Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Introduction
- Principal events in Filmer's life
- Bibliographical note
- The authorship and dating of some works attributed to Filmer
- A note on the text
- Abbreviations and sources
- Patriarcha
- The Free-holders Grand Inquest
- The Anarchy of a Limited or Mixed Monarchy
- The Necessity of the Absolute Power of all Kings
- Observations Concerning the Originall of Government, upon Mr Hobs ‘Leviathan’, Mr Milton against Salmasius, H. Grotius ‘De Jure Belli’
- Observations Upon Aristotles Politiques Touching Forms of Government, Together with Directions for Obedience to Governours in dangerous and doubtfull times
- Select biographical notes
- Textual notes
- Index
- Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought
Observations Upon Aristotles Politiques Touching Forms of Government, Together with Directions for Obedience to Governours in dangerous and doubtfull times
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Introduction
- Principal events in Filmer's life
- Bibliographical note
- The authorship and dating of some works attributed to Filmer
- A note on the text
- Abbreviations and sources
- Patriarcha
- The Free-holders Grand Inquest
- The Anarchy of a Limited or Mixed Monarchy
- The Necessity of the Absolute Power of all Kings
- Observations Concerning the Originall of Government, upon Mr Hobs ‘Leviathan’, Mr Milton against Salmasius, H. Grotius ‘De Jure Belli’
- Observations Upon Aristotles Politiques Touching Forms of Government, Together with Directions for Obedience to Governours in dangerous and doubtfull times
- Select biographical notes
- Textual notes
- Index
- Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought
Summary
SOPHOCLES
Ἀναρχίας γὰρ μείζον οὐκ ἔστιν κακόν;
[Antigone 672: what evils are not caused by anarchy?]
PLATO.
Ὁ βασιν εὺς ὡς θεὸς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων.
[the king is as a god amongst men]
THE PREFACE
In every alteration of government there is something new, which none can either divine or judge of till time hath tried it. We read of many several ways of government. But they have all, or most of them, been of particular cities, with none or very small territories at first belonging to them. At this present the government of the Low Countries and of Switzerland are not appropriated either of them to any one city. For they are compounded of several petty principalities which have special and different laws and privileges each of them. Insomuch that the United Provinces and united cantons are but confederacies and leaguers, and not two entire commonweals; associates only for mutual defence. Nay, the cantons of Switzerland are not only several republics, but reputed to have different forms of commonweals – some being said to be aristocratically governed, and others democratically, as the mountaineers. And some of the cantons are papists, and some Protestants, and some mixed of both. We do not find that any large or great dominion or kingdom united in *one*447 government and under the same laws, was ever reduced at *once*448 to any kind of popular government, and not confined to the subjection of one city.
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- Filmer: 'Patriarcha' and Other Writings , pp. 235 - 286Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1991