Page:History of the Royal Society.djvu/446

 There are very many Things in the natural Genius of the English, which qualify them above any other for a governing Nation. The Situation of our Country is most advantagious for Command: Its native Productions are most serviceable for Strength and Empire: The Disposition of the People is bold in Dangers, severe in Discipline, valiant in Arms, virtuous in Life, relenting to the Afflicted, and merciful in Conquest. The unfortunate Divisions by which our Force has been of late distracted, are but of one or two Ages growth; the Vices to which we are subject are not natural to our Soil, but imported hither from foreign Countries: The English Generosity, Fidelity, Magnanimity, Modesty, Integrity, they owe to themselves; their Luxury, their Debauchery, their Divisions, their spiritual Schisms, they have received from abroad.

And now what can be a greater Work than the Management of all these matters? Here the Writer might have occasion of doing right to the Honour of his Country, and yet reproving its Faults with a just Censure: he might explain the Weaknesses and Advantages of our Kingdom: he might remove the one, and confirm the other: he might compare the Actions of our Ancestors with the Manners of this Time, and shew by what degrees this Dissolution of Goodness crept in: he might with a generous and tender Hand, apply himself to the Cure of Religious Distempers: he might with irresistable Arguments attempt to amend what is amiss, restore the good, and by the Power of domestick Examples reduce us back to the antient Sincerity of dealing, and innocence of Life, and union of Interests.

The Desire of seeing this Work perform'd sits so much on my Mind, that I cannot but once more represent it Rh