WRITINGS OF DR. SMITH.

I.XXXI

££ equitas naturalis, quid gentium mores, quid“ rerumpublicarum form® diverfe : ideoquepof-“ fmt de legibus, ex principiis 8c prceceptis tam“ sequitatis naturalis, quam politices decernere.“ Quamobrem id nunc agatur, ut fontes juftitias &“ utilitatis public® petantur, & in fmgulis juris“ partibus character quidam 8c idea jufti exhibea-“ tur, ad quam particularium regnorum & re-“ rumpublicarum leges probare, atque inde emen-“ dationem moliri, quifque, cui hoc cordi erit 8c“ curae, poffit.” The enumeration contained inthe foregoing paffage, of the different obje£ls oflaw, coincides very nearly with that given by Mr.Smith in the concluhon of his Theory of MoralSentiments; and the precife aim of the political fpe-culations which he then announced, and of whichhe afterwards publilhed fo valuable a part in hisWealth of Nations, was to afcertain the generalprinciples of juftice and of expediency, whichought to guide the inftitutions of legillators on thefeimportant articles; — in the words of Lord Bacon,to afcertain thofe leges legum , “ ex quibus inform“ matio peti poffit, quid in fingulis legibus bene“ aut perperam pofitum aut conftitutum fit.”

The branch of legiflation which Mr. Smith hasmade choice of as the fubjedl ofhis work, naturallyleads me to remark a very ftriking contrail betweenthe fpirit of ancient and of modern policy in ref-

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