Page images
PDF
EPUB
[ocr errors]

if Shem, notwithstanding this grant, as soon as Noah was dead, was to be lord over them. Or, if this grant of private dominion to them, over their assigned territories, were good, here were set up two distinct sorts of power, not subordinate one to the other, with all those inconveniencies which he musters up against the "power "of the people," O. 158. which I shall set down in his own words, only changing property for people: "All power on earth is either derived or usurped from "the fatherly power, there being no other original to "be found of any power whatsoever; for if there should "be granted two sorts of power, without any subordi"nation of one to the other, they would be in perpe"tual strife which should be supreme, for two supremes "cannot agree: if the fatherly power be supreme, then "the power grounded on private dominion must be "subordinate, and depend on it; and if the power "grounded on property be supreme, then the fatherly power must submit to it, and cannot be exercised "without the licence of the proprietors, which must quite destroy the frame and course of nature." This is his own arguing against two distinct independent powers, which I have set down in his own words, only putting power rising from property, for power of the people; and when he has answered what he himself has urged here against two distinct powers, we shall be better able to see how, with any tolerable sense, he can derive all regal authority "from the natural and private "dominion of Adam," from fatherhood and property together, which are distinct titles, that do not always meet in the same persons; and it is plain, by his own confession, presently separated as soon both as Adam's and Noah's death made way for succession: though our author frequently in his writings jumbles them together, and omits not to make use of either, where he thinks it will sound best to his purpose. But the absurdities of this will more fully appear in the next chapter, where we shall examine the ways of conveyance of the sovereignty of Adam to princes that were to reign after him.

[ocr errors]

CHAPTER

CHAPTER VIII.

Of the conveyance of Adam's sovereign monarchical

§. 78. STR

[ocr errors]

power.

IR Robert having not been very happy in any proof he brings for the sovereignty of Adam, is not much more fortunate in conveying it to future princes; who, if his politics be true, must all derive their titles from that first monarch. The ways he has assigned, as they lie scattered up and down in his writings, I will set down in his own words: in his preface he tells us, that "Adam being monarch of the "whole world, none of his posterity had any right to possess any thing, but by his grant or permission, or 66 by succession from him." Here he makes two ways of conveyance of any thing Adam stood possessed of; and those are grants, or succession. Again he says, "All kings either are, or are to be reputed, the next "heirs to those first prgenitors, who were at first the "natural parents of the whole people," p. 19.-" There "cannot be any multitude of men whatsoever, but "that in it, considered by itself, there is one man amongst them, that in nature hath a right to be the king of all the rest, as being the next heir to Adam,” 0.253. Here in these places inheritance is the only way he allows of conveying monarchical power to princes. In other places he tells us, O. 155. "All

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

power on earth is either derived or usurped from the fatherly power," O. 158. "All kings that now are, or ever were, are or were either fathers of their people, "or heirs of such fathers, or usurpers of the right of "such fathers," O. 253. And here he makes inheritance or usurpation the only way whereby kings come by this original power: but yet he tells us, this faVOL. V. "therly

T

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

therly empire, as it was of itself hereditary, so it was alienable by patent, and seizable by an usurper, O. 190. So then here inheritance, grant, or usurpation, will convey it. And last of all, which is most admirable, he tells us, p. 100. "It skills not which way "kings come by their power, whether by election, do"nation, succession, or by any other means; for it is "still the manner of the government by supreme power, that makes them properly kings, and not the means of obtaining their crowns. Which I think is a full answer to all his whole hypothesis and discourse about Adam's royal authority, as the fountain from which all princes were to derive theirs and he might have spared the trouble of speaking so much as he does, up and down, of heirs and inheritance, if to make any one properly a king, needs no more but " governing by supreme power, and it matters not by what means "he came by it."

[ocr errors]

§. 79. By this notable way our author may make Oliver as properly king, as any one else he could think of: and had he had the happiness to live under Massa"neillo's government, he could not by this his own rule have forborn to have done homage to him, with "O king live for ever," since the manner of his government by supreme power made him properly king, who was but the day before properly a fisherman. And if I don Quixote had taught his squire to govern with supreme authority, our author no doubt could have made a most loyal subject in Sancho Pancha's island: he must needs have deserved some preferment in such governments, since I think he is the first politician, who, pretending to settle government upon its true basis, and to establish the thrones of lawful princes, ever told the world, that he was "properly a king, whose manner of government was by supreme power, by what means soever he obtained it;" which in plain English is to say, that regal and supreme power is properly and truly his, who can by any means seize upon it: and if this be to be properly a king, I wonder how he came to think of, or where he will find, an usurper.

§. 80. This

80. This is so strange a doctrine, that the surprize of it hath made me pass by, without their due reflection, the contradictions he runs into, by making sometimes inheritance alone, sometimes only grant or inheritance, sometimes only inheritance or usurpation, sometimes all these three, and at last election, or any other means, added to them, the ways whereby Adam's royal authority, that is, his right to supreme rule, could be conveyed down to future kings and governors, so as to give them a title to the obedience and subjection of the people. But these contradictions lie so open, that the very reading of our author's own words will discover them to any ordinary understanding; and though what I have quoted out of him (with abundance more of the same strain and coherence, which might be found in him) might well excuse me from any farther trouble in this argument, yet having proposed to myself, to examine the main parts of his doctrine, I shall a little more particularly consider how inheritance, grant, usurpation, or election, can any way make out government in the world upon his principles; or derive to any one a right of empire, from this regal authority of Adam, had it been ever so well proved, that he had been absolute monarch, and lord of the whole world.

§. 81.

CHAPTER IX.

Of monarchy, by inheritance from Adam.

TH HOUGH it be ever so plain, that there ought to be government in the world, nay, should all men be of our author's mind that divine appointment had ordained it to be monarchical; yet, since men cannot obey any thing, that cannot command; and ideas of government in the fancy, though ever so perfect,

though

ever so right, cannot give laws, nor prescribe

[blocks in formation]

rules to the actions of men; it would be of no behoof for the settling of order, and establishment of government in its exercise and use amongst men, unless there were a way also taught how to know the person, to whom it belonged to have this power, and exercise this dominion over others. It is in vain then to talk of subjection and obedience without telling us whom we are to obey: for were I ever so fully persuaded, that there ought to be magistracy and rule in the world; yet I am nevertheless at liberty still, till it appears who is the person that hath right to my obedience; since, if there be no marks to know him by, and distinguish him that hath right to rule from other men, it may be myself, as well as any other; and therefore, though submission to government be every one's duty, yet since that signifies nothing but submitting to the direction and laws of such men as have authority to command, it is not enough to make a man a subject, to convince him that there is regal power in the world; but there must be ways of designing, and knowing the person to whom this regal power of right belongs; and a man can never be obliged in conscience to submit to any power, unless he can be satisfied who is the person who has a right to exercise that power over him. If this were not so, there would be no distinction between pirates and lawful princes; he that has force is without any more ado to be obeyed, and crowns and sceptres would become the inheritance only of violence and rapine. Men too might as often and as innocently change their governors, as they do their physicians, if the person cannot be known who has a right to direct me, and whose prescriptions I am bound to follow. To settle therefore men's consciences, under an obligation to obedience, it is necessary that they know not only that there is a power somewhere in the world, but the person who by right is vested with this power over them.

. 82. How successful our author has been in his attempts to set up a monarchical absolute power in Adam, the reader may judge by what has been already said; but were that absolute monarchy as clear as our author would desire it, as I presume it is the contrary, yet it

could

« PreviousContinue »