ver, or do but fufpect the least design to incroach upon it they count it a crime never to be forgiven for any confideration whatsoever. Thus it was in the Roman state, where one gave up his children, another his brother to death, to revenge an attempt against common liberty; divers alfo facrificed their lives, to preferve it; and fome their beft friends, to vindicate it upon bare fufpicion; as in the cafes of Mælius, and Manlius, and others, after manifeft violation, as in the cafe of Cæfar. Nor was it thus only in Rome; but we find also as notable inftances of revenge in the free-people of Greece, upon the fame occafion. But the most notable of all, is that which happened in the island of Corcyra, during the war of Peloponnefus where the people having been rook'd of liberty by the flights and power of the grandees, and afterwards by the affiftance of the free-ftates of Athens recovering it again, took occafion thereupon to clap up all the grandees, and chopped off ten of their heads at one time, in part of fatisfaction for the injury but yet this would not ferve the turn; for, fome delay being made in executing of the rest, the people grew fo enraged, that they ran, and pulled down the very walls, and buried them in the Ruins and rubbish of the prison. We fee it alfo in the free state of Florence, where Cofmus the first founder of the Tuscan tyranny, having made shipwreck of their liberty, and feized all into his own hands; though he enslaved their bodies, yet he could not fubdue their hearts, nor wear their paft liberty out of memory; for up. on the first opportunity, they fought revenge, and a recovery; 'forcing him to fly for the safety of his life: and though afterwards he made way for his return and re-establishment by treachery, yet now after so long a time, the old freedom is frefh in memory, and would fhew itself again upon a favourable occafion. But of all modern inftances, the moft ftrange is that of the land of Holftein; which being deprived of liberty, and about seventy feventy years fince made a dutchy, and an appendix to the erown of Denmark; though the inhabitants be but a boorish, poor, filly generation, yet ftill they retain a sense of indignation at the lofs of their liberty; and being given to drink, the ufual compliment in the midst of their cups, is this, " Here is a health to the remembrance of our liberty." Thus you fee what an impreffion the love of freedom makes in the minds of the people; fo that it will be easily concluded they must be the best keepers of their own liberties; being more tender and more concerned in their fecurity, than any powerful pretenders whatsoever. (To be continued in our next Number.) For the PHILANTHROPIST. ON BRIBERY and CORRUPTION. CICERO, in the fecond book of his offices, highly com mends a wife and handsome rebuke, which Philip of Macedon gave his fon Alexander, for foolishly attempting to gain the affections of the Macedonians by Bribery. He wrote his fon a letter upon it in these words. "Quæ te, malum! Ratio in iftam fpem induxit, ut eos tibi fidelis putares fore, quos pecunia corrupiffes? An tu id agis, ut Macedones non te regem fuum, fed Miniftrum & Præbitorem; quia fordidum Regi. Melius etiam quod Dargitionem corruptelam effe dixit: Fit enim deterior, qui accidit, atque ad idem femper expectandum paration. Philip was undoubtedly the greatest prince of his time. He was wife, artful and fortunate. The advice of fuch a king, while he was forming the mind of a young prince who afterwards gave law to the world, deferves our regard. This wife king had obferved in his fon many noble principles, the feeds of greatnefs, but ill conducted through youth and inexperience. > inexperience. Alexander was young, valiant and generous : but an excess, or mifapplication of valour and generofity, of ten leads to the greatest inconveniences. That his generofity might take a good and useful turn, he writes him this short, but important epiftle. "What notion is this, fays he that you have got in your head? Can you imagine the fidelity and affection of the subject are to be acquired by bribery and corruption? Or is this your motive, that the Macedonians may not confider you as one, who is to be their Sovereign, but a minifter to their extravagance and corruption." Tully's obfervation is equally fine. " 'Tis fordid and mean, fays he, below the dignity of a great king, to court the affection of his people with base bribes." True love and esteem are built on a quite different foundation. Largeffes, or the giving of money, as the fame author obferves, is corruption itself; for the receiver becomes a worse man, and is always apt to encrease his demands."--This maxim of Philip is certainly one of the wifeft in the whole fyftem of politics, and likewise confiftent with the ftricteft rules of morality; that a king giving Bribes to his own subjects renders himself mean and fordid; that he never gains the true affection of one perfon by it; that he subjects himself to the arbitrary will and fantastical government of such proftitutes; and that his very crown is at their difpofal to the highest bidder. The immorality of it is likewise evident; for such proceedings, when generally known, debauch the morals of a whole people. The fame depravity and corruption foon find their way from a court to a cottage; and in proportion to the diftance, is to be traced in a greater or less degree through every private family; so that in a short time the very name of virtue may come to be loft in fuch a kingdom. It is very probable that Philip might not regard this maxim in the moral view; for, if we may credit the Greek hiftorians and orators, he was not apt to guide his actions by the rules of nice morality. He is generally drawn by them as cunning and defign ing ing, and though a warlike prince, no man knew the weight of money more than he, as well as how and where to apply it. His ufual method of bribery was to buy an enemy's General, and fometimes a convenient town or fortrefs; by which means he artfully avoided rifking his own glory, and the lives of his fubjects. (To be continued.) For the PHILANTHROPIST. LIBERTY'S INVITATION A NEW SONG. BY W. H. GREEN. COME flock to my ftandard, 'tis Liberty calls, Ye Britons who long have been brave, Shall our children who o'er us the trophies might raise, Our memories with tauntings revile? That without one laft ftruggle one deed worth their praise See the nations emerging from flavery's gloom, Then England, O England, award off thy doom, Like patriots unite 'gainst this defpotic pow'r, Like Hampden ftand firm in the perilous hour, No. 40. THE PHILANTHROPIST. MONDAY, JANUARY 4. LONDON. Printed for and fold by DANIEL ISAAC EATON, Printer and Bookfeller to the Supreme Majefty of the People, at the Cock and SWINE, No. 74, Newgate street. 1796. PRICE ONE PENNY. For the PHILANTHROPIST. REASONS WHY THE PEOPLE ARE THE BEST KEEPERS OF THEIR OWN LIBERTIES. (Continued from our last.) THE ninth Reafon to justify a free-state, is, because in free-ftates the people are lefs luxurious, than kings or grandees, ufe to be. Now, this is moft certain, that where luxury takes place, there is as natural a tendency to tyranny, as there is from the cause to the effect; for, you know the nature of luxury lies altogether in excefs. It is a univerfal depravation of manners, without reason, without moderation; it is the canine appetite of a corrupt will and phantafy, which nothing can fatisfy; but in every action, in every imagination, it flies beyond the bounds of honesty, just, and good, into all extremity: fo that it will eafily be granted, that form of |