the fouthern parts of Asia, when they were invaded by the active, hardy, and hungry Tartars of the North. Such a clergy,