and may probably be useful upon many Occafions to this poor Kingdom in future Ages; and even to England itself, where most of them have been printed, and well received.

This is all we have been allowed to prefix as a general Preface; but before each of the three enfuing Volumes are bort Advertisements.

DUBLIN, Oct.

1734.

A

A

DISCOURSE

OF THE

CONTESTS and DISSENTIONS

BETWEEN THE

NOBLES and COMMONS in Athens and Rome; with the ConSequences they had upon both thofe

STATES.

-Si tibi vera videtur,

Dede manus; & fi falfa eft, accingere contra.

LUCRET:

T is agreed, that in all Government there is an abfolute unlimited Power, which naturally and originally seems to be placed in the whole Body, wherever the executive Part of it lies. This holds in the Body natural: For, where

VOL. I.

B

ever

ever we place the Eeginning 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 beft Legislators of all Ages have endeavoured, in their feveral Schemes, or Inftitutions of Government, to depofite in fuch Hands as would preferve the People from Rapine, and Oppreffion within, as well as Violence from without. Moft 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 Common-wealths in Italy, Greece, and Sicily, as well as the great ones of Carthage and Rome; it feems to me, 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 firft is, that of fome one eminent Spirit, who having fignalized 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 Sort, in their Civil Affemblies: And this is grounded upon the Principles of Nature and common Reason, which in all Difficulties and Dangers, where Prudence or Courage is required, do rather incite us to fly for Counsel or Affiftance to a fingle Person than a Multitude. The fecond natural Divifion of Power, is of fuch Men who have acquired large Poffeffi

ons,

ons, and coniequently Dependencies, or defcend From Ancestors, who have left them great Inhericances, together with an Hereditary Authority: Thefe eafily uniting in Thoughts and Opinions, and acting in Concert, begin to enter upon MeaTures for fecuring their Properties; which are best upheld by preparing against Invafions from Abroad, and maintaining Peace at Home. This commenceth a great Council, or Senate of Nobles for the weighty Affairs of the Nation. The last Divifion is of the Mafs, or Body of the People whose Part of Power is great, and indifputable, whenever 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 called Kings; or in a Senate, who were called the Nobles; or in the People Collective or Representative, who may be called the Commons: Each of these had frequently the executive Power in Greece, and fometimes in Rome: But the Power in the last Resort, was always meant by Legislators to be held in Ballance among all Three. And it will be an eternal Rule in Politicks, among every free People, that there is a Ballance of Power to be carefully held by every State within it felf, as well as among feveral States with each other.

THE true Meaning of a Ballance of Power, either without, or within a State, is beft conceived by confidering what the Nature of a Ballance is. It fupposes three Things. Firft, 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 preserve Peace between these States, it is neB 2

ceffary

ceffary they should be formed into a Ballance whereof one, or more are to be Directors, who ar to divide the rest into equal Scales, and upon Occa fions remove from one into the other, or elfe fal with their own Weight into the lighteft: So, in a State within itself, the Ballance must be held by a third Hand, who is to deal the remaining Powe with the utmost Exactness into each Scale. Now. it is not neceffary, that the Power fhould be equal ly divided between thefe three; for the Ballance may be held by the Weakeft, who by his Addrefs and Conduct, removing from either Scale, and adding of his own, may keep the Scales duly poifed. 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 reprefented by Xenophon; and that of the feveral limited States in the Gothick Inftitutions.

WHEN the Ballance is broke, whether by the Negligence or Weakness of the Hand that held it, or by mighty Weights fallen into either Scale; the Power will never continue long in equal Divifion between the two remaining Parties, but (until the Ballance 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 Ballance by whatever Hand, and leaving the Power wholly in one Scale. For Tyranny and Ufurpation in a State, are by no Means confined to any Number, as might easily appear from Examples enough; and, because the Point is material, I fhall cite a few to prove it.

THE