the commonwealth of oceana-第16章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


al　as　the　death　of　man；　has　been　already　shown。　Wherefore　it　remains　with　the　royalists　to　discover　by　what　reason　or　experience　it　is　possible　for　a　monarchy　to　stand　upon　a　popular　balance；　or；　the　balance　being　popular；　as　well　the　oath　of　allegiance；　as　all　other　monarchical　laws；　imply　an　impossibility；　and　are　therefore　void。　　　　　To　the　commonwealths　man　I　have　no　more　to　say；　but　that　if　he　excludes　any　party；　he　is　not　truly　such；　nor　shall　ever　found　a　commonwealth　upon　the　natural　principle　of　the　same；　which　is　justice。　And　the　royalist　for　having　not　opposed　a　commonwealth　in　Oceana；　where　the　laws　were　so　ambiguous　that　they　might　be　eternally　disputed　and　never　reconciled；　can　neither　be　justly　for　that　cause　excluded　from　his　full　and　equal　share　in　the　government；　nor　prudently　for　this　reason；　that　a　commonwealth　consisting　of　a　party　will　be　in　perpetual　labor　for　her　own　destruction：　whence　it　was　that　the　Romans；　having　conquered　the　Albans；　incorporated　them　with　equal　right　into　the　commonwealth。　And　if　the　royalists　be　〃flesh　of　your　flesh；〃　and　nearer　of　blood　than　were　the　Albans　to　the　Romans；　you　being　also　both　Christians；　the　argument　is　the　stronger。　Nevertheless　there　is　no　reason　that　a　commonwealth　should　any　more　favor　a　party　remaining　in　fixed　opposition　against　it；　than　Brutus　did　his　own　sons。　But　if　it　fixes　them　upon　that　opposition；　it　is　its　own　fault；　not　theirs；　and　this　is　done　by　excluding　them。　Men　that　have　equal　possessions　and　the　same　security　for　their　estates　and　their　liberties　that　you　have；　have　the　same　cause　with　you　to　defend　both；　but　if　you　will　liberty；　though　for　monarchy；　and　be　trampling；　they　fight　for　you　for　tyranny；　though　under　the　name　of　a　commonwealth：　the　nature　of　orders　in　a　government　rightly　instituted　being　void　of　all　jealousy；　because；　let　the　parties　which　it　embraces　be　what　they　will；　its　orders　are　such　as　they　neither　would　resist　if　they　could；　nor　could　if　they　would；　as　has　been　partly　already　shown；　and　will　appear　more　at　large　by　the　following　model。　　　　　The　parties　that　are　spiritual　are　of　more　kinds　than　I　need　mention；　some　for　a　national　religion；　and　others　for　liberty　of　conscience；　with　such　animosity　on　both　sides；　as　if　these　two　could　not　consist　together；　and　of　which　I　have　already　sufficiently　spoken；　to　show　that　indeed　the　one　cannot　well　subsist　without　the　other　But　they　of　all　the　rest　are　the　most　dangerous；　who；　holding　that　the　saints　must　govern；　go　about　to　reduce　the　commonwealth　to　a　party；　as　well　for　the　reasons　already　shown；　as　that　their　pretences　are　against　Scripture；　where　the　saints　are　commanded　to　submit　to　the　higher　powers；　and　to　be　subject　to　the　ordinance　of　man。　And　that　men；　pretending　under　the　notion　of　saints　or　religion　to　civil　power；　have　hitherto　never　failed　to　dishonor　that　profession；　the　world　is　full　of　examples；　whereof　I　shall　confine　myself　at　present　only　to　a　couple；　the　one　of　old；　the　other　of　new　Rome。　　　　　In　old　Rome；　the　patricians　or　nobility　pretending　to　be　the　godly　party；　were　questioned　by　the　people　for　engrossing　all　the　magistracies　of　that　commonwealth；　and　had　nothing　to　say　why　they　did　so；　but　that　magistracy　required　a　kind　of　holiness　which　was　not　in　the　people；　at　which　the　people　were　filled　with　such　indignation　as　had　come　to　cutting　of　throats；　if　the　nobility　had　not　immediately　laid　by　the　insolency　of　that　plea；　which　nevertheless　when　they　had　done；　the　people　for　a　long　time　after　continued　to　elect　no　other　but　patrician　magistrates。　　　　　The　example　of　new　Rome　in　the　rise　and　practice　of　the　hierarchy　（too　well　known　to　require　any　further　illustration）　is　far　more　immodest。　　　　　This　has　been　the　course　of　nature；　and　when　it　has　pleased　or　shall　please　God　to　introduce　anything　that　is　above　the　course　of　nature；　he　will；　as　he　has　always　done；　confirm　it　by　miracle；　for　so　in　his　prophecy　of　the　reign　of　Christ　upon　earth　he　expressly　promises；　seeing　that　〃the　souls　of　them　that　were　beheaded　for　Jesus；　shall　be　seen　to　live　and　reign　with　him；〃　which　will　be　an　object　of　sense；　the　rather；　because　the　rest　of　the　dead　are　not　to　live　again　till　the　thousand　years　be　finished。　And　it　is　not　lawful　for　men　to　persuade　us　that　a　thing　already　is；　though　there　be　no　such　object　of　our　sense；　which　God　has　told　us　shall　not　be　till　it　be　an　object　of　our　sense。　　　　　The　saintship　of　a　people　as　to　government；　consists　in　the　election　of　magistrates　fearing　God；　and　hating　covetousness；　and　not　in　their　confining　themselves；　or　being　confined；　to　men　of　this　or　that　party　or　profession。　It　consists　in　making　the　most　prudent　and　religious　choice　they　can；　yet　not　in　trusting　to　men；　but；　next　God；　to　their　own　orders。　〃Give　us　good　men；　and　they　will　make　us　good　laws；〃　is　the　maxim　of　a　demagogue；　and　is　（through　the　alteration　which　is　commonly　perceivable　in　men；　when　they　have　power　to　work　their　own　wills）　exceeding　fallible。　But　〃give　us　good　orders；　and　they　will　make　us　good　men；〃　is　the　maxim　of　a　legislator；　and　the　most　infallible　in　the　politics。　　　　　But　these　divisions　（however　there　be　some　good　men　that　look　sadly　on　them）　are　trivial　things；　first　as　to　the　civil　concern；　because　the　government；　whereof　this　nation　is　capable；　being　once　seen；　takes　in　all　interests。　And；　secondly；　as　to　the　spiritual；　because　as　the　pretence　of　religion　has　always　been　turbulent　in　broken　governments；　so　where　the　government　has　been　sound　and　steady；　religion　has　never　shown　itself　with　any　other　face　than　that　of　its　natural　sweetness　and　tranquillity；　nor　is　there　any　reason　why　it　should；　wherefore　the　errors　of　the　people　are　occasioned　by　their　governors。　If　they　be　doubtful　of　the　way；　or　wander　from　it；　it　is　because　their　guides　misled　them；　and　the　guides　of　the　people　are　never　so　well　qualified　for　leading　by　any　virtue　of　their　own；　as　by　that　of　the　government。　　　　　The　government　of　Oceana　（as　it　stood　at　the　time　whereof　we　discourse；　consisting　of　one　single　Council　of　the　people；　exclusively　of　the　King　and　the　Lords）　was　called　a　Parliament：　nevertheless　the　parliaments　of　the　Teutons　and　of　the　Neustrians　consisted；　as　has　been　shown；　of　the　King；　lords；　and　commons；　wherefore　this；　under　an　old　name；　was　a　new　thing　a　parliament　consisting　of　a　single　assembly　elected　by　the　people；　and　invested　with　the　whole　power　of　the　government；　without　any　covenants；　conditions；　or　orders　whatsoever。　So　new　a　thing；　that　neither　ancient　nor　modern　prudence　can　show　any　avowed　example　of　the　like。　And　there　is　scarce　anything　that　seems　to　me　so　strange　as　that　（whereas　there　was　nothing　more　familiar　with　these　councillors　than　to　bring　the　Scripture　to　the　house）　there　should　not　be　a　man　of　them　that　so　much　as　offered　to　bring　the　house　to　the　Scripture；　wherein；　as　has　been　shown；　is　contained　that　original；　whereof　all　the　rest　of　the　commonwealths　seem　to　be　copies。　Certainly　if　Leviathan　（who　is　surer　of　nothing　than　that　a　popular　commonwealth　consists　but　of　one　council）　transcribed　his　doctrine　out　of　this　assembly；　for　him　to　except　against　Aristotle　and　Cicero　for　writing　out　of　their　own　commonwealths　was　not　so　fair　play；　or　if　the　Parliament　transcribed　out　of　him；　it　had　been　an　honor　better　due　to　Moses。　But　where　one　of　them　should　have　an　example　but　from　the　other；　I　cannot　imagine；　there　being　nothing　of　this　kind　that　I　can　find　in　story；　but　the　oligarchy　of　Athens；　the　Thirty　Tyrants　of　the　same；　and　the　Roman　Decemvirs。　　　　　For　the　oligarchy；　Thucydides　tells　us；　that　it　was　a　Senate　or　council　of　400；　pretending　to　a　balancing　council　of　the　people　consisting　of　5；000；　but　not　producing　them；　wherein　you　have　the　definition　of　an　oligarchy；　which　is　a　single　council　both　debating　and　resolving；　dividing　and　choosing；　and　what　that　must　come　to　was　shown　by　the　example　of　the　girls；　and　is　apparent　by　the　experience　of　all　times；　wherefore　the　thirty　set　up　by　the　Lacedaemonians　（when　they　had　conquered　Athens）　are　called　tyrants　by　all　authors；　Leviathan　only　excepted；　who　will　have　them　against　all　the　world　to　have　been　an　aristocracy；　but　for　what　reason　I　cannot　imagine；　these　also；　as　void　of　any　balance；　having　be