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35594v

VINDICATION
O F

NATURAL SOCIETY:
O
R,

A View of the
to

Miseries and Evils arifing Mankind from every Species of

ARTIFICIAL SOCIETY.
In a

Letter
By
a late

to

Lord

****

Noble Writer.

LONDON:
Printed for

M. Cooper

in Pater-nq/fer-Row,

1756.

[Price

One

Shilling

and Six-pence.]

ADVERTISEMENT.

TH
is

following Letter appears to

have been written about the Year

1748, and the Perfon to

whom

it is

ad-

dreffed need not be pointed out.

probable the
it

As it Noble Writer had no Dehaving kept no

for
it's

fign that

fhould ever appear in Publick,

this will account for his

Copy of

it,

and confequently,
reft

not

appearing amongft the

of his Works.

By what Means
the Editor,
is

it

came
at'

into the

Hands of

not

all

material to the
as

Publick, any farther than

fuch an Ac-

count might tend to authenticate the Genuinenefs of it, and for this
it

it

was thought

might

fafely

rely

on

it's

own

internal

Evidence.

']

LETTER
T O

LORD
SHALL our
that in
late

****
my Lord,
you
Converfation,

I venture to fay,

were inclined

to the Party

which you

adopted rather by the Feelings of your

good Nature, than by the Conviction of your Judgment ? We laid open the Foundations of Society
;

and you

feared, that

the

Curiofity

of

this

Search might en-

danger the Ruin of the whole Fabrick.

You would readily have allowed my

ciple,

Prin-,

but you dreaded the Confequences

you thought, that having once entered upon

thefe

L.]
thefe Reafonings,
fenfibly

we might

be carried inthan
at firft

and

irrefiftably farther

we
and
ror,

could either have imagined or wifhed.

But for

my part, my Lord,
ftill

then thought,

am
j

of the fame Opinion, that Eris

and not Truth of any Kind,

that
falfe
ill

danger-

ous

Conclufions can only flow

>

from

Propofitions

and

that, to

know
falfe,
it

whether any Proportion be true or

it is

a prepoflerous

Method

to

examine

by

it's

apparent Confequences.

Thefe were the Reafons which induced

me to go

fo far into that

Enquiry; and they

are the Reafons

which

direct

me in

all

my

Enquiries.

had indeed often

I

reflected

on that 'Subject before

could prevail upon

myfelf to communicate

my

Reflections to

any body.

They were
;

generally melan-

choly enough
carry us
;

as thofe ufually are

which

beyond the mere Surface of

and which would undoubtedly
all

Things

make

the Lives of

thinking

Men

ex-

tremely miferable, if the fame Philofophy

which

which caufed the

Grief, did not at the

fame

Time

adminifter the Comfort.

On
fects,

confidering political Societies, their

Origin, their Conftitution, and their EfI

have fometimes been

in

a good

deal

more than Doubt, whether

the Creafor a State

tor did ever really intend

Man

of Happinefs.
a

He

has mixed in his

Cup
of

Number of

natural Evils, (in Spite

the Boafts of Stoicifm they are Evils) and

every Endeavour which the Art and Policy

of Mankind has ufed from the Begin-

ning of the
alleviate,

World

to this

Day,

in order to

or cure them, has only ferved to

introduce

new

Mifchiefs,
old.

or to aggravate
this,

and inflame the

Befides

the

Mind of Man
of Quiet.
It

itfelf is

too adlive and reftlefs

a Principle ever to

fettle

on the

true Point

difcovers every

Day fome
fome new
and

craving Want in a Body, which really wants

but

little.

It

every

Day

invents

artificial
if

Rule

to guide that

Nature which
beft
fureft

left to

itfelf

were the

Guide.

[43
Guide.
fcribing
raifes

It finds out

imaginary Beings pre*

it

imaginary Lawsj and then,

imaginary Terrors to fupport a Be-

lief in the Beings,

and an Obedience to the

faid,

Laws.

Many Things have been

and

very well undoubtedly, on the Subje&iori

in

which we fhould

preferve our Bodies

Government of our Underflanding but enough has not been faid upon the Reto the
ftraint

which our bodily

Neceflities

ought

to lay

on the extravagant Sublimities, and

excentrick Rovings of our Minds.

The

Body, or

as

fome love
is

to call
it's

it,

our infe-

rior Nature,

wifer in

own plain Way,

dire<ftly

and attends
than the
Subtilty.

own Bufinefs more Mind with all it's

it's

boafted

In the State of Nature, without Queftion,

Mankind was fubje&ed

to

many and
of Union, of a
their

great Inconveniencies.

Want

Want of mutual Affiftance, Want common Arbitrator to refort to in

Differences.

Thefe were Evils which they

could

[5]
could not but have
felt

pretty feverely

on

many

Occafions.

The

original Children of

the Earth lived with their Brethren of the

other Kinds in

much
been

Equality.

Their

Diet muft

have

confined almoft
-,

wholly to the vegetable Kind

and the

fame Tree, which

in

it's

flourishing State
it's

produced them Berries, in

Decay gave
Bodies and

them an
of the

Habitation.

The mutual Defires

which
were

Sexes uniting their

Afte&ions,

the Children,

the Refults of thefe Intercourfes, intro-

duced
taught

firft
it's

the

Notion of

Society,

and

Conveniences.

This Society,
Inftindts,
;

founded in natural Appetites and

and not
call

in

any pofitive Inftitution

Society.
;

I fhall

Natural

Thus
but

far

Nature

went, and fucceeded

farther.
is,

Man would

go

not

The great Error of our Nature to know where to flop, not to be

with any reafonable Acquirement;

fatisfied

not to

compound with our Condition

all

but to lofe

we
1

have gained by an infa-

tiablePurfuit after more.

Man found

a con-

fiderablc

t6]
fiderable

Advantage by
to

this

Union of ma;

ny Perfons

form one Family

he would

he there-

fore judged that

find his

Account

pfoportibnably in an Union of
milies into one

Body

politick.

many FaAnd as Nato hold

ture has

formed no Bond of Union

he fupplied
this

them

together,

Defedt by

Laws.
This

is

Political Society,
are

And

hence
called

the Sources of what

States,
civil

ufually

Societies,

or

Governments

into

fome Form of which, more extended

all

Of reftrainedj
fallen*

Mankind have
it

gradually

And

fince

has fo happened, and

all

that

We owe

an implicit Reverence to

the Institutions of our Anceftors,

confider thefe
Inftitutions

we
all

fhall

with
to

that

Modefly with which we ought

but with
that

condudl
j

ourfelves in examining a received Opinion

all

Freedom and Candour

Truth wherever we
it

which we owe
find
it,

to

or

however

may

contradidl our

own

Notions, or oppofe our

own

Interefts.

There

[7]
There
is

a moft abfurd and audacious Me-*

thod of reafoning avowed by fbme Bigots

and Enthufiafts, and through Fear affented

to

by fome wifer and

better
fair

Men

it is

this.

They

argue againft a

Difcuffion

of popular Prejudices, becaufe, fay they,

tho'

they would be found without any

Support,
yet

reafonable

the Difcovery

might be productive of the moft danger^

ous Confequences.

Abfurd and blafphe*

Happinefs was not

mous Notion
which

as if all

connected with the Practice of Virtue,

neceffarily
;

depends upon theKnow^

that
is,

ledge of Truth

upon the Know**

ledge of thofe unalterable Relations

which

Providence has ordained that every thing

fhould bear to every other.
tions,

Thefe Relathe

which

are

Truth

itfelf,

Founds

tion of Virtue,

and confequently, the only

Meafures of Happinefs, fhould be likewif

the only Meafures by which
diredt our Reafoning.

To

thefe

we we

fhoukl
fhould

conform

in

good Earneft

and not think Order of

to force Nature,

and

the. whole

Hz

[8]
her Syftem, by a Compliance with our
Pride, and Folly, to
ficial

conform
It is

to our arti-

Regulations.

by a Conformity
the Difcovery of
the
little

to this

Method we owe

the few Truths

we know, and
fairer

Liberty and rational Happinefs

we

enjoy.

We
and

have fomething

Play than a

Reafoner could have expefted formerly

we

derive Advantages from

it

which

are very vilible.

The
our

Fabrick of Superflition has in

received
felt

this

Age and Nation

it

much
before

ruder
;

Shocks than

had ever

and

through the Chinks and Breaches of our

Prifon,

we fee

fuch Glimmerings of Light,

and

feel

fuch refrefhing Airs of Liberty, as

daily raife our

feries

Ardor

for

more.

The MiSuperfli-

derived to

Mankind from

tion,

under the

Name

of Religion, and of

ecclefiaftical

Tyranny under the

Name

of

Church Government, have been

and
and
ufefully expofed. to at

clearly

We

begin to think

from Reafon and from Nature

alone.

[9]
alone.

This

is

true of feveral, but

ftill is

by

far the

Majority in the fame old State

;

of Blindnefs and Slavery

to be feared that
lapfe, whilft
all

and

much

is it

we

(hall perpetually re-

the real productive Caufe of

Folly, enthufiaftical

this fuperftitious

Nonfenfe, and holy Tyranny, holds a reverend Place

thofe
in

the Eftimation even of

who are

otherwife enlightened.

Civil

Government borrows
;

a Strength

from

ecclefiaftical

and

arrificial

Laws

re-

ceive a Sanction from artificial Revelations.

The
ceive

Ideas of Religion and

;

Government

are-clofely connected

and whilft

we we

re-

Government draw

as a

Thing

neceflary,
fhall

or even ufeful to our well-being,

in fpite of us

in, as a necefTary, tho'

undefirable Confequeflce, an artificial

ligion

Rethis

of fome Kind or other.

To

the Vulgar will always be voluntary Slaves

and even thofe of a Rank of Underftanding

fuperior,
will

now and

then involuntarily

feel it's Influence.

It is therefore

of the
deepeft

10]
fatisfied

deepeft Concernment to us to be fet right

in
this

Point
civil

and to be well

whether
tedtor

Government be fuch a Pronatural

Evils,

from

and fuch a
as thofe

Nurfe and Increafer of

of

Bleffings,

warm

Imaginations promife. In fuch a

Difcuffion, far
leaft to reflect

am

from propofing

in the

on our

mod

wife
I

Form of
would
in

Government ; no more than

the freer Parts of
ings,

my
of

philofophical Writ-

mean

to objedl to the Piety,

Truth

and

Perfe&ion

our

moft excellent
have their
Difcovery

Church.

Both

am

fenfible

Foundations on a Rock.

No

of Truth can prejudice them.

contrary, the

On

the

more

clofely the Origin

,

of

Religion and Government are examined,

the

more

clearly their Excellencies

muft

appear.
Fire.

They come

purified
is

from the
Objec-

My
from

Bufinefs

not

with them.
all

Having entered a
tions
freely enquire

Proteft againft

thefe Quarters, I

may

the

more

from Hiftory and ExperiPolicy has contributed in

all

ence,

how

far

r
all

Times

to alleviate thofe Evils

which

Providence, that perhaps has defigned us

for a State of Imperfection, has

impofed

how
may

far

our phyfical Skill has cured our

;

conftitutional Diforders

and whether,

it

not have introduced

new ones,

cure-

able perhaps

by no

Skill.

In

looking over any State to form a

it ;

Judgment on

it

prefents itfelf in

two

Lights, the external and the internal.

firft,

The

that Relation

which

it

bears in Point
States.

of Friendfhip or Enmity to other

The

fecond, that Relation

it's

component
Part of the

Parts,

the governing, and the governed,

bear to each other.

external

The

firft

View of all
makes
1

States, their

Relation

as Friends,

fo trifling a Figure in

Hiftory, that
fords

am

very forry to fay,

it

af-

me

but

little

Matter on which to
Offices
(a)-,

expatiate.

The good
it's

done by one
the Support

Nation to
Had

Neighbour

given
(a)

his Lordfhip lived to

this

our Days, to have feen the

noble Relief given by

Nation to the diftxeftedPortuguefe, " he C2

given in publick Diftrefs

-,

the Relief

aft-

forded in general Calamity; the Protection

granted in emergent Danger

the mutual

Return of Kindnefs and

afford a very

Civility,

would

ample and very pleafing Subr

But
alas
!

jedl for Hiftory.

all
all

the Hif-

tory of

all

Times, concerning

Nations,
fill

does not afford Matter enough to

Pages, though
it

ten

mould be fpun out by

Amplification

the

Wire-drawing

of

Guicciardini himfelf.
is

The

glaring
is

Side

that

of Enmity.
fills all

War
the

the Matter

which
the

Hiftory, and confequently

only,

or almoft

only

View

in

which we can
Society,
is

fee the external

of political
;

in

a hoftile
to
fee

Shape

and the

only Actions,
feen,

which we have always

all

and

ftill

of

them

intent, are

fuch, as tend to the Deftru&ion of one another.

War,

fays Mackiavell,

ought to be

the only Study of a Prince; and by a Prince,

|)e had perhaps owned this Part of his Argument a little weakened, but we do not think ourfe'ves intitled to alter his Lordmip's Words, but that we are bound to follow him

cxadtly.

he
.

[
lie

13

means every

fort of State

however eon-

ftituted.
tical

He

ought, fays this great policonfider Peace as a

Do&or, only

breathing Time, which gives

him

Leifure

to contrive, and furnifhes Ability to exe-

cute military Plans.

A Meditation on
Societies

the old

Conduct of
Nature

political

made

Hobbes imagine, that

;

and

truly,

War was the State of if a Man judged of the

Race by
their

Individuals of our

Con-

duct
tions

when

united and packed into

Na-

and Kingdoms,
fort

he might imagine

that every

of Virtue was unnatural

and foreign to the Mind of Man.

The firft Accounts we have

are but

of Mankind

Accounts of their Butcheries of

All Empires have been ce-

each other.

mented
riods
firft

in

Blood
the

and

in thofe early

Pe-

when

Race of Mankind began

Parties

to

form themfelves into

firft

and

Combinations, the
bination,

Effect of the
for

Comit

and indeed the End

which

feems purpofely formed, and beft calculated,

[
lated,
is

14]
All

their

mutual Definition.
is
is

antient Hiftory

dark and uncertain.

clear.

One

thing however
querors,

There were Conin

and Conquefts,
all

thofe

Days;

and confequently,

that

Devaftation,

by which they

are formed,

and

all

that

Qppreffion by which theyare maintained.

We

know

little

of Sejb/lris, but that he led

out of Egypt an

Army

of above 700,000

Men
Coaft

that

he overran the Mediterranean

as far as Colchis , that in

little

lome

Places,

he met but
flied

Refiftance, and of courfe

;

not a great deal of Blood

in others, a People

but that

he found

who knew
them
this

the Value of their Liberties, and fold

dear.

Whoever

confiders the

Army

Conqueror headed, the Space he

traverfed,
;,

and the Oppofition he frequently met

with the natural Accidents of Sicknefs,

and the Dearth and Badnefs of Provifion

he
,

mud

have been fubjedt to in the Va-

rietv

of Climates and Countries his March

lay through, if

he knows any thing, he

muft know, that even the Conqueror's

Army

[i5l
Army
that,

muft have fuffered greatly; and

of this immenfe Number, but a very

fmall Part cou'd have returned to enjoy

the Plunder accumulated by the Lofs of

fo

many of

their

Companions, and the

Devaftation of fo confiderable a Part of the

World.
torious,

If this

was the

State

of the Vicit

and from the Circumftances,

this at the leaft
j

muft have been

quered, thofe

the

Contheir
it

Nations

who

loft

Liberty, and thofe

gether,
Lofs.
that
is

who

fought for

to-

muft have had a much heavier

loft at leaft

They muft have Number, as the

double

greateft Slaughter

always in the Flight, and great Carnage

did in thofe

Times and Countries ever

Rage of Conqueft.

at-

tend the

firft

This

Conqueror, the oldeft

cords of Hiftory,

we have on the Re(though, as we have

uncertain),
leaft

obferved before, the Chronology of thefe

remote Times

is

extremely

opens the Scene by a Deftrudtion of at

1,800,000 of his

Species,

unprovoked

but by his Ambition, without any

Motives

i6]
arid

tives

but Pride, Cruelty and Madnefs,

without any Benefit to himfelf;

exprefsly
tells us,

(for Juftin

he did not maintain

his

Conquefts) but folely to

make

fo

many

People, in fo diftant Countries, feel experimentally,

how

fevere a Scourge Provi-

dence intends for the

human

Race,

when
and

he

gives one

Man
his

the

Power over many,

and

arms

naturally impotent,

feeble Rage, with the

Hands

of Millions,
Principle

who know no common

fions

of

Action, but a blind Obedience to the Paf-

of their Ruler.

The

next Perfonage

who

figures in the
is

Tragedies of

this ancient

Theatre

Semi-

ramis: For

we

have no Particulars of

Ninus, but that he made immenfe and

rapid Conquefts,

which

doubtlefs

were

not compafled without the ufual Carnage,

We

hear of her

Millions
Indians.
greater 5

Army of above three employed in a War againft the

We hear
and of a

of their having a yet

War

continued with

much

17]

much

fury,

and with various Succefs.

This ends in an Account of her Retreat,

with fcarce a third of the Troops employed
in the Expedition
at this rate
;

an Expedition, which
coft

muft have

two Millions
not unrea-

of Souls on her part; and

it is

sonable to judge that the Country

which

was the Seat of War, muft have been an

equal Sufferer.
Its

Lofs muft in

this

way
had

of Computation be two Millions more.

So that

in this

War

alone, (for ihe

other Wars) in

this fingle

Reign, and in

this one Spot of the Globe, did four Mil-

lions

of Souls expire, with

all

the horrid

and {hocking Circumftances which attend

all

Wars, and

in a Quarrel, in

which none
leaft ra-

of the Sufferers cou'd have the

tional

Concern.

The

Babylonian, Affyrian, Median, and

Perjian Monarchies muft have poured out

Seas of Blood in their Formation, and in
their Deftrudtion.

The Armies and

Fleets

of Xerxes, their Numbers, the glorious

Stand

18]
and the unfor-

Stand
tuate

made

againft them,
his

Event of all

mighty Preparations,
In this Expe-

are

known

to every body.

dition, gleaning half AJia

tants,

of

it's

Inhabi-

he led an

Army

of about two Mil-

lions to be flaughtered,

and wafted, by a

thoufand

fatal

Accidents, in the fame Place

where
limilar
fo

his Predecefibrs

had before by a
wafted the Force
It
is

Madnefs confumed the Flower of

many Kingdoms, and

of fo extenfive an Empire.

a cheap

Calculation to fay, that the Perjian

pire in
it's

Emand

Wars,

againft the Greeks,

at leait

Sythians,

threw away

four Mil-

lions of their Subjefts, to their other

fay nothing of

Wars, and the Loffes fuftained

3

in

them. Thefe were theirLoffes abroad

but the
firft

War was
I

brought

home
in

to

them,

by

Agejilaus,

and

afterwards,
this

by

Alexander.
treat,

have

not,

Revery

the Books neceffary to

;

make

exadt Calculations
give

nor

is

it

neceffary to

more than Hints

to

one

of your

Lordfhip's Erudition.

You

will recoiled
his

*9

hia uninterrupted Series of Suecefs.

You

will run over his Battles.

You

will call

to

mind

the Carnage

which was made.

Whole, and
form
this

You will
you

give a Glance of the

will agree
lefs

with

me

that to

Hero no

than twelve hundred thoufand

;

Lives muft have been facrificed

but no

fooner had he fallen himfeif a Sacrifice to

his

Vices,

than

thoufand Breaches
to enter*

were made for Ruin

the
laft

and give

hand

to this

Scene of Mifery and

Deftrudtion.

His Kingdom was rent and

ferved to

divided

>

which

employ the more

diftinc! Parts to tear

each other to Pieces,

and bury the whole

in

Blood and Slaughter.

The Kings

of Syria and of Egypt\ the

Kings of Pergamus and Macedon> without

Intermiffion worried each other for above

two hundred Years

until at laft a ftrong

Power

arlfing in the

Weft, rufhed

in

upon
in-

them and
volving

filenced their

Tumuls, by

all

the contending Parties in the

It
is little

fame Deftrudtion.

to fay, that

the Contentions between the Succeffors of

Alexander

[20]
Alexander depopulated that Part of the

World of at lead

three Millions.

The Struggle between

and Greeks, and before
of
the

the Macedonians

that,

the Difputes

Greek
for

Commonwealths
an
unprofitable

among
Supe-

themfelves,
riority,

form one of the bloodieft Scenes

in Hiftory.

One

is

aftonifhed

how

fuch

a fmall Spot could furnifh

to facrifice to the pitiful
feffing five or fix

Men

fufficient

Ambition of pof-

thoufand more Acres, or

Villages
:

two
the
this

or three

more

Yet

to fee

Acrimony and

Bitternefs

with which

was difputed between the Athenians

;

and Lacedemonians

what Armies cut

off;

what
bitants

Fleets

funk,

and burnt; what

Number

of Cities facked, and their Inha-

flaughtered,

and captived

one

would be induced

to believe the Decifion

at leaft,

of the Fate of Mankind

depended

upon

it

But

thefe Difputes ended as all

fi:ch ever

have done, and ever will do

Parties
;

in a real

Weaknefs of all

mo-

mentary

mentary Shadow, and Dream of Power in

fome one

and the Subjection of all

to the

Yoke of
profit

a Stranger,

who knows how

This
$

to

of their Divifions.

at

leaft

was the Cafe of the Greeks

from the
earlieft

and

fure,

Accounts of them, to their

Abforption into the Roman Empire,

we

cannot judge that their inteftine Divifions,

to fay nothing of their foreign

Wars, con-

fumed

lefs

than three Millions of their In-

habitants.

What
Blood

an Aceldama, what a Field of

Sicily has

been in antient times,

of
it's

whilft the

Mode

Government was
the Pofleffion

controverted between the Republican and

Tyrannical Parties,
ftruggled for

and

by the Natives, the Greeks, the

recoiled;.

Carthaginians, and the Romans, yourLordfhip

will eafily

You

will re-

member

the

total

Deftruftion

of fuch

Bodies as an

Army

of 300,000

Men.

You
dyed

will find every

in Blood,

Page of

it's

Hiftory

and blotted and confounded

by

[22]
by Tumults, Rebellions, Maffacres, Aflaf*
filiations,

Profcriptions,

and a Series of

Horror beyond the Hiftories perhaps of

any other Nation in the World
the Hiftories of all Nations are
fimilar Matter.
felf in
;

though

made up of

I once

more excufe my-

point

of Exadtnefs for want of

eftimate the Slaughters

Books. But

I fhall

in this Iflajid but at

two Millions ; which

your Lordfhip will find

Reality.

much

fhort of the

Let us pafs by the Wars, and the Consequences of them, which wafted Grecian

Magna,

before the

Roman Power

prevailed

in that Part of Italy.

They

are perhaps

exaggerated

-,

therefore I

fhall

only rate

them
the

at

one Million.

Let us haften to
eftablifhes

open that great Scene which

Roman Empire, and forms

in

the grand

Cataftrophe of the antient Drama.

This

Empire, whilft
an EfTufion of
dible.

it's

Infancy, began

by

human Blood
neighbouring

fcarcely crelittle

The

States

teemed

teemed

for

newDeftrudtion
the

The Sabines>
Volfci,

the Samnites,

Mqui, the

the

HetrurianSy
Slaughters
for

were broken by a

Series

of

which had no

Interruption,
;

fome hundreds of Years

all fides

Slaughters

which upon

confumed more than

two Millions of the wretched People. The

Gauls ruftiing into
Italy

about

this

Time,

added the

total Deftrudtion

of their

own
con-

Armies

to thofe of the antient Inhabitants.

it

In fhort,
ceive a
if that

were hardly

poffible to

more horrid and bloody

which the Punic Wars

Pidture,

that enfued
far

foon after did not prefent one, that

ceeds
it.

ex-

Here we

find that

Climax of
to

Devaftation, and Ruin,

which feemed

fhake the whole Earth.

this

The Extent of War which embraced fo many Naand both Elements, and the Havock

tions,

of the

human

Species caufed in both, really

it is

aftonifhes

beyond Expreffion, when

confidered,

nakedly

and thofe Matters

which
from
it,

are

apt

to divert our Attention

the Characters, Anions, and

Defigns

figns of the Perfons concerned, are

not
I

taken into the Account.

Thefe Wars,

mean
than

thofe called the Punic Wars, cou'd

not have flood the

five

human Race

in lefs

Millions of the Species*

And

yet this forms but a Part only, and a very

fmall Part, of the

Havock caufed by the

Roman Ambition. The Mithridatick War was very little lefs bloody ; that Prince
cut off at one Stroke 150,000 Romans
a Maflfacre.

by

In that
at

War Sylla

deftroyed

300,000

Men

Cheronea.

The fame

Commander
fame Prince
Cyzicum.

defeated Mithridates*

under DcrHaus, and flew 300,000.

loft

Army The
he

another 300,000 before

In the courfe of the

;

War

had innumerable other Lofles

and having

many
them

Intervals of Succefs,
feverely.
;

he revenged
laft

He
his

was

at

totally

overthrown

and he crufhed

to Pieces the

King of Armenia
nefs of his

Ally by the great-

Ruin.

All

who had Conhad

it's

nexions with

him

fhared the fame Fate.

The

mercilefs Genius of Sylla

full

C
full
riot

25]
Streets

Scope ; and the

the only ones

of Athens were

which ran with Blood.

Sword, glutted with
it's

At

this Period, the

foreign Slaughter, turned

Edge upon
itfelf;

the Bowels of the

Roman Republick

and prefented a Scene of Cruelties and

Treafons enough almoft to obliterate the

Memory
in

of

all

the external Devaftations.

to

I intended,

my Lord,

have proceeded

Method in eftimating the Numbers of Mankind cut off in thefe Wars which we have on Record. But I
a fort of

am

obliged to alter

my

Defign.

Such a

tragical

Uniformity of Havock and

Mur*

der would difguft your Lordfhip as

as
it

much

would

me

and

confefs I already

feel

my

eyes ake by keeping

fo

them

fo long
1

intent

on

bloody a Profpeft.

fhall

obferve

little

on the

Servile,

the Social,
3

the Gallic, and Spanijh

Wars

nor upon

thofe with Jugnrtha, nor Antiochus y nor

many

others equally important, and carried

on with equal Fury.

Julius Cczfar alone,

The
are

Butcheries of

calculated

by

fome

fome body

elfe

the

Numbers he

has been

a means of deftroying have been reckoned

at

1,200,000.

But to give your Lordfhip

an Idea that

may

ferve as a

Standard,

by which
others
-,

to meafure, in will turn

fome degree, the

you

your Eyes on Judea-,

a very inconfiderable Spot of the Earth in

itfelf,

though ennobled by the fingular

El vents

which had

their

Rife

in

that

Country.

This Spot happened,

it

matters not here

at feveral

by what means,

to

become

times

extremely populous, and to fupply

Men

for Slaughters fcarcely credible, if other

well-known and
given

well-attefted ones

had not

them

a Colour.

The

firft fettling

of the Jews here, was attended by an

almoft entire Extirpation of
Inhabitants.
all

the former

Their

own

civil

Wars, and
con-

thofe with their petty Neighbours,

fumed
for

vaft Multitudes almoft

-,

every Year

feveral Centuries

and the Irruptions

of the Kings of Babylon and Jjjyria made

immenfe

27]
Yet

immenfe Ravages.
Hiflory but
fufed

we

have their
con-

partially, in
;

an

indiflindl

manner

fo that I (hall only

throw

the ftrong Point of Light upon that Part

which

coincides

with Roman Hiftory,

and of that Part only on the Point of

Time when
final

they

received the great and

made them no more a Nation a Stroke which is allowed to have cut off little lefs than two Millions of
Stroke which
;

that People.

I fay nothing

of the Loppings
it

made from

that Stock whilft

flood

nor from the Suckers that grew out of

the old Root ever fince.

But

if in this

inconfiderable Part of the Globe,

fuch a

Carnage has been made

fhort Reigns,
as
it is,

in

two or three

and that

this

Carnage, great

makes but a minute Part of what

us

the

Hiftories of that People inform

they fufFered; what fhall

Countries

we

judge of

more extended, and which have waged Wars by far more confiderable ?
Jnftances

of

this

Sort

comppfe the
uniform

[28]
uniform ofHiftory.
Periods

But there have been

than univerfal De-

when no

lefs

finition to the Race of

Mankind feems

to

have been threatened.

the Vandals,

When

the Goths,

and the Huns poured into

Spain,
Greece,

Gaul, Italy,

and Africa,

carrying Deftru&ion before

them

as

they

advanced, and leaving horrid Defarts every

where behind them.

lentium, fecreti
ieEla
;

Vajiutn ubique fi~

;

colles

fumantia procul
is

nemo exploratoribus obvius,

It is
fo.

what

Tacitus calls fades Victoria.

fo
;

always

but was here emphatically

From
ran
itfelf,

the North proceeded the Swarms of Goths,

Vandals,

Huns,
the

OJlrogoths,

who

towards

South

into Africa

which
done.

fuffered as all to the

North had

About

this

Time, another Torrent

the

of Barbarians, animated by the fame Fury,

and encouraged by

fame Succefs,
all

poured out of the South, and ravaged

to the North-Eaft,
rnoteft Parts

and Weft,

to

the re-

to

oiPerfa on one hand, and the Banks of the Loire or further on

the

[ 29 ]
the other
curious
;

deftroying

all

the proud and

Art,
that

Monuments of human

not even the

furvive of the

Memory might feem to former Inhabitants. What

fame Induce-

has been done fince, and what will continue to be done whilft the

ments
upon.

to

War

continue, I fhall not dwell

I fhall

only in one

Word

mention

the horrid Effedts of Bigotry and Avarice,

in

the Conquefl of Spanijh America

Conqueft on a low Eflimation effedted

by the Murder of ten Millions of the

Species.
this Part, I fhall

draw
I

to a Conclufion

of

by making

a general Calculation

of the Whole.

think I have actually

I
I

mentioned above forty Millions.

not
particularized

have
don't

any more.
-,

pretend to Exadtnefs

therefore for the

I fhall lay

Sake of a general View,

all

together

thofe actually flain in Battles,

from the
Day, in

beginning of the

World

to this

the four Parts of it, only at a thoufand times

as

much

-,

a trifling Calculation, allowing

for

3 J

for Time

and Extent.

We have not perhaps

am
is

lpoke of the Five Hundredth Part, I

fure I have not of what

adtually afcertain-

ed in Hiftory

but

how much of

thefe

Butcheries are only expreffed in generals,

what part of time Hiftory has never reached,

and what
it

vaft Spaces

of the habitable
I

Globe

has not embraced,

to

need not have no

mention

your Lordfhip.
;

need to exaggerate

and

have purpofely

avoided a Parade of Eloquence on this

Occafion.
I

fhould defpife

it

upon any
the whole

Occafion
ters,
it

elfe in

mentioning thefe Slaugh-

is

obvious

how much

might be

heightened,

by an affe&ing

Defcription of the Horrors that attend the

Wafting of Kingdoms,
Cities.

and Sacking of
to the Vulgar,

But

do not w rite
T

nor to that which only governs the Vulgar,

their Paffions. I

go upon a naked and modeenough,without a Pe-

rate Calculation, juft

dantical Exa&nefs, to give your Lordfhip

fome Feeling of the Effe&s of Political Society,

[3i
ciety.
I charge the

whole of thefe
I

Effedts

on

Political Society.
fhall prefently

avow
it

the Charge,

and

make

good to your

Lordfhip's Satisfadlion.The Numbers I particularized are about

40 Millions. Ifuppofe

a Thoufand times as

many

killed in Battles.

But I muft make another Addition not lefs than the former, for the Confequences of

Wars,

in

Skirmifhes,

Maffacres,

the

contagious Diforders,

and the Famine

which
in

attend them,

more deftru&ive than

So that allowing
for

Battles themfelves.

me

my

Exuberance one way

I rate the

my De-

ficiencies in others,

Deftru&ion

caufed by
lions.

War,
are

at

Eighty Thoufand Mil-

I think the

Numbers of Men now

at

upon Earth
at the

computed

500 Millions

moft.

Here the Slaughter of Manwill call a fmall Calcu-

kind, on
lation,

what you
to

amounts
this

160 times the

the Globe.

Number

of Souls

Day on

Point

which may
to

furnifh matter of Refledtion

one

lefs

inclined to

draw Confequences

than your Lordfhip.

I

now

now come
is

to fhew,

that Political

Society
greateft

juftly chargeable

with much the

Part of this Deftruftion of the

Species.

But to give the

faireft

Play to

every fide of the Queftion, I will

there
is

own that

a Haughtinefs, and Fiercenefs in

human
merable

Nature,
Broils,
j

which
place

will caufe innuin

Men

what
I

State

you

pleafe

but owning

this,

ftill infift

Regulations, that in charging to Political fo cruel, thefe Broils are fo frequent,

and attended with

quences.

fo deplorable
it

Confe-

In a State of Nature,

would

be impoffible to join together a

of Men,
fufficiently

Number

agreed in the fame

ver^ bloody Defign, neceffary to make a and if extenfive Havock of their .Species ;
they would

come

to fuch an

Agreement,

the (an impoffible Suppofition) yet

Means

fupplied them with, that fimple Nature has to fuch a Purare by no Means adequate Scratches, many Bruifes un~

pofe

many

aoubtedly

would be received upon

a few,

all

hands

but only

a very few

Deaths.

33

Deaths.

Society,

and

Politicks,

which

have

given us thefe deftruftive Views,

fatisfying

have given us too the Means of

them.
licy to

From
this

the earlieft

Dawnings of Po-

Day,

the Invention of

Men
rude

has been fharpening and improving the

Myftery of Murder, from the

firft

Eflays of Clubs and Stones, to the prefent

Perfection of

Gunnery,

Cannoneering,
all

Bombarding, Ruining, and

cies

thefe Spe*

of

artificial,

learned,

and refined
fo

Cruelty, at

which we

are

now

expert,

and which make a principal Part of what

Politicians

have taught us to believe

is

our principal Glory,

How
ried us,

mere Nature would have carwe may judge by the Example of

far

thofe Animals,

who
to

ftill

follow her Laws,

and even thofe

^pofitions
terrible

whom fhe has

given Dif-

more

fierce,

and Arms more

than ever (he intended

is

we

fhould

ufe.

It
is

an inconteftible Truth, that

in

there

more Havock made

one Year

by

34

by Men,

of Men, than has been made

Lions,

by

all

the

Tygers,

Panthers,

Ounces, Leopards, Hyenas, Rhinocerofes,

Elephants, Bears, and Wolves,
feveral Species, fince the

upon

their

Beginning of the
ill

World

though thefe agree

enough

with each other, and have a

Proportion of Rage

much greater
in

and Fury
have.

their

Compofition than

we

But with re-

fpedi to you, ye Legiflators, yeCivilizers

of Mankind
nofes,

ye Orpheus's, Mofefes,
Thefeufes,

Mi-

Solons,
!

Lycurgufes,
it

Numas

with Refpedt to you be

fpoken,

your Regulations have done more Mifchief

in cold Blood, than all the
fierceft

Rage of the

Animals

in their % greateft Terrors,

Or Furies, has ever done, or ever could

do!

Thefe Evils are not

accidental.

WhoNadi-

ever will take the pains to confider the

ture of Society, will find they refult
redlly

from

it's

Conftitution.

For

as

Sub-

ordination, or in other

Words, the Reciprocation

35]
is

procation of Tyranny, and Slavery,

quifite to fupport thefe Societies,
tereft,

re-

the In-

theAmbition,the Malice, or the Re-

venge,

nay even the

Whim

and Caprice
is

of one ruling
to

Man among

them,

enough

arm all the reft, without any private Views of their own, to the worft and
blacked Purpofes
;

and what

is

at

once

la-

mentable, and ridiculous, thefe Wretches

engage under thofe Banners with a Fury

greater than if they

were animated by Reproper Wrongs,

venge

for their

own

It is

no

lefs

worth obferving,

that this into

fe-

artificial

Divifion of
is

Mankind,

parate Societies,
itfelf

a perpetual Source in

of

Hatred and Diffention among

them.

The Names which

are

diftinguifh

them

enough

to

blow up Hatred,

and Rage.

Examine Hiftory

confult
find,

prefent Experience;

and you will

that far the greater Part of the

Quarrels

between

feveral Nations,

had fcarce any

other Occafion,

than that they were ano-

iher

[3*3
thcr Combination of People, and called

by

another

Name;

to an

Englijloman,

the

Name of a Frenchman,
lian, raife

a Spaniard, an Itaa

much more

a Turk, or

Tartar,

of courfe Ideas of Haired, and Con-

tempt.
triot

Would you
?

infpire this

Compa-

of ours with Pity or Regard, for one

of thefe

ftindtion?

Would you not hide that DiYou would not pray him to
Far from
it

companionate the poor Frenchman, or the

unhappy German.
Accident to which

you
an

would fpeak of him would

reprefent

as a Foreigner,

all

are liable.

You

him

as a

Man

one par-

taking with us of the fame

ture,
is

common NaLaw. There

that

and

fubjedt. to

the fame

fomething fo averfe to Nature in thefe

Political

artificial

Diftin&ions,

we

need no other Trumpet to kindle us to

War, and Deflru&ion. But

there

is

fome-

thing fo benign and healing in the general

Voice of Humanity, that maugre

it,

all

our Regulations to prevent

applied properly, never
falutary Effect

the
to

Name
a

fails

work

This

37

This

natural unpremeditated Effedt

of

Policy on the unpoffefTed Paffions of Mankind, appears

on other Occafions.

The,
is

very

Name

of a

Politician, a Statefman,
;

fure to caufe Terror and Hatred

it

has

always connected

with

it

the

Ideas of

Treachery, Cruelty, Fraud and Tyranny

and thofe Writers

who

have faithfully un-

veiled the Myfteries

of State-freemafonty,

have ever been held in general Deteftation,

for even

knowing

fo perfectly a

Theory

fo

deteftable.
at
firfl

The
is

Cafe of Machiavel feems

Sight fomething hard in that

Re-

fpedt.

He

obliged to bear the Iniquities

of thofe whofe Maxims and Rules of Go-

vernment he
is

publiflied.

His Speculation

more abhorred than

But

their Pra&ice.

if

there were no other

Arguments

againft Artificial Society than this I

am gofall

ing to mention, methinks

it

ought to

by

that

one only.

All Writers on the Sci-

ence of Policy are agreed, and they agree

with

[38]
with Experience, that
all

Governments

muft frequently infringe the Rules of Juftice

to fupport themfelves

that

Truth

muft give way

to Diffimulation
;

Honefty
itfelf

to Convenience

and Humanity

to

the reigning Intereft.

The Whole
called the

of

this

Myftery of Iniquity
State.
It
is

is

Reafon of
I

a Reafon,

which

own
is

can-

not penetrate.
is

What

Sort of a Protedion

this

of the general 'Right, that

mainParti-

tained
culars
is

by infringing the Rights of

?

What

Sort of Juftice

is

this,

which

inforced by Breaches of
I leave

it's

own Laws ?
be folved by

Thefe Paradoxes
For

to

the able Heads of Legiflators and Politicians.

my Part,
fay

I fhould fay

what a

plain
I can

Man

would

on fuch an Occafion.

never believe, that any Inftitution

agreeable to Nature, and proper for

Manwhat

kind, could find

it

neceflary, or even expe-

dient in any Cafe whatfoever to do,

the beft and worthieft Inftinfts of

Manthat

kind warn us to avoid.

But no wonder,

[39]
that

what

is

fet

up

in Oppofition to the

State of Nature, fhould preferve itfelf

by

trampling upon the

Law

of Nature.

To

prove, that thefe Sort of policed

Societies are a Violation offered to Nature,

and a Conftraint upon the human Mind,

it

needs only to look upon the fanguinary

Meafures,

and Inftruments of Violence

every where ufed to fupport

which
them.
geons,

are

Let us take a Review of the Dun-

Whips, Chains, Racks, Gibbets,

is

with which every Society

ftored,

abundantly

y which hundreds of Vi<ftims are annually offered up to fupport a dozen or

two

in Pride

and Madnefs, and Millions

in an abjeft Servitude,

and Dependence.
I

There was
reverential
licy
-

Time, when

looked with a

Awe

on thefe Myfleries of Po-

but Age, Experience, and Philoforent the Veil

,

phy have

and

view

this

SanEium SanBorum^

at leaft,
I

without any

enthuliaftick Admiration.

acknowledge

indeed, the Neceflity of fuch a Proceeding

in

[40]
ill

fuch Inftitutions

but I can have but

a very humble Opinion of Inftitutions

where fuch Proceedings are

neceffary.

It

is

a Misfortune, that in no Part of the

natural Liberty

Globe

and natural Reli-

gion are to be found pure and free from

the Mixture

of Political Adulterations,

Yet we have implanted in us by Providence

Ideas,

Axioms, Rules, of what

is

pious,

juft, fair, honeft,

which no

Political Craft,

nor learned Sophiftry, can entirely expel

from our

Breafts.

By

thefe

we judge, and

we

cannot otherwife judge of the feveral

artificial

Modes of Religion and Society, and determine of them as they approach

to, or

recede from this Standard.

The
Power

fimpleft

Form of Government
all

is

Defpotifm,
are

where

the inferior Orbs of

the Will of

moved merely by
all

the Supreme, and

that are fubjedted to

them, directed

in the

fame Manner, merely

by the

occafional Will of the Magiftrate.

This

Ui
This Form,
is

1
it

as

it is

the moft fimple, fo

general.
is

infinitely the

moft

Scarce any
it's

Part of the

World

exempted from

Power.

And

in thofe

few Places where

call Liberty,
it

Men

enjoy

what they

is

continually

in a tottering

Situation,

and

makes

greater and greater Strides to that

at laft

Gulph of Defpotifm which

fwallows

up every Species of Government.

This

Manner of ruling
the

being directed merely by

the Will of the weakeft, and generally

worftMan
foolifh

in the Society,

becomes the
at the

moft

and capricious Thing,

it is

fame time that

the moft terrible and

definitive that well

can

be conceived.
finds,

In a Defpotifm the principal Perfon

that let the Want,Mifery,
his Subjects,

and Indigence of

be what they will, he can

yet poffefs abundantly of every thing to

gratify
his

moft

infatiable

Wifhes.

He
the

does more.
cations

He

finds that thefe Gratifi-

increafe

in

Proportion

to

Wretchednefs and Slavery of his Subjects.

So that neglecting the publick Welfare,

and

42]
above both Shame
to the

nd by

his Station placed

and Fear, he proceeds

moft horrid

and (hocking Outrages upon Mankind.

Their Perfons become Victims of his Suspicions.

The
as

flighteft

Anger
is

is

Death;

and
a

a difagreeable

Afpect

often as great

Crime

High Treafon.

In the Court

of Nero a Perfon of Learning, of unqueftioned Merit, and of unfufpected Loyalty,

was put
that he

to Death for

no other Reafon than

had a pedantick Countenance which

Emperor.
This very
in the

difpleafed the

Mon-

ger of Mankind appeared

Beginning

of his Reign to be a Perfon of Virtue.

Many
fairefl

of the greatefl Tyrants on the

Rethis

cords of Hiftory have begun to rule in the

Manner.

But the Truth

is,

unnatural

Power

corrupts both the Heart,

and the Underftanding.

the
ever
leaft

And

to prevent

Amendment, a King is furrounded by a Crowd of infamous

of

Hope

Flatterers,

who find

their Account in

keeptill

ing
all

him from

the leaft Light of Reafon,

Ideas of Rectitude and Juftice are utterly

43

terly erafed

from

his

Mind.

When

Alex-

ander had in his Fury inhumanly butchered one of his beft Friends, and braved

Captains

->

on the Return of Reafon he

fuitable to

begun to conceive an Horror

the Guilt of fuch a Murder. In this Juncture,

his

Council came to his Affiitance.

his

But what did

Council

him

out

a Philofopher

They found who gave him

?

Comfort.

And

in

what Manner did

this

Philofopher comfort

him

for the Lofs

of

fuch a

Man, and

heal his Confcience, fla?

grant with the Smart of fuch a Crime

You have the Matter at Length

in Plutarch.

He told him
" he will) " becaufe

iC
;

that

let

a Sovereign do 'what
are jujl a?id lawful,

all hi

sABions

they are his''

The

Palaces of

all

Princes abound with fuch courtly Philofophers.

The Confequence was

fuch

as

might be expected.
a Monfter

He grew

every

Day

more abandoned

to unnatural

Luft, to Debauchery, to Drunkennefs, and

to Murder. a great

And yet this was originally Man, of uncommon Capacity, and

aflrong

[44]
a ftrong Propenfity to Virtue.

But unStep,until

bounded Power proceeds Step by

it

has eradicated every laudable Principle.

has been remarked, that there
is

It

no

Prince fo bad, whofe Favourites and

nifters are

Mihe
he

not worfe. There

is

hardly any

Prince without a Favourite, by

is

whom
as

governed in

as arbitrary a

Manner

governs the Wretches fubjected to him.

Here

the

Tyranny
from the

is

doubled.
Interefts
;

There

are

two

Courts, and

two

both very

different

Interefts

of the People.

The

Favourite
is

knows

that the

Regard of

a Tyrant
as that

as

unconftant and capricious

;

of a

Woman

and concluding his

fill

Time
in

to be fhort,

he makes Hafte to

up^the Meafure of his Iniquity, in Kapine,

Luxury,

and

in

Revenge.
is

Every

Avenue

to the

Throne

fhut up.

He

oppreffes,

and ruins the People, whilft he

perfuades the Prince, that thofe

raifed
fects

Murmurs

by

his

own

OppreiTion are the Ef-

of Difaffedion to the Prince's

Goof

vernment.

Then

is

the natural Violence

[45]
ofDefpotifm inflamed, and aggravated
Hatred, and Revenge.
"by

To

deferve well

of the State

is

Crime

againft the Prince.

To

be popular, and to be a Traitor, are

confidered as fynonimous Terms.

Nay,

even Virtue

is

dangerous, as an afpiring

Quality, that claims an

Efteem by

itfelf,

and independent of the Countenance of

the Court.
chief,
is

What

has been faid of the

true of the inferior Officers of this

Species of

Government

each in his Pro-

vince exercifing the fame Tyranny, and

grinding the People by an Oppreffion, the

more

feverely

felt,

as

it is

near them, and

exercifed

by bafe and fubordinate Perfons.

;

For the Grofs of the People

confidered as a
really in a little
all

they are
;

mere Herd of

Cattle

and

Time become no
all
is

better

Principle of honeft Pride,

Senfe of

the Dignity of their Nature,

Slavery.

loft in their

makes

a
;

The Day, fays Homer, which Man a Slave, takes away half his
and in Fact, he
that
lofes

Worth

every

Imbafe

pulfe to Action, but

low and

one

[46]
one of Fear.
In this Kind of Governis

ment human Nature

and
infulted, but
it is

not only abufed,

a&ually degraded and

Brutality.

funk into a Species of

Confideration of this

The

made Mr. Locke fay,

Government of
;

with great
this

Juitice, that a

Kind was worfe than Anarchy

it is

inall

deed

fo abhorred,

and detefted by

who

live

under Forms that have a milder

is

Appearance, that there

fcarce a rational

Man
Death

in

Europe, that would not prefer

to Afiatick Defpotifm.

Here then

we
ture

have the Acknowledgement of a great

Philofopher, that an irregular State of

is

preferable to fuch a

NaGovernment
and

we

have the Confent of

all fenfible

Men, who carry it yet further, and avow that Death itfelf is preferable ;
generous

and yet
juftly
tefted,

this

Species of

Government,
fo generally

fo

condemned, and
is

de-

what

infinitely the greater Part

of Mankind groan under, and have groaned

under from the Beginning.
fure

So that by

and uncontefted Principles, the greateft

[47]
eft

Part of the Governments on Earth

muft be concluded, Tyrannies, Impoftures,

Violations of the Natural Rights of

Man-

kind, and worfe than the moft diforderly

Anarchies.

How much other Forms exfhall confider

ceed

this,

we

immediately.

In

all

Parts of the

World, Mankind,
ftill

however debafed,
Feeling
;

retains

the Senfe of
at laft,

the

Weight of Tyranny,
;

becomes infupportable
is

but the

Remedy
Rethis

not fo eafy

in general, the only

medy by which
Tyranny,
is,

they attempt to cure the

is

to

change the Tyrant ;

and always was the Cafe

for the greater

Part.

In fome Countries however, were

found

Men of more Penetration

" that
to live

who disWill,

covered,

by one

Man's

" was

the Caufe

of

all

Men's Mifery."

They
thod,

therefore changed their former

Metheir

and affembling the

Men

in their

feveral Societies,

moft refpedlable for

Underftanding, and Fortunes, they confided to

them the Charge of the Publick

Welfare,

[48]
Welfare.
is

This

originally

formed what
it

called an Ariftocracy.

They hoped,

would be impoffible

that fuch a

Number

could ever join in any Defign againft the

general

Good

and they promifed them*

of Security and Happi-

felves a great deal

nefs,

from the united Counfels of fo many But

it
is

able and experienced Perfons.

i)ow found by abundant Experience, that

an Ariftocracy, and a Defpotifm,

in

differ

but
in

Name

and that a People,

who are

general excluded

from any Share of the

and Purpofes^
twenty, independas

Legiflative, are to all Intents

as

much

Slaves,

when

ent of them, govern,

when
is

but one

domineers.
felt,

The Tyranny

even more

as every Individual

of the Nobles has

the Haughtinefs of a Sultan; the People are

more

miserable, as they feem on the

Verge

of Liberty, from which they are for ever

debarred
a vain
5

this Profpeft, whilft

it

prefents

Shadow of Happinefs

to the Subject,

binds fafler the Chains of their Subje&ion

what

is left

undone, by the natural Avarice

[49
rice

and Pride of thofe

is

who

are railed

above the others,

Suspicions, and
rity,

compleated by their

Dread of lofing an Authoin the

which has no Support

of the Nation.
is

common
or a

Utility

Genoefe,

Venetian Republick,
fpotifm
j

a concealed

De-

where you

find the

fame Pride of

the Rulers, the fame bafe Subje&ion of the

People,
fufpicious

the fame bloody

Policy.
is

Maxims of a

In one refpcdt the

Arijiocracy

worfe than the Defpotifm.

it

Body

Politick, whilft

retains

it's

Au;

thority,

never changes

it's

Defpotifm,
a

which

is

this

Maxims Day horrible

a
to

fupreme Degree, by the Caprice natural

Heart of Man,

to the

may, by the fame

be
as lovely

Caprice otherwife
the next
-,

exerted,

in a Succeffion,

it is

poffible to

meet with fome good Princes. If there have

been Tiberius' s, Caligulas, Nero's, there
have been likewife the
ferener

Days of

Vejpafians, Titus's, Trajans,

and Antonines

but a Body Politick

Caprice or

is
it

not influenced by

Whim,

proceeds in a regular

Manner j

[So]
Manner
every
;

it's

Succeffion

is
it,

infenfible

and

Man

as

he enters

either has, or

foon attains the Spirit of the whole Body.

Never was

it

known,

that an Arijlocracy,

which was haughty and

Century,
next.

tyrannical in one

became

eafy,

and mild in the

this Species

In Effect, the
is

Yoke of

of Government

fo galling,

that

when-

ever the People have got the leaft Power,

they have fhaken

Indignation,

it

off with the utmoft

and eftablifhed a Popular

Form

-,

and when they have not had

Strength enough to fupport themfelves,

they have thrown

themfelves into

the

Arms of

Defpotifm, as the
Evils.

more

eligible

of the two

This

latter

was the

Cafe of Denmark,

who

fought a Refuge
in the

from the Oppreffion of it's Nobility,

flrong

Hold of Arbitrary Power.

Poland

has atprefent the

it is
it is

Name

of Republick, and

one of the Ariflocratick

well

Form

but

known,

that the
is

little

Finger of
than
the

this

Government,

heavier

Loins of Arbitrary Power in moft Nations.

The

5*

The

People are not only Politically, but

Perfonally Slaves,

and treated with the

utmoft Indignity.
Venice
is

The Republick
is

of

fomewhat more moderate $ yet

the Ariftocratick

even here, fo heavy

Yoke,

that the

Nobles have been obliged

to enervate the Spirit of their Subje&s

by

every Sort

of Debauchery;

they

have

denied them the Liberty of Reafon, and

have recompenfed
ing,

it,

by not only allow-

but encouraging

them

to

corrupt

themfclves in the moft fcandalous Manner.

They confider their

does the
holds
to

Subje&s, as the Farmer

feaft

Hog he
as

keeps to

upon.

He
him

him

faft in his Stye,

but allows

wallow

much

as

he pleafes

in his

beloved Filth and Gluttony. Sofcandaloufly

debauched a People
to be

as that

of Venice^
elfe.

is

met with no where

High,

Low, Men, Women,

are all alike.
lefs afraid

Clergy, and Laity,

The Ruling
and

Nobility are

no

of one another, than they are of

;

the People

for that Reafon, politi-

cally enervate their

own Body by
2

the fame

effeminate

t 52 3

effeminate Luxury,

by which they cor-

rupt their Subjects.

They

are

impo verifi;

ed by every means which can be invented

and they are kept

in a perpetual

Terror by
;

the Horrors of a State Inquifition

here

you

fee a

People deprived of

all

rational

Freedom, and tyrannized over by about

two Thoufand Men \ and yet this Body of two Thoufand, are fo far from enjoying any Liberty by the Subjection of the
reft,

that they are in an

infinitely

feverer

State

of Slavery

they

make
and

themfelves

the moft degenerate,

unhappy of
that

Mankind,
they

for

no other Purpofe than

may

the

more

effe&ualiy contribute

to the

Mifery of an whole Nation,

In

ihort, the regular

and methodical Proceed-

ings of an Ari/locracy y are

more

intolerable

than the very Exceffes of a Defpotifm> and

in general,

much further from any Remedy,

Thus,

my

Lord,
it's

we

have purfued

Jtriihcracy through

whole Progrefs

we

have fcta the Seeds, the Growth, and

the

[53
the Fruit.
It

could boaft none of the

AcU

vantages of a Defpotifm, miferable as thofe

Advantages were, and

it

was overloaded

with an Exuberance of Mifchiefs, unknown

even

to Defpotifm

itfelf.

In

Effecft,

it

is

no more than a

diforderly

Tyranny. This
little

Form

therefore could be

approved,

even in Speculation, by thofe

capable of thinking, and

who were
lefs

could be

born in Practice by any

ble

who were

capa-

of feeling.

Policy of

Man

However, the fruitful was not yet exhaufted. He

to fupply

had yet another Farthing Candle

the Deficiencies of the Sun.
the third Form,

This was

known by Political Writers

of Democracy.
all

under the

Name

Here the
Perfons

People tranfadted

Publick Bufinefs, or

the greater Part of it, in their

their

own

Laws were made by

themfelves, and
their Officers

upon any Failure of Duty, were accountable

to themfelves,

and to

them

only.

In
this

all

appearance, they had

fecured

by

Method

the Advantages

of Order and good Government, without

paying

r 54
paying their Liberty for
the Purchafe.

Now, my
Roman

Lord,

we

are

come

to the

Mafter-piece of Grecian Refinement, and

Solidity, a

Popular Government.

The
of

earlieftand

moft celebrated Republick

It

this

Model, was that of Athens.

lefs

was

conftru&ed by no
celebrated

an Artift, than the

Solon.

Poet and Philofopher,

this Political
it

But no fooner was

Veflcl

launched from the Stocks, than

fet,

over-

even in the Life-time of the Builder.

5

A
by

Tyranny immediately fupervened

a foreign Conqueft, not

not

by Accident,

but by the very Nature and Confutation

of a Democracy.

An

artful

Man became
in

popular, the People had

Power

their

hands,

and they devolved a confiderable

Share of their Power upon their Favourite;

and the only ufe he made of

was,
to

this

Power,
it

plunge thofe

who

gave

into

Slavery.

Accident reftored their Liberty,

and the fame good Fortune produced

of

Men

uncommon

Abilities

and

uncommon
were

Virtues amongft them. But thefc Abilities

[55]
were
fuffered to be

of

little

Service either

to their Pofleffors or to the State.

Some

they banifhed,

others they imprifonsd,

and

all

they treated with various

Ckcum-

ftances of the

moft fhameful Ingratitude.

Republicks have

many things
Merit

in the Spirit

of abfolute Monarchy,
than this
;

but none more

is

a fhining

ever hated

or fufpe&ed in a Popular Affembly, as well

as in a

Court

->

and

all

Services

done the

State, are

looked upon as dangerous to the

Rulers, whether Sultans or Senators.

The
this

Ojlracijm at Athens was built

Principle.

upon

The

giddy People

whom

we-

have
elated

now
owed

under Conlideration,

being

with fome Flafhes of Succefs, which

to nothing lefs than

they

any Merit

of their own, began to tyrannize over

their

Equals,
for their

them
their

who had common

They

affociated

with

Defence.
all

With Wars

Prudence they renounced

Appear-

ance of Juflice.
rafhly

entered into
If they

and wantonly.

were un-

fuccefsful, inflead

of growing wifer by their

Mif-

[56]
Misfortune, they threw the whole Blame of
their

own Mifcondudt on
advifed,
;

the Minifters

who had

and the Generals

until

who

had conduced thofe Wars

grees they had cut off
all

by De-

who

could ferve
If

them
at
Iffue,

in their Councils or their Battles.

any time thefe Wars had an happier

it

was no

lefs

difficult to deal

with

them on account of
knee.
Furious in

their Pride

and Infoty-

their Adverfity,

rannical in their Succeffes,

Commander
Defence

had more trouble

to concert his

before the People, than to plan the

rations

Ope-

of the Campaign.
for a General,

It

was frequent

enough

under the horrid

to

Defpotifm of the
ill

Roman Emperors,
Agricola

be

received in Proportion to the Greatnefs

is

of his Services.
fiance of this.
things,

a ftrong In-

No Man

had done greater

nor with an honefler Ambition.

his

Yet on

Return to Court, he was obliged

all

to enter

Rome with

the Secrecy of a

Criminal.

He w ent
T

to

the Palace,

not

like a victorious

Commander who had

merited

57

merited and might

demand

the greateft

Rewards, but

like

an Offender

who had
Crimes.

come

to fupplicate a Pardon for his

:

His Reception was anfwerable

" Brevi

" ofculo, nullo fermone except usy turba u firvientium immiftuseji" Yet in that

&

word

Seafon of this worft of monarchical

* Tyrannies, Modefty, Difcretion, and a

Coolnefs of Temper,

formed fome Kind

of Security even for the higheft Merit.

But

at

Athens, the niceft and beft ftudied

fufficient

Behaviour was not a

Guard

for a

Man

of great Capacity.

Some of

their

braveft

Commanders were
fome

obliged to fly

their Country,

to enter into the Ser-

vice of

it's

Enemies, rather than abide a

popular Determination on their Condudt,

left,

as

one of them

faid, their

Giddinefs

might make the People condemn where

they meant to acquit
;

to

throw

in a black

Bean, even
one.

when

they intended a white

* Sciant quibus moris

malis principibus

illicita

mifari, poffe

magnos

viros, &c. Sec

ctlam fub 42 to the End of it.

The

58

The

Athenians

made

a very rapid Pro-

grefs to the

mod

enormous Excefles. The

dif-

People under no Reftraint foon grew

folute,

luxurious,
all

and

idle.

They

re-

nounced

Labour, and began

to fubfift

themfelves

from the publick Revenues.

all

They loft Honour or

Concern

for their

common
At
to
this

Safety,

and could bear no Ad-

vice that tended to reform them.

Time Truth became

offenfive

thofe

Lords the People, and moft highly dangerous to the Speaker.

The

Orators no

longer afcended the Roflrum, but to corrupt

them

further with the

moft fulfome
all

Adulation.

Thefe Orators were

bribed

by

foreign Princes

on the one Side or the

it's

other.
this

And

befides

own

Parties,

in

City there were Parties, and avowed

ones too, for the Perjians, Spartans and

Macedonians^ fupported each of them by

one or more? Demagogues penfioned and

bribed to this iniquitous Service.
People, forgetful of
Spirit,
all

The

Virtue and publick

Flatteries

and intoxicated with the

of

[59]
of
their Orators (thefe Courtiers of Republicks,

and endowed with the diftinguifhall

ing Chara&ers of

other Courtiers) this

arrived at that Pitch

People, I fay, at

laft

of Madnefs, that they coolly and deliberately,

by an exprefs Law, made

it

capital

for

any

Man

to propofe

an Application of
in publick

the

immenfe Sums fquandered

Shows, even to the moft neceffary Purpofes of the

State.

When
and

you

fee the

People

of

this

Republick banifhing or
ableft Citizens,

murdering

their beft

diffipating the publick Treafure

with the

moft
their

fenfelefs

Extravagance, and fpending

as Spectators or Arbors,

whole Time,

in playing, fidling,

dancing and finging,

ftrike

does

it

not,

my Lord,

your Imagiof a com-

nation with the

Image of

a Sort

plex Nero ?
the greater

And does it not ftrike you with Horror, when you obferve, not
whole City, grown

one

Man

only, but a

drunk with Pride and Power, running

with a Rage of Folly into the fame mean

and

fenfelefs

Debauchery and ExtravaI 2

gance

[6o]
gance
?

But

if this

People refembled Nero

in their Extravagance,

much more did

him

they

referable and even exceed

in Cruelty

and

Iiijuftice.

In the

Time

of Pericles t
in the

one of the moft celebrated Times

Hifiory of that Commonwealth, a King of

them a Donation of Corn. This they were mean enough to accept. And had
Egypt
fent

the Egyptian Prince intended the Ruin of

this

City of wicked Bedlamites, he could

not have taken a more effectual

to

Method

do

it,

than by fuch an enfnaring Largefs.

The

Distribution of this Bounty caufed a

-

Quarrel

the Majority

fet

on foot an En-

quiry into the Title of the Citizens, and

upon

vain

Pretence

of
fet

Illegitimacy,

newly and occasionally

no

up, they de-

prived of their Share of the royal

tion
lefs

Dona-

than five thoufand of their

further;

own

Body.

They went
them
;

they dif-

franchifed

and having once begun

juftice,

with an Aft of L

they could

fet

no

Bounds

to

it.

Not

content with cutting

them

off from the Rights of Citizens, they

plundered

[6i
their Subftance$and to

plundered thefe unfortunate Wretches of all

crown

this

Mafter-

piece of Violence and Tyranny, they adtually fold every

as Slaves in the

Man

of the

five

thoufand

publick Market. Obfervc,

my Lord,
fpeak
of,

that the five thoufand

we

here

were cut off from a Body of no

;

more than nineteen thoufand

for the entire

Number of Citizens was no greater at that Time. Could the Tyrant who wifhed the
Roman People but one Neck, could
the

Tyrant himfelf have done, nay, he could

Scarcely wifh for a greater Mifchief, than
to

have cut
?

off, at

one Stroke, a fourth of

his People
Series

Or

has the Cruelty of that

of fanguine Tyrants, the Ccefars^

ever prefented fuch a Piece of flagrant

cxtenfive Wickednefs
?

and

The whole
is

Hif-

tory of this celebrated Republick

but one

Tiffue of Rafhnefs, Folly, Ingratitude, injuftice,

Tumult, Violence, and Tyranny,

This was

and indeed of every Species of Wickednefs that can well be imagined.

a City of Wifemen, in which a Minifter

could

[62]
could not exercife his Functions
like People,
;

a war-

amongft

whom
which

a General did
;

not dare either to gain or lofe a Battle

learned Nation, in

a Philofopher

could not enter on a free Enquiry.

This

was the City which banifhed

Tbemijlocles,

ftarved Ariflides^ forced into Exile MiltiadeS)

drove out Anaxagoras, and poifoned

Socrates.

This was a City which changed

of
it's

the

Form
;

Government with the

Moon
daily,

eternal

Confpiracies, Revolutions

nothing fixed and eftablifhed.

A Re-

publick, as an antient Philofopher has obferved,

is

no one Species of Government,

j

but a Magazine of every Species

here
in the

you

find every Sort

of

it,

and that
>

worft Form.

As
rifing

there

is

a perpetual
falling,

Change, one

and the other

you have
licy,

all

the Violence and wicked Po-

by which a beginning Power muft

it's

always acquire

Strength, and
falling

all

the
are

Weaknefs by

which

States

brought to a complete Deftru&ion.

Rome

63 1

more venerable Afpedt than and fhe condu&ed her Affairs, Athens fo far as related to the Ruin and Oppreflion

Rome
;

has a

of the greateft Part of the World, with

more Wifdom and Uniformity. But domeftick Oeconomy was nearly or

gether the fame.

their alto-

An

internal Diffention

conftantly tore to Pieces the Bowels of this

Commonwealth. You
fufion,
at Athens,

find the

fame Confubfifted

the fame Factions

which

the fame Tumults,

the fanje

Revolutions, and in fine, the fame Slavery,

If perhaps their former Condition did not

deferve that

Name altogether as

well.

All

other Republicks were of the fame Charadler. Florence

was a Tranfcriptof Athens,

as

And

the

modern Republicks,
lefs

they ap-

proach more or

to the

Democratick

Form, partake more of lefs of the Nature of

thofe

which

have defcribed.

We are now at the Clofe of our Review

of the three fimple Forms of Artificial Society,

and

we have fhewn them, however

they

64

they

may

differ in

Name,
all

or in

fome

flight
j

Circumftances, to be
ia Effett,

alike in Effedt

to be all Tyrannies.

But fupthe moft.

pofe

we

were inclined
;

to

make

ample Conceflions

let

us concede Athens,

Rome, Carthage, and two or three more of

the antient, and

many of
to

the

modern,

Commonwealths,
free

have been, or to be
their

and happy, and to owe

Freedom
what De-

and Happinefs
tion.

to their Political Conftituall

Yet allowing

this,

fence does this

make

for Artificial Society

in general, that thefe inconfiderable Spots

of the Globe have for fome

fliort

Space of

Time
ments

flood as Exceptions to a Charge fo

?

general

But when

we

call thefe

Govern-

free, or

concede that their Citizens

lived under

were happier than thofe which

different
tia.

Forms,

it

is

merely ex Abundan-

For we fhould be greatly miftaken,

really

if

we

thought that the Majority of

filled

the People

which

thefe Cities, enPolitical

joyed even that nominal

Freedom
already.

of which

have fpoken fo

much

In

[ 6S

In Reality, they had no Part of it. InAthens

there were ufually from ten to thirty thou-

fand Freemen

This was the utmoft. But

the Slaves ufually amounted to four hun-

dred thoufand, and fometimes to a great

many more. The Freemen of Sparta and Rome were not more numerous in Proportion to thofe

whom they held

terrible

in a Slavery,

even more
Therefore
States

than the Athenians.

fairly:

ftate the

Matter

The

free

never formed, though they were

taken altogether, the thoufandth Part of

the habitable Globe; the Freemen in thefe
States

were never the twentieth Part of

the People, and the

is

Time

they fubfifted

fcarce any thing in that

immenfe Ocean
Slavery

of Duration in which
are fo

Time and

nearly commenfurate.

Therefore

call thefe free States,

or popular
$

Govern-

ments, or what you pleafe

sider

when we conInhabitants,

the^Majority of their

and regard the natural Rights of Mankind,

jthey

muft appear in Reality and Truth,

66

;no better than

garchies.

pitiful

and oppreffive Oli-

After fo

fair

an Examen, wherein no>,

thing has been exaggerated

no Fadl pro-

duced which cannot be proved, and none

which has been produced

for Brevity,

in

any wife

forced or ftrained. while thoufands have,

been omitted
all

after fo
;

candid

a Difcuffion in
fo paffive,

Refpe&s
fo

what Slave

what Bigot

blind,

what

Enthufiaft fo headlong,
fo hardened, as to ftand

what
up
in

Politician

Defence of

a Syftem calculated for a Curfe to

Man-

kind? a Curfe under which they fmart and

groan to

this

Hour, without thoroughly

the Difeafe, and
to ap-

knowing the Nature of

ply the

wanting Underftanding or Courage

Remedy.

need not excufe myfelf to your LordI

fhip, nor,

think, to any

honeftMan,
5

for
for
it

the Zeal I have

fhewn

in this Caufe

67

it is

an honeft Zeal, and in a good Caufe.

have defended Natural Religion againft a

I

Confederacy of Atheifts and Divines.

now
all

plead for Natural Society againft Po-

liticians,

and

for Natural

Reafon againft
is

three.

When

the

World

in a fitter

Temper than it is at prefent to hear Truth, or when I fhall be more indifferent about it's Temper my Thoughts may become more publick. In the mean time, let them
;

repofe in

Bofoms
tiated

my own of fuch Men

the

Bofom, and
as are
fit

in

the
ini-

to

be

in

fober Myfteries

of Truth

and Reafon.

My Antagonifts
as I

have already
Parties
fufficient

done

as

much

could defire.

in Religion

and Politicks make

Difcoveries concerning each other, to give

a fober
all.

Man

a proper

Caution againft them

Ariftocratical,

The Monarchick,
Axes
to the
in

and

Popular Partizans have been jointly laying

their

Root of all Government,

Turns proved each
In vain
is

and have

their

other abfurd and inconvenient.

you

tell

me

that Artificial

Government

good,

t 68 3
good, but that I
fall
!

out only with the

the

Abufe.

The Thing
!

Thing
Lord,

itfelf is

the Abufe

Obferve,

my

pray
all

you, that grand Error upon

artificial legiflative

which

Power

is

founded.

It

was obferved,
Paffions,

that

Men
it

had ungovernable
necefiary to guard

which made

againft the Violence they

might

offer to

each other.
jver

They
for this

appointed Governors

them

Reafon

but a worfe
arifes,

and more perplexing Difficulty

to

how

be defended againft the Governors ? Qui$

In vain they change

cujiodiet ipfos cujiodes ?

from a

fingle

Perfon to a few.

Thefe

few have the Paffions of the one, and they

unite
to

ftrengthen themfelves, and

to

fecure the Gratification of their lawlefs

Paffions at the

Expence of the general

fly to

Good.

In vain do v/e
is

the

Manyi

The
are

Cafe

worfe

their Paffions are lefs

under the Government of Reafon, they

augmented by the Contagion, and deall

fended againft
titude.

Attacks by their

MulI

have

69

t have purpofely avoided the

mention
for

6f the mixed

Form of Government,

Reafons that will be very obvious to your

Lordfhip.

But

my Caution

can avail

me
it

but

little.

You
fail

will not fail

to urge

againft

me

in favour of Political Society.

to

You

will not

fhew

how

the Errors

of the

feveral fimple

Modes

are corrected

by a Mixture of all of them, and

I confefs,

a proper

Ballance of the feveral Powers in fuch a

State.

my Lord,

that

this

has been long a darling Miftake of

my
the

own

and that of all the

Sacrifices I

have

made

to Truth, this has been

by

far

greateft.

When
I

I confefs that I

think this

Notion a Miftake,
fpeaking > for

know

to

whom I am
that Reafons

am

fatisfied

are like Liquors,

and there are fome of

fuch a Nature as none but ftrong Heads

can bear.

There

are
fo

few with
freely as

whom

can communicate

with Pope.

But Pope cannot bear every Truth.

has a Timidity which hinders the
full

He
Exas

ertion of his Faculties, almoft as effe&ually

[jo]
as

Bigotry cramps thofe of the general

Herd of Mankind.
fteady

But whoever

is

genuine Follower of Truth, keeps his Eye

upon

his

Guide, indifferent whither

is

he

is

led,

provided that fhe

the Leader.
confidered,

And, my Lord,
it

if it be properly

were

infinitely better to

remain poffeffed

by the whole Legion of vulgar Miftakes,

than to rejedt fome, and
at

the fame time

to retain a Fondnefs for others altogether

as abfurd

and

irrational.

The

firft

has

at leaft a Confiftency, that

makes
at

Man,
leaft

however erroneoufly, uniform

but the
latter

way of proceeding
vulgar

is

fuch

an inconfiftent Chimaera and Jumble of

Philofophy and
Prejudice,
that

hardly any thing more ridiculous can be

conceived.

Let us therefore

freely,

and
this

without Fear or Prejudice, examine

laft

Contrivance of Policy.

And

without

confidering

ftruments

how near the Quick our Inmay come, let us fearch it to

the Bottom.

Firft

[7*
Firft then, all
this

Men

are agreed, that

Ariftocratick,

Jundtion

of Regal,

and Popular Power, muft form a very

complex, nice,

and

intricate

Machine,
a variety

which being compofed of fuch

of
Parts,

with fuch oppofite Tendencies

it

and Movements,
Accident
to

muft be

liable

on every
fpeak

be

difordered.

To

without Metaphor, fuch a Government

muft be

liable

to frequent Cabals,
it's

Tu-

mults, and Revolutions, from

ftitution.

veryConas
;

Thefe are undoubtedly

ill

Effedts, as can

happen

in a Society

for

in fuch a Cafe,

the Clofenefs acquired

by

Community,

inftead of ferving for

mutual

Defence, fervesonly to increafe the Danger.

Such a Syftem

is

like a City,

where Trades

that require conftant Fires are

ercifed,

much
built

ex-

where the Houfes

are

of

combuftible Materials, and where they

ftand extremely clofe.

In the fecond Place, the feveral conftituent Parts

having their
I

diftindt Rights,

and

72

and thefe many of them

fary to be determined

at

once

fo necef-

with Exadtnefs, are

yet fo indeterminate in their Nature, that

it

becomes a new and conftant Source of

Debate and Confufion.

whilft the Bufinefs of

Hence

it is,

that

Government fhould
is,

be carrying on, the Queftion

who

has

3 Right to exercife this or that Fundtior*

of it, or what
their
this

Men
in

have Power to keep

Offices

any Function.

Whilft

Conteft continues,

and whilft the

it

Ballance in any fort continues,

has never

any Remiffion

all

manner of Abufes and

remain unpunifhed,

Villainies in Officers

the greateft Frauds and Robberies in the

Publick Revenues are committed in Defiance of Juftice

$

and Abufes grow, by

j

Time and

Impunity, into Cuftoms

until

they prefcribe againfl the Laws, and

grow

too inveterate often to admit a Cure, unlefs

fuch as

may

be

as

bad

as the Difeafe,

Thirdly, the feveral Parts of this Species

of Government, though united, preferve

the

[73]
the Spirit

which each Form has

the

feparately.

Kings are ambitious ; the Nobility haughty; and

Populace tumultuous and

ungovernable.

Each
and

Party,

however

in

appearance peaceable, carries on a Defign

upon the others

that in
all

it is

owing

to this,

Queftions, whether concerning

foreign or domeftick Affairs, the

Whole

generally turns

more upon fome Party

a Step will diminiffy the

Matter than upon the Nature of the Thing

itfelf.

Whether fuch

or augment the

Power of

Crown, or
SubjecT: are
it.

how
like

far the Privileges

of the

to

be extended or restricted by

And

thefe Queftions are

conftantly re-

fblved,

without any Consideration of the

Merits of the Caufe, merely as the Parties

who uphold
the Ballance
is

thefe jarring Interefts

^

may

chance to prevail

and

as

they prevail,

overfet,

now upon
is

the other.

now upon one fide, The Government

one Day, arbitrary Power in a fingle

;

Perfon

another, a juggling Confederacy

of a few to cheat the Prince and enflav^

the

[74]
the People;

and the

third, a frantick

and

unmanageable Democracy.
ftrument of
all

The great Inand what

them,

thefe Changes,

infufes a peculiar
is

Venom

into all of

Party.

It is

of no Confequence what

the Principles of any Party, or what their

Pretenfions are
all Parties is
;

the Spirit
;

which

actuates

the fame

the Spirit of

Am-

bition, of Self-Intereft,

of Oppreffion, and
entirely reverfes

Treachery.
all

This

Spirit

the Principles

which

a
;

benevolent
all

Nature has[erefted within us

all

Honefty,

equal Juftice, and even the Ties of

Natural Society, the

Natural ArTedlions.
all

In a word,

my

Lord, we have

feeny

and

if

any outward Confiderations were

lafting

worthy the

Concern of a wife
felt,

Man, we have fome of us

preffion

fuch

Opno

from Party Government

as

other Tyranny can parallel.

We behold daily
we
behold

the moft important Rights, Rights upon

which

all

the others depend,

thefe Rights determined in

fort,

the

laft

Rethe

without the

leaft

Attention even to

[75
hold
this

Appearance or Colour of Juftice

we

be-

without Emotion, becaufe

we
fur-

have grown up in the conflant View of

fuch Practices
prifed to
;

and

we

are

not
to

hear a

Man
if

requefted

be

Knave and a
as

Traitor,

with

as

much

Indifference

the
;

moft

ordinary

Favour were afked

Requeft
refuied,

and

we

hear this
it

not

becaufe

is

moft unjuft~and unreafonable Defire, but

that this

Worthy
I

has already engaged his

Injuftice to another.

Thefe and many

from fpreading to
are fenfible that I

more Points

am

far

their full Extent.

You

do not put forth half

you cannot be
at a

my

Strength

and

Lofs for the Reafon.

Freedom of Thought, provided he knows how to

is

A Man

allowed fufficient

chufe his Subjed: properly.

ticife freely

You may criSeverity as

upon the
as

Chinefe Conftitution,

and obferve with

pleafe
tive

much

you

upon the abfurd Tricks, or deftructhe Bonzees.

as

Bigotry of
is

But the

Scene

changed

you come homeward,

and

(j6)
and Atheifm or Treafon
thajr

be

thb

Names

given in Britain, to what would

if afferted

be Reafon and Truth

I fubmit to

of China.

the Condition, and though

I have a notorious Advantage before

me,

wave the
it is

Purfuit.

For

elfe,

my

Lord,

very obvious what a Picture might be

in

drawn of the Excefles of Party even

bur

bwn

Nation.

could {hew, that the fame

Faction has in one Reign promoted popular Seditions,

and

in the next
I

been a Pathat

tron of

Tyranny;
all
all

could fhew,

they have
Safety at

of

them betrayed

the publick
fre-

Times, and have very

quently with equal Perfidy

made

Market
Aflb-

of their
ciates. I

own

Caufe, and their

own

could fliew

how

vehemently they

have

contended for Names, and

how

filently

they have paffcd over Things of

the

laft

Importance.

And

could demon-

ftrate, that

they have had the Opportunity

Mifchief, nay,
that they

of doing

all this

themfelves had their Origin and

Growth
which

from that complex Form of Government

[77
which we

are wifely taught to look

upon

as fo great a Blefling. Revolve,

my Lord,

our Hiftory
fcarce ever

from the Conqueft.

We
Fraud,

had a Prince,

who by

or Violence, had not

made fome

Infringe*

ment on

the Conftitution.

We fcarce ever
it

had a Parliament which knew, when

attempted to
thority,
fet

Limits to the Royal

it's

Au-

how

to fet Limits to

own.

Evils

we have had
and

continually calling for

Reformation,

Reformations

more

grievous than any Evils.

berty

Our boafted Lifometimes trodden down, fometimes

and ever precarioufly fluc-,

giddily fet up,

tuating and urifettled

alive

it

has been only kept

by the

Blafts

of continual Feuds,
In no Country
fo often blufhed

Wars, and Confpiracies.

in

Europe has the Scaffold

it's

with the Blood of

cations,
tions,

Nobility.

Confif-

Banifhments, Attainders, Execua large Part of the Hiftory of

as are

make

fuch of our Families

tinguifhed

not utterly ex-

by them.

Formerly indeed

Things had a more ferocious Appearance

than

[78]
than they have
early
at

this

Day.

In thefe

and unrefined Ages, the jarring Parts

of a certain Chaotic Conftitution fupported

their feveral Pretenfions

by the Sword.

Experience and Policy have fince taught

other Methods.

Res vero nunc agitur tenui pulmone rubefy

But

how

far

Corruption, Venality,

the
all

Contempt of Honour, the Oblivion of

Duty

to our Country,

and the moft aban-

doned publick
to

Proftitution, are preferable

the

more
Sure

glaring

and violent Effects

of Faction,
mine.
Evils.

I will not
I

prefume

to deter-

am that

they are very great

have done with the Forms of Go-

vernment.
quiry you
rial

During the Courfe of

my Enof

may have

obferved a very mate-

Difference between

my Manner
is

Reafoning and that which

in

Uk amongft
their

the Abbetors ofArtificial Society. They form

[79]
their Plans

upon what feems

for

mod
the

eligible

to their

Imaginations,

ordering

of Mankind.

I difcover the

Miftakes in

thofe Plans, from the real

known

Confe-

quences which have refulted from them.

They have
itfelf,

inlifted

Reafon to

light againft to

and employ

it's

whole Force

prove

that

it is

an infufficient Guide to them in

the Conducft of their Lives.

pily for us, in Proportion as

But unhap-

we

have de-

viated

from the plain Rule of our Nature,

itfelf,

and turned our Reafon againft

Proportion have

in that

we

increafed the Follies

and Miferies of Mankind.

The more deeply

we penetrate into the Labyrinth of Art, the further we find ourfelves from thofe Ends for which we entered it. This has happened
in

almoft every Species of Artificial So-

ciety,

and

in all

Times.

We found,

or

we

thought

we found,

an Inconvenience in

having every
Caufe.
firft

Man

the Judge of his

fet

own
it

Therefore Judges were

up, at

with difcretionary Powers.

But
to

was foon found a miferable Slavery

have
our

so]

our Lives and Properties precarious, and

hanging upon the arbitrary Determination

of any one Man, or Set of Men.

to

We flew

Laws as a Remedy for this Evil. By thefe we perfuaded ourfelves we might

know
arofe

with fome Certainty upon what

flood.

Ground we

But

lo

Differences

upon the Senfe and

Interpretation of

thefe

Laws. Thus we were brought back

Laws were made to expound the old ; and new Difficulties arofe upon the new Laws as Words
to our old Incertitude.
,

New

multiplied, Opportunities of cavilling

upon

them

multiplied

alfo.

Then Recourfe
Glofles,

was had

to Notes,

Comments,

ReportSyRe/ponfaPrudentum, learned Readings

rity
:

Eagle flood againfl Eagle.

fet

Autho-

was

up

againfl Authority.

Some

were

allured

by the modern, others reve-

renced the antient.

The new were morg

more
venerable.

enlightened, the old were

Some adopted
to the Text.

the

Comment,

others fluck

The

Confufion increafed,
it

the Mift thickened, until

could be dis-

covered

I8i
forbidden,

covered no longer what was allowed or

what Things were

in Property,

and what common.

In this Uncertainty,

(uncertain even to the Profeflbrs, an /Egyptian

Darknefs to the

reft

of Mankind)

the contending Parties

effectually ruined

felt

themfelves

more

by the Delay than they

could have been by the Injuftice of any

Decifion.-

Our

Inheritances are
;

become

a Prize for Difputation

Litigations are

and Difputes and

Inheritance.

become an
of

The Profeflbrs
feflbrs

Artificial

Law

have al-

ways walked hand

of
Artificial

in

hand with the Pro-

Theology.

As

their

End,

in

confounding the Reafon of Man,

his

and abridging

Natural Freedom,

is

ex-

actly the fame,

they have adjufted the

Means
fimilar.

to

that

End
Divine

in a

Way

entirely

The

thunders out his

Anathemas with more Noife and Terror

againft

the Breach of one of his pofitive

Inftitutions, or the
trivial

Neglect of fome of his

Forms, than againft the Negleft or

Breach

8]
Command-

Breach of thofe Duties and

ments of Natural Religion, which by thefe

Forms and
force.

Inftitutions lie pretends to en-

The Lawver

has his Forms, and

his pofitive Inftitutions too,

and he adheres

to

them with

a Veneration altogether as

religious.

The

worft Caufe cannot be fo

prejudicial to the Litigant, as his Advocate's

or Attorney's Ignorance or Negledl of thefe

Forms.

Law-fuit

is

like
firft

an ill-managed
Objedt
is

Difpute, in which the

foon

out of Sight, and the Parties end upon a

Matter wholly foreign to that on which

they began. In a Law-fuit the Queftion

who has a Right to a certain Houfe or Farm And this Queftion is daily deteris,
?

mined, not upon the Evidences of the

Right, but upon the Obfervance or
le<ft

NegUfe
even

of fome Forms of Words

in
is

amongft them,amongft which there

amongft themfelves fuch

a Difagreement,

that the moft experienced Veterans in the

Profeffion can never be pofitively affured
that they are not miftajten.

Let

83

Let us expoflulate with thefe learned

Sages, thefe Priefts of the facred

Temple

of

Juftice.
?

Are we Judges of our own

Property
are

By no Means. You
into

then,

who
I

initiated

the

Myfteries of the

blindfold Goddefs,

inform

me
I

whether

have a Right

to eat the

Bread

have earned

by the hazard of my

Life, or the

Sweat of

my Brow The
?

grave Dodlor anfwers

me

in the Affirmative.
replies in the
rifter

The
;

reverend Serjeant
the learned Barfide

Negative

reafons

upon one

and upon the

other, and concludes nothing.

I

What

mail

do

An

Antagonift
I

ftarts

up and

preffes

me

hard.

enter the Field,

and return

thefe three

Perfons to defend

my

Caufe.

My

Caufe, which

two Farmers from the

in half an hour,
I

Plough could have decided

takes the Court twenty Years.

am how-

ever at the end of my Labour, and have in

Reward
fagacious

for all
in

Judgment

my Toil and Vexation, a my Favour. But hold

in the Adverfary's

Commander,
Flaw

Army

has found a

in the Proceeding.

My

r.

84

My

Tritimph

is

turned into Mourning.

have ufed or y inftead of and, or fome Miftake, fmall in Appearance, but dreadful in
it's

Confequences, and have the whole of

Succefs quafhed in a

my

remove
Court
;

my

Suit

fhift

Writ of Error. I from Court to

to

I fly

from Equity
;

Law, and

Law to Equity equal Uncertainty attends me every where And a Miftake

from
:

in

which

had no Share> decides

at

once

upon
ing
I

my Liberty and
Family
to

Property, fending

me

from the Court

to a Prifon,

and adjudg-

my

Beggary and Famine.

am innocent,
it

Gentlemen, of the Darknefs

I

and Uncertainty of your Science.

darkened

never

with abfurd and contradictory

it

Notions, nor confounded

with Chicane
excluded

and Sophiftry.

You have
in the

me
5

from any Share

Caufe
I
;

Conduct of my

the Science was too deep for

it,

own me
the

acknowledged

but
:

it

was too deep

even for yourfelves

You have made

and you punifh

way

fo intricate,
it
:

that
err,

you are yourfelves

loft in

You

for^vour Errors.

me The

The Delay of the Law is, your Lordfhip

will
it's

tell

me, a

trite

Topick, and which of

felt

Abufes have not been too feverely

not to be often complained of?

Man's

Property

is

to ferve for the Purpofes of his

Support; and therefore to delay a Determination concerning that,

juftice,
is

the worft In-

becaufe

it

cuts off the very

I

End

and Purpofe

for

which

applied to the

Judicature for Relief.

Quite contrary in

Cafe of a Man's Life, there the Determination can hardly be too

much

protradted.

Miftakes in this Cafe are as often fallen

into as in any other, and if the
is

Judgement

fudden, the Miftakes are the mofl irre-

trievable

of all others.

Of this
it

the Gentle-

men

of the

Robe

are themfelves fenfible,

into a

and they have brought

Maxim.
them
I

De
But

morte hominis nulla

eft

cunSiatio longa.

what

could

have

induced

to reverfe the

Rules,

and to contradict
them,

that Reafon

which

dictated

am

utterly unable to guefs.

Point concern-

ing Property,which ought, for the Reafons

Ijuft

[86]
I juft

mentioned, to be moft fpeedily de-

cided, frequently exercifes the

ceffions

Wit of Suc-

of Lawyers, for manyGenerations.

Multa virum volvem durandofacula vincit.

But the Queftion concerning a Man's
that
Life,

great Queftion in

which no Delay
is

ought to be counted tedious,

commonly
at the
at,

determined in Twenty-four Hours

utmoft.
Injuftice
It is

not to be wondered

that

and Abfurdity fhould be infepa-

rable

Companions.

Afk of Politicians Laws were originally

will anfwer,

the

End
$

for

which

defigned

and they
defigned

that the

Laws were

as a Protection for

the Poor and

Weak,

againft the

Oppreffion of the Rich and

Powerful.

But furely no Pretence can be

fo ridiculous

me

he has

Man might as well tell taken off my Load, becaufe he

;

has changed the Burthen.

If the poor
accord-

Man is not able to fupport his Suit,

ing to the vexatious and expenfive
eftablifhed in civilized Countries,
i

manner
has not
the

[8 7

the Rich as great an Advantage over

as the Strong has over the

him

Weak in
is

a State

of Nature
State

But we

will

not place the

the Reign of

of Nature, which

God, in competition with

Political Society,

which
In a

is

the abfurd Usurpation

of Man.

State

of Nature,

it is

true, that a

Man
;

of fuperior Force
then
it is

may beat

or rob

me

but

true,

that I

am

at full

Liberty to

defend myfelf, or

make

Reprifal

by SurBut
rob

prize or by Cunning, or
in

by any other way

which

may be
way.

fuperior to him.

in Political Society,

a rich
I

Man may

me

in another for

cannot defend

my-

Money is the only Weapon with which we are allowed to fight. And if I
felf ;

attempt

to

avenge

myfelf,
is

the

whole

Force of that Society

ready to compleat

my

Ruin.

A
fay,

good Parfon once

faid,

that

where
I

Myftery begins, Religion ends.

as

Cannot

truly at lead,

of

human Laws,
Juftice ends
?

tbat

where Myftery begins^

It

88

It

is

hard to

fay,

whether the Do&ors of

Law
ftery.

or Divinity have

made

the greater

Advances

in the lucrative Bufinefs of

My-

The

Lawyers,

as

well as the

Theo-

logians,
fides

have eredted another Reafon be-

Natural Reafon
another

and the Refult has

befides Natural

been,
Juftice.

Juftice
fo

They have

bewildered the

World and themfelves in unmeaning Forms and Ceremonies, and fo perplexed

the plaineft
Jargon, that
to a

Matters with metaphyseal

it

carries the higheft

Danger

Man

out of that Profeffion, to

make

the leaft Step without their Advice and

Affiftance.
felves the
all

Thus by

confining to them-

Knowledge of the Foundation of

Lives and Properties, they have

Mens

reduced

all

Mankind

into the

moft

abje<ft

and

fervile

Dependence.

We are Tenants
for every
is

at the

Will of theie Gentlemen

5

thing

and

a metaphyfical

Quibble

to

decide whether the greateft Villain breathing fhall meet his Deferts,
or efcape with

Impunity, or whether the beft

Man

in the

Society

['9

Society fhall not be reduced to the loweft

and moft defpicable Condition

In a word,
Puerility,

it

affords,.

my Lord,
falfe

the InjuHice^ Delay*

Refinement, and affedled

Myftery of the

Law
it

an; fuch, that

many
and

who
envy

live

under

come

to

admire and

the

Expedition,

Simplicity*

Equality of Arbitrary Judgments. I need

infift

the

lefs

on

this Article to

your Lord-

ihip, as

you have frequently lamented the

Miferies derived to us from Artificial

Law,
your
it's

and your Candor

mired

is

the

more
this,

to be adas

and applauded in

Lordfhip's noble Houfe has derived

Wealth and
fefiion.

it's

Honours from

that Pro-

Before
tificial

we finifh
I

our Examination of Ar-

Society,

fhall lead

your Lordfhip

into a clofer Confideration of the Relations

which
if

it

gives Birth to, and the Benefits,

refult

fuch they are, which

from thefe

Relations.

The moft
into

obvious Divifion of
>

Society

is

Rich and Poor

and

it

is

no

[9]
no
lefs

obvious, that the

Number

of the

former bear a great Difproportion to thofe

of the

latter.

The whole
-

Bufinefs of the

Poor is to adminifter

to the Idlenefs, Folly,

y

and Luxury of the Rich

Rich, in return,
is

and that of the

to find the beft

Methods

of confirming the Slavery and increafing

the Burthens of the Poor.

In a State of

Nature,

it

is

an invariable Law, that a

are in proportion to his

Man's Acquifitions
Labours.
it is

In a State of Artificial Society,

as conftant

Law

and

as invariable,,

that

thofe

who

labour moft, enjoy the

feweft things ; and that thofe

not at

all,

have the greateft

who labour Number of

of things

Enjoyments,
this,

Conftitution

ftrange and ridiculous

beyond Ex-

preffion.

We
it,

fcarce believe a thing

when

we

are told

which we

adlually fee be-

fore our

Eyes every Day without being in

I fuppofe that there

the leaft furprized.

are in Great Britain

upwards of an hun-

dred thoufand People employed in Lead,

Tin, Iron, Copper, and Coal Mines > thefe

unhappy

[9i
unhappy Wretches

fcarce ever fee the Light

in the

of the Sun; they are buried

Bowels

of the Earth

there they

work

at a fevere

and

difmal

Tafk,

without

the
it ;

leaft

Profpedt of being delivered from

fubfift

they
fort

upon the
$

coarfeft

and worft

of Fare

they have their Health miferably

impaired, and their Lives cut fhort,

by

being perpetually confined in the clofe

Vapour of
without

thefe malignant Minerals

leaft are

An

hundred thoufand more at

Remiffion
intenfe Fires,

tortured

by the

fuffocating

Smoak,

and conftant Drud-

gery neceflary in the refining and naging the Products of thofe Mines.

maIf

any

Man

informed us that two hundred

innocent Perfons were condemned to fo

intolerable Slavery,

how

fhould

the unhappy Sufferers,

and

we pity how great

againft

would be our
thofe

juft

Indignation

who

infli&ed fo cruel and ignomi?

nious a Punifliment

This

i$

an Inftance,

I could not wifh a ftronger,

berlefs

of the

num-

Things which

we

pafs

by

in their

common

common
Number,

Drefs, yet

which fhock

us

when
this

they are nakedly reprefented.

considerable as
all it's
it
is,

But

and the

Slavery, with

Bafenefs and Horror,

which we have

at

Home,

is

nothing to

what the

reft

of the World affords of the

daily bathed in the

fame Nature. Millions

poifonous

Damps and

deftru<3ive Effluvia

of Lead,

Silver,

Copper, and Arfenick.

To

fay nothing of thofe other

Employments,

thofe Stations of Wretchednefs and

Con-

which Civil Society has placed the numerous Enfans perdus of her Army,
tempt
in

Would any
for all

rational

Man

fubmit to one

of the moft tolerable of thefe Drudgeries

the
artificial

Enjoyments which
refult

Policy has

made

to

from them

By no Means.

And

yet need I fuggeft to

your Lordfhip, that thofe

who

find the

Means, and thofe

are not at
fidering
all

who

arrive at the

End,
con-

the fame Perfons.

ftrange

On

the

and unaccountable

Fancies and Contrivances of Artificial Reafpn s I have

fomewhere

called this Earth

the

[93
upon the
Effects of

the Bedlam of our Syftem.

Looking now
thofe Fancies,
call
it

fome of

may we

not with equal Reafon

likewife the Newgate, and the Bridewell

of the Univerfe.

Indeed the Blindnefs of

one Part of Mankind co-operating with

the Frenzy

and Villainy of the other,

has been the real Builder of this refpectable Fabrick

of Political Society

And

as

their Blindnefs has caufed their Slavery,

in

Return their State of Slavery

is

made a
tell

aPretence for continuing them in a State

of Blindnefs ; for the Politician will

you

gravely, that their Life of Servitude

difqualifies

them

for a Search

of Truth,

and fupplies them with no other than

mean and
too true
for
;

inefficient Ideas.

This

is

but

and
I

this is

one of the Reafons

Inftitutions,

which

blame fuch

In a
ing
t>ut

Mifery

of

this

Sort,

admit-

fome few
a few,

Lenities,

and

thofe too

nine

Parts in

ten

of the

whole Race of Mankind drudge through

Life.

[94]
Life. It

may be

urged perhaps, in palliation

of this.,

that, at leaft, the

real

Rich

Few find a
from the
is

confiderable and

Benefit

Wretchednefs of the Many.

fo in fadl
?

But

this

Let us examine the Point with

little

more Attention.
all

For

this

purpofe

the Rich in
into

Societies

may

be thrown

two

Claffes.

The

firft is

of thofe

who
Ma-

are Powerful as well as Rich, and conducft

the Operations of the vaft Political

chine.
their

The

other

is

of thofe

who employ
con*

Riches wholly

in the Acquifition of
firft

Pleafure.

As

to the

Sort, their

tinual Care, Anxiety, their toilfome

Days

and

fleeplefs Nights, are

next to Proverbial.

Thefe Circumftances

are fufficient almoft

to level their Condition to that of the

un-

happy Majority

but there are other Cir-

cumftances which place them in a far

lower Condition.

Not only

their

Underis

ftandings labour continually,

fevereft

which

the

Labour, but their Hearts are torn

1>y the worft,

fatiable

moft troublefome, and

Paffions,

in-

of

all

by Avarice, by
Ambition^

95 1

Ambition, by Fear and Jealoufy.

part of the
extirpates

No

Mind has Reft. Power gradually from the Mind every humane
Pity, Benevolence,

and

gentle Virtue.

Friendship are Things almoft

in high Stations.

unknown

Vera

amicitice rarijjime

inveniuntur in
licee

its

qui in honoribus reipub-

verfantur, fays Cicero*

And

indeed,

Courts are the

Schools

where Cruelty,
Treachery are

Pride, Diffimulation and

ftudied and taught in the moft vicious

Perfe&ion.

This

is

a Point fo clear and

if it did

acknowledged, that
a neceflary Part of
pafs
it

not
I

make
Should

my
at

Subjedt,
this has

by

entirely.

And

hindered

me

from drawing

full length,

and in
Shocking

the moft ftriking Colours,

this

Pidlure of the Degeneracy and Wretchednefs of

is

human
State.

Nature, in that Part which

it's

vulgarly thought

happieft and moft

amiable
Originals

You know from what

copy fuch Pictures.

could

Happy

who know enough of them to know their littleValue, and who

are

they

have

[96]
have been fnatched from that Poll of

Danger with the Remains of

their Virtue

Lofs of Honours, Wealth, Titles and even

the Lofs of one's Country
is

nothing in

Ballance with fo great an Advantage.

Let us
the Rich,

now view the other Species of thofe who devote their Time
to

and Fortunes

Idlenefs

and Pleafure.
?

How much
fiires

happier are they

are agreeable to

The PleaNature are

which

within the reach of all, and therefore can

form no Diftindlion

in favour

of the Rich.

The
is

Pleafures
fincere,

which Art
and never

forces

up

are

feldom

fatisfying.

What

worfe,

this

conftant Application to

Pleafure takes

away from the Enjoyment,

it

or rather turns

into

the Nature of a

very burthenfome and laborious Bufinefs.

It

has Confequences yet worfe.

It

pro-

duces a

weak

valetudinary State of .Body,

attended byall thofe horrid Diforders, and

yet

more horrid Methods of Cure, which

on one hand, and
the

are the Refult of Luxury

C
the

97]
human

weak and

ridiculous Efforts of

Art on theother.TheirPleafuresare fcarcely

felt as

Pleafures;

at
ins

tne fame time that

they bring on

and Difeafes, which

are felt but too feverely.

it's

The Mind
;

has

Share of the Misfortune

it

grows

lazy and enervate, unwilling and unable

to fearch for Truth, and utterly uncapable

of knowing, much
Happinefs.

lefs

of relifhing real
their exceffive

The Poor by
fet

Labour, and the Rich by

their

enormous
and made

Luxury, are

upon
to

a Level

equally ignorant of any

Knowledge which
Happinefs.
all

might conduce
difmal
Society.

their

A
Civil

View

of the Interior of

The lower Part broken and ground down by the moft cruel Oppreffion
;

and

the Rich

by

their

artificial

Method of Life
themfelves,
poffibly
inflidl
is

bringing worfe Evils on

their

than

Tyranny could
below them.

on

thofe

Very
tural

different
State,

the Profpedi of the

there
is

Na-

Here

no

want

which Nature

gives,

and they can be

fenfible

[98]
fenfible of

no other Wants, which

is

not

to be fupplied

by

a very moderate degree

is

of Labour
Neither
fingle
is

therefore there

no Slavery.
becaufe no
it.

there any Luxury,

Man

can fupply the Materials of

it is

Life

is

Ample, and therefore

happy.

am

confcious,

my Lord,
is

that

your

Politician will urge

this

in his Defence, that

unequal State

highly

ufefiil.

That

without dooming fome Part of Mankind

to extraordinary Toil, the Arts
tivate Life could not

which culBut
I

be exercifed.

demand of this
came
them.
to

Politician,
?

how

fuch Arts

be neceflary

He

anfwers, that

Civil Society could not well exift without

So that thefe

Arts' are neceflary to

Civil Society, and Civil Society neceflary

again to thefe Arts.

Circle,

Thus running

in a

without

Modefty, and

with-

out

End; and making one Error and

Extravagance an Excufe for the other.

Sentiments about thefe
Caufe,
I

My
my

Arts

and their

have often difcourfed with

Friends

[99}
Friends at large. Pope has expreffed them
in

good Verfe, where he

talks

with fo

much

Force of Reafon and Elegance of

in Praife

Language

of the State of Nature.

Then was
to aid,

not Pride, nor Arts that Pride

Man

walk'd with Beaft, Joint-tenant of

the Shade.

On
the

the whole,

my Lord,

if Political
ftill

Society, in whatever

Form, has

made
;

Many

the Property of the

Few

if it

has introduced Labours unneceflary, Vices

and Difeafes unknown, and Pleafures incompatible with Nature

tries
it
;

if in all

Coun-

abridges the Lives of Millions, and

renders thofe of Millions

je<3:

more

utterly ab-

and miferable,

fhall

we

ftill

worfhip
facrifice

fo deftrudive an Idol, to
it

and daily

our Health,
?

our Liberty,
pafs

and our
monftrous

Peace

Or

fhall

we

by

this

Heap of
Frattices,

abfurd Notions, and abominable

thinking

we have

fufficiently

Oz

difcharged

ioo

difcharged our Duty in expofing the trifling

Cheats, and ridiculous Juggles of a few

mad dcfigning, or ambitious Priefts ? Alas my Lord, we labour under a mortal Confumption, whilft we are fo anxious about
the Cure of a fore Finger.
this

For has not

Leviathan of Civil Power overflowed

if

the Earth with a Deluge of Blood, as

he
?

were made

to difport

and play therein

We have

fhewn, that

Political Society,

on
the

a moderate Calculation,

has

been

Means of murdering an hundred and forty

times the

Number of

Inhabitants

now

upon

the Earth, during

it's

fhort Exiftence,

not upwards of four thoufand Years in any

Accounts

to be

depended on. But we have

and perhaps as bad
fpilled

faid nothing of the other,

Confequence of thefe Wars, which

fuch Seas of Blood, and reduced fo
Millions to a mercilefs Slavery.

many

But thefe

are only the Ceremonies performed in the

Porch of the

Political

Temple.

Much
it.

more

horrid ones are feen as you enter

feveral Species

The

of Government

vie

with

ioi ]

with each other in the Abfurdity of their

Conftitutions,

and the Oppreffion which

they

make

their Subjects endure.

Take
they
fall,

them under what Form you

are
in Effect

pleafe,

but a Defpotifm, and

both in Effect an Appearance too,

after

very (hort Period, into that cruel and deteftable Species

of Tyranny 5 which

I ra-

ther call

it,

becaufe

we have been

educated
this
is

under another Form, than that

of

worfe Confequences to Mankind. For the

free

Governments, for the Point of their

Space, and the

Moment

of their Duration,

have

felt

more Confufion, and committed

of Tyranny, than the

more

flagrant Acts

mod perfect defpotick Governments which

we
have ever known.
next to the

Turn your Eye Labyrinth of the Law, and the

in
it's

Iniquity conceived
ceflfes.

intricate

Re-

Confider the Ravages committed

in the

Bowels of

all

Commonwealths by

Ambition, by Avarice, Envy, Fraud, open

Injuftice,

and pretended Friendship; Vices

little

which could draw

Support from a
State

*2

State of Nature, but

flourifh in the
ety.

which bloflbm and

Political Soci$

Ranknefs of

Revolve our whole Difcourfe

thofe Reflections

add

to

it all

which your own

fuggeft,

good Underftanding

(hall

and
the

make

ftrenuous

Effort

beyond

Reach of Vulgar Philofophy, to

the Caufe of Artificial Society
fencelefs

confefs that
is

more de-

even than that of

it
is

Artificial Reli-

gion; that

as

derogatory from the

Honour of the Creator, as fubverfive of human Reafon, and productive of infinitely

more Mifchief to the human Race.
If pretended Revelations

have caufed

Wars

where

they were oppofed,

and

Slavery where they were received, the pre-

tended wife Inventions of Politicians have

done the fame.

But the Slavery has been

much

heavier, the

Wars

far

more bloody,

and both more univerfal by many Degrees.

Shew me any Mifchief produced by

and
I will

the

Madnefs or Wickednefs of Theologians,

fhew you an hundred,
refulting

from

[103
querors and Statefmen.
furdity in Religion,

from the Ambition and Villainy of Con-

Shew me an Abundertake to
Political for

I will

lhew you an hundred

one in

Laws and
Natural

Inftitutions.
is

If you fay, that

Religion

a fufficient

Guide

without the foreign Aid of Revelation,

on what Principle fhould

Political

Laws

become neceffary t Is not the fame Reafon available in Theology and in Politicks ?
If the

Laws of Nature
is it

are the

Laws of
Wifand leave

God,

confident with the Divine

dom

to prefcribe Rules to us,

the Enforcement of them to the Folly of

human

Inftitutions?

Will you follow Truth

?

but to a certain Point

We are

indebted

for all our Miferies to our Diftruft

of that
fuffici-

Guide, which Providence thought

ent for
tural

our

Condition,

our

own Nain

Reafon,

which reje&ing both

things,

Human
tical

and Divine

we have
Poli-

given our Necks to the

Yoke of

and Theological Slavery.

We

have
it is

renounced the Prerogative of Man, and

[
is

io 4

not wonderful that

we

fhould be treated
is

like Beafts.

But our Mifery

much
in

the
re-

greater, as the

Crime we commit

jecting the lawful

is

Dominion of our Reafon

all,

greater.

If after

you fhould confefs

all

thefe things, yet plead the Neceffity of

Political Inftitutions,

weak and wicked

as

they

are,

can argue with equal, perhaps

fuperior Force concerning the Neceffity of

Artificial Religion
5

and every Step you ad-

vance in

your Argument,

you add a
if

Strength to mine.
folved
to

So that

we

are re-

fubmit our Reafon and

our

Liberty to Civil Ufurpation,

we

have no-

thing to do but to conform as quickly as

we

can to the vulgar Notions which are

this,

connected with

and, take

up

their

Theology
if

as

well as their Politicks.

But

we think this Neceffity than real, we fhould

Dreams of
Society,

rather imaginary

renounce

their

together with their

Vifions of Religion,

and vindicate our-

felves into perfect Liberty.

You

*S

You

are,

my Lord,
I

but juft entering

into the

World ;

am

going out of it.

have played long enough to be heartily

tired

of the Drama.

Whether
ill,

I have
Pofterity
I,

adted
will

my

Part in

it

well or

judge with more Candor than

or

than the prefent Age,

with our prefent

Paffions, can poffibly pretend to.

For

my

Part, I quit

it

without a Sigh, and fubmit

to the Sovereign Order without

ing.

murmur-

The

nearer

Goal of Life,

we approach to the the better we begin to under-

ftand the true Value of our Exiftence, and

the real
fet

Weight of our Opinions. We out much in Love with both ; but we

leave
iirft

much behind

us as

we

advance.

We

throw away the Tales along with the

Rattles of our Nurfes.

Thofe of the Prieft

longer
;

keep

their

hold a

little

thofe of

our Governors the longeft of

Paffions

all.

But the

which prop

thefe Opinions are

withdrawn one
(hews us what a

after another,

and the cool

of our Life

Light of Reafon

at the Setting

falfe

Splendor played upon

thefe

io6]

thefe

Obje&s during our more fanguine

Scafons.

Happy,

my

Lord,

if

inftru&ed

by my Experience, and even by

my Errors,

you come
of things,

early to
as

make fuch an Eftimate may give Freedom and Eafe

I

to your Life.

am happy

that

it

promifes

me

Comfort

at

my

Death.

FINIS.

.^i