Page:Trenchard Tracts 074-124.djvu/2

ſame Things, call them what Names of Diſtinction you pleaſe. A Government is a mere Piece of Clockwork; and having ſuch Springs and Wheels, muſt act after ſuch a Manner: And therefore the Art is to conſtitute it ſo that it muſt move to the public Advantage. It is certain that every Man will act for his own Intereſt; and all wiſe Governments are founded upon that Principle: So that this whole Myſtery is only to make the Intereſt of the Go-
vernors and Governed the ſame. In an abſsolute Monarchy, where the whole Power is in one Man, his Intereſt will be only regarded: In an Ariſtocracy the Intereſt of a few; and in a free Government the Intereſt of every one. This would be the Caſe of England if ſome Abuſes that have lately crept into our Conſtitution were remov'd. The Free-
dom of this Kingdom depends upon the People's chuſing the Houſe of Commons, who are a Part of the Legiſlature, and have the ſole Power of giving Money. Were this a true Repreſentative, and free from external Force or private Bribery, nothing could paſs there but what they thought was for the public Advantage. For their own Intereſt is ſo interwoven with the People's, that if they act for themſelves (which every one of them will do as near as he can) they muſt act for the common Interſt of England. And if a few among them ſhould find it their Intereſt to abuſe their Power, it will be the Intereſt of all the reſt to puniſh them for it: and then our Governmene would act mechanically, and a Rogue will as naturally be hang'd as a Clock ſtrike Twelve when the Hour is come. This is the Fountain-head from whence the People expect all their Hap-
pineſs, and the Redreſs of their Grievances; and if we can preſerve them free from Corruption, they will take Care to keep every Body elſe ſo. Our Conſtitution ſeems to have provided for it, by never ſuffering the King (till Charles the Second's Reign) to have a Mercenary Army to frighten them into a Compliance, nor Places or -
great enough to bribe them into it. The Places in the King's Gift were but few, and moſt of them Patent Places for Life, and the reſt great Offices of State enjoy'd by ſingle Perſons, which ſeldom fell to the Share of the Commons, ſuch as the Lord Chancellor, Lord Treaſurer, Privy-Seal, Lord High-Admiral, &c. and when theſe Of-
fices were poſſeſs'd by the Lords, the Commons were ſevere