King hath an abfolute power over it. If there is a country in the world where there is a phantom of Liberty idolifed by the people, and no real liberty which they can love, it is there. But this very phantom had hitherto fomething venerable in it. The imaginations of the English, exalted by the temporary glory of their country, behold ing around her nothing but nations of flaves, who wilhed to continue fuch, they, with good reafon have looked upon themfelves, until now, as the people who poffeffed the first rank in the uni verfe. "Ad

Franklin once faid to the English nation, "mit all the men who belong to your govern

..

ment in the different parts of the globe, to "free competition for, and an equal reprefentati "on in your legiflature; Let the King alone fwa "the executive fceptre, and never be permitte 66 to ftretch it forth but in the name of thofe law "made by the reprefentatives, and confented t

by the colonics and provinces; you will the "poffefs the fupreme focial unity, and the gran "monarchy of liberty. The univerfe will all a "fimilate to your empire, or at leaft all the eart "will be eager to imitate fuch a beautiful model you will thus have the glory of commencing the happiness of the world, and ensuring the fra "ternity of the human kind."

6.6

He spoke to those who were refolved to be deaf who would not hear him, and who embraced no thing but a chimera of liberty in their own ifland which they obftinately perfifted in fupporting by a tyrannical domination abroad.

But America inclined her head, and liftened to his voice. France, although ftill crouching un

Her her old and heavy fetters, ruminating even then in her thoughts the great leffons of Mably and of Rouffeau, lent an attentive ear and faidThe moment will arrive, it fast approaches, when that which England had not the wifdom to undertake, I fhall have the glory to exe'cute."

In the mean time, the new States organize emfelves into a federate republic. Every other ècies of government was impracticable. The erfection arifing from unity could not be expectI from a multitude of independent provinces, of hich each poffeffed the fovereign right of adoptg whatever form it pleased.

The mutual neceffity of allying and connecting elf together, fo as to form but one people, ve rife to the Congrefs, which is deftined to redate those vaft objects that intereft the whole of e States. Each province poffeffes its own proper giflative affembly, and alfo an independent wer of executing its own decrees.

I repeat it once more, the Genius of Liberty igns there in her full plenitude of glory; the ion is happy, but the unity is not abfolute, d cannot be fo. How is it poffible to inftitute fupreme chief? Each of the United States has equal right to it; and moft horrid diffenfions ould inevitably refult from the fole idea of a ing.

The creation of a free monarchy, the most rfect of all poffible governments, was referved

r us.

Hail, France! vaft, yet united, country; rear thy immenfe body; break thy chains; let the under of thy liberty fnap them in twain; let the

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Baftile and all the fortreffes of defpotifm fall and disappear; let Fayette prefent himself as the foldier of his country; the fon of France, the pupil of Washington; he fhall continue a citizen until his death: Let the elected reprefentatives of all the claffes of the empire, no longer form feparate or ders, and let there be an abfolute equality, and, with free competition of voices, a fole legiflature. Let them fpeak in the name of the whole na tion, and let the nation reply-"This is our " will!"

Beloved chief of the French! Monarch, who in spite of thyself, haft hitherto poffeffed but the falfe grandeur of the nation, ceafe to be the pow erlefs idol of a fmall and abhorred caft of oppref fing defpots, and become the refpected fovereign of twenty millions of freemen. Afcend, and thou will be the first Prince in the world, whoever po feffed that glory-afcend the throne of the laws and fee not, within the large horizon of this em pire, aught but that liberty which gives and main tains thee in full poffeffion of thy all powerful fcep tre, Thou governeft citizens; thou ruleft over men; thou art a King, and the only one upon earth!

This perfection of human genius has hitherto been wanting; it was neceffary that France fhould arife in order to refolve the problem of ages, to organize focial order, and in abfolute unity, and to present to her a chief impaffable as a Divinity and, like him, invariable in his juftice!

Eternal Ruler of human occurrences! who, ac cording to thy promife, wilt difpofe every thing

in favour of our infant liberty*, it is thou who haft accumulated in filence those remarkable, prodigious and miraculous events, in order to operate the creation of our happiness.

But, in the combination of all thy benefits, the greatest is, that thou haft given us a Franklin, and connected us with an America; the most propitious, is that thou haft placed in the balance of he deftinies, the genius of the National Affembly, nd the patriotifm of Bailly + and La Fayette; be most happy is, that thou haft in one day gien liberty to the capital and the provinces, and ifpofed a King to embrace it.

O memorable fuccefs! The furrounding naons can fcarce give credit to the truth of it; but ey begin to be moved at the fight; their doubts em to evaporate, and they at length believe at they may be happy.

Tyrants tremble; their reign has paffed away; e have now brothers in fentiment over all the rth. But a little longer, and, in a mutual inpendence and equal affection, the nations of e univerfe will be aftonifhed at being happy. d at finding themfelves Frenchmen!

Venerable old man, august philosopher, legislaof the felicity of thy country, prophet of the ternity of the human race, what extatic happifs embellished the end of thy career! From thy rtunate afylum, and in the midst of thy bro ers who enjoyed in tranquility the fruit of thy tues, and the fuccefs of thy genius, thouhaft fung * Tu autem dominator virtutis tia difponis nos. Sap. 12. 18. + Then Mayor of Paris. VOL. I.

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· ... cum magna reve

fongs of deliverance. The laft looks which thou caft around thee, beheld America happy, France, on the other fide of the ocean, free, and a fure indication of the approaching freedom and happinefs of the world.

The United States, looking upon themselves as thy children, have bewailed the death of the faher of their republic: France, thy family by a aoption, has honoured thee as the founder of he laws; and the human race has revered thee as the univerfal patriarch who has formed the alliance of nature with fociety. Thy remembrance belong to all ages; thy memory to all nations; thy glo ry to eternity!

END OF THE FIRST VOLUME.