a people who resist change, and systematically shun intercourse with foreigners, occupy a precarious position, and are continually liable to overthrow. It is a well-recognised maxim, that nations, like individuals, are bound to cultivate the good opinion of others, and to progress in a course of rational improvement.

CONCLUSION.

419. The early history of mankind is obscure, and embraces much of doubtful authenticity.

420. At a period of above 2000 years before Christ, the greater part of the known world was inhabited, and divided into separate nations.

421. The events occurring from this period till the dismemberment of the Roman empire, nearly five centuries after Christ, usually form the subject of Ancient Profane History. The biblical narrative, however, carries the record of our race further back; and this is usually called Ancient Sacred History.

422. Ancient history in a general and comprehensive sense is, therefore, founded on both sacred and profane writings:1. The Scriptures of the Old Testament, the integrity of which is universally verified: 2. The works of certain Greek historians, who founded their narratives on Egyptian and Assyrian records now lost, or on personal knowledge. Herodotus is the chief Greek historian: 3. Hieroglyphics and ancient alphabetic inscriptions on pyramids, temples, and other edifices: 4. Certain ancient relics, connected with the arts, which are from time to time discovered-such as warlike instruments of stone and metal, domestic utensils and coins; also, architectural remains: and, 5. Languages; as Sanscrit, Hebrew, Arabic, Persic, Greek, Roman or Latin, and other tongues embodied in literature, and from the affinities of which the connection between ancient nations may be traced.

423. Ancient history, resting on these bases, informs us that there were certain great nations which are now extinct; and that the seat of these nations was in Asia, the north of Africa, and east of Europe. Of those inhabiting India and China there is little authentic information; but in these countries certain arts obtained an independent

existence at a very early period. From architectural and other remains, we learn that in America one or more nations had also reached a degree of refinement at a remote period; the ancient history of this part of the world, however, is a blank, and any knowledge respecting it belongs to modern times.

424. Ancient history is in a great degree concentrated on Palestine, Egypt, Assyria, Persia, Greece, and Italy; the progress of affairs leading out of the East towards the West.

425. The history of the peoples inhabiting these and contiguous countries, extending over a period of thousands of years, presents the following facts:-Whether the nation was great or small, it was ruled as a despotism. There was a sovereign whose word was law, and whose power depended on large armies; certain orders of the people possessed peculiar privileges; learning was confined to comparatively few; and the mass of the people was in a slavish, abject condition. The only exceptions to these observations are confined to the ancient Hebrew polity, enjoined in the Mosaic dispensation; and the later polity of certain Greek communities. In these two examples, are found the elements of modern religious and civil freedom.

426. Ancient history further teaches that nations advanced from a rude to a civilised state, as is still observable in modern communities growing out of barbarism.

427. The ruins of great pyramids, temples, and other magnificent edifices, scattered over Egypt, Assyria, Greece, and other countries, shew considerable progress in artistic knowledge the architectural remains of Greece being of matchless beauty; but this advancement in ancient times was usually associated with a most lamentable degradation among the unprivileged multitude.

428. The civilisation of antiquity, therefore, was essentially a thing of castes or classes. The bulk of the people were very ignorant and degraded; and even the learned, as is still observable in China, were affected with degrading superstitions.

429. On this account ancient learning and civilisation were in a precarious condition. They rested on a narrow basis, and were constantly liable to be overturned.

430. In antagonism to the progress and security of ancient learning and civilisation there was the law of force. This force consisted in vast armies moved about at the pleasure of despotic rulers. The ordinary motive for bringing these armies into active service, was the ambition of conquest.

431. The greater part of ancient history is but a record of acts of military violence and aggression, commonly at variance with justice and humanity. The savage sacking of cities, and putting the whole of their inhabitants to the sword: the slaughter of vast numbers of men in battle: the leading of nations into captivity, and making them slaves the strong everywhere overpowering the weak: with terrible acts of retaliation and revenge when practicable. Such form the principal materials of ancient history.

432. In the progress of events, the manner in which one conquest follows another is worthy of observation. Certain nations are conquered by the Egyptians: then the Egyptians are conquered by the Persians: the Persians are conquered by the Greeks: the Greeks are conquered by the Romans: and the Romans, after making a great round of conquests, are in their turn conquered, and their proud empire laid in ruins, by their more powerful northern invaders. From first to last, through the history of Egyptians, Ethiopians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes, Persians, Greeks, Phonicians, Carthaginians, Romans, and many subordinate nations, there is one melancholy series of violent outrages and conquests; not a single nation having acquired permanent stability.

433. As a consequence of these sudden and unpitying conquests, learning, which had an insecure footing, was time after time destroyed, and progressive civilisation arrested or driven back; wherefore, it is only in comparatively recent times that society has attained a fresh knowledge of many arts with which ancient nations were acquainted.

434. The moral to be drawn from all this is-that for a nation to be permanently great or secure, it must be generally enlightened; its religious belief must be pure and elevating; its learning must less or more, through education, pervade the community; it must act justly

towards neighbours; and rely on industry instead of rapine for its resources.

435. How modern nations with their new forms of civilised life; their intelligent political organisations; their noble and refined arts, in which that of printing is the most important; and, most of all, their high religious convictions and rules of life-were evolved from the chaos that followed the dismemberment of the Roman Empire, remains to be narrated in the work immediately succeeding the present.