men; the armour of the old Swiſs warriors, and the bow and arrow with which William Tell ſhot the apple on the head of his ſon—
Who with the generous ruſtics ſate,
On Uri's rock, in cloſe divan,
And wing'd that arrow, ſure as fate,
Which fix'd the ſacred rights of man,
The ſovereion is the city of Zurich. The ſovereignty reſides in the two burgomaſters, in the little council compoſed of forty-eight members, and the grand council compoſed of one hundred and ſixty-two members; all taken from thirteen tribes, one of which is of the nobles, and the other twelve of citizens.
Although there are twelve thouſand ſouls in the capital, and one hundred and fifty in the canton, there are not more than two thouſand citizens. In early times, when the city had no territory round it, or a ſmall one, the citizens were in poſſeſſion of the government; when they afterwards made additions by conqueſt or purchaſe, they ſtill obſtinately held this power, and excluded all their new ſubjects. it is an hundred and fifty years ſince a new citizen has been admitted: beſides electing all the magiſtrates and holding all offices, they have maintained a monopoly of commerce, and excluded all ſtrangers, and even ſubjects of the canton, from conducting any in the town. Such are commons, as well as nobles and princes, whenever they have power unchecked in their hands!
There is even in this commercial republic a tribe of nobles, who confider trade as a humiliation.
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