On the other hand it was thought exceeding clear, that great men would understand the intereft of the country, and the capacity of Servants, much better than the vulgar. As alfo, that they were above all suspicion of partiality, and would be fure always to fend fit and accom plished Servants to every houfe. But alas the contrary of all this was foon found by experience. They learned fpeedily to fell every place to the highest bidder, unlefs when they had a favourite or dependent to gratify, which indeed, at bottom, was the fame thing. However, they were foon made dupes to the Servants, for when the profit of this fale was found out, the overfeers and archoverfeers gradually ufurped the nomination to themselves, and at last, it came to be made an addition to the great and overgrown power of the Emperor.

It may easily be fuppofed, things were now in a fad fituation, and they continued fo, as tradition and written records affure us, for many ages. The lands lay uncultivated; the people were reduced to the greatest misery imaginable; they were forrily cloathed and worfe fed. No body profpered but the Servants, or rather, only the upper ranks of them, the noble and honourable Servants, the overfeers and archoverfeers. To thefe indeed may be added the idle and fpeculative fort, who were fettled in hives, in the most pleasant and fruitful vallies, in every province

province. As for the poorer or lowest class of fervants, who actually did any work for the families, they were as much oppreffed, by this time, as their mafters. Their wages were moftly taken up by lazy overfeers, or exhausted by heavy taxes which they were obliged to pay to the emperor, and his court.

A terrible blow given to the Domination of the› Servants and particularly to the Power of the Em

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Tappears to be a fact, tho not very well accounted for by philofophers, that, when men have been long accustomed to flavery, they hug their chains, and become fo blinded, as to pride themselves in their mifery itself. A poor peafant, in a neigbouring country, whofe face is pale with henger, and his family fearce covered with rags, through the oppreffion of his prince, yet will be very ready to venture his life in vindication of the tyrant's honour, and count himself extremely happy to lay it down in defence of his perfon. So it happened with the people under confideration. They were fo deluded by thefe Servants, that, as their condition, fo their reafon itfelf was turned upfide down. They gloried in the ufurpation of the fervants over them, worshipped them often as they paffed, and ftoutly defended all their rights and privileges.

X If by chance it happened, (as there were always fome in every age) that one thought fit to complain of the floth, debauchery, avarice and tyranny of the Servants, his brethren immediately raifed a hideous accufation against him, and the

ftupid people generally joined in the cry. They immediately affifted his fellow-fervants to feize him, to imprifon him, and, according to the degree of his offence, to punish him. They firft, indeed, took the most charitable pains to convince him of his error. If, upon this, he was willing to recant, and folemnly to declare that the conduct of the Servants was admirable, and the character of them all unblameable, he was dif miffed only with a good beating. But, if he was obftinate, and infifted on telling the truth, he was carried to a dreadful fubterraneous place, and, there, put to the most horrid and fhocking tortures, which at length ended in death.

However, at laft, this mystery of iniquity got a terrible blow. One of the lower Servants, of an honest heart, and a determined refolute temper, being filled with indignation at the oppreffion which the rest were guilty of, set himself to open the eyes of the publick, and expofe their wickedness. He made a full difcovery of all the frauds he had any how been acquainted with, and fpared not the corruption of the Emperor's court. Laying down only this plain principle, that Servants were obliged to promote, at all times, the real intereft of their mafters, he fet the abominable conduct of the covetous bloodfuckers in the most odious light. Whenever he went to a fair, or other place of public concourse, he would get upon an eminence, and in a long difcourfe, endeavour to roufe the people from their lethargy,

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lethargy, and inflame them with refentment a gainst their oppreffors.

This furnished his brethren with an opportu nity of representing him as a difturbers of the peace, and loading him with innumerablescalumnies. Many tumults were raised against him, and he was often in imminent danger of his life. When he had narrowly escaped being stoned in publick, they would often hire defperadoes to affaffinate him in private; and, fometimes, attempted to bribe his intimate friends to take him off by poifon. However, by a mixture of bravery and caution in himself, together with the affiftance of some faithful friends, who faw how much he was promoting their interest, or rather, by a most fingular providence, he was always brought off fafe. At laft, a few of the other fervants joined him, and they together opened the eyes of feveral provinces of the Empire. These came to a formal refolution of cafting off the yoke of the Emperor, and fettling the Servants upon a quite new, or rather bringing them back to the old, reasonable and natural foundation.

This was not brought about without a moft violent and pertinacious oppofition. The Em- * peror immediately founded the alarm, and fet the Servants in motion throuhgout all his dominions. He could not be fuppofed, indeed, to look upon fuch a fcheme with indifference; for it plainly tended to strip him of a great part of his revenue and power: nor was it eafy to fee where it would