“But whereas it is incident to commonwealths, upon emergencies requiring
extraordinary speed or secrecy, either through their natural delays or
unnatural haste, to incur equal danger, while holding to the slow pace
of their orders, they come not in time to defend themselves from some
sudden blow; or breaking them for the greater speed, they but haste to
their own destruction; if the Senate shall at any time make election
of nine knights-extraordinary, to be added to the Council of War, as a
juncta for the term of three months, the Council of War with the juncta
so added, is for the term of the same Dictator of Oceana, having power
to levy men and money, to make war and peace, as also to enact laws,
which shall be good for the space of one year (if they be not sooner
repealed by the Senate and the people) and for no longer time,
except they be confirmed by the Senate and the people. And the whole
administration of the commonwealth for the term of the said three months
shall be in the Dictator, provided that the Dictator shall have no power
to do anything that tends not to his proper end and institution, but all
to the preservation of the commonwealth as it is established, and for
the sudden restitution of the same to the natural channel and common
course of government. And all acts, orders, decrees, or laws of the
Council of War with the junota being thus created, shall be signed,
“DICTATOR OCEANAE.”
This order of instructions to the councils being (as in a matter of that
nature is requisite) very large, I have used my best skill to abbreviate
it in such manner as might show no more of it than is necessary to the
understanding of the whole, though as to the parts, or further duties
of the councils, I have omitted many things of singular use in a
commonwealth. But it was discoursed at the council by the Archon in this
manner:
“MY LORDS, THE LEGISLATORS:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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