友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!
读书室 返回本书目录 加入书签 我的书架 我的书签 TXT全本下载 『收藏到我的浏览器』

second treatise of government-第32部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完,想下次继续接着阅读,可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能!

ves; liberties; or fortunes of the  people。      Sec。 222。  The reason why men enter into society; is the  preservation of their property; and the end why they chuse and  authorize a legislative; is; that there may be laws made; and  rules set; as guards and fences to the properties of all the  members of the society; to limit the power; and moderate the  dominion; of every part and member of the society: for since it  can never be supposed to be the will of the society; that the  legislative should have a power to destroy that which every one  designs to secure; by entering into society; and for which the  people submitted themselves to legislators of their own making;  whenever the legislators endeavour to take away; and destroy the  property of the people; or to reduce them to slavery under  arbitrary power; they put themselves into a state of war with the  people; who are thereupon absolved from any farther obedience;  and are left to the common refuge; which God hath provided for  all men; against force and violence。  Whensoever therefore the  legislative shall transgress this fundamental rule of society; 

and either by ambition; fear; folly or corruption; endeavour to  grasp themselves; or put into the hands of any other; an absolute  power over the lives; liberties; and estates of the people; by  this breach of trust they forfeit the power the people had put  into their hands for quite contrary ends; and it devolves to the  people; who。  have a right to resume their original liberty; and;  by the establishment of a new legislative; (such as they shall  think fit) provide for their own safety and security; which is  the end for which they are in society。  What I have said here;  concerning the legislative in general; holds true also concerning  the supreme executor; who having a double trust put in him; both  to have a part in the legislative; and the supreme execution of  the law; acts against both; when he goes about to set up his own  arbitrary will as the law of the society。  He acts also contrary  to his trust; when he either employs the force; treasure; and  offices of the society; to corrupt the representatives; and gain  them to his purposes; or openly preengages the electors; and  prescribes to their choice; such; whom he has; by sollicitations;  threats; promises; or otherwise; won to his designs; and employs  them to bring in such; who have promised before…hand what to  vote; and what to enact。  Thus to regulate candidates and  electors; and new…model the ways of election; what is it but to  cut up the government by the roots; and poison the very fountain  of public security? for the people having reserved to themselves  the choice of their representatives; as the fence to their  properties; could do it for no other end; but that they might  always be freely chosen; and so chosen; freely act; and advise;  as the necessity of the common…wealth; and the public good  should; upon examination; and mature debate; be judged to  require。  This; those who give their votes before they hear the  debate; and have weighed the reasons on all sides; are not  capable of doing。  To prepare such an assembly as this; and  endeavour to set up the declared abettors of his own will; for  the true representatives of the people; and the law…makers of the  society; is certainly as great a breach of trust; and as perfect  a declaration of a design to subvert the government; as is  possible to be met with。  To which; if one shall add rewards and  punishments visibly employed to the same end; and all the arts of  perverted law made use of; to take off and destroy all that stand  in the way of such a design; and will not comply and consent to  betray the liberties of their country; it will be past doubt what  is doing。  What power they ought to have in the society; who thus  employ it contrary to the trust went along with it in its first  institution; is easy to determine; and one cannot but see; that  he; who has once attempted any such thing as this; cannot any  longer be trusted。      Sec。 223。  To this perhaps it will be said; that the people  being ignorant; and always discontented; to lay the foundation of  government in the unsteady opinion and uncertain humour of the  people; is to expose it to certain ruin; and no government will  be able long to subsist; if the people may set up a new  legislative; whenever they take offence at the old one。  To this  I answer; Quite the contrary。   People are not so easily got out  of their old forms; as some are apt to suggest。  They are hardly  to be prevailed with to amend the acknowledged faults in the  frame they have been accustomed to。   And if there be any  original defects; or adventitious ones introduced by time; or  corruption; it is not an easy thing to get them changed; even  when all the world sees there is an opportunity for it。  This  slowness and aversion in the people to quit their old  constitutions; has; in the many revolutions which have been seen  in this kingdom; in this and former ages; still kept us to; or;  after some interval of fruitless attempts; still brought us back  again to our old legislative of king; lords and commons: and  whatever provocations have made the crown be taken from some of  our princes heads; they never carried the people so far as to 

place it in another line。      Sec。 224。  But it will be said; this hypothesis lays a  ferment for frequent rebellion。  To which I answer;      First; No more than any other hypothesis: for when the  people are made miserable; and find themselves exposed to the ill  usage of arbitrary power; cry up their governors; as much as you  will; for sons of Jupiter; let them be sacred and divine;  descended; or authorized from heaven; give them out for whom or  what you please; the same will happen。  The people generally ill  treated; and contrary to right; will be ready upon any occasion  to ease themselves of a burden that sits heavy upon them。  They  will wish; and seek for the opportunity; which in the change;  weakness and accidents of human affairs; seldom delays long to  offer itself。  He must have lived but a little while in the  world; who has not seen examples of this in his time; and he must  have read very little; who cannot produce examples of it in all  sorts of governments in the world。      Sec。 225。  Secondly; I answer; such revolutions happen not  upon every little mismanagement in public affairs。  Great  mistakes in the ruling part; many wrong and inconvenient laws;  and all the slips of human frailty; will be born by the people  without mutiny or murmur。  But if a long train of abuses;  prevarications and artifices; all tending the same way; make the  design visible to the people; and they cannot but feel what they  lie under; and see whither they are going; it is not to be  wondered; that they should then rouze themselves; and endeavour  to put the rule into such hands which may secure to them the ends  for which government was at first erected; and without which;  ancient names; and specious forms; are so far from being better;  that they are much worse; than the state of nature; or pure  anarchy; the inconveniencies being all as great and as near; but  the remedy farther off and more difficult。      Sec。 226。  Thirdly; I answer; that this doctrine of a power  in the people of providing for their safety a…new; by a new  legislative; when their legislators have acted contrary to their  trust; by invading their property; is the best fence against  rebellion; and the probablest means to hinder it: for rebellion  being an opposition; not to persons; but authority; which is  founded only in the constitutions and laws of the government;  those; whoever they be; who by force break through; and by force  justify their violation of them; are truly and properly rebels:  for when men; by entering into society and civil…government; have  excluded force; and introduced laws for the preservation of  property; peace; and unity amongst themselves; those who set up  force again in opposition to the laws; do rebellare; that is;  bring back again the state of war; and are properly rebels: which  they who are in power; (by the pretence they have to authority;  the temptation of force they have in their hands; and the  flattery of those about them) being likeliest to do; the  properest way to prevent the evil; is to shew them the danger and  injustice of it; who are under the greatest temptation to run  into it。      Sec。 227。  In both the fore…mentioned cases; when either the  legislative is changed; or the legislators act contrary to the  end for which they were constituted; those who are guilty are  guilty of rebellion: for if any one by force takes away the  established legislative of any society; and the laws by them  made; pursuant to their trust; he thereby takes away the  umpirage; which every one had consented to; for a peaceable  decision of all their controversies; and a bar to the state of  war amongst them。  They; who remove; or change the legislative;  take away this decisive power; which no body can have; but by the  appointment and consent of the people; and so destroying the  authority which the people did; and no body else can set up; and  introducing a power which the people hath not authorized; they  actually
返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 3 1
快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!