sions of enthusiasm and superstition, which, among ignorant nations, frequently occasion the most dreadful disorders. An instructed and intelligent people besides, are always more decent and orderly than an ignorant and stupid one. They feel themselves, each individually, more respectable, and more likely to obtain the respect of their lawful superiors, and they are therefore more disposed to respect those superiors. They are more disposed to examine, and more capable of seeing through, the interested complaints of faction and sedition, and they are, upon that account, less apt to be misled into any wanton or unnecessary opposition to the measures of government. In free countries, where the safety of government depends very much upon the favourable judgment which the people may form of its conduct, it must surely be of the highest importance that they should not be disposed to judge rashly or capriciously concerning it.

ARTICLE III

Of the Expence of the Institutions for the Instruction of People of all Ages

THE

HE institutions for the instruction of people of all ages are chiefly those for religious instruction. This is a species of instruction of which the object is not so much to render the people good citizens in this world, as to prepare them for another and a better world in a life to come. The teachers of the doctrine which contains this instruction, in the same manner as other teachers, may either depend altogether for their subsistence upon the voluntary contributions of their hearers; or they may derive it from some other fund to which the law of their country may entitle them; such as a landed estate, a tythe or land tax, an established salary or stipend. Their exertion, their zeal and industry, are likely to be much greater in the former situation than in the latter. In this respect the teachers of new religions have always had a considerable advantage in attacking those ancient and established systems of which the clergy, reposing themselves upon their benefices, had neglected to keep up the fervour of faith and devotion in the great body of the people; and having given themselves up to indolence, were become altogether incapable of making any vigorous exertion in defence even of their own establishment. The clergy of an established and well-endowed religion frequently become men of learning and elegance, who possess all the virtues of gentlemen, or which can recommend them to the esteem VOL. II.-18

These institutions are chiefly for religious instruction. Religious like other teachers

are more

vigorous if unestablished and unendowed.

The inferior
clergy of
the Church
of Rome

are more
stimulated
by self-inter-
cst than

those of any established Protestant Church,

of gentlemen; but they are apt gradually to lose the qualities, both
good and bad, which gave them authority and influence with the
inferior ranks of people, and which had perhaps been the original
causes of the success and establishment of their religion. Such a
clergy, when attacked by a set of popular and bold, though perhaps
stupid and ignorant enthusiasts, feel themselves as perfectly defenceless
as the indolent, effeminate, and full-fed nations of the southern parts
of Asia, when they were invaded by the active, hardy, and hungry
Tartars of the North. Such a clergy, upon such an emergency, have
commonly no other resource than to call upon the civil magistrate to
persecute, destroy, or drive out their adversaries, as disturbers of the
public peace.
It was thus that the Roman catholic clergy called upon
the civil magistrate to persecute the protestants; and the church of
England, to persecute the dissenters; and that in general every
religious sect, when it has once enjoyed for a century or two the
security of a legal establishment, has found itself incapable of making
any vigorous defence against any new sect which chose to attack its
doctrine or discipline. Upon such occasions the advantage in point
of learning and good writing may sometimes be on the side of the
established church. But the arts of popularity, all the arts of gaining
proselytes, are constantly on the side of its adversaries. In England
those arts have been long neglected by the well-endowed clergy of
the established church, and are at present chiefly cultivated by the
dissenters and by the methodists. The independent provisions, how-
ever, which in many places have been made for dissenting teachers,
by means of voluntary subscriptions, of trust rights, and other evasions
of the law, seem very much to have abated the zeal and activity of
those teachers. They have many of them become very learned,
ingenious, and respectable men; but they have in general ceased to
be very popular preachers. The methodists, without half the learning
of the dissenters, are much more in vogue.

In the church of Rome, the industry and zeal of the inferior clergy are 1 kept more alive by the powerful motive of self-interest, than perhaps in any established protestant church. The parochial clergy derive, many of them, a very considerable part of their subsistence from the voluntary oblations of the people; a source of revenue which confession gives them many opportunities of improving. The mendicant orders derive their whole subsistence from such oblations. It is with them, as with the hussars and light infantry of some armies; no plunder, no pay. The parochial clergy are like those teachers whose reward depends partly upon their salary, and partly upon the fees or honoraries [Eds. 1-3 read 'is'.]

which they get from their pupils; and these must always depend more or less upon their industry and reputation. The mendicant orders are like those teachers whose subsistence depends altogether upon their industry. They are obliged, therefore, to use every art which can animate the devotion of the common people. The establishment of the two great mendicant orders of St. Dominic and St. Francis, it is observed by Machiavel, revived, in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the languishing faith and devotion of the catholic church. In Roman catholic countries the spirit of devotion is supported altogether by the monks and by the poorer parochial clergy. The great dignitaries of the church, with all the accomplishments of gentlemen and men of the world, and sometimes with those of men of learning, are careful enough to maintain the necessary discipline over their inferiors, but seldom give themselves any trouble about the instruction of the people.

"Most of the arts and professions in a state," says by far the most illustrious philosopher and historian of the present age, "are of such a "nature, that, while they promote the interests of the society, they are "also useful or agreeable to some individuals; and in that case, the "constant rule of the magistrate, except, perhaps, on the first introduc"tion of any art, is, to leave the profession to itself, and trust its encouragement to the individuals who reap the benefit of it. The "artizans, finding their profits to rise by the favour of their customers, "increase, as much as possible, their skill and industry; and as matters are not disturbed by any injudicious tampering, the commodity is "always sure to be at all times nearly proportioned to the demand.

"

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"But there are also some callings, which, though useful and even 'necessary in a state, bring no advantage or pleasure to any individual, "and the supreme power is obliged to alter its conduct with regard to "the retainers of those professions. It must give them public encouragement in order to their subsistence; and it must provide "against that negligence to which they will naturally be subject, either "by annexing particular honours to the profession, by establishing a "long subordination of ranks and a strict dependance, or by some other "expedient. The persons employed in the finances, fleets,2 and "magistracy, are instances of this order of men.

"It may naturally be thought, at first sight, that the ecclesiastics "belong to the first class, and that their encouragement, as well as "that of lawyers and physicians, may safely be entrusted to the

[In 'Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius,' book iii., chap. i.]
2[The original reads 'finances, armies, fleets'.]

Hume says the state may leave the promotion of some arts to individuals who benefit by them,

others must

be promoted by the state;

it might be thought that the teaching of religion belonged to

the first class,

but it does not, because the interested zeal of

the clergy should be discouraged.

Establish

ments and public endowments have not

been due to reasoning

like this, but to the needs of political faction.

"liberality of individuals, who are attached to their doctrines, and who "find benefit or consolation from their spiritual ministry and assistance. "Their industry and vigilance will, no doubt, be whetted by such an "additional motive; and their skill in the profession, as well as their "address in governing the minds of the people, must receive daily increase, from their increasing practice, study, and attention.

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"But if we consider the matter more closely, we shall find, that this "interested diligence of the clergy is what every wise legislator will "study to prevent; because, in every religion except the true, it is 'highly pernicious, and it has even a natural tendency to pervert the “true, by infusing into it a strong mixture of superstition, folly, and "delusion. Each ghostly practitioner, in order to render himself more 'precious and sacred in the eyes of his retainers, will inspire them with "the most violent abhorrence of all other sects, and continually en"deavour, by some novelty, to excite the languid devotion of his "audience. No regard will be paid to truth, morals, or decency in the "doctrines inculcated. Every tenet will be adopted that best suits "the disorderly affections of the human frame. Customers will be "drawn to each conventicle by new industry and address in practising "on the passions and credulity of the populace. And in the end, the "civil magistrate will find, that he has dearly paid for his pretended frugality, in saving a fixed establishment for the priests; and that in "reality the most decent and advantageous composition, which he can "make with the spiritual guides, is to bribe their indolence, by assign"ing stated salaries to their profession, and rendering it superfluous for "them to be farther active, than merely to prevent their flock from "straying in quest of new pastures. And in this manner ecclesiastical "establishments, though commonly they arose at first from religious "views, prove in the end advantageous to the political interests of "society."1

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But whatever may have been the good or bad effects of the independent provision of the clergy; it has, perhaps, been very seldom bestowed upon them from any view to those effects. Times of violent religious controversy have generally been times of equally violent political faction. Upon such occasions, each political party has either found it, or imagined it, for its interest, to league itself with some one or other of the contending religious sects. But this could be done only by adopting, or at least by favouring, the tenets of that particular sect. The sect which had the good fortune to be leagued with the conquering

[Hume, History, chap. xxix., vol. iv., pp. 30, 31, in ed. of 1773, which differs verbally both from earlier and from later editions.]

party, necessarily shared in the victory of its ally, by whose favour and protection it was soon enabled in some degree to silence and subdue all its adversaries. Those adversaries had generally leagued themselves with the enemies of the conquering party, and were therefore the enemies of that party. The clergy of this particular sect having thus become complete masters of the field, and their influence and authority with the great body of the people being in its highest vigour, they were powerful enough to over-awe the chiefs and leaders of their own party, and to oblige the civil magistrate to respect their opinions and inclinations. Their first demand was generally, that he should silence and subdue all their adversaries; and their second, that he should bestow an independent provision on themselves. As they had generally contributed a good deal to the victory, it seemed not unreasonable that they should have some share in the spoil. They were weary, besides, of humouring the people, and of depending upon their caprice for a subsistence. In making this demand therefore they consulted their own ease and comfort, without troubling themselves about the effect which it might have in future times upon the influence and authority of their order. The civil magistrate, who could comply with this demand only by giving them something which he would have chosen much rather to take, or to keep to himself, was seldom very forward to grant it. Necessity, however, always forced him to submit at last, though frequently not till after many delays, evasions, and affected

excuses.

But if politics had never called in the aid of religion, had the conquering party never adopted the tenets of one sect more than those of another, when it had gained the victory, it would probably have dealt equally and impartially with all the different sects, and have allowed every man to chuse his own priest and his own religion as he thought proper. There would in this case, no doubt, have been a great multitude of religious sects. Almost every different congregation might probably have made a little sect by itself, or have entertained some peculiar tenets of its own. Each teacher would no doubt have felt himself under the necessity of making the utmost exertion, and of using every art both to preserve and to increase the number of his disciples. as every other teacher would have felt himself under the same necessity, the success of no one teacher, or sect of teachers, could have been very great. The interested and active zeal of religious teachers can be dangerous and troublesome only where there is, either but one sect tolerated in the society, or where the whole of a large society is divided into two or three great sects; the teachers of each1 acting by concert,

1[Ed. I reads 'of each sect'.]

But

If politics had never called in the aid of religion, sects would have

been so numerous

that they would have learnt to tolerate each other,