A View of Nature, in Letters to a Traveller Among the Alps

This is a reproduction of a library book that was digitized by Google as part of an ongoing effort to preserve the information in books and make it universally accessible. https://books.google.com £220 VIEW OF NATURE, IN LETTERS TO A TRAVELLER AMONG THE ALPs. REFLECTIONS on ATHEISTICAL PHILOSOPHY, NOW EXEMPLIFIED IN FRANCE. By RICHARD JOSEPH SULIVAN, Eso, F. R. 8. and F. A. s. Mala enim, et impia cons'ietudo est contra Deos disputandi, sive ex animo id fit, sive simulate. cicero- /fTi: > IN sIX VOLUMF,. .vP'. - />:'- . -/- VOL. IV. LONDON: FBI NTED FOR T. BECKET, PALL MAI.L, BOOKSELLER TO HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCE OF WALES, AK» ROYAL HIGHNESSES, THE DUKF.S Or YORK ANTI CLARENCE, AND THE TUMOR PRINCES. 1794. CONTENTS. LETTER LXIII. Difficulty and importance of metaphysical in quiries—Of the soul— The known properties of mat ter not sufficient to account for the phsenomena of mind — these not explicable on the theory of organiza tion — mind as well as body only known in its proper ties — the distinct existence of each equally capable of proof— the union of mind and matter inexplicable — Various andcontradictory opinions of theancients concerning the soul— -personal identity dependant on consciousness— The utility and importance of the doctrine of immortality— proofs, from the natureof the soul— from the general sense of mankind— how far this doctrine was received among the ancient Jews. LETTER LXIV. Analogical arguments for a future state — Moral argu ments from the influence of the doctrine on the virtue and happiness of mankind— the folly and inhumanity of attempting to deprive men of this hope — our know ledge of the mode of future existence very imperfect — Dodtrines-ofthe ancients — pre-existenceand trans- vol. iv. a a migration CONTENTS. migration — Difference between the souls of men and inferior animals. LETTER LXV. Of the existence of Deity— necessity of supposing a first cause— Mind the source of all motion and ac tion—The phenomena of nature inexplicable with out the supposition of Deity — Atheism the offspring of vanity and prejudice — Various opinions of the ancients — extravagance and absurdity of modern atheists— these not to be. confounded with s6ber deists. - LETTER LXVI. Universal agreement of mankind in the belief of a Deity , — this the effect of obvious traces of divinity in the . established order of things— the universe not the work of chance, but of intelligence— The divine essence unknown, but agency manifest — futility of atheisti cal reasoning— Of time and eternity — The unity of the divine nature — folly of scepticism— arrogance and mischievous tendency of atheism — characters of goodness written on all nature. » LETTER LXVII. The age of the world uncertain— Various changes in its surface by fire and water— The Atlantides a - people who existed before the Mosaic deluge, and whose island is lost— The South sea islands the re mains of an ancient continent— The most ancient fables founded on natural phenomena, or suppose a 3 cultivated CONTENTS. cultivated state of society, prior to that of written re cords — Numerous proofs, natural and artificial, that the present surface of the earthhas beencovered with waters-— The state of America no objection to this notion— »high antiquity of Peru and Mexico— -Marks of affinity between Europe and America. LETTER LXVIII. The Scythian monarchy the most ancient on historical record— the superior elevation of the country a strong argument for the superior antiquity of the people — the vast extent of its dominion— monuments still re maining in this country of an ancient civilized nation — its interior situation no objection — its elevation superior to that of any other part of the globe-— his torical accounts of the Scythian empire— -astronomy probably first known here. LETTER LXIX. Historical memoirs concerning the antiquity and ac curacy of Indian astronomy— derived from Scythia — The Sanskreet language of the Brahmans, not the primitive language of India, but transmitted from a more ancient people— The knowledge of the wes tern world derived from the east— Bacchus, a Scy thian conqueror, the Brahma of India— European superstitions of Asiatic origin — Pure and sublime notions of Deity among the ancient Indians their superstitions Symbolical— their early discoveries in the arts. LETTER CONTENTS. LETTER LXX. Asiatic sources of information concerning the origin of nations much more ancient than those of Greece and Rome— View of the ancient empires of Asia, Babylonia— Persia — China — Errors of the ancients concerning the Caspian sea — extent of the Scythian empire — Certain European names of places of Scythian derivation — Proofs of the ancient migration of Scythians into other parts of Asia and into Eu rope. LETTER LXXI. Different accounts of the origin of European nations- all either from the aboriginal stock of Celts, or from Scythia— The Teutonic nations, and the Goths, colonies from Scythia— The Scythians and Celts often improperly confounded— distinct characters of each. LETTER LXXII. Mental energy of the northern nations exemplified— Great revolutions have commonly originated from the north— irruption of the Goths — conquests of Timour — The Goths more civilized than is com monly supposed— review of the dissolution of the western Roman empire. LETTER LXXIII. The course of migration from north and east to south and west — Europe indebted to the east for its civi lization—the northern parts of Asia the source of arts and letters — the history of letters involved in great CONTENTS. vii great obscurity — poetry antecedent to prose— Its ori gin in the east — ancient methods of writing— al phabets — Greek and Latin tongues of Scythian origin. LETTER LXXIV. The Celtic languages radically different from the Gothic —the ancient Britons had letters, which they proba bly derived from the Phoenicians— The Britons in a considerable degree civilized before the Roman inva sion — The Gauls and Britons originally Celtic, but underwent changes in language and customs, from emigration, colonization, and conquest. LETTER LXXV. Review of the character and doctrines of the Druids — these probably not from the east— character of the Celtic nations different from that of the Scythiac — The first inhabitants of Great Britain and Ireland from the same stock— Miscellaneous observations on fiie ancient state of Britain. LETTERS TO A TR AVE LLER AMONG THE ALPS. LETTER LXIII. THERE is an epidemic phren2y, common to philosophers at all times, to doubt of what is, and to endeavour to explain what is not. This can arise only from an aim at singularity. We know from experience, that when the mind is biassed, the understanding is by no means neutral in the search of truth. Passion puts the judgment out of its due position, and creates il lusion. Hence, fairness and candour, even in metaphysical pursuits, are often forsaken. It is not aimed at to discover impartially what the truth is, but what it is desired to be. We even in general are too little disposed to suspect our vol .iv. A own 2 LETTER LXIII. own faculties, and thus impatient and presuming, hasten" too frequently to erroneous conclusions. Placed, as it were, in an intellectual twilight, where we discover but few things clearly, and none entirely, we yet just see enough to tempt us .to be rash. In the course of our inquiries, we have neces sarily been led to a consideration of the spiritual as well as the material part of the human frame. The subject, however, is highly worthy of still further investigation. What does not hang upon this single point ! Metaphysical researches are, indeed, a good deal out of date ; but they are not to be despised. They are the science of reason and intellect, as physics are those of sense and experiment. The abstract man, it is true, often plunges into darkness. But, if mounted on his imagination, and exploring those boundless re gions, where there is no demonstrative ground to anchor evidence upon, and where all calcu lation is at fault, he should lose himself in the clouds, he is only to be considered as one im pelled by an elevation of sentiment to an ad venturous and glorious flight. The path 1 will readily acknowledge to be intricate and obscure; but it leads to immateriality. Epicurus LETTER LXIIi: 3 Epicurus insisted upon the permeability of matter. Among other arguments, he contended, that thunder or sound would not be able to pass through walls, nor fire to penetrate into iron, gold, and the other metals, unless there were some vacuous spaces in those bodies. Besides, " inasmuch as gravity is proper to bodies," says he, " the weight of things could not be increased or diminished, if it were not from their being more or less porous."* The followers of this philosopher outstripped their master. Absolute materiality, however, and motion, instead of spirit, was the doctrine of both. But, was death, indeed, before life ? The question, Whence is the origin of motion, supposes that rest was the primitive state of matter, and that motion was produced by a subsequent act. But this supposition must surely be rejected, as it is giving precedency to the inferior, and inverting the order of nature. What life is to death, motion is to rest. Was death the first act of creation, and did life arise from death ? Was death the immediate offspring of Deity, and life produced in a second generation ? Or had death existence from eternity, and in time did life issue from its womb ?-f- Des Cartes A 2 says, • Lucretiuj, f Young. 4 LETTER LXIII. says, the soul always thinks, and that its es sence consists in this actual exercise. Had he any irrefragable testimony of this ? We can not recollect what passed within us during the period of a profound sleep, nor while we were imprisoned in the loins of our mo ther.

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