En a word, whether the prefent form of. government be
. likely to laft, or whether it may notbe asfuddenly overturned*
as it was introduced by a new revolution ; whether it' may
not in procefs o f time degenerate into an arbitrary monarchy,
or relapfe into its priftine anarchy ; are not here the
objeits o f inquiry the queffion relates' folely to the-
nature o f the conftitution as it fubfifts at prefent ; which*
the more accurately we examine, the leis fcrupulouily ffiall:
we decide, that the king o f Sweden is a limited, and not a de-
fpotick fovereign.
The diet, in which refides the fupreme legiilative authority,
is compofed o f the king, whofe prerogatives have been
already related, and the ftates-, which are convened at the foie:
will of the crown, and conflit'o f the four houfes, L Of Nobles
II. Gf the C le rg y ; III. Of Citizens and,, IV. Of
Peafants.
I: The firft Houfe is that of the Nobles.
They are divided into counts, barons, and-untitled nobility.
A family once ennobled continuesfo from generation
to generation, aswell in the direct line as-in its various ■ collateral
branches'3s;. and all poifefs the fame: general privileges,.
* T h e read er w ill e x cu fe th e lén g rh of- “ is th ere entitled- to the- honours and pri-
th e fo llow in g quotation, as w e ll in confid e- “ vileg.es o f the p e e ra g e , it is not the man
, ra tion o f th e ju itn efs o f th e rem a rk s ,an d its “ w h o can cou n t a lo n g tra in o f titled an-
ap plica tion to th e fu b je ft in th e te x t , as b e - “ ceftors,. bu t th e h e red ita iy leg iila to r who
caufe it is almoft th e only- pla c e where th e “ is h im fe lf noble., T h e youngerhranches-
difference between th e Engliih and foreign. “ o f thefe families, as -they,ha ve nq fliore in
n o b ility is p rec ifefy and c lea rly a fc e r ta in ed - “ th e leg ifia tu re , a re b u t lit t le , if , by cour-
, “ England is th e on ly cou n try in E u rope “ t e fy ,, at all- diftinguifhed from their ft 1-
“ w here the diftin â ion , fo r in ïlan ce o f n o - •low-fubjpâ s-;- w ith w h om th e y ànd their
“ b le and not no^le, is ca rried no fa r th e r “ defcendants affimilate,. and a re fpon, if I
“ than th e n a tu re o f th e government r e - “ may fo exprefs m y felf, melted down into
“ quires it iliou ld ; b e cau fe ,the re the n o b i- “ th e general mafs o f the p eop le. Hence-
“ lity do n o t , as fuoh, form a . diftinft clafs “ thef© becorpe a for t o f lin k between the
“ from th e reft o f th e nation. A s it is “ n o b ility and th e commoners ; a link that,
“ only th e head o f e a ch noble family,, who conrie&iiig th e ir in te re fts , prevents all
. ’ - . M divilion
Ifeges, which con fift principally in the capacity of being fe- c
nators,.chamberlains, or of holdingother civil employments >—
about the king!s perfon and court, and in an exemption from
the poll-tax. The power o f creating' new nobility is veiled
in the k ing; but the number is limited. In a diet held
under Adolphus Frederick, it was ena<£ted, that no additional
ones fliould be appointed until the families of this order Were:
reduced to 1 200 ; and af the revolution o f 17 7 2 his prefent
majefty obtained the right o f adding. 150.
The head o f each noble family iu the diredl line is by
birth a member o f this houfe, and reprefentsy.in his perfon,,
all the younger part of. that line,-as well as the collateral:
branches. If he happens to be a fenator, he is incapacitated:
by his office from a place in . the diet; but enjoys the power-
of transferring his* feat to another noble. .Any reprefenta--
tive, who declines attending,.may appoint a fubllitute,, provided
he nominates a perfon of his own family *. .
As there are about 1200 noble families, if each head a t tended,
the members prefent in the houfe would amount to-)
that number;. but there being no neceffity for affiffing atn
-the diet, the reprefentatives vary. In the late reign,, when*
“ divifion between th e f e tw o orders in - th e ir “ fe'quentty, th a t co n jiin fifon o f views an d i
^ capacity Of members o f the fame fociet} v “ interefts cannot tak e plac e in the n ation .
„ and ,w ,ch forms o f th at fo c iM y .a co n t i- “ at la rg e , to w h ich I have faid a fre e c o n .
n u e d c h a in , no p a r t o f w h ich can b e - « ftiturion mu lt, in a g re a t d e g r te - low e its ■
■ touched w ith o u t a f f i x in g , b y an .almoft- “ fa fe ty .” Sheridan, p . 143.
^ e le iln c a l Communication, all th e reft. I n - ' * ' F o rm e r ly each h e ad had the p ow e r o f f
i i c o u n t r i e s , w h e r e th o fe who have tran s fe r r in g his feat"to any one noble ; b u t
ennobled tranfmit-the honours as this privileg e gave rife t o ' a ' fcan d alous- -
„ f n . PgV1 leges Of n o b ility to all th eir pof- traffick o f fe llin g fe a fs (feeSheridaii p , i rq)
1. T * t , ’ tb e re '? no link «0 eo n n e ft th e houfe pnffed a de cree , proh ib itin g a n y ’
be nobles to the re ft ° f the nation ; on repre fenta tive from ap p o in tin g a noble o f ■
t. * c o u t r a iy , a line is drawn between them an o th e r fam ily to b e b is fubftidnte to th e ■
° PerP*,n i*y i » lin e which, cu ts , as it preju d ice o f h is own fam ily in all its co lla -
« 1 1 j o f fociet7 in tw° i th e fe - te ra l b ran ch es , any o f whom m igh t, in pre -
° T hlch ap pear rath e r t0 re- feren ce to an alien, claim a r ig h t o f a ffift in e :
™ n a t t r a a ea cl‘ o th e r . . T h e r e , con - at a d ie t , i f the ch ic fd e c lin ed 'a ttcn d in g .