164 ON THE BRITISH CONSTITUTION. 0£l. 12, 



fupreme executive ofEcer be wanted ; and on thefe oc- 

 cafions the moft popular perfon will be called upon, 

 without any particular form or ceremony, to dilcharge 

 that particular duty; nor will it be underftood, either 

 by himfelf or the community at large, that he is to in- 

 term.eddle in any other affair. If he does this in a man- 

 ner that is generally approved, he will naturally be cal- 

 led upon on any future emergency of a fimilar nature 

 •while he lives. During this Itage of fociety, influence 

 is merely perfonal ; nor have men as yet acquired any 

 idea of hereditary influence. No regulations, there- 

 fore, can as yet be made with a reference to this un- 

 known order of things. Power has hitherto been al- 

 ways voluntarily conferred ; no idea has yet taken place 

 that an attempt could be made to extend that power 

 farther than was intended ; fo that no regulation can 

 have been adopted to guard againft this evil. The 

 people hitherto have met together by a fort of unani- 

 mous accord, when extraordinary emergencies called 

 ior it ; nor have they as yet thought of any fpccial re- 

 gulations that fhould be adopted refpe£ting this parti- 

 cular. 



By degrees, however, this order of things muft be 

 altered. A man who has been often exalted to the fu- 

 preme command comes to be confidered as enjoying it 

 for life ; and as the fociety encreafes, and public af- 

 fairs become more numerous, it at length becomes ne- 

 ceflary to have a perfon inveftcd with a permanent au- 

 thority to watch over thefe affairs. And as it would be 

 inconvenient to be calling a national affembly to delibe- 

 rate on every particular airair, this permanent execu- 

 tive ofEcer is enttufted with certain difcrctionary pow- 

 ers to aft from his own authority. Thefe, at the firfl:, 

 will feldom be abufed ; nor will any provifion be made 

 to guard againft thefe abufes. Every individual refts 

 fatisfied with the idea that the olEcer may be turned 

 entirely out of place whenever his condudl becomes 

 difagrecable : and no provifion is yet thought cf to 



