Page:John Adams - A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Vol. I. (1787).djvu/205

Rh is equal, as Lacedemon or Venice. Where the nobility holds half the property, or about that proportion, and the people the other half, the hares of the land may be equal; but in regard the nobility have much among few, and the people little among many, the few will not be contented to have authority, which is all their proper hare in a commonwealth, but will be bringing the people under power, which is not their proper hare in a commonwealth; wherefore this commonwealth mut needs be unequal; and, except by altering the balance, as the Athenians did by the reciion of debts, or as the Romans went about to do, by an agrarian, it be brought to uch an equality, that the whole power be in the people, and there remain no more than authority in the nobility, there is no remedy, but the one, with perpetual feuds, will eat out the other, as the people did the nobility in Athens, and the nobility the people in Rome. Where the carcae is, there will be the eagles alo; where the riches are, there will be the power: o if a few be as rich as all the ret, a few will have as much power as all the ret; in which cae the commonwealth is unequal, and there can be no end of taving and tailing till it be brought to equality.

The etates, be they one, or two, or three, are uch, as was aid by virtue of the balance upon which the government mut naturally depend: exemplified in France, &c.

Page 256.—All government is of three kinds; a government of ervants, a government of ubjects, or a government of citizens. The firt is abolute monarchy, as that of Turky; the econd aritocratical monarchy, as that of France; the third