13. Sometimes it is faid that man cannot be trufted with the government of himself. Can he then be trufted with the government of others? Or have we found angels in the form of kings to govern them? Let hiftory answer this question.

14. Let us then, with courage and confidence pursue our own federal and republican principle; our attachment to union and representative government. Kindly feparated by nature and a wide ocean from the exterminating havoc of one quarter of the globe;

15. Too high minded to endure the degradations of the others, poffeffing a chofen country, with room enough for our defcendants to the thoufandth generation, entertaining a due fenfe of our equal right to the use of our own faculties, to the acquifition of our own industry, to honor and confidence from our fellow citizens, refulting not from birth but from our actions and their fenfe of them, enlightened by a benign religion, profeffed indeed and practifed in various forms, yet all of them inculcating honefty, truth, temperance, gratitude and the love of man, acknowledging and adoring an over-ruling providence, which by all its difpenfations proves that it delights in the happiness of man here and his greater happiness hereafter

;

16. With all these bleffings, what more is necessary to make us a happy and a profperous people? Still one thing more, fellow citizens, a wife and frugal government, which fhall reftrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of induftry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the fum of good gov ernment; and this is neceffary to close the circle of our felicities.

17. About to enter, fellow citizens, on the exercise of duties which comprehend every thing dear and valuable to you, it is proper you should understand what I deem the effential principles of our government, and confequently those which ought to fhape its administration. I will compress them within the narrowest compass they will bear, ftating the general principles, but not all its limitations.

18. Equal and exact justice to all men, of whatever ftate or perfuafion, religious or political :-peace, commerce.

and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none-the fupport of the ftate governments in all their rights, as the most competent administrations for our domestic concerns, and the fureft bulwarks against anti republican tendencies:

19. The prefervation of the general government in its whole constitutional vigor, as the fheet anchor of our peace at home, and fafety abroad: a jealous care of the right of election by the people, a mild and fafe corrective of abuses which are lopped by the fword of revolution where peacea ble remedies are unprovided;

20. Abfolute acquiefcence in the decifions of the majority, the vital principle of republics, from which is no appeal but to force, the vital principle and immediate parent of defpotifm a well difciplined militia, our best reliance in peace, and for the first moments of war, till regulars may relieve them the fupremacy of the civil over the military authority :

21. Economy in the public expenfe, that labor may be lightly burthened the honeft payment of our debts and facred preservation of the public faith encouragement of agriculture, and of commerce as its handmaid: the diffufion of information, and arraignment of all abuses at the bar of the public reafon :

22. Freedom of religion; freedom of the prefs; and freedom of perfon, under the protection of the habeas corpus and trial by juries impartially felected. These principles form the bright conftellation, which has gone before us, and guided our steps through an age of revolution and information.

23. The wisdom of our fages, and blood of our heroes, have been devoted to their attainment :-they should be the creed of our political faith; the text of civic instruction, the touchstone by which to try the fervices of those we trust; and fhould we wander from them in moments of error or aların, let us haften to retrace our steps, and to regain the road which alone leads to peace, liberty and fafety.

24. I repair then, fellow citizens, to the poft you have affigned me! With experience enough in fubordinate offices to have feen the difficulties of this the greatest of all, I have learnt to expect that it will rarely fall to the lot of imperfect

man to retire from this station with the reputation, and the favor, which bring him into it.

25. Without pretenfions to that high confidence you repofed in your first and greateft revolutionary character, whofe pre-eminent fervices had entitled him to the first place in his country's love, and destined for him the fairest page in the volume of faithful history, I ask fo much confidence only as may give firmnefs and effect to the legal administration of your affairs.

26. I fhall often go wrong through defect of judgment. When right, Ifhall often be thought wrong by those whose pofitions will not command a view of the whole ground. I afk your indulgence for my own errors, which will never be intentional, and your fupport against the errors of others, who may condemn what they would not if feen in all its parts.

27. The approbation implied in your fuffrage, is a great confolation to me for the past; and my future folicitude will be to retain the good opinion of those who have bestowed it in advance, to conciliate that of others by doing them all the good in my power, and to be inftrumental to the happinefs and freedom of all.

28. Relying then on the patronage of your good will, I advance with obedience to the work, ready to retire from it whenever you become fenfible how much better choices it is in your power to make. And may that infinite power, which rules the deftinies of the univerfe, lead our councils to what is best, and give them a favorable iffue for your peace and profperity. THOMAS JEFFERSON.

United States, March 4, 1801.

PRESIDENT MADISON'S INAUGURAL SPEECH.

1. UNWILLING to depart from examples, of the most revered authority, I avail myself of the occafion now prefented, to exprefs the profound impreffion made on me by the call of my country to the station, to the duties of which I am about to pledge myself, by the most folemn of fanctions.

2. So diftinguished a mark of confidence proceeding from the deliberate and tranquil fuffrage of a free and virtuous nation, would under any circumftances, have demanded my gratitude and devotion-as well as filled me with an awful sense of the trust to be affumed.

3. Under the various circumstances which give peculiar folemnity to the existing period, I feel that both the honor and the refponfibility allotted to me, are inexpreffibly enhanced.

4. The prefent fituation of the world is indeed without a parallel; and that of our country full of difficulties. The preffure of these too, is the more feverely felt, because they have fallen on us at a moment when national profperity being at a height not before attained, the contrast resulting from the change, has been rendered the more striking.

5. Under the benign influence of our republican institutions, and the maintenance of peace with all nations, whilst fo many of them were engaged in bloody and wasteful wars, the fruits of a juft policy were enjoyed in an unrivalled growth of our faculties and refources.

6. Proofs of this were feen in the improvements of ag riculture; in the fuccessful enterprizes of commerce; in the progrefs of manufactures and ufeful arts; in the increase of the public revenue, and the use made of it in reducing the public debt; and in the valuable works and establishments every where multiplying over the face of our land.

7. It is a precious reflection that the tranfition from this profperous condition of our country, to the scene which has for fome time been diftreffing to us, is not chargeable on any unwarrantable views, nor, as I trust, on any involuntary errors, in the public councils.

8. Indulging no paffions which trespass on the rights or the repofe of other nations, it has been the true glory of the United States to cultivate peace by obferving juftice, and to entitle themselves to the refpect of the nations at war, by fulfilling their neutral obligations, with the most scrupulous impartiality. If there be candor in the world, the truth of thefe affertions will not be questioned. Pofterity at least will do justice to them.

9. This unexceptionable courfe could not avail against the injuftice and violence of the belligerent powers. In their

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rage against each other, or impelled by more direct motives, principles of retaliation have been introduced, equally con trary to univerfal reason and acknowledged law.

10. How long their arbitrary edicts will be continued in fpite of the demonftrations, that not even a pretext for them has been given by the United States, and of fair and liberal attempts to induce a revocation of them, cannot be anticipated.

11. Affuring myself that under every viciffitude, the determined fpirit and united councils of the nation will be fafeguards to its honor and its effential interefts, I repair to the poft affigned me, with no other difcouragement than what fprings from my own inadequacy to its high duties.

12. If I do not fink under the weight of this deep conviction, it is because I find fupport in a consciousness of the purposes, and a confidence in the principles, which I bring with me into this arduous fervice.

13. To cherish peace and friendly intercourfe with all nations, having correfpondent difpofitions ;-to maintain fincere neutrality towards belligerent nations; to prefer in all cafes amicable difcuffion, and reasonable accommodation of differences, to a decifion of them by an appeal to arms;

14. To exclude foreign intrigues and foreign partialities, fo degrading to all countries, and fo baneful to free ones; to fofter a spirit of independence, too just to invade the rights of others; too proud to furrender our own; too liberal to indulge unworthy prejudices ourselves, and too elevated not to look down on them in others;

15. To hold the union of the states as the bafis of their peace and happiness; to fupport the constitution which is the cement of the union, as well in its limitations, as in its authorities

16. To refpect the rights and authorities referved to the ftates and to the people, as equally incorporated with, and effential to the fuccefs of the general fyftem, to avoid the flighteft interference with the rights of confcience, or the functions of religion fo wifely exempted from civil jurifdic

tion;

17. To preferve in their full energy the other falutary provifions in behalf of private and perfonal rights, and of the freedom of the prefs; to obferve economy in public ex