Page:John Adams - A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Vol. I. (1787).djvu/113

Rh all others denominated feudal, was in theory, and pretenion, abolute. The barons too, in this country as in all others, were very often impatient under uch retraint. When the prince was an able tateman and warrior, he was able to preerve order; but when he was weak and indolent, it was very common for two or three barons in conjunction to make war upon him; and ometimes it happened that all together leagued againt him at once. In every feudal country, where the people had not the ene and pirit to make themelves of importance, the barons became an aritocracy, inceantly encroaching upon the crown, and, under pretence of limiting its authority, took away from it one prerogative after another, until it was reduced down to a mere doge of Venice, or avoyer of Berne; until the kings, by incorporating cities and granting privileges to the people, et them up againt the nobles, and obtained by their means tanding armies, ufficient to controul both nobles and commons.

The monarchy of Poland, nearly abolute, funk in the coure of a few centuries, without any violent convulion, into an aritocracy.

It came to be diputed whether the monarchy was hereditary or elective, and whether its authority was overeign or limited. The firt quetion is reolved, by uppoing that the crown continued always in the ame family, although, upon the death of a king, his ucceor was recognized in an aembly of the nobles. The econd, may be anwered by uppoing, that when the king was active and capable, he did as he pleaed; but when he was weak, he was dictated to by a licentious nobility. Caimir the Great retrenched the authority of the principal barons, and granted immunities to the leer nobility and gentry;