Page:Vindication Women's Rights (Wollstonecraft).djvu/39

Rh But, true to his firt poition, next to a tate of nature, Roueau celebrates barbarim, and, apotrophizing the hade of Fabricius, he forgets that, in conquering the world, the Romans never dreamed of etablihing their own liberty on a firm bais, or of extending the reign of virtue. Eager to upport his ytem, he tigmatizes, as vicious, every effort of genius; and, uttering the apotheois of avage virtues, he exalts thoe to demi-gods, who were carcely human—the brutal Spartans, who, in defiance of jutice and gratitude, acrificed, in cold blood, the laves who had hewn themelves men to recue their oppreors.

Diguted with artificial manners and virtues, the citizen of Geneva, intead of properly ifting the ubject, threw away the wheat with the chaff, without waiting to inquire whether the evils which his ardent oul turned from indignantly, were the conequence of civilization or the vetiges of barbarim. He aw vice trampling on virtue, and the emblance of goodnes taking place of the reality; he aw talents bent by power to initer purpoes, and never thought of tracing the gigantic michief up to arbitrary power, up to the hereditary ditinctions that clah with the mental uperiority that naturally raies a man above his fellows. He did not perceive that regal power, in a few generations, introduces idiotim into the noble tem, and holds out baits to render thouands idle and vicious.

Nothing can et the regal character in a more contemptible point of view, than the various crimes that have elevated men to the upreme Rh