Volume 8

A philosophical and political history of the settlements and trade of the Europeans in the East and West Indies ... / Rev., augm., and pub., in ten volumes, by the Abbé Raynal. Newly translated. from the French, by J.O. Justamond. F.R.S., with a new set of maps adapted to the work, and a copious index.

  • Raynal, abbé (Guillaume-Thomas-François), 1713-1796.
Date:
1783
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A philosophical and political history of the settlements and trade of the Europeans in the East and West Indies ... / Rev., augm., and pub., in ten volumes, by the Abbé Raynal. Newly translated. from the French, by J.O. Justamond. F.R.S., with a new set of maps adapted to the work, and a copious index. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    monarch who is active and fond of glory j indolent B and ftupid under a fuperftitious king; full of hopes v. and fears under a young prince ; of weaknefs and corruption under an old defpot j or rather alter- nately confident, and weak, under the feveral mi- nifters who are railed by intrigue. In fuch fiâtes^ government allumes the character of the admini- ftration j but in free dates it is juft the reverfe. Whatever may be faid of the nature and fprings of the different fyftems of government to which men are fubjeft, the art of legifiation being that which ought to be the moft perfedt, is alfo the moft proper to employ men of the firft genius. The fcience of government does not contain ab- ftradted truths, or rather it has not one fingle prin- ciple which does not extend to all the branches of adminiftration. The ftate is a very complicated machine, which cannot be wound up or fet in motion without a thorough knowlege of all it’s component parts. If any one of the parts be too much ftraicened or relaxed, the whole muft be in diforder. Every projedt that may be beneficial to a certain num- ber of citizens, or in critical times, may become fatal to the whole nation, and prejudicial for a long continuance. If we deftroy or change the nature of any great body^ thofe convulfive mo- tions which are called ftrokes of date, will difturb the whole nation, which may, perhaps, feel the effedls of them for ages to come. All innovations ought to be brought about infenfibly ; they Ihould arife from neceffity, be the refult, as it were* of the public clamour, or at leaft agree with the