• many of your Rewards. Are your Rewards and. Punishments den de fame Ting?'

While his Majefty was thus difcourfing with Jones, a fudden Uproar arofe in the Barn, and as. it feems upon this Occafion: The Courtesy of thefe People had by degrees removed all the Apprehenfions of Partridge, and he was prevailed upon not only to ftuff himfelf with their Food, but to tafte fome of their Liquors, which by degrees entirely expelled all Fear from his Compo fition, and in its Stead introduced much more agreeable Senfations.

A young Female Gyply, more remarkable for her Wit than her Beauty, had decoyed the honeft Fellow afide, pretending to tell his Fortune. Now when they were alone together in a remote Part of the Barn, whether it proceeded from the ftrong Liquor, which is never fo apt to inflame, inordinate Defire as after moderate Fatigue; or whether the fair Gypsy herself threw afide the Delicacy and Decency of her Sex, and tempted the Youth Partridge with exprefs Solicitations; but they were discovered in a very improper Manner by the Husband of the Gypsy, who from Jealousy, it feems, had kept a watchful Eye over his Wife, and had dogged her to the Place, where he found her in the Arms of her Gallant.

To the great Confufion of Jones, Partridge was now hurried before the King; who heard the Accufation, and likewife the Culprit's Defence, which was indeed very trifling: For the poor Fellow was confounded by the plain Evidence which appeared against him, and had very little to fay for himself. His Majefty then turning towards Jones, faid, Sir, you have hear • what

K4

Book XII. what dey fay; what Punishment do you tink 6 your Man deferve??

Jones anfwered, He was forry for what had happened, and that Partridge fhould make the Hufband all the Amends in his Power: He faid, he had very little Money about him at that Time';' and putting his Hand into his Pocket, offered the Fellow a Guinea. To which he immediately anfwered, He hoped his Honour would not think of giving him less than five.'

6

6

This Sum, after fome Altercation, was reduced. to two; and Jones having ftipulated for the full Forgivenefs of both Partridge and the Wife, was going to pay the Money; when his Majefty reftraining his Hand, turned to the Witnefs, and afked him, At what Time he had difcovered the • Criminals?' To which he answered, That he had been defired by the Hufband to watch the Motions of his Wife from her first speaking to the Stranger, and that he had never loft Sight of her afterwards till the Crime had been com'mitted.' The King then asked, If the Hufband was with him all that Time in his lurking Place?' To which he answered in the Affirmative. His Egyptian Majefty then addreffed himfelf to the Hufband as follows, Me be forry to fee any Gypfy dat have no more Honour dan to fell de Honour of his Wife for Money. If you had de Love for your Wife, you would have prevented dis Matter, and not endeavour to make her de Whore dat you might difcover her. Me do order dat you have no Money given you; for you deferve Punishment, not Reward; me do order derefore, dat you be de infamous Gypfy, and do wear Pair of Horns 6 upon your Forehead for one Month, and dat 6 your

your Wife be called de Whore, and pointed at all dat Time: For you be de infamous Gypfy, but the be no less the infamous Whore.'

The Gypfies immediately proceeded to execute the Sentence, and left Jones and Partridge alone with his Majefty.

Jones greatly applauded the Justice of the Sentence; upon which the King turning to him faid, Me believe you be furprize: For me fuppofe you have ver bad Opinion of my People; me fuppofe you think us all de Tieves.'

I must confefs, Sir,' faid Jones, I have not heard fo favourable an Account of them as they • feem to deferve.'

Me vil tell you,' faid the King, how the Difference is between you and us. My People rob your People, and your People rob one anoder."

Jones afterwards proceeded very gravely to fing forth the Happinefs of thofe Subjects who live under fuch a Magiftrate.

Indeed their Happiness appears to have been fo compleat, that we are aware left fome Advocate for arbitrary Power should hereafter quote the Cafe of thofe People, as an Inftance of the great Advantages which attend that Government above all others.

And here we will make a Conceffion, which would not perhaps have been expected from us, That no limited Form of Government is capable of rifing to the fame Degree of Perfection, or of producing the fame Benefits to Society with this. Mankind have never been fo happy, as when the greatest Part of the then known World was un der the Dominion of a fingle Mafter; and this State of their Felicity continued during the Reigns.

of five fucceffive Princes *. This was the true Era of the Golden Age, and the only Golden Age, which ever had any Exiftence, unless in the warm Imaginations of the Poets, from the Expulfion from Eden down to this Day.

In reality, I know but of one folid Objection to abfolute Monarchy. The only Defect in which excellent Conftitution feems to be the Difficulty of finding any Man adequate to the Office of an abfolute Monarch: For this indifpenfably requires three Qualities very difficult, as it appears from Hiftory, to be found in princely Natures: Firft, a fufficient Quantity of Moderation in the Prince, to be contented with all the Power which is poffible for him to have. 2dly, Enough of Wisdom to know his own Happiness. And, 3dly, Goodnefs fufficient to fupport the Happiness of others, when not only compatible with, but inftrumental to his own,

Now if an abfolute Monarch, with all these great and rare Qualifications, fhould be allowed capable of conferring the greatest Good on Society; it must be furely granted, on the contrary, that abfolute Power vefted in the Hands of one who is deficient in them all, is likely to be attended with no lefs a Degree of Evil.

In short, our own Religion furnishes us with adequate Ideas of the Bleffing, as well as Curfe which may attend abfolute Power. The Pictures of Heaven and of Hell will place a very lively Image of both before our Eyes: For though the Prince of the latter can have no Power, but what he originally derives from the omnipotent Sovereign in the former; yet it plainly appears

Nerva, Trajan, Adrian, and the two Antonini.

from

from Scripture, that abfolute Power in his infernal Dominions is granted to their Diabolical Ruler. This is indeed the only abfolute Power which can by Scripture be derived from Heaven. If therefore the feveral Tyrannies upon Earth can prove any Title to a divine Authority, it must be derived from this original Grant to the Prince of Darkness, and these fubordinate Deputations muft confequently come immediately from him whofe Stamp they fo exprefly bear.

To conclude, as the Examples of all Ages fhew us that Mankind in general defire Power only to do Harm, and when they obtain it, use it for no other Purpofe; it is not confonant with even the least Degree of Prudence to hazard an Alteration, where our Hopes are poorly kept in Countenance by only two or three Exceptions out of a thousand Inftances to alarm our Fears. In this Cafe it will be much wifer to fubmit to a few Inconveniencies arifing from the difpaffionate Deafnefs of Laws, than to remedy them by applying to the paffionate open Ears of a Tyrant.

Nor can the Example of the Gypfies, tho' poffibly they may have long been happy under this Form of Government, be here urged; fince we must remember the very material Refpect in which they differ from all other People, and to which perhaps this their Happiness is entirely owing, namely, that they have no falfe Honours among them; and that they look on Shame as the most grievous Punishment in the World.