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During the dinner, the difcourfe turned on the great events of the present times.

"Vivent les Republiques!" fays the Captain, filling his glass

"Vive la Republique !" faid the Ve

netian.

C. Do you mean a flight to France, Signor?

V. I thought if the meaning of an expreffion was doubtful, a Frenchman always understood it for his advantage. I drank fuccefs, Monfieur, to the Republic of France-our own Republic is funk too low to be worth a glass of wine, or even a wish for its prosperity.

C. Impoffible! all Republics, because they are so, must flourish.

V. Our time is past-we grew-came to maturity, and are now decayed.

C. A Republic decay! kings, tyrants, defpots, cause the ruin of countries; but where freedom is established

V. Ha, ha, ha!-and fo you really think that a republican government produces freedom?

C. Can you doubt it? A very few years ago, we in France were all flavesnow, thank Heaven-no-thank our own efforts we are free!

V. We Venetians think differentlyduring the monarchy of France, all looked up to you as the great, the happy nation of Europe-now we think you miferable flaves, like ourselves.

C. Slaves!-explain yourself

V. Readily. Nothing flatters the imagination more than the idea of liberty -but let us not feek it where the fearch must be vain. Abfolute liberty cannot exist in social life. If liberty be better than every thing else, give up fociety, and rove the woods as a favage.

C. What is there no liberty confiftent with fociety?

V. Yes-but the abfolute liberty you contend for, is not. It is the first principle of government to abridge liberty.

C. Allowing it; there is a difference in governments-under fome you have a certain degree of liberty; under others, you have lefs; but under an abfolute prince you have none at all.

V. Say rather, that under a mixed , monarchy, you have a little tyranny; under an unlimited monarch, you have

more;

more; but in a Republic, the unhappy citizen, flattered with the idea of liberty,

is most enslaved, and with the additional mortification, that he is so by persons no greater than himself. As the old lion, in the fable, justly remarked, the kick of an afs is not only pain, but indignity.

C. You speak an odd language for a Republican-but, now I recollect, you are governed by an Ariftocracy.

V. I fpoke of the different forms of government in general, without any particular application. But you are governed by an Aristocracy as much as we arenotwithstanding your averfion to the term Ariftocrat. In fact, a pure Republic is no government at all-there must be perfons either naturally or artificially elevated to manage the bufinefs of the state, and these persons are an Ariftocracy. In Venice, the nobles are born our governors; in France, you elevate from your

own

own rank the perfons who govern—the difference to the people is nothing.

C. There is furely this difference— the power of our rulers is only for a time -yours is for life.

V. It feems to be fo, but it is a diftinction, without a difference, as far as the people are concerned. In Venice the whole body of nobles furnishes the officers of government; we know their number and their character, so that we are enabled to direct an oppofition, if neceffary, when, and how we please. In France there is an indefinite number of perfons, who, by good-fortune, intrigue, bribery, by talents, and fome even by vices, stand forward in your Republic as the nobles do in ours-and these govern your country

C. In a pure Republic, like ours, all places are open to all perfons-in yours,

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