DISCOURSE IV.

IN my three former discourses' I endeavoured to point out the advantages which would refult from the revival of the art of oratory' with relation to three different articles" The firft with regard to the improvement of human nature itfelf' in cultivating and displaying all the nòbler faculties of man" The fecond' with refpect to the benefits which would result from it to the fèmale part of our fpecies" And the laft' with regard to the general improvement of converfàtion' manners' and politeness ""' I shall now' take up the fubject in a higher tone' and endeavour to shew the absolute neceffity there is' for the revival of that art' to preserve the boasted confti

conftitution of Great Britain from ine`vitable deftruction' by reftoring to its due vigour the almost worn out principle' by which alòne it can be maintained for any length of time" I mean religion"" But as that is an article' which our fhort-fighted politicians have not' for many years' feemed to confider as at all effe`ntial to the flàte' an opinion which has been too fàtally propagated thro' the land' I fhall endeavour in the first place to prove that however religion may be confidered' in all o`ther fpecies of government' as only contributing to the we'llbeing of the state' yet in that of Great Britain alone it is effential to its very existence for any length of time"" And afterwards I fhall fhew how it may be resto`red to its due health and vigour' from the prefent deplorable state of weakness' to which it has been reduced among us

Every kind of government hath its nàture' its en`d" and its principle" Its nature' is its particular constitution or conftruction to anfwer fome end" its end' is that which is fought after by fu`ch conftitution" and its principle' confifts in the means used to co`mpafs that end ""' From this view it is evident that the principle is the most effe`ntial part" is the foul of government' which puts it into motion' which gives it life and action"" The best

conftitution in the world' and framed to the best end' without a principle' is nothing but a name" and without a rìght one must neceffarily be deftro`yed" for' if the principle be wro`ng' a different end will be pursued" from that which was the object of its inftitution "" It follows alfo that the principle fhould be fùited to the end' not only in its nature' but in its degrèe of power and strength" for fo far as it

falls

:

falls fhòrt of the end' fo far is the government weak and defective HI

The natural order of inquiry therefore will be' whether we have a principle" whether the principle be fùited to the nature of our government" and whether it be of fòrce enough to answer the end'''

All the different forms of government known in the world' may be reduced to threè fpecies" the republican' monàrchical' and defpo`tic" To thefe' the celebrated Montesquieu has annexed three different principles"" To the republican 'virtue" to the monàrchical' honour" and to the defpotic' fèar ''' In the first and last of these he has inconte fibly proved' that neither fpecies of government could po`ffibly subfift' but must change to fome o`ther form' upon any o`ther principles than thefe" But in what relates to the monàrchical' he has not fhewn that clearness and precision'

precifion' which are manifefted in the reft of his work" As he feems to have formed his idea of monarchy' entirely from tha't 'under which he was born' fo he has laid down rules in general for it' from the parti'cular practice of that state" He hath accurately diftinguished between the two republican forms' the Ariftocratic' and Democratic' and he has fhewn the different ma`nner' in which the principle of virtue is to operate in those different fòrms" nor was there lefs reason to diftinguish between the different forms of mo`narchy" the less limited' approaching to the defpo`tic" and the mòre limited' bordering upon the republican It will not require much penetration to discover' that fu`ch a monarchy as that of England' cannot fubfift upon his principle of honour" To convince an Englishman of this' there needs only to prefent him with part of the

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