own rapaciousness: Whereas, at prefent, they must alfo fatisfy that of their judges, and of all the great men of Rome, whofe protection they stand in need of. Who can read of the cruelties and oppreffions of Verres without horror and astonishment? And, who is not touch'd with indignation to hear, that after Cicero had exhaufted on that abandon'd criminal all the thunders of the most divine eloquence, and had prevail'd fo far as to get him condemn'd to the utmost extent of the Laws; yet that cruel tyrant liv'd peaceably to old age, in opulence and eafe, and, thirty years afterward, was put into the profcription by Mark Anthony, upon account of his exorbitant wealth, where he fell, along with Cicero himself, and all the moft virtuous men of Rome? After the diffolution of the commonwealth, the Roman yoke became eafier upon the provinces, as Tacitus informs us * and it may be observ'd, that many of the worst emperors, Domitian †, for inftance, were very careful to prevent all oppreffion of the provinces. In Tibcrius's time, Gaul was esteem'd richer than Italy itself : Nor do I find, during the whole time of the Roman monarchy, that the empire became lefs rich or popu lous in any of its provinces; tho' indeed its valour and military discipline were always upon the decline. The oppreffion and tyranny of the Carthaginians over their fubject states in Africa went fo far, as we learn from Polybius ||, that not contented with exacting the * Ann. lib. 1. cap. 2. Suet. in vita Domit. Egregium refumenda libertati tempus, fi ipfi florentes, quam inops Italia, quam imbellis urbana plebs, nihil validum in exercitibus, nifi quod externum cogitarent. TACIT. Ann. lib, 3. Lib. 1. cap. 72. www half of all the product of the ground, which of 1907 was a very high rent, they alio loaded them with many other taxes. If we pais from ancient to modern times, we shall find the fame obfervation to hold true. The provinces of abfolate monarchies are always better treated than those of free flates. Compare the Pas conguis of France with Ireland, and you will be convinc'd of this truth; tho' this latter kingdom being, in a good meature, peopled from Erginud, poß fenes fo many rights and privileges as thould naturally make it challenge better treatment than that of a conquer'd province. Cerica is alio an obvious inftance to the fame purpose. THERE is an obfervation of Machiavel, with re gard to the conquefts of flexander the Great, which I think, may be regarded as one of thofe eternal political truths which no time nor accidents can vary. It may feem ftrange, fays that politician, that fuch fad. den conquets, as those of flexander, should be poffeis'd fo peaceably by his fuccefïors, and that the Perfans, during all the confufions and civil wars of the Grichs, never made the fimalloft efforts towards the recovery of their former independent government. To fatisfy us concerning the cause of this remarkable event, we may confider, that a monarch may govern his fubjects in two different ways. He may either follow the maxims of the eatern princes, and stretch his power to far as to leave no diftinction of ranks among his fubjects, but what proceeds immediately from himself; no advantages of birth; no hereditary honours and poffeffions; and, in a word, no credit among among the people, except from his commiffion alone. Ora monarch may exert his power after a milder manner, like our European princes; and leave other fources of honour, befide his fmile and favour: Birth, titles, poffeffions, valour, integrity, knowledge, or great and fortunate atchievements. In the former fpecies of government, after a conqueft, 'tis impoffible ever to shake off the yoke; fince no one poffeffes, among the people, fo much perfonal credit and authority as to begin fuch an enterprize: Whereas, in the latter, the leaft misfortune, or discord of the victors, will encourage the vanquish'd to take arms, who have leaders ready to prompt and conduct them in every undertaking *. SUCH * I have taken it for granted, according to the suppofition of Machiavel, that the antient Perfians had no nobility; tho' there is reafon to fufpe&, that the Florentine secretary, who feems to have been better acquainted with the Roman than the Greek authors, was mistaken in this particular.. The more antient Perfians, whofe manners are described by Xenophon, were a free people, and had nobility. Their o were preferved even after the extending of their conquefts and the confequent change of their government, Arrian mentions them in Darius's time, De exped. Alex. lib. a. Hiftorians alfo fpeak often of the perfons in command as men of family. Tygranes, who was general of the Medes under Xerxes, was of the race of Achæmenes, Herod. lib. 7. cap. 62. Artaches, who directed the cutting of the canal, about mount Athos, was of the fame family. Id. cap. 117. Megabyzus was one of the feven eminent Perfians who confpir'd against the Magi. His fon, Zopyrus, was in the highest command under Darius, and deliver'd Babylon to him. grandfon, Megabyzus, commanded the army, defeated at Marathon. His great grandson Zopyrus, was alfo eminent, and was banished Perfia. Herod. lib. 3. Thuc. lib. 1. Rofaces, who commanded an army in Egypt under Artaxerxes, was alfo defcended from one of the feven confpirators, Diod.. C 3 His Sie. SUCH is the reafoning of Machiavel, which feems to me very folid and conclufive; tho' I wish he had not mix'd falfhood with truth, in afferting, that monarchies govern'd according to the eastern policy, tho' more eafily kept when once fubdu'd, yet are the most difficult to fubdue; fince they cannot contain any powerful fubject, whofe difcontent and faction may facilitate the enterprizes of an enemy. For befides, that fuch a tyrannical government enervates the courage of men, and renders them indif Sic. lib. 16. Agefilaus, in Xenophon, Hift. Græc. lib. 4. being defirous of making a marriage betwixt king Cotys his ally, and the daughter of Spithridates a Perfian of rank, who had deferted to him, first asks Cotys what family Spitbrid. tes is of. One of the most confiderable in Perfia, fays Cotys. Ariaus, when offer'd the fovereignty by Clearchus and the ten thousand Greeks, refus'd it as of too low a rank, and faid, that fo many eminent Perfians wou'd never endure his rule. Id. de exped. lib. 2. Some of the families, defcended from the seven Perfians abovementioned remain'd during all Alexander's fucceffors; and Mithridates, in Antiochus' time, is faid by Polybius to be defcended from one of them, lib. 5. cap. 43. Artabazus was esteemed, as Arrian says, εV TOIS πρώτοις Περσών. lib. 3. And when Alexander marry'd in one. day 80 of his captains to Perfian women, his intention plainly was to ally the Macedonians with the most eminent Perfian families. Id. lib. 7. Diodorus Siculus, fays they were of the most noble birth in Perfia, lib. 17. The government of Perfia was defpotic, and conducted, in many refpe&s after the eastern manner, but was not carry'd fo far as to extirpate all nobility, and confound all ranks and orders. It left men who were still great, by themfelves and their family, independent of their office and commiffion. And the reason why the Macedonians kept so easily dominion over them was owing to other caufes eafy to be found in the hiftorians; tho' it must be own'd that Machiavel's reatoning is, in itself just, however little applicable to the prefent cafe. ferent ferent towards the fortunes of their fovereign; befides this, I fay, we find, by experience, that even the temporary and delegated authority of the generals and magiftrates; being always, in fuch governments, as abfolute within its fphere, as that of the prince himself; is able, with barbarians accuftom'd to a blind fubmiffion, to produce the most dangerous. and fatal revolutions. So that, in every refpect, a gentle government is preferable, and gives the greatest fecurity to the fovereign as well as to the fubject. In LEGISLATORS, therefore, fhould not truft the future government of a ftate entirely to chance, but ought to provide a fyftem of laws to regulate the administration of public affairs to the latest posterity. Effects will always correfpond to caufes; and wife regulations in any commonwealth are the most valuable legacy which can be left to future ages. the smallest court or office, the ftated forms and methods, by which bufinefs must be conducted, are found to be a confiderable check on the natural depravity of mankind. Why fhould not the cafe be the fame in public affairs? Can we afcribe the stability and wifdom of the Venetian government, thro fo many ages, to any thing but the form of government? And is it not eafy to point out thofe defects in the original conftitution, which produc'd the tumultuous governments of Athens and Rome, and ended at laft in the ruin of these two famous republics? And fo little dependance has this affair on the humours and education of particular men, that one part of the fame republic may be wifely conducted, and |