The Steady Course of public Measures is most probably to be expected from a Number.

A single Person’s Measures may be good. The Successor, often differs in Opinion of those Measures, and adopts others. Often is ambitious of distinguishing himself, by opposing them, and offering new Projects. One is peaceably dispos’d. Another may be food of War, &c: Hence foreign States can never have that Confidence, in the Treaties or Friendship of such a Government as in that which is conducted by a Number.

The Single Head may be Sick. Who is to conduct the Public Affairs in that Case? When he dies, who are to conduct, till a new Election? If a Council why not continue them? Shall we not be harass’d with Factions for the Election of Successors? become like Poland, weak from our Dissensions?

Consider the present distracted Condition of Holland. They had at first a Stadtholder, the Prince of Orange, a Man of undoubted and great Merit. They found some Inconveniencies however in the Extent of Powers annex’d to that Office, and exercis’d by a single Person. On his Death They resum’d and divided those Powers among the States and Cities. But there has been a constant Struggle since between that Family and the Nation. In the last Century the then Prince of Orange found Means to inflame the Populace against their Magistrates, excite a general Insurrection in which an excellent Minister Dewit, was murdered, all the old Majistrates displac’d, and the Stadtholder re-invested with all the former Powers. In this Century the Father of the present Stadtholder, having married a British Princess, did, by exciting another Insurrection, force from the Nation a Decree that the Stadtholdership should be thenceforth hereditary in his Family. And now his Son, being suspected of having favourd England in the late War, and thereby lost the Confidence of the Nation, he is forming an internal Faction to support his Power, and reinstate his Favourite the Duke of Brunswick; and he holds up his Family Alliances with England and Prussia to terrify Opposition. It was this Conduct of the Statholder which induc’d the States to recur to the Protection of France, and put their Troops under a French rather than the Stadtholder’s German General the Duke of Brunswick. And this is the Source of all the present Disorders in Holland, which if the Stadtholder has Abilities equal to his Inclinations, will probably after a ruinous and bloody civil War, end in establishing an hereditary Monarchy in his Family.