adopt the word; we must also affix a ftandard figmification to it.

A conftitution is not a thing in name only, but in fact. It has not an ideal, but a real existence ; and, wherever it cannot be produced in a vifible form, there is none.

A conftitution is a thing antecedent to a govern ment, and a government is only the creature of a conftitution. The conftitution of a country is not the acts of its government, but of the people conftituting a government. It is the body of elements to which you can refer, and quote article by article; and which contains the principles on which the government fhall be established, the manner in which it fhall be organized, the powers it fhall have, the mode of elections, the duration of legislatures, the powers which the executive part of government fhall have, and, in fine, every thing that relates to the complete organization of a civil government, and the principles on which it fhall act, and by which it fhall be bound.

A conftitution is, therefore, to a government, what the laws made afterwards by that government are to a court of judicature. The court of judicature does not make the laws, neither can it alter them; it only acts in conformity to the laws made, and the government is, in like manner, governed by the conftitution. It may be fairly deduced then, that no country, or nation, can be faid to

have a conftitution, unlefs it arifes, as I have faid before, out of the people, by common confent or choice, and not over the people, by collufion, fraud, compulfion or conqueft. It is therefore for every country or nation to judge whether they have a constitution or not.

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A government, on the principles upon which conftitutional governments, arifing out of society, are established, cannot have the right of altering itself; if it had, it would be arbitrary; it might make itself what it pleased; and, wherever fuch a right is fet up, there is no conftitution. The act by which a legislature might empower itself to fit for a term of years,, fhews that there is no conftitution. It might, by the fame self-authority, eftablifh itfelf for life.

I fhall next proceed to make a few observations upon the subject of Titles, and the principles upon which they are conftituted.

Titles are but nick-names, and every nick-name is a title. The thing is perfectly harmless in itself, but it marks a fort of foppery in the human character, which degrades it. It reduces man into the diminution of man, in things which are great; and the counterfeit of woman in things which are little. It talks about its ribbon like a girl, and fhews its new garter like a child.

"The ftar which glitters upon the coat, is but "a falfe mirror of the character it is intended to

"reprefent,

"and, confeqnently, exhibits no certain merit but ❝ its own."

A certain writer of fome antiquity fays, "When I was a child, I thought as a child; but "when I became a man, I put away childish things."

The genuine mind of man, thirfting for its native home, fociety, contemns the gewgaws that feparate him from it. Titles are like circles drawn by the magician's wand, to contract the sphere of man's felicity. He lives immured within the baftile of a wood, and furveys at a diftance, the envied life of man.

What are titles-what is their worth-and what is their amount? When we think or speak of a judge, or of a general, we affociate the ideas of office, and of character; we think of gravity in the one, and of bravery in the other: but, when we ufe a word, merely as a title, no ideas affociate with it.

"Titles are, not only ridiculous, but fometimes are reproaches, and bear the appearance of "irony. What can be more cutting to a diminu❝tive deformed wretch, than to be faluted with "the title of Majefty? A fcoundrel, who deferves "the gallows, who has ruined thousands, by cheat

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ing at gaming, is, certainly, right honourable: and a wretch, who proftrates himself in the dust

"before

"before a puppet, bearing the name of a King, "is, furely, worthy of being called a Lord"."

Through all the vocabulary of Adam, there is not fuch a term as a Count, or a Duke, or an Earl; neither can we connect any certain idea to the words. Whether they mean ftrength or weakness, wifdom or folly, a child or a man, or the rider or the horfe, is all equivocal. Imagination has given figure and character to centaurs, fatyrs, and down to all the fairy tribe; but titles baffle even the powers of fancy, and are a chimerical nondefcript.

But this is not all! If a whole country is difpofed to hold them in contempt, all their value is gone, and none will own them. It is common "opinion" only that makes them any thing, or nothing, or worfe than nothing.

There is no occafion to take titles away, for they will take themselves away when fociety fhall concur to ridicule them. This fpecies of imaginary confequence has vifibly declined, and it hastens to its exit, as the world of reafon continues to rise. There was a time when the loweft clafs of what are called nobility, was more thought of than the highest .is now. The world has feen this folly fall, and it has fallen by being laughed at, and the farce of Titles will follow its fate. Rank and dignity in fociety must take a new ground-that of character, instead of the chimerical one of titles. C

If

If no mifchief had annexed itself to the folly of titles, they would not have deserved a greater attention than the common reafon of society to ridicule them; and this makes it neceffary to enquire. further into the nature and character of aristocracy.

That then which is called ariftocracy, in fome countries, and nobility in others, arofe out of the governments founded upon conqueft. It was origi nally, a military order, for the purpose of supporting military governments-for fuch were all governments founded in conqueft; and, to keep up a fucceffion of this order, for the purpose of which it was established-all the younger branches of those families were difinherited, and the law of primegenitureship fet up. The nature and character of aristocracy fhews itself to us in this law. It is a law against every law of nature, and nature herself calls aloud for its deftruction. Establish family justice, and aristocracy falls.

By the aristocratical law of primogenitureship, in a family of fix children, five are expofed. Arif tocracy has but one child; the reft are begotten to be devoured. They are thrown to the cannibal prey, and the natural parent prepares the unnatural repast.

for

As every thing which is out of nature in man affects more or lefs, the intereft of fociety, fo does this. All the children which ariftocracy difowns→→→→ which are all except the eldeft-are, in general, caft,