Page:John Adams - A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Vol. I. (1787).djvu/188

150 princes, nobility, and cities have their places in peron, or by their deputies. All the northern nations which, upon the diolution of the Roman empire, poeed the bet provinces that had compoed it, were under that form, which is uually called the Gothick polity. They had king, lords, commons, diets, aemblies of etates, cortes, and parliaments, in which the overeign powers of thoe nations did reide, and by which they were exercied. The like was practiced in Hungary, Bohemia, Sweden, Denmark, Poland: and, if things are changed in ome of thoe places within thee few years, they mut give better proofs of having gained by the change, than are yet een in the world, before I think myelf obliged to change my opinion.

Some nations, not liking the name of king, have given uch a power as kings enjoyed in other places to one or more magitrates, either limited to a certain time, or left to be perpetual, as bet pleaed themelves: others, approving the name, made the dignity purely elective. Some have in their elections principally regarded one family as long as it lated: others conidered nothing but the fitnes of the peron, and reerved to themelves a liberty of taking where they pleaed. Some have permitted the crown to be hereditary as to its ordinary coure; but retrained the power, and intituted officers to inpect the proceedings of kings, and to take care that the laws were not violated. Of this fort were the Ephori of Sparta, the Maires du Palais, and afterwards the contable of France, the juticiar in Arragon, the reichshofmeeter in Denmark, the high teward in England; and in all places, uch aemblies as are beforementioned under everal names, who had the power of the whole nation, &c. Sidney,