Page:John Adams - A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Vol. I. (1787).djvu/198

160 ubject, without having well weighed it. Mr. Turgot, it is plain, had not the leat idea of it.

"Tillage," ays Harrington, "bringing up a good oldiery, brings up a good commonwealth: for where the owner of the plow comes to have the word too, he will ue it in defence of his own. Whence it has happened, that the people of England, in proportion to their property, have been always free, and the genius of this nation has ever had ome reemblance with that of ancient Italy, which was wholly addicted to commonwealths, and where Rome came to make the greatet account of her rutic tribes, and to call her conuls from the plow: for in the way of parliaments, which was the government of this realm, men of country lives have been till intruted with the greatet affairs, and the people have contantly had an averion to the ways of the court. Ambition loving to be gay and to fawn, has been a gallantry looked upon as having omething in it of the livery; and hubandry, or the country way of life, though of a groer pinning, as the bet tuff of a commonwealth, according to Aritotle; uch a one, being the mot obtinate aertres of her liberty, and the leat ubject to innovation or turbulency. Commonwealths, upon which the city life has had the greatet influence, as Athens, have eldom or never been quiet: but at bet are found to have injured their own buines by over-doing it. Whence the Urban tribes of Rome, coniting of the turba forenis and libertinus, that had received their freedom by manumiion, were of no reputation in comparion of the rutics. A commonwealth, coniting but of one city, would doubtles be tormy, in regard that ambition would be every man's trade: but where it conits of a country, the plow in the hands of the owner finds him