Page images
PDF
EPUB

:

phants, Bears, and Wolves, upon their several Species, fince the Beginning of the World; though thefe agree ill enough with each other, and have a much greater Proportion of Rage and Fury in their Compofition than we have: But with respect to you, ye Legislators, ye Civilizers of Mankind! ye Orpheus's, Mofefes, Minofes, Solons, Thefeuses, Lycurgufes, Numas! with respect to you be it spoken, your Regulations have done more Mischief in cold Blood, than all the Rage of the fierceft Animals in their greatest Terrors, or Furies, has ever done, or ever could do!

Thefe Evils are not accidental. Whoever will take the Pains to confider the Nature of Society, will find they refult directly from its Conftitution. For as Subordination, or, in other Words, the Reciprocation of Tyranny, and Slavery, is requifite to fupport these Societies, the Intereft, the Ambition, the Malice, or the Revenge, nay even the Whim and Caprice of one ruling Man among them, is enough to arm all the reft, without any private Views of their own, to the worst and blackest Purpofes; and what is at once lamentable, and ridicu lous, these Wretches engage under thofe Banners with a Fury greater than if they were animated by Revenge for their own proper wrongs.

It is no lefs worth obferving, that this artificial Divifion of Mankind, into feparate Societies, is a perpetual Source in itself of Hatred, and Diffenfion among them. The Names which diftinguish them

[ocr errors]

are enough to blow up Hatred, and Rage. Examine Hiftory; confult prefent Experience; and you will find, that far the greater Part of the Quarrels between feveral Nations, had fcarce any other Occafion, than that thefe Nations were different Combinations of People, and called by different Names ;to an Englishman, the Name of a Frenchman, a Spaniard, an Italian, much more a Turk, or a Tartar, raife, of course, Ideas of Hatred, and Contempt. If you would infpire this Compatriot of ours with Pity or Regard, for one of thefe; would you not hide that Distinction? You would not pray him to compaffionate the poor Frenchman, or the unhappy German. Far from it; you would speak of him as a Foreigner, an Accident to which all are liable. You would reprefent him as a Man; one partaking with us of the fame common Nature, and subject to the fame Law. There is fomething fo averfe from our Nature in thefe artificial political Diftinctions, that we need no other Trumpet to kindle us to War, and Destruction. But there is fomething fo benign and healing in the general Voice of Humanity, that maugre all our Regulations to prevent it, the fimple Name of Man applied properly, never fails to work a falutary Effect.

[ocr errors]

This natural unpremeditated Effect of Policy on the unpoffeffed Passions of Mankind, appears on other Occafions. The very Name of a Politician, a Statefman, is fure to caufe Terror and Hatred; it has always connected with it the Ideas of Treachery, Cruelty, Fraud and Tyranný; and those Writers VOL. II.

D

who

[ocr errors]

who have faithfully unveiled the Myfteries of Statefreemasonry, have ever been held in general Detestation, for even knowing fo perfectly a Theory fo deteftable. The Cafe of Machiavel feems at firft fight fomething hard in that Respect. He is obliged to bear the Iniquities of those whofe Maxims and Rules of Government he published. His Speculation is more abhorred than their Practice.

But if there were no other Arguments against artificial Society than this I am going to mention, methinks it ought to fall by this one only. All Writers on the Science of Policy are agreed, and they agree with Experience, that all Governments must frequently infringe the Rules of Justice to fupport themselves; that Truth muft give way to Diffimulation; Honefty to Convenience; and Humanity itself to the reigning Intereft. The whole of this Mystery of Iniquity is called the Reason of State. It is a Reafon, which I own I cannot penetrate. What fort of a Protection is this of the general Right, that is maintained by infringing the Rights of Particulars? What Sort of Juftice is this, which is inforced by Breaches of its own Laws? Thefe Paradoxes I leave to be folved by the able Heads of Legislators and Politicians. For my Part, I fay what a plain Man would fay on fuch an Occafion. I can never believe, that any Inftitution agreeable to Nature, and proper for Mankind, could find it neceffary, or even expedient in any Cafe whatfoever to do, what the beft and worthieft Instincts of Mankind warn us to avoid. But no wonder, that what is fet up in Oppofition

pofition to the State of Nature, fhould preferve itfelf by trampling upon the Law of Nature.

To prove, that these Sort of policed Societies are a Violation offered to Nature, and a Constraint upon the human Mind, it needs only to look upon the fanguinary Measures, and Inftruments of Violence which are every where used to support them. Let us take a Review of the Dungeons, Whips, Chains, Racks, Gibbets, with which every Society is abundantly ftored, by which Hundreds of Victims are annually offered up to fupport a dozen or two in Pride and Madness, and Millions in an abject Servitude, and Dependence. There was a Time, when I looked with a reverential Awe on these Myfteries of Policy; but Age, Experience, and Philosophy have rent the Veil; and I view this Sanctum San&torum, at least, without any enthufiaftick Admiration. I acknowledge indeed, the Neceffity of fuch a proceeding in fuch Inftitutions; but I must have a very mean Opinion of Inftitutions where fuch Proceedings are neceffary.

It is a Misfortune, that in no Part of the Globe natural Liberty and natural Religion 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, honest, which no political Craft, nor learned Sophiftry, can entirely expel from our Breafts. By these we judge, and we cannot otherwise judge of the feveral artificial Modes of Religion and Society, and determine of them as they approach to, or recede from, this Standard.

[blocks in formation]

The fimpleft Form of Government is Defpotifm, where all the inferior Orbs of Power are moved merely by the Will of the Supreme, and all that are fubjected to them, directed in the fame Manner, merely by the occafional Will of the Magiftrate. This Form, as it is the most fimple, fo it is infinitely the moft general. Scarce any Part of the World is exempted from its Power. And in those few Places where Men enjoy what they call Liberty, it is continually in a tottering Situation, and makes greater and greater Strides to that Gulph of Defpotifm which at laft fwollows up every Species of Government. This manner of ruling being directed merely by the Will of the weakest, and generally the worst Man in the Society, becomes the most foolish and capricious Thing, at the fame time that it is the most terrible and deftructive that well can be conceived. In a Defpotifm the principal Perfon finds, that let the Want, Mifery, and Indigence of his Subjects, be what they will, he can yet poffefs abundantly of every thing to gratify his moft infatiable Withes. He does more. He finds that thefe Gratifications increafe in Proportion to the Wretchednefs and Slavery of his Subjects. Thus encouraged both by Paffion and Intereft to trample on the publick Welfare, and by his Station placed above both Shame and Fear, he proceeds to the moft horrid and fhocking Outrages upon Mankind. Their Perfons become Victims of his Sufpicions. The fighteft Difpleasure is Death; and a difagreeable Afpect is often as great a Crime as High-treafon. In the

Court

« PreviousContinue »