374 POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS. 



wider governments into narrower wont to different extents ; 

 and naturally, too, re-establishments of wider governments or 

 extensions of narrower ones in some cases took place. But, 

 generally, the tendency under such conditions was to form 

 small independent groups, severally having the patriarchal 

 type of organization. Hence, then, the decay of such king 

 ships as are implied in the Iliad. As Grote writes &quot; When we 

 approach historical Greece, we find that (with the exception 

 of Sparta) the primitive, hereditary, unresponsible monarch, 

 uniting in himself all the functions of government, has ceased 

 to reign.&quot;* 



Let us now ask what will happen when a cluster of clang 

 of common descent, which have become independent and 

 hostile, are simultaneously endangered by enemies to whom 

 they are not at all akin, or but remotely akin ? Habitually 

 they will sink their differences arid cooperate for defence. But 

 on what terms will they cooperate ? Even among friendly 

 groups, joint action would be hindered if some claimed supre 

 macy ; and among groups having out-standing feuds there 

 could be no joint action save on a footing of equality. The 

 common defence would, therefore, be directed by a body 



* &quot;While I am writing, the just-issued third volume of Mr. Skene s Celtic 

 Scotland, supplies me with an illustration of the process above indicated. It 

 appears that the original Celtic tribes which formed the earldoms of Moray, 

 Buclian, Athol, Angus, Menteith, became broken up into clans ; and how 

 influential was the physical character of the country in producing this result, 

 we are shown by the fact that this change took place in the parts of them 

 which fell within the highland country. Describing the smaller groups 

 which resulted, Mr. Skene says: &quot;While the clan, viewed as a single com 

 munity, thus consisted of the chief, with his kinsmen to a certain limited 

 degree of relationship ; the commonalty who were of the same blood, who aJl 

 bure the same name, and his dependents, consisting of subordinate septs of 

 native men. who did not claim to be of the blood of the chief, but were either 

 probably descended from the more ancient occupiers of the soil, or were 

 broken men from other clans, who had taken protection with him. . . . 

 Those kinsmen of the chief who acquired the property of their land founded 

 families. . . . The most influential of these was that of the oldest cadet in 

 the family which bad been longest separated from the main -stem, and usually 

 presented the appearance of a rival house little less powerful than that of 111* 

 ciiief.&quot; 



