MINISTRIES. 445 



state, reproved vice, and when there was no amendment, threatened 

 famine, plague, war, and the anger of the gods.&quot; 



Other places in ancient America Guatemala, Vera Paz, &c., 

 furnish kindred facts ; as do historic peoples from the earliest 

 times downwards. In ancient Egypt the king s advisers 

 mostly belonged to the priestly caste. Under the Eoman 

 emperors ecclesiastics became ministers and secret counsellors. 

 In mediaeval days Dominican and Franciscan monks held the 

 highest political offices. And in later times the connexion 

 was shown by the ministerial power of cardinals, or, as in 

 Eussia, of patriarchs. This acquisition of leading political 

 functions by functionaries of the church, has in some cases 

 special causes in addition to the general cause. A royal 

 chaplain (uniting the character of personal attendant with 

 that of priest) stands in a relation to the king which almost 

 necessitates acquisition of great influence. Moreover, being 

 fitted by culture for secretarial work, he falls naturally into 

 certain State-duties ; as he did into those of chancellor among 

 ourselves in early days. 



Eecognizing the fact that, at the outset, these adminis 

 trative agents, whatever further characters they have, are 

 usually also soldiers, and are included in the primitive consul 

 tative body, of which they become specialized parts, we may 

 say of them generally, that they are relatives, friends, attend 

 ants, priests, brought into close relations with the ruler, out 

 of whom he is obliged by stress of business to choose assist 

 ants ; and that at first vague and irregular, their appointments 

 and functions gradually acquire definiteness. 



505. Amid much that is too indefinite for generalization, 

 a few tolerably constant traits of ministers, and traits of 

 ministries, may be briefly indicated. 



That a trusted agent commonly acquires power over his 

 principal, is a fact everywhere observable. Even in a gen 

 tleman s household a head servant of long standing not 

 unfrequently gains such influence, that his master is in 



