Adams, John (1735-1826)

A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America

London

Printed for C. Dilly, in the Poultry

1787

"He then seats in that throne the avaricious disposition, and makes it a mighty king within himself, decked out with Persian crowns, bracelets, and scepters."

This is oligarchy. Now let us consider the man who resembles it. The change from the ambitious to the oligarchic man is chiefly in this manner:--The ambitious man, has a son, who emulates his father, and follows his steps; afterwards he dashes on the city, as on a rock, wasting his substance in the office of a general, or some other principal magistracy; then falling into courts of justice, destroyed by sycophants, stripped of his dignities, disgraced, and losing all his substance. When he has thus suffered, and lost his substance, in a terror he pushes headlong from the throne of his soul that ambitious disposition; and, being humbled by his poverty, turns to the making of money, lives sparingly and meanly, and applying to work, scrapes together substance. He then seats in that throne the avaricious disposition, and makes it a mighty king within himself, decked out with Persian crowns, bracelets, and scepters. Having placed the virtuous and ambitious disposition low on the ground, he reasons on nothing but how lesser substance shall be made greater, admires and honours nothing but riches and rich people. This is the change from an ambitious youth to a covetous one, and this is the oligarchic man.
(pp. 193-4)

Government::Throne Government::King::Crown and Scepter Population

Reading

7 entries in ESTC (1787, 1788, 1794, 1797).

A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America, by John Adams, LL.D. and a Member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences at Boston. (London: Printed for C. Dilly, in the Poultry, 1787). <Link to ESTC>

11/11/2013