EXCURSION TO THE REALMS BELOW* 89 



good renders it neceflary to have a certain mode of 

 acting. So far then a man may fay, that the firft na- 

 tions voluntarily gave themfelves their firft leaders. A 

 formal compact with thefe leaders, they could the lefs 

 be inclined to conclude, as they had nothing to fear 

 from a potentate, who pledged his own life to them 

 for his good behaviour. The firft king was undoubt- 

 edly good, and arrogated to himfelf no more authority 

 than his fubjects allowed him : but the firft decifive 

 victory he obtained over a hoftile nation, procured 

 him fubjects who were not voluntary ones, and laid 

 the foundation of the future oppreffion of the volun- 

 tary. The conqueror became gradually, by a fwifter 

 or flower progreffion, a mightier monarch, who, at 

 the head of a mercenary foldiery, had nothing to fear 

 from the greater, the peaceable part of his fubjects, 

 and from this moment forwards, held all things lawful 

 for him. His right was the right of the ftrongeft, i. e. 

 a preponderancy, which was tacitly and patiently ac- 

 knowledged by the weaker for lawful, fo long as it 

 continued to be tolerable, or as the thought of re- 

 fiftance could as little ftrike them, as the thought of 

 running headforemoft through the wall of a caftle. 

 In ftates that have already long been civilized — where 

 the preflure of fovereign power is fo eafed by the mul- 

 tiplicity of the wheels in the machine by which it acts, 

 that it is but flightly felt by the majority, — where 

 cuftom has at length rendered this fenfation fo me- 

 chanical, that the great herd bear the burdens laid 

 upon them as thoughtleflly as other beafts of burden 

 theirs — where, to all the phyftcal caiifes of paftive 

 obedience, fo many moral are added, and efpecially 



religion 



