14 On the ORIGIN and STRUCTURE of 



find this fpecies of arrangement, not only in all countries where 

 the Germans eftablifhed themfelves, but among the Ifraelites, 

 as appears from the Mofaic inftitutions ; among the Tartar na- 

 tions, as far back as their hiftory reaches ; among the ancient 

 Hates of Greece * and Italy ; and the Roman legion itfelf feems 

 to have derived from the fame fource its original form f. 



IT is natural to fuppofe, that, when a confederacy of neigh- 

 bouring pagi had long fubfifted, a feeling of fomewhat of na- 

 tional union will be apt to arife. The common leader, occa- 

 fionally chofen for a war, will be fo often elected, as at laft to 

 retain his powers for life. He will therefore become a king, 

 like the chief of apagus, and will be a princeps regionis, with fe- 

 veral principes pagorum, in fuch a fubordination to him as the 

 chiefs of vici, or of primary tribes, were originally to the 

 chiefs of pagi. Thefe combined pagi again may become the 

 allies of a great and lefs confolidated confederacy. Thus TA- 

 CITUS defcribes particularly the great confederacy of the Suevi; 

 and he enumerates above thirty of the nations belonging to it. 

 C.ESAR fays $, That each pagus or nation belonging to this confe- 

 deracy fent forth i ooo men to war every fummer j by which 

 means, as it confifted of an hundred pagi, an allied army of 

 100,000 men was annually formed. But TACITUS again men- 

 tions, that, in one fingle nation of the Suevi, viz. the Semnones, 

 there were an hundred pagi. It appears, therefore, that the 



Semnones 



* HOMER (peaks of decurix as known ; 



IIoAAai Kit fraca^if Sivwetlt oivc^oio. II. lib. 11. V. 128. 



And he attributes to NESTOR, the inftitution of the Greeks fighting by tribes and curiae ; 



'ftf <pji1j>! tp^ntfrifif a-fiyy Qv\ 2i ipt/Xois' II. lib. ii. v. 362. 



f IT is ^remarkable, that the nature, univerfality and antiquity of this inftitution fhould 

 have efcaped Prefident MONTESQUIEU'S obfervation. He attributes it to the Merovingian 

 .princes, CLOTAIS.E and CHILPERJC, and fays, it was introduced into both France and 

 England, in order that each diftril ftiould anfwer for any robberies committed in it. 

 Efprit des Loix, lib. 30. c. 17. Dr STDART has entertained more juft notions of it. Dif- 

 fertation on the Englifli conftitution. Note, p. 231. 



J De Bello Gall. lib. 4. cap. i. 



