 slip an Opportunity
put into his Hands, that would have made him absolute Master of the Lives, the
Liberties, and the Fortunes of his People. Neither do I say this with the least
Intention to detract from the many Virtues of that excellent King; whose
Character I am sensible will on this Account be very much lessened in the
Opinion of an English Reader: But, I take this Defect among them to have risen
from their Ignorance; by not having hitherto reduced Politicks into a Science,
as the more acute Wits of Europe have done. For, I remember very well, in a
Discourse one Day with the King; when I happened to say, there were several
thousand Books among us written upon the Art of Government; it gave him
(directly contrary to my Intention) a very mean Opinion of our Understandings.
He professed both to abominate and despise all Mystery, Refinement, and
Intrigue, either in a Prince or a Minister. He could not tell what I meant by
Secrets of State, where an Enemy or some Rival Nation were not in the Case. He
confined the Knowledge of governing within very narrow Bounds; to common Sense
and Reason, to Justice and Lenity, to the Speedy Determination of Civil and
criminal Causes; with some other obvious Topicks which are not worth
considering. And, he gave it for his Opinion; that whoever could make two Ears
of Corn, or two Blades of Grass to grow upon a Spot of Ground where only one
grew before; would deserve better of Mankind, and do more essential Service to
his Country, than the whole Race of Politicians put together.
    The Learning of this People is very defective; consisting only in Morality,
History, Poetry and Mathematicks; wherein they must be allowed to excel. But,
the last of these is wholly applied to what may be useful in Life; to the
Improvement of Agriculture and all mechanical Arts; so that among us it would be
little esteemed. And as to Ideas, Entities, Abstractions and Transcendentals, I
could never drive the least Conception into their Heads.
    No Law of that Country must exceed in Words the Number of Letters in their
Alphabet; which consists only of two and twenty. But indeed, few of them extend
even to that Length. They are expressed in the most plain and simple Terms,
wherein those People are not Mercurial enough to discover above one
Interpretation. And, to write a Comment upon any Law, is a capital Crime. As to
the Decision of civil Causes, or Proceedings against Criminals, their Precedents
are so few, that they have little Reason to boast of
