sentation of them, I must beg your insertion of the following extract from the work itself; and though it is pretty long, yet as you, Sir, seem to be of opinion with me that the subject of Mr. Malthus's reputation is a matter of no mean interest to the public, I am in hopes that you will not think your pages misemployed in dissipating the illusion. As to Mr. Malthus himself, if he is a vain man, he ought to be satisfied with this acknowledgement of his importance.

"But without entering further into these ab"stracted and uncertain speculations, it de" serves our particular attention, that as no go"vernment which hath hitherto been esta"blished, is free from all seeds of corruption, or "can be expected to be eternal; so if we sup" pose a government to be perfect in its original "frame, and to be administered in the most " perfect manner, after whatever model we sup

pose it to have been framed, such a perfect " form would be so far from lasting for ever, "that it must come to an end so much the "sooner on account of its perfection. For, " though happily such governments should be " firmly established, though they should be " found consistent with the reigning passions of " human nature, though they should spread far " and wide; nay, though they should prevail

" universally, they must at last involve man" kind in the deepest perplexity, and in univer"sal confusion. For how excellent soever they " may be in their own nature, they are altoge "ther inconsistent with the present frame of "nature, and with a limited extent of earth,

"Under a perfect government, the inconve " niences of having a family would be so in"tirely removed, children would be so well " taken care of, and every thing become so fa. "vourable to populousness, that though some " sickly seasons or dreadful plagues in particu"lar climates might cut off multitudes, yet in " general, mankind would encrease so prodigi. "ously, that the earth would at last be over" stocked, and become unable to support its " numerous inhabitants,

"How long the earth, with the best culture " of which it is capable from human genius and " industry, might be able to nourish its perpe"tually encreasing inhabitants, is as impossible " as it is unnecessary to be determined. It is "not probable that it could have supported "them during so long a period as since the "creation of Adam. But whatever may be " supposed of the length of this period, of ne"cessity it must be granted, that the earth "could not nourish them for ever, unless ei"ther its fertility could be continually augment"ed, or by some secret in nature, like what "certain enthusiasts have expected from the " philosopher's stone, some wise adept in the "occult sciences, should invent a method of " supporting mankind quite different from any "thing known at present. Nay, though some " extraordinary method of supporting them " might possibly be found out, yet if there was " no bound to the increase of mankind, which " would be the case under a perfect government, "there would not even be sufficient room for "containing their bodies upon the surface of "the earth, or upon any limited surface what"soever. It would be necessary, therefore, in " order to find room for such multitudes of men, " that the earth should be continually enlarging " in bulk, as an animal or vegetable body.

"Now since philosophers may as soon at" tempt to make mankind immortal, as to sup"port the animal frame without food; it is " equally certain, that limits are set to the fer"tility of the earth, and that its bulk, so far as " is hitherto known, hath continued always the " same, and probably could not be much altered " without making considerable changes in the " solar system. It would be impossible, there

"fore, to support the great numbers of men who "would be raised up under a perfect govern"ment; the earth would be overstocked at last, " and the greatest admirers of such fanciful "schemes must foresee the fatal period when "they would come to an end, as they are alto, "gether inconsistent with the limits of that " earth in which they must exist.

"What a miserable catastrophe of the most "generous of all human systems of government! "How dreadfully would the magistrates of such "commonwealths find themselves disconcerted " at that fatal period, when there was no longer

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any room for new colonies, and when the earth " could produce no further supplies! During "all the preceding ages, while there was room " for increase, mankind must have been happy; "the earth must have been a paradise in the li" teral sense, as the greatest part of it must have "been turned into delightful and fruitful gar"dens. But when the dreadful time should at " last come, when our globe, by the most dili"gent culture, could not produce what was "sufficient to nourish its numerous inhabitants, "what happy expedient could then be found " out to remedy so great an evil ?

" In such a cruel necessity, must there be a " law to restrain marriage? Must multitudes " of women be shut up in cloisters like the an"cient vestals or modern nuns? To keep a "ballance between the two sexes, must a pro" portionable number of men be debarred from " marriage? Shall the Utopians, following the "wicked policy of superstition, forbid their " priests to marry; or shall they rather sacrifice " men of some other profession for the good of "the state? Or, shall they appoint the sons of " certain families to be maimed at their birth, " and give a sanction to the unnatural institu"tion of eunuchs? If none of these expe"dients can be thought proper, shall they ap" point a certain number of infants to be ex"posed to death as soon as they are born, deter" mining the proportion according to the exigen"cies of the state; and pointing out the parti"cular victims by lot, or according to some es" tablished rule ? Or, must they shorten the " period of human life by a law, and condemn "all to die after they had compleated a certain " age, which might be shorter or longer, as pro" visions were either more scanty or plentiful? " Or what other method should they devise (for " an expedient would be absolutely necessary) " to restrain the number of citizens within rea"sonable bounds ?