Fall men, that diftinguifh themfelves by memorable atchievements, the first place of honour feems due to LEGISLATORS and founders of ftates, who tranfmita fyftem of laws and inftitutions to fecure the peace, happiness, and liberty of future generations. The influence of useful inventions in the arts and fciences may, perhaps, extend farther than that of wife laws, whofe effects are limited both in time and place; but the benefit arifing from the former, is not fo fenfible as that which refults. from the latter. Speculative fciences do, indeed, improve the mind; but this advantage reaches only to a few perfons, who have leifure to apply themfelves to them. And as to practical arts, which encrease the commodities and enjoyments of life, it is well known, that men's happiness confifts not so much in an abundance of thefe, as in the peace and fecurity with which they poffefs them; and thofe bleffings can only be derived from good government. Not to mention, that general virtue and good morals in a ftate, which are fo requifite to happiness, can never arife from the moft refined precepts of philofophy, or even the fevereft injunctions of religion; but muft proceed entirely

E 4

entirely from the virtuous education of youth, the effect of wife laws and inftitutions. I muft, therefore, prefume to differ from Lord BACON in this particular, and muft regard antiquity as fomewhat unjuft in its diftribution of honours, when it made gods of all the inventors of useful arts, fuch as CERES, BACCHUS, ESCULAPIUS; and dignify legislators, fuch as ROMULUS and THESEUS, only with the appellation of demigods and heroes.

As much as legislators and founders of ftates ought to be honoured and refpected among men, as much ought the founders of sects and factions to be detested and hated i because the influence of faction is directly contrary to that of laws. Factions fubvert government, render laws impotent, and beget the fierceft animofities among men of the fame nation, who ought to give mutual affistance and protection to each other. And what should render the founders of parties more odious, is the difficulty of extirpating these weeds, when once they have taken root in any ftate. They naturally propagate themselves for many centuries, and feldom end but by the total diffolution of that government, in which they are fown. They are, befides, plants which grow moft plentifully in the richeft foil; and though abfolute governments be not wholly free from them, it must be confeffed, that they rife more eafily, and propagate themfelves fafter in free governments, where they always infect the legislature tfelf, which alone could be able, by the fteady application of rewards and punishments, to eradicate them.

Factions may be divided into PERSONAL and REAL; that is, into factions, founded on perfonal friendfhip or animofity among fuch as compofe the contending parties, and into thofe founded on fome real difference of fentiment or intereft. The reafon of this diftinction is obvious

though

though I must acknowledge, that parties are feldom found pure and unmixed, either of the one kind or the other. It is not often feen, that a government divides into factions, where there is no difference in the views of the conftituent members, either real or apparent, trivial or material: And in those factions, which are founded on the most real and moft material difference, there is always obferved a great deal of perfonal animofity or affection. But notwithstanding this mixture, a party may be denominated either perfonal or real, according to that principle which is predominant, and is found to have the greatest influence.

Perfonal factions arife moft eafily in fmall republics. Every domeftic quarrel, there, becomes an affair of state. Love, vanity, emulation, any paffion, as well as ambition and refentment, begets public divifion. The NERI and BIANCHI of FLORENCE, the FREGOSI and ADORNI of GENOA, the COLONESI and ORSINI of modern ROME, were parties of this kind.

Men have fuch a propenfity to divide into personal factions, that the smallest appearance of real difference will produce them. What can be imagined more trivial than the difference between one colour of livery and another in horfe-races? Yet this difference begat two moft inveterate factions in the GREEK empire, the PRASINI and VENETI, who never suspended their animofities, till they ruined that unhappy government,

We find in the ROMAN hiftory a remarkable diffenfion between two tribes, the POLLIA and PAPIRIA, which continued for the space of near three hundred years, and discovered itself in their fuffrages at every election of magiftrates*. This faction was the more remarkable, as

it

As this fact has not been much obferved by antiquaries or politicians, hall deliver it in the words of the ROMAN hiftorian. Populas Tuscu LANUS

it could continue for fo long a tract of time; even though it did not spread itself, nor draw any of the other tribes into a share of the quarrel. If mankind had not a ftrong propenfity to fuch divifions, the indifference of the rest of the community muft have fuppreffed this foolish animofity, that had not any aliment of new benefits and injuries, of general fympathy and antipathy, which never fail to take place, when the whole ftate is rent into two equal factions.

Nothing is more ufual than to fee parties, which have begun upon a real difference, continue even after that difference is loft. When men are once inlifted on oppofite fides, they contract an affection to the perfons with whom they are united, and an animofity against their antagonists And these paffions they often tranfmit to their pofterity. The real difference between GUELF and GHIBBELLINE was long loft in ITALY, before thefe factions were extinguifhed, The GUELFS adhered to the pope, the GHIBBELLINES to the emperor; yet the family of SFORZA, who were in alliance with the emperor, though they were GUELFS, being expelled MILAN by the king of FRANCE, affifted by JACOMO TRIVULZIO and the GHIBBELLINES, the pope concurred with the latter, and they formed leagues with the pope against the emperor.

*

LANUS cum conjugibus ac liberis RoMAM venit: Ea multitudo, vefte mutata, fpecie reorum, tribus circuit, genibus fe omnium advolvens. Plus itaque mife ricordia ad poenæ veniam impetrandam, quam caufa ad crimen purgandum, valuit. Tribus omnes, præter POLLIAM, antiquârunt legem. POLLIA fententia fuit, puberes verberatos necari; liberos conjugefque fub corona lege belli venire: Memoriamque ejus ire TUSCULANIS in pane tam atrocis autores manfiffe ad patrum ætatem conftat; nec quemquam ferme ex PoLLIA tribu candidatum PAPIRIAM ferre folitum, T. LIV11, lib. 8. The CASTELANI and NICOLLOTI are two mobbish factions in VENICE, who frequently, box together, and then lay afide their quarrels prefently.

* LEWIS XII.

The

The civil wars which arose some few years ago in MoROCCO, between the blacks and whites, merely on account of their complexion, are founded on a pleasant difference. We laugh at them; but I believe, were things rightly

amined, we afford much more occafion of ridicule to the MOORS. For, what are all the wars of religion, which have prevailed in this polite and knowing part of the world? They are certainly more abfurd than the MOORISH Civil wars. The difference of complexion is a fenfible and a real difference: But the controverfy about an article of faith, which is utterly abfurd and unintelligible, is not a difference in fentiment, but in a few phrafes and expreffions, which one party accepts of, without understanding them; and the other refuses in the fame manner.

Real factions may be divided into those from intereft, from principle, and from affection. Of all factions, the firft are the most reasonable, and the most excufable. Where two orders of men, such as the nobles and people, have a diftinct authority in a government, not very accurately balanced and modelled, they naturally follow a distinct interest; nor can we reasonably expect a different conduct, confidering that degree of felfifhnefs implanted in human nature. It requires great skill in a legislator to prevent fuch parties; and many philofophers are of opinion, that this fecret, like the grand elixir, or perpetual motion, may amuse men in theory, but can never poffibly be reduced to practice. In defpotic governments, indeed, factions often do not appear; but they are not the less real; or rather, they are more real and more pernicious, upon that very account. The diftinct orders of men, nobles and people, foldiers and merchants, have all a diftinct intereft; but the more powerful oppreffes the

weaker