Page:John Adams - A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Vol. I. (1787).djvu/187

Rh found. But this no way obliges men to run into the other extreme, in as much as the variety of forms, between mere democracy and abolute monarchy, is almot infinite. And if I hould undertake to ay, there never was a good government in the world, that did not conit of the three imple pecies of monarchy, aritocracy, and democracy, I think I may make it good. This at the leat is certain, that the government of the Hebrews, intitutcd by God, had a judge, the great Sanhedrim, and general aemblies of the people. Sparta had two kings, a enate of twenty-eight choen men, and the like aemblies. All the Dorian cities had a chief magitrate, a enate, and occaional aemblies. The cities of Ionia, Athens and others, had an Archon, the Areopagitæ, &c. and all judgments concerning matters of the greatet importance, as well as the election of magitrates, were referred to the people. Rome, in the beginning, had a king and a enate, while the election of kings, and judgments upon appeals, remained in the people; afterwards, conuls repreenting kings, and veted with equal power, a more numerous enate, and more frequent meetings of the people. Venice has at this day, a duke, the enate of the pregadi, and the great aembly of the nobility, which is the whole city; the ret of the inhabitants being only incolæ, not cives; and thoe of the other cities or countries are their ubjects, and do not participate in the government.

Genoa is governed in like manner; Lucca not unlike to them. Germany is at this day governed by an emperor, the princes or great lords in their everal precincts; the cities by their own magitrates; and by general diets, in which the whole power of the nation reides, and where the ror,