Besides, If The Ancients
Had All This Knowledge, How Came It Not To Display Itself In Their
Performances?
How came they to make such difficulties of what are
now esteemed trifles?
And how came they never to make any voyages,
by choice at least, that were out of sight of land? Again, with
respect to the Chinese, if they excel us so much in knowledge, how
came the missionaries to be so much admired for their superior skill
in the sciences? But to cut the matter short, we are not disputing
now about speculative points of science, but as to the practical
application of it; in which, I think, there is no doubt that the
modern inhabitants of the western parts of the world excel, and
excel chiefly from the labours and discoveries of these great and
ingenious men, who applied their abilities to the improvement of
useful arts, for the particular benefit of their countrymen, and to
the common good of mankind; which character is not derived from any
prejudice of ours, either against the ancients or the Oriental
nations, but is founded on facts of public notoriety, and on general
experience, which are a kind of evidence not to be controverted or
contradicted.
We are still, however, in several respects short of perfection, and
there are many things left to exercise the sagacity, penetration,
and application of this and of succeeding ages; for instance, the
passages to the north-east and north-west are yet unknown; there is
a great part of the southern continent undiscovered; we are, in a
manner, ignorant of what lies between America and Japan, and all
beyond that country lies buried in obscurity, perhaps in greater
obscurity than it was an age ago; so that there is still room for
performing great things, which in their consequences perhaps might
prove greater than can well be imagined.
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