part of their natural liberty, and fubmit their conduct to the direction of the community; for without these conceffions, fuch an alliance, attended with fuch advantages, could not be formed." The weight of authority, for this fundamental principle of government, all power is from the people, is almost unexceptionable: the few, who have at any time quef tioned or denied it, have either mifconceived it themselves, or in the heat of great contention, have obftinately refufed to fubmit even to the truth of their antagonists. Like other truths, this has frequently met with oppofition and refiftance from the attempts of the ignorant to mifreprefent, and the wicked to abufe it.

When I lament the pliancy, with which many of my well meaning countrymen are feduced by the fophifticated arts and malice of fome few, I feel at the fame time a fatisfaction at their difpofition to feek the truth, which infpires me with an uncommon ardor to fet it before them in fo clear a light, that they fhall not fhut their eyes against it. * « Nec tam pertinaces fore arbitror, ut clariffi

* Lactantius.—If to my more informed readers I appear guilty of pleonafm, I beg to be understood to have written this work with a view to point out the true road to thofe, that are ignorant, or have been misled.

mum

mum folem, fanis atque patentibus oculis videre fe negent."

* « That fociability in mankind, or inclination to live in company, is by nature, and confequently ordained by God, for the common benefit of all, is an eafie thing to prove; feeing that all ground of realms and commonwealths dependeth of this point, as of their first principle; for that a common-wealth is nothing else, but the good government of a multitude gathered together, to live in one; and therefore all old philofophers, law-makers, and wife-men, that have treated of government or common-wealths; as Plato in his ten most excellent books, which he wrote of this matter, intituling them, Of the Common-wealths; and Marcus Cicero, that famous counsellor, in other fix books, that he writ of the fame matter, under the fame title; and Aristotle, that perhaps, excelleth them both, in eight books, which he called his Politiques: all these, I fay, do make their entrance to treat of the common-wealth affairs, from this first principle, to wit, That man by nature is fociable, and inclined to live in company.

"These two points then are of nature; Government is

Dolman's Conference about the next Succeffion to the Crown of England, firft printed in 1594, and reprinted in 1681.

of nature.

to

to wit, the common-wealth and government of the fame by magiftrates; but what kind of government each common-wealth will have, whether democratia, which is popular government by the people itfelf, as 'Athens, Thebes, and many other cities of Greece had in old time, and as the Cantons or Switzers at this day have; or else aristocratia, which is the. government of fome certain chofen number of the beft; as the Romans many years were governed by confuls and fenators, and at this day the States of this country of Holland do imitate the fame; or elfe monarchia, which is the regiment of one, and this again either of an emperor, king, duke, earl, or the like: thefe particular forms of government, I fay, are not determined by God or nature, as the other two points before; for then they should be all one in all nations as the other are, feeing The particular God and nature are one to all (as often hath been faid) but these particular forms are left unto every nation or country to chuse that form of government, which they shall like beft, and think moft fit for the natures and conditions of their people, which Aristotle proveth throughout all the fecond and fourth books of his Politiques, very largely laying down divers kinds of governments in his days, as namely, in Greece, that of the Milefians, Lacedemonians,

form of governLent is at the option of each fociety:

Candians,

Candians, and others, and fhewing the caufes of their differences, which he attributeth to the diverfity of men's natures, customs, educations, and other fuch caufes, that made them make choice of fuch or fuch forms of government.

"So as of all this there can be no doubt, but that the common-wealth hath power to chufe their own fafhion of government, as alfo to change the fame upon reasonable causes, as we fee they have done in all times and countries; and God, no doubt, approveth what the realm determineth in this point; for otherwise nothing could be certain, for that of thefe changes doth depend all that hath fucceeded fithence.-In like manner is it evident, that as the common-wealth hath this authority to chuse and change her government, so hath fhe alfo to limit the fame with what laws and conditions fhe pleafeth, whereof enfueth the great diverfity of authority and power, which each one of the former government hath.

"So as when men talk of a natural prince, or natural fucceffors, (as many times I have heard the word ufed) if it be understood of one, that is born within the fame realm, or country, and fo of our own natural blood, it hath fome fenfe, though he may be both good or

bad

The true fenfe

of a natural

prince.

Bellarmine's o

pinion forced

from the glare

of truth.

bad (and none hath been worse, or more cruel, many times, than home born princes): but if it be meant, as though any prince had his particular government or intereft to fucceed by inftitution of nature, it is ridiculous, for that nature giveth it not, as hath been declared, but the particular conftitution of every commonwealth within itself; and fo much for this first point, which must be the ground to all the reft, that I have to say."

« Particular kinds of government are by the right of nations, not by the law of nature; for it depends upon the consent of the people to fet over themselves a king, confuls, or other magistrates."-The received opinion of the temporal fovereignty of the court of Rome is, that it is a moft abfolute monarchy. And the characteristic spirit of the late fociety of jefuits was always supposed to be their absolute and even blind obedience to their fuperiors. Unlefs therefore, the glare of truth had been overpowering indeed, Bellarmine, who was admitted by all perfons to have been a very learned man, and by his enemies was accused of being a very artful, intriguing, and ambitious man, as a jefuit would not have broached doctrines, that would have counteracted the credit and esta

• Bellarmine de Laicis, 1. 3. c. 6.

blishment