Page:John Adams - A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Vol. I. (1787).djvu/149

Rh public. Will any man pretend that the name of Andros, and that of Winthrop, are heard with the ame enations in any village of New England? Is not gratitude the entiment that attends the latter, and digut the feeling excited by the former? In the Maachuett's then, there are perons decended from ome of their ancient governors, counellors, judges, whoe fathers, grandfathers, and great grandfathers, are remembered with eteem by many living, and who are mentioned in hitory with applaue, as benefactors to the country, while there are others who have no uch advantage. May we go a tep farther—Know thyelf, is as ueful a precept to nations as to men. Go into every village in New England, and you will find that the office of jutice of the peace, and even the place of repreentative, which has ever depended only on the freeet election of the people, have generally decended from generation to generation, in three or four families at mot. The preent ubject is one of thoe which all men repect, and all men deride. It may be aid of this part of our nature, as Pope aid of the whole:

Of human nature, wit her wort may write,

We all revere it, in our own depight.

If, as Harrington ays, the ten commandments, were voted by the people of Irael, and have been enacted as laws by all other nations; and if we hould preume to ay, that nations had a civil right to repeal them, no nation would think proper to repeal the fifth, which enjoins honour to parents: if there is a difference between right and wrong; if any thing can be acred; if there