I take it for granted, that a Christian is not bound to believe anyThing to have been of Divine Institution, that has not been declaredto be such in Holy Writ. Yet great Offence has been taken at an Essay,in the First Part of the Fable of the Bees, call'd An Enquiry into theOrigin of Moral Virtue; notwithstanding the great Caution it is wrotewith. Since then, it is thought Criminal to surmise, that even HeathenVirtue was of Human Invention, and the Reader, in the followingDialogues, will find me to persist in the Opinion, that it was; I beghis Patience to peruse what I have to say for my self on this Head,which is all I shall trouble him with here.
The Word Morality is either synonimous with Virtue, or signifies thatPart of Philosophy, which treats of it, and teaches the Regulation ofManners; and by the Words Moral Virtue, I mean the same Thing which Ibelieve Every body else does. I am likewise fully persuaded that togovern our selves according to the Dictates of Reason, is far betterthan to indulge the Passions without Stop or Controul, andconsequently that Virtue is more beneficial than Vice, not only forthe Peace and real Happiness of Society in general, but likewise forthe Temporal Felicity of every individual Member of it, abstract fromthee Consideration of a future State, I am moreover convinced, thatall wise Men ever were and ever will be of this Opinion; and I shallnever oppose Any body, who shall be pleased to call this an EternalTruth.
Having allow'd and own'd thus much, I beg Leave to make a shortGrammatical Reflection on the Sounds or Letters we make use of toexpress this rational Management of ourselves: For tho' the Truth ofits Excellency is Eternal, the Words Moral Virtue themselves are notso, any more than Speech or Man himself. Permit me therefore toenquire which Way it is most probably, they must have come into theWorld.
The Word Moral, without Doubt, comes from Mos, and signifies everyThing that relates to Manners: The Word Ethick is synonimous withMoral, and is derived from [Greek: ithik], which is exactly the samein Greek, that Mos is in Latin. The Greek for Virtu, is [Greek:arete], which is derived from [Greek: ares], the God of War andproperly signifies Martial Virtue. The same Word in Latin, if webelieve Cicero, comes from Vir; and the genuine Signification likewiseof the Word Virtus is Fortitude. It is hardly to be conceived, butthat in the first Forming of all Societies, there must have beenStruggles for Superiority; and therefore it is reasonable to imagine,that in all the Beginnings of Civil Government, and the Infancy ofNations, Strength and Courage must have been the most valuableQualifications for some Time. This makes me think, that Virtus, in itsfirst Acceptation, might, with great Justice and Propriety, be inEnglish render'd Manliness; which fully expresses the Original Meaningof it, and shews the Etymology equally with the Latin; and whoever isacquainted with that Language must know, that it was some ages beforethe Romans used it in any other Sense. Nay, to this Day, the WordVirtus by it self, in any of their Historians, has the sameSignification, as if the Word Bellica had been added. We have Reasonto think, that, as First, Nothing was meant by Virtus, but Daring andIntrepidity, right or wrong; or else if could never have been made tosignify Savageness, and brutish Courage; as Tacitus, in the FourthBook of his History, makes use of it manifestly in that Sense. EvenWild Beasts, says he, if you keep them shut up, w