THE WEALTH OF NATIONS.

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greatness the consul was too much occupied with the poli-tical affairs of the state, to attend to the administration ofjustice. A praetor, therefore, was appointed to administer itin his stead. In the progress of the European monarchieswhich were founded upon the ruins of the Homan empire,the sovereigns and the great lords came universally to con-sider the administration of justice as an office, both too labo-rious and too ignoble for them to execute in their own per-sons. They universally, therefore, discharged themselves ofit by appointing a deputy, bailiff, or judge.

When the judicial is united to the executive power, it isscarce possible that justice should not frequently be sacri-ficed to, what is vulgarly called, politics. The persons en-trusted with the great interests of the state may, even with-out any corrupt views, sometimes imagine it necessary tosacrifice to those interests the rights of a private man. Butupon the impartial administration of justice depends theliberty of every individual, the sense which he has of his ownsecurity. In order to make every individual feel himselfperfectly secure in the possession of every right which be-longs to him, it is not only necessary that the judicial shouldbe separated from the executive power, but that it should berendered as much as possible independent of that power.The judge should not be liable to be removed from his officeaccording to the caprice of that power. The regular pay-ment of his salary should not depend upon the good-will, oreven upon the good economy of that power.

PART III.

Of the Expense of public Works and public Institutions.

Tiik. third and last duty of the sovereign or commonwealthis that of erecting and maintaining those public institutionsand those public works, which, though they may be in thehighest degree advantageous to a great society, are, how-ever, ot such a nature, that the profit could never repay theexpense to any individual or small number of individuals,and which it therefore cannot be expected that any indivi-dual or small number of individuals should erect or main-tain. I he performance of this duty requires too very differ-ed degrees of expense in the different periods of society.

After the public institutions and public works necessarythe defence of the society, and for the administration of