Gracchus, the only Roman that was really virtuous,---the only one who truly loved the People. It was alfo in the fame manner that Caius, who was not deterred by his brother's fate from pursuing the fame plan of conduct, was in the end fo entirely forfaken by the People, that nobody could be found among them who would even lend him a horse to fly from the fury of the Nobles; and he was at lafst compelled to lay violent hands upon himself, while he invoked the wrath of the Gods on his inconftant fellow-citizens.

At other times, they raised divifions among the People. Formidable combinations broke out, on a fudden, on the eve of important transactions; and all moderate Men avoided attending Affemblies, where they faw that all was to be tumult and confufion.

In fine, that nothing might be wanting to the infolence with which they treated the Affemblies of the People, they fometimes falfified the declarations of the number of the votes; they even once went fo far as to carry off the urns into which the Citizens were to throw their fuffrages (a).

(a) The reader with refpect to all the above obfervations, may fee Plutarch's Lives, particularly the Lives of the two Gracchi. I must add, that I have avoided

CHA P. VIII.

The Subject concluded.-Effects that have refulted, in the English Government, from the People's Power being completely de legated to their Reprefentatives.

UT when the People have entirely trufted their power to a moderate number of perfons, affairs immediately take a widely dif ferent turn. Those who govern are from that moment obliged to leave off all thofe ftratagems which had hitherto enfured their fuccefs. Instead of those Affembiies which they affected to defpife, and were perpetually comparing to ftorms, or to the current of the Euripus (a),

drawing any inftance from thofe Affemblies in which one half of the people were made to arm themselves against the other. I have here only alluded to thofe times which immediately either preceded or followed the third Punic war, that is, of those which are commonly called the beft period of the Republic.

(a) Tully makes no end of his fimiles on this fubject. Quod enim fretum, quem Euripum, tot motus, tantas & tam varias habere putatis agitationes fluctum, quantas perturbationes & quantos æftus habet ratio Comitiorum? See Orat. pro Murænâ.--- Concio, fays he in another place, que ex imperitiffimis conftat, &c. De Amicitiâ, § 25.

&

and in regard to which they accordingly thought themselves at liberty to pass over the rules of Justice, they now find that they have to deal with Men who are their equals in point of education and knowledge, and their inferiors only in point of rank and form. They, in confequence, foon find it neceffary to adopt quite ⚫ different methods; and, above all, become very careful not to talk to them any more about the facred chickens, the white or black days, and the Sibylline books. As they see their new adverfaries expect to have a proper regard paid to them, that fingle circumftance infpires them with it as they fee them act in a regular manner, obferve conftant rules, in a word proceed with form, they come to look upon them with refpect, from the very fame reason which makes them themselves to be reverenced by the People.

The Representatives of the People, on the other hand, do not fail foon to procure for themselves every advantage that may enable them effectually to use the powers with which they have been entrusted, and to adopt every rule of proceeding that may make their refolutions to be truly the refult of reflection and deliberation. Thus it was that the Reprefentatives of the English Nation, foon after their

first establishment, became formed into a feparate Affembly: they afterwards obtained the liberty of appointing a Prefident :-foon after, they infifted upon their being confulted on the laft form of the Acts to which they had given rife ---- laftly, they infifted on thenceforth framing them themselves.

In order to prevent any poffibility of furprize in the course of their proceedings, it is a fettled rule with them, that every propofition, or bill, must be read three times, at different prefixed days, before it can receive a final sanction: and before each reading of the bill, as well as at its first introduction, an exprefs refolution must be taken to continue it under confideration. If the bill be rejected, in any one of those several operations, it must be dropped, and cannot be propofed again during the fame Seffion (a).

(a) It is moreover a settled rule in the House of Commons, that no Member is to speak more than once in the fame day. When the number and nature of the claufes of a Bill require that it should be difcuffed in a freer manner, a Committee is appointed for that purpose, who are to make their report afterwards to the House. When the fubject is of importance, this Committee is formed of the whole House, which still continues to fit in the fame place, but in a lefs folemn manner, and under another Prefident, who is called the Chairman of the Committee. In order to form the Houfe again, the mace is re

The Commons have been, above all, jealous of the freedom of fpeech in their affembly. They have exprefly ftipulated, as we have above mentioned, that none of their words or fpeeches fhould be questioned in any place out of their House. In fine, in order to keep their deliberations free from every kind of influence, they have denied their Prefident the right to give his vote, or even his opinion :----they moreover have fettled it as a rule, not only that the King could not fend to them any exprefs propofals about laws, or other fubjects, but even that his name fhould never be mentioned in the deliberations (a).

But that circumftance which, of all others, conftitutes the fuperior excellence of a Government in which the People act only through their Representatives, that is, by means of an affembly formed of a moderate number of perfons, and in which it is poffible for every Member to propose new subjects, and to argue and to canvass the queftions that arise, is that

placed on the Table, and the Speaker goes again into his chair.

(a) If any perfon were to mention in his fpeech, what the King wishes should be, would be glad to fee, &c. he would be immediately called to order, for attempting to influence the debate.