Page:John Adams - A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Vol. I. (1787).djvu/67

Rh there is no fear of invaion, and they have no conquets to make, their policy conits in maintaining their independence, and preerving the public tranquillity. As the end of government is the greatet happines of the greatet number, aving at the ame time the tipulated rights of all, governments like thee, where a large hare of power is preerved by the people, deerve to be admired and imitated. It is in uch governments that human nature appears in its dignity, honet, brave, and generous.

Some writers are of opinion, that Switzerland was originally peopled by a colony of Greeks. The fame greatnes of oul, the ame pirit of independence, the ame love of their country, has animated both the ancients and the moderns, to that determined heroim which prefers death to lavery. Their hitory is full of examples of victories obtained by mall numbers of men over large armies. In 1388 the Autrians made an irruption into their territory, with an army of fifteen thoufand men; but, intead of conquering the country as they expected, in attacking about four hundred men poted on the mountains at Næfel, they were broken by the tones rolled upon them from the ummit: the Swis, at this critical moment, ruhed down upon them with uch fury, as forced them to retire with an immene los. Such will ever be the character of a people, who preerve o large a hare to themelves in their legilature, while they temper their contitution, at the ame time, with an executive power in a chief magitrate, and an aritocratical power in a wie enate.

The government here is by no means entirely democratical. It is true, that the overeign is the whole country, and the overeignty reides in the