Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1803-08-13

MON he declares TO be, ssEiic optimc con-
ifi,usun Republican, que ex tribus ge-
n.ribus ills, regsli, optimo, ct POPULAR,
iii modice confuia." Thar is, the 6sF
continued republic, qvlieb is daly CON,
boasd<d quiitb tbsfs three haas-r<gah
auasrratir, and popular. Tacitus even
goes 70 far as to express his doubts OF the
praaicability Of forming lueh an EutoPl-
an fyaem Of government. luihort, 10
the days Of Longinus there was only
choice between the two defpotiims, that
Of the mob, ana that of one man. me
former throwing wide the gates OF the
temple Of fame to more candidates, ana
being perfectly open to literature, when
did not then dabbIe excluGyely as II does
now here in politics "a democracy was
the ring for genius to run IN. But does
it follow that this is the cafe now, or that
it always was the cafe |? :,
When Homer wrote his Had and
OdyGee, Greece was knot Of little mo-
marches. Rome was not only monar-
civ but defporifm when Virgil wrote.
And I.ucan competed his Phartalia IN tine
Of Nero. Cervantes, Lopez de vega,
and Csmoens wrote not in democfacles.
The CONFEDERATION Of genius which adorn-
ed France during the monarchy, and whole
work will live forever, will furely Rand
in rhe fcale sgainfe all the writers IN the
pure democracies in the world, put toge-
Their. With refpea TO England lefs IS 20
be faid-bccauie the has always had a
Efficiency Of democracy for all whole
fome purpofcs. The criterion OF which
land no ltronger can be conceivrd) is
that III. houfe of Lords and Commons,
AMI thu Gate officers of every kind ale
souniantly filled with men riien, either
| 5y their grand iallacies, their follits, or
| their own induary, from the lowelt order
| OF lociety. /, is no wonder then that II
can boat of the greatef MATS OF the
works of genius Of any country that ever
exifted. The philolophy of Bacon Land
the ground work Of all true philoiophy tina
is conceded TO him. Newton, Boyle,
| Nc Laurin, and Locke Shall efpeare,
| Milton, Pope, Dryden, add Butler; the
| Pitts, Fox, Sheridan, Curren, Grat'an,
| Flood, and Burke Hume, Robertson,
| Clarendon, and Henry--all thsie might be
~, o,t oe .he gaettion, and have enough
mr. tf,r marion 70 boat or. 49,
| From what is to be leen one would
rather be difpoled to believe that democra-
cies were rather unfavorable to the pro-
! duaions of genius, and il is generally
| apprehended that in the fury and injuaice
of their popular aajadications, not only
many grea, men were VIII lly put down
| 10 Athens and other republics, but many
| of the works Of their popular men were
fpprened by capFicious ignorance and
unbridled fury. That there fhould be at
one tine 10 Athens bur one noted orator
befdes Demoahcnes. if it be true iays
nothing for the country if there were
more, what a Fate for encouraging genius
mutt that b-, where they were all loft.
Ii is aNo extraordinary that e few of the
wo ks of the inlm;table D=moRhenes him
felt, have reached US.
But th- writer no doubt means TO bring
| the whole home TO America and in one
| reflect he is right. Under a baiefully
growing democ@sc every oolome litera-
ry weed shar grows about irs roots, is
writer ready made, and receives the lllade
Of protection. In any other country
conviction Of downright ignorance would
be, in the court of literature, irrcvocablc
fcntence of death: But Gnce democracy
has had its fwing lpardouue MeUFsuy, we
do not mean on gallows) the mott FIRE
quens the conviction of ignorance, the
berter for the man, for his character and
for his pride. i" The qu0yse luck no4v,
The b<frer au0tbe, time" is an old gamb-
ler's faying--and the delnocsaes being