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workmanship, is much more acceptable to Him than one of the herd, who,
like a beast incapable of reason, looks on this glorious scene with the
eyes of a dull and unconcerned spectator.

"The minds of the Utopians, when fenced with a love for learning, are
very ingenious in discovering all such arts as are necessary to carry it
to perfection. Two things they owe to us, the manufacture of paper and
the art of printing; yet they are not so entirely indebted to us for
these discoveries but that a great part of the invention was their own.
We showed them some books printed by Aldus, we explained to them the way
of making paper and the mystery of printing; but, as we had never
practised these arts, we described them in a crude and superficial
manner. They seized the hints we gave them; and though at first they
could not arrive at perfection, yet by making many essays they at last
found out and corrected all their errors and conquered every difficulty.
Before this they only wrote on parchment, on reeds, or on the barks of
trees; but now they have established the manufactures of paper and set up
printing presses, so that, if they had but a good number of Greek
authors, they would be quickly supplied with many copies of them: at
present, though they have no more than those I have mentioned, yet, by
several impressions, they have multiplied them into many thousands. If
any man was to go among them that had some extraordinary talent, or that
by much travelling had observed the customs of many nations (which made
us to be so well received), he would receive a hearty welcome, for they
are very desirous to know the state of the whole world. Very few go
among them on the account of traffic; for what can a man carry to them
but iron, or gold, or silver? which merchants desire rather to export
than import to a strange country: and as for their exportation, they
think it better to manage that themselves than to leave it to foreigners,
for by this means, as they understand the state of the neighbouring
countries better, so they keep up the art of navigation which cannot be
maintained but by much practice.






OF THEIR SLAVES, AND OF THEIR MARRIAGES


"They do not make slaves of prisoners of war, except those that are taken
in battle, nor of the sons of their slaves, nor of those of other
nations: the slaves among them are only such as are condemned to that
state of life for the commission of some crime, or, which is more common,
such as their merchants find condemned to die in those parts to which
they trade, whom they sometimes redeem at low rates, and in other places
have them for nothing. They are kept at perpetual labour, and are always
chained, but with this difference, that their own natives are treated
much worse than others: they are considered as more profligate than the
rest, and since they could not be restrained by the advantages of so
excellent an education, are judged worthy of harder usage. Another sort
of slaves are the poor of the neighbouring countries, who offer of their
own accord to come and serve them: they treat these better, and use them
in all other respects as well as their own countrymen, except their
imposing more labour upon them, which is no hard task to those that have
been accustomed to it; and if any of these have a mind to go back to
their own country, which, indeed, falls out but seldom, as they do not
force them to stay, so they do not send them away empty-handed.

"I have already told you with what care they look after their sick, so
that nothing is left undone that can contribute either to their case or
health; and for those who are taken with fixed and incurable diseases,
they use all possible ways to cherish them and to make their lives as
comfortable as possible. They visit them often and take great pains to
make their time pass off easily; but when any is taken with a torturing
and lingering pain, so that there is no hope either of recovery or ease,
the priests and magistrates come and exhort them, that, since they are
now unable to go on with the business of life, are become a burden to
themselves and to all about them, and they have really out-lived
themselves, they should no longer nourish such a rooted distemper, but
choose rather to die since they cannot live but in much misery; being
assured that if they thus deliver themselves from torture, or are willing
that others should do it, they shall be happy after death: since, by
their acting thus, they lose none of the pleasures, but only the troubles
of life, they think they behave not only reasonably but in a manner
consistent with religion and piety; because they follow the advice given
them by their priests, who are the expounders of the will of God. Such
as are wrought on by these persuasions either starve themselves of their
own accord, or take opium, and by that means die without pain. But no
man is forced on this way of ending his life; and if they cannot be
persuaded to it, this does not induce them to fail in their attendance
and care of them: but as they believe that a voluntary death, when it is
chosen upon such an authority, is very honourable, so if any man takes
away his own life without the approbation of the priests and the senate,
they give him none of the honours of a decent funeral, but throw his body
into a ditch.

"Their women are not married before eighteen nor their men before two-and-
twenty, and if any of them run into forbidden embraces before marriage
they are severely punished, and the privilege of marriage is denied them
unless they can obtain a special warrant from the Prince. Such disorders
cast a great reproach upon the master and mistress of the family in which
they happen, for it is supposed that they have failed in their duty. The
reason of punishing this so severely is, because they think that if they
were not strictly restrained from all vagrant appetites, very few would
engage in a state in which they venture the quiet of their whole lives,
by being confined to one person, and are obliged to endure all the
inconveniences with which it is accompanied. In choosing their wives
they use a method that would appear to us very absurd and ridiculous, but

workmanship, is much more acceptable to Him than one of the herd, who,

like a beast incapable of reason, looks on this glorious scene with the

eyes of a dull and unconcerned spectator.

"The minds of the Utopians, when fenced with a love for learning, are

very ingenious in discovering all such arts as are necessary to carry it

to perfection. Two things they owe to us, the manufacture of paper and

the art of printing; yet they are not so entirely indebted to us for

these discoveries but that a great part of the invention was their own.

We showed them some books printed by Aldus, we explained to them the way

of making paper and the mystery of printing; but, as we had never

practised these arts, we described them in a crude and superficial

manner. They seized the hints we gave them; and though at first they

could not arrive at perfection, yet by making many essays they at last

found out and corrected all their errors and conquered every difficulty.

Before this they only wrote on parchment, on reeds, or on the barks of

trees; but now they have established the manufactures of paper and set up

printing presses, so that, if they had but a good number of Greek

authors, they would be quickly supplied with many copies of them: at

present, though they have no more than those I have mentioned, yet, by

several impressions, they have multiplied them into many thousands. If

any man was to go among them that had some extraordinary talent, or that

by much travelling had observed the customs of many nations (which made

us to be so well received), he would receive a hearty welcome, for they

are very desirous to know the state of the whole world. Very few go

among them on the account of traffic; for what can a man carry to them

but iron, or gold, or silver? which merchants desire rather to export

than import to a strange country: and as for their exportation, they

think it better to manage that themselves than to leave it to foreigners,

for by this means, as they understand the state of the neighbouring

countries better, so they keep up the art of navigation which cannot be

maintained but by much practice.

OF THEIR SLAVES, AND OF THEIR MARRIAGES

"They do not make slaves of prisoners of war, except those that are taken

in battle, nor of the sons of their slaves, nor of those of other

nations: the slaves among them are only such as are condemned to that

state of life for the commission of some crime, or, which is more common,

such as their merchants find condemned to die in those parts to which

they trade, whom they sometimes redeem at low rates, and in other places

have them for nothing. They are kept at perpetual labour, and are always

chained, but with this difference, that their own natives are treated

much worse than others: they are considered as more profligate than the

rest, and since they could not be restrained by the advantages of so

excellent an education, are judged worthy of harder usage. Another sort

of slaves are the poor of the neighbouring countries, who offer of their

own accord to come and serve them: they treat these better, and use them

in all other respects as well as their own countrymen, except their

imposing more labour upon them, which is no hard task to those that have

been accustomed to it; and if any of these have a mind to go back to

their own country, which, indeed, falls out but seldom, as they do not

force them to stay, so they do not send them away empty-handed.

"I have already told you with what care they look after their sick, so

that nothing is left undone that can contribute either to their case or

health; and for those who are taken with fixed and incurable diseases,

they use all possible ways to cherish them and to make their lives as

comfortable as possible. They visit them often and take great pains to

make their time pass off easily; but when any is taken with a torturing

and lingering pain, so that there is no hope either of recovery or ease,

the priests and magistrates come and exhort them, that, since they are

now unable to go on with the business of life, are become a burden to

themselves and to all about them, and they have really out-lived

themselves, they should no longer nourish such a rooted distemper, but

choose rather to die since they cannot live but in much misery; being

assured that if they thus deliver themselves from torture, or are willing

that others should do it, they shall be happy after death: since, by

their acting thus, they lose none of the pleasures, but only the troubles

of life, they think they behave not only reasonably but in a manner

consistent with religion and piety; because they follow the advice given

them by their priests, who are the expounders of the will of God. Such

as are wrought on by these persuasions either starve themselves of their

own accord, or take opium, and by that means die without pain. But no

man is forced on this way of ending his life; and if they cannot be

persuaded to it, this does not induce them to fail in their attendance

and care of them: but as they believe that a voluntary death, when it is

chosen upon such an authority, is very honourable, so if any man takes

away his own life without the approbation of the priests and the senate,

they give him none of the honours of a decent funeral, but throw his body

into a ditch.

"Their women are not married before eighteen nor their men before two-and-

twenty, and if any of them run into forbidden embraces before marriage

they are severely punished, and the privilege of marriage is denied them

unless they can obtain a special warrant from the Prince. Such disorders

cast a great reproach upon the master and mistress of the family in which

they happen, for it is supposed that they have failed in their duty. The

reason of punishing this so severely is, because they think that if they

were not strictly restrained from all vagrant appetites, very few would

engage in a state in which they venture the quiet of their whole lives,

by being confined to one person, and are obliged to endure all the

inconveniences with which it is accompanied. In choosing their wives

they use a method that would appear to us very absurd and ridiculous, but