WRITINGS OF DR. SMITH. XCIII

££ tration of Colbert) thanafpirit of moderation;“ becaufe it condemns him to perpetual obferva-“ tion, ihows him every moment the infufficiency££ of his wifdom, and leaves him the melancholy“ fenfe of his own imperfection; while, under££ the ihelter of a few general principles , a fyfte-“ matical politician enjoys a perpetual calm. By“ the help of one alone, that of a perfect liberty££ of trade, he would govern the world, and££ would leave human affairs to arrange themfel-££ ves at pleafure, under the operation of the pre-“ judices and the felf-intereft of individuals. If“ thefe run counter to each other, he gives him-££ felf no anxiety about the confequence; he inhfts££ that the refult cannot be judged of till after a“ century or two ihall have elapfed. If his con-<£ temporaries, in confequence of the diforder into££ which he has thrown public affairs, are fcrupu-“ lous about fubmit ting quietly to the experiment,££ he accufes them of impatience. They alone,££ and not he, are to blame for what they have“ fuffered; and the principle continues to be in-££ culcated with the fame zeal and the fame con-£C fidence as before.” Thefe are the words of theingenious and eloquent author of the Eloge onColbert, which obtained the prize from theFrench Academy in the year 1763; a performancewhich , although confined and erroneous in itsfpeculative views, abounds with juft and import-