that have been in the world: and the condition of those kingdoms which are not abfolute, and yet give a preference to birth, without confideration of merit or virtue, is not much better.

This is proved by the reafons of thofe feditions and tumults, as well as from the fact itself.

The reafons do arife from the violence of the paffions that incite men to them, and the intricacy of the questions concerning fucceffion.

Every man has paffions; few know how to moderate, and no one can wholly extinguish them. As they are various in their nature, fo they are governed by various objects; and men usually follow that which is predomi nant in them, whether it terminate in ambition, covetousness, luft, or any other more or less blameable appetite. Every manner of life furnishes something, that, in fome measure, may foment thefe: but a crown comprchends all that can be grateful to the moft violent and vitious. He who is covetous, has vaft revenues, befides what he may get by fraud and rapine, to fatisfy his appetite. If he be given to fenfuality, the variety of pleafures, and the facility of accomplishing whatever he defires, tends farther to inflame that paffion. Such as are ambitious are incited by the greatnefs of their power to attempt great matters; and the moft fottifh or lazy may discharge themfelves of cares, and hope that others will be eafily hired to take the burden of bufinefs upon them, whilst they lie at eafe. They who naturally incline to

pride and cruelty, are more violently tempted to ufurp dominion; and the wicked advices of flatterers, always concurring with their paffions, incite them to exercise the power they have gotten with the utmost rigour, to fatiate their own rage, and to fecure themselves against the effects of the public hatred, which they know they have deferved. If there be, as our author fays, no other rule than force and fuccefs, and that he must be taken for the father of a people who is in poffeffion of a power over them; whoever has the one, may put the other to a trial. Nay, even thofe who have regard to justice, will feldom want reafons to perfuade them that it is on their fide. Something may be amifs in the ftate; injuries may be done to themfelves and their friends. Such honours may be denied as they think they deferve; or others of lefs merit, as they fuppofe, may be preferred before them, Mcn do fo rarely make a right eftimate of their own merits, that those who mean well may be often deceived: and if nothing but fuccefs be required to make a monarch, they may thik it just to attempt whatever they can hope to accomplish. This was the cafe of Julius Cæfar; he thought all things lawful, when the confulate, which he fuppofed he deferved, was denied,

"Viribus utendum eft quas fecimus: "Omnia dat, qui justa negat.”

: arma tenenti
LUCAN.

Thefe enterprizes feem to belong to men of great fpirits; but there are none fo base not to be capable of

D 4

under

undertaking, and (as things may stand) of bringing them to perfection. Hiftory reprefents no man under a more contemptible character of fottifh lazinefs, cowardice, and drunkennefs, than Vitellius; no one more impure and fordid than Galba: Otho was advanced for being in his manners like to Nero: Vefpafian was fcorned for his avarice, till the power fell into fuch hands as made the world believe none could be unworthy of the empire; and in the following ages the worst men by the worst means moft frequently obtained it.

Thefe wounds are not cured, by faying that the law of God and nature prevents this mifchief, by annexing the fucceffion of crowns to proximity of blood; for mankind had not been continually afflicted with them, if there had been fuch a law, or that they could have been prevented by it: and though there were fuch a law, yet more questions would arife about that proximity, than any wife man would dare to determine. The law can be of no effect, unless there be a power to decide the contefts arifing upon it: but the fundamental maxim of the great monarchies is, that there can be no "interregnum:" the heir of the crown is in poffeffion, as fcon as he who did enjoy it is dead. "Le mort," as the French fay,' "failit le vif:" there can be therefore no fuch law, or it ferves for nothing. If there be judges to interpret the law, no man is a king till judgment be given in his favour; and he is not king by his own title, but by the fentence given by them. If there be none, the law is merely imaginary, and every man may, in his own cafe make it what he pleafes. He who has a crown in his

view, and arms in his hand, wants nothing but fuccefs to make him a king; and if he profper, all men are obliged to obey him.

It is a folly, to fay the matter is clear, and needs no decifion; for every man knows, that no law concerning private inheritances can be fo exactly drawn, but many controverfies will arife upon it, that must be decided by a power to which both parties are fubject: and the difputes concerning kingdoms are fo much the more difficult, because this law is no-where to be found; and the more dangerous, becaufe the competitors are for the moft part more powerful.

Again, this law muft either be general to all mankind, or particular to each nation. If particular, a matter of such importance requires good proof, when, where, how, and by whom it was given to every one. But the fcriptures teftifying to the contrary, that God gave laws to the Jews only, and that no fuch thing as hereditary monarchy, according to the proximity of blood, was prefcribed by them, we may fafely fay, that God did never give any fuch law to every particular, nor to any nation. If he did not give it to any one, he did not give it to all, for every one is comprehended in all; and if no one has it. it is impoffible that all can have it; or that it should be obligatory to all, when no man knows, or can tell, when, where, and by what hand it was given, nor what is the fenfe of it all which is evident by the various laws. and customs of nations in the disposal of hereditary fucceffions: and no one of them, that we know, has to this

day

day been able to fhew, that the method followed by them, is more according to nature than that of others.

If our author pretend to be God's interpreter, and to give the folution of these doubts, I may ask which of the five following ways are appointed by God, and then we exam ne cafes refulting from them.

1. In France, Turky, and other places, the fucceffion comes to the next male, in the strait cldeft line, according to which the fon is preferred before the brother of him who laft enjoyed the crown (as the prefent king of France before his uncle the duke of Orleans) and the son of the eldest before the brothers of the eldeft; as in the cafe of Richard the Second of England, who was advanced preferably to all the brothers of the Black prince his father.

2. Others keep to the males of the reigning family; yet have more regard to the eldest man than to the eldest line: and representation taking no place among them, the eldeft man is thought to be nçareft to the first king; and a fecond fon of the perfon that laft reigned, to be nearer to him than his grandchild by the eldeft fon; according to which rule, any one of the fons of Edward the Third remaining after his death, fhould have Leen preferred before Richard the Second, who was his grandchild.

3. In the two cafes before-mentioned, no manner of regard is had to females, who being thought naturally uncapable of commanding men, or performing the functions of a magistrate, are, together with their defcendents, utterly excluded from the fupreme as well as from the in