the origin of the distinction of ranks-第40章

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d　the　proprietor　of　a　landed　estate；　instead　of　consuming　its　produce　in　hiring　retainers；　is　obliged　to　employ　a　great　part　of　it　in　purchasing　those　comforts　and　conveniences　which　have　become　objects　of　attention；　and　which　are　thought　suitable　to　his　condition。　Thus　while　fewer　persons　are　under　the　necessity　of　depending　upon　him；　he　is　daily　rendered　less　capable　of　maintaining　dependents；　till　at　last　his　domestics　and　servants　are　reduced　to　such　as　are　merely　subservient　to　luxury　and　pageantry；　but　are　of　no　use　in　supporting　his　authority。　　　　　From　the　usual　effects　of　luxury　and　refinement；　it　may　at　the　same　time　be　expected　that　old　families　will　often　be　reduced　to　poverty　and　beggary。　In　a　refined　and　luxurious　nation　those　who　are　born　to　great　affluence；　and　who　have　been　bred　to　no　business；　are　excited；　with　mutual　emulation；　to　surpass　one　another　in　the　elegance　and　refinement　of　their　living。　According　as　they　have　the　means　of　indulging　themselves　in　pleasure；　they　become　more　addicted　to　the　pursuit　of　it；　and　are　sunk　in　a　degree　of　indolence　and　dissipation　which　renders　them　incapable　of　any　active　employment。　Thus　the　expense　of　the　landed　gentleman　is　apt　to　be　continually　increasing；　without　any　proportional　addition　to　his　income。　His　estate　therefore；　being　more　and　more　incumbered　with　debts；　is　at　length　alienated；　and　brought　into　the　possession　of　the　frugal　and　industrious　merchant；　who；　by　success　in　trade；　has　been　enabled　to　buy　it；　and　who　is　desirous　of　obtaining　that　rank　and　consequence　which　landed　property　is　capable　of　bestowing。　The　posterity；　however；　of　this　new　proprietor；　having　adopted　the　manners　of　the　landed　gentry；　are　again　led；　in　a　few　generations；　to　squander　their　estate；　with　a　heedless　extravagance　equal　to　the　parsimony　and　activity　by　which　it　was　acquired。　　　　　This　fluctuation　of　property；　so　observable　in　all　commercial　countries；　and　which　no　prohibitions　are　capable　of　preventing；　must　necessarily　weaken　the　authority　of　those　who　are　placed　in　the　higher　ranks　of　life。　Persons　who　have　lately　attained　to　riches；　have　no　opportunity　of　establishing　that　train　of　dependence　which　is　maintained　by　those　who　have　remained　for　ages　at　the　head　of　a　great　estate。　The　hereditary　influence　of　family　is　thus；　in　a　great　measure；　destroyed；　and　the　consideration　derived　from　wealth　is　often　limited　to　what　the　possessor　can　acquire　during　his　own　life。　Even　this　too；　for　the　reasons　formerly　mentioned；　is　greatly　diminished。　A　man　of　great　fortune　having　dismissed　his　retainers；　and　spending　a　great　part　of　his　income　in　the　purchase　of　commodities　produced　by　tradesmen　and　manufacturers；　has　no　ground　to　expect　that　many　persons　will　be　willing　either　to　fight　for　him；　or　to　run　any　great　hazard　for　promoting　his　interest。　Whatever　profit　he　means　to　obtain　from　the　labour　and　assistance　of　others；　he　must　give　a　full　equivalent　for　it。　He　must　buy　those　personal　services　which　are　no　longer　to　be　performed　either　from　attachment　or　from　peculiar　connexions。　Money；　therefore；　becomes　more　and　more　the　only　means　of　procuring　honours　and　dignities；　and　the　sordid　pursuits　of　avarice　are　made　subservient　to　the　nobler　purposes　of　ambition。　　　　　It　cannot　be　doubted　that　these　circumstances　have　a　tendency　to　introduce　a　democratical　government。　As　persons　of　inferior　rank　are　placed　in　a　situation　which；　in　point　of　subsistence；　renders　them　little　dependent　upon　their　superiors；　as　no　one　order　of　men　continues　in　the　exclusive　possession　of　opulence；　and　as　every　man　who　is　industrious　may　entertain　the　hope　of　gaining　a　fortune；　it　is　to　be　expected　that　the　prerogatives　of　the　monarch　and　of　the　ancient　nobility　will　be　gradually　undermined；　that　the　privileges　of　the　people　will　be　extended　in　the　same　proportion；　and　that　power；　the　usual　attendant　of　wealth；　will　be　in　some　measure　diffused　over　all　the　members　of　the　community。

Section　III　Result　of　the　opposition　between　these　different　principles　　　　　So　widely　different　are　the　effects　of　opulence　and　refinement；　which；　at　the　same　time　that　they　furnish　the　king　with　a　standing　army；　the　great　engine　of　tyranny　and　oppression；　have　also　a　tendency　to　inspire　the　people　with　notions　of　liberty　and　independence。　It　may　thence　be　expected　that　a　conflict　will　arise　between　these　two　opposite　parties；　in　which　a　variety　of　accidents　may　contribute　to　cast　the　balance　upon　either　side。　　　　　With　respect　to　the　issue　of　such　a　contest；　it　may　be　remarked　that；　in　a　small　state；　the　people　have　been　commonly　successful　in　their　efforts　to　establish　a　free　constitution。　When　a　state　consists　only　of　a　small　territory；　and　the　bulk　of　the　inhabitants　live　in　one　city；　they　have　frequently　occasion　to　converse　together；　and　to　communicate　their　sentiments　upon　every　subject　of　importance。　Their　attention　therefore　is　roused　by　every　instance　of　oppression　in　the　government；　and　as　they　easily　take　the　alarm；　so　they　are　capable　of　quickly　uniting　their　forces　in　order　to　demand　redress　of　their　grievances。　By　repeated　experiments　they　become　sensible　of　their　strength；　and　are　enabled　by　degrees　to　enlarge　their　privileges；　and　to　assume　a　greater　share　of　the　public　administration。　　　　　In　large　and　extensive　nations；　the　struggles　between　the　sovereign　and　his　people　are；　on　the　contrary；　more　likely　to　terminate　in　favour　of　despotism。　In　a　wide　country；　the　encroachments　of　the　government　are　frequently　over…looked；　and；　even　when　the　indignation　of　the　people　has　been　roused　by　flagrant　injustice；　they　find　it　difficult　to　combine　in　uniform　and　vigorous　measures　for　the　defence　of　their　rights。　It　is　also　difficult；　in　a　great　nation；　to　bring　out　the　militia　with　that　quickness　which　is　requisite　in　case　of　a　sudden　invasion；　and　it　becomes　necessary；　even　before　the　country　has　been　much　civilized；　to　maintain　such　a　body　of　mercenaries　as　is　capable　of　supporting　the　regal　authority。　　　　　It　is　farther　to　be　considered　that　the　revenue　of　the　monarch　is　commonly　a　more　powerful　engine　of　authority　in　a　great　nation　than　in　a　small　one。　The　influence　of　a　sovereign　seems　to　depend；　not　so　much　upon　his　absolute　wealth；　as　upon　the　proportion　which　it　bears　to　that　of　the　other　members　of　the　community。　So　far　as　the　estate　of　the　king　does　not　exceed　that　of　the　richest　of　his　subjects；　it　is　no　more　than　sufficient　to　supply　the　ordinary　expense　of　living；　in　a　manner　suitable　to　the　splendour　and　dignity　of　the　crown；　and　it　is　only　the　surplus　of　that　estate　which　can　be　directly　applied　to　the　purposes　of　creating　dependence。　In　this　view　the　public　revenue　of　the　king　will　be　productive　of　greater　influence　according　to　the　extent　and　populousness　of　the　country　in　which　it　is　raised。　Suppose　in　a　country；　like　that　of　ancient　Attica；　containing　about　twenty　thousand　inhabitants；　the　people　were；　by　assessment　or　otherwise；　to　pay　at　the　rate　of　twenty　shillings　each　person；　this　would　produce　only　twenty　thousand　pounds；　a　revenue　that　would　probably　not　exalt　the　chief　magistrate　above　many　private　citizens。　But　in　a　kingdom；　containing　ten　millions　of　people；　the　taxes；　being　paid　in　the　same　proportion；　would　in　all　probability　render　the　estate　of　the　monarch　superior　to　the　united　wealth　of　many　hundreds　of　the　most　opulent　individuals。　In　these　two　cases　therefore；　the　disproportion　of　the　armies　maintained　in　each　kingdom　should　be　greater　than　that　of　their　respective　revenues；　and　if　in　the　one；　the　king　was　enabled　to　maintain　two　hundred　and　fifty　thousand　men；　he　would　in　the　other；　be　incapable　of　supporting　the　expense　of　five　hundred。　it　is　obvious；　however；　that　even　five　hundred　regular　and　well　disciplined　troops　will　not　strike　the　same　terror　into　twenty　thousand　people；　that　will　be　created；　by　an　army　of　two　hundred　and　fifty　thousand；　over　a　nation　composed　often　millions。　　　　　Most　of　the　ancient　republics；　with　which　we　are　acquainted；　appear　to　have　owed　their　liberty　to　the　narrowness　of　their　territories。　From　the　small　number　of　people；　and　from　the　close　intercourse　among　all　the　individuals　in　the　same　community；　they　imbibed　a　spirit　of　freedom　even　before　they　had　made　considerab