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"could not nourish them for ever, unless ei166 ther its fertility could be continually augment"ed, or by some secret in nature, like what "certain enthusiasts have expected from the "philosopher's stone, some wise adept in the "occult sciences, should invent a method of supporting mankind quite different from any thing known at present. Nay, though some extraordinary method of supporting them “might possibly be found out, yet if there was "no bound to the increase of mankind, which "would be the case under a perfect government, "there would not even be sufficient room for "containing their bodies upon the surface of "the earth, or upon any limited surface what

soever. It would be necessary, therefore, in "order to find room for such multitudes of men, "that the earth should be continually enlarging "in bulk, as an animal or vegetable body.

"Now since philosophers may as soon at "tempt to make mankind immortal, as to sup

port the animal frame without food; it is "equally certain, that limits are set to the ferBS tility of the earth, and that its bulk, so far as "is hitherto known, hath continued always the

same, and probably could not be much altered "without making considerable changes in the "solar system. It would be impossible, there

"fore, to support the great numbers of men who "would be raised up under a perfect govern"ment; the earth would be overstocked at last, "and the greatest admirers of such fanciful "schemes must foresee the fatal period when they would come to an end, as they are alto"gether inconsistent with the limits of that "earth in which they must exist.

"What a miserable catastrophe of the most

generous of all human systems of government! "How dreadfully would the magistrates of such "commonwealths find themselves disconcerted "at that fatal period, when there was no longer "any room for new colonies, and when the earth "could produce no further supplies! During "all the preceding ages, while there was room "for increase, mankind must have been happy; "the earth must have been a paradise in the li "teral sense, as the greatest part of it must have "been turned into delightful and fruitful gar"dens. But when the dreadful time should at "last come, when our globe, by the most dili

'gent culture, could not produce what was "sufficient to nourish its numerous inhabitants, "what happy expedient could then be found *out to remedy so great an evil?

“In such a cruel necessity, must there be a

"law to restrain marriage? Must multitudes "of women be shut up in cloisters like the an◄ "cient vestals or modern nuns? To keep a "ballance between the two sexes, must a pro

1

portionable number of men be debarred from "marriage? Shall the Utopians, following the "wicked policy of superstition, forbid their "priests to marry; or shall they rather sacrifice "men of some other profession for the good of "the state? Or, shall they appoint the sons of "certain families to be maimed at their birth, "and give a sanction to the unnatural institu"tion of eunuchs? If none of these expe"dients can be thought proper, shall they ap"point a certain number of infants to be ex"posed to death as soon as they are born, deter"mining the proportion according to the exigen"cies of the state; and pointing out the parti"cular victims by lot, or according to some es"tablished rule? Or, must they shorten the "period of human life by a law, and condemn "all to die after they had compleated a certain age, which might be shorter or longer, as pro"visions were either more scanty or plentiful? "Or what other method should they devise (for "an expedient would be absolutely necessary) "to restrain the number of citizens within rea"sonable bounds?

"Alas! how unnatural and inhuman must every such expedient be accounted! The na"tural passions and appetites of mankind are

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planted in our frame, to answer the best ends "for the happiness both of the individuals and "of the species. Shall we be obliged to contra"dict such a wise order? Shall we be laid un"der the necessity of acting barbarously and in

humanly? Sad and fatal necessity! And "which, after all, could never answer the end, "but would give rise to violence and war. For "mankind would never agree about such regu

lations. Force, and arms, must at last decide "their quarrels, and the deaths of such as fall in battle, leave sufficient provisions for the survi66 vors, and make room for others to be born.

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"Thus the tranquillity and numerous blessings of the Utopian governments would come "to an end; war, or cruel and unnatural cus"toms, be introduced, and a stop put to the "increase of mankind, to the advancement of "knowledge, and to the culture of the earth, in "spite of the most excellent laws and wisest "precautions. The more excellent the laws "had been, and the more strictly they had been "observed, mankind must have sooner become "miserable. The remembrance of former times, "the greatness of their wisdom and virtue, would

"conspire to heighten their distress;* and the "world, instead of remaining the mansion of "wisdom and happiness, become the scene of "vice and confusion. Force and fraud must "prevail, and mankind be reduced to the same "calamitous condition as at present,

"Such a melancholy situation in consequence "merely of the want of provisions, is in truth "more unnatural than all their present cala"mities. Supposing men to have abused their "liberty, by which abuse, vice has once been "introduced into the world; and that wrong "notions, a bad taste, and vicious habits, have "been strengthened by the defects of education "and government, our present distresses may be "easily explained. They may even be called "natural, being the natural consequences of our "depravity. They may be supposed to be "the means by which providence punishes vice; "and by setting bounds to the increase of man"kind, prevents the earth's being overstocked, "and men being laid under the cruel necessity "of killing one another. But to suppose that "in the course of a favourable providence, a "perfect government had been established,

* Yet it is extraordinary that with all their wisdom and virtue they would not be able to take any steps to prevent this distress. This is a species of fascination, of which it is difficult to form any conception.