Chap 5: Monarchy

Chap 5-6: Military Monarchy

• What form of government succeeded the republican?

• When small republics were conquered by another state, monarchy, or whatever other government pleased the conquerors, was established.
  • Though they generally followed the model of their own country.
• The Athenians always established democracy.
• The Spartans established aristocracy.
• The Romans more prudently divided their conquests into provinces.
  • These were governed pretty absolutely by persons appointed by the Senate.
• The case is somewhat different when a state is conquered by its own subjects.
• Both the nature of the action and the instruments by which it is performed require a military monarchy, or a monarchy supported by military force.
  • Because it is as necessary to keep them in awe as to conquer them.
• This was established in Rome during the time of the emperors.
  • These emperors took the whole executive power into their own hands.
    • They made peace and war as they thought proper.
    • They even named the magistrates:
      • immediately themselves, or
      • through a Senate they themselves appointed.
• However, they did not change any institutions of the civil law.
  • Rght and wrong were decided as formerly.
• Cromwell did the same in our own country.
  • He kept the State in awe by an insignificant army.
  • But he allowed the [31] judge to determine right and wrong as formerly.
  • He made such improvement in the civil law by taking away wardships, etc. that the first thing the Parliament of Charles II did was to confirm many of Cromwell’s laws.

 

• The Roman authors tell us that justice was best administered under Domitian and Nero1, the worst of the emperors.
  • It is the interest of all new administrators to make few alterations in what the people are much concerned and have been long accustomed to.
  • They will more easily go into anything else, when they are indulged in this.
• It was particularly the interest of the emperors to keep up the ancient system of laws.
  • Accordingly, we find that all consuls who misbehaved in their respective provinces were severely punished.
• It was not so under the republic.
  • The most scandalous crimes were committed by governors, as we learn from Cicero’s Orations.
• A military government allows the strictest administration of justice.
  • Nobody can have a fair trial where the Emperor is immediately concerned: then he will do as he pleases.
  • But where he is in no way interested it is his interest to adhere to the ancient laws.

 

• There was a very great difference between the military government established at Rome and those that were established in Asia.
  • At Rome the conquerors and conquered were the same people.
  • The conquerors themselves were sensible of the good effects of these laws.
  • They were so far from being willing to abrogate them, that they improved them.
• It is not so with the Asiatic governments, though they are purely military.
  • Turkey, Persia, and the other countries were conquered by Tartars, Arabians, and other barbarous nations who had no regular system of laws, and were entirely ignorant of their good effects.
  • They established in all public offices their own people, who were entirely ignorant [32] of all the duties of them.
  • A Turkish bashaw or other inferior officer is decisive judge of everything, and is as absolute in his own jurisdiction as the Signior.
• Life and fortune are altogether precarious, when they thus depend on the caprice of the lowest magistrate.
  • This is the most miserable and oppressive government.

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Chap 6: How Military Monarchy was dissolved

• We have considered:
  • how the dissolution of small states was brought about, and
  • what form of government succeeded them,
  • how an imperial government was introduced into conquering republics, and
  • what kind of administration this was.
• We now show how this military monarchy was dissolved, like every state and constitution.

 

• During the imperial governments at Rome, their arts and commerce were improved.
  • The people become acquainted with arts, commerce and consequently, domestic luxury.
  • They became less fond of going out to war.
  • Besides, the government found that it would hurt its revenue to call out those employed in manufactures.
• If barbarous nations were near, they can employ them as soldiers at an easier rate.
  • At the same time, it would not hurt their own industry.
• Sensible of these things, the Romans recruited their armies in Germany, Britain, and the northern barbarous countries which bordered on the Roman Empire.
• They had the liberty of recruiting in these countries in the same way that the Dutch did in Scotland before the beginning of the last war1.
• After this practice had gone [33] on for some time, they would find for several reasons that it would be much easier to:
  • make a bargain with the chieftains of these barbarous nations whom they employed, and
  • give him so much money to lead out men to expeditions.

 

• Supposing then an institution of this kind, the barbarous chieftain possessed the whole military authority of the people for whom he fought.
  • Whenever the government in the least offended him, he could turn his arms against those who employed him, and make himself master of their country.
  • All the western provinces were taken possession of much in this way.
• After they had by their practice given such invitations to the inroad of barbarians, we find that most of the Roman provinces were infested by them.
  • In this country, the Romans built a wall and kept garrisons to secure their province from the pillagers of the north.
• The garrisons which secured this station were called away to the defence of Gaul, which at that time was also infested.
• The Britons then got leave to shake off the Roman yoke.
• But it could be no advantage to the Romans to give any country in Britain its liberty.
• It was no favour done it to have no protection from Rome, which the province in reality wanted to have continued.
• The Romans meant that they should defend themselves, as they were, for some time, to be otherwise employed.
• However, the Britons did not like the proposal.
  • They resolved to invite a body of Saxons to their relief.
  • Hengist and Hursa came with a considerable army and entirely drove out the Romans1.
  • They [34] found themselves masters of the whole country.
  • They took possession of it and founded the Saxon Heptarchy.
• The Western European Empire in this way.
  • Military monarchy came to ruin.
  • In the last 150 years of the Roman Empire, this custom of recruiting in barbarous nations was carried on.
  • Many of their chieftains had greatly raised themselves.
• Patricius Ælias1 under Honorius, and many others, acquired great power.
• In the same way, all the Asiatic governments were dissolved.
  • Their soldiers were hired from Tartary, arts and manufactures were carried on, the people made more by their trades than by going to war.
• The East India trade which Italy and some other nations carried on by the Red Sea had rendered them very opulent.
• Every nation as well as Rome was willing to make a bargain with the neighbouring barbarous princes to defend them.
  • This proved the ruin of the government.

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