him less disposed to oppress his subjects. a king as this is, will be the terror of ill men, will be beloved of all good men.

it, I say, I should talk of these or such like nos, to men that had taken their bias another how deaf would they be to it all!" 66 No Tot, very deaf," answered I;" and no wonder ; for is never to offer at propositions or advices, that is certain will not be entertained. Discourses much out of the road could not avail anything,

ave any effect on men, whose minds were presessed with different sentiments. This philosoical way of speculation is not unpleasant among ends in a free conversation, but there is no room "r it in the courts of princes, where great affairs are carried on by authority."79

"That is what I was saying," replied he, "that there is no room for philosophy in the courts of princes." "Yes, there is," said I; "but not for this speculative philosophy, that makes everything to be alike fitting at all times. But there is another philosophy that is more pliable, that knows its proper scene, and accommodates itself to it; and that teaches a man to act that part which has fallen to his share fitly and decently. If, when one of Plautus's comedies is upon the stage, and a company of servants are acting their parts, you should come out in the garb hilosopher, and repeat, out of Octavia, a dis

neca's to Nero, had it not been better have said nothing, than by mixing

actly, and in opposition to reason.

K

"To these things I would add that law among the Macarians, that lie not far from Utopia, by which their king, in the way on which he begins to reign, is tied by an oath confirmed by solemn sacrifices, never to have at once above a thousand pounds of gold in his treasures, or so much silver as is equal to that in value.78 This law, as they say, was made by an excellent king, who had more regard to the riches of his country, than to his own wealth; and so provided against the heaping up of so much treasure, as might impoverish the people. He thought that moderate sum might be sufficient for any accident, if either the king had occasion for it against rebels, or the kingdom against the invasion of an enemy; but that it was not enough to encourage a prince to invade other men's rights, which was the chief cause of his making that law. He also thought, that it was a good provision for a free circulation of money; that it is necessary for the course of commerce and exchange; and when a king must distribute all these extraordinary accessions that increase treasure beyond the due pitch,

78 Here the author fails of his usual sagacity. For, upon such persons, what force or power have oaths? Was a king ever known to keep an oath, when to break it seemed more for his advantage? Bayle, on this point, saw further than Sir Thomas More. "Entant que homme, il vous dise sincerement, comme un autre, amicus usque ad aras; mais, entant que souverain, s'il parle selon sa pensee, il vous dira, j'observerai le traité de paix, pendant que le bien de mon royaume le demandera : je me moquerai de mon serment, des que la maxime l'Etat le voudra." Dict. Hist. et Crit. art. Agesilaus, rem. H.

it makes him less disposed to oppress his subjects. Such a king as this is, will be the terror of ill men, and will be beloved of all good men.

66

66

If, I say, I should talk of these or such like things, to men that had taken their bias another way, how deaf would they be to it all!" No doubt, very deaf," answered I;" and no wonder; for one is never to offer at propositions or advices, that he is certain will not be entertained. Discourses so much out of the road could not avail anything, or have any effect on men, whose minds were prepossessed with different sentiments. This philosophical way of speculation is not unpleasant among friends in a free conversation, but there is no room for it in the courts of princes, where great affairs are carried on by authority."79

"That is what I was saying," replied he," that there is no room for philosophy in the courts of princes." "Yes, there is," said I; "but not for this speculative philosophy, that makes everything to be alike fitting at all times. But there is another philosophy that is more pliable, that knows its proper scene, and accommodates itself to it; and that teaches a man to act that part which has fallen to his share fitly and decently. If, when one of Plautus's comedies is upon the stage, and a company of servants are acting their parts, you should come out in the garb of a philosopher, and repeat, out of Octavia, a discourse of Seneca's to Nero, had it not been better for you to have said nothing, than by mixing

79 Exactly, and in opposition to reason.

K

things of such different natures, to have made such an impertinent tragi-comedy? For you spoil and corrupt the play that is in hand, when you mix with it things disagreeing to it, even though they were better than it is; therefore go through with the play that is acting the best you can; and do not confound it, because another that is pleasanter comes into your thoughts. It is even so in a commonwealth, and in the councils of princes. If ill opinions cannot be quite rooted out, and if you cannot cure some received vices according to your wishes, you must not therefore abandon the commonwealth, or forsake the ship in a storm, because you cannot command the winds; nor ought you to assault people with discourses that are out of their road, when you see their notions are such that you can make no impression on them: but you ought to cast about, and as far as you can to manage things dexterously, that so if you cannot make matters go well, they may be as little ill as is possible. For except all men were good,80 all things cannot go well; which I do not hope to see in a great while." By this," answered he, "all that I shall do shall be to preserve myself from being mad, while I endeavour to cure the madness of other people for, if I will speak truth, I must say such things as I was formerly saying; and for

so We have not here the opinion of Sir Thomas More, though he appears to support it. It will be seen in the sequel how he demolishes, de fond en comble, this maxim of temporizers, who would have men tolerate all the evils which are difficult to be removed.

lying, whether a philosopher can do it or not I cannot tell-I am sure I cannot do it. But though these discourses may be uneasy and ungrateful to them, I do not see why they should seem foolish or extravagant: indeed, if I should either propose such things as Plato has contrived in his commonwealth, or as the Utopians practise in theirs, though they might seem better, as certainly they are, yet they are so quite different from our establishment, which is founded on property, there being no such thing among them, that I could not expect that it should have any effect on them. But such discourses as mine, that only call past evils to mind, and give warning of what may follow, have nothing in them that is so absurd, that they may not be used at any time; for they can only be unpleasant to those who are resolved to run headlong the contrary way and if we must let alone everything as absurd or extragavant, which by reason of the wicked lives of many, may seem uncouth, we must, even among Christians, give over pressing the greatest part of those things. that Christ hath taught us: though he has commanded us not to conceal them, but to proclaim on the house-tops that which he taught in secret. The greater part of his precepts are more disagreeing to the lives of the men of this age, than any part of my discourse has been; 81 but the preachers seem to have learned that craft to which

81 They are; yet who will dare to say they are therefore Utopian ?