“The Tuesday lectures or orations to the people will be of great benefit
to the Senate, the prerogative, and the whole nation. To the Senate,
because they will not only teach your Senators elocution, but keep the
system of the government in their memories. Elocution is of great use to
your Senators, for if they do not understand rhetoric (giving it at this
time for granted that the art were not otherwise good) and come to treat
with, or vindicate the cause of the commonwealth against some other
nation that is good at it, the advantage will be subject to remain upon
the merit of the art, and not upon the merit of the cause. Furthermore,
the genius or soul of this government being in the whole and in
every part, they will never be of ability in determination upon any
particular, unless at the same time they have an idea of the whole.
That this therefore must be, in that regard, of equal benefit to the
prerogative, is plain; though these have a greater concernment in it.
For this commonwealth is the estate of the people; and a man, you know,
though he be virtuous, yet if he does not understand his estate, may run
out or be cheated of it. Last of all, the treasures of the politics will
by this means be so opened, rifled, and dispersed, that this nation
will as soon dote, like the Indians, upon glass beads, as disturb your
government with whimsies and freaks of mother-wit, or suffer themselves
to be stuttered out of their liberties. There is not any reason why
your grandees, your wise men of this age, that laugh out and openly at
a commonwealth as the most ridiculous thing, do not appear to be, as in
this regard they are, mere idiots, but that the people have not eyes.”
There remains no more relating to the Senate and the people than--
The twenty-fourth order, “Whereby it is lawful for the province of
Marpesia to have thirty knights of their own election continually
present in the Senate of Oceana, together with sixty deputies of horse,
and 120 of foot in the prerogative tribe, endued with equal power
(respect had to their quality and number) in the debate and result of
this commonwealth, provided that they observe the course or rotation
of the same by the annual return of ten knights, twenty deputies of the
horse, and forty of the foot. The like in all respects is lawful for
Panopea; and the horse of both the provinces amounting to one troop, and
the foot to one company, one captain and one cornet of the horse shall
be annually chosen by Marpesia, and one captain and one ensign of the
foot shall be annually chosen by Panopea.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account