Page:John Adams - A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Vol. I. (1787).djvu/209

Rh balanced the other.—This ytem preerved the Lacedemonians in liberty longer than any other people we have heard of ever enjoyed it.

All the three principal orders of government were found in the Roman commonwealth; everything was contituted and adminitered with that equality and propriety by thee three, that it was not poible, even for a Roman citizen, to aert poitively, whether the government, in the whole, was aritocratical, democratical, or monarchical. For when we cat our eyes on the power of the conuls, the government appeared entirely monarchical and kingly; when on that of the enate, aritocratical; and when any one conidered the power of the people, it appeared plainly democratical.

The conuls, when they are at Rome, and before they take the field, have the adminitration of all public affairs; for all other magitrates obey them, except the tribunes of the people: they introduce ambaadors into the enate they alo propoe to the enate thoe ubjects of debate that require immediate dipatch; and are olely entruted with the execution of the decrees: to them belongs the conideration of all public affairs of which the people have cognizance, whom they are to aemble upon all occaions, and lay before them the decrees of the enate, then purue the reolutions of the majority. They have almot an abolute power in every thing that relates either to the preparations of war, or to the conduct of it in the field; for they may give what orders they pleae to their allies, and appoint the tribunes; they may raie forces, and enlit thoe who are proper for the ervice: they alo have a power, when in the field, of punihing any who erve under them; and of expending as much as they pleae