Our Citizens here disapprobate the Compensations, as they are called, which have passed the lower House of Congress. They generally think that the Salary of the Vice President should have been Ten thousand Dollars, A Guinea Per Diem for the Representatives, & six Dollars for a Senator. As it now stands, the first Sum is a Disgrace to the Government; & is here considered as arising from Party Views & illiberal Policy.1

The Constitution intended a Distinction in the Rank & Dignity of the Senate as being the Upper House of Congress, & that Difference, ought to be extended to Pay as well as to Place.

Our Profession are waiting with some Impatience for the Judicial Appointments. Mr. Dana & Mr. Lowell are supposed to be the Candidates for the Supreme Bench. Neither I believe (indeed the latter I know)2 would not, accept the District. A certain Probate Judge is supposed to have taken great Pains to obtain this Post.3 To no Person but to Yourself, unless my Letter to the President should be quoted against the assertion, have I ever hinted a Wish to be noticed in the Places that must soon be disposed of. But you will now give me leave to say that I should be pleased with an appointment to some Office (the Advocateship is now out of the Question) which my Education might enable me to discharge the Duties of. I am now advancing to forty, & as the Profession is at present circumstanced, the Spirits & Feelings are too often affronted, for a Gentleman not to wish a Removal from the Drudgery of earning, & the Mortification of asking for fees, which are now become paltry. More than this, on such a Subject, I ought not to say even to you, Sir. And less, at this Juncture, I might perhaps hereafter regret, to have communicated.

I am, Dr Sir, / yours

“The Characters, I So much admire among the ancients,” were not “formed wholly by Republican forms of Government”—1 I admire, Phillip and Alexander, as much as I do Themistocles and Pericles, nay as much as Demosthenes— I admire Pisistratus, almost as much as solon: and think that the Arts, Elegance, Literature and Science of Athens, was his Work and that of his sons, more than of any or all the popular Commanders or oraters.

The two Republicks of Antiquity, that I most admire are Sparta and Rome, and these were both monarchical Republicks.— Athens indeed was ballanced, with great Care and some Art, till Aristides 118 overturned the Constitution to make himself popular, and acquire the Title of just, so that I think the Man who voted to ostracise him because he was called just by the Mob, was a Man of Sense, Spirit and Virtue.—

You doubt whether Titles overawe the profligate.— You ask where do I find more profligate manners, than among the Citizens of London?— I am almost disposed to answer You, by Saying, in Boston, in New York, in Philadelphia.— I assure You, my friend I wish my dear Countrymen had less Vanity and more Pride. The Advantages We have, over Europe, are chiefly geographical— I see very little moral or political Preference.— as far as I can judge there is as much Vice, Folly, and more Infidelity Idleness Luxury and Dissipation, in any of our great Towns, in Proportion to Numbers, as in London.— But the Question Should be what would be, the degree of Profligacy in London, if there were no Titles? and I Seriously believe it would be much greater than it is.— Nay I dont believe it would be possible to Support any Government at all, among Such Multitudes without Distinctions of Rank and the Titles that mark them.— According to what I have Seen in England, as well as France Holland Spain and Germany, there is nothing Strikes and overawes the most abandoned of the Populace so much as Titles.

Whether Titles beget Pride in Rulers, or not is not an Argument.— Would you reject every Thing that begets Pride? if you do you must reject Virtue, which begets the most exquisite, exalted and unconquerable Pride.— You must reject Laws, Government, offices of all Kind, and even Religion. Spiritual Pride, has grown out of Religion. Would you reject religion.—

Men who will be made proud by a Title, will be made so by an office without a Title.—

But Why Should Titles beget Baseness among the common People?— Respect, Reverence, Submission and Obedience to the Laws and lawful Magistrates You would wish to see both in the virtuous and vicious of the common People. if Obedience cannot be obtained from the vicious without begetting Baseness, by which I suppose you mean fear, why should you object to that.— But Titles have no Tendency to beget Baseness in poor Men who are virtuous, more than offices without Titles.— But I must insist that Laws are made and Magistrates appointed on Purpose, to create Fear, & Terror in the Minds of the vicious, and if Titles will Save you the Expence of Gallows, Stocks Whipping Posts, or the Pain of employing them, why not Use them? if Titles will do instead of Armies and Navies, or 119 any Part of them, why reject them? Dont the Gallows beget Baseness in the common People?— Would you have no Gallows? dont a prison beget Baseness? Would you have no Prison?— dont all Sorts of Punishments beget Baseness? would you abolish all Punishments?

You Say the conquered Provinces first introduced Titles into the Roman Empire.— But in this I believe you are mistaken.— had the Kings of Rome, no Titles?— Vir amplissimus—Vir Clarissimus. Vir amplissimus Consul.— Vir Summus. These were familiar among them, in the Simplest times.

Historians indeed never use Titles.— but Titles were Used in Life, and had their Influence.—

1 The Romans conferred Titles very early, e.g. Manlius, Capitolinus, and very late as Scipio Africanus.— These Titles, were very common and had great Influence, for they carried with them the Ideas of Tryumphs and Glory, beyond any Titles in our Times.

2 They managed their Agnomen, Cognomen and Nomen in a manner, to influence the People, as much as our Titles.— Cicero tells us, what was their Custom “Nomen cum dicimus, cognomen quoque et agnomen, intelligatur, oportet.”2

1 The Prænomen was, our Christian Name. 2. The Nomen was the Name of a Race, or Gens.— as all descended from Julus the son of Eneas the son of Venus, were called Julii, and were accounted divine. 3. The Cognomen distinguished different Families of the Same Race. for Gens signified the whole and Familia a Part.— Those of the Same Gens were called Gentiles, (whence our Word Genteel and Gentleman)— Those of the Same Family Agnati. 4 The Agnomen, like Scipio Africanus and Scipio Asiaticus, has been mentioned before.— Julius Signified the Gens and Cæsar the Familia.

As these Families and Races, happened to be of consular Prætorian, or Tribunitian Dignity, or even only of patrician Dignity, their names carried more Influence, than the Titles of Princes, Dukes, Marquises, Earls Barons do at this day in Europe, for We must always recollect, that these Families and Offices were all consecrated: and consequently Struck the Roman Mind which was certainly more Superstitious, if not more religious than ours, with an holy Awe.— in order to form some Idea of the religious Veneration, approaching to Adoration, which the Roman Policy inspired into the Minds of their Citizens towards their Magistracies and the Races and Families which exercised them We must recollect their, Leges Sacratæ. and what was a Lex Sacrata? Sacratæ leges Sunt, (inquit Festus) quibus Sancitum est, qui quid adversus eas fecerit, Sacer alicui deorum Sit, 120 cum familia, pecuniaque.—3 There were several of these Sacred Laws, by which all their Magistrates were protected. The Lex Sacrata, passed upon the holy Mountain, for the Security of the Tribunes, is in Dionysius as follows “Tribunum nemo in ordinem redigito, neque invitum quidquam facere cogito, nec verberato, nec alium verberare jubeto. Si quis contra fecerit, Sacer esto, et bona ejus Cereri Sacra Sunto: et qui eum occiderit, purus a cæde esto.— hanc legem omnes juraverunt Seque et Posteros in Sempiternum observaturos.[”]—4 only consider the Effect of taking an Oath by all the People to observe this Law.

Now sir, I contend, that as Consuls, Præters, Tribunes &c were consecrated Officers, the Title of Sacrosanctus belonged to them all, and was little short of that of Sacred Majesty.— I Say farther that Patres Conscripti, was an higher Title than My Lords, or most Honourable, and that the Names of Sacred Gentes, et Familiæ, had greater Influence among the Romans than modern European Titles.

Never Let me again hear the Romans quoted, as neglecting or despizing Titles.— if I do, I will persecute You with more latin. Yours affectionately