as is agreeable to nature. Indeed their endeavor was to have
every thing they ordained believed to be very ancient, that
they might not be thought to imitate others, but might appear
to have delivered a regular way of living to others after them.
Since then this is the case, the excellency of a legislator is
seen in providing for the people's living after the best
manner, and in prevailing with those that are to use the laws
he ordains for them, to have a good opinion of them, and in
obliging the multitude to persevere in them, and to make no
changes in them, neither in prosperity nor adversity. Now I
venture to say, that our legislator is the most ancient of all
the legislators whom we have ally where heard of; for as for
the Lycurguses, and Solons, and Zaleucus Locrensis, and all
those legislators who are so admired by the Greeks, they
seem to be of yesterday, if compared with our legislator,
insomuch as the very name of a law was not so much as
known in old times among the Grecians. Homer is a witness
to the truth of this observation, who never uses that term in
all his poems; for indeed there was then no such thing among
them, but the multitude was governed by wise maxims, and
by the injunctions of their king. It was also a long time that
they continued in the use of these unwritten customs,
although they were always changing them upon several
occasions. But for our legislator, who was of so much greater
antiquity than the rest, (as even those that speak against us
upon all occasions do always confess,) he exhibited himself to
the people as their best governor and counselor, and included
in his legislation the entire conduct of their lives, and
prevailed with them to receive it, and brought it so to pass,
that those that were made acquainted with his laws did most