428 



PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHT. 



8. 

 Utopism in 

 earlier 

 English 

 literature. 



larger, more abstract, and more philosophical point of 

 view. For centuries past English philosophers had 

 been occupied with theories of government and social 

 order, of popular representation, of freedom of thought 

 and religious toleration. Xor had the spirit of romance 

 and fiction been slow to embody these liberal ideas in 

 fanciful pictures of a human society reconstituted accord- 

 ing to rational principles. Of these the ' Eepublic ' of 

 Plato was the great forerunner and model. Such were 

 in the classical literature of this country the ' New 

 Atlantis' of Bacon (162-4), the 'Oceana' of Harring- 

 ton (1656), and, earliest and foremost of all, the 

 ' Utopia ' of Sir Thomas More (1516). Single attempts 

 were also made to carry them out in practice, some of 

 them highly successful, such as the life-work of William 

 Penn, others fantastic and unrealisable like the earlier 

 scheme of Bishop Berkeley or the later of Coleridge.^ 



^ In 1670 an attempt was made 

 in the colony of Xorth Carolina to 

 introduce a new system of govern- 

 ment and form of social order 

 called the " Fundamental Consti- 

 tution," drawn up by John Locke 

 at the request of the lords pro- 

 prietors ; but this and several 

 subsequent attempts were so 

 stoutly resisted by the colonists 

 that the absurd and tyrannous 

 scheme was formally abandoned. 

 (See ' Encyclop. Brit.,' 9th ed., vol. 

 xvii. p. 562). "The grant of the 

 extensive territory called Penn- 

 sylvania, made by Charles II. in 

 16S1 to William Penn, carried with 

 it full proprietorship and dominion, 

 saving only the king's sovereignty. 

 Penn at once created a quick 

 market for lands by publishing 

 in England and on the Continent 

 his liberal scheme of government 



and his intention to try the 'holy 

 experiment 'of 'a free colon j- for 

 all mankind.' . . . The desire to 

 escape from spiritual and temporal 

 despotisms and the chance of 

 acquiring rich lands in a salubri- 

 ous climate on easy terms, drew 

 thousands of immigrants ; English 

 Quakers, Scottish and Irish Pres- 

 byterians, German Mennonites, 

 French Huguenots, men of all 

 religions were alike welcome. . . . 

 In December 1682 Penn summoned 

 delegates ... to confer about 

 government ; ... in March fol- 

 lowing representatives chosen by 

 the people . . . agreed on a con- 

 stitution based upon popular suf- 

 frage and guaranteeing liberty of 

 conscience." "This constitution, 

 savouring strongly of Harrington's 

 'Oceana,' . . . was democratical 

 in the purest sense." " Such a con- 



