Page:John Adams - A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Vol. I. (1787).djvu/216

178 tendency of each of the imple forms to degenerate; even democracy, in which it is an etablihed cutom to worhip the gods, honour their parents, repect the elders, and obey the laws, has a trong tendency to change into a government where the multitude have a power of doing whatever they deire, and where inolence and contempt of parents, elders, gods, and laws, oon ucceed.

From whence do governments originally pring? From the weaknes of men, and the conequent neceity to aociate, and he who excels in trength and courage, gains the command and authority over the ret; as among inferior animals, who are not influenced by opinion, the tronget are, by common conent, allowed to be mailers. This is monarchy. But when the nation, by living together, acquires ome tincture of honour and jutice, gratitude, duty, and their oppoites, and the monarch countenances thee moral qualities, and treats every one according to his merit, they are no longer afraid of violence, but ubmit to him, and unite in upporting his government, although he may again become weak and advanced in years. By this means a monarch inenibly becomes a king, that is, when the power is transferred from courage and trength to reaon. This is the origin of true kingly government, for the people preerve the command, not only to them, but to their decendants, being peruaded, that thoe who have received their birth and education from uch men will reemble them in their principles. But if they are diatisfied with their decendants, they then chooe magitrates and kings, with regard only to uperior ene and reaon, and not to trength and courage; having by experience been convinced of the difference between them. Thoe who were once choen and inveted with the royal dignity,