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tioned a while That public conventions are liable to all the infirmities, follies, and vices of private men. To which, if there be any exception, it must be of fuch affemblies, who act by univerfal concert, upon public principles, and for public ends; fuch as proceed upon debates without unbecoming warmths, or influence from particular leaders and inflamers; fuch, whofe members, inftead of canvaffing, to procure majorities for their private opinions, are ready to comply with general fober refults, though contrary to their own fentiments. Whatever affemblies act by thefse, and other methods of the like nature, must be allowed to be exempt from several imperfections, to which particular men are subjected. But I think the fource of most mistakes and mifcarriages in matters debated by public affemblies, arifeth from the influence of private perfons upon great numbers, ftyled, in common phrafe, leading men and parties. And therefore, when we fometimes meet a few words put together, which is called the vote or refolution of an affembly, and which we cannot poffibly reconcile to prudence or public good, it is most charitable to conjecture, that such a vote has been conceived, and born and bred in a private brain, afterwards raised and supported by an obfequious party, and then, with ufual methods, confirmed by an artificial majority. For, let us fuppofe five hundred men, mixed in point of fense and honefty, as ufually affemblies are; and let us fuppofe thefe men propofing, debating, refolving, voting, according to the mere natural motions

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motions of their own little or much reafon and understanding; I do allow, that abundance of indigefted and abortive, many pernicious and foolifh overtures would arife, and float a few minutes; but then they will die and difappear. Because, this must be faid in behalf of human kind, that common sense and plain reason, while men are difengaged from acquired opinions, will ever have fome general influence upon their minds; whereas, the fpecies of folly and vice are infinite, and fo different in every individual, that they could never procure a majority, if other corruptions did not enter, to pervert mens underftandings, and mifguide their wills.

To defcribe how parties are bred in an assembly, would be a work too difficult at prefent, and perhaps not altogether fafe. Periculofa plenum opus alea. Whether thofe, who are leaders, ufually arrive at that ftation, more by a fort of inflint, or fecret compofition of their nature, or influence of the ftars, than by the poffeffion of any great abilities, may be a point of much difpute: but when the leader is once fixed, there will never fail to be followers. And man is fo apt to imitate, fo much of the nature of feep, imitatores, fervum pecus, that whoever is fo bold to give the firft great leap over the heads of thofe about him, though he be the worft of the fleck, fhall be quickly followed by the reft. Besides, when parties are once formed, the ftragglers look fo ridiculous, and become fo infignificant, that they have no other way, but to run into the

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herd, which at least will hide and protect them; and where, to be much confidered, requires only to be very violent."

But there is one circumftance, with relation to parties, which I take to be, of all others, moit pernicious in a ftare; and I would be glad any partizan would help me to a tolerable reason, that because Clodius and Curio happen to agree with me in a few fingular notions, I must therefore blindly follow them in all: or, to state it at beft, that because Bibulus the party-man, is persuaded that Clodius and Curio do really propose the good of their country as their chief end; therefore Bibulus fhall be wholly guided and governed by them, in the means and measures towards it. Is it enough for Bibulus, and the rest of the herd, to fay, without further examining, I am of the fide with Clodius, or, I vote with Curio? are these proper methods to form and make up what they think fit to call the united wifdom of the nation ? Is it not poffible, that, upon fome occafion, Clodius may be bold and infolent, borne away by his paffion, malicious, and revengeful? that Curio may be corrupt, and expofe to fale his tongue, or his pen? I conceive it far below the dignity both of human nature, and human reason, to be engaged in any party, the most plaufible foever, upon fuch fervile conditions.

This influence of one upon many, which feems to be as great in a people reprefented, as it was of old in the commons collective, together with the confequences it hath had upon the legiflature,

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hath given me frequent occafion to reflect upon what Diodorus tells us of one Charondas, a lawgiver to the Sybarites, an ancient people of Italy, who was fo averfe from all innovation, especially when it was to proceed from particular perfons, (and, I fuppofe, that he might put it out of the power of men, fond of their own notions, to difturb the conftitution at their pleasures, by advancing private fchemes) that he provided a ftatute, that whoever propofed any alteration to be made, fhould step out and do it with a rope about his neck: if the matter propofed, were generally approved, then it fhould pafs into a law; if it went in the negative, the propofer to be immediately hanged. Great minifters may talk of what projects they pleafe; but I am deceived, if a more effectual one could ever be found for taking of (as the prefent phrase is) those hot, unquiet fpirits, who difturb affemblies, and obftruct public affairs, by gratifying their pride, their malice, their ambition, or their avarice.

Those who, in a late reign, began the diftinction between the perfonal and politic capacity, feem to have had reason, if they judged of princes by themselves; for, I think, there is hardly to be found, through all nature, a greater difference between two things, than there is between a reprefenting commoner, in the function of his public calling, and the fame perfon, when he acts in the common offices of life. Here, he allows himfelf to be upon a level with the reft of mortals: here, he follows his own reason, and his own way;

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and rather affects a fingularity in his actions and thoughts, than fervilely to copy either, from the wifeft of his neighbours. In fhort, here, his folly, and his wifdom, his reafon and his paffions, are all of his own growth, not the echo or infufion of other men. But, when he is got near the walls of his affembly, he affumes and affects an entire set of very different airs; he conceives himself a being of a fuperior nature to those without, and acting in a sphere, where the vulgar methods for the conduct of human life can be of no ufe. He is lifted in a party, where he neither knows the temper, nor defigns, nor, perhaps, the perfon of his leader, but whofe opinions he follows and maintains, with a zeal and faith as violent, as a young scholar does thofe of a philofopher, whofe fect he is taught to profefs. He hath neither opinions, nor thoughts, nor actions, nor talk, that he can call his own, but all conveyed to him by his leader, as wind is through an organ. The nourishment he receives, hath been not only chewed, but digefted, before it comes into his mouth. Thus inftructed, he follows the party, right or wrong, through all its fentiments, and acquires a courage and stiffness of opinion, not at all congenial with him.

This encourages me to hope, that, during the prefent lucid interval, the members retired to their homes, may fufpend a while their acquired complexions, and, taught by the calmnefs of the fcene and the season, reaffume the native fedatenefs of their temper. If this should be fo, it

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