to oppress the people under their dominion, They elected at this time, or soon after, a king of Africa, a king of Spain, a king of France, a king of Greece and Macedon, and a king of Asia Minor: that is, they elected pro-consuls for all these kingdoms, and also for Sicily, Syria, Egypt, and other smaller ones, and these officers had the same power as absolute kings in their provinces. If electing one king puts a whole nation in a ferment, producing the most shameful bribery and sanguinary violence, what must be expected when the inhabitants of one city have the disposal of so many mighty kingdoms; and where the candidates could gain their election by such sanguinary methods? AFTER this, it became more and more common, for parties to go to the assemblies armed, and if they could not carry their point by the number of votes, they murdered, or drove their opponents out of the forum, and then enacted a law, or elected a magistrate or general, very quietly; and these laws and elections were considered as valid, both by the senate and people. In this state of things, it became the interest of the powerful leaders, to take the direction of national affairs from the senate, where there were many who were jealous of and opposed their designs, and to bring these matters into the assemblies of the people, where their armed followers enabled them to dictate such schemes as suited their ambitious views. THUS the three regulations of the constitution, which appear to have been the principal causes of the virtue and prosperity of the Romans, were totally changed. THE enacting of laws, and the election of public officers, instead of being decided by a majority of the society, voting in a peaceable way, were decided by assemblies, composed of the armed followers of a few powerful men. And these tumultuous sanguinary assemblies, as sovereign, took upon them to direct the national business, which, by the constitution, had been wisely intrusted to the senate; by these means putting an end to order, and allowing savage force to rule. Hence, a few ambitious individuals either made the city a scene of tumult and massacre, by their struggles for power, or, by forming leagues among themselves, directed the public measures, and divided the offices, the armies, and provinces of the republic, amongst them. By this practice of determining laws and elections by force, which was introduced by the senate and rich men of Rome, the great offices became prizes to be fought for, and won by murder and assassination. As these prizes were greater, and more numerous than ever were contended for in any country, it produced a scene of violence and murder, unequalled in history. Such a system makes it absolutely necessary, not only for low individuals, but also for men of considerable power, to attach themselves to the great leaders, both for safety and for preferment; by which means, a few of the most powerful dictate to the inferior leaders, as tyrannically as they do to the lowest ranks, and take vengeance upon their opponents who are of the higher ranks, in a much more sanguinary manner than upon those who are of the lower, which was exemplified in a terrible manner, during the contests between Marius and Sylla, and afterwards during the time of the triumvirs, when thousands of the richest and most respectable men were murdered, and their estates confiscated. Nor was there any end to civil war and masacres, until the struggle for power ended in Despotism. Then the power of the rich was levelled with that of the mean |