take any way preferred, their vices, for the most part, turn to their own hurt; and the state cannot easily receive any great damage by the incapacity of one who is not to continue in office above a year; and is ufually encompaffed with those who having borne, or are afpiring to the fame, are by their virtue able to fupply his defects; cannot hope for a reward from one unable to corrupt them, and are fure of the favour of the fenate and people to fupport them in the defence of the public intereft. As long as this good order continues, private quarrels are fupprefied by the authority of the magiftrate, or prove to be of little effect. Such as arife between the nobles and commons frequently produce good laws for the maintenance of liberty, as they did in Rome for above three hundred years after the expulfion of Tarquin; and almost ever termimate with little or no blood. Sometimes the errors of one or both parties are difcovered by the difcourfe of a wife and good man; and those who have moft violently oppo- . fed one another become the best friends, every one joining to remove the evil that caufes the divifion. When the fenate and people of Rome feemed to be most furiously incensed against each other, the creation of tribunes, communication of honours and marriages between the patrician and plebeian families, or the mitigation of ufury, composed all; and these were not only harmless things, but fuch as gave opportunities of correcting the defects that had been in the first conftitution of the government, without which they could never have attained to the greatnefs, glory, and happiness, they afterwards enjoyed. Such as had feen that people meeting in tumult, running

through

through the city, crying out against the kings, confuls, fenate, or decemviri, might have thought they would have filled all with blood and flaughter; but no fuch thing happened. They defired no more than to take away the kingdom which Tarquin had wickedly ufurped; and never went about so much as to punish one minister of the mischiefs he had done, or to take away his goods, till upon pretence of treating, his embaffadors by a new treachery had caft the city into greater danger than ever. Though the decemviri had by the like villainies equally provoked the people, they were used with the like gentlenefs*: Appius Claudius and Oppius having by voluntary death fubtracted themselves from public punishment, their collegues were only banished, and the magiftracies of the city reduced to the former order without the effufion of more blood. They who contended for their juft rights, were fatisfied with the recovery of them; whereas fuch as follow the impulfe of an unruly ambition never think themfelves fafe, till they have deftroyed all that feem able to disturb them, and fatiated their rage with the blood of their adverfaries. This makes as well as fhews the difference between the tumults of Rome, or the fucceffion of the common people to mount Aventine, and the battles of Townton, Teuxbury, Evefhal, Lewes, Hexham, Barnet, St. Albans, and Bofworth. It is in vain to fay these ought rather to be compared to those of Pharsalia, Actium, or Philippi; for when the laws of a commonwealth are abolished, the name alfo ceafes. Whatever is

*T. Liv. 1. iii,

done

done by force or fraud to fet up the interefts and luft of one man in oppofition to the laws of his country, is purely and abfolutely monarchical. Whatfoever paffed between Marius, Sylla, Cinna, Cataline, Cæfar, Pompey, Craffus, Auguftus, Antonius, and Lepidus, is to be imputed to the contests that arife between competitors for monarchy, as well as thofe that in the next age happened between Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vefpafian: or, which is worse, whereas thofe in commonwealths fight for themselves when there is occafion, and, if they fucceed, enjoy the fruits of their victory, fo as even those who remain of the vanquished party, partake of the liberty thereby established, or the good laws thereupon made; fuch as followed the enfigns of thefe men, who fought to fet up themselves, did, rather like beafts than men, hazard and fuffer many unspeakable evils to purchafe mifery to themselves and their pofterity, and to make him their master, who, increasing in pride, avarice, and cruelty, was to be thrown down again with as much blood as he had been set up.

These things, if I mistake not, being in the last degree evident, 1 may leave to our author all the advantages he can gain by his rhetorical defcription of the tumults of Rome, "when blood was in the market

place fuckt up with fponges, and the jakes stuffed "with carcaffes;" to which he may add the crimes of Sylla's life, and the miferies of his death: but withal I defire to know, what number of fponges were fufficient

to fuck

up

the block of five hundred thousand men flain in one day, where houfe of David and Jeroboam con

VOL. II.

tended for the crown of Ifrael, or of four hundred thou fand who fell in one battle, between Joafh and Amaziah, on the fame occafion; what jakes were capacious enough to contain the carcafes of thofe that perifhed in the quarrels between the fucceffors of Alexander; the feveral competitors for the Roman empire; or those which have happened in France, Spain, England, and other places upon the like occafions? If Sylla for fome time acted as am abfolute monarch, it is no wonder that he died like one, or that God punifhed him as Herod, Philip the Second of Spain, and fome others, because the hand of his fellow-citizens had unjustly spared him. If, when he was become deteftable to God and man, he became also miferable, his example ought to deter others from the crimes, that are avenged by a power which none can efcape, and to encourage those who defend, or endeavour to recover, their violated liberties, to act vigorously in a caufe, that God does evidently patronize.

SECT. XXV.

Courts are more fubject to venality and corruption than popular governments.

THOUGH court-flatterers impute many evils to popular governments they no-way deferve, I could not think any fo impudent as to lay corruption and venality to their charge, till I found it in our author. They might in my opinion have taken thofe faults upon themselves, fince they certainly abound moft where bawds, whores,

buffoons,

buffoons, players, flaves, and other bafe people, who are naturally mercenary, are most prevalent. And whofoever would know whether this does more frequently befal commonwealths than monarchies, especially if they are abfolute, need only to inquire, whether the Cornelii, Junii, Fabii, Valerii, Quintii, Curii, Fabritii, and others, who moft prevailed in Rome after the expulfion of the kings, or Sejanus, Macro, Narciffus, Pallas, Icetus, Tigellinus, Vinnius, Laco, Agrippina, Meffalina, Lollia, Poppæa, and the like, were most subject to those base vices: whether it were more eafy to corrupt one or two of thofe villains and ftrumpets, or the fenates and people of Rome, Carthage, Athens, and Sparta; and whether that sort of rabble had more power over the princes they ferved, than fuch as moft refembled them had whilft the popular government continued. It in is vain to say thofe princes were wicked and vile; for many others are fo likewife; and when the power is in the hands of one man, there can be no affurance he will not be like them. Nay, when the power is fo placed, ill men will always find opportunities of compaffing their defires: "Bonus cautus, optimus imperator venditur," faid Dioclefian; and though he was no unwife man, yet that which principally induced him to renounce the empire, was the impoffibility he found of defending himself against thofe that were in credit with him, who daily betrayed and fold him. They fee with the eyes of other men, and cannot refift the frauds that are perpetually put upon them. Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius ftem to have been the best and wifeft of all