Of the Origin of civil Government, and the Establishment of the firft Kingdoms.

al.

WE E have formerly observed that the first form of go- Firft government was certainly patriarchal. For though vernment the father had no natural right to govern his children patriarchwhen out of their minority; and though that honour, respect, and fupport, which they indifpenfably owe to their parents all their life-time, and in all eftates, give the father no power of making laws, and enacting penalties on his children, nor any dominion over their properties or actions; yet it is obvious to conceive how eafy it was, in the firft ages of the world, and ftill is, in places where the thinnefs of the people give families leave to feparate, and plant themselves in yet vacant habitations, for the father to become the prince of the family. He had been a ruler from the beginning of the infancy of his children; and fince, without fome government, it would be hard for them to live together, it was likelieft it should, by the exprefs, or tacit confent of the children, when they were grown up, be in the father; where it feemed, without any change, barely to continue: indeed, nothing more was requifite, than the permitting the father to exercife alone, in his family, that executive power of the law of nature which every freeman naturally hath, and, by that permiffion, refigning up to him a monarchical power. Thus it was almost natural for the children to make way for the father's authority. They had been accustomed, in their childhood, to follow his directions, and to refer their little differences to him; and when they were men, who fitter to rule them? Their inconfiderable property, and moderate defires, feldom occaGoned great controverfies; and when they did, where could they have a fitter umpire than the perfon by whose care they had been sustained and brought up? The government they were under continued ftill to be more their protection than restraint; and they could no where find a greater fecurity to their peace, liberties, and fortunes, than in the rule of a father.

Thus fathers of families, by an infenfible change, Changed might become politic monarchs; and, as they chanced to into monarlive long, and leave able and worthy heirs for feveral fuc- chical. ceffions, or otherwife, lay the foundations of hereditary

Policy of the Noachida.

Eftablifbment of kingdoms.

or elective kingdoms, under various conftitutions and manners, according as chance, contrivance, or occafions happened to coincidez.

Noah, therefore, being the common parent of the new world, while he lived, we may imagine, all his defcendent confidered themfelves as in a state of dependence on him; and as he was the fupreme governor of the whole race of mankind then in being, fo his fons, Shem, Ham, and Japhet were, in all probability, chief governors of their respective branches in particular; as their fons again were heads or rulers of their respective families, under their fathers Each fon of Shem, for inftance, as head of his own family, not only decided all differences among them, but probably gave laws to them, though his authority extended no farther; for in difputes between their families, their powers being all equal, they were obliged to have recourfe to the decifion of their common father Shem, whofe authority alfo was limited to his proper defcendents; fo that in any difference between him and his brothers, Ham and Japhet, the appeal must have been to the judgment of their father Noah, as the only common fuperior.

At Noah's death the unity of government was diffolved, and mankind became divided into three grand parties, which no longer acknowleged one common head, but had each its own independent ruler in one of his three fons. Upon their deaths the bonds of union were again loofed, and mankind became a second time divided in their political ftate; fo that by degrees they became ranged under a great number of independent chiefs, which feems to have been the ftate of the world for fome time after the difperfion.

But as families increased, and gradually extended their plantations, forming villages and towns, left their different interefts and inclinations might trouble the public tranquility, it became neceffary to truft the government of each fociety in the hands of one, or, at leaft, a small number of perfons, who might re-unite all the chiefs under one and the fame authority, and execute fuch laws and regulations as were thought conducive to the well being of the community. The idea they ftill retained of the patriarchal government, and the happy experience they had of it, naturally directed them to the choice of a fingle perfon, rather than many, and of fuch

z Locke of Government, treatise ii. chap. 6, &c.

a perfon

a perfon as was most confpicuous for paternal care and tenderness. Ambition and intrigue had, we may fuppofe, little or no fhare in this election, which was rather decided in favour of the moft worthy, by his known probity and moderation a.

In this first beginning of political focieties, almoft every town had its own king, who, more attentive to preferve his dominions, than to extend them, reftrained his ambition within the bounds of his native country, till difputes with neighbours, which were fometimes inevitable, jealoufy of a more powerful prince, an enterprizing genius, and martial inclination, the defire in fome of aggrandizing themselves, and fhewing their abilities, occafioned those wars, which ended in the absolute subjection of the vanquifhed; whofe poffeffions fell to the fhare of the conqueror, and, by inlarging his dominions, both enabled and encouraged him to push on his fortune by new enterprizes; and thus feveral cities and territories, united under one monarch, formed kingdoms of greater or fmaller extent, as the prince happened to have ambition and fuccefs.

Thefe first conquerors ufed their victory in different manners, according to their various tempers and interefts. Some, looking on themselves as abfolute mafters of the conquered, and thinking it was enough to grant them life, ftripped them of every thing elfe, and reduced them. to the state of flavery, condemning them to the meaneft offices, and the moft laborious employments; which op preffion introduced the diftinction between freemen and flaves, ever fince kept up in the world.

Others introduced the custom of entirely transplanting the vanquished people, with their families, into new countries, where they were to fettle, and cultivate the lands affigned them.

Others yet more moderate, contented themselves with obliging the conquered to purchase their liberty by a ranfom, and allowed them the enjoyment of their own laws and privileges, on payment of an annual tribute, fometimes even leaving their kings on the throne, and only obliging them to acknowlege the fuperiority of their conqueror, by certain marks of homage and fubmiffion.

The wifeft, and moft politic, gained the affections of the vanquished, by admitting them to an equality with their old fubjects, and granting them the fame liberties

Nimrod the

firft ufurp

er on the rights of others.

Of the original of arts and

fciences

and privileges; thus they united their interefts, and made them one people.

If the Phoenician history may be credited, and their Cronus allowed to be Ham, the defire of rule began to make havoc in the world even during the life of Noah, who was driven out of his fettlements, and, at laft, flain, by his rebellious fon. But the firft act of violence and ufurpation we find recorded in Scripture, was that of Nimrod, who difpoffeffed Afhur, the fon of Shem, at firft fettled in Shinaar, and obliged him to remove into Affyria. The acquifitions he made, on this occafion, must be allowed to be unjust, though he might have a legal right to govern thofe who, probably, chofe him for their chief, on account of his perfonal merit. However, it is to be presumed, that this revolution, which we fuppofe to have happened about thirty years after the disperfion, extended only to fome few of the new planted nations, In the reft, efpecially thofe who lay outermoft, we cannot but perfuade ourselves, that a fimplicity of manners continued feveral ages; and that wars did not arife in the world, till the colonies, which were at first feparated, by the increase of their numbers, began to prefs upon one another, and grow uneafy, for want of room; which inconvenience must have affected thofe moft, who were fettled nearest the center; and accordingly, the first warlike motions we have any credible account of, were made by the kings of Shinaar and Elam.

Though Noah and his fons had, doubtless, fome knowlege of the inventions of the antedeluvians, and, probably, acquainted their defcendents with fuch of them as were moft obvious and useful in common life; yet it is not to be imagined, that any of the more curious arts, or fpeculative fciences, were improved in any degree, fuppofing them to have been known, or invented, till fome confiderable time after the difperfion. On the con trary, one confequence of that event feems to have been, that feveral inventions, known to their ancestors, were loft, and mankind gradually degenerated into ignorance and barbarity, till ease and plenty had given them leisure again to polish their manners, and apply themselves to thofe arts, which are seldom brought to perfection under other circumftances. For, on their fettling in any country, they found it employment fufficient, to cultivate the land (which yet, for want of feparate property and fecurity in their poffeffions, in thofe early times, they improved no farther, than barely to fupply prefent neceffi

ties), and to provide themselves habitations and neceffaries, for their mutual comfort and fubfiftence. Befides, they were often obliged to remove from one place to another, where they could more conveniently refide. It was a great while before they came to embody themselves together in towns and cities, and from thence to fpread. into provinces, and to fettle the bounds and extent of their territories.

Commerce was, in all probability, carried on with and of greater cafe before the flood, when there was but one and commerce. the fame language in the world; yet it was not fo neceffary then, as it is become fince; not only because men's wants have been increased by the ill effects of the deluge on the earth, and its productions, but because they dwelt more together, and might fupply their occafions by bartering with their nearest neighbours, without being obliged to extend their dealings much farther. That they had no hips to carry on a traffic to remote parts, feems evident; for if navigation had been then found out, fome others might have faved themfelves from the flood, as well as Noah and his family. But after that deftruction, and the difperfion of mankind, as it became more difficult to trade with nations who fpake different languages, fo their neceffities were increased by this divifion; the colonies who planted new countries, not only perceiving their own. wants, by the conveniencies they had left behind them; but finding fomething useful in their fettlements, which were before unknown to them, or their founders. These confiderations engaged them to fetch what they wanted from the parts where they had formerly dwelt, and, in exchange, to carry what they had difcovered, thither; a practice which feems to have given the first rise to foreign trade, the gradual advances whereof we may occafionally mention hereafter. The invention of shipping was certainly the greatest step to its improvement, fince it made the fea, before an infuperable obftacle to commerce, the most eafy and convenient method of carrying it on b.

b Vide Thucyd. lib. i. fub initio. Stillingfl. Orig. Sacr. book. i. chap. 1. fect. 16. Simplic. de Cœlo, lib. ii. Huet Hift. du Commerce & de la Navig, des Anciens, chap. 2 & 3.

CHAP.