Page:John Adams - A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Vol. I. (1787).djvu/121

Rh war, and the enate petitioned the ambaador from Peterburg, not to withdraw the Ruian troops. The royal troops, aided by the Ruians, whoe dicipline was uperior, were in favour of religious liberty. The Confederates, ecretly encouraged by Autria, aited by the Turks, and upplied with money and officers by the French, were able to protract hotilities from 1768 to 1772: during this period the attempt was made to aainate the king.

Count Pulaki, who was killed in the ervice of the United States, is aid to have planned an enterprize o much to his dihonour. No good caue ever was, or ever will be, erved by aaination; and this is happily, in the preent age, the univeral ene of mankind. If a Papal nuncio was found in Poland, capable of bleing the weapons of conpirators againt this tolerant king, he was a monter, whoe bloody bigotry the liberal pirit of the Pope himelf mut, at this enlightened period, abominate. The king did himelf immortal honour, by his interceion with the diet to remit the tortures and horrid cruelties decreed by the laws of mot kingdoms in Europe againt treaon, and by his moderation towards all the conpirators.

We are now arrived at the conummation of all panegyrics upon a overeignty in a ingle aembly—the Partition.

Pruia was formerly in a tate of vaalage to this republic; Ruia once aw its capital and throne poeed by the Poles; and Autria was indebted to John Sobieki, a overeign of this country, for compelling the Turks to raie the iege of Vienna, but a century ago. A republic o lately the protector of its neighbours, would not, without the mot palpable imperfections in the