hand of a Man, or an Assembly of men; is to say that
all Government is more Inconvenient, than Confusion,
and Civill Warre. And therefore all the danger
that can be pretended, must arise from the Contention
of those, that for an office of so great honour, and
profit, may become Competitors. To make it appear,
that this inconvenience, proceedeth not from that
forme of Government we call Monarchy, we are to consider,
that the precedent Monarch, hath appointed who shall
have the Tuition of his Infant Successor, either expressely
by Testament, or tacitly, by not controlling the Custome
in that case received: And then such inconvenience
(if it happen) is to be attributed, not to the Monarchy,
but to the Ambition, and Injustice of the Subjects;
which in all kinds of Government, where the people
are not well instructed in their Duty, and the Rights
of Soveraignty, is the same. Or else the precedent
Monarch, hath not at all taken order for such Tuition;
And then the Law of Nature hath provided this sufficient
rule, That the Tuition shall be in him, that hath
by Nature most interest in the preservation of the
Authority of the Infant, and to whom least benefit
can accrue by his death, or diminution. For
seeing every man by nature seeketh his own benefit,
and promotion; to put an Infant into the power of those,
that can promote themselves by his destruction, or
dammage, is not Tuition, but Trechery. So that
sufficient provision being taken, against all just
quarrell, about the Government under a Child, if any
contention arise to the disturbance of the publique
Peace, it is not to be attributed to the forme of
Monarchy, but to the ambition of Subjects, and ignorance
of their Duty. On the other side, there is no
great Common-wealth, the Soveraignty whereof is in
a great Assembly, which is not, as to consultations
of Peace, and Warre, and making of Lawes, in the same
condition, as if the Government were in a Child.
For as a Child wants the judgement to dissent from
counsell given him, and is thereby necessitated to
take the advise of them, or him, to whom he is committed:
So an Assembly wanteth the liberty, to dissent from
the counsell of the major part, be it good, or bad.
And as a Child has need of a Tutor, or Protector,
to preserve his Person, and Authority: So also
(in great Common-wealths,) the Soveraign Assembly,
in all great dangers and troubles, have need of Custodes
Libertatis; that is of Dictators, or Protectors of
their Authoritie; which are as much as Temporary Monarchs;
to whom for a time, they may commit the entire exercise
of their Power; and have (at the end of that time)
been oftner deprived thereof, than Infant Kings, by
their Protectors, Regents, or any other Tutors.