The fubfequent verfes are from the speech of the Almighty Whence boasts the warrior-horse his vigour young? The clang of arms, and thunder of the war. Thefe, we think, must be confidered as elegant and poetical versions of the corresponding parts of the English translation. Yet, without the leaft detraction from their merit, to indulge our own conjectures a little on the occafion, we confefs our doubt, whether any verfion of Job has hitherto, in every part, fully equalled the fublime poetry of the original, in that language in which it was conceived. Our common Bible-tranflation evinces it to be truly elevated; not only from the noble fentiments, and the ftrong and beautiful imagery; but from the very diction, cadence, and manner of the English profe, which reads more poetically, in our opinion, than the yerfions of any other parts of the Scripture; a felicity which the Tranflators probably imbibed from the facred original. Some parts of our profe tranflation of this may, indeed, have been rendered more metrical and melodious to our general ear in English numbers and rhyme : but the question is, whether the fublimity of the nobleft paffages may not languifh under the diffufion of our most nervous verfification; fince their concifenefs may not be wholly uneffential to their majefty. K ACCOUNT ACCOUNT OF FOREIGN BOOKS. Effai de Politique et de Morale calculée. 1759*. Or, An Effay on Polity and Morals, reduced to a Method of Computation. T is the province of Hiftory, fays the fenfible Author of this Effay, to give a relation of remarkable events, and thence to judge of the caufes that produced them. It is, on the contrary, the defign of this work, to enquire primarily into those causes, and to confirm the truth of abftract Reafoning, by facts. With this view, he traces the foundation of civil Societies; the relations arifing between their feveral members; the formation of States, and the principles of Government. His method of investigation is fingular; and tho' it may not convey to the generality of Readers that clearness of demonftration he aims at, feems to be the refult of much ingenuity, knowlege, and deliberation. In the prefent volume, which forms only a fmall part of the work, the Author confines himself to the more fimple conftitutions; intending, as he advances, to apply the fame method of reafoning to explain the more complicated and intricate. It is impoffible to give our Readers a compleat abstract of a work which is in itfelf fo extremely concife as that before us: we must content ourselves, therefore, with selecting a fpecimen of the Author's manner, and the purport of his calculations. He first puts a plain cafe, by way of explaining the Introduction of relative wealth, and the cause of inequality between members of the fame fociety. He fuppofes, in the moft fimple of all States, without arts, induftry, or commerce, that the means or conveniencies of life are fixed to a certain quantity, the natural product of the foil and climate. He fuppofes alfo, that a certain definite part of this produce is abfolutely neceffary to the fuftenance of every individual. Now, it is plain, that if the whole product of such a country were equally divided among the inhabitants, their refpective fhares would depend on their number. Thus, were the whole barely fufficient to maintain ten thousand men, This book was firft printed in the year 1752; and distributed among the Author's friends. R 4 and and distributed among that number, they would all have the means, tho' none the conveniencies of life. It is impoffible alfo, that any inequality of poffeffion fhould arife among the members of fuch a State, unlefs by the decrease of number, and the privilege of inheritance. In this cafe the State, as well as every member of it, might be faid to be abfolutely poor. But, were the like quantity divided among one thousand only, each would have nine fhares in the conveniencies, viz. nine times more of the means than would be abfo lutely neceflary to his fuftenance: and thus the State, as well as every member of it, might be faid to poffefs nine degrees of wealth: altho', individuals being equally rich, no relative wealth would appear among its inhabitants; till, by the diflipation of fome, and the accumulation of others, the fuperfluous means might be poffeffed in different proportions. In this cafe alfo, the State would be capable of population, or of admitting an increase of its people nine times: and fuppofing this increase to follow the ordinary methods of propagation, and that parents, as they are induced by nature, fhould provide for their offspring, relative wealth and poverty muft neceffarily enfue. For fuppofe one man fhould have two children in the time another had but one; the former, being at a greater expence, would have fewer conveniencies than the other: and thus a man who should have a family of nine children, would be reduced to abfolute poverty, while another, who fhould have none, would live at his cafe, If we fuppofe, farther, the right of inheritance to have place, and that one family fhould be reftrained from seizing on the property of another; it is plain, that in fuch a State, the number of people of eafy fortunes muft decrease in proportion to the increafe of the inhabitants in general; and that, while the greater part of the people fhould grow poor from this caufe, there would be a few individuals continually amaffing immenfe wealth, from the decrease of their own particular families. As thefe alfo fhould be debilitated by luxury, the general confequence of riches, their number would ftill decrease, till in procefs of time the wealth of the State might be accumulated in two or three hands, or even into one; while all the reft of the people would be degenerated into abfolute poverty: in which cafe population muft either ftop, or proceed to fur nish flaves for the rich; at whofe expence they must neceffarily be maintained. Our Author goes on to confider the confequence of the introduction of industry and the arts. In a State where the natural produce of the foil will not maintain the number of its inhabitants, or where the defire of liberty and independence has excited them to labour and industry, the quantity of the means and conveniencies of life increafes under their hands; and the Artift and Farmer live as much at their cafe in fuch a State, as the Landholder or Money-jobber in another. This Writer's definition of Induftry, tho' perhaps very juft, is fomewhat fingular. Industry, fays he, is nothing more than the fecret of amaffing together the conveniencies of life with as little labour as poffible: hence he attributes no industry to the poor man who labours hard all day to earn a bare fubfiftence. His labour is neceffary, and he cannot live without it. Industry belongs to a higher clafs, and is better paid. Thus, diftinguishing between induftry and labour, he computes that one degree of induftry in the rich, is equivalent to many degrees of labour in the poor: and that the value of the labour and induftry of all ranks, is inversely proportional to their means: even as in Mechanics, a greater power acting a lefs time, produces the fame effect as a lefs power acting a longer time, Our Author's reasoning in the firft mentioned cafe may be, nevertheless, applied to every other of a fimilar nature, making the neceffary confideration for the increase of means which induftry produces: for, tho' this increase be ever proportional to that industry, yet, as the latter cannot be increased ad infinitum, there may be countries fo far exhausted, as to admit of no farther increase of people, without their degenerating into univerfal poverty, or the greater part of them becoming flaves* to a few, By becoming flaves, is not meant merely, that they must labour for the rich. This the poor muft do in every State; but, if they receive no more than the price of their labour and industry, and can fubfift thereon, they may, nevertheless, remain free. In a State, however, where industry is carried to its highest pitch, and its populoufnels too great, it is neceffary that the Labourer should earn itill more; which he cannot do. To prevent his ftarving, therefore, he must receive the means of life at the hands of another, and thence becomes in fact, whatever he be called, the Slave of his Keeper. When When the industry of a nation, therefore, is carried to its highest pitch, it is expedient to prevent its farther population;~ otherwife the wealth of those who live at their eafe, and poffefs a competency of the conveniencies of life, muft be neceffarily drained from them, to furnish fubfiftence to the additional number of poor. Perhaps this confideration may afford a political excuse for the custom that obtained in fome ancient States, of expofing young children, and deftroying their fuperannuated parents; the former of which still prevails in China, where parents are at liberty to deftroy, or educate, their offspring as they think beft. Perhaps, for the like reafon it is, that in the island of Formofa, no woman is permitted to bring forth a live child, till arrived at the age of thirty four or five years. It is no wonder alfo, that in fuch a country voluntary chaẩtity is recommended by the Adminiftration as a virtue. Thus, it is faid, that there are in China no less than fix millions of Bonzes, befides a prodigious number of Eunuchs. Where the arts are properly cultivated, however, it is difficult to fay, to what degree induftry may not increase the means and conveniencies of life. Thus, fuppofing China to be at prefent really too populous, we can eafily conceive, that if the ceconomical and mechanical arts were as well known and practifed in that empire as they are known, and might be practifed, in fome parts of Europe, it would be able to maintain a much great number of inhabitants, equally independent and at their cafe. The land in China is faid, indeed, to be of all other countries the moft generally cultivated; this may be true on the whole, and the people, perhaps, in general, not idle; but the mean figure the fcientific arts make among them, is an evident proof that industry is not carried to its greatest height. We could with much pleasure enter upon some other partsof this curious and interefting work; but we must not enlarge too much in this department. La Nobleffe ramenée a fes vrais principes, ou Examen du dévelopement de la Nobleffe Commerçante. 12mo. Paris. Defaint. 1759. Or, Nobility brought back to its true Principles. T is with pleasure we are led, on the perufal of this performance, to obferve, that while the Politicians of France |