Shouldthesespeculationsbefounddoubtfulorfallacious，therestillremainsamorehumblesourceofcomfortandhope。
Thediscoveriesofancientandmodernnavigators，andthedomestichistory，ortradition，ofthemostenlightenednations，representthehumansavage，nakedbothinbodyandmindanddestituteoflaws，ofarts，ofideas，andalmostoflanguage。^10
Fromthisabjectcondition，perhapstheprimitiveanduniversalstateofman，hehasgraduallyarisentocommandtheanimals，tofertilizetheearth，totraversetheoceanandtomeasuretheheavens。Hisprogressintheimprovementandexerciseofhismentalandcorporealfaculties^11hasbeenirregularandvarious；infinitelyslowinthebeginning，andincreasingbydegreeswithredoubledvelocity:agesoflaboriousascenthavebeenfollowedbyamomentofrapiddownfall；andtheseveralclimatesoftheglobehavefeltthevicissitudesoflightanddarkness。Yettheexperienceoffourthousandyearsshouldenlargeourhopes，anddiminishourapprehensions:wecannotdeterminetowhatheightthehumanspeciesmayaspireintheiradvancestowardsperfection；butitmaysafelybepresumed，thatnopeople，unlessthefaceofnatureischanged，willrelapseintotheiroriginalbarbarism。Theimprovementsofsocietymaybeviewedunderathreefoldaspect。1。Thepoetorphilosopherillustrateshisageandcountrybytheeffortsofasinglemind；
butthosesuperiorpowersofreasonorfancyarerareandspontaneousproductions；andthegeniusofHomer，orCicero，orNewton，wouldexcitelessadmiration，iftheycouldbecreatedbythewillofaprince，orthelessonsofapreceptor。2。Thebenefitsoflawandpolicy，oftradeandmanufactures，ofartsandsciences，aremoresolidandpermanent:andmanyindividualsmaybequalified，byeducationanddiscipline，topromote，intheirrespectivestations，theinterestofthecommunity。Butthisgeneralorderistheeffectofskillandlabor；andthecomplexmachinerymaybedecayedbytime，orinjuredbyviolence。
3。Fortunatelyformankind，themoreuseful，or，atleast，morenecessaryarts，canbeperformedwithoutsuperiortalents，ornationalsubordination:withoutthepowersofone，ortheunionofmany。Eachvillage，eachfamily，eachindividual，mustalwayspossessbothabilityandinclinationtoperpetuatetheuseoffire^12andofmetals；thepropagationandserviceofdomesticanimals；themethodsofhuntingandfishing；therudimentsofnavigation；theimperfectcultivationofcorn，orothernutritivegrain；andthesimplepracticeofthemechanictrades。Privategeniusandpublicindustrymaybeextirpated；butthesehardyplantssurvivethetempest，andstrikeaneverlastingrootintothemostunfavorablesoil。ThesplendiddaysofAugustusandTrajanwereeclipsedbyacloudofignorance；andtheBarbarianssubvertedthelawsandpalacesofRome。Butthescythe，theinventionoremblemofSaturn，^13stillcontinuedannuallytomowtheharvestsofItaly；andthehumanfeastsoftheLaestrigons^14haveneverbeenrenewedonthecoastofCampania。