COACHES.

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were remarkably high. In the Theodosian code the use ofthem is not only allowed to civil and military officers of thelirst rank, but commanded as a mark of their dignity.

However, after the destruction of this once virtuouspeople, when they had eventually become the slaves of lustand vicious propensities, as the state acquired riches andpower, their character became radically changed; but afterthe total demolition of their empire of the world, a changeof masters brought with it a complete alteration in the moralmanners of this people, and others, the dependents of theirsupreme authority. The northern sovereigns speedily intro-duced new customs, conformable to the rudeness of theirsavage education, and selfish as was their views. Carriagesgenerally now became disused, they had no idea of encou-raging the growth of luxury and supinity when they wantedvigorous subjects,—men fit to fight their battles and toendure the toils of a camp. Accordingly, those who usedto ride in carriages, now became equestrians, both men andwomen, clergy and laity, courtiers and clowns, all rode onhorseback. Such is the influence of example in our supe-riors, who can mould dependents and inferiors into whatevershape they please. At least such was the revolution in themoral habits of Europeans, upon the subjugation of that oncemighty empire.

But, perhaps, we had better collect from particular in-stances, than to detail our own conceptions in general expres-sion. Accordingly, we find, that after the subversion of Romanpower, the northern sovereigns, who had become the barba-rous and ignorant oppressors of our species, introduced andestablished, among other political regulations, the feudal sys-tem, as it was called, by which all property in land was held bycertain fiefs, whereby the king, or, as termed, lord of the soil,let certain proportions of theland to his nobles, military officers,and other great persons, and generally, often on condition ofcertain services required to be performed, called soceage orsoccage, knights-service, and other military tenures; bywhich custom, those tenants of the sovereign had to providecertain men and horses to serve them in their wars. Thesefirst tenants, or vassals, afterwards underlet those lands tovillains, so named, in contradistinction to the present recog-nised term, from their living in villages or hamlets, andother tenants, from whom, in their turn, similar services andcertain provisions were required: thus the European world,which had become the prey of effeminacy and Caprean lux-ury, had, by this single important circumstance, their cha-racter so completely, so effectually, so radically changed,