or when they do not all meet in person, but choose a few to be their Representatives; though the latter inclines a little to Aristocracy.

;

These are the principal simple forms the compound forms are almost innumerable. What particular combination of them appears to be most conducive to the ends of Civil Government, will be the subject of a future Lecture.

LECTURE XXVI.

THE business of the present lecture is to inquire what form of civil Government is to be preferred as generally most subservient to the happiness of mankind.

As man is a being formed for society, and as society cannot subsist without Order and Rule, which is Government, some sort of Government must take place wherever human beings are found together. But as certain appropriate means must be made use of to produce certain ends, so all forms of government are not equally productive of the same beneficial effects. It is therefore worthy our attention to inquire what that form is which has the most and the greatest

advantages connected with it, and under which the greatest Order and Rule may be obtained, with the least loss of natural Liberty.

Pope indeed says, "Whate'er is best administered is best." But if a People can be rendered happy under a bad form, by the prudence and fidelity of those in whose hands the administration is intrusted, there is no reason to doubt that they might be made much more so, under a good one, with the same wise and upright administration.

To discover what particular form is preferable to the rest, it is necessary that we know what those advantages are which the best government secures ;and they are Unity, which includes Order; Fidelity, or such a regard for the good of the public as would influence governors to sacrifice their own private interest to obtain it; Wisdom in discovering those means which will best promote

the public happiness; and Secrecy and Expedition in putting them into execution.

Let us see how many of these advantages an absolute hereditary Monarchy secures, and what are its inconveniences.

When the supreme power is lodged in the hands of one Man, there may be Unity, Secrecy, and Expedition; and if Fidelity and Wisdom could be secured, this form of government would be preferable to all others. An absolute Prince, if faithful to the trust reposed in him, and possessed of perfect wisdom, would have more opportunities of promoting the happiness of his subjects, than he could possibly have, if his power were limited. Influenced only by a regard to the interests of his people, he would never suffer the injured to go unredressed, nor the sons of violence and oppression to escape with impunity. His wisdom would enable him to remedy those in

conveniences which are inseparable from all general laws, and by the Secrecy and Expedition with which his designs might be executed, he would have it in his power to promote the peace, order, and happiness of the whole Community over which he presided. The government of such a prince would bear a resemblance to that of the Supreme Monarch of the Universe, all whose laws are founded in perfect wisdom, and the great end of whose Government is the Happiness of the whole system of Beings.

But as Man is by nature imperfect, incapable of always discerning what is best, and liable to be influenced by the worst of passions, it is highly dangerous to invest a single person with absolute, uncontrolable power. Few, very few are born with abilities for Empire. For this situation a greater share of wisdom and discernment is necessary than is generally allotted to Mankind; and the splendour of so exalted a station,