Mankind by their industry, and by the
influence of good laws, have rendered the earth more proper for their
abode. We see rivers flow where there have been lakes and marshes: this
is a benefit which nature has not bestowed; but it is a benefit
maintained and supplied by nature. When the Persians
[5]
were masters of Asia, they permitted those who conveyed a spring to any place which had
not been watered before to enjoy the benefit for five generations; and
as a number of rivulets flowed from Mount Taurus, they spared no expense
in directing the course of their streams. At this day, without knowing
how they came thither, they are found in the fields and gardens.
Thus, as destructive nations produce evils more durable than
themselves, the actions of an industrious people are the source of
blessings which last when they are no more.
