This is enough to say concerning commonwealths, but as regards sects, we
see from the instance of our own religion that here too a like renewal
is needed. For had not this religion of ours been brought back to its
original condition by Saint Francis and Saint Dominick, it must soon
have been utterly extinguished. They, however, by their voluntary
poverty, and by their imitation of the life of Christ, rekindled in the
minds of men the dying flame of faith; and by the efficacious rules
which they established averted from our Church that ruin which the ill
lives of its prelates and heads must otherwise have brought upon it.
For living in poverty, and gaining great authority with the people by
confessing them and preaching to them, they got them to believe that it
is evil to speak ill even of what is evil; and that it is good to be
obedient to rulers, who, if they do amiss, may be left to the judgment
of God. By which teaching these rulers are encouraged to behave as badly
as they can, having no fear of punishments which they neither see nor
credit. Nevertheless, it is this renewal which has maintained, and still
maintains, our religion.

Kingdoms also stand in need of a like renewal, and to have their laws
restored to their former force; and we see how, by attending to this,
the kingdom of France has profited. For that kingdom, more than any
other, lies under the control of its laws and ordinances, which are
maintained by its parliaments, and more especially by the parliament of
Paris, from which last they derive fresh vigour whenever they have to be
enforced against any prince of the realm; for this assembly pronounces
sentence even against the king himself. Heretofore this parliament has
maintained its name as the fearless champion of the laws against the
nobles of the land; but should it ever at any future time suffer wrongs
to pass unpunished, and should offences multiply, either these will have