The RIGHT CONSTITUTION of a COMMON
WEALTH EXAMINED.
[Continued from our laj7.]
AT the critical moment, when the Gauls had
approached the capital with such silence as not to
awaken the centinels, or even the dogs, M. Man
-1 ius, who had been consul three years before, was
awakened by the cry of the getfe, which, by the
ianctity of their consecration to Juno, had escaped
with ther lives in an extreme Icarcity of provi
lions. lie hastened to the wall, and beat down
one of the enemy, who had already laid hold ot
the battlement, and whole fall from the prccipicc
carried down several others who followed him.
With stones and darts the Romans precipitated
all the reft to the bottom of the rock. Manlius
the next day received in a public aflembly his
praises and rewards. Officers and foldjeis, to
teftify their gratitude, gave him their rations for
one day, both in corn and wine, half a pound of
corn and a quarter of a pint of •wine. " Ingens
" caritatis argutnentam,cumfe vitftu luofraudans,
" detraiflum corpori & ufibus neeeflariis ad hono
" rem unis viri conferre," lays Livy ; and in the
year of Romt 365, the commonwealth gave to
Manlius an house upon the capital, as a monu
ment of his valour and his country's gratitude.
In the year of Rome 370, fifty-five years after
the execution of Melius, and five years after the
defence of the capital from the attack of Brennus,
Manlius is fufpetfted of ambition. Those who had
hitherto excited, or been excited by, the people
to faction, had been plebeians. Manlius was a
patrician of one of the most illuflrious families :
Ke had been consul, and acquired immortal glory
by his military exploits, and by laving the capital;
lie was, in lliort, the rival of Camillus, who had
obtained two signal victories over the Gauls, and
from the new birth of the city had been always
in office, cither as dictator or military tribune ;
and even, when he was only tribune, his col
leagues considered him as their superior, and held
it an honor to receive his orders as their chief.
In lliort, by his own reputation, the support ol
the Quintian family, and the enthuliaftic attach
ment to him, he had inspired. into the nation, he
■was, in fad; and effedt, to all intents and purposes,
King in Rome, without the name, but under the
various titles of consul, ditftator, or military tri
bune. "He treats," said Manlius, " even those
" created with powers equal to Lis own, not as
" his colleagues, but officers and substitutes, to
" execute his orders." The ariftocratical Livy,
and all the other ariftocrates of Rome, accuse
Manlius of envy. They fay he could not bear
such glory in a man whom he believed no worthier
than liinifelf: He despised all the reft of the no
bility : The virtues, lervices, and honors of Ca
tnillus,alone excited his haughtiness and felf-luffi
ciency, and tortured his jealousy and pride : He
•was enraged to fee liim always at the head of af
fairs, and commanding armies. It is certain that
this pracftice of continuing Camillus always at the
head was inconsistent with the spirit of the con
ftitution,by which a rotation was eltablifhed, and
the consuls who had the command of armies could
remain in office but one year. But this is the na
ture of an ariftocratical aflembly as well as of a
democratical one: Some eminent spirit, alfifted
by three or four families connected with him,
gains an afcenclency, and excites an enthusiasm,
and then the spirit and letter too of the constitu
tion is made to give way to him. In the cafe be
fore 11s, when Camillus could not be consul, he
mult be military tribune ; and when he could not
be military tribune, he mult be dictator.
Manlius is charged with envy, and with vain
speeches. " Camillus could not have recovered
" Rome from the Garb if I had not laved the ca
" pitni and citadel." This was literally true;
but ariftocratical historians must brand the cha
racter of Manlius, in order to depress the people,
and extol and adoie that of Camillus, in order to
elevate the senate and, the nobles. But there js
no fo'id reason to believe thai Manlius envied
Camillus, more than Camillus and the Quintian
family were both envious and jealous of Manlius.
The house upon the capital was what the Quin
tian family could not bear.
The truth is, an ariftocratical despotism then
in Rome, and opprefied the people to a cruel
degree ; and one is tempted to fay, that Manlius
was a better man than Camillus or Cincinnatus,
though not so secret, designing, and profound a
politician, let the torrent of ariftocratical hiltory
and philofopliy roll as it will. There were two
parties, one of the nobles, and another of the peo
pie: Manlius, from superior humanity and equi
ty, embraced the weaker ; Camillus and the Quin
tii, from family pride, like that ofLycuigus, do
mineered over the llronger party, of which they
were in full polieffion. Manlius threw hiuifelf
hito the scale of the people ; he entered into close
intimacy and fti i<st union with tire tribunes ; he
spoke contcmptuouflyof the senate, and llattered
the multitude. " Jam aura, non confillio ferri,
" famscque magns malic quam bon2s efle," fays
the ariftocrate Livy. But let us examine his ac
tions, net receive implicitly the epithets of par-
tial liiftorians. —The Roman laws allowed exoi
bitant interest for the loan ot money : An insol
vent debtor, by the decree of the Judge, was put
into the hands ot his creditor as a ilave, and
might be scourged, pinched, or put to death, at
diicretion : The moit execrable arillocratical la'w
that ever exilled among men ; a law lb diabolical,
that an attempt to get rid ot it at almoftany rate
was a virtue. The city had been burnt, and every
man obliged to rebuild his lioufe. Not only the
poorefl citizen, but persons in middle lite, had
been obliged to contra<sl debts. Manlius, leeing
the rigour with which debts were exacted, felt
more commiseration than his peers for the peo
ple. Seeing a centurion, who had dillinguillied
himfclf by a great number of gallant adtions in
the field, adjudged as a (lave to his creditor, his
indignation as well as his compaflion were aroused;
he inveighed against the pride of the patricians,
cruelty of the usurers, deplored the mif'cry ot the
people, and expatiated on the merit of his brave
companion in war ; —furely no public oration was
ever better founded: lie paid the centurion's
debt, andfet him at liberty, with much oltenta
tion to be sure, and strong exprellions of vanity ;
but this was allowable by the cullom and manners
of the age. The centuriontoo displayed his own
merit and services, as well as his gratitude to his
deliverer. Manlius went further ; he caused the
principal part of his own patrimony to be fold,
"in order, Romans," said he, " that I may not
" fufler any of you, whilst I have any thing left,
" to be adjudged to your creditors, and made
"Haves." This, no doubt, made him very po
pular : But, in the warmth of his dernocratical
zeal, he had been transported upon fomeoccafion
to fay in his own house, that the Senators had con
cealed, or appropriated to their own life, the gold
intended for the ranfoin of the city from the
Gauls ; alluding, probably, to the fadt, for that
gold had been deposited under the pedestal ol
J upiter's statue. Manlius perhaps thought thai
this gold would be better employed to pay the
debts of the people. The senate recalled the dic
tator, who repaired to the forum, attendedjby all
the senators, ascended h's tribunal, and ordered
his lienor to cire Manlius before him. Manlius
advanced with the people; on one fide was the
senate with their clients, and Cainillus at theii
head; and on the other the people, headed b}
Manlius ; and each party ready for battle at the
word of command. And such a war will, l'oonei
or later, be kindled in every state, where the twe
parties of poor and rich, patricians and plebeians,
nobles and commons, senate and people, call their
by what names you will, have not a third powei
in an independent executive, to intervene, mode
rate, and balance them. The artful diiflator in
terrogated Manlius only on the story of the gold
Manlius was embarrafled j for the fuperflition o:
the people Would have approved of the apparem
piety of the senate in dedicating that treasure tc
Jupiter, though it was probably only policy tc
ftide it. He evaded the queltion, and descanted
011 the rrtifice of the senate, in making a w&r the
pretext for creating a dictator, while their real
delign was to employ that terrible authority againfl
him and the people. The dictator ordered Kim tc
prison. The people were deeply affeifted ; but
the authority was thought to be legal, and the
Romans had prcfcribed" bounds to' themselves,
through which they dare not break. The
rity of the dictator and senate held them in such
relpect, that neither the tribunes nor the people
ventured to raise their eyes or open their mouths,
fliey put on mourning, however, and let their
liair and beards grow, and surrounded the prison
with continual crowds, manifefling every fi<m 0 f
2;rief and affliction. They publicly said, that the
kdtator's triumph was over the people, not the
V ol fci, and that all that was wanting was to have
Manlius dragged before his chariot. Every thino
iifcovered fyinptonis of an immediate revolt.—
Here comes in atrait of arillocratical cunning a d
caprandum vulgus, much more gross than° anv
cliat had been praCtised bj Manlius. To foften
the people, the senate became generous all at
once, ordered a colony of two thousand citizens
to be sent out, assigning each of them two acres
and an halt of land. Though this was alaro-eis
it was confined to too small a number,
too moderate .to take off all Manlius's friends
flie artifice was perceived, and when the abdi
cation of the dicta tor fliipof Coilbs had removed
the fears of the people, and set their tongues at
liberty, it had small effedt in appealing the peo
ple who reproached one another with ingrati
tude to their defenders, for whom they exprefled
great zeal at firft, but always abandoned in time
ot danger; witness Caffius and Melius The
people paflcd whole nights round the prison, and
thi eatened to break down the gates. The femt-p
at liberty, to prevent the people from
(To be continued.)
ANECDOTE.
A Madhonfe in Germany bein<r comtiVstwl .
the jicliiua requested the Emperor to honor him so fuf as 1 "1'
at the parts of the ft, lure before th*7u£tlc,wSe"ad
muted ; this tne Imperial Joseph coast ntcd to «d whil-I
ln the house, fomc one chalked under th iSfrn!,™ ■ f'*"
The Hofpitat for Lunatic*,
A ' ESSAIi en FREE TRADE ar.i FINA\C"S
particularly shewing whatfuppltcs ofp-.flj, r ~"/;
nue fnay be drawn from Merchandise, without)"',
jitring our trade or burdening our people,
Continuedfrom our laji.
I. This mode of taxation may fafely be raife,l
to such a degree, as to produce all the money Zt
need Jor the public ferviee, or fufficiently near it ■
perhaps a fin all tax in the ordinary way would
be more beneficial to the States, than none be
cause this tax keeps the customary avennes from
the wealth of individuals, to the public u-ealurv
alway's open, which may be uf'ed on emergencies
and the habit and practice being fettled, would
avoid the difficulties naturally aiifing from no .
velty, or innovations. But to return to my ar
gument. 'Tis greatly in favor of this kind of
tax, that it will bring money enough for the pub
lic ferviee ; 'tis matter of great animation in the
pursuit of any object, to know that when accpm
pliflied, it will be adequate to itspurpofes. Fe».
pie all want to fee the end of things, and to
know when they are to have done : This will
naturally produce much stronger efforts, vigor
and cheerfulnefs, than if the thing when accom,
pliihed, would be but half adequate to its pur
poses.
11. This mode of taxation, applies for mncj
where 'tis to be had in grcate-fl plenty, and can he pail
with snofl ease and leaf} pai>i. If we apply to the
farmer, tradefinan or labourer for cafli, they
have mighty little of it, and 'tis hard for them
to raise the neceHary sum ; but 'tis matter of com
mon course with the merchant, through whofc
hands the great current of circulating cajh pajfes ■, he
will consider the tax as part of the ifirft coll of
his goods, and set his price and fell accordingly:
It matters little to him, whether he payshalfthe
coftofhis goods abroad, and the other half at
home, or whether he pays it all abroad, his ob
ject is to get the whole out of his sales, with as
much profit to liimfelf as he can.
111. This mode lays the burden of tax on that
kind of consumption, which is excessive and hurtjtd,
and lejfens that consumption, and of course menis the
trcon'.uiy, and increases the induflry and health if the
people. For'tis plain, that no more money will
be paid for the goods taxed, than would have
been paid for the fame kind of goods, had they
not been taxed : The difference is, the fame mo
ney paid for the taxed goods, will not buy foma
ny of them as before the tax; because the tax will
raise the price of them ; and when the consump
tion or use of such goods is excelT-e and hurtful,
this leflening of it is a benefit, though the fame
money is paid for them as before, for the fame
reason that 'tis better for a man that happens to
be at a tavern with excessive drinkers to pay his
whole share of the reconning but drink less than
his share of the liquors, and go htm: sober, than
to pay the fame reckoning, drink his full fhjre
of the liquors, and go home drunk< 'Tis always
better for a man to buy poison and not use it,
than to buy the fame poison and use it; in the
one cafe he loses nothing but his money, in the
other cafe he loses his money and health too.
For the fame reason 'tis better for a reaper to
drink half a pint of rum in a day, than to re»p
for the fame wages and drink a quart of rum.
This reasoning will hold in its proper degree,
with refpetft to every kind of consumption, which
is excessive and hurtful.
(To be continued.
NATIONAL MONITOR.-—No. VHIT"
" A disposition to complain, creates cause of complaint."
1 ROM the earheji periods of hifiory, mankind have been as tenacms
J the right to criminate or find fault, as if their happiness was tiff
bar ably connected with tt—whereas nothing is perhaps r.ore certain,
than that those nils of which they complain the loudefi, often cm
their exijler.ee to a fpmt of repining.
7he world has kept its ufuai course from age to age, " feed time and
harvejl, day and night, summer and winter, have not ceafed"—*axd then
" i/'l r < a fon to juppofe, that the order oj the natural world,
will he continued, until the final consummation of all things. —To con
p Jin then oj providence, that its arrangements do notfuit our particular
conventency, u impious, is absurd.
I he jate tj mankind we may very fairly conclude, has not receivedt
melioration oj its condition from thefpirit as complaint—and the moral
world owes vety little of its improvement in virtue and benevolence,»
that temper oj mind which leads us to rail againjl the tines.
<>r is the political world any more indebted to this ungratefulpropenj
ty. 7he circumflances of a free country are often brought to a very cri
tical ft tuetion, through the injurious exercise of this right to crimnaU
the conduEl of public cfficcrs. —Perhaps no people upon earth have mart
creative imaginations, are more jealous, and impatient, than the citizen*
of America.— Jealousy has been denominated a political virtue—but
Sue jealousy of fame perjoas is, by its ejfetls, a mean, pitifulfufptciin—
derogatory to the dignity of human nature—and difpifed by every inde
pendent mind which is made the fubjeEl of its attack. —If otir Mtcipt"
tions are beyond the probability oj nature, the conference aiillbe dif'i >•
pomtmert—in such cafe, crimination should begin at home. —Wemaybt
impatient in waiting to realize our cxpeflations ; but this impatience
will add to our chagrin when the moment arrives of a total defeat to our
unreasonable desires.
U fi'% ex P a great deal of gratification from any thin}
dsno mm is so perfectly majler of his own measures, as to be able to
provide jor every contingence, so disappointments withrefpeH to theJ"'-
C( J S °f those under the direction of our civil rulers, should be ficbm'tti
to without complaint, when there appears to be anhorefy of princip c.
It maybe ajjerted with confidence, that an intemperate indulgence to*
Jptrit of complaint, with refpeti to our civil rulers, will produce' fjt
very evils which we fear,by difcouragingthe wife, the virtuous, and'' -
pendent from taking any part at public hje—This will open the tua\forJ" r p
as have no charatlerto lose: Who,white they plunder,abufe and opprifi
people,will alike contemn their complaints, and their J
Publi/hedby~JOHN FENNO, No. 9, TSaTpen -
Laws, near the Ofwe§o-Murke(, Nsw-Yy&K.—*"■!