Observations Upon Aristotles Politiques Touching Forms of Government, Together with Directions for Obedience to Governours in dangerous and doubtfull times

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.