had fufficiently learned from the Eastern Nations, that the People muft now and then have Festivals, Spectacles, and publick Diverfions. Even the Barbarians have fomething of this Kind, though grofs and rough as their Manners; nor do I know of any People, living in Society, that has not stated Times for publick Affemblies, in Honour of their Gods, to commemorate their Victories, or to celebrate Marriages, and perform funeral Rites. If we may credit the Relations of Travellers, in the remoteft Parts of the East, they divert the People, two or three Times a Year, with Festivities which are not a little lafcivious: This is carrying the Thing too far; and I fancy the great Admirer of the Orientals would be very much puzzled to find an Excufe for it. The great Legiflator of the fews very wifely blended Religion with Policy in all this: And indeed these two principal. Guides of Mankind ought always to act in Concert, otherwise Policy cannot long support itself.

THE military Laws plainly prove, that there must be Rewards, as well as Punishments, to make the Soldiers obey: And accordingly we

fee

fee that they are the moft refpected. If Soldiers had nothing but Punishments to fear, and no Rewards to expect, the Army would foon difperfe: Fear would make nothing but Cowards, and extinguish every Spark of Generofity and Heroism. Military Laws are certainly the best enforced, because they hold Recompences in one Hand, and Penalties in the other: Yet they are not ftrong enough to produce an infallible and general Effect. They are indeed better than other Laws, but not fo good as they should be: And the Reason of it is, that all Soldiers have not the fame due Senfe of the Evils they are threatened with, and the good Things promised them. This inward Perfuafion is the Mafter-key to the Game.

THE Republics that had moft Succefs in the World, are those that appointed honorary Recompences for fuch Members of Society as made a Figure in Arms, Learning, and moral Virtues: But the Profpects of fuch Rewards could not take with any but thofe Perfons who had a Senfe of Honour, and adored the Idol of Liberty, after the People had been trained up to it by a careful Education

and

and strict Discipline, and confirmed therein by the publick Festivities and Spectacles. It is certain, that neither Rewards nor Punishments can have any Influence over Mens Actions, unless they be inwardly perfuaded thereof, and cleave fo faft to the good Things proffered them, as to esteem Life a Burden if they are difappointed of them, or have no Hopes of poffeffing them. In fine, this Perfuafion is always the Key to the Game, as may be amply proved by Inftances and Comparisons drawn from Phyfic.

You feldom fee a Man calmly putting to his Lips a Cup of deadly Poison, because the Perfuafion is general, that it will infallibly occafion a painful Death, and that there is no Pleasure in tafting it. On the contrary, it is no Rarity to see Men eat Mushrooms, and cohabit with Prostitutes, being led aftray by the sensual Pleasures they expect from them; for they flatter themselves that no Harm will come to them, or, at the worst, that they fhall always have Time enough to apply a Remedy. But when we come to be fincerely perfuaded, that there is no great Pleasure in Tafting, and that the Rifque of being deftroyed

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ftroyed is infinitely greater, nobody will any longer dare to make the Experiment: And if any one ventures upon it, he is condemned by all and pitied by none; especially as it is pretended, that every Man who is not delirious, ought to be guided by general Perfuafion in Affairs of Confequence.

BUT this is not yet all. Phyficians tell us, that l'Aprenfione fa il cafo, according to the Italian Proverb. Whenever an Object, that has no Manner of Existence, is realized by the Strength of Imagination, the fame Effect follows as if the Object was real. We have fometimes feen Don Quixots perform as noble Exploits as any done by the Heroes of Antiquity for their Country and the Sake of Honour and Glory. A ftrong Imagination fometimes takes away the Reality of Objects, and fometimes realizes Chimeras. Internal Perfuafion is therefore the chief Spring of human Actions, and of the Paffions that influence us: And this is what every wife Legiflator must endeavour to produce, if he would give any Strength to his Laws.

CHAP.

UNL

СНАР. VI.

NLESS Men be thoroughly perfuaded, that they cannot enjoy the good Things they have in View, nor avoid the Evils they dread moft, but by fulfilling the Laws, every Law will be weak and languid, and generally produce no Effect. In order to enervate a Law, it is fufficient that we may flatter ourselves with the Hope of enjoying Pleasures, and avoiding Pain, without obeying it; which is but too frequently the Cafe.

YET the Perfuafion that one Thing is good, and another evil, will not be fufficient to make us pursue the former and fhun the latter: We must also be perfuaded, that the Good is abfolutely neceffary, and the Evil intolerably grievous. All Mankind are not generally agreed in their Notions of Good and Evil, which is owing to the want of Reflection: But induce them to reflect seriously thereon, and you'll find them well enough agreed in the Main; the Generality being for delightful

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