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SECT. XXII.

REASONS FOR CONTENTMENT AND FEAR.

THERE are many invincible arguments, which should induce the malcontent party in ENGLAND at this time to acquiefce entirely in the prefent fettlement of the conflitution.

Is not the prefent monarchical government, in its full extent, authorized by lawyers, recommended by divines, acknowledged by politicians, acquiefced in, nay paffionately cherished, by the people in general; and all this during a period of at least a hundred and fixty years, and till of late, without the fmalleft murmur or controverfy?— This general confent furely, during fo long a time, must be fufficient to render a conftitution legal and valid.-If the origin of all power be derived, as is pretended, from the people; here is their confent in the fulleft and most ample terms that can be defired or imagined.

They must be fenfible that the plan of liberty is fettled; its happy effects are proved by experience; a long

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walt of time has given it ftability; and whoever would attempt to overturn it, would, befides other more criminal imputations, be expofed to the reproach of faction and innovation.—They must be sensible that public liberty, with internal peace and order, has flourished almoft without interruption: trade and manufactures, and agriculture, have increased: the arts, and fciences, and philofophy, have been cultivated.-Even religious parties have been neceffitated to lay afide their mutual rancour : and THE GLORY OF THE NATION has spread itself all over EuROPE; derived equally from our progress in the arts of peace, and from valour and fuccefs in war.-So LONG

AND SO GLORIOUS A PERIOD NO NATION ALMOST CAN BOAST OF NOR IS THERE ANOTHER INSTANCE IN THE WHOLE HISTORY OF MANKIND, THAT SO MANY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE HAVE, DURING SUCH A SPACE OF TIME, BEEN HELD TOGETHER, IN A MANNER SO FREE, SO RATIONAL, AND SO SUITABLE TO THE DIGNITY OF HUMAN NATURE.

It is well known, that every government must come to a period, and that death is unavoidable to the political as well as to the animal body.-But, as one kind of death may be preferable to another, it may be inquired, whether it be more defirable for the BRITISH CONSTITUTION to terminate

términaté in à POPULAR GOVERNMENT, or in ABSOLUTE MONARCHY?-Here I would frankly declare, that, though liberty be preferable to flavery, in almost every cafe; yet I fhould rather with to fee an abfolute monarch than a REPUBLIC in this island.-For, let us confider, what kind of republic we have reason to expect.-The question is not concerning any fine imaginary republic, of which a man may form a plan in his clofet.-There is no doubt, but a popular government may be imagined more perfect than abfolute monarchy, or even than our prefent conftitution.-But what reafon have we to expect that any fuch government will ever be established in BRITAIN, upon the diffolution of our monarchy ?— If any fingle perfon acquire power enough to take our constitution to pieces, and put it up a-new, he is really an abfolute monarch; and we have already had an inftance of this kind, fufficient to convince us, that fuch a perfon will never resign his power, or establish any free government.-Matters, therefore, must be trusted to their natural progrefs and operation; and the house of commons, according to its prefent conftitution, mult be the only legislature in fuch a popular government.The INCONVENIENCIES attending fuch a fituation of affairs, present themselves by thousands.-If the house of

commons,

commons, in fuch a cafe, ever diffolve itself, which is not to be expected, we may look for a civil war every election.If it continue itself, we shall fuffer all the tyranny of a faction, fubdivided into new factions.—And, as fuch a violent government cannot long fubfift, we shall, at last, after many convulfions, and civil wars, find repose in absolute monarchy, which it would have been happier for us to have eftablished peaceably from the beginning.-ABSOLUTE MO

NARCHY, THEREFORE, IS THE EASIEST DEATH, THE TRUE EUTHANASIA OF THE BRITISH CONSTITUTION 2.

a Hume.

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SECT. XXIII.

THE REPUBLIC OF GREECE.

THERE is not any thing more various and undefinable than perfonable character.-The fame man is, at different times, fo different from himself; and fuck a variety of circumftances and motives direct or influence his behaviour, that it is difficult to give any fuch general description of him.—But the characters of nations are marked by bolder lines, and glow with warmer colours.-The caufes and circumstances which difcriminate one people from another, must be fuch as are fitted to operate on the multitude, and confequently of a nature equally powerful and permanent; they are too ftrong and too palpable ever to be mistaken; and the difference of fentiment and action which they introduce, is too confiderable to escape the least attentive obferver.

When we confine our attention merely to the public tranfactions of the Greeks, and confider either their wars

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