Court of Nero a Perfon of Learning, of unqueftioned Merit, and of unfufpected Loyalty, was put to Death for no other Reason than that he had a pedantick Countenance which displeased the Emperor. This very Monster of Mankind appeared in the Beginning of his Reign to be a Person of Virtue. Many of the greatest Tyrants on the Records of Hiftory have begun their Reigns in the fairest Manner. But the Truth is, this unnatural Power corrupts both the Heart and the Understanding. And, to prevent the leaft Hope of Amendment, a King is ever surrounded by a Crowd of infamous Flatterers, who find their Account in keeping him from the leaft Light of Reason, till all Ideas of Rectitude and Juftice are utterly erased from his Mind. When Alexander had, in his Fury, inhumanly butchered one of his best Friends, and braveft Captains, on the Return of Reason he began to conceive a Horror fuitable to the Guilt of fuch a Murder. In this Juncture, his Council came to his Assistance. But what did his Council? They found him out a Philosopher who gave him Comfort. And in what Manner did this Philofopher comfort him for the Loss of such a Man, and heal his Confcience, flagrant with the Smart of fuch a Crime? You have the Matter at Length in Plutarch. He told him; "that let a Sovereign de "what he will, all his Actions are just and lawful, "because they are his." The Palaces of all Princes abound with such courtly Philofophers. The Confequence was such as might be expected. He grew every Day a Monster more abandoned to unnatural Luft, to Debauchery, to Drunkenness, and to Mur

der. And yet this was originally a great Man, of uncommon Capacity, and a strong Propensity to Virtue. But unbounded Power proceeds Step by Step, until it has eradicated every laudible Principle. It has been remarked, that there is no Prince fo bad, whofe Favourites and Minifters are not worse. There is hardly any Prince without a Favourite, by whom he is governed in as arbitrary a Manner as he governs the Wretches fubject to him. Here the Tyranny is doubled. There are two Courts, and two Interests; both very different from the Interests of the People. The Favourite knows that the Regard of a Tyrant is as unconftant and capricious as that of a Woman; and, concluding his Time to be fhort, he makes hafte to fill up the Measure of his Iniquity, in Rapine, in Luxury, and in Revenge. Every Avenue to the Throne is fhut up. He oppreffes and ruins the People, whilst he perfuades the Prince, that thofe Murmurs, raifed by his own Oppreffion, are the Effects of Difaffection to the Prince's Government. Then is the natural Violence of Defpotism inflamed and aggravated by Hatred and Revenge. To deferve well of the State is a Crime against the Prince. To he popular, and to be a Traitor, are confidered as fynonimous Terms. Even Virtue is dangerous, as an afpiring Quality, that claims an Efteem by itself, and independent of the Countenance of the Court. What has been faid of the chief, is true of the inferior Officers of this Species of Government; each in his Province exer cifing the fame Tyranny, and grinding the People by an Oppreffion, the more feverely felt, as it is near them,

them, and exercised by bafe and fubordinate Perfons.

For the Grofs of the People; they are confidered as a mere Herd of Cattle; and really in a little Time become no better; all Principle of honeft Pride, all Senfe of the Dignity of their Nature, is loft in their Slavery. The Day, fays Homer, which makes a Man a Slave, takes away half his Worth; and in fact, he lofes every Impulfe to Action, but that low and bafe one of Fear.-In this kind of Government human Nature is not only abufed and infulted, but it is actually degraded and funk into a Species of Brutality. The Confideration of this made Mr. Locke fay, with great Juftice, that a Government of this kind was worse than Anarchy; indeed it is fo abhorred and detefted by all who live under Forms that have a milder Appearance, that there is fcarce a rational Man in Europe, that would not prefer Death to Afiatick Defpotifm. Here then we have the Acknowledgment of a great Philofopher, that an irrégular State of Nature is preferable to fuch a Government; we have the Confent of all fenfible and gener ous Men, who carry is yet further, and avow that Death itself is preferable; and yet this Species of Government, so juftly condemned, and fo generally detefted, is what infinitely the greater Part of Mankind groan under, and have groaned under from the Beginning. So that by fure and uncontested Principles, the greatest Part of the Governments on Earth must be concluded Tyrannies, Impoftures, Violations of the Natural Rights of Mankind, and worse than the most diforderly Anarchies. How D 4 much

much other Forms exceed this, we fhall confider immediately.

In all Parts of the World, Mankind, however debased, retains still the Senfe of Feeling; the Weight of Tyranny, at last, becomes infupportable; but the Remedy is not so easy; in general, the only Remedy by which they 'attempt to cure the Tyranny, is to change the Tyrant. This is, and always was, the Cafe for the greater Part. In fome Countries however, were found Men of more Pene→ tration; who difcovered," that to live by one Man's "Will, was the Caufe of all Men's Mifery," They therefore changed their former Method; and, affembling the Men in their feveral Societies, the most refpectable for their Understanding and Fortunes, they confided to them the Charge of the public Welfare, This originally formed what is called an Aristocracy. They hoped, it would be impoffible that fuch a Number could ever join in any Design against the general Good; and they promised themselves a great deal of Security and Happiness, from the united Counsels of fo many able and experienced Perfons. But it is now found, by abundant Experience, that an Ariftocracy and a Defpotifm differ but in Name; and that a People, who are in general excluded from any Share of the Legiflature, are, to all Intents and Purposes, as much Slaves, when twenty, independent of them, govern, as when but one domineers, The Tyranný is even more felt, as every Individual of the Nobles has the Haughtiness of a Sultan; the People are more miferable, as they seem on the

Verge of Liberty, from which they are for ever debarred; this fallacious Idea of Liberty, whilst it presents a vain Shadow of Happiness to the Subject, binds fafter the Chains of his Subjection. What is left undone by the natural Avarice and Pride of those who are raised above the others, is compleated by their Sufpicions, and their Dread of lofing an Authority, which has no Support in the common Utility of the Nation. A Genoefe or a Venetian Republick is a concealed Defpotifm? where you find the fame Pride of the Rulers, the fame bafe Subjection of the People, the fame bloody Maxims of a fufpicious Policy. In one refpect the Aristocracy is worse than the Defpotifm. A Body Politick, whilft it retains its Authority, never changes its Maxims; a Defpotifm, which is this Day horrible to a supreme Degree, by the Caprice natural to the Heart of Man, may, by the fame Caprice otherwife exerted, be as lovely the next; in a Succeffion, it is poffible to meet with some good Princes. If there have been Tiberius's, Caligula's, Nero's, there have been likewife the ferener Days of Vefpafian's, Titus's, Trajan's, and Antonine's; but a Body Politick, is not influenced by Caprice or Whim; it proceeds in a regular Manits Succeffion is infenfible; and every Man, as he enters it, either has, or foon attains, the Spirit of the whole Body. Never was it known, that an Aristocracy, which was haughty and tyrannical in one Century, became eafy and mild in the next. In effect, the Yoke of this Species of Government is fo galling, that whenever the People have got the leaft Power, they have fhaken it off with the utmoft

ner;

Indignation,