Page:John Adams - A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Vol. I. (1787).djvu/229

Rh their rulers, their military will abtain from agriculture and mechanic arts; they will have common meals, gymnatic exercies, and contets of war, as in the former republic; but they will be afraid to bring wie men into the magitracy, becaue they have no longer any uch as are truly imple and inflexible, but uch as are of a mixed kind, more forward and rough, more fitted by their natural genius for war than peace, eteeming tricks and tratagems; uch as thee hall deire wealth, and hoard up gold and ilver, as thoe who live in oligarchies. While they pare their own, they will love to quander the ubtance of others upon their pleaures: They will fly from the law, as children from a father, who have been educated not by peruaion but by force. Such a republic, mixed of good and ill, will be mot remarkable for the prevalence of the contentious and ambitious pirit.

What now hall the man be, correpondent to this republic? He will be arrogant and rough towards inferiors; mild towards equals, but extremely ubmiive to governors; fond of dignity and the magitracy, but thinking that political management, and military performances, not eloquence, nor any uch thing, hould entitle him to them: while young he may depie money, but the older he grows the more he will value it, becaue he is of the covetous temper, and not incerely affected to virtue and reaon. Such an ambitious youth reembles uch a city, and is formed omehow in this manner:—His father, a worthy man, in an ill-regulated city, huns honours, and magitracies, and law-uits, and all public buines, that, as he can do no good, he may have no trouble. The on hears his mother venting her indignation, and complaining that he