HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



7i 



ance. A monarchy therefore, if 

 limited, is more favourable than a 

 democratic goverment to the in- 

 terests of humanity, in as much as 

 it lays the rulers of kingdoms un- 

 der a necessity to put an end to 

 wars when they become a greater 

 burthen than can be borne by the 

 exhausted people. 



The rulers of a great nation, sub- 

 jected to the principles of demo- 

 cracy, arc not restrained in the ex- 

 ercise of power by any opposition, 

 nor by any responsibility. They 

 dispose of tlie property as well as 

 the lives of the people, at pleasure. 

 Public misfortunes and calamities 

 which weaken the hands of royal 

 administrations, strengthen those 

 of democratical governments. It 

 is no ditScult matter to persuade 

 the poor and numerous classes of 

 society, tL-J-t they are fighting in 

 their own cause, as long as tliey can 

 persuade them that it is necessary, 

 by a contest in arms with foreign 

 powers, to maintain the national 

 independ.nce. When once a peo- 

 ple are fidly persuaded that this is 

 really the case, their e.Torts in the 

 prosecution of whatever they may 

 think concerns tlieir safety, their 

 welr'ire, or their iioiinar, are be- 

 yond the reach of ordinary cilcu- 

 cuiation : fiora whence a very ob- 

 vious corollary is to be drawn, 

 wiiich lias no doubt l):'fn duly con- 

 sidered by the sovereign priuces 

 and statesmen of the present 

 times. 



There is no nation that has ever 

 verified the truth of these obser- 

 vations 60 conspicuously as the 

 French. Placed in the centre of 

 Europe, and exposed to the resent- 

 ment of the formidable potentates, 

 whom their conduct had so griev- 

 ously oft'eudcd, they found them- 



selves in the most critical of all 

 dilemmas. Their only alternative 

 was,submission to their enemies on 

 the terms which thes,; should please 

 to dictate, or a resistance which 

 they foresaw would require such 

 exertions as would almost undo 

 them. They magnanimously chose 

 the last. And though this deter- 

 mination has beeu attended with 

 events that make humanity slmd- 

 dcr, yet candour will extort the 

 confession, that in such difficulties 

 and perplexities as they were cort- 

 slantly surrounded with on every 

 side, withpotenteuemies assaulting 

 them from abroad, and the most 

 rancorous and restless party inces- 

 santly conspiring against them at 

 home, they had no choice but of 

 inflicting death upon those, or of 

 suffering death themselves , and of 

 conquering their foreign foes, or 

 of resigning their freedom and 

 lives to their discretion. Such a 

 situation necessarily called forth 

 every ability I hey possessed. Their 

 courage, their capacity, their re- 

 st)urces, were stretched to the ut- 

 most. This was not efTacted by 

 the mere power of government ; 

 it was not the work of admlnistra- 

 ti.jn ; it was the deed of t':e nation 

 itself. No other agent could have 

 performed what was done : the 

 universal mind co-operated as a 

 single one : no labour, no hardship, 

 no misery, was refused ; in these 

 every man partook, as they also 

 did in t!'.e triumphs produced by 

 the activity, tlic patience, tlie suf- 

 l<?rings; which, by being endured in 

 comuK-n, and evidently for the 

 sake of aii, were the more cheer- 

 fully borne by every one in parti- 

 cu'ar. 



In order to produce these vast ex- 

 ertions. It is by no means necessary 

 F -t that 



