T1IK WEALTH OK NATIONS.

803

The same disposition to save and to hoard prevailed inthe sovereign, as well as in the subjects. Among nations towhom commerce and manufactures are little known, the so-vereign, it has already been observed in the fourth book, isin a situation which naturally disposes him to the parsimonyrequisite for accumulation. In that situation the expenseeven of a sovereign cannot be directed by that vanity whichdelights in the gaudy finery of a court. The ignorance ofthe times affords but few of the trinkets in which that fineryconsists. Standing armies are not then necessary, so thatthe expense even of a sovereign, like that of any other greatlord, can be employed in scarce any thing but bounty tohis tenants, and hospitality to his retainers. But bountyand hospitality very seldom lead to extravagance; thoughvanity almost always does. All the ancient sovereigns ofEurope accordingly, it has already been observed, hadtreasures. Every Tartar chief in the present times is saidto have one.

In a commercial country abounding with every sort ofexpensive luxury, the sovereign, in the same manner as al-most all the great proprietors in his dominions, naturallyspends a great part of his revenue in purchasing those luxu-ries. His own and the neighbouring countries supply himabundantly with all the costly trinkets which compose thesplendid, but insignificant pageantry of a court. For thesake of an inferior pageantry of the same kind, his noblesdismiss their retainers, make their tenants independent, andbecome gradually themselves as insignificant as the greaterpart of the wealthy burghers in his dominions. The samefrivolous passions, which influence their conduct, intluencehis. How can it be supposed that he should be the onlyrich man in his dominions who is insensible to pleasures ofthis kind 1 If he does not, what he is very likely to do, spendupon those pleasures so great a part of his revenue as to de-bilitate very much the defensive power of the state, it cannotwell be expected that he should not spend upon them allthat part of it which is over and above what is necessary lorsupporting that defensive power. His ordinary expense be-comes equal to his ordinary revenue, and it is well if it doesnot frequently exceed it. The amassing of treasure can nolonger be expected, and when extraordinary exigencies re-quire extraordinary expenses, he must necessarily call uponhis subjects for an extraordinary aid. The present and the