POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY. 101 



ments, of which, limited as our faculties now are, this science is 

 susceptible. 



We proceed to treat of Political Philosophy under the heads ef 

 Theory of Government ; Principles of Legislation ; Principles of 

 Adjudication ; and Principles of Administration, or Statesmanship and 

 Diplomacy. 



1. The Theory of Government, investigates the principles of 

 the different forms of government ; and the mechanism by which they 

 are made to fulfil their great objects, the security and improvement 

 of individuals and of society. The principal forms of government 

 are Monarchies, Aristocracies, and Democracies, separate or combined. 

 A Monarchy, is that form, in which the will of one man, styled mo- 

 narch, emperor, king, or otherwise, is the supreme law of the nation. 

 If his will is restricted by charters, constitutions, or other means, the 

 monarchy is said to be constitutional or limited; but if not, it is 

 called an absolute monarchy or a despotism. A Mixed Monarchy, 

 is one in which the supreme power is shared with the nobles, or 

 people, or both. An Aristocracy, is that form, in which the govern- 

 ment is controlled by a privileged class of men ; whether their power 

 be hereditary, or derived from their own body, by intro-election. 

 An Oligarchy or government of a few men, as of the former Council 

 of Ten in Venice, is perhaps the most despotic form of an aristo- 

 cracy. A Democracy, is that form, in which the supreme power is 

 shared by the whole people ; either immediately, as in the Pantocra- 

 cies or Republics of Greece and Rome ; or by agents of their own 

 selecting, as in our Representative Democracies ; to which the term 

 Republic is now most frequently applied. 



The first governments were doubtless either patriarchal or military ; 

 and the origin of political society may be traced back, first to the pri- 

 mitive establishment of families; next, to the union of families in 

 tribes, under one or more chiefs or leaders; and lastly to the union 

 of several tribes, either voluntarily or by conquest, in one great na- 

 tion. The origin of aristocratic and democratic forms of government, 

 may we think be traced to the abuse of supreme power, in the hands 

 of individual chiefs or monarchs ; which led the people to take the 

 reins into their own hands. Such was the origin of the Roman Re- 

 public, called into existence by the enormities of the Tarquins ; and 

 of the French Republic, evoked by the follies of the Bourbons. At 

 the present day governments rest on the voluntary consent of the 

 governed ; or on implied consent, with long acquiescence ; or on the 

 coercion of superior force. 



The object of civil government being the welfare of the whole 

 community, it is necessary that each individual should surrender a 

 portion of his natural liberty, by obeying the laws, in return for the 

 protection which they afford to his person and property. The high- 

 est practicable degree of civil liberty, is that which remains after this 

 necessary surrender. It is important that the legislators and magis- 

 trates should themselves be subject to the same laws as their fellow- 

 citizens ; and responsible to the latter for the due execution of their 

 trusts. The two great safeguards, against the abuse of power, are 

 its distribution in different hands, and their liability to impeachment 



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