EXCURSION TO THE REALMS BELOW. 83 



.not even to be imagined, becaufe it puts the fubjects 

 as judges in their own caufe, and would make it to de- 

 pend on their own feelings, their humours, exceffes, 

 and partial judgements, or on the deligns and intrigues 

 of the foremoft, who would wifh to be independent on 

 their new leader, whether they fhould comply or not 

 comply with the terms of this pretended contract. All 

 thy preliminaries are things taken for granted without 

 the leaft foundation, and which fly in the face of ex- 

 perience, of univerfal hiftory, and even of human na- 

 ture. 



Menlpp. Human nature forfooth ! Mankind then, 

 according to thy opinion, are placed in the world for 

 the fake of kings ? 



/. Mankind are in the world, becaufe — they can- 

 not be out of the world ; and kings, becaufe mankind 

 cannot be without kings. 



Menipp, Ridiculous ! Fqr how many centuries 

 were the Greeks, the Carthaginians, the Romans, 

 without kings ? 



/. We do not contend about words, Menippus. 

 An ariftocracy has as many petty kings as ruling bur- 

 ghers ; in a democracy the fubjecls themfelves are 

 kings : and. as this does not anfwer, thou feeft that all 

 little ftates which are curfed with this unhappy confti- 

 tution, are perpetually fluctuating and impelled be- 

 tween the government of one Angle demagogue or of 

 feveral, till they change into monarchies, or, in a 

 political fenfe, come to nothing. Governed mankind 

 muft always be, under fome form or other ; and 

 that the government by kings is the moft natural, we 



g % have 



