Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Principal events in Bolingbroke's life
- Further reading
- Note on texts
- A Dissertation upon Parties (1733–34)
- LETTER I
- LETTER II
- LETTER III
- LETTER IV
- LETTER V
- LETTER VI
- LETTER VII
- LETTER VIII
- LETTER IX
- LETTER X
- LETTER XI
- LETTER XII
- LETTER XIII
- LETTER XIV
- LETTER XV
- LETTER XVI
- LETTER XVII
- LETTER XVIII
- LETTER XIX
- ‘On the Spirit of Patriotism’ (1736)
- The Idea of a Patriot King (1738)
- Biographical notes
- Index of persons
- Index of subjects
- Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought
LETTER VII
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Principal events in Bolingbroke's life
- Further reading
- Note on texts
- A Dissertation upon Parties (1733–34)
- LETTER I
- LETTER II
- LETTER III
- LETTER IV
- LETTER V
- LETTER VI
- LETTER VII
- LETTER VIII
- LETTER IX
- LETTER X
- LETTER XI
- LETTER XII
- LETTER XIII
- LETTER XIV
- LETTER XV
- LETTER XVI
- LETTER XVII
- LETTER XVIII
- LETTER XIX
- ‘On the Spirit of Patriotism’ (1736)
- The Idea of a Patriot King (1738)
- Biographical notes
- Index of persons
- Index of subjects
- Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought
Summary
Sir,
I advanced, in the first of these essays, something to this effect; that every clumsy, busy, bungling child of fortune, on whom she bestows the means and the opportunity of corrupting, may govern by this infamous expedient; and, having gratified his ambition and avarice, may have a chance to secure himself from punishment, by destroying the liberties of his country. It was advanced likewise, in the same paper, that every character is not equally fit to govern a people, by dividing them; because some cunning, some experience, nay, some skill to form, and some address to conduct a system of fraud, are necessary in this case. I persuade myself that no man, who read that paper, was at a loss to find an instance to confirm the truth of the first of these propositions; and we have now before us another, which may serve to confirm the truth of the second.
Though I do not think the designs of King Charles the Second either deeply laid, or deeply fixed in his own mind; yet in general they were founded on bad principles, and directed to bad ends. He desired indeed to be easy, and to make his people so; but then he desired both these on such conditions, as were inconsistent with good government, during the whole course of his reign; and with the security of religion and liberty, during the latter part of it.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Bolingbroke: Political Writings , pp. 55 - 65Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1997