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Show .... 392 DISSERT. VI. '--v--.J ' HISTORY F M E X I C 0. ~ .. and. other {uch a~1thors , who arc entirely undcferving of credit. Pofiibly thofc perfo1.1S who gave their j udgment 0f fuch bbours had their imaginations heated alfo; as it is cafic r, ·~ccording to the ihtc of of our degenerate nature, to feel the imagin ation heated aga in£1: a nation than in favour of it. T hit«tlly, It is more 1 robablc that thofc arms of copper, believed by intelligent judges to be ertianly oriental, are -really Mexican, bocaufc we arc certain, from the tcftimony of nll the writers of Mexico, that tho!c natiO!l ufed fuch plates of cop ·per in w;u;,, ~nd ~l~?t t~ey toven:d thcir brca!ts, their arms, and thighs wjth them, to defend thcrnid ves f rom arrows ; whcrc ..1 s we do not know that fuch were ever in ufc among the inhabitants of the Philippine ifics (n), or among any oth r p ople who had commerce with them. The d1•agons repreft.:nted in thofc arms,· in ftcad of confirming, as Robertfon thinks, the opinion of thofc who think them oriental, rather fl.rcngth ·n our opinion, becaufc there never was any nation in the world which ufed the images of terrible animals on · their arms fo much as the Mexicans. Nor is it m~ttcr of wonder that they had an idea of dr:1gons while they had ideas of griffins, as Gomm·a attefl:s (o), Fifthly, That although the images formed in thefe works of gold aqd filver arc rude, they might ftill be excellent, wonderful, and inimitable; becaufe in thofe works two diftin~ points ought to be confidercd; that of the defign, and that of the cafting; fo that the .fifh, of which we have made mention above, might be ill formed as to figure, and y t wonderful and furprifing in that alternation in the fcales of gold and filvcr, done by caft work. ix.thly and lail:ly, The judgment of fomc perfons entirely unknown upon thofe few doubtful \;YOrks which are in the royal cabinet of Madr.id, !hould not avail againfi: the unanimous clepofitions of all ancient writers, who certainly faw innumerable labours of this kind which were rcall y Mexican. Fret.n what we have faid, it is manifeft that M. de Paw has done the greateft inju~ice to the Mexicans, in believing them infi rior in indu£ l: ry and L1gac1ty to the rudeft people of the old continent. Acofta, . (n ) Dr. Rubcrtfon f:lys, that the Spanhnds had thofc arms Iloffibly from the Philippine die·;. (11) Chronicle of New SprLin, chnp. xxi, where • HIST'ORY OF 'M£XIG when he treats of the induftry of the Peruvians fpeaks thus : " If thofe r~ men are bcafts, let who will judge; fince I am certain, that in that " to which they apply themfetves, they excel us." This ingenious cdnfeffion or a European of fo much criticifin, fo much experience, ahd fo much impartiality, is cet:tainly of more weight than the airy {peculations of· any Prufiian philofopher, or all the rcafoning of• a Scottifh hill:orian ; the one and the other m· informed in the affairs of America, or prejudiced againft it. • But although we fhould grant to M. de Paw, that the induftry of the Americans in the arts is inferior to that of other people in the world, he can infer nothing from them againft the talents of the Americans, or the clime of America; as it is certain and indubitable, that the invention and progrt:fs of arts are generalJy more owing to chance, avarice, and necefiity, than genius. The men the moll: induftrious are not always the moft ingenious in arts, but often the m·oft neceffitous, or eager for gold, are fo. The barrennefs of the earth, L'lys Montefquieu, makes men induftrious (p). It is neceifary that they procure to themfelves that which the earth does not yield them. The fertility of a country from the facility with which he is fupportcd, begets indolence in man. " Neceffity," fays Robertfon, " is the fpur and guide of the human race to inventions." The Chinefe certainly would never have been {o indu£l:rious, ·if the ex .. ce!Hve populouii1efs of their country had not rendered their fupport difficuft ; noi· would Europe have made fuch progrefs in the arts, if artill:s had not been encouraged by rewards and the h·opes of acquiring fortune; N cverthclefs, the Mexicans could boafi: ?f many inventions wort by of immortalizing their name, fu ch as, bcfides thofc of C:lfl:ing metals and mofaic works of feathers and illt.:ll.o;, the :trt of m:1king paper (q); thofe of (lying with indelible colours, [pinning and we v. ing the finefth<tiroftherabbcts and hares,; making razors ofltztli (r ); breeding fo indufl:rioufly the cochineal to make u(e of its colours ; thn.king cement for the pavements of their houfcs, and many others (/J) Efprit dee Loi:x, liv. xviii. chap. 4• · . . . (tt ) Th~.: in vcn li <lil IJf paper i3 certainly more :mcit' nt 111 Am c n c~ th :m 111 . • Eg-ypt, from whcm:c it W:\6 conlllHlnicated to Europe; it is tru e, that the paper of the M;!xlc,;ns was not CO lllparahlc to th r p~ p c r of the Europeans i bUt it ought to be oufc rv cd I h:lt the ionncr did llOC 01,1kc theirs for WI it ing but painting. (r) Sec Bo<Jk VH. feet. 56. of this hifrory, rcfJ.'cEt ing that art. VoL. 11. E c c not • 39·3 DISSERT. VI. |