142
THE SAXONS IN ENGLAND.
[book i.
establish a preponderance over a more numerous
but less favoured race : in such a case they will
probably join the whole mass of the people, recei-
ving or taking lands among them, and they will
by right of their superiority constitute a noble,
sacerdotal, royal race, among a race of freemen ɪ.
They may introducè their religion as well as their
form of government, as did the Dorians in the Pelo-
ponesus. Or if, as must frequently be the case,
a compromise take place, they and their god will
reserve the foremost rank, although the conquered
or otherwise subjected people may retain a share
in the state, and vindicate for their ancient deities
a portion of reverence and cult : the gods of nature,
of the earth and agriculture, thus yield for a while
to the supremacy of the gods of mental cultivation
and warlike prowess : Demeter gives way before
Apollo, afterwards however to recover a portion of
her splendour : Odinn obtains the soul of the war-
rior and the freeman ; Dorr must content himself
with that of the thrall.
In all the cases described,—to which we may add
violent conquest by a migratory body, leaving only
garrisons and governors behind it2,—the family or
tribe which are the ruling tribe, are those in whom
the highest rank, dignity, nobility and power are
inherent: but unless some peculiar circumstances,
1 Aιτιov δ∈......δτt τp6πov τιva apeτη τvγχcivQυσa χopηγlaς κaι βιdζe-
σθaι δυvaτaι μaλιστaj κaι eστιv det to κpaτovv cv vπfpoχfi dγaθoυ τιvos,
ωστ( δoκciv μη dvev apcτηs ftvaι τηv βiav. , . , Arist. Polit. I. cap. 6∙
(Bekker.) We may remember the Incas in Peru.
'2 A fact abundantly familiar in the history of India, whether under
Afghan, Mogul or Mahratta rule.
сн. vι. j
THE KING.
143
arising within the ruling tribe itself, limit the suc-
cession to the members of one household, as for
example among the Jews, the sanctity of the tribe
will be general and not individual. They will be
alone qualified to hold the high and sacred offices ;
but the will of the whole state ɪ, i. e. popular election,
must determine which particular man shall be in-
vested with their functions. Out of the noble race
the election cannot indeed be made, but the choice
of the individual noble is, at first, free. This is the
simplest mode of stating the problem : history how-
ever is filled with examples of compromise, where
two or more noble tribes divide the supreme au-
thority in even or uneven shares: two kings, for
instance, represent two tribes of Dorians in the
Spartan πoλιτeι'α2. The seven great and heredi-
tary ministerial houses in the German empire, the
five great Ooloos of the Dooraunee Afghans, with
their hereditary offices, represent similar facts.
Among the old Bavarians, the Agilolfings could
alone hold the ducal dignity, but three or four
other families possessed a peculiar nobility, raising
them nearly as much above the rest of the nobles,
1 The whole state may possibly consist only of the predominant
tribe, as Dorians or Ionians, or Anglosaxons: the rest of the popula-
tion of the country may be perioecian as were the inhabitants of La-
conia, and the British. The ruling tribe itself may have distinctions
of rank ; as for instance the IIypomeiones among the Spartans, the
Ceorlas among the Anglosaxons.
’ The rule, reyes ex nobilitate, duces ex virtute, aγaθθυ τιvos υπepoχη,
applies in strictness to this case. Agis or Agesilaus might be gene-
1-als, bllt Brasidas could not have been a king. Descent from Heracles
Was to the Spartiate Whatdescent from Woden was to the Saxon,—the
condition of royalty.