maintenance. With this provision, and wholly employed in their
observations, they soon became acquainted with the great phenomena
of nature, and even learned to penetrate the secret of many of her
operations. They discovered the movement of the stars and planets, the
coincidence of their phases and returns with the productions of
the earth and the action of vegetation; the medicinal and nutritive
properties of plants and fruits; the action of the elements, and
their reciprocal affinities. Now, as there was no other method of
communicating the knowledge of these discoveries but the laborious one
of oral instruction, they transmitted it only to their relations and
friends, it followed therefore that all science and instruction were
confined to a few families, who, arrogating it to themselves as an
exclusive privilege, assumed a professional distinction, a corporation
spirit, fatal to the public welfare. This continued succession of the
same researches and the same labors, hastened, it is true, the progress
of knowledge; but by the mystery which accompanied it, the people were
daily plunged in deeper shades, and became more superstitious and
more enslaved. Seeing their fellow mortals produce certain phenomena,
announce, as at pleasure, eclipses and comets, heal diseases, and handle
venomous serpents, they thought them in alliance with celestial powers;
and, to obtain the blessings and avert the evils which they expected
from above, they took them for mediators and interpreters; and thus
became established in the bosom of every state sacrilegious corporations
of hypocritical and deceitful men, who centered all powers in
themselves; and the priests, being at once astronomers, theologians,
naturalists, physicians, magicians, interpreters of the gods, oracles of
men, and rivals of kings, or their accomplices, established, under the
name of religion, an empire of mystery and a monopoly of instruction,
which to this day have ruined every nation. . . ."

Here the priests of all the groups interrupted the orator, and with loud
cries accused him of impiety, irreligion, blasphemy; and endeavored to
cut short his discourse; but the legislator observing that this was only
an exposition of historical facts, which, if false or forged, would be
easily refuted; that hitherto the declaration of every opinion had been
free, and without this it would be impossible to discover the truth, the
orator proceeded:

"Now, from all these causes,