Prejudice, Ignorance and Faction at home, and the Common Enemy
abroad.
You see then by this, it is not without Reason, that our present Senate
have concluded, that the People were mistaken about the point
of Liberty in former time.
After this Resolve, two more were immediatly passed, and because
the Post cals on me to dispatch, I can but only name them.
The one is this, That our Utopions have hither to been extremely mistaken
in the Ground of all their Arguments about Matter of Government.
They fetch their Arguments from principles of naturall Right
and Freedom, whereas the truth is, Government is an Art or Artifice
(call it which you will) found out by Mans wisdom, and occasioned
by necessity, he being (as I may say) necessitated in order to the more
secure enjoying of his freedom, to resign up his natural private Right
for the publick convenience of himself, and the Community where be
lives; and so the Reasons constituting Government are not to be derived
from Mans naturall Right, for that must be presumed a nullity
before there can be a Government, and yet there is no possibility of
preserving it but by Government.
The other is this, That there is no everlasting Principle in Government,
as to anyone particular Form. For, the Rules and Reasons of
Government cannot be always the same, It depending upon
future Contingents; and therefore must be alterable according to the
variety of emergent Circumstances and Accidents; so that no certain
Form can be prescribed at all times, seeing that which may be most
commendable at one time, may be most condemnable at another, and
that is ever best which best fits the present State and Temper of Affairs
and is most conducible to the end of Government: and so a Free
State may be no less, and many times much more, in that which Men
call Monarchy, than in any other Form. 'Tis not the name of a Free
State or Commonwealth that makes it to be so indeed, but that is a
free State in every form, where Men are put into the way of a free enjoyment
and security of their Rights and Properties. Which being so,
it is a fundamentall Article of our State-Creed in Utopia, That be
who cals his brother an Apostate for moving according to Reason,
with the great Wheel of Government, may himself, if he happen to
suffer for this obstinacy be justly esteemed his own Martyr, not the
Publick.
But more another time; at present I fear I have been too serious,
and exceeded the Bound of an Epistle, therefore beg your pardon.