State within itself, as well as among feveral States with each other.

THE true Meaning of a Balance of Power, either without or within a State, is best conceived by confidering what the nature of a Balance is. It fuppofes three Things. First, the Part which is held, together with the Hand that holds it; and then the two Scales, with whatever is weighed therein. Now confider feveral States in a Neighbourhood: In order to preferve Peace between these States, it is neceffay they should be form'd into a Balance, whereof one or more are to be Directors, who are to divide the rest into equal Scales, and upon Occafions remove from one into the other, or else fall with their own Weight into the Lighteft. So in a State within itself, the Balance must be held by a third Hand; who is to deal the remaining Power with utmost Exactness into the feveral Scales. Now, it is not neceffary that the Power should be equally divided between these three; For the Balance may be held by the Weakest, who, by his Addrefs and Conduct,

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removing from either Scale, and adding of his own, may keep the Scales duly pois'd. Such was that of the two Kings of Sparta, the Confular Power in Rome: that of the Kings of Media before the Reign of Cyrus, as represented by Xenophon; and that of the feveral limited States in the Gothick Inftitution.

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WHEN the Balance is broke, whether by the Negligence, Folly, or Weakness of the Hand that held it, or by mighty Weights fallen into either Scale, the Power will never continge long in equal Division between the two remaining Parties, but (till the Balance is fixed anew) will run entirely into one. This gives the trueft account of what is understood in the most ancient and approved Greek Authors by the Word Tyranny, which is not meant for the feizing of the uncontrouled or abfolute Power into the Hands of a fingle Perfon (as many fuperficial Men have grofly mistaken) but for the breaking of the Balance by whatever Hand, and leaving the Power wholly in one Scale. For Tyranny and Usurpa

Ufurpation in a State, are by no means confined to any Number, as night eafily appear from Examples enough: and because the Point is material, I fhall cite a few to prove it.

THE Romans having fent to Athens, Dionyf. and the Greek Cities of Italy, for the Hal, l. 10. Copies of the best Laws, chofe Ten Legiflators to put them into form, and during the Exercife of their Office, fufpended the Confular Power, leaving the Administration of Affairs in their Hands. These very Men, though chofen for fuch a Work, as the digesting a Body of Laws for the Government of a free State, did immediately ufurp Arbitrary Power, ran into all the Forms of it, had their Guards and Spies, after the Practice of the Tyrants of those Ages, affected Kingly State, destroy'd the Nobles, and oppreft the People; One of them proceeding fo far as to endeavour to force a Lady of great Virtue the very Crime which gave Occafion to the Expulfion of the Regal Power but fixty Years before, as this Attempt did to that of the Decemviri. THE

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THE Ephori in Sparta were at first only certain Perfons deputed by the King to judge in Civil Matters, while They were employ'd in the Wars. These Men at feveral times, ufurp'd the abfolute Authority, and were as cruel Tyrants as any in their Ages.

SOON after the unfortunate Expedition into Sicily, the Athenians chofe four hundred Men for Admini ftration of Affairs, who became à Body of Tyrants, and were called in the Language of thofe Ages, an Oligarchy, or Tyranny of the Fem; un der which hateful Denomination, they were foon after depofed in great Rage by the People.

Xenopb. de WHEN Athens was fubdued by rebus Grac. Lyfander, he appointed thirty Men for the Administration of that City, who immediately fell into the rankest Tyranny: But this was not all; For conceiving their Power not founded on a Bafis large enough, they admitted three thousand into a Share of the Government; and thus fortified, be

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came the cruelleft Tyranny upon Record. They murder'd, in cold Blood, great numbers of the best Men, with out any Provocation, from the meer Luft of Cruelty, like Nero or Caligula. This was fuch a Number of Tyrants together, as amounted to near a third part of the whole City. For Xenophon Memorab. tells us, that the City contain'd about lib. 3. ten thoufand Houfes, and allowing one Man to every Houfe, who could have any Share in the Government

the reft confifting of Women, Children, and Servants) and making other obvious Abatements, thefe Tyrants, if they had been careful to adhere together, might have been a Majority even of the People Collective.

In the time of the fecond Punick Polyb. War, the Balance of Power in Carthage Frag. 1. 6. was got on the fide of the People, and that to a Degree, that fome Authors reckon the Government to have been then among them a Dominatio Plebis, or Tyranny of the Commons, which it feems they were at all times apt to fall into, and was at laft among the Causes that ruin'd their State:

And