Indignation, and established a popular Form. And when they have not had Strength enough to support themselves, they have thrown themselves into the Arms of Defpotifm, as the more eligible of the two Evils. This latter was the Cafe of Denmark, who fought a Refuge from the Oppreffion of its Nobility, in the ftrong Hold of arbitrary Power. Poland has at present the Name of Republick, and it is one of the Ariftocratick Form; but it is well known, that the little Finger of this Government, is heavier than the Loins of arbitrary Power in moft Nations. The People are not only politically, but perfonally Slaves, and treated with the utmoft Indignity. The Republick of Venice is fomewhat more moderate; yet even here, fo heavy is the Ariftocratick Yoke, that the Nobles have been obliged to enervate the Spirit of their Subjects by every Sort of Debauchery; they have denied them the Liberty of Reason, and they have made them amends, by what a bafe Soul will think a more valuable Liberty, by not only allowing, but encouraging them to corrupt themselves in the most scandalous Manner. They confider their Subjects, as the Farmer does the Hog he keeps to feast upon. He holds him faft in his Stye, but allows him to wallow as much as he pleases in his beloved Filth and Gluttony. So fcandaloufly debauched a People as that of Venice, is to be met with no where else. High, Low, Men, Women, Clergy, and Laity, are all alike. The ruling Nobility are no less afraid of one another, than they are of the People; and for that Reason, politically enervate their own Body by the fame effeminate Luxury, by which they cor

rupt

rupt their Subjects. They are impoverished by every Means which can be invented; and they are kept in a perpetual Terror by the Horrors of a Stateinquifition; here you fee a People deprived of all rational Freedom, tyrannized over by about two Thousand Men; and yet this Body of two Thousand, are fo far from enjoying any Liberty by the Subjection of the reft, that they are in an infinitely feverer State of Slavery; they make themselves the most degenerate, and unhappy of Mankind, for no other Purpofe than that they may the more effectually contribute to the Mifery of an whole Nation. In fhort, the regular and methodical Proceedings of an Arifocracy, are more intolerable than the very Exceffes of a Defpotifm, and in general, much further from any Remedy.

Thus, my Lord, we have pursued Ariftocracy through its whole Progrefs; we have feen the Seeds, the Growth, and the Fruit. It could boast none of the Advantages of a Defpotifm, miferable as those Advantages were, and it was overloaded with an Exuberance of Mischiefs, unknown even to Depotifm itfelf. In effect, it is no more than a diforderly Tyranny. This Form therefore could be little approved, even in Speculation, by thofe who were capable of thinking, and could be lefs borne in Practice by any who were capable of feeling. However, the fruitful Policy of Man was not yet exhaufted. He had yet another Farthing Candle to fupply the Deficiencies of the Sun. This was the third

Form

Form, known by political Writers under the Name of Democracy. Here the People tranfacted all publick Bufinefs, or the greater Part of it, in their own Perfons: their Laws were made by themfelves, and upon any Failure of Duty, their Officers were accountable to themfelves, and to them only. In all Appearance, they had fecured by this Method the Advantages of Order and good Government, without paying their Liberty for the Purchase. Now, my Lord, we are come to the Mafter-piece of Grecian Refinement, and Roman Solidity, a popular Government. The earliest and moft celebrated Republic of this Model, was that of Athens. It was conftructed by no lefs an Artift, than the celebrated Poet and Philofopher, Solon. But no fooner was this Political Veffel launched from the Stocks, than it overfet even in the Life-time of the Builder. A Tyranny immediately fupervened; not by a foreign Conqueft, not by Accident, but by the very Nature and Conftitution of a Democracy. An artful Man became popular, the People had Power in their Hands, and they devolved a confiderable Share of their Power upon their Favourite; and the only Ufe he made of this Power, was to plunge thofe who gave it into Slavery. Accident reftored their Liberty, and the fame good Fortune produced Men of uncommon Abilities and uncommon Virtues amongst them. But thefe Abilities were fuffered to be of little Service either to their Poffeffors or to the State. Some of thefe Men, for whofe Sakes alone we read their History, they banished; others they imprifoned;

and

and all they treated with various Circumstances of the most shameful Ingratitude. Republicks have many Things in the Spirit of abfolute Monarchy, but none more than this; a fhining Merit is ever hated or suspected in a popular Affembly, as well as in a Court; and all Services done to the State, are looked upon as dangerous to the Rulers, whether Sultans or Senators. The Oftracism at Athens was built upon this Principle. The giddy People, whom we have now under Confideration, being elated with fome Flashes of Succefs, which they owed to nothing lefs than any Merit of their own, began to tyrannize over their Equals, who had affociated with them for their common Defence. With their Prudence they renounced all Appearance of Justice. They entered into Wars rafhly and wantonly. If they were unsuccessful, instead of growing wifer by their Misfortune, they threw the whole Blame of their own Mifconduct on the Minifters who had advifed, and the Generals who had conducted those Wars; until, by Degrees, they had cut off all who could ferve them in their Councils or their Battles. If at any time thefe Wars had an happier Iffue, it was no lefs difficult to deal with them on account of their Pride and Infolence. Furious in their Adverfity, tyrannical in their Succeffes, a Commander had more Trouble to concert his Defence before the People, than to plan the Operations of the Campaign. It was not uncommon for a General, under the horrid Defpotifm of the Roman Emperors, to be ill received in proportion to the Greatnefs of his Services. Agricola is a ftrong Inftance of this. No Man had

done

done greater Things, nor with more honeft Ambition. Yet on his Return to Court, he was obliged to enter Rome with all the Secrecy of a Criminal. He went to the Palace, not like a victorious Commander who had merited and might demand the greatest Rewards, but like an Offender who had come to fupplicate a Pardon for his Crimes. His Reception was answerable: " Brevi ofculo, & nullo fermone exceptus, turbæ fervientium immiftus eft." Yet in that worft Seafon of this worst of monarchical *Tyrannies, Modefty, Difcretion, and a Coolness of Temper, formed fome kind of Security even for the highest Merit. But at Athens, the niceft and best studied Behaviour was not a fufficient Guard for a Man of great Capacity. Some of their bravest Commanders were obliged to fly their Country, fome to enter into the Service of its Enemies, rather than abide a popular Determination on their Conduct, left, as one of them faid, their Giddinefs might make the People condemn where they meant to acquit; to throw in a black Bean, even when they intended a white one.

The Athenians made a very rapid Progrefs to the moft enormous Exceffes. The People under no Reftraint foon grew diffolute, luxurious and idle. They renounced all Labour, and began to fubfift themfelves from the publick Revenues. They loft all

* Sciant quibus moris illicita mirari, poffe etiam fub malis principibus magnos viros, &c. See 42 to the End of it.

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