PHI LOS 0 P H Y . - Classic Works of Apologetics Online

Of d!ffcrcnt Ffin:;;
tinued through a succession of ages.
This bendit
may be expected with greater probability, where the
supreme power descends in the same race., and where
each prir.ce succeeds, in some son, to the aim, pursuits,
and di~sjtion of his ancestor, tban if the crown.
at e\Tery change, devolve upon a strcdlger, whrn:e fi·st
car~ .. ill commonly be to pull down what his predec~~or
had built up; and to substitute sy~tems of administration,
~hich mu~t, in their turn~ gi7e \\4y to
the more fa\~ourite novelties of the next !'uccessor •
.A RISTOl' R_-\ C 1 E --- are of two kinds: first, where the
power of the nobility belongs to them in their col ..
lective capacity alone; that is, where, although the
government reside in an assembly of the order, yet
the members of that a~sembly separately and individ.
ually possess no autho:ity or privilege beyond the rest
of the communit;~ :-this descriiles the constitution
of V€Ilice. Seccndly, where !he nobles are severaily
invested with -great per~(jtnl po\ver and immunities,
and where the power of the senate is little more
than the aggregated pvwer of tbe indi,yidua)s who
compose it :-this is the constitution of Poland. Of
these r·.--o forms of gO\Ter:tment., the first ~ more
tolerable than the la~t; for although the members
of a senate should man~~ ~ or even all f)f them, b~
profligate enough to :lbu~e the Ci~thor!ty of their
stations in the prosecution of private designs, yet,
I!ot being aU under a temptatiJn to the Fclme inju!'­
tire, r.ot having all the same end to If