TRANSFER OF THE

CITAP. Hi.

parts of the world most advanced in civilizationwere divided into small kingdoms ruled by pettytyrants, whose subjects had neither rights norprotection to oppose to the claims of their chiefs.Their labour was directed to such purposes asbest suited his views. Hence there was no classof subjects possessing property which the chief,if he had occasion for it, could not claim andsecure for his own use. This is shown by therelations already given of the kingdom of Lydiaunder Ci'cesus, and of Celasnm under Pytheus,both of whom drew to themselves the whole ofthat metallic wealth which the labour of theirsubjects could extract from the bowels of theearth. The precious metals would then for themost part be found in the hands of the kings,as we see was the case with the two who werethe largest or at least the most prominent sove-reigns of mining districts. These monarchs,though called kings, were, however, in point offact, only feudatories of those greater monarchswho successively ruled in the eastern empiresof Assyria and of Persia . The precious metalsthus collected in the power of these minor kingswas ready to be seized upon by, or to be pre-sented to, the greater monarchs whenever occa-sion might call for the delivery of them. Itwas retained in smaller portions, ready to begiven up to form large masses; and being infew hands could be easily'collected and trans-