vernment.

there is the favor of the court; and whatever defignation God makes by the talents he bestows, tho it may serve, which it feldom ever does, to direct the choice of the prince, yet I presume that it cannot become a reason to particular men, or create a duty on them, to devote themselves to the public fervice. Look on the Turkish goSee a fellow taken, from rowing in a common paffage-boat, by the caprice of the prince: fee him invested next day with all the power the foldans took under the caliphs, or the mayors of the palace under the fucceffors of CLOVIS : fee a whole empire governed by the ignorance, inexperience, and arbitrary will of this tyrant, and a few other fubordinate tyrants, as ignorant and unexperienced as himself. In France indeed, tho an abfolute government, things go a little better. Arts and sciences are encouraged, and here and there an example may be found of a man who has rifen by fome extraordinary talents, amidst innumerable examples of men who have arrived at the greatest honors and highest pofts by no other merit than that of affiduous fawning, attendance, or of skill in fome defpicable puerile amusement; in training wafps, for inftance, to take regular flights like hawks, and ftoop at flies. The nobi

lity of France, like the children of tribute among the ancient Saracens and modern Turks, are fet apart for wars. They are bred to make love, to hunt, and to fight: and, if any of them fhould acquire knowledge fuperior to this, they would acquire that which might be prejudicial to themfelves, but could not become beneficial to their country. The affairs of ftate are trusted to other hands. Some have rifen to them by drudging long in bufinefs: fome have been made minifters almoft in the cradle: and the whole power of the govern+ ment has been abandoned to others in the dotage of life. There is a monarchy, an abfolute monarchy too, I mean that of China, wherein the administration of the government is carried on, under the direction of the prince, ever fince the dominion of the Tartars has been established, by several claffes of Mandarins, and according to the deliberation and advice of feveral orders of councils: the admiffion to which claffes and orders depends on the abilities of the candidates, as their rise in them depends on the behaviour they hold, and the improvements they make afterwards. Under fuch a government, it is neither impertinent nor ridiculous, in any of the fubjects who are invited by their circumftances, or pufhed

to

to it by their talents, to make the history of their own and of other countries a political study, and to fit themselves by this and all other ways for the fervice of the public. It is not dangerous neither; or an honor, that outweighs the danger, attends it: fince private men have a right by the ancient conftitution of this government, as well as councils of state, to represent to the prince the abuses of his administration. But ftill men have not there the fame occafion to concern themselves in the affairs of the state, as the nature of a free government gives to the members of it. In our own country, for in our own the forms of a free government at least are hitherto preserved, men are not only defigned for the public fervice by the circumftances of their fituation, and their talents, all which may happen in others but they are defigned to it by their birth in many cafes, and in all cafes they may dedicate themselves to this fervice, and take, in different degrees, fome share in it, whether they are called to it by the prince or no. In abfolute governments, all public fervice is to the prince, and he nominates all those that serve the public. In free governments, there is a distinct and a principal service due to the state. Even the king, of fuch a limited monarchy as ours, is but

the

the first fervant of the people. Among his fubjects, fome are appointed by the conftitution, and others are elected by the people, to carry on the exercife of the legislative power jointly with him, and to controul the executive power independently on him. Thus your lordship is born a mem→ ber of that order of men, in whom a third part of the fupreme power of the government refides: and your right to the exercise of the power belonging to this order not being yet opened, you are chosen into another body of men, who have different power and a different conftitution, but who poffefs another third part of the fupreme legislative authority, for as long a time as the commiffion or truft delegated to them by the people lafts. Free-men, who are neither born to the firft, nor elected to the laft, have a right however to complain, to represent to petition, and, I add, even to do more in cases of the utmost extremity. For fure there cannot be a greater abfurdity, than to af, firm, that the people have a remedy in refiftance, when their prince attempts to enПave them; but that they have none, when their reprefentatives fell themfelves and them.

THE fum of what I have been faying is, that, in free governments, the public service

is

is not confined to those whom the prince appoints to different pofts in the adminiftration under him; that there the care of the ftate is the care of multitudes; that many are called to it in a particular manner by their rank, and by other circumstances of their fituation; and that even those whom the prince appoints are not only answerable to him, but, like him, and before him, to the nation, for their behaviour in their feveral pofts. It can never be impertinent nor ridiculous therefore in fuch a country, whatever it might be in the abbot of ST. REAL'S, which was Savoy I think; or in Peru, under the Incas, where, GARCILASSO DE LA VEGA fays, it was lawful for none but the nobility to ftudy for men of all degrees to inftruct themselves in thofe affairs wherein they may be actors, or judges of those that act, or controulers of those that judge. On the contrary, it is incumbent on every man' to inftruct himself, as well as the means and opportunities he has permit, concerning the nature and interests of the government, and those rights and duties that belong to him, or to his fuperiors, or to his inferiors. This in general; but in particular, it is certain that the obligations under which we lie to serve our country increase, in proportion to the ranks we hold, and the other circum

ftances