EXCURSION TO THE REALMS BELOW, 159 



-arms in its own defence; and, as but few are prudent 

 enough to facriftce their private interefb to the common 

 good ; fo there are even cafes where defpair will move 

 all to avoid an evil that will involve them all in 

 ruin. 



Menipp. And what then becomes of pafiive obedience ; 

 which yet, if Itrength confer a right to rule, is, on 

 the part of the fubjecls, a necefTary confequence of 

 their duty to be fubmiilive to the overbalancing 

 authority I 



■Xenoph.. Nature, or, what amounts to the fame 

 thing, neceflity, has impofed many things on man to 

 bear. To rife up againft unavoidable evils would be 

 folly; and to fuller a ilighter evil, for the fake of get- 

 ting rid of a greater,, or for participating in a good 

 that is only to be pnrchafed by enduring this evil, is 

 a method that all mankind have ever followed. So far,, 

 paflive obedience has frequently, and but too. frequent- 

 ly, been the lot of humanity, and a necefTary condition 

 of civil life. But, to an obedience, which fhouid be 

 ever ready to fuffer every thing, even the ircoft intole- 

 rable, notwithstanding that it depended alone on us 

 to fuffer it — that is,, to an obedience which degrades 

 mankind to fomething lefs than cattle, to mere machines, 

 to fuch an obedience nothing can oblige us. More- 

 over, my dear Menippus, we fliould not take to- domi- 

 neer and to govern for terms of a like import. Nature 

 Las placed mankind in the world, not for being flaves: 

 they muil be governed, not driven ; and, lince by 

 means of the combination and texture of human things, 

 which do not depend upon us, cafes occur, where 

 Itrength alone gives a right to govern ; yet never can k 



bellow 



