equality among the citizens. Inequality of riches cannot be prevented in a commercial ftate; but inequality of privileges may be prevented, by excluding no citizen from the opportunity of commanding as well as of obeying. The invidious diftinction of Patrician and Plebeian was a grofs malady in the Roman republic, a perpetual fource of diffenfion between two bodies of men, equally well born, equally rich, and equally fit for war. This illpoised government would have put an end to the republic, had not the Plebeians prevailed, who were the more numerous. That reformation produced to Rome plenty of able men, qualified to govern both peace and in war.

in

A commonwealth is the beft form of government for a small ftate: there is little room for inequality of rank or of property; and the people can act in a body. Monarchy is preferable for a large state, where the people, widely spread, cannot be easily collected into a body. Attica was a kingdom, while its twelve cantons were remote from each other, and but flenderly connected. Thefeus, by collecting the people of figure into the city VOL. II. G g

of

of Athens, and by a general affembly of all the cantons held there, fitted Attica to be a commonwealth.

When a nation becomes great and populous, it is ill fitted for being a commonwealth; ambition is apt to trample upon juftice, selfishness upon patriotifm, and the public is facrificed to private views. To prevent corruption from turning incurable, the only remedy is a ftrict rotation in office, which ought never to be difpenfed with on any pretext *. By fuch rotation, every citizen in his turn governs and is governed: the highest office is limited as to time, and the greateft men in the state must submit to the facred law of obeying as well as of commanding. A man long accuftomed to power, is not happy in a private ftation that corrupting habit is prevented by an alternate fucceffion of public and private life; which is more agreeable by variety, and contributes no lefs to virtue

A commonwealth with fuch a rotation may be aptly compared to a group of jets d'eau, rifing one above another in beautiful order, and preferving the fame order in defcending: the form of the group con. tinues invariable, but the forming parts are always changing.

than

than to happiness. It was that form of government in ancient Rome, which produced citizens without number, illuftrious for virtue and talents. Reflect upon Cincinnatus, eminent among heroes for difinterested love to his country. Had he been a Briton, a feat in parliament would have gratified his ambition, as affording the best opportunity of ferving his country. In parliament he joins the party that appears the most zealous for the public. Being deceived in his friends, patriots in name only, he goes over to the court; and after fighting the battles of the ministry for years, he is compelled by a shattered fortune to accept a poft or a penfion. Fortunate Cincinnatus! born at a time and in a country where virtue was the paffport to power and glory. Cincinnatus, after ferving with honour and reputation as chief magiftrate, cheerfully retired to a private ftation, in obedience to the laws of his country nor was that change a hardship on a man who was not corrupted by a long habit of power. But wonderful was the change, when the republic by fuccessful wars comprehended great kingdoms. Luxurious and fenfual men, who compofed

compofed the fenate, could not maintain their authority over generals who commanded great armies, and were illuftrious by conqueft. In the civil wars accordingly that were carried on after the death of Julius Cæfar, the legions called from Spain and other diftant provinces to defend the fenate, deferted all to Antony, or to Lepidus, or to Octavius Cæfar.

Political writers define a free ftate to be where the people are governed by laws of their own making. This definition is lame; for laws made by the people are not always juft. There were many un'juft laws enacted in Athens during the democratical government; and in Britain instances are not wanting of laws, not only unjuft, but oppreffive. The true definition of a free ftate, is, where the laws of nature are ftrictly adhered to, and where every municipal regulation is contrived to improve fociety, and to promote honefty and industry. If that definition be juft, defpotifin is the worst fpecies of government; being contrived to fupport arbitrary will in the fovereign, without regarding the laws of nature, or the good of fociety. The lawlefs cruelty of a King of

Perfia,

Perfia, is painted to the life by a single expreffion of a Persian grandee, "That eve

ry

time he left the King's apartment, CC he was inclined to feel with his hand "whether his head was on his shoulders." In the Ruffian empire, men approach the throne with terror: the flightest political intrigue is a fufficient foundation for banishing the greatest nobleman to Siberia, and for confiscating his eftate. The laws of that empire smell no less rank of slavery than of oppreffion. No perfon dares game with money that bears the impreffion of the present fovereign: a man going along the street that fronts the Emperor's apartment, muft pull off his hat; and it is a heinous trefpafs, to write a letter with the Emperor's name in fmall characters. Defpotifm is every where the fame: it was high treafon to fell a ftatue of a Roman Emperor; and it was doubted, whether it was not high treason to hit an Emperor's ftatue with a ftone thrown at random (a). When Elifabeth Empress of Ruffia was on death-bed, no person durft inquire about her; and, even after her death, it was not at first safe to speak of (a) 1. 5. ad legem Juliam Majeftatis.

it.