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Literary
October 19, 1786
Fowle's New Hampshire Gazette And General Advertiser
Portsmouth, Rockingham County, New Hampshire
What is this article about?
Dr. Young's prose sketch compares the life cycles of states and men, attributing their common ruin to the distemper of luxury, which affects all classes and leads to the expiration of kingdoms.
Clipping
OCR Quality
95%
Excellent
Full Text
SKETCHES by Dr. YOUNG.
(Selected from his writings in Prose.)
STATES and MEN.
What an extravagant dominion does pleasure exercise over us? It is not only the pestilence that walketh in darkness, but the destruction that wasteth at noonday. Our luxury is beyond bounds; it stoppeth not with the rich, even they that live on alms are infected. It has often been observed, that it is with states as with men. They have their birth, growth, health, distemper, decay and death. Men sometimes drop suddenly by an apoplexy; states by conquest: in full vigour, both. As man owes his mortality to original sin, some states owe their fall to some defect, or infelicity in their original constitution: but contracted distemper is the most common ruin of states and men; and what national distemper more common than our own. On the soft beds of luxury most kingdoms have expired.
(Selected from his writings in Prose.)
STATES and MEN.
What an extravagant dominion does pleasure exercise over us? It is not only the pestilence that walketh in darkness, but the destruction that wasteth at noonday. Our luxury is beyond bounds; it stoppeth not with the rich, even they that live on alms are infected. It has often been observed, that it is with states as with men. They have their birth, growth, health, distemper, decay and death. Men sometimes drop suddenly by an apoplexy; states by conquest: in full vigour, both. As man owes his mortality to original sin, some states owe their fall to some defect, or infelicity in their original constitution: but contracted distemper is the most common ruin of states and men; and what national distemper more common than our own. On the soft beds of luxury most kingdoms have expired.
What sub-type of article is it?
Essay
What themes does it cover?
Political
Moral Virtue
Commerce Trade
What keywords are associated?
Luxury
States
Men
Distemper
Decay
Pleasure
Ruin
What entities or persons were involved?
Dr. Young
Literary Details
Title
States And Men.
Author
Dr. Young
Key Lines
What An Extravagant Dominion Does Pleasure Exercise Over Us? It Is Not Only The Pestilence That Walketh In Darkness, But The Destruction That Wasteth At Noonday.
It Has Often Been Observed, That It Is With States As With Men. They Have Their Birth, Growth, Health, Distemper, Decay And Death.
As Man Owes His Mortality To Original Sin, Some States Owe Their Fall To Some Defect, Or Infelicity In Their Original Constitution: But Contracted Distemper Is The Most Common Ruin Of States And Men; And What National Distemper More Common Than Our Own.
On The Soft Beds Of Luxury Most Kingdoms Have Expired.