to it, I think the chief are thofe that affect the confular power, which had only the ornaments without the force of the regal authority. Their number had not a casting voice in it; for which reafon, if one did not chance to be employed abroad, while the other fat at home, the public business was fometimes at a ftand, while the confuls pulled two different ways in it. Befides, I do not find that the confuls had ever a negative voice in the paffing of a law, or decree of fenate, fo that indeed they were rather the chief body of the nobility, or the firft minifters of ftate, than a distinct branch of the fovereignty, in which none can be looked upon as a part, who are not a part of the legislature. Had the confuls been invested with the regal authority to as great a degree as our monarchs, there would never have been any occafions for a dictatorfhip, which had in it the power of all the three orders, and ended in the fubverfion of the whole conftitution. Such an history as that of Suetonius, which gives us a fucceffion of abfolute princes, is to me an unanswerable argument against defpotic power. Where the prince is a man of wisdom and virtue, it is indeed happy for his people that he is abfolute; but fince in the common run of mankind, for one that is wife and good you find ten of a contrary character, it is very dangerous for a nation to ftand to its chance, or to have its public happiness or mifery depend on the virtues or vices of a fingle perfon. Look into the history I have mentioned, or into any feries of abfolute princes, how many tyrants muft you read through, before you come to an emperor that is fupportable. But this is not all; an honeft private man often grows cruel and abandoned, when converted into an abfolute prince. Give a man power of doing what he pleases with impunity, you extinguish his fear, and confequently overturn in him one of the great pillars of morality. This too we find confirmed by matter of fact. How many hopeful heirs apparent to grand empires, when in the poffeffion of them, have become fuch monsters of luft and cruelty as are a reproach to human nature. Some tell us we ought to make our governments on earth like that in heaven, which, fay they, is altogether monarchical and unlimited. Was man like his Creator in goodness and justice, I should be for following this great G 2 mode model; but where goodness and juftice are not effential to the ruler, I would by no means put myself into his hands to be difpofed of according to his particular will and pleasure. It is odd to confider the connexion between defpotic government and barbarity, and how the making of one perfon more than man, makes the reft lefs. About nine parts of the world in ten are in the loweft ftate of flavery, and confequently funk in the moft grofs and brutal ignorance. European flavery is indeed a ftate of liberty, if compared with that which prevails in the other three divifions of the world; and therefore it is no wonder that thofe who grovel under it have many tracks of light among them, of which the others are wholly deftitute. Riches and plenty are the natural fruits of liberty, and where these abound, learning and all the liberal arts will immediately lift up their heads and flourish. As a man muft have no flavish fears and apprehenfions hanging upon his mind, who will indulge the flights of fancy or fpeculation, and push his researches into all the abftrufe corners of truth, fo it is neceffary for him to have about him a competency of all the conveniencies of life. The first thing every one looks after, is to provide himfelf with neceffaries. This point will ingrofs our thoughts until it be fatisfied. If this is taken care of to our hands, we look out for pleasures and amufements; and among a great number of idle people, there will be many whose pleasures will lie in reading and contemplation. Thefe are the two great fources of knowledge, and as men grow wife they naturally love to communicate their discoveries; and others feeing the happiness of fuch a learned life, and improving by their converfation, emulate, imitate, and furpafs one another, until a nation is filled with races of wife and understanding perfons. Eafe and plenty are therefore the great cherishers of knowledge: and as most of the defpotic governments of the world have neither of them, they are naturally over-run with ignorance and barbarity. In Europe, indeed, notwithstanding feveral of its princes are abfolute, there are men famous for knowledge and learning; but the reafon is because the fubjects are many of them rich and wealthy, the prince not thinking fit to exert himself in his full tyranny like the princes of the eastern nations, left his fubjects fhould be invited to new-mould their conftitution, having fo many profpects of liberty within their view. But in all defpotic governments, though a particular prince may favour arts and letters, there is a natural degeneracy of mankind, as you may obferve from Auguftus's reign, how the Romans loft them felves by degrees until they fell to an equality with the most barbarous nations that furrounded them. Look upon Greece under its free ftates, and your would think its inhabitants lived in different climates, and under different heavens, from thofe at prefent; so different are the geniufes which are formed under Turkish flavery, and Grecian liberty. Befides poverty and want, there are other reafons that debafe the minds of men, who live under flavery, though I look on this as the principal. This natural tendency of defpotic power to ignorance and barbarity, though not infifted upon by others, is, I think, an unanswerable argument against that form of government, as it fhews how repugnant it is to the good of mankind, and the perfection of human nature, which ought to be the great ends of all civil inftitutions. L N° 288 Wednesday, January 30. Pavor eft utrique moleftus. Hor. Ep. 6. 1. 1. ver. 10. Mr. Spectator, W HEN you spoke of the jilts and coquettes, you then promised to be very impartial, and not to fpare even your own fex, fhould any of their fecret or open faults come under your cognizance ; which has given me encouragement to describe a certain fpecies of mankind under the denomination of male jilts. They are gentlemen who do not defign to marry, yet, that they may appear to have fome sense of gallantry, think they must pay their devoirs to one particular fair; in order to which they fingle out from amongst the herd of females her to whom they defign, to make their fruitless addreffes. This done, they firft take every opportunity of being in her company, and ⚫ then never fail upon all occafions to be particular to her, laying themfelves at her feet, protesting the reality of their paffion with a thousand oaths, foliciting a return, and faying as many fine things as their stock of wit will allow; and if they are not deficient that way, generally fpeak fo as to admit of a double interpretation; which the credulous fair is too apt to turn to. her own advantage, fince it frequently happens to be a raw, innocent, young creature, who thinks all the world as fincere as herfelf, and fo her unwary heart, becomes an eafy prey to thofe deceitful monfters, who no fooner perceive it, but immediately they grow cool,. • and fhun her whom they before feemed fo much to admire, and proceed to act the fame common-place villainy towards another. A coxcomb fufhed with many of thefe infamous victories fhall fay he is forry for the poor fools, proteft and vow he never thought of matrimony, and wonder talking civilly can be fo ftrangely mif• interpreted: interpreted. Now, Mr. Spectator, you that are a profeffed friend to love, will, I hope, obferve upon those who abuse that noble paffion, and raise it in innocent minds by a deceitful affectation of it, after which they defert the enamoured. Pray beftow a little of your counfel to thofe fond believing females who already have or are in danger of broken hearts ; in which you will oblige a great part of this town, but in a particular manner, Sir, your (yet heart-whole) admirer, • Melainia.' Melainia's complaint is occafioned by fo general a fol ly, that it is wonderful one could fo long overlook it. But this falfe gallantry proceeds from an impotence of mind, which makes thofe who are guilty of it incapable of purfuing what they themselves approve. Many a man wifhes a woman his wife whom he dare not take for fuch. Though no one has power over his inclinations or fortunes, he is a flave to common fame. For this reafon I think Melainia gives them too foft a name in that of male coquets. I know not why irrefolution of mind fhould not be more contemptible than impotence of body; and thefe frivolous admirers would be but tenderly ufed, in being only included in the fame term with the infufficient another way. They whom my correfpondent calls male coquets, fhould hereafter be called fribblers. A fribbler is one who profeffes rapture and admiration for the woman to whom he addreffes, and dreads nothing fo much as her confent. His heart can flutter by the force of imagination, but cannot fix from the force of judgment. It is not uncommon for the parents of young women of moderate fortune to wink at the addreffes of fribblers, and expofe their children to the ambiguous behaviour which Melainia complains of, until by the fondnefs to one they are to lofe, they be come incapable of love towards others, and by confequence in their future marriage lead a joylefs or a miferable life. As therefore I fhall in the fpeculations which regard love be as fevere as I ought on jilts and libertine. G 4 |