dom, beyond that share which, it ought to have in Europe.

WHILST in England, there is a dronish, le thargic difeafe, that has crept upon the fouls of men in power, as if they had all drank opium, or that the natural confequence of working much in the raising money, had produced a paralytic ftate in their faculties, as it does on the limbs of those who are engaged in digging it in the mines.

CERTAIN it is, that no nation has at prefent lefs reason to be content with itself, than Eng land; deficient in the knowledge of the nature of man, and confequently in the art of governing, refting all its powers and efforts on the influence of money, till it has almost exhaufted that refource, not confidering that gold is inanimate matter, and tho' when put in motion it has great effect, yet that the spirit which directs it, only imparts the advantage which ought to be expected from it.

IT may bribe the people of this nation to be at ease, with respect to what shall befall them ;

it

it may purchase individuals of another to coincide in their schemes; but this is a temporary ex◄ pedient which only prolongs ruin, comes a Machault in France, whofe hands are yet undefiled with plundering his country, and his heart unftained with venal or selfish ideas, and the influ ence of English gold is as ineffectual as rain to diffolve adamant.

THE probity and perfpicuity of that man is a greater cause of fear to this nation, than all the French fleets and armies; what cannot be effected by the union of those powers joined with refolution, and what is not to be apprehended from the fhort-fightedness of a nation, which leaves itself undefended against its only natural enemy, its colonies unprotected from the fame people, its commerce unencouraged, arts and fciences unprotected, one univerfal anarchy through neglect of police and religion, with corruption and perjury reigning over all the hearts of the lower clafs of people? fuch is the prefent ftate of this once illuftrious ifle.

Ir gives me pain when I behold. this, and aftonishment at the inattention which the natives

pay to their perilous fituation; I own I love them for their ancient virtues, and wish some favourable hour may reinftate them in their former luftre, alas! I fear. I am,

LETTER XLIII.

To the Reverend Father FRANCESCO BERTINI at Rome.

Dear Sir,

TH

HIS kingdom feems to me to be a living leffon of what we read in the hiftories of ancient Rome; we fee here what we find written in our hiftorians; and the conftitutions refembling one another in fome refpects, the analogy is more ftriking, than it can be in countries whose form of government differs more from the republican, than this does from the Roman. I have frequently imagined, that in governments which differ in their establishments, there fhould not only be laws peculiar to each, relating to property; but fome even which should restrain the accumulation of wealth beyond a certain degree will the republican and mixt bear exceffive riches, tho' perhaps they may be indulged to any excess in a monarchic or abfolute ftate?

WHAT I Would be understood to fay, is this, that a defpotic ftate can bear to poffefs more riches without hurting its welfare, than a repub

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lic or mixt government; it appears to me,

this has the glimmering of truth, pray tell me what you think, when you have heard my opinion.

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LET us then fuppofe, and as it really is originally conftituted in this kingdom, that the king has his powers limited in fome instances, and the people in others; that the executive is lodged in the hands of the first, and the legislative in the hands of the latter, and that the people have a right of choofing great part of this legislative body, for their representatives in the affembly of their nation.

THIS latter makes the republican part of the English conftitution, all which fhould be chofen by their compatriots, from that natural af cendency which good sense and virtue have over the minds of men; these are, in a nation where nature has not been totally defaced, the qualities which create that original authority which one man has over the minds and difpofitions of many; this fuperiority they would have continued to exert, had not the introduction of too much wealth into private hands, destroyed their effect; it has placed