equally AGRICULTURE, in the primeval ages, was

rength, the gain difficulty.

the may

es not wa

fers factst

the common parent of traffick; for the opulence of mankind then consisted in cattle, and the product ⚫of tillage; which are now very essential for the promotion of trade in general, but more particularly so to such ations as are most abundant in cattle, corn, and fruits. The labour of the Farmer gives

he quests employment to the manufacturer, and yields a sup

borrow and recon hich of th gg first e

c.

port for the other parts of a community: it is now the spring which sets the whole grand machine of commerce in motion; and the sail could not be spread without the assistance of the plough. But, though the Farmers are of such utility in a state, we find them in general too much disregarded among the politer kind of people in the present age; while we cannot help observing the honour that antiquity has always paid to the profession of the husbandman: which naturally leads us into

THOUGHTS ON AGRICULTURE.

Though mines of gold and silver shoul hausted, and the species made of them lost; diamonds and pearls should remain conce the bowels of the earth, and the womb of though commerce with strangers be prob though all arts which have no other objec ⚫ splendour and embellishment, should be al yet the fertility of the earth alone would at abundant supply for the occasions of an indu people, by furnishing subsistence for them, a armies as should be mustered in their d We, therefore, ought not to be surprize Agriculture was in so much honour amo ancients: for it ought rather to seem wo that it should ever cease to be so, and that tl necessary and most indispensable of all pro should have fallen into any contempt.

Agriculture was in no part of the world in er consideration than Egypt, where it was t ticular object of government and policy: r any country ever better peopled, richer, a powerful. The Satrapæ, among the Assyria Persians, were rewarded, if the lands in th vernments were well cultivated; but were pu if that part of their duty was neglected. abounded in corn; but the most famous co were Thrace, Sardinia, and Sicily.

Cato, the censor, has justly called Sici magazine and nursing mother of the Roman who were supplied from thence with alm their corn, both for the use of the city, a subsistence of her armies: though we also Livy, that the Romans received no inconsic

ald be er thoug cealed f the sca -ohibited; ect tha abolisedi afford an

dustriou and such defence ed, that

ong the onderful

he most fession

In high he par

or was

or more ans and

eir go nished,

Africa

untries

y the

THOUGHTS ON AGRICULTURE.

27

had made herself mistress of Carthage and Alex. andria, Africa and Egypt became her store-houses: for those cities sent such numerous fleets every year, freighted with corn to Rome, that Alexandria alone annualy supplied twenty millions of bushels: and, when the harvest happened to fail in one of these provinces, the other came in to its aid, and supported the metropolis of the world; which, without this supply, would have been in danger of perishing by famine. Rome actually saw herself reduced to this condition under Augustus; forthere remained only three days provision of corn in the city: and that prince was so full of tenderness for the people, that he had resolved to poison himself, if the expected fleets did not arrive before the expiration of that time; but they came; and the preservation of the Romans was attributed to the good fortune of their emperor: but wise precautions were taken to avoid the like danger for the

* future.

When the seat of empire was transplanted to Constantinople, that city was supplied in the same manner; and when the emperor Septimius Severus died, there was corn in the publick magazines for seven years, expending daily 75,000 bushels in bread, for 600,000 men.

The ancients were no less industrious in the cultivation of the vine than in that of corn, though they applied themselves to it later: for Noah planted it by order, and discovered the use that might be made of the fruit, by pressing out and preserving the juice. The vine was carried by the

THOUGHTS ON AGRICULTURE.

sweets of this gift; from whence it was impo Europe and Africa, Greece and Italy, whi distinguished in so many other respects, we ticularly so by the excellency of their wines. was most celebrated for the wines of Cypru bos, and Chio; the former of which is i esteem at present: though the cultivation of has been generally suppressed in the Turk minions. As the Romans were indebted Grecians for the arts and sciences, so were th wise for the improvement of their wines; t of which were produced in the country of and were called the Massick, Calenian, F Cacuban, and Falernian, so much celebra Horace. Domitian passed an edict for ing all the vines, and that no more should b ed throughout the greatest part of the west continued almost two hundred years afte when the emperor Probus employed his sol planting vines in Europe, in the same ma Hannibal had formerly employed his tro planting olive-trees in Africa. Some of the a have endeavoured to prove, that the cultiva vines is more beneficial than any other husbandry: but, if this was thought so in t of Columella, it is very different at prese were all the ancients of his opinion, for gave the preference to pasture lands.

The breeding of cattle has always been ered as an important part of Agriculture riches of Abraham, Laban, and Job, cons their flocks and herds. We also find from in. Virgil, and Ulysses in Homer, that the

mported to hich wer

were par 5. Greec Drus, Le s in gred of the vil arkish do ed to the they like the best

THOUGHTS ON AGRICULTURE.

29

wise the same among the Romans, till the introduction of money, which put a value upon commodities, and established a new kind of barter. Varro has not disdained to give an extensive account of all the beasts that are of any use to the country, either for tillage, breed, carriage, or other conveniencies of man. And Cato, the censor, was of opinion, that the feeding of cattle was the most certain and speedy method of enriching a country.

Luxury, avarice, injustice, violence, and ambition, take up their ordinary residence in populous cities; while the hard laborious life of the husbandman will not admit of these vices. The honest Farmer lives in a wise and happy state, which inclines him to justice, temperance, sobriety, sincerity, and every virtue that can dignify human nature. This gave room for the poets to feign, that Astraa, the goddess of Justice, had her last residence among husbandmen, before she quitted the earth. Hesiod and Virgil have brought the assistance of the Muses in praise of Agriculture. Kings, generals, and philosophers, have not thought it unworthy their birth, rank, and genius, to leave precepts to posterity upon the utility of the husbandman's profession. Hiero, Attalus, and Archelaus, kings of Syracuse, Pergamus, and Cappadocia, have composed books for supporting and augmenting the fertility of their different countries. The Carthaginian general, Mago, wrote twenty-eight volumes upon this subject; and Cato, the censor, followed his example. Nor have Plato, Xenophon, and Aris