86~ EXCURSION TO THE REALMS BELOW. 



faithful humble fervant. But, if thy cudgel were a talif- 

 man, wherewith thou madefi: feveral millions of as 

 flout and valiant men as I, thy Haves : then would thy 

 right in us be ccnfefied by the whole earth ; and we, 

 poor wights, whenever we prefumed to demur, ihould 

 be baixLor.elv cudgelled till we were beaten into a be- 

 corning refpect for the right of the ftrongefl. The 

 cudgels of kings are fuch talifmans, and from them 

 they have always right againfr, the weak. 



M$nifp\ Ha, ha, ha ! I begin to perceive that thou 

 art making; ?ame of me. Trulv then we have been 

 both all this while of the fame opinion ? 



I. Not altogether. And to convince thee of this, 

 I will be io civil as to' admit (though in opposition to 

 the plain teftimony both of hiltory and experience), 

 that all monarchy, and in general all fovereignty, ori- 

 ginally arofe from a formal contract. Now let us fee 

 for once what thou haft gained by this conceiiion. A 

 contract between a whole nation, confuting of fome 

 hundred thoufand heads, and double that number of 

 arms and fills, on the one part ; and one lingle man, 

 as king, on the other part, is a contract between very 

 unequal parties ; and the king, in the furl place muff 

 content himfelf with a verv limited authority. 



Menipp* So much the better. They will naturally 

 agree on certain fundamental laws, which will be bind- 

 ing as well on the king as on the people. 



L And for giving thefe laws their due efFicacy, and 

 for preventing or puniihing the tranfgreffion of r.hem 5 

 an authority is neceflary. 



Menipp. A lawful authority, by all means. 



2". Ei-. 



