Page:John Adams - A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Vol. I. (1787).djvu/199

Rh him a better calling, and produces the mot innocent and teady genius of a commonwealth.

Oceana, p. 37.—Dometic empire is founded upon dominion, and dominion is property, real or peronal; that is to ay, in lands, or in money and goods. Lands, or the parcels of a territory, are held by the proprietor or proprietors of it, in ome proportion; and uch (except it be in a city that has little or no land, and whoe revenue is in trade) as is the proportion or balance of dominion or property in land, uch is the nature of the empire. If one man be ole landlord of a territory, or over-balance the people—for example, three parts in four—he is grand eignior: for o the Turk, is called from his property; and his empire is abolute monarchy. If the few, as a nobility and clergy, be landlords, or overbalance the people to the like proportion, it makes the Gothic balance, and the empire is mixed monarchy, as that of Spain, Poland, and once of England: and if the whole people be landlords, or hold the lands o divided among them, that no one man, or number of men, within the compas of the few, or aritocracy, over-balance them, the empire is a commonwealth.

If force be interpoed in any of thee three caes, it mut either frame the government to the foundation, or the foundation to the government; or, holding the government not according to the balance, in is not natural, but violent: and therefore if it be at the devotion of a prince, it is tyranny; if at the devotion of the few, oligarchy; or if in the power of the people, anarchy. Each of which confuions, the balance tanding otherwie, is but of hort continuance, bccaue againt the nature of the balance; which not detroyed, detroys that which oppoes it. Here