SOME THOUGHTS

ON

AGRICULTURE, Both ANCIENT and MODERN:

With an Account of the Honour due to an ENGLISH FARMER *.

A

GRICULTURE, in the primeval ages, was the common parent of traffick; for the opulence of mankind then confifted in cattle, and the product of tillage; which are now very effential for the promotion of trade in general, but more particularly fo to fuch nations as are most abundant in cattle, corn, and fruits. The labour of the Farmer gives employment to the manufacturer, and yields a fupport for the other parts of a community: it is now the spring which fets the whole grand machine of commerce in motion; and the fail could not be spread without the affiftance of the plough. But, though the Farmers are of fuch utility in a ftate, we find them in general too much difregarded among the politer kind of people in the prefent age; while we cannot help obferving the honour that antiquity has always paid to the profeffion of the husbandman: which naturally leads us into fome reflections upon that occafion.

Though mines of gold and filver fhould be exhausted, and the fpecies made of them loft; though

*From the Vifiter, for February 1756, p. 59.

diamonds

diamonds and pearls fhould remain concealed in the bowels of the earth, and the womb of the fea; though commerce with ftrangers be prohibited; though all arts, which have no other object than fplendor and embellishment, fhould be abolished; yet the fertility of the earth alone would afford an abundant fupply for the occafions of an induftrious people, by furnishing fubfiftence for them, and fuch armies as should be mustered in their defence. We, therefore, ought not to be furprized, that Agriculture was in fo much honour among the ancients : for it ought rather to feem wonderful that it should ever cease to be fo, and that the moft neceffary and moft indifpenfible of all profeffions should have fallen into any contempt.

Agriculture was in no part of the world in higher confideration than Egypt, where it was the particular object of government and policy: nor was any country ever better peopled, richer, or more powerful. The Satrape, among the Affyrians and Perfians, were rewarded, if the lands in their governments were well cultivated; but were punished, if that part of their duty was neglected. Africa abounded in corn; but the most famous countries were Thrace, Sardinia, and Sicily.

Cato, the cenfor, has juftly called Sicily the magazine and nursing mother of the Roman people, who were fupplied from thence with almoft all their corn, both for the ufe of the city, and the fubfiftence of her armies: though we alfo find in Livy, that the Romans received no inconfiderable quantities of corn from Sardinia. But, when Rome had made herself mistress of Carthage and Alexandria,

Africa and Egypt became her store-houses: for those cities fent fuch numerous fleets every year, freighted with corn to Rome, that Alexandria alone annually fupplied twenty millions of bufhels: and, when the harvest happened to fail in one of these provinces, the other came in to its aid, and fupported the metropolis of the world; which, without this supply, would have been in danger of perishing by famine. Rome actually faw herself reduced to this condition under Auguftus; for there remained only three days provifion of corn in the city: and that prince was fo full of tenderness for the people, that he had refolved to poison himself, if the expected fleets did not arrive before the expiration of that time; but they came; and the prefervation of the Romans was attributed to the good fortune of their emperor : but wife precautions were taken to avoid the like danger for the future.

When the feat of empire was transplanted to Conftantinople, that city was fupplied in the fame manner: and when the emperor Septimius Severus died, there was corn in the publick magazines for seven years, expending daily 75,000 bushels in bread, for 600,000 men.

The ancients were no lefs induftrious in the cultivation of the vine than in that of corn, though they applied themselves to it later: for Noah planted it by order, and discovered the ufe that might be made of the fruit, by preffing out and preferving the juice. The vine was carried by the offspring of Noab into the feveral countries of the world: but Afia was the first to experience the fweets of this gift; from whence it was imparted to Europe

and

and Africa. Greece and Italy, which were diftinguished in fo many other refpects, were particularly fo by the excellency of their wines. Greece was moft celebrated for the wines of Cyprus, Lefbos, and Chio; the former of which is in great efteem at prefent: though the cultivation of the vine has been generally fuppreffed in the Turkish dominions. As the Romans were indebted to the Grecians for the arts and sciences, fo were they likewife for the improvement of their wines; the best of which were produced in the country of Capua, and were called the Mafick, Calenian, Formian, Cacuban, and Falernian, fo much celebrated by Horace. Domitian paffed an edict for deftroying all the vines, and that no more should be planted throughout the greatest part of the weft; which continued almost two hundred years afterwards, when the emperor Probus employed his foldiers in planting vines in Europe, in the fame manner as Hannibal had formerly employed his troops in planting olive-trees in Africa. Some of the ancients have endeavoured to prove, that the cultivation of vines is more beneficial than any other kind of husbandry: but, if this was thought fo in the time of Columella, it is very different at prefent; nor were all the ancients of his opinion, for several gave the preference to pasture lands.

The breeding of cattle has always been confidered as an important part of Agriculture. The riches of Abraham, Laban, and Job, confifted in their flocks and herds. We also find from Latinus in Virgil, and Ulyffes in Homer, that the wealth of thofe princes confifted in cattle. It was likewise

the

the fame among the Romans, till the introduction of money, which put a value upon commodities, and established a new kind of barter. Varro has not difdained to give an extenfive account of all the beafts that are of any ufe to the country, either for tillage, breed, carriage, or other conveniencies of man. And Cato, the cenfor, was of opinion, that the feeding of cattle was the most certain and speedy method of enriching a country.

Luxury, avarice, injuftice, violence, and ambition, take up their ordinary refidence in populous cities; while the hard and laborious life of the hufbandman will not admit of thefe vices. The honeft Farmer lives in a wife and happy ftate, which inclines him to juftice, temperance, fobriety, fincerity, and every virtue that can dignify human nature. This gave room for the poets to feign, that Aftræa, the Goddefs of Juftice, had her laft refidence among hufbandmen, before fhe quitted the earth. Hefiod and Virgil have brought the affistance of the Mufes in praife of Agriculture. Kings, generals, and philofophers, have not thought it unworthy their birth, rank, and genius, to leave precepts to pofterity upon the utility of the hufbandman's profeffion. Hiero, Attalus, and Archelaus, kings of Syracufe, Pergamus, and Cappadocia, have composed books for fupporting and augmenting the fertility of their different countries. The Carthaginian general, Mago, wrote twenty-eight volumes upon this fubject; and Cato, the cenfor, followed his example. Nor have Plato, Xenophen, and Ariftotle, omitted this article, which makes an effential part of their politicks. And Cicero, fpeak