especially, apt to be taken
with physiognomy; and there are not in the world, perhaps, men who are
greater _connoisseurs_ in it: and that is, because they have for no man
whatever, any of those respects that prejudice or impose on us, and that
studying only nature, they understand it well. As they are not slaves to
ambition or interest, those two passions that have chiefly cancelled in
us that sentiment of humanity, which the author of nature had engraved
in our hearts; the inequality of conditions is not necessary to them,
for the support of society.

There are not therefore, Madam, to be seen amongst them, or at least,
are rarely to be met with, those arrogant haughty characters, who, full
of themselves of their greatness, or their merit, look on themselves
almost as a species a-part, and disdain the rest of mankind, of whom
consequently they can never have the confidence or love. Their equals
these rarely know any thing of, because the jealousy that reigns amongst
the great, hinders them from being intimate enough with one another.
Neither do they know themselves, from their never studying themselves,
and from their constant self-flattery. They never reflect, that to gain
admission into the hearts of men, they must make themselves their
equals; so that with this pretended superiority of enlightened
understanding, which they look on as an essential property of the rank
they hold, the most part of them live groveling in a proud and incurable
ignorance of all that it would be the most important for them to know,
and never enjoy the true sweets of life.

In all this how wretchedly different from the savages! In this country,
all the men esteem themselves equally men; and in man, what they most
esteem is, the man. No distinction of birth; no prerogative attributed
to rank, to the prejudice of the other free members of society; no
pre-eminence annexed to merit that can inspire pride, or make others
feel too much their inferiority. There is, perhaps, less delicacy in
their sentiments than amongst us, but surely more uprightness; less
ceremony; less of all that can form a dubious character; less of the
temptations or illusions or self-love.

Religion only can perfect these people in what is good in them, and
correct what bad. This indeed is not peculiar to them, but what is so,
is, that they bring with them fewer obstacles to religious devotion when
once they have begun to believe, which can only be the effect of a
specia