Page:John Adams - A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Vol. I. (1787).djvu/142

104 being humoured, and a lover atisfied by mall compliances without further puruits, then expect popular aemblies to be content with mall conceions. If there could one ingle example be brought from the whole compas of hitory, of any one popular aembly who, after beginning to contend for power, ever at down quietly with a certain hare; or of one that ever knew, or propoed, or declared, what hare of power was their due, then might there be ome hopes, that it was a matter to be adjuted by reaonings, conferences, or debates. An uurping populace is its own dupe, a mere under-worker, and a purchaer in trut for ome ingle tyrant, whoe tate and power they advance to their own ruin, with as blind an intinct, as thoe worms that die with weaving magnificent habits for beings of a uperior order. The people are more dextrous at pulling down and etting up, than at preerving what is fixed; and they are not fonder of eizing more than their own, than they are of delivering it up again to the wort bidder, with their own into the bargain. Their earthly devotion is eldom paid to above one at a time, of their own creation, whoe oar they pull with les murmuring and more kill, than when they hare the leading, or even hold the helm.

You will perceive by the tyle, that it is Dr. Swift that has been peaking; otherwie you might have been deceived, and imagined that I was entertaining you with further reflections upon the hort account previouly given you in thee letters, of the modern republics. There is not an obervation here that is not jutified by the hitory of every government we have conidered. How much more maturely had this writer weighed the ubject, than Mr. Turgot—Perhaps there