master of their destiny? Is it not this divine being who chooses and rejects? The anathemas fulminated by religion, the promises it holds forth, are they not founded upon the idea of the effects they will necessarily produce upon mankind? Is not man brought into existence without his own knowledge? Is he not obliged to play a part against his will? Does not either his happiness or his misery depend on the part he plays? All religion has been evidently founded upon _Fatalism_. Among the Greeks they supposed men were punished for their necessary faults, as may be seen in Orestes, in Oedipus, &c. who only committed crimes predicted by the oracles. It is rather singular that the theological defenders of the doctrine of _free-agency_, which they endeavour to oppose to that of _predestination_,--which according to them is irreconcileable with _Christianity_, inasmuch as it is a false and dangerous system,--should not have been aware that the doctrines of _the fall of angels, original sin, the small number of the elect, the system of grace, &c._ were most incontestibly supporting, by the most cogent arguments, a _true system of fatalism_. _Education_, then, is only necessity shewn to children: _legislation_ is necessity shewn to the members of the body politic: _morals_ is the necessity of the relations subsisting between men, shewn to reasonable beings: in short, man grants _necessity_ in every thing for which he believes he has certain, unerring experience: that of which he does not comprehend the necessary connection of causes with their effects he styles _probability_: he would not act as he does, if he was not convinced, or, at least, if he did not presume he was, that certain effects will necessarily follow his actions. The _moralist_ preaches reason, because he believes it necessary to man: the _philosopher_ writes, because he believes truth must, sooner or later, prevail over falsehood: _tyrants_ and _fanatical priests_ necessarily hate truth, despise reason, because they believe them prejudicial to their interests: the _sovereign_, who strives to terrify crime by the severity of his laws, but who nevertheless, from motives of state policy sometimes renders it useful and even necessary to his purposes, presumes the motives he employs will be sufficient to keep his subjects within bounds. All reckon equally upon the power or upon the necessity of the motives they make use of; each individual flatters himself, either with or without reason, that these motives will have an influence on the conduct of mankind. The education of man is commonly so defective, so inefficacious, so little calculated to promote the end he has in view, because it is regulated by prejudice: even when this education is good, it is but too often speedily counteracted, by almost every thing that takes place in society. Legislation and politics are very frequently iniquitous, and serve no better purpose than to kindle passions in the