Bigot fo blind, what Enthusiast fo headlong, what Politician fo hardened, as to ftand up in Defence of a Syftem calculated for a Curfe to Mankind? a Curfe under which they fmart and groan to this Hour, without thoroughly knowing the Nature of the Disease, and wanting Understanding or Courage. to apply the Remedy.

I need not excufe myfelf to your Lordship, nor, I think, to any honeft Man, for the Zeal I have fhewn in this Caufe; for it is an honest Zeal, and in a good Caufe. I have defended Natural Religion against a Confederacy of Atheists and Divines. I now plead for Natural Society against Politicians, and for Natural Reason against all three. When the World is in a fitter Temper than it is at present to hear Truth, or when I fhall be more indifferent about its Temper; my Thoughts may become more publick. In the mean time, let them repofe in my own Bofom, and in the Bofoms of fuch Men as áre fit to be initiated in the fober Myfteries of Truth and Reason. My Antagonists have already done as much as I could defire. Parties in Religion and Politics make fufficient Difcoveries concerning each other, to give a fober Man a proper Caution against them all. The Monarchic, Ariftocratical, and Popular Partizans have been jointly laying their Axes to the Root of all Government, and have in their Turns proved each other abfurd and inconvenient. In vain you tell me that Artificial Government is good, but that I fall out only with the Abuse. The Thing! the Thing itself is the Abuse! Obferve, my

Lord,

Lord, I pray you, that grand Error upon which all artificial legislative Power is founded. It was obferved, that Men had ungovernable Paffions, which made it neceffary to guard against the Violence they might offer to each other. They appointed Governors over them for this Reason; but a worse and more perplexing Difficulty arifes, how to be defended against the Governors? Quis cuftodiet ipfos cuftodes? In vain they change from a fingle Perfon to a few. These few have the Paffions of the one, and they unite to ftrengthen themfelves, and to fecure the Gratification of their lawless Paffions at the Expence of the general Good. In vain do we fly to the Many. The Cafe is worfe; their Paffions are lefs under the Government of Reafon, they are augmented by the Contagion, and defended against all Attacks by their Multitude.

I have purpofely avoided the mention of the mixed Form of Government, for Reasons that will be very obvious to your Lordship. But my Caution can avail me but little. You will not fail to urge it against me in favour of Political Society. You will not fail to fhew how the Errors of the feveral fimple Modes are corrected by a Mixture of all of them,' and a proper Ballance of the feveral Powers in fuch a State. I confefs, my Lord, that this has been long a darling Mistake of my own; and that of all the Sacrifices I have made to Truth, this has been by far the greatest. When I coniefs that I think this Notion a Miftake, I know to whom I am E 3 speaking,

fpeaking, for I am fatisfied that Reafons are like Liquors, and there are some of fuch a Nature as none but ftrong Heads can bear. There are few with whom I can communicate fo freely as with Pope. But Pope cannot bear every Truth. He has a Timidity which hinders the full Exertion of his Faculties, almost as effectually as Bigotry cramps thofe of the general Herd of Mankind. But whoever is a genuine Follower of Truth, keeps his Eye fteady upon his Guide, indifferent whither he is led, provided that she is the Leader. And, my Lord, if it be properly confidered, it were infinitely better to remain poffeffed by the whole Legion of vulgar Mistakes, than to reject fome, and at the fame time to retain a Fondness for others altogether as abfurd and irrational. The firft has at least a Confiftency, that makes a Man, however erroneoufly, uniform at leaft; but the latter way of proceeding is fuch an inconfiftent Chimæra and Jumble of Philofophy and vulgar Prejudice, that hardly any thing more ridiculous can be conceived. Let us therefore freely, and without Fear or Prejudice, examine this last Contrivance of Policy. And without confidering how near the quick our Inftruments may come, let us fearch it to the Bottom.

First then, all Men are agreed, that this Junction of Regal, Ariftocratic, and Popular Power, must form a very complex, nice, and intricate Machine, which being composed of fuch a Variety of Parts, with fuch oppofite Tendencies and Movements, it

muft

must be liable, on every Accident, to be difordered. To speak without Metaphor, fuch a Government must be liable to frequent Cabals, Tumults, and Revolutions, from its very Conftitution. These are undoubtedly as ill Effects, as can happen in a Society; for in fuch a Cafe, the Clofenels acquired by Community, instead of ferving for mutual Defence, ferves only to increase the Danger. Such a Syftem is like a City, where Trades that require conftant Fires are much exercised, where the Houses are built of combustible Materials, and where they stand extremely close.

In the fecond Place, the feveral conftituent Parts having their diftin&t Rights, and these many of them fo neceffary to be determined with Exactnefs, are yet fo indeterminate in their Nature, that it becomes a new and conftant Source of Debate and Confufion. Hence it is, that whilft the Business of Government should be carrying on, the Question is, who has a Right to exercise this or that Function of it, or what Men have Power to keep their Offices in any Function. Whilft this Contest continues, and whilst the Ballance in any fort continues, it has never any Remiffion; all manner of Abuses and Villanies in Officers remain unpunished; the greatest Frauds and Robberies in the publick Revenues are committed in Defiance of Juftice; and Abuses grow, by Time and Impunity, into Cuftoms; until they prescribe against the Laws, and grow too inveterate often to admit a Cure, unless fuch as may be as bad as the Disease.

Thirdly, the feveral Parts of this Species of Government, though united, preferve the Spirit which each Form has feparately. Kings are ambitious; the Nobility haughty; and the Populace tumultuous and ungovernable. Each Party, however in ap pearance peaceable, carries on a Defign upon the others; and it is owing to this, that in all Queftions, whether concerning foreign or domeftick Affairs, the Whole generally turns more upon fome PartyMatter than upon the Nature of the Thing itself; whether fuch a Step will diminifh or augment the Power of the Crown, or how far the Privileges of the Subject are like to be extended or reftricted by it. And these Queftions are conftantly refolved, without any Confideration of the Merits of the Cause, merely as the Parties who uphold these jarring Interefts may chance to prevail; and as they prevail, the Ballance is overfet, now upon one fide, now upon the other. The Government is one Day, arbitrary Power in a fingle Perfon; another, a juggling Confederacy of a few to cheat the Prince and enflave the People; and the third, a frantick and unmanageable Democracy. The great Inftrument of all thefe Changes, and what infufes a peculiar Venom into all of them, is Party. It is of no Consequence what the Principles of any Party, or what their Pretenfions are; the Spirit which actuates all Parties is the fame; the Spirit of Ambition, of Self-Interest, of Oppreffion, and Treachery. This Spirit entirely reverses all the Principles which a benevolent Nature has erected within us; all Honefty, all equal Juftice,

and