Israelitish of the Sanhedrim and the congregation) had a mixture
of the Senate and the people; and the Turkish is pure. And that
this was pure, and the other mixed, happened not through the
wisdom of the legislators, but the different genius of the
nations; the people of the Eastern parts, except the Israelites,
which is to be attributed to their agrarian, having been such as
scarce ever knew any other condition than that of slavery; and
these of the Wester having ever had such a relish of liberty, as
through what despair soever could never be brought to stand still
while the yoke was putting on their necks, but by being fed with
some hopes of reserving to themselves some part of their freedom.
Wherefore Julius Caesar (saith Suetonius) contented himself
in naming half the magistrates, to leave the rest to the suffrage
of the people. And Maecenas, though he would not have Augustus to
give the people their liberty, would not have him take it quite
away. Whence this empire, being neither hawk nor buzzard, made a
flight accordingly; and the prince being perpetually tossed
(having the avarice of the soldiery on this hand to satisfy upon
the people, and the Senate and the people on the other to be
defended from the soldiery), seldom died any other death than by
one horn of this dilemma, as is noted more at large by Machiavel.
But the Pretorian bands, those bestial executioners of their
captain's tyranny upon others, and of their own upon him, having
continued from the time of Augustus, were by Constantine the
Great (incensed against them for taking part with his adversary
Maxentius) removed from their strong garrison which they held in
Rome, and distributed into divers provinces. The benefices of the
soldiers that were hitherto held for life and upon duty, were by
this prince made hereditary, so that the whole foundation
whereupon this empire was first built being now removed, shows
plainly that the emperors must long before this have found out
some other way of support; and this was by stipendiating the
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