That was one reason — a reason suggested by the
understanding. But there was a second reason, far
more remarkable ; and this was a reason dictated by
a blind necessity. It is an important fact, that this
planet, on which we live, this little industrious earth of
ours, has developed her wealth by slow stages of in-
crease. She was far from being the rich little globe in
Caesar's days that she is at present. The earth in our
days is incalculably richer, as a whole, than in the time
of Charlemagne : at that time she was richer by many
a million of acres, than in the era of Augustus. In that
Augustan era we descry a clear belt of cultivation, ave-
raging about six hundred miles in depth, running in a
ring-fence about the Mediterranean. This belt, and
no more, was in decent cultivation. Beyond that belt,
there was only a wild Indian cultivation. At present
what a diiference ! We have that very belt, but much
richer, all things considered aqiuitis csquandis, than in
the Roman era. The reader must not look to single
cases, as that of Egypt or other parts of Africa, but
take the whole collectively. On that scheme of valu-
ation, we have the old Roman belt, the Mediterranean
riband not much tarnished, and we have all the rest of



DINlif;R, REAL AND KEPtJTED. 211

Europe to boot — or, speaking in scholar's language,
as a lucro ponamus. We say nothing of remoter gains.
