Page:An account of a savage girl.djvu/24

 wild girl; and the facts are so attested, that they cannot be doubted of, except by those who rejecting all testimony, ancient or modern, to the contrary, are resolved to believe that man, the most various of all animals, in the many different states through which he passes, continues still the very same animal, endued with the same powers of mind and body, living in the same manner, and governed by the same notions and opinions; a proposition which appears to me incredible in itself, though it were not contradicted by the whole history of mankind.

vulgar will be entertained with this relation much in the same manner as they are with the history of Robinson Crusoe; but to the philosopher it will appear matter of curious speculation; and he will draw from it consequences not so obvious to the generality of readers. He will observe with amazement the progression of our species from an animal so wild, to men such as we. He will see evidently, by this example, that though man is by his natural bent and inclination disposed to society, like many other animals, yet he is not by natural necessity social, nor obliged to live upon a joint stock, like ants or bees; but is enabled, by his natural powers, to provide for his own subsistence, as much as any other animal, and more than most, as his means of subsistence are more various. In tracing