The  thouglit  (»f  <lelegating  them  to  accountable
representative*:  Jicuns  never  to  have  occurred,
.either  to  practical  or  speculative  statesmen,
except  in  the  formation  of  confederacies,  which
rendered  such  an  expedient  necessary. Where
all  the  powers  of  the  state  were  lodged  in
a  certain  number  of  citizens,  though  they  were
elected  by  the  whole  body  of  the  people,  the
government  was  looked  upon  as  an  oligarchy  ;
and  in  fact  it  seems  that  in  all  such  cases,  the
functions  so  assigned  were  held  for  life,  and
without  any  responsibility. But  still,  even  in
the  purest  form  of  democracy,  it  was  not
necessary  that  all  the  citizens  should  take  an
(equally  active  part  in  the  transaction  of  public
business  ;  and  the  unavoidable  inequality  in  the
advantages  of  fortune  and  of  personal  qualities
fixed  a  natural  limit  to  the  exercise  of  moet


political  rights. The  class  which  was  raised
oy  its  station  above  the  need  of  daily  labor,
seemed  to  be  pointed  out  by  nature  for  the  dis-
charge of  all  offices,  and  duties  which  required
leisure  and  freedom  of  thought. It  could  only
be  on  extraordinary  occasions  that  the  poor
man  could  be  willing  to  leave  bis  field,  or  his
workshop,  to  take  his  place  in  the  legislative
assembly  or  the  court  of  justice ;  and  the  con-
trol which  his  right,  however  rarely  it  might  be
called  into  action,  gave  him  over  the  public
officers,  who  were  the  men  of  bis  choice,  was  a
sufficient  safeguard    against   every    ordinary
danger  to  be  apprehendea  from  them. But  the
principle  of  legal  equality,  which  was  the  basis
of  democracy,  was  gradually  construed  in  a
manner  which  inverted  the  wholesome  order  of
nature,  and  led  to  a  long  train  of  pernicious
consequences. The  administration  of  the  com'
rtwnweaUh  came  to  he  considered^  not  as  a  ser^
vice  in  which  all  were  interested,  but  for  tchich
some  might  be  better  qualified  than  others ;  but
as  a  property  in  which  each  was  entitled  to  an
ecpial  share. The  practical  application  of  this
view  was  the  introduction  of  an  expedient  for
levelling  as  far  as  possible  the  inequality  of
nature,  oy  enabhng  the  poorest  to  devote  his
time  without  loss,  or  even  with  profit,  to  public
afiairs. 