Page:John Adams - A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Vol. I. (1787).djvu/218

180 their infancy in the plendor of the power and dignities of their parents, ome giving themelves up to avarice, others to intemperance, and others to the abue of women, by this behaviour changed the aritocracy into an oligarchy.

Their catatrophe became the ame with that of the tyrants; for if any peron, oberving the general envy and hatred which thee rulers have incurred, has the courage to ay or do any thing againt them, he finds the whole body of the people inpired with the ame paions they were before poeed with againt the tyrant, and ready to ait him. Thereupon they put ome of them to death, and banih others; but dare not, after that, appoint a king to govern them, being till afraid of the injutice of the firt; neither dare they entrut the government with any number of men, having till before their eyes the errors which thoe had before committed: o that having no hope, but in themelves, they convert the government from an oligarchy to a democracy, and take upon themelves the care and charge of public affairs.

And as long as any are living, who felt the power and dominion of the few, they acquiece under the preent etablihment, and look upon equality and liberty as the greatet of bleings. But when a new race of men grows up, thee, no longer regarding equality and liberty, from being accutomed to them, aim at a greater hare of power than the ret, particularly thoe of the greatet fortunes, who, grown now ambitious, and being unable to obtain the power they aim at by their own merit, diipate their wealth, by alluring and corrupting the people by every method; and when, to erve their wild ambition, they have once taught them to receive bribes and entertainments, from that moment the democracy is at an end,