Page:A discourse upon the origin and foundation of the inequality among mankind (IA discourseuponori00rous).pdf/186

 great Revolution. With the Poet, it is Gold and Silver, but with the Philoopher, it is Iron and Corn, which have civilized Men, and ruined Mankind. Accordingly both one and the other were unknown to the Savages of America, who for that very Reaon have always continued Savages; nay other Nations eem to have continued in a State of Barbarim, as long as they continued to exercie one only of thee Arts without the other; and perhaps one of the bet Reaons that can be aigned, why Europe has been, if not earlier, at leat more contantly and better civilized than the other Quarters of the World, is that he both abounds mot in Iron and is bet qualified to produce Corn.

It is a very difficult Matter to tell how Men came to know any thing of Iron, and the Art of employing it: for we are not to uppoe that they hould of themelves think of digging it out