vented, and cannot be maintained; or else justify those principles which
they preached up for gospel; though they had no better an author than an
English courtier: for I should not have writ against Sir Robert, or taken
the pains to shew his mistakes, inconsistencies, and want of (what he so
much boasts of, and pretends wholly to build on) scripture-proofs, were
there not men amongst us, who, by crying up his books, and espousing his
doctrine, save me from the reproach of writing against a dead adversary.
They have been so zealous in this point, that, if I have done him any
wrong, I cannot hope they should spare me. I wish, where they have done
the truth and the public wrong, they would be as ready to redress it, and
allow its just weight to this reflection, viz. that there cannot be done
a greater mischief to prince and people, than the propagating wrong
notions concerning government; that so at last all times might not have
reason to complain of the Drum Ecclesiastic. If any one, concerned
really for truth, undertake the confutation of my Hypothesis, I promise
him either to recant my mistake, upon fair conviction; or to answer his
difficulties. But he must remember two things.
First, That cavilling here and there, at some expression, or little
incident of my discourse, is not an answer to my book.
Secondly, That I shall not take railing for arguments, nor think
either of these worth my notice, though I shall always look on myself as
bound to give satisfaction to any one, who shall appear to be
conscientiously scrupulous in the point, and shall shew any just grounds
for his scruples.
I have nothing more, but to advertise the reader, that Observations
stands for Observations on Hobbs, Milton, &c. and that a bare quotation
of pages always means pages of his Patriarcha, Edition 1680.
OF CIVIL-GOVERNMENT

Book II