Ir gives me pain when I behold. this, and aftonishment at the inattention which the natives pay to their perilous fituation; I own I love them for their ancient virtues, and wish some favourable hour may reinftate them in their former luftre, alas! I fear. I am,

LETTER XLIII.

To the Reverend Father FRANCESCO. BERTINI at Rome.

Dear Sir,

HIS kingdom feems to me to be a living

Jeffon of what we read in the histories of ancient Rome; we fee here what we find written in our hiftorians; and the conftitutions refembling one another in some respects, the analogy is more ftriking, than it can be in countries whose form of government differs more from the republican, than this does from the Roman. I have frequently imagined, that in governments which differ in their establishments, there fhould not only be laws peculiar to each, relating to property; but fome even which should restrain the accumulation of wealth beyond a certain degree will the republican and mixt bear excef five riches, tho' perhaps they may be indulged to any excess in a monarchic or abfolute ftate?

WHAT I would be understood to fay, is this, that a defpotic ftate can bear to poffefs more riches without hurting its welfare, than a repub

1

lic or mixt government; it appears to me, this has the glimmering of truth, pray tell me. what you think, when you have heard my opi

nion.

LET us then fuppofe, and as it really is originally conftituted in this kingdom, that the king has his powers limited in fome instances, and the people in others; that the executive is lodged in the hands of the first, and the legislative in the hands of the latter, and that the people have a right of choofing great part of this legislative body, for their representatives in the affembly of their nation.

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THIS latter makes the republican part of the English conftitution, all which should be chosen by their compatriots, from that natural af cendency which good fenfe and virtue have over the minds of men; these are, in a nation where nature has not been totally defaced, the qualities which create that original authority which one man has over the minds and difpofitions of many; this fuperiority they would have continued to exert, had not the introduction of too much wealth into private hands, destroyed their effect; it has

placed

placed the private good of every individual in oppofition to that of the general, and the thief, with money has more authority than Epaminondas, was he an Englishman, would have without it.

THIS acquired power of riches, has totally fupplanted all the influence of human excellencies over the minds of men; and Cataline with gold would be preferred to Fabricius without it, in nine of every ten boroughs in the island.

MONEY then having this influence on the human heart, counter-acts that weight which fuperior understanding, fuperior virtue, and fuperior abilities of all kinds, ought, according to the true fabric of nature, to poffefs in the nation where they are found.

THESE original powers of man were first implanted in a few, by the author of all, for the good of all who were of the fame tribe or nation.

THE Valour and prudence of one man, by that prevalency which these qualifications have

on

on the opinion of his fellow-countrymen, become the good of the whole, and creates him their general in times of war and danger; this brought Cincinnatus from the plough. - An7 wani sıla you

THE fame may be faid of wisdom in the mi nifter, piety in the priest, and probity in the legillators of a of a country; the fame powers which give men authority over others by enjoying these excellencies, make it the public utility that they fhould be in power; the cause of choofing opetates to the advantage of those who elect, and all the community receives one mutual benefit, from this fuperiority of a few members, and the propensity to yield fubmiffion to them in the multitude.

THUS in nature, the powers amongst men which gain the afcendant, are those which ought to obtain it; authority and fubmiffion become one reciprocal advantage: hence without doubt have rifen all the different governments in the world, and in this way it is ftill continued amongst the nations of America, wisdom and valour impart power and authority to the poffeffors

VOL. II.

L