18 On Party-Prejudice, 
then the danger arising from party-prejudice be- 
comes truly alarming. It is probable, that Tiberius 
Gracchus was, at first, influenced by a patriotic de- 
sire of maintaining an equipoise between the demo- 
cratical and aristocratical branches of the state. 
Actuated by the same motive, many moderate mem- 
bers of the aristocracy joined his party. Legal and 
constitutional means of redress were for a while 
adopted. But these were too slow for the heated 
passions and encreasing ambition of Tiberius. He 
displayed the genuine character of an ambitious, 
popular, party-chief—Spurning at a moderate de- 
gree of success, and neglecting the salutary lessons of 
experience, he attempted to overleap, at one bound, 
the interval which separated him from the attainment 
of his object; and thus, by adopting summary and 
violent, instead of slow and moderate means, he risked 
the success of his enterprise. Happy would it have 
been for his country had the evil stopped here! 
But the demon of discord once let loose, the abet- 
tors of the rights of the people and their opponents 
equally assisted in staining their cause with crimes 
and factious outrage. For a recourse to party- 
violence for redress, upon a violation of the laws of 
justice and the constitution, having once been és- 
tablished, contributed to corrupt the morals of the’ 
people, and destroy that relish for rational liber- 
ty, which had ever distinguished the republic. It 
is easy to plunge into faction; but difficult to ré- 
7 
