Sec. 76. Thus the natural fathers of families, by an
insensible change, became the politic monarchs of them too: and
as they chanced to live long, and leave able and worthy heirs,
for several successions, or otherwise; so they laid the
foundations of hereditary, or elective kingdoms, under several
constitutions and mannors, according as chance, contrivance, or
occasions happened to mould them. But if princes have their
titles in their fathers right, and it be a sufficient proof of
the natural right of fathers to political authority, because they
commonly were those in whose hands we find, de facto, the
exercise of government: I say, if this argument be good, it will
as strongly prove, that all princes, nay princes only, ought to
be priests, since it is as certain, that in the beginning, the
father of the family was priest, as that he was ruler in his own
houshold.
CHAP. VII.
Of Political or Civil Society.
Sec. 77. GOD having made man such a creature, that in his
own judgment, it was not good for him to be alone, put him under
strong obligations of necessity, convenience, and inclination to
drive him into society, as well as fitted him with understanding
and language to continue and enjoy it. The first society was
between man and wife, which gave beginning to that between
parents and children; to which, in time, that between master and
servant came to be added: and though all these might, and
commonly did meet together, and make up but one family, wherein
the master or mistress of it had some sort of rule proper to a
family; each of these, or all together, came short of political
society, as we shall see, if we consider the different ends,
ties, and bounds of each of these.
Pages:
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74