the case of the Roman emperors, planted partly upon their
military colonies and partly upon the Senate and the people), the
government becomes a very shambles, both of the princes and the
people. Somewhat of this nature are certain governments at this
day, which are said to subsist by confusion. In this case, to fix
the balance is to entail misery; but in the three former, not to
fix it is to lose the government. Wherefore it being unlawful in
Turkey that any should possess land but the Grand Seignior, the
balance is fixed by the law, and that empire firm. Nor, though
the kings often sell was the throne of Oceana known to shake,
until the statute of alienations broke the pillars, by giving way
to the nobility to sell their estates. While Lacedaemon held to
the division of land made by Lycurgus, it was immovable; but,
breaking that, could stand no longer. This kind of law fixing the
balance in lands is called agrarian, and was first introduced by
God himself, who divided the land of Canaan to his people by
lots, and is of such virtue that wherever it has held, that
government has not altered, except by consent; as in that
unparalleled example of the people of Israel, when being in
liberty they would needs choose a king. But without an agrarian
law, government, whether monarchical, aristocratical, or popular,
has no long lease.
As for dominion, personal or in money, it may now and then
stir up a Melius or a Manlius, which, if the Commonwealth be not
provided with some kind of dictatorian power, may be dangerous,
though it has been seldom or never successful; because to
property producing empire, it is required that it should have
some certain root or foothold, which, except in land, it cannot
have, being otherwise as it were upon the wing.
Nevertheless, in such cities as subsist mostly by trade, and
have little or no land, as Holland and Genoa, the balance of
treasure may be equal to that of land in the cases mentioned.
But Leviathan, though he seems to skew at antiquity,
following his furious master Carneades, has caught hold of the
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