A

DISCOURSE

OF THE

Contests and Diffentions

Between the

NOBLES and the COMMONS

1 N

ATHENS and RoмE,

WITH THE

Confequences they had upon both thofe

STATES.

Si tibi vera videtur

Dede manus;& fi falfa eft accingere contra. Lucrer,

Written in the Year, 1701.

T

СНАР. І.

IS agreed that in all Government there is an abfolute unlimited Power, which naturally and originally feems to be placed

B

in

I

in the whole Body, whereever the Executive Part of it lies. This holds in the Body natural; For wherever we place the beginning of Motion, whether from the Head, or the Heart, or the animal Spirits in general, the Body moves and acts by a Confent of all its Parts. This unlimited Power placed fundamentally in the Body of a People, is what the Legiflators of all Ages have endeavour'd in their feveral Schemes or Inftitutions of Government, to depofit in fuch Hands as would preferve the People, from Rapine and Oppreffion within, as well as Violence from without. Most of them seem to agree in this, that it was a Trust too great to be committed to any one Man or Affembly, and therefore they left the Right ftill in the whole Body, but the Adminiftration or Executive part, in the hands of One, the Few, or the Many, into which three Powers all independent Bodies of Men feem naturally to divide; for by all I have read of thofe innumerable and petty Commonwealths in Italy, Greece, and Sicily, as well as the great ones of Carthage and Rome; it feems to me,

that

that a free People met together, whether by Compact or Family Government, as foon as they fall into any Acts of Civil Society, do of themselves divide into three Powers. The first is that

of fome one eminent Spirit, who having fignaliz'd his Valour and Fortune in Defence of his Country, or by the Practice of popular Arts at home, becomes to have great Influence on the People, to grow their Leader in Warlike Expeditions, and to prefide, after a fort, in their Civil Affemblies: And this is grounded upon the Principles of Nature or common Reason, which in all Difficulties or Dangers, where Prudence or Courage are required, do rather incite us to fly for Counsel or Affiftance to a fingle Perfon than a Multitude. The fecond natural Divifion of Power, is of fuch Men who have acquired large Poffeffions, and confequently Dependances, or defcend from Ancestors who have left them great Inheritances, together with an Hereditary Authority. These easily uniting in Thoughts and Opinions, and acting in Concert, begin to enter upon Measures for fecuring their ProB 2

perties,

perties, which are beft upheld by pre paring against Invafions from abroad, and maintaining Peace at home: This commences a great Council or Senate of Nobles for the weighty Affairs of the Nation. The laft Divifion is of the Mafs or Body of the People, whofe Part of Power is great and undisputable, when ever they can unite either collectively or by Deputation to exert it.

Now the three Forms of Government fo generally known in the Schools, differ only by the Civil Adminiftration being placed in the Hands of One, or fometimes Two (as in Sparta who were call'd Kings, or in a Senate, who were call'd the Nobles or in the People Collective or Reprefentative, who may be called the Commons: each of thefe had frequently the Executive Power in Greece, and fometimes in Rome: but the Power in the laft Refort was always meant by Legislators to be held in Balance among all three. And it will be an eternal Rule in Politicks among every free People, that there is a Balance of Power to be carefully held by every

State