certain dislike and contempt of strangers, altogether inconsistent with the laws of philanthropy. But what is the result of these remarks? Unquestionably this; that Numa, Solon, Lycurgus, and Pythagoras, whose school produced so many wise legislators and statesmen, as well as many other great men of antiquity, did indeed possess minds of extraordinary capacities, and deserve to be reckoned. among the benefactors of mankind, for having in some measure civilized their countrymen, and delivered them from a terrible state of anarchy and barbarity; but that among them all, we do not find one who devised a plan of such dignity, useful qualities, and extent, as we have already discovered in that of Jesus. It appears not to have been agreeable to the taste of the greatest legislators of antiquity, to awaken and cherish benevolent and philanthropical dispositions and feelings among their fellow citizens, towards those who lived without the borders of their own native country. With all their greatness in other respects, in this, they were narrow hearted, contracted, and selfish.

HEROES AND defenders OF THEIR COUNTRY.

§ 65. We now proceed to that class which consists of heroes and defenders of their native country. I have already remarked, that I do not here speak of those conquerors and disturbers of human happiness and repose, who carried on war, in order to satisfy a wild ambition, which, like a kind of delirium, excited them to engage in monstrous enterprises. I here refer solely to those benevolent heroes of antiquity, who magnanimously defended their native countries, and nobly avenged the cause of oppressed innocence. They were undoubtedly men of extraordinary faculties, and accustomed to forming and executing plans of importance. How much soever the manner in which they labored to promote the welfare of their fellow creatures, appears to have differed from that of

Jesus, they must not be entirely passed over, for the object of our inquiry is a philanthropical extension of thought. We are here in quest of a man, who was animated with a noble zeal in behalf of the dignity and happiness of his fellow creatures, and engaged in the execution of a plan for the good of all without exception. Why, from the investigation, should those in particular be excluded, who ventured their lives and shed their blood, for the sake of others?

Fabulous accounts do indeed name some heroes of this kind, who are said to have employed their courage and strength in delivering mankind from wild animals and monsters, and imparting to them useful knowledge. Of the two most noted of them, I shall say all that is necessary, a little farther on. At present I confine myself solely to authentic history; and even this, certainly presents us with a multitude of men who have deserved well of the world for their deeds. It tells us of those who defended their native country and their allies against unjust attacks, aroused by the strength of their minds, and sustained, the sinking courage of their terrified fellow citizens in times of danger, generously and bravely ventured their lives for the public good, and, amidst the perils and cruelties of war, set examples of philanthropy, courage and forbearance. Who will not here immediately call to mind the great names of Miltiades, Themistocles, Cimon, Leonidas, Agesilaus, Epaminondas, Phocion, Philopomen, among the Greeks; and those of Brutus, Fabricius, Camillus, Marcellus, Æmillius, and the Scipios, among the Romans; as well as numerous other heroes, to whom their native country was indebted for its freedom and prosperity ?

That various objections may be made to much that was said and done by these men, as well as to many of the dispositions and feelings in which they indulged, many principles by which they were governed, and many parts of their mode of thinking as a whole, I readily admit. cannot be denied, however painful the fact, that, on numerous occasions, their characters exhibited traits of that unfriendly severity and hardness, so peculiar to all anti

It

quity. Who, however, that takes into consideration the circumstances in which they were called upon to serve their native country, will not allow them after all, to have been its greatest benefactors? During that age, a general mistrust prevailed, and almost every nation was obliged to be as it were, constantly under arms; for a peaceful man before he was aware of it, might be attacked by a tyrannical neighbour and deprived of all his tranquillity, and of course, power was considered in a great measure as authorizing what was right, and the strongest were permitted to take possession of all things. Hence, no nation that was destitute of men of such courage and decision, could possibly feel itself safe, or enjoy any degree of lasting prosperity. Those therefore, who rescued their respective countries from those attacks, merely, which were unjust, and defended them against wrongs from other nations, while they gave their fellow citizens instructive and animating examples of industry, order, magnanimity, moderation, and manly self-control, ought to be reckoned among the most distinguished benefactors of the human race; for we may safely say, that by their example, activity, and authority, they prevented the outbreakings of a thousand base and pernicious desires, smothered a thousand disorders in the bud, formed a thousand youth, whose fiery spirits would have led them on to extravagancies, into orderly and useful citizens, and made mankind to some degree acquainted with a lawful mode of thinking, as well as with a justice and magnanimity, which must have been the origin of innumerable deeds of public utility. Now if every thing that is good and useful, in whatever it consist, is to be esteemed and praised as such, why should we not recognise with satisfaction the contributions of these men to the amount of good dispositions and actions, and bless those, who, in this way, rendered themselves useful to mankind?

66. I need, however, scarcely add the remark, that, notwithstanding the attention which these men have always attracted, and the high esteem in which they deserve to be held by us, none of them can ever have thought of

such an extensive and benevolent plan as that of which we are now in pursuit. They were confined to their native countries, and in their spheres, did uncommonly well. The manner in which they sought to do good, however, rendered it necessary for them to do as much injury as possible to other nations for the security of their own.. They were obliged to adopt rules of action, severe, and often repulsive to their own feelings. The warlike character of the age necessarily cherished in them a spirit of mistrust towards all their neighbours, and prevented them from forming philanthropical plans for the benefit of strangers, the welfare and prosperity of such persons, tending rather to excite their ambition and lead them on in more careful endeavors for promoting the welfare of their own countrymen. Living and acting under such circumstances as these, the formation of a salutary plan, which embraced all nations, was an absolute impossibility.

WISE KINGS AND STATESMEN.

$67. This is also true of those wise kings and statesmen who became the fathers of their native country, and, by attending faithfully to the performance of their business, favoring the sciences, introducing useful arts, and by various other benevolent means, advanced the happiness of thousands. In this class of men, we unquestionably find goodness of heart combined with wisdom, and an intellect, comprehensive and penetrating;-an intellect capable of forming great plans and executing them, and doing every thing with a silent and energetic moderation, which aims at utility, and not at dazzling splendor. The men of this class, therefore, approximated very near to that greatness, of which we are seeking to find an example, except that they performed upon a small scale, what the founder of Christianity undertook to execute in his way, upon a large one. They sought to become the benefactors of a small native city or country; he intended to become the benefactor of the world.

The warlike spirit of antiquity of which I have already spoken, made almost all the men of the old world, who felt strong enough, desirous of undertaking something important, and distinguishing themselves by heroic deeds. It is very easy, therefore, to find a great number of conquerors and excellent commanders in ancient history; while, on the other hand, one finds himself involved in a kind of embarrassment, if he attempts to name men and princes, who thought solely of benevolent plans, and endeavored to advance the welfare and moral cultivation of the multitude over which they were placed, by procuring a lasting peace for their nation, and introducing into it those wise regulations which originate in genuine philanthropy and goodness of heart. Respecting many of these benevolent friends of mankind, history is almost entirely silent, as, in the opinion of the ancients, they did nothing worthy of notice, that is, carried on no bloody wars, and wasted no countries. Of the peaceful kings, who ruled in the happiest manner over the Albanian kingdom for more than 400 years before the building of Rome, scarcely the names have come down to us. Had not Theseus and Cyrus been as great in war, as they were wise and good in peace, we should perhaps have known little of them but their

names.

68. In the mean time, however, those great and benevolent men, whom we do meet with in the history of antiquity, always confined their operations to the narrow circle of their own nation and country. By means of laws and religion, the wise and peaceful Numa softened the wildness of his barbarous Romans, and contented himself with making his own little state as happy as it was then in his power.* Aristides by the strictest integrity performed important services for his native country, and satisfied himself with procuring for it the confidence of all Greece, and managing its weightiest affairs with unbribed faithful

*

Comp. Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Antiquitat. Rom. 1. II. c. 76. p. 400 seqq. Reisk. ed.